They all could, but he would be the biggest hero of all. Save his sister, and men would tell stories of how brave Prince Vars had fought the best that King Ravin could offer. Fail… fail and his father would probably have his head.

Kill a dozen men to stop that? Vars would do that and more.

Forward! he yelled, and heeled his horse onward. We need to get to the bridge in time!

CHAPTER SEVEN

The first surprise for Nerra was that she woke at all. Her eyes flickered open, and she could breathe, her body not threatening to consume her. She sat, and the second surprise was the bed that she sat on. It was a thing of stone, covered in blankets, in what appeared to be a long dormitory of similar beds.

On each of those beds, a figure lay, most of them moaning, many of them so still that it looked as though they were only breaths away from death. Nerra could smell sweat, and a kind of heat that seemed to be bone deep. The figures wore a variety of clothes, as if theyd been brought here from all corners of the world, but here and there Nerra could see a patch of bare skin, marred by black, scale-like lines…

They were like her.

Nerra looked round sharply, trying to make sense of this. When she had passed out, there had been only the forest, and the dragon…

Youre awake.

The man who stood near the door was the third surprise. He had a long, curling beard, into which he seemed to have woven shells, each painted with a different sign. His graying hair was also long, falling to his shoulders. He wore a tunic and britches, frayed here and there through overuse. He was tall and broad shouldered, with features that seemed weatherworn and lined by care.

Who… who are you? Nerra asked, standing. Where am I?

You are where you need to be, in the last refuge for those with the dragon sickness, the man said. Nerra frowned at that; in the Northern Kingdom, they called it the scale sickness. Did that mean she wasnt in the Northern Kingdom anymore?

I… I feel… Nerra began. I was dying.

You were, the man agreed, in a voice that seemed too calm for the words. But we have ways of stabilizing the sickness, for a time.

But thats incredible, Nerra said. If people knew… my father is

I know who you are, Princess Nerra, the man said. I know that you were cast out for what you are, but you are safe here. This is a place where all of those with the sickness can live out the days of humanity they have left. Where we do what we can to extend those days a little.

Nerra frowned at that. You still havent told me who you are.