by Ivy Clyde
“I am,” I replied. “I tracked the man who bought the girls and bled them dry. He gave me the list of people who bought from him. I assume you’re the people who ordered the assassination?”
“Yes,” said Cain. “I am Prince Cain of Iorna.”
I started at him. He was the ruling prince of the kingdom where we resided. No wonder, Cain had the air of authority around him even when he was garbed in plain cotton like a common merchant.
“This,” he gestured towards his golden-haired companion, “is Prince Adal of Baledonia.”
“And I am Prince Norvin of Redfall,” said the man who’d been playing my pet snake.
I’d only read these names in the journals Lady Elga made us read from time to time. The realm was divided into four kingdoms- Drakhaven, Iorna, Baledonia, and Redfall. Drakhaven was the greatest among them all and ruled by Emperor Ivan.
From what I knew so far, Prince Cain was the ruling prince of Iorna. Prince Norvin of Redfall was recently condemned for treason and killed. Prince Adal was the sixth prince of Iorna. Out of the three, there was almost no information about Prince Adal. It was usually because a prince who was born to a concubine and sixth-in-line to the throne was hardly considered important.
Some of the pieces of the puzzle were finally settling into place. Prince Cain was the one to order the assassination of people involved in the virgin blood trade. He hid his identity to come this far from his capital.
My gaze fell on Prince Norvin. He had to be the most striking man among the three. The color of his hair and eyes set him far apart from ordinary folk. As far as the news went, he’d been killed. So, how was he here then?
“I think I am ready to listen to your story too, Na…Prince Norvin,” I said while they were still embracing each other. I’d never seen such display of affection before. Now, I was curious to know the relationship between them.
“You can call me Naya if you want,” said Prince Norvin with a wink. “You’re mine now anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Cain at once. “You were just a pet snake she found in the woods.”
“So what?” Norvin argued back. “We still shared a bed most nights. As I see it, Daria is my woman.”
“Why don’t we allow Lady Daria to decide that?” said Adal with a tilt of his head towards me. “You might not know this but she’s a very capable woman.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Prince Adal.
“How do you know each other?” I asked, still intrigued by their brotherly bond. As far as I knew, the royal families from the three kingdoms have been forbidden to be in any kind of relationship.”
The three men exchanged glances between them before looking towards me. “Our friendship started long before Emperor Ivan took the throne of Drakhaven,” said Cain. We’ve known each other for years now.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “So you remember a different way of life.”
“Yes,” said Adal. “The kingdoms were peaceful and there was prosperity all around. But things changed overnight when Emperor Ivan murdered our fathers.”
“I never understood how he did it,” I said slowly, thinking back to the history lessons I had as a child. Of course, I was to be blamed for not paying enough attention. However, now that I was directly speaking to the princes, I wanted to know more. “Ivan wasn’t even a true dragon back then.”
Cain and Norvin sat down heavily at the edge of my bed. “I can’t tell the story without burning this shack down,” said Cain. “You better do it, Adal.”
Another realization hit me. The three princes had dragon blood flowing in their veins. While I manifested my magic through strengthening my inner power, their magic was inherent. They could produce fire, control it and even withstand its heat without a single burn on them. Even if they couldn’t shift into a true dragon form, they were still more powerful than regular humans.
“Take a seat, Miss Daria,” said Adal who was now leaning against the wall beside the bed.
I obeyed, bringing a chair closer to the bed. When I’d taken a seat on it, Adal began.
“Nineteen years ago, the four kingdoms had true dragons ruling over them. The greatest of them was King Helmut of Drakhaven.”
I nodded. This was something I remembered from my lessons.
“Do you understand how we shift into our true forms, Lady Daria?”
“Not really. I don’t think this was ever explained to me.”
“It is complicated magic that most don’t understand,” explained Adal, speaking slowly so I could follow him. “Most of the ancient texts were burned by Ivan when he captured the palace of Drakhaven. But I’ll tell you the secret because I read it long before the catastrophe occurred.”
I was perched on the edge of my seat, leaning forward with interest.
“A man with dragon blood in his veins can trigger the shifting magic only if he mates with a woman from the Fire Clan or a female dragon. Women with dragon blood need only mate with a man who’s already a true dragon.”
My ears perked up. “Who were the Fire Clan? I don’t think I’ve ever heard them mentioned.”
“No,” said Adal with a shake of his head. Norvin and Cain were brooding, their fists clenched tightly. “They were eradicated nineteen years ago. Long before the four kingdoms were created, the dragons were united under the Fire Clan. Some of the tribe members married humans and the blood was mixed but some remained who still retained the divinity gifted to us by the Fire God.”
“When the dragons divided themselves into four different clans, the Fire Clan kept to themselves, not siding with anyone. For their dedication to age-old traditions, some of their women were blessed with mating magic. They were deeply revered, for a dragonborn could shift into their true dragon form only after mating with such a woman.”
“Over the centuries, the Fire Clan was protected by the kings of all four kingdoms. The highest ladies of their ranks were either employed by the kings to act as priestesses in the temples or wed to princes and kings. Before Emperor Ivan took over the throne, he had the whole clan massacred. It was one of his devious plans to remain the sole true dragon. The power allowed him to become the emperor of the four kingdoms.”
“What about his sons, then?” I asked. “How will they ever shift into dragons without them?”
Norvin hissed from his corner. “Ivan doesn’t want them to shift. He murdered his own brother. Do you think he will trust his sons not to depose him? He didn’t take the chance. He had them all killed.”
“How did Ivan take down four dragons?” I asked. “It’s a difficult feat for someone who couldn’t even shift into a true dragon. He went against four of them.”
“He was cunning, of course,” said Cain. “He got King Helmut to invite the royal families on the occasion of his daughter’s fifth birthday. He sent his sons to destroy the Fire Clan while he remained in the palace and poisoned the wine served to the royal guests.”
“Our fathers died without given a chance to fight,” said Adal, his soft blue eyes suddenly blazing with suppressed rage.
My hands came up to cover my mouth. “I am terribly sorry,” I whispered.
“Ivan saved Queen Eibhlin alone,” said Adal in a grim voice. “He dragged her to his chambers and raped her, for she was a woman from the Fire Clan. It allowed him to turn into a true dragon. It is said he promised to make her his queen but she jumped from the tower, choosing death over the life he offered her.”
Despair clawed at me when he finished. How could so many people be killed by one single person? How far did greed control Emperor Ivan?
“And Queen Eibhlin’s daughter?” I asked, remembering the massacre occurred on the occasion of a child’s birthday. “What happened to her?”
“She probably died too. It was too chaotic for anyone to know but it’s easy to guess he won’t keep the child alive. That baby would have been the sole survivor of the Fire Clan and the true heir to the throne of Drakhaven.”
I sat among the three brooding pr
inces, too horrified to think of the scale of atrocities performed Emperor Ivan. The people of the four kingdoms already knew he was a ruthless ruler but history was never clear on how he rose to such power. He’d indeed done his best to suppress as much information as he could. Burning of the libraries and the temple archives was a calculated move on his part.
“We became friends at a young age,” explained Norvin when the silence in the room stretched too long. “We were of the same age and so it was even easier to bond together and complain against our other siblings. We were close to ten when the tragedy occurred. Ivan forced us to cut our ties but by then, we already knew how to contact each other through methods devised by Adal. Other than us, no one can read our letters to each other.”
“Do you realize this is the first time we’ve actually recounted what happened all those years ago?” asked Cain, looking at his companions.
“Yes,” said Norvin. “It is oddly freeing.”
“Prince Norvin,” I said, fixing my gaze on him. “I think it’s time to hear your tale now. I am sure both Prince Adal and Cain would like to know how you survived your execution.”
Norvin’s playfulness disappeared at once. His face darkened as his hands balled into tight fists. “That bastard Mekhi…I vowed if I ever got another chance to live, I would rip out his jugular.”
“Tell us what happened?” said Cain. “How did you come to be here of all places?”
“When Mekhi captured me, he dragged me over to the Cliff of Death,” said Norvin. Seeing my reaction at the name, he said, “The castle of Redfall is surrounded by lochs on three side. A narrow strip of land connects it to the mainland. Over the centuries, our executions have happened in the sea.”
He took a deep breath before continuing. “Mekhi forced me to take the Ice Elixir.”
Cain and Adal had horrified expressions on their faces. “What does it do?” I asked.
“It turns the blood into ice,” said Norvin. His handsome face was like stone as he said it. “For dragon-blooded males, it’s a gruesome poison. Our hearts will turn to ice and we fear nothing more than the cold. Mekhi threatened to kill every last person in the castle if I put up a fight. So, I drank the poison he offered.”
I leaned forward to place a hand on his. He looked at me with tear-filled eyes and placed his other hand over mine. His skin was warm. “You are kind, Daria,” he whispered.
“You’re even more compassionate. You chose the life of your people over your own.”
Swallowing down a choke, he cleared his throat. “They threw me into Loch Inver, thinking I would never survive it. Here’s an interesting fact Makhi overlooked though. The dragons of Redfall draw their power from air and water, rather than fire. It’s one of the anomalies that separate us from the others. Had he buried me, I would have died, but he wanted to a make a mockery of my death.”
He chuckled darkly before continuing. “It was painful. From the moment the poison passed my lips, I felt it would be easier to just die. However, being submerged in water helped preserve my life. My human form disappeared and I turned into a kind of water snake. It’s a stretch to call my form a snake. I was merely a worm crawling on my belly. The water currents carried me far from Redfall and washed me ashore here.”
Norvin gazed at me lovingly as he squeezed my hand gently. “Then this beautiful lady picked me up and cared for me. Of course, she thought I was a snake and treated me like a pet. And that bloody owl of hers would try to eat me. It was still worth staying here because Daria would kiss me to make me feel better.” He gave me a hearty wink, making my cheeks burn hot.
“Those don’t count,” I muttered, looking away from him and snatching my hand out of his hold.
“She’s right,” agreed Cain. “Kissing a snake is very different from kissing a man. Though I can’t imagine why you would kiss a snake, Lady Daria.”
I chuckled. “I thought he was cute.”
The three men before me laughed. It made my heart lighter to see them smiling.
“All jokes aside,” said Norvin, his expression turning grim. “Daria has great inner power. Every night I was able to absorb some of it. Two nights ago, I had enough inner strength to regain my human form.”
“Why didn’t I notice?” I wondered aloud. “I dreamt about you though. Every night I saw your human form in my dreams.”
“Really, sweet Daria?” asked Norvin, snatching my hand once again. “Were we very close in your dream?”
“No. I just keep seeing your face, not understanding where I may have seen you. I don’t leave Linmoor Valley unless I am on a mission.”
“Are you truly as assassin, Lady Daria?” asked Adal.
“I am.” I suddenly felt hesitant. Would it affect how they behaved towards me? Most men wanted meek, submissive women as wives. I worried whether the three princes would look at me differently now. Slowly, I raised my eyes towards Adal. A breath of relief escaped me as I only saw admiration in his soft blue eyes.
“Where exactly are we?” asked Norvin. “What’s this about her being an assassin?”
“We are in Linmoor Valley, Norvin,” said Cain, slapping his shoulder. “You’re in the middle of a secret guild of female assassins.”
“Wow.”
“We are the only three men here.”
“Wow!”
Jealousy flared inside me at Norvin’s excitement. I wanted all three princes to be my friends. Heck! If I was being honest, I would be glad to be closer to them than just being friends. The possessive impulse rising inside me astonished me. I wasn’t usually a girl who got jealous over petty things.
“We came here to take care of a problem for Cain,” said Adal in a grim voice. “I am assuming it’s taken care of, Lady Daria?”
“Yes. I have the names of the generals and nobles involved in the virgin blood trade.”
“Good. We want you to accompany us on another mission.”
My happiness died like the flame of a candle being snuffed. “What mission?” I asked cautiously. “Lady Elga has to agree to it before I can take on anything.”
Adal gave a nod. “Cain and I have spoken to her. You’re the one she summoned for the job.”
“Oh.”
“We don’t want to force you, of course,” said Cain. “In fact, I’d prefer to hire someone else. Somehow, I can’t bear you to take such risks for us. Being close to us can cost you your life.”
“I would have to be close to you?” I asked, my ears suddenly perking at the invitation.
“Yes,” said Adal. “You will be working for the three of us.”
“What’s the mission?”
“To assassinate Emperor Ivan.”
7
I’d become an assassin at the age of fifteen after making my first kill. Over the next four years, I killed whoever Lady Elga commanded me to. There were no questions asked apart from details that would help me complete my mission. So far, I’d successfully completed twelve assignments and they’d all been humans. Some of the tasks took skills and strategy to get close to the target, but at the end of the day, they were all human, easy enough to finish off with my bare hands.
“Assassinate Emperor Ivan.” Adal’s voice rang in my head.
I hadn’t seen a dragon in my life but their descriptions filled pages of every archive in the four kingdoms. Gigantic, fierce and merciless. These were a few choice words that came to mind when one thought of dragons. Footlong talons, sharp as swords, clouds of fire and ash, scales as hard as rocks. Was it really possible to overcome a dragon?
I lay down on my bed, still fully dressed in my dusty attire from last night. The princes left me to make my decision, saying they would speak to Elga only after I agreed to do it. It was the first time someone gave me a choice.
My hand brushed over the fat cushion beside me. It was almost a habit now to stroke Naya every now and then to feel his warm smooth scales under my palm. A part of me wished he hadn’t transformed into the handsome Prince Norvin. I missed my pet snake.
/> A heavy sigh escaped me. The princes left me with a lot to contemplate.
A knock sounded on the door. Sitting up, I called for them to come in.
To my surprise, Tilly appeared at the doorway. She looked a lot better now. Her skin was clean and she wore a long wool pinafore. “I brought you some food,” she said shyly.
“Thank you, Tilly. I haven’t eaten a bite since I got back.”
“Oh.” She shifted guiltily. “I already ate two meals.”
I chuckled. “It’s all right. Bring the tray over here,” I said, gesturing at the low table in the corner of the cottage.
Tilly moved inside to place the tray there. She unloaded it and then proceeded to sit in the formal position by bending her legs and sitting on them, with her feet tucked under her bottom. It looked like she was already being trained to be a server.
“Can you draw me a hot bath, Tilly?” I asked, picking up a bowl of wheat porridge.
“I don’t know where the ladies bathe,” she replied, looking uncomfortable. She suddenly shrunk away just as I was about to pick up the spoon.
“Good goddess, Tilly!” I chuckled at her relieved expression. “I am not going to hit you for not knowing where the bath is. You’ve only just arrived here.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
“You don’t have to be so afraid here. As long as you follow instructions, you will be treated right.”
She gave a nod.
“Okay, go find someone in the kitchen and tell them to fix me a bath. I will go there within the hour.”
“Okay, Miss.”
I smiled after her. Tilly was obedient and would fit in Linmoor like a glove.
I finished the rest of the meal. Feeling much better with a full stomach, I went to look into the cupboard. Assassins like me had a closet full of expensive gowns, makeup, and jewelry. They were never supposed to be for the sake of vanity. They were just another form of weaponry we chose to complete our missions.
However, today’s situation was different. I wanted to dress up solely for the princes. They made my heart flutter every time I glanced at them. The three princes were the most beautiful men I’d ever seen. Not only that, they treated me with so much care. In just one conversation, I felt close to them. Maybe it was my closeness with Prince Norvin, but even Prince Cain and Adal welcomed me to join their banter.