Rise of the Dragon Queen

by Sherri Beth Mitchell

  “I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. The gods knew she had enough on her plate already. If she added another difficult task she felt she might tear in half from the strain. “Would it be difficult?”

  “Only the stronger spells are very hard,” Zander told her. “Once you get used to your spells your magic will respond to you more easily. But sometimes it is so strong that it nearly gets out of your hands. You have to learn how to control it and when.”

  A fleeting image of Gregorich Hapshamin hanging by his toenails in the Town Common made a smile touch her face. “All right, tutor me.”

  Zander smiled, tears in his eyes from the excitement. He gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Then he turned back to Motilda, grunted, and fetched some ointment to spread upon her womanhood.

  “What do you think is wrong with her?” Silvia asked curiously.

  “Not a damn thing besides the fact that she doesn’t seem to wash very often and she’s quite malnourished. The story of Urich doing terrible things to her may or may not be true. If you ask me, she just did it for attention and that’s all there is to it. Now, it is time for you to wake her, my dear Queen.”

  Surprised, she said, “What do I say?”

  “Touch her forehead with two fingers and say ‘Kordua, neht buno lonias’.”

  “Awaken, and feel no pain,” Silvia said, beaming when Zander smiled. She placed two fingers on Motilda’s forehead; the skin was cool and smooth under her bangs. “Kordua, neht buno lonias.”

  Motilda’s eyes opened as the old man spread a sheet over her body. “Was I asleep long?”

  “Not too long, but it’s all over now,” Silvia told her. “If you’d like to take a nap, go ahead. We won’t be leaving for a while yet, dear.”

  The young woman closed her eyes immediately. The other two left the room, closing the door behind them quietly. They joined Frero, Keelan, and Quentin, who had just returned from his walk, outside. Zander took Silvia’s hand and led her around to the back of the house.

  “We will try a few simple things first,” he said. “There is a cutting block over there that has wood chips all atop of it. I want you to remove the wood chips without touching them. Don’t try anything drastic yet, for you are not ready. As for the words, think of something appropriate, and use your hands as much or as little as you wish.”

  Silvia nodded. She thought of the simplest way to remove the wood chips and said, “Neihuda wunow.”

  Both she and Zander jumped when a strange voice came from out of nowhere and asked, “Where?”

  She had said ‘wind blow’. Now what? She focused her attention at the top of the cutting block, trying to think of the right words. Suddenly a great gust of wind arose from the stillness of the day and blew every last wood chip off the block.

  “Dunatku,” she whispered, meaning ‘thank you’.

  Zander was dumbstruck. “Absolutely amazing!” he exclaimed, clasping her hand. “Do you know, it took me months to learn how to speak to the trees and actually have them listen to me? And here you are, doing just that, on your first try!” He stamped his leather-clad feet upon the ground merrily. “You will be a powerful mage, Your Majesty. A sorceress beyond compare!”

  Silvia smiled despite the slight discomfort she was feeling. Wasn’t it only yesterday, the day she had met Zander, that she had flown into a temper tantrum upon realizing he was a man of magic? He certainly was not complaining now, and had made no mention of her behavior the day before. She felt rotten for the way she had acted. Ever since Keelan had told her who she was and that Gregorich Hapshamin was responsible for her social position and the ruin of her family, she had believed all magic was bad. Now she could plainly see this was not true.

  And not only that, but she was enjoying herself immensely. As they continued the lesson, her only problem was that with bigger spells she became dizzy or tired. Her tutor assured her these were only symptoms associated with the first trials of magic, and that the more she practiced and used her magic, the quicker the unpleasant side effects would melt away and not return. She hoped that was true.

  Zander spent the next two hours tutoring Silvia, during which Frero, Keelan, and Quentin sat in with amused expressions. Everybody thought it was very funny, but also quite frightening when she made her first big mistake.

  Zander had commanded her to drive his axe into the cutting block. Silvia had tried, but failed miserably. As the axe was floating in midair it swung around and chased the group all around the yard several times. Once, Quentin tripped over his robe and fell to the ground. The axe stopped in the air above him and tilted back, as if someone were about to swing it. He rolled over twice, jumped to his feet, and passed the others at a gallop. Silvia and Zander kept screaming spells and incantations at the top of their lungs, but their concentration was too broken up for any spells to ring true. Finally, Silvia began lagging behind, out of breath. Determined to put a stop to the axe she whipped around.

  “Grefelda prodene!”

  There was an explosion just before Zander, Keelan, Frero, and Quentin rounded the corner of the house, running straight at her. They stopped and stared in astonishment at the charred, smoldering remains of the axe, the blade of which was rammed into the earth between her feet.

  “I’ll wager Gregorich won’t see that one coming,” Zander said as he wiped sweat from his brow.

  Motilda slept through lunch, so they saved her a small plate of food. Zander had shown Silvia how to charm a fish into the net and trout was to eat.

  When everyone was seated at the kitchen table, Silvia noticed that she was beside Keelan; her chair was so close to his that their legs were touching. Keelan noticed it too.

  “Would you like me to move my chair, milady?” he asked softly.

  Silvia startled herself by saying, “No, it’s quite all right.”

  The others exchanged knowing glances with merry eyes and tried to hide or suppress their smiles.

  Throughout the meal Silvia kept bumping into Keelan while trying to eat. This caused her to blush (which everyone saw, for she neglected to wear her veil at Zander’s since she was in her own company and no one else was around), and butterflies swarmed inside her stomach. At one point, when their legs brushed against each other and ended up staying together, Silvia felt heat not just in her cheeks, but in other places of her body. Her heart was beating hard, pounding against her insides.

  After eating, Silvia pulled Zander away from everyone else. “Zander, do you know the meanings of dreams?” she asked.

  “Usually, I understand them quite well,” he admitted. “Do you have one to share?”

  “Yes,” she said, and told him in vivid detail of the one she’d dreamed on the previous night.

  The old man chuckled a little bit as she finished her dream. “My dear, have you ever been in love?”

  “Yes,” she stated flatly. Her butterflies vanished completely, replaced with a sour feeling and a frown.

  “I see you’re probably referring to Venicius. Keelan told me of him. But I ask you, were you willing to give your life for him? As in, hand your life over with no questions asked? To love while forgiving them their mistakes and accepting their flaws?”

  Her thoughts flew to her ex-lover and how she still hated him for betraying her. “If...if someone cheated on you right before they died and you still loathe them for it...”

  “Then that is not love because you would mourn their death more than you would mourn their infidelity,” said Zander firmly. “However, if you truly love someone then you would never, ever bed with someone else. And Silvia, if you still loathe him for it, then you were not ever really in love with him.”

  “Nobody knew of us,” she said sadly. And how much she had wanted to share their happiness with her family!

  “No one hides their love unless it means death to one or both of them. In your case my dear, do not be afraid to show feelings towards Keelan when you’re not around Gregorich.”

  Silvia turned her green eyes upon Z
ander. “How can I tell he won’t betray me? Or leave me? How do I tell whether or not it is true love?”

  “Part of those answers are in your dream,” Zander replied. “As in your dream, Gregorich is your nemesis, and make no doubts in your sweet mind that if he found out the truth, he would be very much like a demon trying to hunt you down. Now, you were not ready to face that demon, so you turned to flee. Keelan was right behind you for you to fall back upon. He carried you to safety. This means that no matter what happens he will be there for you. And if you ever need to be rescued and taken away, he would jump for the chance. Another thing: he was the only person to help you in your great need in your dream. So while you’re asleep or awake, trust him with your life. You may feel close to everyone else of your party but Keelan will be the one to catch you if you fall, and to lift you when you can’t reach. He is the most dependable and the most loyal to you. Accept this, milady. Even if you never love him, treat him as he is a part of your soul.”

  “I can’t,” she cried out, flinging her hands upward. “I can’t put him in that kind of danger!”

  “My lady,” he said testily, “please keep in mind that everyone associated with you is in danger, and it is because we choose to be, not because we are forced to be.”

  “You don’t understand,” she muttered. “If he dies because he tried to help me...I could never forgive myself. I would die of heartache.” Her eyes pleaded with him to comprehend.

  Zander softened his tone. “My lady, there is no better reason to die than for love. He has chosen you to love and has never loved anyone before. Of that I can assure you, for I know him better than anyone else. If he did die, he would bring himself back to life again out of his love for you.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “A blind man could see it, my dear.”

  They sat in silence under the afternoon sun. Then Zander brought up the fact that she had decided to go to the palace and accept Gregorich’s offer.

  “Yes,” she said. “It is the choice with the most chances to rid him of the crown.”

  “But also the more dangerous choice and I know you have mulled this over enough in your mind to realize that. May luck go with you, and where it can’t, use your stone to call on me. I will come.”

  Chapter Three—A Good Deed and a Bad Mistake

  It was after dark when they arrived at the inn. Hans and Maura were found to be at a table downstairs, waiting for their meal. The rest joined them and more food was ordered. When the roasted half-of-an-ox stuffed with boiled squash arrived, the events of the day had already been discussed and everyone ate silently. While Hans and Maura had learned of Silvia and her surprising new magic skills (both had raised their eyebrows at that, yet were not entirely surprised), the others had learned that the orchards were closed to the public unless you charmed the Guards with five snicks. Also the homeless shelter, run by a brother and sister, Tedd and Surah, had been burnt down yet again. It was accepting any and all donations to rebuild it.

  “I’ll have to inquire to Gregorich about that,” Silvia said darkly. Yes, she would surely add that to her list of things that needed to be sorted out.

  “It will do you no good,” Quentin stated from beside the table. “The King cannot stand the homeless, or most other poor people, which is one of the reasons you won your case in court yesterday morning. He doesn’t realize, or doesn’t want to, that every city has homeless people just as much as they have visitors to the city: every city has a vagabond population. It sounds cruel, but Hapshamin hates them with a passion and can’t stand to be near them. He thinks they are pests (though granted—some of them are) and wants to get them out of the city by any means.”

  “The man’s blood must run cold through his veins,” Silvia spat. “Honestly, does anybody know why Darkanians like him so much?”

  At first no one answered. Then Keelan held up his hand while swallowing a large mouthful of ox and squash. “I know I was still a boy, but I believe I can answer that.” He took a long pull of ale. “This city was as peaceful as a lake on a day without wind, and all the fish were happy. However, even under the just eyes of their leaders, they became restless. They craved something different and it finally came in the form of a young man who entered the lake without causing a ripple. But the young man began to speak to the little fish with a strong voice coated with honey, promising things to them. The fish nibbled at his flesh and found him real, and the first of many ripples appeared on the surface of the lake, where no breeze was to be found.”

  “Excellent interpretation,” Frero commented. The others readily agreed.

  “The city began to have problems when Hapshamin arrived. But no one noticed that those problems started with his presence here. He covered himself well,” Keelan said.

  But Silvia remained silent and contemplative. After a moment she said, “I think I’m going to retire now, and pack some of my things.”

  Keelan rose with her, saying that he was of the same mind about retiring and that she needed an escort anyway. He followed her unspeaking form up the stairs. When she stopped outside her door he said, “Mistress, may I have a word with you in your chambers?”

  “Of course you may.” She opened the door and walked inside. Keelan closed it behind him and watched her pick up a matchbox on her bedside table. She slowly lit eight taper candles and placed them about the room to give off more light. Then she closed all of the shutters and turned to face him, her face expressionless.

  Keelan took a deep breath. What should he say? How should he tell her how he felt? Was it even the time? Would she laugh at him? Maybe it would work out better if he just started a conversation and let it go from there.

  So, he said, “I was wondering how your shoulder was feeling.”

  Silvia touched it. “A little tender, but otherwise all right.” She began folding her dresses and packing them into a fancy trunk laced with silver as they spoke.

  Keelan was unsure how to continue the conversation. “My lady, um...”

  She turned and gazed at him questioningly. “Yes?”

  “Do you wish me to accompany you inside the palace during your stay?”

  Silvia’s thoughts raced back to what Zander had told her: He is the most dependable and the most loyal to you. Accept this, milady. Even if you never love him, treat him as he is a part of your soul. A part of her soul. She decided to trust the old man’s words. “Yes I do, Keelan. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, it is...it is just that I am but a poor man, and you are rich and beautiful, besides the fact that you are a queen. Maybe I am not fit to be your servant.”

  Silvia’s eyes blazed, but with passion instead of anger. “Do you think being well off matters to me? Do you think that because you term yourself ‘poor’ that it matters? I trust you Keelan. I trust you with my secrets and my life. You don’t even know the beginning of it. Your heart is full of honor and pride, but it is also full of loyalty, compassion, and love. No greater friend could I have right now than you.” She strode up to him and put her hand on the side of his face. “If it weren’t for you Keelan, I wouldn’t have made if this far. And furthermore I would not be able to make it without you by my side.”

  Keelan’s hand moved to cover hers. He gazed into her green eyes longingly, wishing he could lose himself in them. Her lips were barely parted, her cheeks flushed, the skin of her hand warm...

  A cry screeched through the night outside the window, and the trance was broken as they both ran to the window to open it. The night sky was void of stars, but the light of the torches on the inn’s exterior walls let them see the scene below. A well-dressed woman of high class was beating a man who was obviously a pauper. She was shrieking at him in such a high pitch that Silvia and Keelan were obliged to cover their ears.

  “How dare you ask me for money! Do you think I would give the likes of you a second glance? Much less money? How dare you, you filthy heap of rags, to even speak to a woman as high borne as I?”

  The woman held
a thick cane in her left hand, and she started beating the man on the back with it. Silvia became enraged. Whirling around, she was gone before Keelan knew that she had crossed the room. He turned back to the scene below and was startled when Silvia stormed out of the inn.

  The high-class woman was rearing back her arm to strike the poor man again, but Silvia’s arm lashed out and gripped the woman’s wrist. Silvia took the advantage of surprise and wrenched the cane from the woman’s grip. Moving so quick as to be a blur to Keelan’s eyes, she took the cane in her hand and brought it across the woman’s back. The woman fell to the ground, too shocked and hurt to scream, clutching her back in pain.

  “How dare you!” she finally muttered.

  “No, how dare you,” Silvia lashed back. “All the man did was ask for a bit of change from what I can tell, and you started beating him for it! Can you not simply say ‘no’? I do not you are able to, and do you know why? Because you are the kind of lady who loves to hurt people for attention and you wanted to humiliate this helpless man in order to make yourself look better and more important. Well, no more pedestals for you. The only thing you look like to me is a cowardly foul-mouthed goody two-shoes! This man has more sense and more manners than you ever will. Apologize to him, woman, or I shall hit you with your own cane once more!”