The Deceit of Tongues (In the Eye of the Dragon Book 2)

by N M Zoltack

  “Do be careful,” he urged. “I fear for your life, for your safety.”

  She waved his concern away. “As you said, I have guards. I will be fine.”

  Ulric scowled. “They aren’t down here with you now, and there is a guard. If he sees us, if he overhears us…”

  “That does not matter, as I will have you freed.” She stepped back.

  “No,” he said, perhaps a little too loudly. “No.” The echo was far softer but just as pressing. “We cannot reveal our hand. You must appear to remain ignorant to him.”

  The young queen’s expression altered from shock to anger to disappointment and finally to resignation. That she appeared to hate this gave Ulric that much more hope that all might end well after all. She was a just and noble queen. She will serve all of Tenoch Proper as best as she could.

  Likewise, he would serve the crown. He would serve her. If that meant he must remain in prisoner for a while longer yet, so be it.

  35

  Queen Rosalynne Rivera

  Rosalynne thought her heart would burst. She spoke a little longer with the prisoner about her sister. She had been as imaginative as ever and almost seemed adventurous even. They both were certain she could reach Olac by herself, although Rosalynne wondered if she might have adjusted her destination to Cilla instead. Even with a horse, the mountains might prove too much for Vivian by herself.

  Then, she asked about Noll and his archery. It did not surprise her to learn that Noll had not the skill for the task, nor did it shock her that her brother never became frustrated. Noll had been special. He was not quite the same as everyone else, but he had been happier than most, and Rosalynne longed to hug him one last time.

  Soft footsteps sounded down the hall, and Rosalynne murmured she would return soon. Ulric shook his head, but she walked away before he could voice his discontentment. He was worried about her as he had her sister, and that touched her deeply.

  Instead of walking away from the guard, Rosalynne approached him after retrieving one of the torches from a sconce on the wall.

  The guard jerked, startled when he noticed her. “M-My Queen,” he stammered, awkwardly bowing. “What brings you down here?”

  “I have been slowly making the rounds,” Rosalynne said, thinking madly as she spoke. “I wish to know all of the men who will one day serve me. The guards, the knights, even the women and maids too. I think that is important.”

  “Y-Yes,” the guard said, nodding emphatically.

  She carefully hid a smile as the guard tried to discretely move her away from the cell that held Ulric. All of the others were empty.

  “What is your name?” Rosalynne asked as they walked together toward the stairwell. “How long have you been serving the crown?”

  “I am Col Hobbs. I have been a guard nigh on a decade now.”

  “That long already? I thank you,” she said sincerely.

  Col beamed, but she spied the worry in his eyes.

  “What is it?” she asked, halting and turning to stare directly at him.

  “Oh, no, My Queen. I do not wish to burden you.”

  “You clearly are thinking about something troubling. What vexes my people vexes me. You do know that I have assemblies where persons can tell me what ails them?”

  The guard hesitated and then sighed, hanging his head. “Something is ailing, aye, but not with me. My daughter.”

  “She is ill?” Rosalynne’s stomach twisted sourly.

  “Aye. I-I make more than enough, only she has been so sick for so long, and the medicine does not seem to help much as it should. I think the physician she is seeing is not treating her properly, but what do I know?”

  “This simply will not do,” she said firmly. “You have been a loyal and faithful guard for a decade, and you have a need. I wish you would have felt comfortable to speak with me concerning your daughter’s health previously, but no matter. Please, have your daughter brought to the castle so she can be tended to by the royal healers.”

  Col fell to his knees. “My Queen,” he gasped. “I-I do not know what to say.”

  She smiled and would have laughed but thought better of it. She might be a teen yet, but she should not giggle. She should be regal.

  “Rise, my good guard,” she said firmly.

  “Thank you!” he said as he scrambled back to his feet.

  “It is I who thank you for your service.” She dipped her head to him.

  Col seemed to be so beside himself that he merely stood before her with his mouth open.

  “I should be going. I am so very weary. I will check in on your daughter soon once she is settled. Would that be all right with you?”

  “Certainly. Of course. Whatever you wish. My Queen, rest well and may you never have need to see the royal healers yourself.” Col bowed lowly.

  Rosalynne rushed away. Although she was certain that the guard would not tell anyone about her visit with Ulric, she felt absolutely terrible to use him. Her heart ached for his sickly daughter. Were there others who were sick and could not even afford the physicians in Atlan? What of the rest of Tenoch? And the islands? How were they fairing?

  As much as Rosalynne wished she could do more for the people, she had no notion how she could accomplish such a feat. For now, she would do what she could. Despite her worries and fears, a small spark of hope was rising in her chest. The Fates willing, that hope would only grow rather than be snuffed out.

  36

  Sir Edmund Hill

  Tatum never ceased to amaze Edmund. When they left the swamp behind, the day was bright and new, the sun shining wonderfully. The warmth helped to banish away the cold dampness that still clung to them.

  After a day of traveling, Tatum bid Edmund sleep first, and although he argued against it, he could not deny how exhausted he was. The last of her endurance elixir had run out, and his eyes were already closing.

  The sound of a horse neighing woke him. The sun was still shining yet. Not only had Tatum allowed him to sleep the entire night, but she was murmuring to and causing a wild horse to settle some.

  She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Edmund. “Look what I found. You can be home in no time with this mount! Do you see how strong and powerful he is?”

  “Strong and powerful enough to carry two riders,” he said as he stretched.

  “But you could return even faster if you go by yourself. The danger is past, and—”

  “I will bring you back to your shop or your house or wherever you like,” Edmund said firmly. “Right now, you are my duty.”

  Tatum beamed.

  He prepared them a quick breakfast, and the horse did allow them both to sit on him. They did not push the beast hard, but they still made better timing than they would have on foot.

  That night, Tatum insisted on taking the first watch, but Edmund only agreed when she insisted she would wake him for his turn. As they ate their meal—a hare Edmund had snagged on their journey—he glanced at her. In the firelight, she appeared like an angel.

  “Who has been looking over the shop while you have been away?” he asked. “Dudley?”

  “Oh, no. He’s busy with the shoe business.” Tatum waved her hand.

  “Who then?”

  “I had no choice but to close it down for the duration.”

  “But…” Edmund gaped at her.

  “I know. Dudley’s inn. It is his passion, and I will do everything I can to ensure that I do my part and help to make as much money as I can, but Dudley means more to me than the inn. Do not tell him I said so. He brings me such happiness, and I will help him achieve his dream, but I want to do right as his wife, and that includes giving him a gift on our wedding night.”

  “You are amazing.”

  The fire reflected the redness on her cheeks. “I did help my customers and so made some money despite running off.”

  “Always thinking ahead.”

  “I try.”

  Tatum finished eating daintily. She acted very much like the few lad
ies Edmund had seen during his training. He had no doubt that Tatum would be the very best wife she could be for Dudley, and he also had no doubt that she would prove the curse wrong.

  Once he finished eating, Edmund found a grassy spot to rest. He dreamed of Dudley and Tatum’s wedding, only Edmund was the one to pledge his life to Tatum.

  And when she woke him in the middle of the night by gently shaking him, Edmund had to stop himself from reaching up and embracing her.

  How and when it had happened, Edmund couldn’t say, but he might very well care for Tatum more than he should.

  37

  Queen Sabine Grantham

  Sabine had sent away her maids and was brushing her hair. Then, she would bring some lip stain with her. Soon, she had a meeting with Aldus, and she had been forgetting to bring lip stain with her. After the meetings, her lips were often pink instead of red.

  A knock sounded at her door, and her heart leapt into her throat. She had told Aldus to never come to her room. He would not have disobeyed her, would he?

  She finished her stroke, laid down her brush, and slid to her feet, turning toward the door.

  “Come in,” she called.

  To her disappointment, her mother swept into the room. Sabine all but grimaced. She sat back down and returned to her hair.

  Once her mother closed the door behind her, she approached Sabine. “Prettying yourself up, I see,” she said, lifting the small glass jar of lip stain.

  Sabine snatched that out of her hands. “I must look the part.”

  “Perhaps you should start to act the part,” he mother countered.

  “How am I not?” Sabine asked but only because she knew her mother wished for her to.

  “It is important for a queen to use everything that she has to be able to control the kingdom. It is not merely the face that she puts forth. She must control not only herself but those who also have power in whatever way she can.”

  “I have already settled on my council,” Sabine said.

  “Yes, but none of them are from any of the islands. That is a disservice.”

  “I plan on marrying a man from Vincana. All shall be fine.” Sabine considered pinning her hair up but decided against it. She would only have to fix it again later, after her visit with Aldus.

  “Will all be fine if your husband should realize you are sleeping with your advisor?”

  Sabine stiffened and then began to apply lip stain because she did not wish to speak with her mother. Considering that her mother had been the one to teach her to use her body to get that which she wanted, how could her mother for fault her for doing just that?

  “Aldus Perez is nothing,” her mother continued.

  “You need not concern yourself with him,” Sabine said coldly.

  “You are making a fool of yourself. The man is not worth your time.”

  Sabine leaned forward to ensure she looked as she wished. Then, she stood. With her back to her mother yet, she said, “I have a meeting to attend.”

  “With your council?”

  “That matter does not concern you.” She moved to walk around her mother.

  The glimpse of the fury in her mother’s eyes was not quite enough to unnerve Sabine. She had all of the power. Her mother did not.

  Yet. Sabine knew her mother was not happy enough to have her daughter have the throne. No, her mother wished for more power for herself, and Sabine was not inclined to giving that over at all.

  Without another word, the queen departed the room, abandoning her mother. She did not care if her mother remained in her room. There was nothing there that the spiteful woman could use against her.

  It did not take long for Sabine to enter the room where she and Aldus often met. The advisor was already there. He smiled broadly at her and stood from his high-backed chair.

  “My Queen,” he said.

  She smiled broadly. If he thought he would have his way with her, he was mistaken. Not as of yet.

  “How are the preparations coming along for the festivities?” she asked.

  “Perfectly. Everything is running smoothly. Which night do you want the feast to be?”

  “The second to last night,” she said. “We are not certain when exactly the Vincanans will arrive.”

  “If they are detained for any reason, will you wish to push back the ball?”

  “No. We will merely host two balls then. The feast, the ball, the plays… Shall we have a mock joust as well?”

  “If you wish.”

  Throughout their conversation, she and Aldus both were taking steps closer toward each other. Now, they stood only inches apart.

  “I do wish. I also wish for…” Sabine trailed off.

  The queen closed her eyes and pressed her lips to Aldus’s. She did not love him. Perhaps her mother had shaped and molded her so that she could only use others and not ever love. For now, though, Sabine was the one in power, and she most certainly would do as she wished. From the way Aldus was kissing her back, he most certainly wished for this as well.

  38

  Rase Ainsley

  For two days, three, or even longer, Rase had done his best to try to find someone to give him a job. Each day, he went to the market to see if anyone looked like they might need some help.

  The first day, he found an older man who was struggling to push his wagon up the hill to even reach the marketplace. Rase had rushed over to assist him, but the older man had brushed him away, claiming he didn’t need help from a ruffian. Rase stepped to the side and watched the man struggle until another came along, who was clearly his son.

  Then, he spent the day hanging around the blacksmith, but he had more than enough hands. He was hammering away at a blade, instructing others how when to put another in the liquid and when to pull it out again, as well as haggling prices with a customer. Sweat dripped down his face, and he never once glanced Rase’s way, but every time a strong, solid man even approached his workplace, the blacksmith would call out to them.

  Rase had walked away before the blacksmith put out his fire. All day long, he had eyed the sharp blades, the glint of the sun blinding him as she slowly set. A sword, a knife, a dagger, any of them would make hunting that much easier for Rase. If he could hunt enough for his family to eat, he could then try to hunt even more and sell the extra meat and earn money himself.

  But he could never afford to buy a blade like these, and he had nothing of worth to barter. All of this was nothing more than a dream.

  On this day, Rase was just wandering about and hoping against hope that he wouldn’t see his pa. Everywhere he turned, he saw someone as desperate and as poor as he was. A young girl was trying to sell flowers, but no one even glanced her way. An urchin was running around, cutting between people, and even ducking between someone’s legs. He grabbed a few crumbs off the dirt road before scampering away out of sight. A tailor was haggling with a lady, the noblewoman trying to get him to fix her gown for a pittance amount.

  No one needed him. The world didn’t need the likes of Rase. He was just one more mouth to feed in a world where there wasn’t enough food for all to be fed.

  Disillusioned, Rase left the marketplace and headed toward the streets where the shops were. He didn’t tend to go this way often. Most of these shops required a lot more money than he could even think of.

  The shop called Mermaid’s Tears caught his eye, and Rase peeked inside. An alchemist’s store if he had to guess, judging by the potions and vials on the walls. Rase hurried on by. He couldn’t exactly say why, but he didn’t like the idea of alchemy. It was too much like magic, and magic reminded him of the dragons, and he was glad the dragons had been killed. If there even had been dragons in the first place. He didn’t think the dragons would tolerate his pa being a thief, and Rase would have no choice but to stand beside his pa if a dragon should come for him. They would both be burned or eaten, and Rase really didn’t want to be eaten. That was the point. He wanted to eat. Also, he was mostly just bones. He wouldn’t have much meat f
or a dragon, not enough to be satisfying anyway.

  At this rate, Rase was going to have to be a gongfarmer. No one wanted that job, and that included Rase. Who wanted to clean out outhouses?

  Rase headed back toward the marketplace when he spied a busted, abandoned cart by the side of the road. Hmm. Maybe he could apprentice for a cartwright. Making carts wasn’t the most exciting of positions, but Rase wasn’t desperate enough to try for the gongfarmer job just yet.

  One of the wheels was broken. Rase tossed the pieces inside and managed to somewhat roll and drag the cart along until he reached the cartwright’s store, which was basically four posts and a roof, considering walls would hinder a cart from entering or exiting the place.

  The cartwright peered up at Rase over his spectacles. He had been sanding down some wood, but he stood from his stool.

  “How can I help you, boy?” the cartwright asked. Although his hair was dark, his voice sounded old, or maybe he was just tired.

  “Please, sir, I—”

  “You have a cart there, hmm?” The cartwright walked over.

  Rase shrugged as he trailed behind him. “I thought maybe—”

  “Your pa doesn’t know that you broke it, does he?”

  “It’s not that,” Rase said. “I was hoping you could teach me.”

  “Teach you how to make a new wheel?” The cartwright turned his head to stare at Rase, the man’s body still turned toward the cart.

  “And how to make new carts,” Rase said in a rush.

  “I already have an apprentice—”

  “Another can’t hurt,” Rase said, holding his hands together.

  The man returned to his task, sitting back on the stool. “I have two already, which is more than I need.”

  “I just want an honest job,” Rase said angrily. “I don’t want coins for nothing. I don’t want food for nothing. I want to earn my keep. Why won’t anyone let me help them?”