by D. E. Morris
Killian grabbed her arm in warning. “That is enough. Whatever your opinion, the queen will not be spoken to in such a manner.” Gianara glared at him, but kept her mouth shut when he finally released her. “Cailin and I know where some of the nearby clutches are, but we have not had the opportunity to search the outer provinces or the smaller Sinessian islands. We will give you all of the information that we can and work to gather more as you move the surviving clutches.”
It seemed as though the answer was appeasing enough, and Gianara crossed her arms with a nod. “Very well. I will get what I need and head out as soon as I am prepared.”
“I would like to send you with a company of my men,” Jaryn offered. “They will assist you in whatever you may need and will be able to protect you, should something go wrong.”
The dark-skinned woman looked at him with a pinched expression. “I do not need men saving me.”
“Not all of my soldiers are men,” he argued, “and I never said they would save you. Helping is not the same as saving. I know your stubbornness and independence well enough to understand your distaste of relying on others-”
“That is putting it mildly.”
“But take a moment to think about how foolish you're acting. You will be going into places these masked men have been raiding, some of whom will likely still be around. Yes, you're a big, ferocious dragon. We all know it, and we know you are a formidable opponent on your own in your human form, but put your damned pride aside and accept our help. If you're with us, then make use of us when you can.”
Lifting her chin slowly, she stated, “I never said I was with you.”
If Jaryn was thrown off by the quiet remark, he hid it well behind an unwavering gaze. “And we never said we were against you, yet here you are, in my bedchambers, attacking my wife and our reign. Can we not work together as friends? We did once before.”
“Because we were forced to.”
“Aye,” Jaryn answered softly. “It seems we are being forced to again, if we want to preserve that which is sacred to all of us.” He held out a hand to her, an act of good will.
Her eyes flickered down but she made no move to take his arm. Instead, she turned her head to Killian. “I will be ready to meet with you and Cailin as soon as you have a moment.” Turning on her heel without so much as another word, she left the room and let the door swing shut behind her.
Jaryn dropped his hand and blew a thin stream of air between his lips. “She does not like us.”
“She doesn't have to,” Ashlynn said blandly. “As long as she works within the rules of the realm, that's all I care about. There is truth to what she said, you know.”
“And there was truth to what you said,” her husband insisted. “Gaels before dragons. We agreed to that soon after the destruction of Mirasean. Is it ideal? Of course not, but human lives come before those of beasts any day.”
“I agree,” Killian offered quietly. “For what it is worth.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of Ashlynn's lips. “It is worth a great deal, given your profession.” She took a breath, then nodded toward the door. “Go. Give Gia all the information she needs, and for her sake, send a company of men and women with her. Tell them to intervene only when necessary or if asked, but to otherwise give her a wide enough berth.”
“She will likely try to lose them.”
The smile grew into a smirk. “She doesn't know your soldiers very well.”
“No,” Killian answered, mirroring her grin, “she does not.”
Ashlynn turned to Jaryn. “I would like to go down and meet this family myself. I want her to know that she is safe and well protected here.”
“I don't know if that's such a good idea.”
“I understand your hesitance, I do, but I am her queen. She has just been through a terrible ordeal and has lost half of her family. She needs to know that I am taking this personally, that we as a kingdom will not stand for this. Her care needs to be personal, not procedural...not now.” Jaryn started to object, but Ashlynn put a hand against his chest. “Were her husband the one sitting at her bedside, I would send you.”
“But because you are a woman-”
“And a mother...”
His lips wrinkled into a frown, recognizing the validity of her argument. “All right.” He rubbed her shoulders. “Go be as personable as you need to be. Just, for my sanity, try to do so while keeping your distance. Physically and emotionally.”
She gave him a teasing smile before dipping her head. “As my king commands.”
“Mark this day, Killian. My wife is listening to me for once.”
“Shall we memorialize it with a holiday?”
Ashlynn narrowed her eyes at Killian as she passed him. “You are getting entirely too comfortable around here if you think you can tease me.”
He bowed his head in contrition, though there was still a telling smile on his lips. “Forgive me, Your Majesty.” As he lifted his face once more, he sobered, never forgetting what was going on around them. “There are guards outside the rooms farthest back on the first floor in the northern wing. That is where you will find them.” She nodded, then slipped from the room. “I will carry out the orders set for Gianara, then find Cavalon and Niam to let them know that the castle is secure.”
Jaryn bobbed his head in agreement and the two men left the room together, walking down the hall side by side in the opposite direction from Ashlynn. “Now that it's just the two of us, give me your honest assessment. I know you wouldn't have let Ashlynn go down there if you felt it was unsafe, but I also got the feeling you were holding something back.”
“I cannot help but feel responsible for the death of those two children. It was my duty to secure the room the Elementals used when they met and first spoke about the blood purge. Something missed my attention and because of it, things like this are happening.”
Clasping his hands behind his back, Jaryn sighed. “And will continue to happen until we put a stop to it somehow. How long do you think it will take for the man and the child to recover?”
“It will depend upon how close they came to death and their overall health to begin with. I reckon anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks.”
Jaryn nodded thoughtfully. “We will have much more to go on once they're awake and can give us their side of the story. Until then, we have to do what we can. Ashlynn and I will draft a decree to be sent to all of the lesser kingdoms regarding the hunting and harming of Gaels and dragons, especially hatchlings. Since we have evidence to the fact now, they can have something official to present to their people.”
“I will make sure my fastest riders are rested and ready to go once you have that done.”
“Thank you, Killian.” Jaryn clapped him on the shoulder. “You do a great debt and I shall forever be in your debt, I'm sure. Try not to be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes and none of us is perfect, not even those that would have you believe otherwise.”
Chapter Eleven
Rowan sat atop a stone wall and swung her legs back and forth. She was slouched over her lap, her elbows on her thighs and her chin in her hand. “How long are we going to keep doing this?”
“For as long as it takes,” her brother answered. He descended the steps cut through the wall that framed the courtyard of the lesser Cierian kingdom they were visiting. Looking west toward the setting sun, he squinted in the light. “If we find even only one-”
“It will be a miracle,” the young woman muttered. “It's already been two days and five lesser kingdoms. No one will agree to a peace treaty and no one will agree to support the dragons or the Gaels.” She straightened a bit, turning her head in Connor's direction. “Tell me again why we're not going directly to the capital?”
Lillia appeared from behind Connor and took Rowan's hand to help her find the water skin she offered. “Because High King Brydion refused to even come to the summit. Do you think he would hold audience with a high queen's lady, a high prince and his half
-sister?”
Rowan took a deep drink, then wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “We don't know what he'd do because none of us has ever met him. Not even Ashlynn or Jaryn know what he's like. We're here. Why not give it a go?”
Leaning against the wall, Lilia crossed her arms over her chest and slid her gaze in Connor's direction. “Did you see what I saw in there?”
“I saw a lot of things,” he said grimly.
Rowan gave a curious tilt of her head. “What did you see?”
“Dragon heads.”
“Drackling heads,” Connor corrected. “All of them stuffed and mounted on the walls of the foyer. I should have known at that instant that we would find no sympathy here.”
“I knew,” Lilia muttered smartly. “That king...what was his name? I can hardly remember it to pronounce it.”
“Leodegranz,” Connor chuckled.
“I'll call him Leo. King Leo must have thought us such fools to go in there with our pleas for help. I'm sure he's having quite a laugh at our expense.”
“Let him.” Pushing himself off the last step, Connor glanced back at the small castle looming behind them. “If he had agreed, we wouldn't have been able to truly trust him, not with all of the trophies he keeps. Likely, he'd just join the cause to expand upon his collection.”
“So, what do we do now?” Rowan asked. “We can't go home empty-handed, but I don't want to waste time, either. Gia's going to need our help.”
No one spoke for a beat, then both girls turned to Connor for his direction. A line of irritation formed between his brows. “We're not going back yet. Just one more day. It's all I ask for.” He inclined his head to the left, indicating that it was time to move on. Lilia gripped Rowan's arm to help the younger woman down, then both fell into step behind him. “I'll check the map when we get back to Nyx, but I'm pretty sure there are two villages nearby. We can check them out before sunset, see if we recognize any certain marks on people's wrists.”
“We have done that,” Rowan finally conceded. “How many other Keepers have we met so far?”
“Six?” Lilia questioned. “I know that last man had the mark, but he seemed squirrely to me.”
“So at least five. That's something.”
Connor nodded. “It's something, but it's not enough. Maybe we'll meet someone tonight who might know of even a lord we could speak with. Villagers are well and good enough to have around, but someone with more clout is what we need.”
“The lesser kings certainly like to remind you of your fallen crown,” grumbled Lilia. “It hardly seems fair.”
With amusement, Connor glanced over his shoulder. “What in politics is? Let them toss their passive aggressive comments at me. Really, they are as helpless as I am to the high crown. At least I know my place as a prince. I know I have no power, while they all live under an illusion of power that doesn't belong to them.” He turned to walk backward and lifted a brow. “You like to charm the kings.”
She smiled flirtatiously. “The Giver granted me gifts. Who am I not to employ them when I can?”
“I have gifts, too,” Rowan chirped.
The comment made her brother laugh. “Is a sharp tongue a gift? I daresay you could sling insults and disparaging remarks with the best of them.”
She beamed. “Thank you.”
Instead of following the road that would take them to the bordering village, the trio broke from the well-worn path and slipped into the forest, pausing for a quick moment to make sure they weren't being followed or watched before doing so. None of them spoke as they traversed, all of them keeping their ears open for anyone that might be in the forest with them. They'd seen the castle as they flew over the countryside and picked a place they felt Nyx would be safe before even attempting to meet with the king. It was lucky that she was nocturnal or they would have been in trouble. She wasn't one to sit still for long, growing impatient and nervous when Connor was gone from her sight for extended periods of time.
There was an area of land where Cieria and both the Nagin and dwarf territories of Alybaen met that had a lake stretching between them. It was here that Nyx slept behind one of the boulders that rested near the middle of the lake. With her dark coloring, she blended well into the shadows of the trees and the rocks, and Connor had to blow his pipe to even find her. As soon as she heard the familiar summoning tune, her head poked around the side of her sleeping spot. “Hey, girl. Miss me?” She blinked at him sleepily, then waddled out from behind the boulder to half swim, half walk across the lake to pull herself up on shore before him. He inspected the over-sized saddle bags fastened by her sides and grimaced. “Hopefully nothing got too wet.”
As Rowan ran a hand over Nyx's forehead, Lilia looked over Connor's shoulder when he found the map. He unrolled the parchment and pursed his lips in thought. “We are here...or we were...which means we can reach this town here, and then travel down here...” His finger swept over to the mountain range to the west of the town. “It looks like there's another settlement in the middle of the mountains. If we make good enough time, it's possible we could get to both tonight.”
“Or we can go to the mountain village in the morning.”
Connor looked at her, doubtful. “That means sleeping at an inn or a pub.”
Her brows came together. “What are the other options? Seeking audience at yet another lesser kingdom at a ridiculously late hour in hope of being offered a bed for the night, or sleeping on the back of a dragon as we fly home?”
“At a ridiculously late hour,” Rowan added.
“I'm just thinking of you,” Connor insisted. “I know how you prefer the...finer things.”
“Please. I can sleep in a lumpy bed for a night. I think.” Lilia pursed her lips. “Or I can go a night without sleep. Either way, I think it would be best to take our time and not rush through the village just to get to the next one. To make it to all three we would have to take more than one day, anyway.”
“Agreed,” said Rowan. “We can always come back here and sleep with Nyx. That way she won't be alone and we'll be able to keep her from being seen as she hunts.”
Lilia blanched. “Sleep here? As in, out in the open?”
Connor looked around. “I'm sure we could build some sort of lean-to in the woods. We wouldn't be completely out in the open, no.” He gave her a teasing smile. “I could even make a bed of pine needles for you, if you'd like.”
She winced. “How touching.”
Laughing, Connor rolled the map back up and stuck it into the open saddlebag once more. As Rowan moved aside, Connor reached up to put his hands on either side of his dragon's head. “Okay, girl, time for us to go again. It won't be as long this time. But just in case, for whatever reason, if we don't come back before nightfall, I need you to stay. Do you understand what I'm saying? Stay, Nyx.”
Her tail twitched in the water, sending little ripples ashore. She moved to pull away from him, but Connor held her fast.
“Stay.” An annoyed, quiet little trumpet sounded from her maw, and Connor finally let her go.
“Do you really think she knows what you're saying?” Lilia asked when they all headed back into the woods. “She isn't a dog, you know.”
“No, but I've been working with her since she was still a hatchling, teaching her commands and tunes. I know people don't think dragons are all that smart, and maybe they're not, but Nyx is brilliant. She understands me.”
Rowan giggled. “Maybe you should marry her.”
Though Connor looked annoyed at the comment, when he grabbed his sister and kept her close in a headlock, he laughed and ruffled her already unruly hair. It was the last peep they made until they were on the other side of the forest. By then, then sun was lower in the sky and the bright summer heat was simmering in waves coming off of clay tile roofed houses. It was certainly a rich town, to be able to afford that type of luxury. It was hardly uncommon in capital cities, but in the territories controlled by lesser kingdoms, most roofs were thatched and made from wood. Thes
e stone structures lent a certain royal feeling to what should have been just a simple village.
“I wonder if they do a lot of trading with Alybaen,” Connor said quietly, guessing at Lilia's thoughts as she watched a well-dressed couple walk by.
“The Nagini and the dwarves don't use money, not like the rest of us do. If this place is doing so well off of their trades, it has to be because they're turning around and selling it for an enormous profit.”
Connor shrugged. “It's done all over the world, Lilia. If it works for them, who are we to question it? Come on, let's have a look around.” Once more, they let Connor lead the way. Though Rowan couldn't see it, Lilia noticed how under dressed they were in comparison to the people here. They'd been traveling in less courtly clothes since leaving Siness, and until now, it really hadn't seemed to matter. Even inside King Leodegranz's castle, they were looked upon as visitors who had stopped after a long journey to see the old man. Here, however, they were gaining attention, and Lilia was keenly aware of it.
“We need new clothes,” she whispered at Connor's back.
“We're fine,” he quietly replied.
“We stick out like sore thumbs.”
“We're not here to blend in.”
Rowan rolled her pale eyes. “Does it matter who notices us and who doesn't? Just keep your eyes out for fellow Keepers and stop arguing.” Though she was nearly twice as old as Rowan, Lilia pressed her lips together tightly and fell into silence beside the younger woman. It was true, people looked at them as though they were noticing something out of place, but attention hardly remained on them for long. Everyone had places to go and things to do; three foreigners were not worth much of their time. Before long, Lilia's temper sparked.
“Well,” she huffed when they came to a stop at an intersection within the village. “No one could care less that we are here or not.”
“See?” Connor looked left and right, trying to decide upon a way to go. Eventually settling on the busier of the two options, he turned for the left-hand road. “Maybe we can find something to eat this way. I'm starved.”