He shook his head. “Bring all of them right away. It’s essential to our planning to have them.”
“I ... I... I...”
Maybe you don’t remember this, since you didn’t listen to me when I told you not to read them, but NO ONE is supposed to read those messages except for the recipient. You can tell him that.
I cleared my throat, but my voice still came out in a croak. “I can’t do that.”
“You can’t?” There was an edge to his voice.
“It’s our duty to keep our messages private.” I was such a hypocrite.
Better a hypocrite than a traitor.
Wasn’t a hypocrite a traitor to themselves?
Just hold the line. I’m sending help.
“It’s your duty to help in the defense of the Dominar, glory to his reign. Or have you forgotten who is in that room beyond?”
I swallowed.
“Answer me.”
What was I going to say?
“Amel?” Ashana Willowspring stepped out into the Great Hall with her arms over her chest. “What is keeping you? We need that tar hot or risk losing the Dominar’s life to infection.”
Iskaris straightened, but his whisper rang in my ears as I hurried to follow Ashana. “We’re not done, Sworn.”
Chapter Four
“Put the tar in the pot on the fire and heat it up,” Ashana said briskly when I entered the room. The wounded dragoons were nowhere to be seen, leaving only Ashana, Hubric and the Dominar. They must be finished patching up the more minor wounds. I hurried to obey. “Then come over here and hold him down.”
“Isn’t he unconscious?” With the pot on the fire, I was free to hobble back to her, checking Hubric on my way past. His forehead was cool and his breathing easy.
“Don’t worry about Hubric. I checked him not long ago. The poultice has leeched out his infection and his wound looks much better. He’ll recover. Let’s make sure the Dominar does, too.” Her authoritative directions made me feel safe – like things couldn’t really go wrong when she was near.
“What do I do next?”
“We’re going to need privacy. Shut the door and lock it.”
I hurried to obey. After all, I didn’t want anyone else in here, either. I didn’t trust Iskaris, and I needed to keep these messages from him.
“We should take off his mask,” I said. “I know you said that we can’t, but how can we watch his face for signs of pain with it covered up?”
Ashana bit her lip, worrying it between her teeth before looking up and meeting my eyes. “What we do here can never be talked about after this – even between us. Promise me.”
“I promise.” I shivered under the importance of the vow.
“Remove it carefully. There’s a strap at the back to keep it on tight. You’ll have to loosen that.”
“What are you doing?”
She had a leather strap tied up on his arm near his shoulder. She worked to cinch it tighter, getting it so tight that I thought the leather might break. The Dominar’s arm was missing at the elbow, and while Ashana had reduced the bleeding from the grizzly stump, angry red lines were crawling up from it on his bicep.
“The red lines are the infection,” Ashana said as she worked. I gently lifted the Dominar’s head, feeling for the strap and loosening it as she spoke. “If it gets into the rest of him, he’ll die.”
Gently, I eased the crown and mask up a little and laid his head down on the pillow. “So you’re going to keep it out with the strap?”
“Not even close,” Ashana said, drawing a massive knife from its sheath on her belt. She placed the knife in a steaming basin of water beside her as I carefully removed the Dominar’s crown and mask. “When the tar is hot, I’ll cut off the infected part of the arm and coat the stump with tar to seal the wound. It’s his best chance to survive this.”
I gasped at her words and at the face revealed when the mask was removed. The man under the mask was barely older than I was, his dark skin and hair slick with sweat and pale with blood loss. My breath stuck in my throat. If anyone had asked, I would have said he was at least twice my age and wise beyond his years.
Ashana coughed and I realized I’d been staring for too long. “The Dominar isn’t the man. The Dominar is the crown and the weight of tradition and respect.”
I nodded, soberly, setting down the mask and crown on the bed beside him. Ashana handed me a cool cloth.
“Wipe his brow while I fetch the tar.”
With trembling hands, I obeyed, carefully wiping away the pain-sweat of the most powerful and significant man of the Dominion. What would we do if he died?
It would get very complicated very quickly. That must not be allowed to happen.
Hopefully, Ashana knew what she was doing. Had she done anything like it before?
You don’t become Top Rider by sitting around plucking daisy petals. Ashana Willowspring has earned her place, her honor, and the fine lines on her face the hard way. Don’t forget it.
If only she was a White.
And don’t ever let me hear that come from you!
As Prince of Dragons, wasn’t he supposed to care about all dragons and not just Purple ones? I was careful not to disturb the Dominar as I gently patted his face with the cloth, too.
I have a brother who is a White dragon. He can care about that color.
Maybe it was all a game, just like the thing about eating horses.
I keep telling you that’s real.
Or how he was happy to be with me when he should have been with Savette.
Was that a growl I’d heard through our link?
“The trick to it,” Ashana said as she sat down across from me on the narrow bed, the Dominar between us, “is to do it quickly. He’ll likely wake from the pain. He’ll jerk and thrash. That will be a problem. You’re going to sit on his chest and hold his shoulders down while I cut the arm and tend the wound.” My stomach lurched at her instructions. “Your role is important. Don’t let me down. If you lose your lunch, I’ll take that scarf right back and your Color with it.” Could she do that? “Ready?”
I swallowed the rising bile and moved to sit on the Dominar’s chest, my hands pinning his shoulders in place. I wasn’t at all ready.
“Wait,” I said. “What’s his name. I feel like I should know that.”
“It’s ‘Dominar’ since the day he put on that mask and it will be until the day he lies cold in the ground – which won’t be today if I have any say in the matter. Now, are you ready?”
He looked so young and vulnerable. I should be protecting him and not harming him.
This is protecting him. I’ll be here with you all the way.
“Ready,” I said hoarsely.
Chapter Five
The moment her knife bit into flesh his eyelids fluttered open and a moan escaped him.
“Shhh, easy now,” I crooned. “It will only be for a moment.”
He wailed, pushing up against my hands and I leaned all my weight on his shoulders, grimacing at the effort. He was strong – his muscles hard and thick. Would my full weight be enough to keep him down?
“Keep him still!” Ashana ordered.
Banging fists on the door distracted me for a moment.
“Still, Amel! Do you know what that means?”
I clenched my jaw and pressed my lips tight together, channeling every scrap of strength into holding him in place. His head thrashed from side to side, eyes shut, and features screwed into an expression of agony, but I had the feeling that he was trying his best to work with us. If he wasn’t, my weight wouldn’t be enough to keep him in place. Little whimpers escaped him, searing my heart with guilt.
He must live. He will die if Ashana doesn’t treat his wounds.
“What’s going on in there?” a muffled voice called through the door.
There was a thump and then Ashana murmured, “Almost done.”
The Dominar hissed and fell limp, his mind must have shut off to ward against a flood
of pain. I swallowed, but my mouth was too dry to even whisper. When I turned to watch Ashana, she was deftly bandaging the stump of his arm.
“Get his mask back on,” she whispered.
I let go of his shoulders. Moving my weight off of him, and grabbed the heavy crown, carefully setting it over his face and on his head. It felt like a cruel thing to do.
Ashana sighed. “It’s not ideal, but his guardians will be ... testy ... if they find him without it and now is not the time.”
The banging continued on the door as Ashana removed the leather strap from the Dominar’s upper arm and I worked to cinch the strap of his mask-crown.
“He’s so young,” I said. “Too young for all of this.”
“Never speak a word of that. There are things surrounding this you know nothing of.”
“What’s his name?” I asked.
“He gave up the right to a name when he took the crown. I told you that.”
So cruel. How did a person live like that? As a symbol rather than a person?
The banging on the door grew louder.
“Open this door! Open it now!”
“Remember,” Ashana whispered. “You will never speak of what happened here. I have your oath on that.”
I nodded, an acidic taste filling my mouth. The secrets I had to keep were piling up so high that soon I’d be restricted to talking only about the weather.
“Go sit with your master. We’ll pretend that you have been tending to him. Hurry.”
I scrambled to obey as Ashana picked up her tools and basin. Something large was wrapped in a bloody cloth in the basin. I shuddered when I realized what it was. Ashana seemed unconcerned, striding to the door and unlocking it quickly so she could step aside as Iskaris and the other dragoons barrelled through the door.
“What happened here?” Iskaris demanded.
“I was merely tending the wounded,” Ashana said. “Look for yourself.”
Iskaris’ eyes scanned the room, a frown on his face. “Keep this door unlocked. From now on my dragoons will guard the Dominar’s bed.”
Ashana nodded. “Have you devised a plan for the defense of this place?”
“Nothing is getting through that door. Concern yourself with your own business, message bearer. You’re no warrior.”
The grim set of Ashana’s mouth told me that the insult had found its mark. “I’ll just clean up, then.”
Iskaris nodded. “When you’re done, I’ll speak with you in the Great Hall. We have things to discuss.”
He was going to ask her for our messages. And when he did, he’d see the ones that incriminated him. Should I destroy them before he saw them? Or hide them somewhere?
No and no. That’s not the Purple way. We own the truth as it comes to us.
Despite my worry, I couldn’t help but feel a stab of disappointment. Here I was, with the Dominar. I would have hoped that he would wake up and set things right, but the ruler of this whole land was hardly older than I was, unimpressive in every way.
It’s a mistake to judge by appearances or to judge a man by how he looks while he recovers from injury.
I mopped Hubric’s forehead with a damp cloth as my thoughts rose into a flurry. I was just as disappointed with the Dominar’s dragoons as I was with him. They were the elite force of the nation, and what? They were incompetent, broken down and small, cowering here in a cave.
We’re cowering in a cave, too. And I’m a prince and Savette is the Chosen One. Everyone is human – even dragons. No one really rises above that no matter what kind of prestigious position they find themselves in.
Why was our Dominar out wandering in the woods with a tiny handful of guards?
After Vanika, they moved to a mountain fortress, but when Baojang swept down from the north, the fortress was overrun. They fled through a secret passage to the woods and flew - aboard the Silver dragons - south towards the capitol, but the Dusk Covenant was a step ahead of them. Ifrits came from all around and attacked the Dominar. He and his dragoons have been fighting and retreating for seven days, slowly moving mile by mile as they fight. The dragons were no match for so many Ifrits – but you know that. You’ve seen it in person. These men here are all that is left of more than a hundred dragoons, guards, and warriors. They are battered, broken men. Iskaris alone has any fight left, and we both know that he is a traitor.
I felt a chill creep into me. How did he know all of this?
I’ve been talking to Ayancig and Inrujee the Silver dragons. They watched their brothers perish and they are deeply wounded and battered. Neither can fly. They bear the honor of Haz’drazen, serving the Dominar as we have promised since the first pact.
If they had been overwhelmed, what chance did we stand?
I have an idea about that.
I almost jumped when Hubric’s eyes sprang open. My hand froze where it held a cloth to his forehead.
“I’m back.” His voice was hoarse, but his wink was firm and sure.
Chapter Six
“Hubric!” I couldn’t contain my delight. Finally, some ray of hope in these dark caverns!
“I need to see Kyrowat,” he whispered.
“Kyrowat is resting just like you should be. Here, drink something,” I said, offering him a cup of water from the bedside.
He held out his hand and I helped to ease him up to a sitting position, propping him up against the headboard and offering him water.
“He survived.” His tone held gratitude and relief.
“For now. We’re in a bit of a situation here.” I glanced around. Two dragoons sat silently on either side of the Dominar’s bed. I couldn’t tell him everything with them there.
Sending help.
Gently, but succinctly, I sketched out what had happened before we found him and then what happened after, glossing over the Dominar and Iskaris and leaving the messages out completely. Hopefully, the grave look on my face and the frequent glances at the dragoons were enough of a signal to him to show him that we couldn’t speak freely.
He nodded, leaning his head back against the headboard like he was too weak to sit up straight. Just when I was considering helping him lie down again, Savette entered with a steaming tray. She spoke with the dragoons, offering them broth and flatbread and then brought a cup of broth to Hubric, offering it to him gravely.
“I hear that congratulations are in order,” he said weakly.
“Thank you,” even strained, her smile was lovely. I missed seeing her eyes, though.
“I also heard your blushing groom fled the moment he could.”
“And I hear that you want to see your dragon,” she replied when he’d finished sipping his cup of broth. “I was sent to help with that.”
Hubric eyed her skeptically.
“Well, if you don’t want Amel and me to help you, then you’ll have to wait a long time. Those legs aren’t going to hold you up until you have time to rest.”
“Fine, fine,” he grumbled, but he seemed too tired to be actually upset, allowing us to help him pull his dragon rider leathers back on and tie his scarves.
We were tying the last two when Ashana Willowspring walked in. She checked on the Dominar despite the wary glances and sudden straightening of his guards and then rounded on us.
“I see you’re in your element, Hubric Duneshifter. It’s not every day that you have two servants to help you dress.” She made a conspicuous sign with her fingers that meant nothing to me. Was this yet another secret language. How many of these did Hubric know?
“Haven’t you heard? I’ve come up in the world, Top. I have my own apprentice, an ally or two and I’ve really mastered the cards. Perhaps, you’ll play a round.” His own fingers tapped a rhythm on the bed that didn’t fit with his words. Secrets within secrets – that was Hubric’s way, and apparently Ashana was the same way.
“You know I’m always up for a game,” Ashana said, pulling a stool and small table over and producing a deck. She was planning to play right now? She cocked her head s
lightly to the side. “Unless you were in a hurry to get up?”
“No, I’ll stay for a round or two. Gather my strength.” He sounded so casual about it when he’d been determined to leave only moments before.
“In that case, I have work to do,” Savette said, gathering up the wooden bowls and cups.
“I could use some tea, my dear. Perhaps some with feverfew or comfrey?”
“I’ll see what we have.”
“Don’t go running off now,” he added in a warning voice. “I don’t see any dark-haired princes to save you.”
Oh! There was still some bitterness there! Savette set her mouth in a hard line and left, her white gown flowing in her haste.
“Well, your injuries haven’t hurt your tongue, have they?” Ashana said, dealing the cards. “Have you taught your apprentice how to win at cards?”
The wary look she shot me made her question clear. Would I know what she was communicating through the card game?
“Hardly,” Hubric said dryly. “You can’t make a winner in only a few games.”
Ashana’s shoulders relaxed and she allowed herself a tense smile as she said, “You play first.”
Hubric laid down two mountains and Ashana laid down three demons so quickly it was as if she knew what he would play.
He whistled. “I’ve been sick. You can’t go easy on me?”
“I didn’t take you for a weakling, Hubric.” Her tone was light, but her eyes were grim as she laid down her next hand. Four warriors.
Hubric responded with seven dragons. How did he have so many in his hand?
“I’d call that a draw,” she said running her hand over all the played cards and gathering them up. He went pale at her words but cleared his throat and took the deck to deal again. I thought that maybe I understood at least a little of that interaction. She was telling him that we were stuck here with the Ifrits outside and only four dragon riders and he was suggesting that the dragons might tip the balance in our favor. Then why had she cleared them all away? Did that mean what I thought it did? Was she saying we had no hope?
“Maybe we should raise the stakes,” he said.
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