by Bianca D'Arc
“Bertrand, what news?”
The man turned and peered through the dimly lit lair. “Is that you, young Drake? I’d heard you were back. Just in time too. Your mother will need you.”
“What’s happened?” Elena opened her door, clutching the lapels of her robe in one hand, apprehension clear in the tight lines of her small shoulders.
“My fathers?” Drake asked, dreading what Sir Bertrand might say next.
“Arlis barely made it back. Dec is refusing treatment until Arlis is seen to. He won’t let any of the healers near him and from what I saw, he’s hurt bad.”
Drake’s jaw clenched as his mother sobbed silently, tears streaming down her face.
“What about Ren and Lilla?”
“Dec says they were in worse shape than he and Arlis, which is why they made for the Border Lair while Dec turned back to report to the king. Prince Wil’s been kidnapped, right out from under them. It was an ambush, Dec said. They didn’t stand a chance.”
Elena sagged, and Bertrand was there to support her. “Take me to them, please,” she spoke in careful tones, regaining some composure as she straightened her spine. Drake marveled at the strength of his petite mother. She was small, but she was mighty.
The older knight let Elena lean on him as they headed out of the suite, Drake following behind. Quietly, he sought more information.
“Are they up on the tower?”
“East platform, Drake.” Bertrand nodded as they walked swiftly through the deserted halls.
“And Arlis is being treated?”
“They’d sent for the queen as I left them. She is a powerful dragon healer. If anyone can help Arlis, she can.”
“Who have they got for Declan?”
“Jiris, Headmaster of the Healing Academy. He couldn’t have finer, but he’s refusing to let the man near.”
Drake squared his shoulders as he struck off into a side passage that would lead him to the royal apartments.
“Where are you going?” Bertrand called after him.
“I’m getting help. Do what you can until I get there.” Drake had a plan in mind to outwit his stubborn father—all for his own good.
Arriving at his destination a moment later, Drake barely knocked on the door before entering Prince Nico’s bedchamber. Nico and Riki were there, naked, but dozing after what Drake assumed had been just the beginning of a night of love. He knew firsthand how energetic the couple was in their lovemaking and how deeply they loved one another.
Nico glared at the sudden intrusion of light from the open doorway. “What is it? Can’t it wait ’til morning?”
“I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t a matter of life and death.” Drake moved into the room.
Riki blinked at him. “Drake? Is that you?”
“What’s wrong?” Nico was alert and ready to act. Drake was never more glad of his friendship than at that moment.
“Declan is wounded and refusing treatment. Queen Lana has been summoned to treat Arlis, but Declan is as stubborn as ever. Riki, he wouldn’t dare refuse you. Please, would you come?”
Riki and Nico were out of bed and getting dressed in a flash. Drake silently thanked the goddess of the Jinn for their friendship and willingness to help.
“There is worse news still.” Drake felt it only fair to tell them. “You may not wish to help Declan when you hear what’s happened.”
Nico looked over at him then, and Drake knew the Prince of Spies had a good idea of what had occurred. The knowledge was in his dark eyes.
“Is Wil dead?”
Riki gasped, but Drake shook his head. “Kidnapped. Arlis and Declan were the least injured so they came here to alert us. Ren and Lilla flew for the Border Lair. We don’t yet know if they made it.”
Nico nodded once, his face grim as he placed one firm hand on Drake’s shoulder. Silently, they commiserated for a short moment, each too filled with emotion to let the words out. Riki stepped between them and placed her small hand on her husband’s arm, drawing him away. They all left the suite together, in worried silence. The three of them were out the door and heading for the East tower in under a minute.
“You were sending Wil away?” Drake asked as they climbed the stairs.
“We thought it best. The younger twins were sent to the Northern Lair two days ago and arrived safely. The entire Lair is watching over them and no one comes or goes from there except by dragon. It’s easier to watch over them in such a place without the constant traffic of the castle.” They rounded the corner to the last flight of stairs. They were almost there. “We sent Wil last night with your fathers as escort. He’s big enough to fly most of the way on his own now, but he still has to rest periodically on such a long journey. We thought two dragons and knights would be enough to guard on the short breaks, yet not too many leaving together to raise suspicion.”
“And they left at night so Wil’s black dragon hide would be camouflaged in the dark.” Drake nodded. “It was a sound plan.”
“That somehow went horribly wrong.” Nico turned to Drake, his eyes flinty hard. “We have to get him back, Drake. Either way. If he’s dead, we need to know. But if he’s alive—” His voice trembled with anger and turmoil, just the tiniest bit. “If he’s alive, each moment is precious. We have to get to him as soon as possible.”
“I’ll see to it personally, Nico. You have my word.”
They rounded the last corner and were thrust into the midst of turmoil. Arlis was down, panting smoke as Lana knelt at his side, just beginning to lay her powerful healing hands on the huge golden dragon. Declan was leaning heavily against Bertrand on one side, Elena on the other, swearing roundly with each roar of pain from his dragon partner and batting away the poor healer who attempted to help him.
Nico stopped Drake with a powerful grip on his arm. “You get Wil back, Drake, and let us handle this for you.” Nico hitched one shoulder toward the scene now before them.
Drake could have laughed when Riki, not waiting for her husband, marched right up to Declan and poked one finger into his chest. She got his attention without even raising her voice. Nico moved to stand directly behind her, backing his mate up with a dark, disapproving glower and his frowning presence.
Drake was glad to see he was right about Dec’s inability to disobey a royal order. Within moments, he was being treated not only by old Jiris from the Healing Academy, but by Riki too. She was as gifted as her sister when it came to healing and had spent years treating humans while Lana dealt better with dragons.
Drake moved to his mother’s side. She latched onto his arm and held on tight as they watched the agony begin to ease on Declan’s face. Riki was a strong healer and her skill shone as she applied herself to Dec’s worst wounds, working in tandem with the other healer. Drake didn’t miss the gravely determined looks passing between the two as they worked.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” his mother whispered as she leaned against him. She felt so much smaller than he remembered, but then, he’d finished growing in a land faraway. He’d missed his mother and Ren, not to mention the dragons, terribly those first few years. And Declan. In some ways, he’d missed his stern blood-father most of all. Each time he mastered a new skill or worked behind the scenes to protect the people and dragons of his homeland, he somehow wished he could share his successes with Declan. All his life, Declan’s approval had meant so much more than anyone else’s because it was so rarely given.
Drake hugged his mother. Both breathed a sigh of relief when Arlis’s breathing steadied and he stopped thrashing his tail in pain. A moment later, Queen Lana stepped away, leaning heavily on her husband. Lana walked straight over to Drake and his mother, reaching out to clasp Elena’s hands in her own.
“Arlis will survive. It will take time for him to recover, but he’ll be well and whole in a few months’ time.”
“Thank you.” Elena sobbed as the queen hugged her.
Lana’s emerald eyes met Drake’s, and she smiled with gentle indulgence. This wom
an was so much like her twin—yet quite different. Lana seemed to be much more outgoing, though Drake hadn’t truly met the new queen just yet. He knew Riki better, having been instrumental in orchestrating Nico and Riki’s escape from Skithdron a few months before.
Elena pulled back, thanking the new queen once more before moving to Arlis. Drake knew his mother would want to see for herself the extent of Arlis’s injuries now that he was resting as comfortably as possible and it was safe to approach.
Drake faced the queen and Roland’s calm presence just behind her.
“Thank you, milady, from the bottom of my heart.”
“You’re the image of your father,” Lana said with a weary, almost dazed expression. She reached out one hand to brush a stray lock of his hair out of his eyes. There was healing in her touch and a compassion so deep, it humbled him. “My sister told me about you, of course, but I thought she must be exaggerating.” Drake felt an unaccustomed flush rise up his cheeks as his eyes sought Roland’s in alarm. But the king was smiling indulgently. Drake could see Roland was truly besotted with his new queen.
“Healing like that drains my lady wife to the point of exhaustion,” Roland said in soothing tones, hugging the petite woman back against his chest as he stood behind her.
Drake lifted the queen’s small hand to his lips, kissing the back in a gentle salute. “I am in your debt, my queen. Thank you for helping Arlis. He is another father to me, even though I lack wings.”
“My sister says you have the voice of an angel. When everyone’s better, will you sing for us? And play your lute? Riki’s been playing some of the things you taught her, and she’s magnificent. She says you’re hundreds of times better though. I love music. It’s one of the things I missed most when Tor and I ran away.”
Drake had heard the story of how the queen had lived on her own in the frozen Northlands with only a baby Ice Dragon for company. She’d fought off attacks and ongoing attempts to recapture her and her dragonet, Tor, for several years, living off the land. By all accounts, she was quite a woman. But then, Drake had always had great respect for Roland, who was only a little older than himself.
“I will sing and play for you, my queen, any time you wish.”
“But first,” Roland spoke quietly from behind Lana, “I want you to activate your network of Jinn spies, Drake. I want my brother back with all possible speed.”
“I’ve already given my vow to Nico, my liege. We’ll find Prince Wil. This I promise you. I’ll go after him myself as soon as I have word of his direction.”
“See to your family now, Drake. Nico’s already sent word to the leaders of his network in Castleton. Just be ready when they start to report back.”
“I’m ready now, my liege.” Drake glanced to Arlis and then to Dec. “If Arlis lives, so will my blood-father. He’s too stubborn to allow it to be otherwise.”
Tight smiles greeted his observation and Nico joined them. “Riki says it’s not as bad as it looks. Sir Declan will recover.”
Drake winked at Lana. “What did I tell you?”
This time the smiles were a bit freer.
“I’m just going to check on my mother, then I’ll be heading out to beat the streets and knock a few heads if I must.” Drake’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated his next steps. “There’s got to be someone on this end who saw them leave, so there must be someone—perhaps several—to question right here in the city or even the castle. There are some Jinn I’d like to bring into this. Their loyalty is beyond question and they walk the city streets. If there’s anything to know here, they either already know it or they’ll learn it.”
Roland nodded. “Do it. Stop at the treasury on your way out of the castle if you need coin for bribes or payment. No price is too high to get Wil back.”
“Most Jinn will help out of love for Riki and your family, and loyalty to dragonkind, but some other palms might need to be greased before they squeal.” Drake’s eyes took on a menacing cast as he thought through the possibilities and the steps he would take as soon as he got down to Castleton.
He stayed with his mother only until he was sure she would be all right. He even checked on Declan, surprised by the light of anger in his blood-father’s tired eyes. The knight was mad as hell, but for once, it wasn’t directed at Drake. Declan grabbed Drake’s sleeve with more strength than he would have credited and told him the sequence of events in full detail as Nico and several other knights listened in with great interest.
The party made up of Declan, Arlis, Ren, Lil and Prince William had stopped for the final rest period near the last clear lake before the Border Lair. It was a predictable but necessary stop, and the dragons and knights had checked the area carefully before setting down. What they hadn’t spotted from the sky were the well-camouflaged, dugout pits where a company of mercenaries lay in wait. They were a disciplined group, waiting for the perfect moment to spring their trap. They caught both dragons on the ground and separated the knights, threatening Wil, who was in human form at that moment, with Ren’s and Dec’s deaths if he didn’t surrender. They’d brought reinforced iron shackles sufficient to challenge even a full-grown, royal, black dragon shapeshifter. Wil was still a teen, barely out of his childhood years and still relatively new to flying and shifting from human to dragon and back.
“Drake—” Declan’s grip tightened with urgency, “—you’ve got to get him back. He’s just a boy. Only a little younger than you were when you left. I can’t go through that again.” Drake was shocked by the emotion on his blood-father’s face. “Promise me, boy. Save him. I know you can do it. You’re the only one I trust.”
Drake took Declan’s hand in his. This was a breakthrough moment in their relationship, and he would treat it with all the reverence and seriousness it deserved.
“I’ve already promised Roland and Nico, and now I’ll give you the same and more, Father.” Drake fought past the lump in his throat. Declan was looking at him with such hope, such approval, such respect, he found it hard not to just stop and stare. “I’ll find Wil and bring him home.”
“And when you’ve done that,” Declan pushed one step further, “I want you to come home to stay. I’ve missed you, boy. We all have.”
Drake didn’t want to think that far ahead. Events were spinning fast and furious out of his control, and he needed to think long and hard before committing himself to such a life-altering course. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I’ve got work to do. You rest and heal. I’ll find Wil and bring him back.”
Declan lay back, drained. “You’re a good man, Drake. I know if anyone can bring that boy back safely, it’s you.”
Stunned by his blood-father’s confidence in him, Drake couldn’t speak. He shared a nod of understanding with the man who was his image and backed away. He spared only a moment to check on his mother one last time before he left the castle. He had work to do.
As dawn broke over the stirring city of Castleton, Drake of the Five Lands set about the business he did best…collecting information any way he could.
Chapter Eight
Drake’s steps led him to Rulu, former leader of the Wayfarer Clan, as the old man sat down to breakfast. Rulu didn’t look all that surprised to see Drake at his door, which set Drake on edge. What’s more, the old man wasn’t alone. Seated at the long table with him was not only Krysta, but the Captain of the Guard, Edden Vonris, the most fearsome swordsman in all the land.
“We’ve been expecting you,” Rulu spoke from the head of the table.
Drake entered the tent, taking the place already set for him at the low table. Edden’s presence here meant one thing Drake had suspected for a long time. The Captain of the Guard of Castleton was also a member of the Jinn Brotherhood. But why was Krysta there?
“We know about Prince Wil,” Edden said with a steely look in his gray eyes. Now that Drake saw them side by side, he noted the resemblance between Krysta and the Captain. No doubt they were related, probably brother and sister. Bu
t confirmation of that observation could wait. Wil’s safety was the bigger issue at hand.
“How do you know?” Drake asked, his thought spinning to the possibilities even as he ate the food set before him. This would be a long day. He’d need his strength.
“Word came through our connections with the Mercenary Guild about an hour ago. One of their number went rogue and took a job they were advised to pass.”
“Kidnapping Wil.” Drake nodded as he ate steadily, barely tasting the hearty meal. “Who did it?”
Whoever had gone against the Guild’s directive was going to be in big trouble from his fellow mercs. The Guild had been set up to bring some order to the profession and they never acted lightly. There was a Code the mercs agreed to when they joined the Guild, and acting against their Code could mean death. It was an incredibly rare occurrence for the Guild to advise one of its members against taking a commission. Mercenaries were mercenaries, after all.
“Shafir.” Edden spat the name with obvious distaste. Drake knew of the merc leader and hadn’t heard a single good thing about the man.
“Do you know who hired him and where they’re headed?”
“Not yet,” Edden said with deadly intent in his cold eyes, “but we will shortly.” He nodded over to Krysta. “That’s where my sister comes in.”
Drake raised one eyebrow in the Guardswoman’s direction. “Much as I admire her, just how does she fit into your scheme?”
“Drake, I’m the Wayfarer Clan’s spymaster,” Krysta said in a clear, firm voice.
Drake was surprised by the revelation. He’d dealt with the Wayfarer’s master spy several times over the past few years, but always through Rulu, who acted as an intermediary. Now it all made sense. They were protecting not only the spymaster’s identity, but also the very fact that she was female.
Drake sat back in his low chair and just stared at her for a moment. She watched him with wary eyes, probably wondering if he would get angry, or worse, laugh in her face. Drake did neither.