The Dragon Rises

by Sarah Dalton

  “He should have let you handle it,” Josef said again. He sounded very sure of himself.

  There was a knock at the door. “Prince Luca.” It was one of the guards. “Lord Feryn wishes to see you about the army. Should I let him in?”

  Josef gestured to the runes. “You have not practiced very long, Prince Luca. You need to continue to train, else your powers will not be strong enough by the time you face your brother.”

  Luca hesitated. He knew he should speak to Lord Feryn. It was what a king would do. The army must be prepared. On the other hand, if he honed his powers to the point that he could fight Stefan alone, the army would never need to fight at all.

  “I will speak to Lord Feryn later,” he called. “I will send for him.”

  He stepped back into the circle of runes and summoned another ball of flame. This time, he told himself, he would not give up until the flame was a string he could coil and knot. He would not give up until he had made his powers do what he wanted them to do.

  Serena

  Serena walked along the side street with her skirts swirling around her. Her hair was plaited and pinned so it would stay put while she worked at the hospital, and she resisted the urge to pat at it. She had chosen another plain gown, though she had spent an excessive amount of time lingering in front of the mirror after doing so.

  She knew the reason she had done these things, and it made her feel like a fool. She had disliked Brother Raphael since he asked if she thought herself to be more important than her subjects, and she still felt a hot flush of anger whenever she thought about his question. Not only that, he had exposed her identity when she was working in the hospital. She might have been in danger because of that, and she knew that Luca’s other advisors would be whispering to him about the fact that she had done it.

  At the same time, the way Brother Raphael spoke of his duty filled Serena with purpose. When the plague had first come to Estala, she had been eager to find solutions for it. When she was younger, she had loved speaking with her father about political problems and coming up with solutions. He had tolerated the behaviour because she was young and he was, at the time, an indulgent father. She had loved the puzzle of it all, finding ways to solve multiple problems at once—as she had suggested when she wanted to train the youths of Reyalon in nursing.

  Later, her father had decided that she should no longer speak about such things, but the love of doing so was already deeply ingrained in her. Serena had kept reading about political matters and had made it a habit to know what problems her father was facing. She had never lost the hope that one day he would see her as a good resource—or an heir.

  In her fight to make him see her as more than a political bargaining chip, someone to be married off, Serena had begun to take great pride in her cleverness and her knowledge. The solutions had been about showing her father that she was worthy, not about solving the problems themselves.

  Brother Raphael had changed all of that. While other priests tried to put themselves forward for leadership of regional orders or positions at court, Brother Raphael’s sole focus was the people he helped. It was why he pursued his skills and his knowledge. It was why he argued for the solution he backed: not that it was clever or that it would make people take notice of him, but because it would help others.

  Today, she had noticed him looking over at her more often. More than once, she had found him staring, and despite herself, she had blushed.

  “You seem upset,” he said now, surprising her.

  Serena wanted to kick herself. Like a giggly handmaiden, she had thought for a moment that he might comment on her appearance. But of course he would never do such a thing. He was a Brother of the Enlightened, after all. It took her a moment to martial her thoughts and remember what she had been frowning about.

  “I did not like how the Council meeting went,” she said honestly.

  There was a long pause while they turned a corner and stood aside to let a ragtag group of children pass by, running and shrieking. Serena hoped that the children were only out playing between the houses, but she feared that they were orphaned. Perhaps their parents were gone. She stared after them, noting their too-thin frames and the ragged clothes they wore.

  “I did not like it, either,” Raphael admitted finally.

  Serena looked over at him in surprise.

  “I could respect it if Lord Tinian had made a different suggestion for stopping the spread of the plague,” Raphael said. “I would then believe that his primary interest was in restoring the people to health and safety. Instead, he only offered a problem. Our solution—your solution, Your Highness—was wise. If the money in the treasury is not used for the people, then what is it useful for?”

  Serena gave him a small smile.

  “What amuses you?” Brother Raphael frowned, confused.

  She took a breath and considered how to explain her thoughts. They had stopped walking and were now standing alongside a major thoroughfare. It should be lined with carts of fruit and vegetables, nearly deafening from the noise of all the vendors hawking their wares, but the carts were scarce, and some even stood abandoned and bare.

  “I was frustrated by the meeting,” Serena explained. “But the way Tinian spoke was only to be expected.”

  Brother Raphael’s frown deepened. “Is that how things are normally done in council meetings?”

  “Yes,” Serena said honestly. “Except in Stefan’s meetings, and that is only because he would tolerate no dissent at all. It is the duty of the council to put forth differing opinions so that the king may see the different sides of an issue. My father told me that once.”

  “Did you sit on his council meetings?” Raphael asked her curiously.

  “No.” Serena lifted her chin slightly. Despite all the years that had passed, as well as the knowledge that her father’s beliefs had had little to do with her, his choices still stung. “My father used to speak with me about the business of the realm, but when I became old enough to be married, he stopped. He wanted me to buy him an alliance, not offer opinions.” Her voice was bitter.

  “Your father robbed himself of a good advisor,” Brother Raphael said. He met Serena’s eyes, and his lips curved slightly. “You are kind and intelligent. You do not rest until you have found a good solution to your problems. A king should surround himself with such people. A king would be lucky to have a wife—” He broke off and cleared his throat. “No matter. How do you know about council meetings, then?”

  Serena smiled. His words had warmed her more than she wanted to admit. “It is how everything at court is. Everyone fights for position all the time. People want to be considered for important posts—generals, advisors, that sort of thing. On the council, they fight to get closer to the king so they can influence him. They think that if he likes their advice, he will give them advantages like good marriages for their children, or estates that will make them money. One can put forward good ideas, of course, but it is equally effective to make others’ ideas seem not as good.”

  “This is how the business of the realm is done?” Brother Raphael looked horrified.

  “I…yes.” Serena had never thought to question it. “Is it not the same in the priesthood, or on village councils? I thought people were always jockeying for position.”

  The Brother did not smile. “There are lives in the balance,” he said fiercely. “And you tell me you expected that Lord Tinian would argue with your ideas for no more reason than that he wants your brother’s favour?”

  Serena bit her lip. Again, Brother Raphael was showing her that many things she had accepted were not as benign as she had thought.

  “Tinian has other motives than that,” she said. It sounded as if she were defending him, so she added, “I do not agree with those motives, mind you, but it is not simply Luca’s favour. Not in the normal way. He wants Luca to do what is best for Xantos. They spent a lot of money giving Luca an army to come here and take the throne from Stefan. What Tinian wants is to be repaid.�
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  Brother Raphael said nothing, but his eyes were burning. He clearly did not approve of this. Serena nodded for them to begin walking again. She had considered touching his arm, as she would have with anyone else, but it seemed too intimate a gesture to make with him.

  “What I need to do is find a way to make Tinian leave,” she said bluntly. “What he wants is for Xantos to be repaid, but the longer he stays here and is on Luca’s council, he will find more and more issues to concern himself with. If I were able to convince him that the debt would be repaid and Estala would be a good ally to Xantos, he might leave and Luca could rule again.”

  “Can your brother not rule?” Brother Raphael asked. “Has he made some agreement that he should cede his place to Tinian?” He sounded bitter. “He should not have, if so. His duty is to his people and no one else.”

  “He has not done so. That I know of, anyway. But he is easily swayed by Lord Tinian while the Xanti ships are in the harbour,” Serena explained. “He will make a decision, and then he will reverse it. He is worried that if he does not do as Tinian wants, Tinian will replace him. What is most frustrating is that I do not even think he wants to be king.” She shook her head. “He has a good sense of right and wrong. He was always a kind boy. But now he is too easily swayed. He is not a leader yet.”

  Brother Raphael looked over at her wordlessly, and Serena felt a pang of guilt—and one of fear.

  “I do not mean that I do not support him,” she added hastily. “I do. He is my king, and I am loyal to the throne.”

  “Why are you so afraid?” Raphael asked her finally.

  Serena swallowed. She twisted her hands together, and they were suddenly clammy. “I see what has to be done,” she said finally. “We could train so many youths to nurse the sick. The young people would learn a new trade while the sick would be cared for. I want to fix things, Raphael. But to be on the council is to draw closer to power, and power is danger at court. If someone convinces Luca that I am working against him, I could be executed. I could be married off and sent away from court and never have the chance to do any of this again.” Her voice had risen without her meaning it to, and she realised to her horror that there were tears in her eyes. “I am afraid that if I do too much or put my ideas forward too often, all of this will be taken away.”

  Brother Raphael bent his head to smile at her.

  “Do not worry about that,” he told her. The simplicity of the sentiment would have been ridiculous had it not been for the fact that he was completely self-assured. “What the other lords on the council do is not within your control. In the meantime, you must do what you know is right. If there is a solution, you must offer it up. You must work to make it a reality. To do otherwise would be a disservice to your people.”

  Serena stared up at him. How did he make everything seem so simple when he spoke?

  “You are right,” she said finally. “Not to speak up when I know a solution is cowardice. I will not be a coward. I will do what is right. Thank you.”

  Again, he smiled in a way that made her face heat and her stomach flip over. “You would not have stayed silent even without my advice,” he said with a conspiratorial sort of smile. “Cowardice is not in your nature, Your Highness.”

  She was smiling back, trying to think of something to say, when they heard a scream and turned their heads sharply. The sound was coming from a back alleyway.

  “Stay here,” Brother Raphael told her.

  Serena shook her head fiercely. She was not going to let whatever was happening continue. With a brief mutter of annoyance that she had snuck away from the palace without Jonah, she picked up her skirts and ran in the direction of the screaming, Brother Raphael leading the way.

  When they rounded the corner, Serena’s mouth dropped open. It was like something out of a nightmare, and in the centre of the nightmare….

  Reva was fighting with every ounce of strength in her body. She lashed out with her hands and feet and screamed for help. There were bloody marks on her skin and tears in her dress, and her companion—Carlia, if Serena remembered correctly—was lying on the ground senseless, blood seeping from a wound in her temple. A metal lash with hooks was wrapped around Reva’s wrist, and Serena could see those hooks biting into Reva’s skin.

  What Serena could not take her eyes from was the beast Reva was fighting. It was no normal thug, not a slave trader or a rapist, or even a drunkard who did not know where he was and was lashing out at everyone around him. It was a monster, halfway between a human and a snake.

  Serena clapped a hand over her mouth, trying not to scream. At her side, Raphael yelled and rushed to Reva’s aid. He was not armed, and Serena could not imagine the Brother had any training in how to fight. But he charged the monster regardless, a battle cry on his lips, one fist coming up to strike.

  Reva

  While she was in the courtyard with Luca, all Reva could think about was getting away from the court and into the city. Although she had been in danger in the countryside, she had not missed Nesra’s Keep, where she was being watched all the time. Between the crush of people and the ever-present guards and servants, no one at court was ever alone.

  Reva, who had grown up with servants and guards, had not noticed that sort of presence when she was first at Nesra’s Keep. Now she found it suffocating, and she worried that the guards Luca sent with her would report back what she had said. She had wanted to be able to speak openly with Carlia and Sam, so she had declined Luca’s offer of guards and made her way out the front gates before he could think better of it and call her back.

  “Where are we going?” Sam asked as they strode through the streets.

  “I do not know,” Reva shot back. “The hospitals, maybe. Or the inns. Cheap ones, but not in too bad a part of town. They are intelligent women. I have confidence they will choose somewhere safe.”

  “If they were in Reyalon, they would send a message to Nesra’s Keep,” Sam said bluntly. “They are not here, Reva.”

  Reva shook her head. “News of my return to court may not have spread. But they knew my connection to Luca, and they might come here to find me.” But that thought sounded weak even to her own ears. What if they thought she was going to the Menti training camp in Xantos? They would go all that way, and instead of a camp, they would find that Mount Zean had erupted and the valley was empty.

  No, surely they would not get even that far. If Mount Zean had erupted, no caravan would take them to the Shadow Valley. Reva chewed her lip.

  “You just wanted to get away from the keep,” Sam told Reva. “You do not like being there anymore.”

  Reva crossed her arms. She did not want to agree with him, because she knew he would tell her to leave. At the same time, he was right.

  “I have to stay,” she said, jumping to the end of the discussion. “I have to do what I can to help Luca become a good king.”

  Sam’s face darkened at once. “Oh? Anything you can do? What if he commands you to marry him?”

  “That is not what I meant,” Reva said, exasperated. “And at any rate, he would never do that.”

  “But he could,” Sam pointed out.

  “We should be searching for Reva’s friends,” Carlia said sternly. For once, Reva saw the girl she had first met, self-possessed and clear-eyed. “Perhaps they are not here, but perhaps they are. If they are, they are in danger the same as anyone like them would be.” She carefully avoided saying the word Menti.

  Sam crossed his arms. “No, we should think about what we are doing here before we find anyone else and bring them back to that place. It is not safe there.”

  “It is not safe anywhere,” Reva responded.

  “Except the cave,” Sam told her.

  Reva felt fury rise up inside her. Sam had sworn not to repeat his father’s mistakes, but now he was doing the same thing.

  “I am not going back,” she spat at him. “You can if you like, but you should know that if you do, you will be depriving the world of your help. L
uca will face down a dragon, Sam. Stefan is a dragon shifter. We need everyone we can gather in order to fight him. You know how he was. You heard the stories. He would kill every Menti he found. He wanted me killed simply for having married a Menti, even though I did not know I had. He drank people’s blood.” She had not believed those stories at first, but the more she heard about Stefan, the more she believed them now. “He is evil, and we cannot allow him to win.”

  “Luca has all the Menti in the castle to help him,” Sam argued.

  “You are being stubborn because you do not like him. You know that all those Menti are not as useful as three dragons.” Reva lowered her voice to a furious whisper. “You know that. And you know that everyone needs friends to tell them the truth and help them do the right thing. Luca is no different. He has many lords all trying to advance their own interests, and Lord Tinian with a whole army in the city that is not Estalan. Luca has a difficult job to do right now. If I can help, if any of us can help, then we should.”

  Sam stared at her for a long moment. “He has already disappointed you,” he guessed. “I see it written clearly on your face. What bad decision has he made to anger you so?”

  “Can you say you would do differently in his place?” Reva knew it was a weak defence, but she was fed up with Sam’s negativity. “Hiding in a cave is not the solution to every problem. Sometimes people need to stay where they are and play the hand life has dealt them.”

  “Fine,” Sam said savagely. “I will search this hospital here. You search the others nearby. If your friends are here, tell them what has been happening and see if they think Luca is worth following.”

  He stalked off, and Reva and Carlia stared after him uncertainly.

  “He is just angry,” Carlia said quietly. “He does not agree with what our father did, but we were safer, Reva.”

  “You were safer because your family had killed my parents,” Reva said. Her anger was bleeding away as Sam left, but she could not bring herself to excuse Aron and his wife. “You were safer, but you did not truly live, and you did not help those who needed it.”