Dragonwatch, vol. 4: Champion of the Titan Games

by Brandon Mull

  “I’m involved with or without you,” Seth said. “Dante thought you might be able to give me a better chance.”

  Virgil swatted the letter from Dante against his palm, glanced up and down the street, then gave a nod. “All right. Come inside. And prepare to have your mind blown!”

  Kendra stood near the edge of the enormous desk, tossing bits of wax she had broken off a candle and watching them fall to the floor. The study door opened and Dectus swept back into the room.

  “Good news,” the giant declared. “When I brought up your name to the Giant Queen, the giant killer showed interest in meeting you. I have been instructed to bring you to the audience chamber at once.”

  “In the throne room?” Kendra asked.

  “Yes, it will afford you a chance to see the paramour in action,” Dectus said. “I might be biased, but I don’t trust him.”

  “Let’s go,” Kendra said.

  Dectus picked up a silver chain attached to a silver cage. When he placed the cylindrical cage in front of Kendra, she saw a cushioned chair inside.

  “We giants carry honored guests in such containers,” Dectus said, opening the door to the cage. “The chair is firmly attached to the base for your comfort, and the bars are there for your safety. Most prefer it to being transported by hand. The way you wish to travel is your decision, including if you would rather walk. I offer this receptacle for your convenience.”

  “All right,” Kendra said, uncertain about voluntarily entering a cage. She ducked inside and sat on the chair. Dectus carefully fastened the chain around his neck, wearing the container like a pendant.

  From her cushy chair, Kendra watched Dectus exit the room and head down a hall. He strolled smoothly, but the cage still wobbled. He entered the audience chamber through a side door, where other gigantic members of the court were gathered.

  The Giant Queen presided from her throne, eyes attentive to her armrest. Her demeanor was different from the last time Kendra had seen the monarch. Gone was the stiff formality. Her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed to be resisting a girlish smile. Her eyes twinkled.

  Kendra was not close enough to see clearly the little fellow lounging on a chair situated on the armrest of the queen’s throne. Clad in black, he appeared to be human-sized.

  The Giant Queen glanced at Dectus and straightened slightly. “I see you have brought our visitor,” the queen said, her voice softer and more melodious than Kendra recalled. “Bring her forward.”

  Prince Doranio rose from his chair and pivoted to face Kendra as Dectus drew nearer. Kendra gasped. She knew that self-satisfied grin. The last time she had seen this face was amid horrible peril in the Under Realm. She could not believe it was Ronodin! He wore courtly attire fashioned from black leather, embellished with golden accents.

  “Kendra Sorenson!” he greeted grandly. “How charming to see you again!”

  “Hello,” Kendra said, fighting to keep her voice steady.

  “What have we here?” the Giant Queen asked with a delighted clap. “Am I to understand you two are acquainted? My prince is so shrouded in mystery.”

  “Many women have sought my attention over the years,” Ronodin said. He raised his eyes to meet the queen’s gaze. “I have sought only one.”

  Kendra’s head swam at his audacity. She hardly knew what to say.

  “Tell me, how is your family?” Ronodin inquired politely.

  Kendra knew she should have the advantage. She could expose him at her whim! Ronodin was operating under a false identity and undoubtedly up to no good. But the dark unicorn was keeping her off-balance. Shouldn’t he be worried about what she might say?

  “My family is well, though the war places a strain on everyone,” Kendra said.

  “Almost everyone,” Ronodin corrected with a glance at the Giant Queen. “There are those with presence enough to rise above such disputes.”

  The Giant Queen’s eyes shone as she relished the praise. She turned her attention to Kendra. “Little one, you have found the greatest oasis in the world. You need only visit my highest battlement to behold safety and prosperity as far as the eye can see.”

  “You are truly fortunate to be here,” Ronodin told Kendra, sipping from a goblet. “But how have you been? I am curious to hear all your news.”

  “You’ve always taken such an interest in my family,” Kendra said.

  “Why not?” the Giant Queen said. “He is enamored by news of all variety.”

  “You know me well,” Ronodin said with a gallant bow. “And yet news comes and goes. Only you hold my prolonged attention.”

  “You flatter me,” the Giant Queen said.

  “Is it flattery if I proceed to while away my hours at your side?” Ronodin asked.

  “You have done so on many occasions,” the Giant Queen said warmly.

  “I live to enjoy you,” Ronodin said.

  “You are awed by my scale, like all who encounter me,” the Giant Queen said.

  “Your size is but one facet of a perfect jewel,” Ronodin professed. “Deeper examination endlessly yields more to admire.”

  “Enough,” the Giant Queen declared with a satisfied smile. “There are children present.” She gave a pointed glance at Kendra. “Go babysit my guest while I attend to royal affairs.”

  Ronodin bowed deeply. “I am yours to command,” he vowed.

  “Dectus, you may take the pint-sized prince away,” the Giant Queen said. “Be careful with him. He is precious.”

  “Perhaps he should be careful of me,” Ronodin said with bravado. “I can be a lot to handle.”

  The Giant Queen snickered delightedly. “My feisty prince.”

  Ronodin strode forward and kissed the queen’s ring with a bow. Dectus approached and let Ronodin leap onto the palm of his hand. “My regular parlor would be preferred,” Ronodin directed crisply.

  “We will go there at once,” Dectus said.

  The giant exited the audience chamber, passed through a corridor full of mirrors, and set Ronodin down beside a human-sized door. Kendra gripped the arms of her chair as Dectus took the chain from around his neck, rocking her cage. He set the container on the floor and opened the door.

  Ronodin extended his hand to help her step out, but Kendra ignored it. He looked dashing in his perfectly tailored outfit, but his good looks did nothing to charm her.

  “I will place a servant outside the door should you require anything, Kendra,” Dectus said.

  “Thank you,” Kendra replied.

  Ronodin opened the door, and Kendra entered a lavishly appointed parlor that could have comfortably seated ten. After closing the door, Ronodin plopped down on a sofa and put his feet up on a low table with an air of casual ownership.

  “Prince Doranio?” Kendra asked flatly.

  “Not a perfect anagram of my real name,” Ronodin said. “But I like the ring of it.”

  “Will we be overheard in here?” Kendra asked.

  “A prudent question in this fortress,” Ronodin said. “I have taken measures to make this parlor secure, so long as we do not raise our voices.”

  “How much time do you spend here, flirting with her majesty?” Kendra asked.

  “Enough,” Ronodin said. “You know the servants are all dragons.” He pantomimed a choker around his neck.

  “Thanks for the obvious,” Kendra said. “What’s your game here, Ronodin?”

  “I’ve always gravitated to the highest circles,” Ronodin said.

  “Only to disrupt them,” Kendra said. “You look absurd romancing her.”

  “Ours is primarily a love affair of words,” Ronodin said. “I have kissed her hand on occasion.”

  “She giggles like a schoolgirl around you,” Kendra said.

  Ronodin winked. “They don’t call me the giant killer for nothing. The bigger they are . . .”

  Kendra rolled her eyes. “Who are you working with? Celebrant?”

  “I have allies everywhere,” Ronodin said. “I build bridges, Kendra. And if
I burn one, I repair it.”

  “You were a crow the last time I saw you,” Kendra said.

  “After butting heads with your boyfriend,” Ronodin said.

  “My boyfriend?” Kendra asked.

  “Bracken has never taken any girl to meet his parents,” Ronodin said.

  Kendra felt her face grow hot. “I needed to return something.”

  “I know my cousin,” Ronodin said. “He has it bad for you.”

  Kendra had done her best to bury her feelings for Bracken, but she secretly wanted Ronodin to be right. “How do you know he took me to the Fairy Realm?”

  “Little escapes my notice,” Ronodin said. “Beings from the magical realm have romanced mortals. Ask Patton. It’s unconventional, it requires sacrifice, but it can be done.” Ronodin dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward. “How did it feel to wear the Fairy Queen’s crown?”

  Kendra hesitated to answer.

  Ronodin closed his eyes. “It must have been an exquisite rush.”

  “I didn’t keep it very long,” Kendra said.

  Ronodin opened his eyes. “Just long enough to accomplish your purposes. How did you squander such an opportunity? You realize that with the crown on, by definition, you were the Fairy Queen?”

  “I wasn’t after her job,” Kendra said.

  Ronodin shook his head. “You and I are very different. That crown would have been mine forever.”

  “Which is why she didn’t give it to you,” Kendra said.

  “Bracken’s mother is no fool,” Ronodin said. “But she is having trouble purifying her realm.”

  “What do you mean?” Kendra asked.

  Ronodin stayed silent, nonchalantly checking his fingernails.

  “Where is Seth?” Kendra asked.

  “I wondered when that topic would arise,” Ronodin said. “You know, as an apprentice, Seth left much to be desired.”

  “You know so much,” Kendra said. “Where is he?”

  “I’m suddenly drawing a blank,” Ronodin said. “I remember he was at the volcano.”

  “Did he cause Baga Loa to erupt?” Kendra asked.

  “He had the chance,” Ronodin said. “But your little brother chickened out. I sent another agent after the Everbloom, who became an unfortunate casualty.”

  “What if I tell Dectus all I know about you?”

  “I would become much less cooperative,” Ronodin said. “Do you think we would be having this conversation had you not played along?”

  “I want answers,” Kendra said.

  “Take a seat,” Ronodin said. “Have some fruit from that bowl. I don’t know where they source the pears, but you will find them surprisingly refreshing.”

  “I would rather stand,” Kendra said. “If you want me to keep quiet, start with where I can find Seth.”

  “Somewhere on this preserve?” Ronodin guessed. “He meant to come here. How should I know? Seth has served his purposes.”

  “As your slave,” Kendra accused.

  “As my willing apprentice,” Ronodin said. “I did want Seth to free the undead from the Blackwell. He performed perfectly. Everything else was a bonus.”

  Fighting back tears, Kendra clenched her fists. Ronodin had overthrown Wyrmroost. He had imprisoned Bracken. He had abducted Seth. And here he sat in comfortable luxury. Suddenly the bowl of fruit held new appeal. She crossed to the bowl, picked up an apple, and hurled it at him.

  Shrinking and raising his hands, Ronodin deflected the fruit. Kendra pelted him in the side with a pear, narrowly missed his head with an orange, and then he caught the next apple, tossing it aside. Ronodin leaped over the back of the sofa, crouching out of sight. The moment his head popped up, Kendra chucked a kiwi at him.

  “Seriously, Kendra?” Ronodin said. “This is very unlike you.”

  She dumped out the fruit, then charged the sofa, wielding the golden bowl. Ronodin scrambled away as she drew near, then picked up a pillow off a chair and used it to block a swing of the bowl. Kendra lunged at him, but he dodged aside. Her momentum carried her down into the corner of a marble tabletop, opening a long gash on her forearm.

  “What have you done?” Ronodin accused.

  Kendra staggered to her feet, blood oozing between the fingers clutching her injury. “You’re a monster,” Kendra accused, panting. “You do evil wherever you go. You’re going to destroy Titan Valley.”

  “I’ll do as I see fit,” Ronodin said.

  “So will I,” Kendra said. “Help!” she yelled. “I’m being attacked!”

  The door flew open and a brawny man wearing a silver choker entered.

  “Out!” Ronodin demanded. “Or I will make your life an endless misery.”

  The brawny man glanced at the overturned bowl, the scattered fruit, and Kendra’s bleeding arm, and his gaze landed on Ronodin.

  “Sorry, Giant Killer,” the servant said, approaching. “I am under strict orders to protect the caretaker.”

  “She attacked me,” Ronodin accused.

  The brawny servant looked from Ronodin, polished and calm, to Kendra, disheveled, clutching her injured arm with tears in her eyes.

  “You damage everything you touch,” Kendra spat, still fuming.

  “I’ve seen enough,” the servant said. “Her wound requires attention.”

  “Be wise in what you share,” Ronodin said to Kendra.

  “Be wise in who you cross,” Kendra replied as she exited.

  Have a seat,” Virgil said. “Are you hungry?”

  “Actually, yes,” Seth said, sitting down on a bench beside a table cluttered with dishes, mugs, utensils, papers, maps, spent candles, and several books. The satyr slid some hefty tomes aside to clear a space in front of Seth.

  “You like fish?” Virgil asked.

  “I like anything,” Seth said. “Except turnips.”

  “Have you been going hungry?” Virgil asked.

  “Yes,” Seth said.

  “Then you get the works,” Virgil said. “Hungry young adventurers deserve some breaks.”

  The room connected to the little kitchen was overcrowded. Seth counted five ottomans, four clocks, three globes, two hat racks, and an abundance of pillows on the worn furniture. Rows of paintings leaned against the base of a wall. An easel in one corner supported a half-finished landscape.

  “Your hermit troll isn’t going upstairs, is he?” Virgil asked.

  Seth hadn’t noticed, but Virgil was right. “Sorry. Hermo, where are you going?”

  “Me look around,” Hermo replied.

  “What are you hoping to find?” Virgil called.

  “Me no steal,” Hermo said. “Me find stuff.”

  “Hermo, Virgil is our host,” Seth said.

  “Let him go,” Virgil said.

  “Reggie, would you watch Hermo?” Seth asked. “Make sure he doesn’t take anything?”

  The dirt figure saluted and followed the hermit troll up the stairs.

  Virgil brought a platter to the table laden with bread, butter, jam, and cheese. He also produced a plate with three cooked, deboned fish fillets.

  “Who names a hermit troll ‘Hermo’?” Virgil whispered. “His parents weren’t very creative.”

  Seth chuckled as he buttered a piece of bread. “Thanks for this food. I hope Hermo doesn’t get into mischief.”

  “Between you and me,” Virgil said, “I don’t have anything of great material value in this house. And I have trouble discarding items, so if he wants something, he will most likely do me a favor by claiming it.”

  Seth took a bite of bread and felt his appetite roar to life. He made an effort to pace himself and squirreled away a few morsels for Calvin.

  “You want to learn about the Games,” Virgil said. “Tell me what you already know.”

  “Humbuggle runs them,” Seth replied. “They’re really hard to beat. People get killed all the time.” Seth’s voice trailed off.

  Virgil stared at him in amazement. “You’re kidding. Don’t you at least know
the prize?”

  Seth added cheese to his bread and took another bite. He shook his head.

  “The Wizenstone?” Virgil prompted. “The most powerful talisman in the world? Does that ring a bell?”

  “I don’t know much about it,” Seth said.

  Virgil laughed. “Seth, if you haven’t heard of the Wizenstone, why enter the Games?”

  “I’ve heard of it,” Seth said. He paused, deciding he would need to extend some trust to get the information he desired. “I’m here for Humbuggle. He took my memories.”

  “Really?” Virgil asked. “When? How?”

  “At Stormguard Castle,” Seth said.

  Virgil pressed his fingers to his temples and then released the pose. “You survived the cursed castle? What happened?”

  “I don’t remember much,” Seth said. “But I saw my sister send the Wizenstone away.”

  Virgil rushed over to a stack of parchment on an end table, shuffled through many sheets, and returned with a drawing of a mighty castle. “Look familiar?”

  “Is that Stormguard?” Seth verified. “I don’t remember it from the outside. My memories start in the room where the Wizenstone was kept.”

  “Your sister sent it away?” Virgil asked. “How?”

  “With a magical staff,” Seth said. “After some guys tried to grab the Wizenstone and got turned to dust.”

  “You’re kidding me,” Virgil said. “Did Dante put you up to this prank?”

  “This isn’t a joke. Dante doesn’t even know this much.”

  “Scholars of the Games have theorized that the Wizenstone could be difficult to claim,” Virgil said. “What action turned these men to dust? Did they try to wield the stone?”

  “They reached for it,” Seth remembered. “As soon as they touched it, they disintegrated.”

  “You were an eyewitness?” Virgil confirmed.

  “I’m sharing some of my first memories,” Seth said. “My identity was wiped right before I entered the room with the Wizenstone.”

  “How did you know the girl was your sister?” Virgil asked.

  “I didn’t at first,” Seth said. “I learned a lot afterwards. I’m still piecing things together. It’s been hard to figure out who anybody is, or who is being honest with me.”