The Chronicles of Amberdrake

by Loren K. Jones

  “We have to push hard from now on, Drake. They aren’t coming to us anymore. Blue Ridge is strongly fortified, but there are only thirty soldiers to reinforce Lord Sheriff Marlow.”

  The next town they encountered was the thriving community of Golden Pheasant Run, a farming community of more than five thousand souls. Sunaria’s news was repeated there and more was added: Markinson was leaving no survivors and taking no prisoners. Worse was that they were at least thirteen days behind Markinson’s force.

  Drake and Mellody pushed their horses as hard as they dared. Still, they only managed to make up one day for every two they traveled, and the devastation Markinson was leaving in his wake left Mellody with a haunted look to her eyes. That look, more than anything else, infuriated Drake and made up his mind: he wouldn’t toy with Markinson.

  They caught up with Markinson’s force at the gates of Blue Ridge. They were seen and confronted almost immediately. Several men in officer’s uniforms came out in front of their force and stood waiting. One in particular stood out a little farther and smiled.

  “So, the fearsome Magi have arrived,” he shouted. “We’re not afraid of you! If you try anything, this is the fate of your women.” He motioned to the side and two men pulled a heavily pregnant woman to the front. Without a word, the men holding her drove their swords through her kidneys, crossing in her belly in a manner that had to have cut her unborn baby in half.

  Mellody’s scream of horror and grief was drowned out by Drake’s roar of rage: a sound that no one in Vernardia had ever heard before. A roar that no human throat could possibly produce: the battle-roar of an enraged dragon.

  Drake took thirty running paces toward the Bresardians before he transformed. Between one stride and the next the running man became a galloping dragon, and his battle-roar once again echoed off the walls of Blue Ridge.

  Horses went mad with terror as the apex predator of their world suddenly appeared before them. Men froze, their instincts screaming for them to hide. The Bresardians found themselves facing something that no training could prepare them for. Two hundred feet of gleaming golden dragon fell on them like a terrier on a nest of rats.

  Amberdrake’s first action was to slaughter General Markinson and his staff, including the men who had murdered the pregnant woman and her child. Power that no human Adept could ever begin to rival washed over the force, separating soldier from civilian. No soldier survived. Amberdrake’s power extinguished their lives like candles in a gale and their bodies vanished without a trace. Then he pounced on some fleeing horses and filled his grumbling belly.

  * * *

  Mellody had been thrown by her horse when Drake roared the first time. She had struggled back to her feet almost immediately and was marshalling her power to strike at the Bresardians as Drake ran forward. A yip of surprise slipped from her lips when her husband vanished, and a dragon appeared in his place, and she stumbled backwards to land seated on the ground again. Both of their horses broke and ran back the way they had come as soon as the dragon appeared.

  Mellody was still sitting on the ground in stunned awe a few breaths later when Amberdrake started eating whole horses like they were nothing more substantial than sausages. Shock and fear ebbed and transformed into excitement and annoyance.

  She whispered, “I knew I recognized that name,” as her eyes narrowed.

  Amberdrake carefully walked back to Mellody and looked down at her. She was standing with her arms crossed; an expression of anger was plastered on her face, and one foot was tapping the ground slowly.

  Lowering his great head to her he said, “Sorry.”

  Mellody looked up at his eye and replied, “I knew your name was familiar, Drake. ‘Drake Standralson’ was the name Amberdrake used as a human in the first story I read about you, the one about when you rescued a bunch of women and became their lord and lover, founding Amberdrake’s Children in the process.”

  Amberdrake backed away a step. “Now, Mellody, not all of them. Just Amber.”

  “Not according to the book I read.”

  Amberdrake tilted his head like a child caught in a lie and tried to make to make puppy-dog eyes as he said, “Honest.”

  She gave him a look of mulish anger, and then nodded. She said, “Drake?” very softly.

  “Yes, Mellody,” he replied as he brought his head closer.

  Mellody grabbed the stick she’d braced behind her and swung it in a two-handed blow across his muzzle. She shouted, “No more secrets!” as the stick broke in half.

  Amberdrake’s head whipped back from the blow and he went head-low with his fore claws wrapped protectively across his muzzle. He whispered, “Yes, darling,” then fell silent.

  Amberdrake retained his draconian form as they settled down to deal with the terrified and abused civilians the Bresardians had forced to accompany them. At Mellody’s instruction, Amberdrake created a pavilion for her with a table and chairs. Also at her instruction, he laid down and put his head beside her, forming a large golden wall around the pavilion.

  The first people to approach them were women from the camp. “Lady Mellody, is that you?” a woman asked in a cautious tone as she kept her eyes on Drake.

  “Come forward, my people,” Mellody replied. “He won’t hurt anyone.”

  “Lady Mellody, it’s a dragon.”

  Mellody nodded, and then asked, “Have you ever heard any stories about the dragon called Amberdrake?”

  “Yes, Lady Mellody. They are favorite children’s tales.”

  Mellody hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “That’s Amberdrake.”

  “But why is he here?” another woman asked in a trembling whisper.

  “I married him,” Mellody replied. “Meet Lord Drake Carstairs in his true form.”

  The women silently backed away, not stopping when Mellody tried to call them back. Soon a group came out of the city. Lord Mayor Braden led his council out of the gates with every soldier and deputy in the city behind them. They approached the pavilion carefully, and then recognized Mellody. “Lady Mel?”

  “Oh, there you are!” Mellody exclaimed in a happy tone. “Come in, come in. Have a seat.”

  The men obeyed, but none of them took their eyes off Amberdrake’s recumbent form behind her. “Lady Mel, how?” he asked as he nodded toward the dragon.

  “Braden, that’s Drake.”

  “Lord Drake, Lady Mel?”

  “Yes. My husband.”

  Gavan walked away from the group and approached the dragon’s head. “Lord Drake?” he asked with a bow.

  “Yes, Gavan.”

  Gavan glanced over his shoulder and then whispered, “She doesn’t take surprises like this very well.”

  Amberdrake rubbed the sore spot on his nose and muttered, “I noticed.”

  Mellody shouted, “I heard that!” and both man and dragon flinched.

  The morning found Mellody sitting in the crook of Amberdrake’s arm. She was sipping tea and nibbling on her morning meal while they talked. “Why did you wait so long to do something about this, Amberdrake?”

  “I was afraid you’d reject me,” he whispered.

  “Because of this?” she asked as she rapped the scales on his arm with a knuckle, and then stuck it in her mouth. “Damn, you’re hot.”

  “All dragons are, Mel,” he replied, then soothed her scorched finger.

  Mellody looked at her finger, finding no trace of the burn, then went back to eating. “I still love you,” she whispered as she looked at the ground.

  A moment later a familiar arm went around her shoulders. “And I still love you as well, darling,” Drake whispered against her hair.

  She turned and wrapped her arms around him. “Please don’t leave me,” she begged, and Drake held her tightly.

  “I won’t,” he whispered. “Not unless you send me away.”

  * * *

  A message arrived for Mellody the next day. It was from Queen Rochelle, and written in her own hand.

  “Melly, you have t
o stop them! More Bresardian soldiers have taken to the field. Do anything you have to, but stop this insurrection. Roe.”

  Drake, in his human form, was reading over her shoulder. “Civil war is the ultimate misnomer.”

  “We have to ride for the closest border fort, Drake. Have our horses—” Screams and a breath of air that felt like someone had opened a potter’s kiln warned her, and she turned to face the dragon she’d married.

  “I have a better idea,” Amberdrake muttered. Light flared on his back, between the wing-roots, and a saddle of sorts appeared. Mellody rose and floated through the air to land securely on her husband’s back. A belt of golden material that felt suspiciously like leather wrapped around her, holding her tightly to the seat.

  Amberdrake whispered, “Lean back and hold on,” then launched himself into the air and flew west, toward their newly reclaimed lands. Mellody’s scream was a mixture of fear, joy, and exultation.

  It was still a fair distance to the nearest fort, but Amberdrake didn’t fly as fast as he could have. Mellody’s skin couldn’t take wind at that speed and temperature. Even so, it was much less than a quarter of the day later that Amberdrake swept low over the fort. The soldiers scrambled into panicked action as he circled and back-winged to a landing in front of the gates. Arrows, javelins, axes, and even rocks vaporized against Amberdrake’s shields.

  Mellody’s magically amplified voice rang out, drawing their attention. “Soldiers, hold your weapons. I am Lady Mellody Carstairs, Lady of Carstairs. Bresardia has been defeated and these lands have been returned to the Carstairs family. Trying to deny those facts is foolishness, and fighting against us is treason.” She raised her arm, pointing at Amberdrake’s head. He was looking down at the top of the fort walls, the spires of his head looking like the spikes on the Vernardian crown. “You can’t defeat us. Not with Amberdrake on our side.”

  The men on the walls dropped the few weapons they had retained as they looked up at the dragon. A man in an elaborate uniform ran out into the center of the fort, exhorting them to fight on, but an arrow from one of his own men silenced him almost immediately.

  Amberdrake roared as loudly as he could, driving men to their knees under the weight of the sound, then he launched himself into the air again. Up on his shoulders, Mellody was giggling like a school girl.

  The same scene played out in most of the forts they confronted. Each day they would silence the objections of the former Bresardian soldiers with the message that they were now Vernardians and had better learn to live with it. The nights in between were spent as two young human lovers.

  * * *

  In the port city of Josvan, Amberdrake looked across the Bresardian Channel and his eyes narrowed.

  “You know, Mel, the real trouble is over there.”

  Mellody followed his gaze. “It’s not that far, Drake. I think a quick visit is in order. After all, we are neighbors.”

  The dragon’s chuckle rumbled in his chest as he took to the air once again. This was a fairly short flight, and the people of the capital city saw them coming long before they reached the island. Panicked people raced through the streets of the capital, fleeing the dragon. Ships set sail, struggling to escape what they were sure was the end of Bresardia.

  Amberdrake flew straight to the palace and landed on his hind legs, grasping the front of the palace with both front claws for balance. That put Mellody slightly above the balcony of the king’s suite.

  “Where is King Malcom?” she shouted as weapons of every kind vanished against Amberdrake’s shields.

  “That fool Malcom is dead!” a man in an elaborate uniform shouted back. He was standing bravely in the king’s suite with a sword in his hand, though he was shaking like he was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack.

  Amberdrake bent his head around to look at Mellody, and then asked the man, “Who is the new king?”

  “I am!” the man shouted back. “I am King Rahndal Bresard!”

  Amberdrake bowed his head slightly. “I am Amberdrake, and this,” he bowed his head deeply to Mellody, “is my wife, Lady Mellody Carstairs, Lady of Carstairs, and Chief Adept of the Armies of Vernardia.”

  King Rahndal took an involuntary step back and fell on his backside as he fought to control himself. He spoke in a harsh voice as he asked, “You’re Lord Drake? A dragon?”

  Amberdrake nodded his head slightly. “I am.”

  The king shook his head as he climbed to his feet and took another step back. “We never had a chance, did we?” he asked, looking up at the legendary creature.

  “Not after Amberdrake joined us,” Mellody replied.

  Amberdrake grinned, driving the king another step back. “We’ve put down the insurrection on the mainland. What you used to consider your continental province is once again Vernardian soil, under our control, and the Carstairs lands are once again whole.”

  “For over two hundred and—”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Amberdrake admonished him. “Those lands were captured when the first King of Bresardia split his lands off from Vernardia and went to war. Now, as a consequence of King Malcom and the Ocellen Crawn’s conquest, those lands have been returned to Vernardia and to us.”

  King Rahndal shook his head, finally saying, “I don’t suppose there’s a single damn thing we can do about it, is there?”

  “You can accept it gracefully,” Amberdrake suggested.

  The king muttered a few curses, then turned and stamped away.

  Amberdrake called him back by asking, “How did King Malcom die?”

  King Rahndal stalked back and glared at them. “I’ll remind you that I am the king of Bresardia. You will address me with the respect I am due.”

  Amberdrake lowered his head until he was on a level with the king, and was impressed that the man stood his ground. “Very well, King Rahndal, please accept my apologies if I seemed rude. The question remains, Your Majesty: how did King Malcom die, if you would be so kind?”

  The king’s chin firmed up like a child who knows he’s being humored, but he answered rather than push his luck with the dragon on his doorstep.

  “My young cousin was assassinated by General Cavington of the Royal Guard for almost destroying Bresardia with his desire for Princess Rochelle, and for more territory on the mainland. It is my belief that the creature called Crawn was in large part responsible for that.”

  Mellody entered the discussion by saying, “It is our belief, King Rahndal, that lords in both King Malcom’s and Queen Rochelle’s courts had a hand in the betrothal and subsequent war between our kingdoms.”

  King Rahndal nodded. “You are correct. Those lords vanished surreptitiously immediately after Malcom’s death. If Queen Rochelle asks, I will instruct Ambassador Harin to provide a list of the conspirators on her end.” The king paused to smile. “He’s extremely grateful that I didn’t have him replaced and executed for his part in this debacle.”

  Amberdrake looked at Mellody and received a nod, then turned his attention back to the king. “King Rahndal, we request your permission to return to Vernardia.”

  King Rahndal nodded his head minimally as he said, “You may go.”

  Amberdrake bowed his head deeply, then looked at his wife and suggested, “Mount Royal is only about four or five days’ flight from here. Want to go surprise Queen Rochelle?” Mellody’s giggle was all the answer he needed.

  Chapter 25

  AMBERDRAKE TOOK HIS TIME, FLYING LEISURELY over their lands and listening to Mellody’s delighted comments. One comment in particular caught his attention: “Roe would love this.”

  It took them five days to reach Mount Royal. Amberdrake located a small herd of feral bison and ate a large meal before they reached the city, cooking Mellody a portion as well without having to be told. She would not, however, watch him eat.

  Alarm horns could be heard throughout the city as soon as Amberdrake was spotted. The city guard turned out in force and they were reinforced by the Queen’s Guards as
soon as Amberdrake circled the palace.

  Mellody asked, “Can you land in the courtyard?”

  Amberdrake answered by landing amid a shower of weapons that vaporized against his shields. As soon as Mellody’s feet touched the flagstones, Amberdrake once again became Drake, though his shields remained in place at full force.

  Mellody led the way up to the palace as the Queen’s Guards milled about in confusion. She led the way up to Rochelle’s suite and was met by fifty armed guardsmen, including Saunder.

  “Mellody, Drake, what are you doing here?!” Saunder asked as soon as he recognized them. “Did you see the dragon!?”

  Mellody laughed. “Yes, I saw him. Where’s Roe?”

  Saunder gave her a sideways look, then replied, “In her suite.”

  Mellody smiled and led the way to her own suite, and through it to the queen’s suite. Angry voices led them to a closet.

  “Let me go! I want to see!”

  “Your Majesty, no! Please, there is no telling what the beast wants!”

  Mellody laughed and opened the door to the accompaniment of a chorus of female screams. “Roe, come out of there,” Mellody said as she chuckled. “You’re safe.”

  Rochelle squealed, “Melly! What are you doing here?”

  “We are here to inform you that the former Bresardian soldiers have been thoroughly terrified and pacified. Additionally, we have received information that should ease tensions between the kingdoms: King Malcom is dead, killed by the general of his royal guard. King Rahndal Bresard now rules Bresardia.”

  Queen Rochelle looked at Mellody in wide-eyed surprise for a moment, and then giggled. “Malcom’s own guards killed him?”

  “That’s what King Rahndal told us,” Drake confirmed.

  “Roe,” Mellody said to catch her attention again, “do you still have that book of tales about Amberdrake?”

  “Yes. Do you think that was him!?”

  Mellody nodded as she went to the queen’s personal bookshelf. She remained silent until she found the book and opened it to the page she wanted. Turning back, she found Saunder beside Rochelle while Drake propped up a wall.