Dragon Fate: Book Six of The Age of Fire Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  BOOK ONE - Will

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  BOOK TWO - Ability

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  BOOK THREE - Outcome

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Drakine Glossary

  Draconic Personae

  BOOKS BY E. E. KNIGHT

  Praise for the Novels of

  E. E. KNIGHT

  THE AGE OF FIRE NOVELS

  Dragon Rule

  BOOK FIVE OF THE AGE OF FIRE

  “Exciting.”

  —The Best Reviews

  Dragon Strike

  BOOK FOUR OF THE AGE OF FIRE

  “Entertaining. . . . Knight turns the familiar features of an epic fantasy upside down in this unique world of medieval politics and ancient magic seen through the eyes of dragons.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Book four of the Age of Fire brings this glorious fantasy to a rousing finish with the three sibling stars of the previous novels finally coming together. . . . E. E. Knight makes his world of dragons soar as the audience roots for them to succeed.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “An original tale told from the viewpoint of the dragons. . . . The tale picks up speed on the wings of dragons as they venture aloft, and it carries you with each courageous wingbeat toward the forging of a grand alliance and an exciting new world.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  Dragon Outcast

  BOOK THREE OF THE AGE OF FIRE

  “Presents [dragons] in a way that makes them seem almost human . . . interesting.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Spans decades of time, miles of territory, and a host of philosophical precepts. . . . I must say that I’m really looking forward to the fourth book in the series.”

  —SFRevu

  Dragon Avenger

  BOOK TWO OF THE AGE OF FIRE

  “Knight breathes new life into old conventions. His characters are complex and compellingly drawn, and scene after scene is haunting and memorable. . . . Knight, a master plotter and world builder, alternately surprises and delights, keeping us on the edge of our seats. Had I a working crystal ball, I’d guess that Knight has written a classic here, a kind of Watership Down with dragons—a book that will be cherished for generations to come. It is, simply, a grand tale, full of the mystery and wonder fantasy readers long to discover and too often find absent in modern fiction.”

  —Black Gate

  “[A] gritty coming-of-age story.... Knight makes the story complex enough to entertain readers of all ages.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Knight offers a thoroughly crafted fantasy world.... For a lushly unique fantasy read, look into Dragon Avenger, as well as its predecessor, Dragon Champion. You’ll never look at dragons the same way again.”

  —Wantz Upon a Time Book Reviews

  Dragon Champion

  BOOK ONE OF THE AGE OF FIRE

  “Knight, best known for his Vampire Earth mass market series, makes an auspicious trade paper debut with this smoothly written fantasy told from the point of view of its dragon hero . . . a bloody, unsentimental fairy tale.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “This is a heartwarming story full of adventure, where good deeds and friendship always succeed. The characters are wonderfully endearing and the adventures that AuRon experiences as he grows into an adult dragon are exciting and entertaining.”

  —The Eternal Night

  “A refreshingly new protagonist who views the world from a draconic, rather than a human, perspective. A fine addition to most fantasy collections.”

  —Library Journal (starred review)

  “Knight did a great job of hooking me into the story.... This concern and attention to the details illustrates how strong the overall feel of the book is—Knight clearly is building something more in this world and the amount of backstory to the characters and creatures is very impressive.... Very entertaining, the characters were genuine and the world full of depth.”

  —SFFWorld

  “One of the most consistently interesting writers in the military science fiction field. I wouldn’t miss a book of his Vampire Earth series. They’re great.”

  —Charlaine Harris

  The Vampire Earth Novels

  Valentine’s Resolve

  “Knight flavors action with humor in [Valentine’s Resolve]. . . . Classic apocalyptic SF on a grand scale is always scary, but Knight makes it terrifically entertaining as well.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Knight has managed to write a book six that keeps fans thirsting for more in the series.... [He] maintains a tight point of view, controls scene transitions beautifully, and never wavers in tone. His main character, David Valentine, keeps readers coming back for more.”

  —Science Fiction Weekly

  “E. E. Knight brings excitement and interest to his Vampire Earth series.... [David] is an extraordinary character who turns the Vampire Earth war into a compelling tale.”

  —Alternative Worlds

  “Knight manages something that is not always a given in an extended series: He’s kept it fresh and engaging.... He’s a good, strong writer with a definite gift for building character and milieu without beating you over the head with it, and he never lets it get in the way of the story. Yes, this one is certainly worth the time—and it looks like all the preceding books are, as well.”

  —The Green Man Review

  Valentine’s Exile

  “Compelling pulp adventure.... The sympathetic hero, fast-paced action, and an intricately detailed milieu set in various well-imagined regions of twenty-first-century North America make for an entertaining read.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Valentine’s Exile isn’t an average vampire novel.... The vampires and their soul-sucking Lovecraftian masters are like Dr. Moreau on steroids. This is nicely drawn horror: not gross, not psychologically terrifying, but very creepy.... E. E. Knight is a master of his craft.... [His] work is creative and the voice is his own.”

  —Science Fiction Weekly

  “Knight gives us a thrill ride through a world ruled by the vampiric Kurians and filled with engaging characters and grand schemes, and promises more to come.”

  —Booklist

  BOOKS BY E. E. KNIGHT

  The Age of Fire Series

  Dragon Champion

  Dragon Avenger

  Dragon Outcast

  Dragon Strike

  Dragon Rule

  The Vampire Earth Series

  Way of the Wolf

  Choice of the Cat

  Tale of the Thunderbolt

  Valentine’s Rising

  Valentine’s Exile

  Valentine’s Resolve

  Fall with Honor

  Winter Duty

  March in Country

  ROC

  Published by New American Library, a division of

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson
Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

  Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India

  Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  First published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  First Printing, December 2011

  Copyright © Eric Frisch, 2011

  All rights reserved

  Map by Thomas Manning and Eric Frisch

  REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

  Knight, E. E.

  Dragon fate/E. E. Knight.

  p. cm.—(Age of fire; bk. 6)

  ISBN : 978-1-101-51647-8

  1. Dragons—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3611.N564D734 2011

  813’.6—dc23

  2011031882

  Set in Granjon

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  FOR MARY, JACK, AND ALL THE OTHERS IN THE GROUPS. WE’RE CROSSING A FINISH LINE TOGETHER.

  BOOK ONE

  Will

  “THERE’S NO WORSE ENEMY IN THE

  EARTH THAN A FALLEN DRAGON.”

  —Dwarfish proverb

  Chapter 1

  Wistala, feeling like a newly mated dragon-dame, might have been living an idle, romantic dream, save that she was eyesore from searching mountainside crevices and frostbitten about the nostrils.

  She rode chill mountain air, hunting trolls with her secret mate, DharSii, among the peaks of the Sadda-Vale. They’d been up before the sun, hoping to catch the walking boulder of muscle and appetite on its return from pasture country.

  There were things she’d rather be doing with her mate, of course. Swimming in the steaming pools at the north end of the Sadda-Vale, for a start, rather than fighting winds that threatened to freeze her blood. The remote fastness of the Sadda-Vale, resting like a twisted skeleton on the vast plains east of the Red Mountains, had a pleasant microclimate in the snake-track vale between two short mountain chains, a gift of the mild volcanic activity in the area—along with an occasional earthquake.

  Ancient ruins filled with highly stylized artwork, much of it featuring dragons, their prey, and cowering hominids, still waited to be uncovered and explored. There were secrets to be discovered in abandoned old tunnels and subchambers, icons to be discerned in high corners, relics of lost dragon history.

  DharSii, a powerful yet thoughtful dragon whose scale color reminded her of the tigers she’d seen in jungles to the south, had some interesting theories about the old structures of the Sadda-Vale, and she wanted to hear them again, this time while looking at the art and iconography that had inspired such ideas. Wistala had developed her taste for pedantry while doing what her fellow librarians called “outwork,” living with a tribe of blighters half a world to the south. She’d seen hints here and there of an ancient golden age of dragons, and DharSii shared her interest in that epoch.

  When conversation became too dull among their fellow dragons of the Sadda-Vale, they liked to escape mentally to other times and places. Those were her favorite hours, as they broke down the last few bones of dinner and swallowed after-feast ores laboriously cracked out of the slate-fields. Sometimes the conversations went on until the dawn arrived like a surprise guest. They’d revive themselves by taking a swim in the steamy waters of the pools beneath Vesshall and then snooze on the sunny mountainside rocks above the lake mist.

  But life with DharSii in the Sadda-Vale carried responsibilities. Left unchecked, the trolls would devour the flocks and herds and coops and pens that sustained the dragons and their blighter servants. So this particular morning they flew parallel to the western spine of mountains sheltering the vale, hungry and chilled and alert. The mountains, like old, worn-down teeth, were full of crags, holes, and pockets, and trolls could fold themselves into cracks that would hardly allow a dragon’s snout. The peaks and ridges caught the wind and sang mournful tunes to unheeding clouds and fog. Above them, bitter winds blew hard and cold enough to freeze one’s eyes open in the winter. On the other side of the clouds, she knew, the stars at night were brilliantly clear, with spectacular fireworks of shimmering, flame-colored lights dancing on the horizon like maddened rainbows—if you could brave the chill. But in their shelter, the heated waters of the Sadda-Vale created pools of warmth and the omnipresent clouds and fogs.

  DharSii dipped lower, seeing something on the slope.

  Just a shadow. He led her higher again, so their hunt might be concealed by the clouds.

  Her brother AuRon should be with them. He was a skilled stalker. His scaleless skin, though vulnerable in battle and badly scarred because of it, shifted from color to color according to where he stood, even to the point of imitating shadows and striations in the rock face. But as soon as winter had broken above the Sadda-Vale and flight over the plains of the Ironriders became possible without fighting blizzards, he’d gone aloft to travel south, risking his life in order to visit his mate. Natasatch, mother of AuRon’s hatchlings now serving a new Tyr of the Dragon Empire, acted as “protector” for one of the Empire’s provinces. Which really meant humans fed, housed, and offered coin to AuRon’s mate.

  AuRon, once when he had incautiously drunk too much of Scabia’s brandy-wine, had slurred something about “political necessities” separating him from his mate.

  Wistala’s scaleless brother had to be careful on these visits and use every camouflage of wit and skin. As an exile, he was in danger of death every moment he was with his mate. To manage his brief visits, he made good use of his ability to become invisible at will and also of his many friends in the Protectorate of Dairuss, where he knew the king and queen from old.

  But every time Wistala saw him leave, she feared that it would be a permanent parting.

  She returned her wandering mind to the hunt.

  The air this morning had a hopeful, alive smell. Fresh winds blew from the south, bringing the scents of the coming spring.

  She noticed a herd of goats, tight together rather than grazing, the dominant males alert and watchful, all looking in the same direction and sniffing the breeze. Had they clustered at the sight of her and DharSii? It seemed unlikely—goats rarely searched the clouds unless a shadow passed over them, and there were thick, steely clouds today. Hardly a da
y went by that did not bring mists and drizzle, as warm, wet, rising air met the cooler streams above.

  Good for the grasses the herbivores loved, but the patches of fog and wandering walls of drizzle also gave concealment for prowling trolls. You had to get lucky to see one in the open; at the sound of a dragon’s leathery wings, they could squeeze themselves into crevices that seemed hardly thicker than a tail tip.

  No, the goats were alarmed by something else. Had they caught the scent of a troll? And, if so, would the pair of them be enough to kill it? They really should have brought another dragon so that there’d be a firebladder full of burning fats and sulfur in reserve.

  Her other brother, the copper-colored RuGaard, formerly Tyr of the Dragon Empire and Worlds Upper and Lower, wouldn’t be of much use on a hunt. Thin and listless, hardly eating, drinking, or caring for his scales, he lived a lightless existence at Scabia’s hall, hearing without really listening to her old tales of the great dragon civilization of Silverhigh from ages ago. The only time he showed any sort of animation these days was when AuRon brought news of his own mate, Nilrasha, a virtual prisoner in a tower of rock, thanks to the stumps she had instead of wings and a guard of watchful griffaran. She lived on as a hostage to the former Tyr’s good behavior.