The Flames of Dragons by Josh VanBrakle

was time to up the stakes. She hadn’t wanted to use this weapon so soon, but it might be the only way to rein in Balear before he swept control of her city out from under her.
    “One moment, Balear,” Elyssa said. “Your father and I might only have been friends, but I was closest to him among all the learned class in Kataile. The last time I saw him alive, he asked me for a favor. You see, your father never learned to read or write. That day, he wanted me to record his thoughts on a scroll, a scroll that was to be read only by his son.”
    Balear went limp. His arm trembled. “I was a toddler when my father left. Why would he leave a scroll for me?”
    “When you read it, you’ll understand.”
    “Where is it?” Balear asked. He seemed to choke on the words. “Is it here?”
    She had him. “I wouldn’t risk it being left in the open,” Elyssa said. “I keep it under lock and key. I’ll tell you what. I plan on visiting you tomorrow during your training session. I want to observe it. If I like what I see, perhaps I’ll show you the scroll.”
    Balear cocked an eyebrow. “And if you don’t like what you see?”
    Elyssa gave him her most mysterious smile, one honed over two decades of politics. “Then I’ll show it to everyone.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hana!
     
     
    The next day Balear returned to the square on Kataile’s third level. Ahead of him the fountain was still smashed, but aside from that, everything about this place felt different from two days ago. All one hundred and ten officers had shown up and given Balear their utmost attention, even Pito.
    Their path forward was simple. Balear, Riac, and Dirio couldn’t teach a thousand men by themselves, so instead they would teach the teachers. The trio would work with the officers to hone their skills with various weapons and formations. The officers in turn would instruct their squads and companies.
    All around Balear the officers drilled, sweat heavy on their brows and uniforms even though the afternoon was cold. They were breathing hard, yet no one showed any sign of backing off in his efforts.
    No one, that was, except Balear himself. His thoughts kept returning to what Elyssa had said. His father had left a message just for him? The way Elyssa had described it, it must have been written after Dad had left Tropos for good.
    What had he written, and why would Elyssa threaten Balear with its public release? Balio Platarch was one of Lodia’s heroes, especially in Kataile. Countless merchants lived and prospered today only because he had saved them from pirates. What in that scroll could be so damning that it would override that legacy?
    Balear shook away the question. He needed to focus. Whatever the scroll said, the message would be meaningless if Kataile fell.
    Balear scanned the officers, looking for someone who needed help. As he did, he spied Riac. The veteran circled among the men, correcting errors and offering words of encouragement.
    Balear smiled to himself. He’d had a stroke of luck in finding that one. Riac was more motivated than any of them, and he could speak to the Katailans with a familiarity that Balear could never have.
    As he continued to look over the assembly, Balear’s smile shifted into a grimace. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed an auburn-haired woman walking down the steps from the fourth level to the square. Even before he saw her face, he could tell by her precise walk who she was.
    “Lady Orianna,” he said when she arrived, “I’m glad you could make it. Welcome to our training session. It’s going well.”
    “Indeed,” the mayor replied. She looked over the men. “I can’t tell if you’ve inspired their loyalty, or if they’re just curious what stunt you might pull next.”
    “As long as they train with everything they have, I don’t really care about their reasons.”
    The pair watched the officers in silence for some time. At length Elyssa murmured, “Now that you have them motivated, what comes