Before he could say any more, the beat of wings and a rush of wind preceded Shaw’s landing nearby. The drake was breathing heavily, as if he’d just won a race, but his expression was one of pure joy.
“‘Tis a most wonderful morning, is it not, Dayna?” he announced. “I have led our centaur friends a merry chase all o’er the wasteland hither.”
“It’s wonderful, yes,” I agreed. “But I think we’re ready to bring Nagura back to the Capitol.”
“Oh, aye. Duty doth call.”
The griffin took a moment to preen a few errant feathers back into place before coming to stand at my left. I couldn’t tease Shaw for a moment of vanity, as I straightened my Andeluvian outfit and brushed my hair back into some semblance of shape. Liam came to stand at my right, while Nagura moved around behind me to sit close to Galen. At the Wizard’s instruction, she curled her tail around her feet like a contemplative cat.
Galen raised his hand, recited his incantation, and the ruins of Keshali winked out in a flare of white. The swirl of disorientation rattled my brain for a moment, and with a jolt, the transport spell did its work. The static-like visuals died down, revealing the lush green grass of the palace courtyard. Scents of blooming roses washed away the bleachy smell and taste of ozone.
The bang! of transport faded into the cries and gasps of astonishment from the people surrounding us.
I took in everything at a glance. The Regent and his two bodyguards stood before us, both in human form and wearing heavy armor. A dozen or so lords and palace hangers-on stood on either side of them. Lord Ivor’s complexion turned a shade paler at the sight of Nagura’s huge reptilian form. Ghaznavi’s hand instinctively groped for his sword hilt. Behnaz let out a curse, and the elderly Lord Alvey almost fell as he stumbled three steps backward. Next to him, Master Seer Zenos clutched his staff and made a protective sign.
Magnus’s deep voice rang out. “Be at ease! My wizardry is more than enough to protect us from this beast.” He squinted at Nagura and directed his next words at her. “Speak, monster. If you can talk, tell us your intentions. If they are hostile, beware my power!”
His words had probably been scripted ahead of time by Galen and his uncle. They had to emphasize the Regent’s control of the situation and his ability to handle a perceived threat, but they still gave me a chill. Back when Magnus was a foe, I’d heard those same tones directed at me and my friends.
There was a moment of silence, followed by a disarming squeaking sound from the wyvern queen as she scribbled on her whiteboard with the red marker.
“We are Queen Nagura, Hive-Matron of Keshali and Mother of the Hakseeka,” came the reply. More gasps came from the Andeluvian lords at the husky sound of the female monarch’s voice. “We are not a beast, nor a monster. We wish no conflict with you, for we seek only…”
The wyvern queen’s voice trailed off as her marker slipped off the edge of the board. She slowly raised up and looked about. Her talons trembled, and she reflexively clutched her white-board marker to keep from dropping it. The amber orbs of her eyes were wide with what I could only describe as astonishment. Or wonder.
The assembled lords began to mutter amongst themselves.
“Nagura, what is it?” I asked quickly. “What’s wrong?”
“There is nothing wrong with us,” she said. “We just did not know. We dared not dream what you would do.”
I found myself suddenly feeling short of breath. “What did we do?”
The wyvern shook her head as it trying to wake from a dream. A shivery ripple ran down the scales of her flanks as she spoke.
“Dayna, you have brought us back home.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
The wyvern queen’s words hit me like a thunderclap.
You have brought us back to our home.
I didn’t have so much as a second to do more than react. Not to what Nagura had said, but to the cries of outrage from the assembled Andeluvian lords.
How dare this monster call this place ‘home’!
It should be living in a fen, not a palace!
This vile thing can’t really speak, it must be a trick of some kind.
Dame Chrissie’s behind this, I know it!
But the Queen didn’t hiss or otherwise show any sign of anger or offense. Instead, her reaction to the barrage of insults was to flinch away. She sank down and defensively curled her tail around herself. Grimshaw, Liam and Galen drew closer to her, as if ready to protect her from any threat.
“That will be quite enough,” Magnus pronounced. “All of you, return to the Great Hall.”
“We are not your lackeys,” Lord Behnaz said snidely. “You cannot dismiss us at your whim.”
The Regent quickly masked his expression of exasperation. Obviously, his patience was wearing thin. He half-turned and addressed Behnaz and the other noblemen.
“Oh, this is no mere ‘whim’,” he said. “Now that I have seen this monster up close, I am keenly aware of the terrible danger she represents.”
The Lord of the Pursuivant clutched at the collar of his multicolored tunic. “The danger?”
“I’m sure that this creature could be properly suppressed by my magic, especially with my nephew’s help. But there’s no way we could restrain her before she gobbled up the rest of you like so many candied plums.” Magnus nodded towards Nagura as he went on. “Notice how thin she is, obviously famished from the lack of meat in her diet.”
Lord Alvey swallowed hard. “My time is too valuable to waste,” the elderly man stated pompously. “Least of all on Dame Chrissie’s need to show off her latest ‘pet’.”
“Hear, hear,” Behnaz agreed.
Lord Ivor rolled his eyes, but added, “I too have more urgent business. Let the Regent handle this mess.”
A chorus of grumbles and vague agreement rose like a cloud from the Andeluvian nobility as they hastily retreated. All but one. Master Seer Zenos remained where he was, quietly contemplating the wyvern queen.
Magnus sighed in relief. “That was more luck than anything. If those mewling lords had their knights with them, they might have done more than just throw insults.”
“Your Majesty,” Nagura quickly wrote, “know that we speak the truth of our peaceful intent. We did not understand the depth of hatred and distrust of our people. Yet we had little choice but to return with Dame Chrissie.”
The Regent put up a hand to gently ask for her silence.
“Be at ease, Queen Nagura,” he said. “Know that I am Magnus, the King of the centaur peoples who currently claim the land that surrounds your old demesne. Here in this place, I serve as Regent only. One of your kind wounded and poisoned the rightful ruler of this place, which is the reason for the mistrust.”
“Not one of our kind,” she insisted. “We know how we appear, but we are not a feral creature. We shall not harm any but those who attack us.”
“She’s telling the truth,” I put in. “Regent, I just found out that the Ultari and those who control the demon-folk were behind the wyvern attack that put Fitzwilliam in the hospital.”
Magnus considered that. “Those who control the demons…you mean the former Lord Caltrop.”
“Yes, and at least one other party. A party with access to my world and its technology.”
The Regent raised an eyebrow. “That would be serious news, indeed. What leads you to that conclusion?”
“The Hakseeka – the intelligent wyverns who were ruled by Queen Nagura – were wiped out by a chemical weapon. I located several canisters of chlorine gas that had been placed inside their nest and opened to release the deadly poison.”
Magnus shuddered. “As much as I admire your world, it seems the people there have come up with far too many creative ways to kill each other. It indicates a strange single-mindedness.”
Try as I might, I couldn’t argue with that.
At that moment, Master Seer Zenos cleared his throat to gain the Regent’s attention. Magnus turned, surprised that the old man had st
ayed.
“What is it, soothsayer?” he asked, frowning. “Make it quick, for I have yet to decide what to do with today’s surprise visitor.”
“Pardon, Regent,” Zenos said, in his creaky voice. “I stayed behind because I could not help but notice what Queen Nagura holds in one taloned hand.”
“It appears to be a writing instrument of some kind.”
“I meant her other hand.” He pointed with his staff, and we all looked. Sure enough, Nagura still clutched her sister’s tome to her side. “I recognize that book, for Dame Chrissie brought it to me for translation. It is known as the Codex of the Bellus Draconum. I believe there is a prophecy in the Codex that refers to the Queen as ‘the mother that shall return to us’. Since tidings of doom are my specialty, I wish to know more about this.”
Zenos was one of the more eccentric personalities I’d met since coming to Andeluvia, but the old man was still as sharp as ever.
“You just struck in the gold,” I said. “Queen Nagura has explained the contents of the Codex to us. Yes, she is the one prophesized to return.”
“Does this foretell our ultimate downfall, then?”
“Maybe, but I don’t think so. Her presence proves that this is a time when the forces of Darkness are on the move. But it also tells us that change is in the air.”
The soothsayer appeared to mull this over, and then spoke directly to Nagura. “Your Majesty, this is weighty news indeed. Can we trust your interpretation of the Codex?”
The wyvern queen let out a snort. “You may trust us as much as any who are intimate with its contents. Our hive-sister Kyratha composed it in this very palace, where we grew up together.”
“And thus, we return to the heart of the matter,” Magnus reminded us. He rubbed his chin in thought, a gesture identical to his nephew’s. “Can this really have been your home? Was this palace raised atop some ancient wyvern nest?”
“Raised atop?” For the first time, Nagura looked offended. “You misunderstand us. This palace was built by our people. By the Hakseeka.”
“Regent, it is theoretically possible that humans did not build this palace,” Galen piped up. “I have looked into the architectural origins of Fitzwilliam’s palace while conducting related research. In doing so, I found something curious: all the references are to humans ‘adding on’ and ‘improving’ the palace. None are credited with designing or building it. I had simply attributed this to poor record-keeping until now.”
I’d seen the wonders that Nagura’s people had created with the subterranean frescoes, but it took a serious effort to discard my previous opinions. The Hakseeka hadn’t invaded the ruins of Keshali like termites infesting an abandoned house. They’d built the place first and then bedded down inside the equivalent of a storm cellar as the darkness crept upon them.
And this palace was a near-twin to the one at Keshali, only this place was saved from the ravages of time and erosion.
Zenos let out a gasp as he clutched his staff. “Dame Chrissie! My vision of the palace, and what it turned into! I told you, I am never wrong, and this proves it!”
Magnus rolled his eyes. “Really, Master Seer? Must we have more gibberish and wild talk from you now?”
“Some of what he says sounds strange,” I put in. “But I have to vouch for Zenos’ accuracy.”
“Really?” The Regent gave me a stern look. “The soothsayer here once told me that I was walking around with a hole in my skull.”
“Not your skull!” Zenos snapped. “Your mind, Regent. There is a difference.”
“It takes a while to understand any given prophecy,” I said quickly, trying to head off any further exchanges. The soothsayer could be prickly about his work. “But I’ve learned that many of Zenos’ visions, like the one about the palace…”
The Regent’s stern gaze turned to me as I trailed off. Even my friends stared at me as my tongue froze and my brain put everything together in a wyvern-sized click.
Of course this had been the home of Queen Nagura’s people. I’d listened to eyewitness testimony about it. I’d even seen the clues from the first day I’d been summoned to Andeluvia to solve King Benedict’s murder. I’d seen those clues every single day I was here.
The truth was right in front of everyone, if we only chose to see it.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Around the time I turned twelve, my mother brought home a very special book.
It was a picture book containing three-dimensional ‘stereo-eye’ images. Both my mom and my sister could see the hidden pictures immediately. I, on the other hand, stared at the fields of multicolored patterns until I went cross-eyed without spotting a thing.
When I was just about to give up, I lay back in bed and took one last glance. Instantly, images of unicorns, flower bouquets, and sailing ships leapt out at me. My brain had just needed the extra time for rewiring to see what was self-evident.
Now that this newest ‘rewiring’ was complete, I finally understood the vision that Zenos had spoken to me about. I turned to address my friends, as well as the Regent.
“It was just before the Spring Tournament,” I began. “The Master Seer told me of a vision that even he did not fully comprehend. He said that he saw the palace…and then right before his eyes, the building turned into a dragon. But what if he saw a wyvern, and mistook that for a dragon? Dragons and wyverns look fairly similar, do they not?”
Queen Nagura answered for all of us. “We Hakseeka share common lineage with both dragons and phoenix. While we consider the Seraphine distant cousins, the dragons…are closer than that. Much closer, in many respects.”
Galen’s brow was furrowed, as if trying to keep up. “Very well, say that we accept the argument. How does this vision prove that the Hakseeka built this place?”
“Think back,” I insisted. “When Korr of the Seraphine first appeared at court, do you remember what he called this place?”
“I recall what you told me,” the Wizard said, after a brief hesitation. “He called it the ‘Court of Scriveners’.”
I nodded. “That’s right. But I never got around to asking you: what does the term ‘scrivener’ mean in this world?”
“It is a rather antiquated term for ‘scribe’ or ‘copyist’.” Galen stamped a forehoof in revelation. “Of course! If one of the defining traits of the Hakseeka is their written language, then they must have been the Scriveners.”
“There’s more to it than that,” I continued. “We have an eyewitness account that the Hakseeka built and maintained this place.”
“Thou hast quite a mind,” Shaw chuckled. “‘Tis fun to watch it soar.”
“Never mind that,” Liam insisted. “What account? When?”
“Korr’s account,” I answered. “Later on, when I pressed him for memories from the time of the Old War, he mentioned seeing a shining city guarded by reptilian creatures in green and black. Those are the colors of any wyvern who hasn’t become a queen. And that city…he said that it had high walls and towers shaped like mushrooms.”
I spread my arms to take in the entire area around us as I went on.
“Look at this place. Just look at it! High walls. Take the banners and the points off the dunce-cap towers and you have the exact mushroom shape.”
“Of course,” Galen said, as if bemused at the newly revealed connections. “What the Old Man of the Mountain told us makes sense now as well. That rockbound demon told us that the Codex was from a time ‘before humans or centaurs ever came to these lands’. After the War, the Creatures of the Dark were imprisoned or dispersed.”
“And the Hakseeka had declined, becoming feral,” Liam pointed out. “Say that the Creatures of the Light also dispersed. The griffins returned to their aerie, we fayleene retreated back to our sacred woods. That would have left all this land vacant.”
The Wizard began to trot back and forth, his hooves thudding dully on the turf as he did so.
“Let us accept the idea of a ‘vacant’ land,” he said, intent o
n following up his newfound conclusions. “What follows would be self-explanatory. At least seven hundred years ago, the centaurs must have migrated into the area near Queen Nagura’s city. But, since Keshali was surrounded by the barren ‘Hinter Lands’, we centaurs left the ruins alone.
“Around that same time, the humans also migrated – and they arrived here. This city was left in better condition, and the surrounding lands were fertile. So, the line of Julian the Conqueror settled into a readymade palace. We saw that same palace in picture form when we visited the subterranean grotto under Keshali. The city on a hill was the one in the mosaic that Queen Nagura displayed for us.”
The wyvern queen dipped her spiked head in acknowledgement. “Indeed, for this place was Teyana, the first and foremost of our cities. Our tradition was to leave the rule of Teyana to the youngest of a brood of eggs. And while Kyratha prophesized that her line would also fall to the feral darkness, she remained to oversee and maintain the hive here as long as she could.”
“She did an amazing job,” I insisted. “Your sister performed it so perfectly that all the elements of your city still remain in the palace, almost untouched. I’ve seen the evidence every single day, and never even realized it until now.”
Shaw made a snap of his beak. “How dost thou mean, Dayna?”
“Take the stone columns that line the throne room, for starters,” I said. “They’re decorated all around with reptilian scales and coils. In fact, they match the pattern of Nagura’s flank and tail. The pillars in the dungeon below are covered with scaly reptilian figures which must be stylized wyvern portraits.”
“Astounding,” Magnus marveled. “I saw these same designs all over the palace, and yet I never even thought twice about it.”
“That’s because everyone just assumes that some human artist from long ago was responsible. The hearths across from the throne are rather curious though. They appear to be dragon mouths, not wyverns.” I looked up at the wyvern queen. “Would you know why?”
A Warrant of Wyverns Page 17