Oberon's Dreams Read Free Page B

ones with anything to steal are those who own the chains.”
    Iryana narrowed her eyes. “On the sea, perhaps. But here? All you take from here will be the memories of these wretched tribes.”
    “As I said before, I’m only here to challenge those who will come after.”
    “It isn’t easy to believe. A thousand years your people have not disturbed this place. Perhaps you learned some secret, but why should I suspect there would be others?”
    “I could offer you their names. I found the map that led me here on some nobleman’s spoiled son. I learned the secrets of this place in the library at Rikkeborh. Trust my word, the Godlanders were coming to this place. I merely won the race.”
    “So many answers,” she said. “And never hesitation.”
    “It is the one thing I cannot afford.”
    She shook her head and met his eyes. “Then tell me this: What will you do if I refuse?”
    “I’ll ask again.”
    She laughed, but there was bitterness in it. “Ethan Blake would have me beaten.”
    “Ethan Blake would slit your throat,” Corin said. “He has no love for slaves at all.”
    “Then he would leave here empty-handed. There is no way to enter Jezeeli without my aid, so—”
    Corin shook his head, cutting her off. Then, without saying a word, he extended one arm back the way they’d come, pointing at the huge bronze cannons.
    Iryana gasped. “He wouldn’t dare.”
    “He would,” Corin said, a touch of sadness in his voice. “And I would, too, to keep that treasure out of the hands of some greedy lord.”
    “You would fire on the forgotten city?”
    “I would blast a way through solid stone and pray it didn’t do too much damage to the treasure buried on the other side.”
    “It is not a treasure hoard. It is a sacred place.”
    “Then let me in. Open the way for me, show me a chamber full of sadness and regret, and we will leave this place forever. Refuse, and you can see how much destructive power those things hold.”
    Corin watched a tear spill down her dusky cheek, but in the end she nodded.
    “Good.” He breathed a sigh and took her arm. “I’m glad to hear it’s settled. Because unless I miss my guess, the boys are back.”
    Corin turned again, looking past the cannons this time. The horizon beyond the valley’s mouth was now a rolling cloud of dust, and beneath that backdrop marched an army of weary pirates. Ethan Blake came along at their head, and he looked angry.
    Corin shook his head. “And I do not want Blake to have to use the cannon.”
    “Beware that man,” Iryana whispered.
    “Get to your tent.”
    “I thought you needed me.”
    Corin glanced her way. She looked prepared to go to battle. Her jaw was clenched, her hands in fists, and there was murder in her eyes. Corin sighed.
    “Wait for me at your tent,” he said. “I’ll need you soon enough. But there is still some work to do.”
    She hesitated, still intent on arguing, but Corin turned away to watch Blake’s approach. Still she lingered for a moment, but then she surrendered with a huff and Corin felt a small relief as he heard her footsteps receding across the sand.
    He’d risked too much, rescuing her. And he had won no great victory in compelling her to open the gate for him. But she’d become entangled in this plot, and she was his responsibility. He couldn’t leave her to the traders, and he certainly couldn’t leave her to Blake’s care. Even if it had to be against her wishes, he’d see her safely on the other side of this affair, and likely with a fortune to pass on to her granddaughters. All he had left to do was end this strange adventure.
    But as Corin watched the furious approach of his first mate, he remembered Iryana’s warnings concerning the man. Blake was pompous, reckless, and ruthless. Corin had no love for his first mate, but there were those among his crew—among any pirate crew, even Old Grim’s—who spoke no other language than violence. It had been useful to keep Ethan Blake around