“We can’t,” said Maya. “The harbormaster’s office is on this island, and we need to get there as soon as possible. Charlie, can you push your way through?”
Charlie grunted as he pushed people back. “Not without hurting someone,” he said, shouting over the noisy crowd. He turned to William with a questioning look.
“No one gets hurt if we can help it,” said William. The throng continued to grow, until it became clear they were stuck. He did his best to speak with the well-wishers who greeted him, shaking hands with several, but he soon found himself wedged between two drones with nowhere to move.
“We can’t stay here all night, Will,” said Jack, crouching under Adonis. “What’s the plan?”
William shook his head. “No idea,” he said.
Melissa shouted from behind him. “Maya, where’s the harbormaster’s office?”
Maya pointed at the building across the square. “The one with the anchor painted on the door.”
“Thanks,” said Melissa. “Charlie, can you step in front of Will?”
Charlie squeezed his way through the throng, pushing where necessary, but never hitting. Soon, he shoved himself between William and two adoring fans pulling at his cape. Melissa grabbed William’s hand. “Let’s go,” she said.
“Where?” he asked. “How?”
“Duck under this drone. Stay there a moment.”
She slipped to the other side and began shouting and pointing away from the harbormaster’s office. “William Whitehall ran over there!” William grinned as a gap opened in the crowd, legs and feet scurrying away in response to Melissa’s ruse. She grabbed his hand again and pulled him up. “Let’s run.”
William followed her, surprised at both her speed and decisiveness, and reached the door just after she did. She pulled it open and ushered him inside.
“What on Esper is that racket out there?” asked a dark-skinned woman. “Do you have anything to do with that?”
“I’m afraid so,” said William. “We’ve just flown here on our dragons, and a crowd started coming—”
“Excuse me,” interrupted the woman. “Did you say dragons?”
“Yes,” said William. “And when people saw them, they started—”
Hand on her hip, she stared at him like a teacher scolding a student. “Do I look like a fool?” she demanded. “You come in here, dressed for the dead of winter on the warmest day of spring, with a rowdy bunch of drunks outside, and expect me to take you seriously? Dragons, he says. What’s your name? I need to know who to have arrested when the guards get here.”
“I’m William Whitehall,” he answered.
The woman laughed at him. “Okay, mister. You’ve had your fun, and I’ve had it with those bars filling you folks with booze and dumping you on the street to harass busy people like me. Now get lost before I call the Guard.”
Melissa stepped between them and assumed the same manner she had with Earl Forrester. “Excuse me—Harbormaster Ungless, I presume?”
The woman stepped back and gave Melissa a puzzled look, disarmed by her formal politeness. “I’m Keri Ungless. What’s it to you?”
Melissa maintained her demure attitude. “We’ve come a long way to see you on an urgent matter.”
“Then what’s all this about dragons and William Whitehall? Why didn’t you simply say you needed to speak to me?”
“Because—and I know this is hard to believe, but it’s the truth—we really did fly here on dragons, and he really is William Whitehall. I’m his wife, Melissa.”
Ungless looked back and forth between them, looking for traces of smiles that might indicate a joke, but found none. “I suppose I’ll find out the truth soon enough, so for the moment I’ll let it pass. What’s your urgent matter?”
William jumped in. “Rebels seized Marshland Crossing and stole the spring taxes, along with three royal ships. We found the ships burned about a hundred miles upriver, and we believe the rebels continued downstream in rowboats. We expect them to transfer onto seagoing ships and escape to Ibyca.”
Ungless looked incredulous. “Why didn’t the Marshland Guard stop these rebels?”
“Because that’s who the rebels were,” said William. “Aside from a few loyal guards and their captain. Major Bentsen finally arrived with three hundred Faywater guards, but the rebels had already fled.”
Ungless nodded in sudden understanding. “So that’s why so few guards have been patrolling our streets. It’s a good thing Bentsen didn’t announce it, or the thieves would have a holiday. Unfortunately, it also means that rabble outside won’t be cleared any time soon.”
“Sorry about that,” said William. “But can you help us? We need to stop the rebels from escaping to sea.”
“It’s not my job to go searching for rebels, Lord William, if you really are him. That’s the Guard’s job, and if the bulk of our contingent is in Marshland, you’re out of luck.”
Melissa broke in. “We aren’t asking you to search for them, Harbormaster. Only to blockade them.”
“Blockade? You mean at the choke points?”
“Exactly,” said William. “I have to plead ignorance, as I’ve never been to Faywater Port, let alone to sea, so I’m not sure what these choke points look like. How easy is it to set up a blockade?”
“Easy enough,” said Ungless. “If I could spare the ships, which I can’t, because they’re all busy searching for smugglers, which is what they’re supposed to be doing. Blockading is a simple matter of anchoring a ship on either side, so vessels can only pass through one at a time. But without knowing what we’re looking for, what’s the point? We can’t stop all sea traffic on your say so, even if you are who you say you are. And suppose we did stop them? I don’t have enough people to arrest these rebels, and I wouldn’t relish the idea of risking their lives if I did. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do, otherwise I’d be at home having supper with my family.”
Melissa sighed as they left the building. “I’m sorry, Will—I tried.”
“I know you did,” said William. “So, what do we do now? The crowd hasn’t thinned any. In fact, it looks bigger.”
“We should find help,” said Melissa.
William gasped and pointed toward the other side of the island. “I think help is on its way.”
Chapter 23
Melissa followed William’s gaze to a small group of people approaching them. The color of the banner and pennant were difficult to make out in the dark, but the four guards in dress uniform were unmistakable. “Is that the duke?” she asked.
“Only one way to find out,” said William. He grabbed her hand and sprinted toward them, intercepting them before they could reach the crowd. “Duke Vincent?”
A guard stepped forward, spear pointed at William. “Back away, sir. The duke is on urgent business.”
William raised his hands in submission. “Our business with him is urgent as well,” he said as he tried to look past the guards blocking his view. “I’m William Whitehall.”
“Did he say Whitehall?” asked a voice from behind the guards. A man pushed his way between them and stepped forward. He was fiftyish, sporting a finely-trimmed goatee, and dressed in the finest clothes William had ever seen. “Did you say Whitehall?” he repeated to William.
“Yes, your grace,” said William. “And this is my wife Melissa.”
Vincent stared at him, trying to decide whether to believe him. “I don’t have time for games. Prove to me who you are: what was your first report at the Marshland Library?”
William’s eyes widened. “Bandit activity in the Marshland region.”
Vincent smiled and extended his hand. “I’ve waited a long time to meet you, Lord William, although I didn’t imagine it would be under these conditions.”
“Sorry about that, your grace. Everybody wants to see the dragons.”
“Dragons? When we caught word about this crowd, the name ‘Whitehall’ was on everyone’s lips. No mention of dragons.” He turned to one
of the guards. “Hector, see if you can disperse this crowd.”
The guard looked frightened by the idea. “And leave you unprotected, your grace?”
“Don’t worry,” said Vincent with a smirk. “I have the Defender of Rebel Falls and his famous sword by my side. I’ll be fine.”
The four guards left them, leaving only a flag-bearer William hadn’t noticed before. Two poles rested on his heavy belt, one bearing the pennant, the other the banner.
“We do have an urgent matter we need your help with, your grace,” said Melissa. “We asked Harbormaster Ungless to blockade the choke points, but she says she can’t spare the ships.”
“Blockade?” asked Vincent. “Whatever for?”
William explained the situation, and Vincent’s face grew grim. “I see,” he said. “Let’s have a word with the harbormaster, shall we?” He motioned William toward the doors.
“Not you again,” said Ungless as she saw William. “I don’t have time to deal with—oh! Your grace! What can I do for you?”
“I think you know what you can do for me, Keri,” said Vincent. “I know your people are busy dealing with smugglers, but the whole point of that is to prevent the loss of tax revenue. Now we have a whole boatload of taxes about to slip through our fingers. How do you propose to stop it?”
Ungless did her best to cover her feelings, but her heaving chest and an angry glance toward William gave her away. “A blockade at the choke points would make the most sense, your grace,” she said. “But it will take time to gather the ships and position them. It won’t likely be done until morning.”
Vincent nodded. “In the meantime, send your fastest boats to the choke points and order the chains set, and the red lanterns lit. We’ll have no traffic in or out until you can set the blockades. When the blockades are in place, we’ll have only inbound traffic until I say otherwise. Am I clear?”
Ungless sighed. “As clear as the sky on a sunny day, your grace.” She turned to pull the rope behind her, which rang a bell somewhere on the floor above them. The clamor of boots quickly followed, and several men and women ran down a set of stairs at the rear. She gave quick orders, and the crew departed with barely a word. Ungless turned back to the earl. “I’ll pull the ships from other duties as they check in, sir. With the night breeze, we’ll have the chains up in three or four hours, and a proper blockade in twelve.”
“Very good, Keri. Keep my clerks informed of any changes or anything unusual.”
“Yes, sir. And Lord William, if I may…I apologize if I seemed rude earlier.”
“Not at all,” said William. “You’re busy and I arrived unannounced.”
Ungless nodded toward the door. “It wouldn’t surprise me if my husband was in that crowd outside. I’m not sure who’s a bigger fan of yours: him, or our son. They both read every book they can about you.”
William looked at the ceiling in exasperation. “I’m tired of hearing about those books. If I find out who wrote them, I’ll—”
“Not now, Will,” said Melissa. “Thank you, harbormaster. And you as well, your grace. Perhaps we should see how our friends are doing.”
The crowd had finally dissipated, shepherded across a nearby bridge by the duke’s bodyguards. Several remained to watch from a tavern patio across the water, a few pointing at William as he and the others emerged from the office. Vincent recognized Jack immediately and extended his hand in greeting.
“Hello, your grace,” said Jack as they shook. “How long has it been—a year? Two?”
“Longer than that I suspect, Jack,” said the duke as he shook Jack’s hand. “How long since your father was named Earl of Rebel Falls? I believe I saw you about a year after that. Maya, Charlie—a pleasure as always.” He turned to Rachel. “You look familiar, but I’m having trouble recalling the name. Have we met?”
“Rachel Malen, your grace,” answered Rachel. “We haven’t met, but I’ve gladly pocketed your silver.”
The duke stared at her with a puzzled look, until he remembered. “Of course, you accompanied William and Maya on their mission. You appear to have recovered from your injury at Rebel Falls.”
She flexed an arm and laughed. “Stronger than ever, your grace.”
“And these must be the silver drones I’ve heard so much about. Magnificent creatures! Do they speak?”
“Adonis does, sir,” said William. “That’s this one. I’m not sure about the others.”
“My brothers do not speak your language,” said Adonis, startling the duke. “Only I was taught, as my queen deemed it necessary for my duties.”
“And this smaller dragon? I’ve read about all different sorts of dragons, but I was unaware of any green ones.”
“This is Clyde, your grace,” said William. “Padma—the dragon queen—asked me to foster him.”
“A pet dragon…astonishing!” said the duke. “And you flew here? How long did that take?”
“Eight or nine hours, I believe,” said William. ”With a few stops along the way. We were delayed at Kolmo.”
“I can believe it,” said the duke. “Between you and me, I avoid the place. But enough small talk—you must be famished. My estate is on an island not far from here. I’m about to be rowed back there myself, so I should see you in about an hour. My butler Reggie will attend to your needs in my absence.”
Maya touched the duke’s elbow. “I have an idea, your grace. Charlie and I would like to see our families, as we’ve been away for several weeks. We can walk from here. Would you like to fly back to your estate on one of our drones?”
A grin slowly spread across Vincent’s face. “Show me what to do.”
Minutes later, they soared toward an island a few miles past the river delta, landing on a large lawn in front of a gargantuan manor house. William couldn’t perceive many details in the darkness, but he could tell it dwarfed his own. It had three floors, and a massive set of stone steps leading to double doors on the second level. Servants scurried about on the ground level, their silhouettes visible in the well-lit windows.
Vincent dismounted, breathless with excitement. “What a ride! I do hope I get a chance to fly like that again. The view must be even greater in daylight.”
William smiled at the duke’s exuberance, but urgency forced him to change the subject. “Your grace, can the dragons hunt anywhere nearby? They haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“Not exactly the same as feeding horses, is it?” asked Vincent. “Not to worry—I have several sheep on the island to keep the grass low. How many will they eat? They’re cheap enough to replace, but I’ll have to order them.”
“One each per day,” replied Adonis. “Perhaps twice that if we fly as much as we did today.”
Vincent smiled at the dragon. “I should be generous after such a ride. I’ll have the stable hands bring fourteen for your supper, and seven more for breakfast. And what about young Clyde here? What does he eat? Chicken? Fish? I imagine a whole sheep would be too large for him.”
“He eats plants, your grace,” said William. “Vegetable scraps from the kitchen would be fine. I wouldn’t advise letting him graze—he nearly destroyed my garden.”
Vincent laughed. “A vegetarian dragon. Lord William, you do lead an interesting life, don’t you?”
He led them through the giant double doors, and William was struck immediately by the sumptuous wood paneling, stone floors, massive tapestries, and large paintings adorning the walls. Vases and statues lined the foyer walls, sharing space with cushioned benches and intricately carved side tables. Straight ahead was a second staircase, and on either side of it a hallway led somewhere unseen.
With a wave of his arm, Vincent guided them to the right. “Let’s head to the dining room, shall we? I’ll send word to Reggie that we’ve arrived early.”
Melissa nudged William as they walked and whispered to him. “See what a home can look like if you add a few nice touches?”
“If I live to a hundred, I could never afford the touches
we saw in the foyer alone,” he whispered back.
The dining hall was even more stunning. It lacked the fireplace of his own dining hall, but it was far brighter, being lit by two chandeliers above the expansive table. Thirty ornate chairs sat in front of thirty ornate settings, each with silver forks, knives, and spoons, as well as gold-trimmed plates. Drinking glasses sparkled in the light, creating an aura of crystal fire down the center of the table. All of this sat on a carpet so luxurious that William couldn’t even guess at its origin.
“Ah, hello Reggie,” said Vincent as a man appeared in livery so fine it put William’s best clothes to shame. “Dinner for six with all possible haste. Seven if you intend to join us.”
“Very good, sir,” said Reggie with an air that was somehow both haughty and humble at the same time. “If you don’t mind me saying, there appears to be a green dragon in your dining hall. You’ve left the front door open again, haven’t you sir?”
“How clumsy of me,” said Vincent with a grin. “This is Clyde. Could you have the cook collect some vegetable scraps for him? We’ll serve him in the corner nearest William so he’s comfortable.”
“That’s kind of you, your grace,” said William.
Vincent turned to him with a friendly smile. “William, I prefer to use first names in my home. There’s plenty enough formality to be had elsewhere if you enjoy it, but I tire of it easily. Are you comfortable dropping titles for now?”
William laughed. “I’m happy to drop mine for good, if it comes to that.”
“Well, don’t be too hasty,” replied Vincent with a wink. “A title comes in handy from time to time. Come, let us sit. Reggie will have the footmen bring wine, and the food will follow shortly.”
Vincent guided them to their seats, placing William at his right, with Melissa beside him, Rachel and Jack across from them respectively. Oz sat next to Melissa, looking distraught. “This doesn’t feel right, my Lady,” he said to Melissa in a low voice. “I should be serving, not sitting.”
“Is there a problem?” asked Vincent.
“Oz isn’t used to eating at the table,” explained Melissa. “He’s our butler back home.”
Skyrider of Renegade Point Page 24