by Meagan Hurst
They stopped when they were face-to-face. Behind them, Alantaions previously uncomfortable with Nivaradros’s presence began to arrive as word of their Mithane’s return began to spread. She could hear conversations starting up, but she dismissed them as inconsequential and continued to stare at Nivaradros. He had taken several wounds, but none of them had damaged his hearts, and most of them appeared to be healing. The Dragon’s soft laugh caused her to glance up to meet his eyes. They were their darkest green and relaxed as he brought a hand up to her face.
“Good to see you decided to drop by,” he teased as his fingers brushed over her cheek. “I was starting to worry,” he added before letting his hand fall to the side where Midestol had attacked her. He lifted the shirt that was still torn and bloody and nodded his approval at the fact it had been healed.
“I did travel here with the Mithane,” she pointed out.
“Ah, and where is he?” Nivaradros wanted to know as he once again raised a hand to stroke her face. He had been worried, she could tell, that his bargain with Midestol would not be kept.
“Here,” the Mithane answered from the doorway. He entered the room as both of them turned, and his eyes carried an expression Z couldn’t grasp. “It seems as though it was quite the battle, Nivaradros,” the Mithane remarked accusingly at the Dragon. Z was surprised at his tone, but she was astonished at how Nivaradros handled it.
The Dragon bowed. Z could have heard a fly breathe in the room, due to the way that silence fell because of that bow. No one expected it, and it was clear the gesture was meant to be respectful. “It was quite the battle, Mithane,” the Dragon agreed. “Those I managed to get to surrender are awaiting your judgment in rooms that are so secure I would almost consider them cells. They do not, however, appear to have been used before the regrettable event which caused you to flee. I released the captives that were within them prior to the battle today. Unfortunately, many of those I released are in the care of any healers who were willing to return to the castle upon my promise of their safety.”
“Safety from whom?” the Mithane demanded.
“From me, I scare them,” Nivaradros replied in a grave tone. The small beings, however, were beginning to approach both their ruler and the Dragon who had protected them. “But I doubt you will take my word over the events that occurred while I waited for your return. Those I was forced to place under arrest, with the assistance of Saers who remained loyal to you, and those whom I released will be able to confirm what I have told you. I would also like to take this time to relinquish your kingdom into your capable hands.”
As the Dragon finished his speech, the youngest of the small beings who could walk thrust her hand into Nivaradros’s. The Dragon did not—Z had to give him a lot of credit for this—flinch, curse, shift in eye color, or even blink. He did, however, offer the young immortal a slight smile, before inclining his head to her.
“May I introduce you, Mithane, to Ashenira? I was told her mother worked here, but we have not been able to locate her so far.” With a glance over his shoulder at the rest of the small beings who were now approaching, Nivaradros added, “We cannot find any of their parents.”
Before the Mithane could respond, Kahreisa stepped up. “We have searched—Nivaradros kept the children entertained while we conducted it,” she added in a tone that spoke volumes about how unhappy she would be if the Mithane dismissed the Dragon’s efforts. Delight touched Z as she realized Kahreisa no longer disapproved of the Dragon. Nivaradros had gained a high ranking Alantaion ally who was not the Mithane; his efforts during the retaking of Arriandie had won Kahreisa over.
Z let her gaze sweep the throne room and smiled. All eyes were on Nivaradros, who was once again comforting the Alantaion small beings who had encircled him—and her. His eyes were just a shade lighter than before, but he knelt beside the immortal beings surrounding them when they asked it from him. Since she was now a part of the group, Z likewise knelt beside Nivaradros and allowed herself to be climbed upon, poked, and surrounded by the fifteen small beings who had formed a bond with Nivaradros. Somehow, she managed to keep from reacting to all the contact.
Tension began to ebb from those who stood in the room that appeared to be the one area where Z was certain Nivaradros had refused to shed blood. She didn’t know what had made him decide that, but she was grateful, and she knew Nivaradros had worked tirelessly to bring the kingdom back to the Mithane’s rule by eliminating any threat he could find; she wondered if the Arriandin had helped.
Indeed I did. I eliminated any remaining humans. Your Dragon is quite different than I believed. My earlier fears have been disproven. He will support you, and therefore my people, through anything you ask him to. He is…safe.
Well, at least she no longer had to be concerned about an ancient building attempting to kill her. Picking up the small being who had decided to attach to her lap, Z stood with care and eyed the Mithane.
“Is there anything else you require from Lord Nivaradros or myself, Mithane?” she asked as she accented her words to the most formal level.
The Mithane raised a brow but said nothing about her formality. “No, Zimliya, I believe you and Lord Nivaradros have done quite enough for my people today.” He did, however, glance at the circle of small beings. “Do you have any proposals regarding your group of followers?”
That was a good question. She would have preferred to ditch the small beings if she could, and she knew Nivaradros felt the same way. When she glanced over at him though, she saw the Dragon sigh with annoyance before turning his attention to the Alantaion ruler.
“They will be staying with us for the night unless anyone protests,” Nivaradros declared.
Everything living had to be holding their breath at his words. She turned to give Nivaradros a dark look, but he shrugged and nodded at the small being in her arms. Well, he had a point. They seemed to be the only people in the room the small beings trusted—something that seemed very wrong in her mind—which meant they needed to tend to them for a little while longer.
“Zimliya?” the Mithane inquired in a formal sounding tone.
“If no one protests,” she agreed with a slow and false smile as the Mithane stared at her in surprise. He knew her thoughts on small beings quite well.
“I doubt anyone would protest,” was his slow reply. “I will, however, advise you to move to a larger wing for the night. Your previous quarters are not equipped to handle seventeen.”
She bowed, taking care not to unbalance the being in her arms, and saw Nivaradros was also offering the Mithane a bow. Feeling odd, she began to head toward possible freedom—or as much of it as she would get with a group of small beings attached to her—and saw Nivaradros urge the small beings to follow as he took up the rear; no one else said a word.
When they emerged into the hall, Nivaradros began to talk, but he wasn’t directing any of his comments to her; he was trying to distract the small beings’ attention from the blood that was still in the halls. She was shocked, a little touched, and pleased to see the Dragon was capable of handling something so far out of his element. She began to do the same thing, and soon the small tendrils of fear that had been starting to emerge faded away with the sound of laugher as Z and Nivaradros teased the small beings and each other. Since everything was kind, their charges loved it and Nivaradros continued to get bombarded with requests to use more magic. To her surprise, he agreed to the demands.
Z ended up leading them all to the East Tower. It was unused, and it had been converted into a multi-level wing that made it perfect for turning loose small beings. Nivaradros glanced over at her with a small smile and Z blushed. She presumed she was wearing her opinion in the open. Speaking a curt Alantaion word, she waited for the Arriandin to open the wing while keeping a close eye on their rather large group of charges.
Oh, dear magic, what had the Dragon signed them up for? It had damn well better end up only being the night or one of them might go on a small being removal spree. The only b
lessing was that they were Alantaions, but they were young enough that Z doubted it would make too much of a difference. Especially when she turned them loose in the wing. Giving the Dragon a long-suffering glance, she sighed and closed the door behind him as he followed her into the room.
“What else was I supposed to do?” he demanded as he carted the last of the littlest ones into the main room. “Leave them in the middle of the battlefield? Allow them to distract the Alantaions from finishing their task of securing the kingdom? For whatever reason, they decided they like me, and not even the female Saer could pull them away once they had decided that. It will only be for one night,” the Dragon added as a telltale sound of a crash came from another room. “Possibly only five hours total.”
She laughed and let some of her own anger fade. “How was it?” she asked before flinching at the sound of another crash.
“Not as difficult as I expected. Midestol pulled anyone he wanted to save out of the castle when he got back from delivering you—and he insisted I tell you to remember to block next time; he was a bit upset about the injury,” Nivaradros remarked with a frown. “Once he cleared out, I cleaned up. He also bid me to inform you that you owe him, and he will come to collect when he has figured out what he wants in return; you are welcome to bargain with him.” The Dragon’s eyes darkened as he began to relax, but a third crash caused his eyes to brighten. “Do not remind me this was my idea,” he said in a mournful tone as he began to head toward the latest crash. “I know. Believe me when I say I know.”
Laughing as she followed him, she stopped to pick up the smallest of the beings he had signed them up for, and carried the little girl with her into the other room. Hiding a smile as she saw Nivaradros struggling to keep from yelling over a broken vase, she stepped forward and touched his shoulder.
“It was an abominable vase,” she pointed out.
“Do not encourage them to follow in your footsteps,” Nivaradros growled. “You are already enough of a problem as it is.” He did, however, exhale without appearing to be too angry. He also managed to keep his tone even while he lectured the three responsible for this crash on the difference between outdoor fun and indoor fun. When the room was clear other than the being Z was still carrying around, the Dragon glanced at her again. “Can we get away with locking them in a room?”
“Doubtful,” Z began to say, but a fourth crash happened and Nivaradros growled.
“Remind me never to volunteer us for something like this in the future,” Nivaradros muttered under his breath. “You figure out where to put them—I’ll go fetch them.”
The ‘fetching’ took the better part of two hours. Nivaradros managed to stay surprisingly calm and kept his anger hidden from the small beings, but Z could feel it, and she knew the Dragon could feel her irritation. Neither of them was good with small beings and it showed here. Oh, small beings liked them, but dealing with them for long periods was not going to work out. Z had not experienced them for an extended time, and she had to fight herself to keep from flinching every time someone reached for her; Nivaradros had to stop himself from attacking them.
Once they managed to round the group up, Z split them into rooms and tried to figure out how in the hells they would keep them occupied until the small beings decided to sleep. It was late, but as young immortals, the small beings didn’t often manage to sleep more than a few hours—which just made things that much worse. The smallest of the small problems did sleep more, but as there were only three of them, there were still twelve beings bouncing off the walls. Z wasn’t good at enforcing rules, and Nivaradros was worse, leaving them with little leverage or ability to tame the small beings.
In the end, Z sent for help. Nivaradros didn’t even protest, and when the door sounded to let them know their visitor had arrived, the Dragon almost yanked the door off its hinges in his rush to let their guest enter. The Mithane gave them both a concerned look, but he crossed the threshold without hesitation. Something in Z’s face gave away the reason for the summons.
“I was a little apprehensive upon hearing your offer to look after fifteen children, but due to their instant attachment to you, Zimliya, and their previous and open attachment to Nivaradros, I didn’t want to pull them away. Especially since Nivaradros’s unspoken suspicion appears to be correct so far; we cannot locate any of their parents.”
The Mithane’s face was a bit more pale than normal, and he looked old in a way he never had before. “It appears Gaelitseli went on quite the killing spree when he gained control of the kingdom. Those Nivaradros aided who were well enough to talk speak of mass slaughters, and now there are unclaimed children…I am angry it took so long to get the kingdom back—Oh,” he added as a dangerous rumble emerged from Nivaradros’s throat. “I don’t blame Zimliya, Nivaradros, or you. She was struggling to stay alive and you were, by all accounts, dead; there was nothing either of you could have done any sooner than you managed, but I failed my people.”
“You didn’t—” Z began to counter.
“Yes, I did. We are currently only looking into the damage done within Arriandri, and it appears that hundreds, possibly thousands, of Alantaions were killed when my protection here faded. Hundreds more were tortured, and there is evidence of a mass slave trade that Midestol started, which leads me to believe more are just missing.”
“If they are alive, I can find them,” Z interjected.
“You’re needed on the battlefield,” the Mithane countered. “And besides that, it is far too risky for you to be doing this sort of thing anymore. You are a ruler, Zimliya; no longer can you run missions that are suicidal to the majority of the world. You were a Ranger, so it was excused—”
“I am still a Ranger!” Z snapped.
“But that is the lesser title. You cannot and must not act so flippantly about your wellbeing. It must stop, Zimliya. You can still arrange things and fight, but you need to step back!”
Anger was a danger here. Clamping down on it with effort, Z struggled to keep her tone level. “I didn’t request your presence here to discuss my decisions—or to judge them—I asked you to come so you could help us keep these potentially orphaned small beings from destroying the wing.”
For a moment there was the hint of a fight that couldn’t be stopped. The Mithane’s eyes were solid black as they held hers, and Z was certain hers reflected her anger in their color as well. Before things could shift further into anger on either side, Nivaradros cleared his throat to draw the Mithane’s attention to him.
“She is right about the timing, Mithane. It is not the time for this conversation to begin. I will discuss this with her later,” Nivaradros said. “But I doubt even I can gain much ground in this argument. Regardless, let us see to the Alantaion hatchlings. Neither Z nor I are qualified for this, but as we were the only ones to step up, there wasn’t much else to be done. But we need your aid, or the hatchlings will suffer; we can only contain our tempers for a certain length of time.”
“Yes,” the Mithane agreed after a sharp silence following the Dragon’s words. “I am surprised you both lasted this long. You in particular, Nivaradros. Kahreisa spoke with nothing but praise for your actions, and it takes much to sway her from her preconceptions about someone. She made certain I knew it was due to your efforts that so many of the Alantaions who were involved in the plot are still alive; those who still supported me here wanted swift revenge instead of justice.”
“My efforts may have been over exaggerated,” Nivaradros remarked with care as he began to lead the Mithane toward the first room where the small problems were being contained. “I believe your people are very, very entitled to their revenge. I would even have termed it justice, but as I am now your staunch ally, I fear that allowing such a slaughter to happen in your name would reflect badly upon you. And as allies, I am supposed to prevent such events from occurring.”
The Mithane smiled. “I appreciate it,” he admitted. “Despite the fact I dislike having to learn of all that transpired in my absen
ce and being left with the weight of having to decide consequences for those who stood against me. Sometimes I think it would be easier if they had perished in battle. However, that would weaken my position as well, as it has been a long time since I have had such an aggressive and successful opponent. My response to those left alive will strengthen or weaken my power.”
“Banishments?” Z wanted to know as she opened the door to the first room.
“I haven’t decided if that is possible at this point. It is dangerous to have them wandering the world as exiles but killing all of them presents a different problem.” The Mithane fell silent as the door opened and his gaze swept over the five children in the room who were attempting to color the wall. It was something they could only attempt, for Nivaradros had magicked the wall to resist redecorating before he had handed the small beings the tools they would need to attempt the redecoration.
“Lord Nivaradros, I believe I have underestimated you once more,” the Mithane breathed as he took in the magic and the children’s feverish attempts to color something that could not be colored. “This is very cruel…but remarkably hilarious at the same time.”
“They broke four items in five minutes,” Nivaradros explained. “It was either thwart their attempts to do more damage or resign ourselves to an evening full of trying not to lose our tempers. Considering the last few days we’ve had, I thought it would be best not to try either of us. If you have any suggestions though…”
Z was grateful when it turned out the Mithane did have suggestions, a lot of them. They showed him the separate rooms they had set up for the smaller groups of the little problems, and the Mithane added ideas to their tentative solutions. Feeling more confident that they could get enough time to themselves to avoid a mishap when dealing with the small beings, Z thanked the Mithane profusely. He also stayed around for a couple hours afterward, which told Z just how comfortable the Mithane was becoming around Nivaradros. There was still a small amount of hostility in an undercurrent, but even that was softening far more than Z had expected.