by RA Lewis
“I’m going to fly with Maska from here on out. Will you fly with me?”
Her cousin nodded and shouted orders to the Queen’s Guard before following Kalina aft where they called their dragons down and mounted one by one. Soon Kalina was airborne as Maska rose higher above the sea. The fresh, cool air calmed her, settling the butterflies in her stomach.
They circled the cove high above while their Ethean vessel anchored and launched boats into the surf. A large white tent had been set up farther up the beach, and boats from the Askorian ship were making their way to the shore. Now was a perfect time to land. Maska slowly spiraled down, his massive green wings glistening in the midday sun and casting a growing shadow across the sand. Just as the small group of people departed the Askorian boats, Kalina and Maska landed beside the tent with a boom, a cloud of fine sand rising into the air.
Kalina watched with satisfaction as the small group of people cringed back, visibly startled and frightened of the dragons before them. Upon closer inspection it seemed the group was comprised of well-dressed nobles along with a few servants and soldiers. The women clutched at their fancy hats and dresses, while the men threw their hands up to shield their eyes from the flying sand. Fear showed on every face as she dismounted and straightened her dress, Kari close behind her.
Delisa and Calla had conspired with Kari to create a few outfits for Kalina that were both regal and functional. Both Delisa and Calla had insisted that a Queen wear a dress most of the time, but Kari understood what it was like to ride astride a dragon. She had helped them incorporate the riding leathers that Kalina needed, with the tight bodices and flowing skirts that were currently popular at court. Kalina had loved her coronation dress so much that she had also requested that more be made in other colors.
Now, as she walked towards the white tent lightly blowing in the wind, she wore a deep purple dress with a slit skirt so she could ride Maska, the Valdir red leather pants beneath it. She wore her red leather broad belt and bracers but no weapons beyond a few knives stashed in her belt, bodice, and boot. Kari and her Queen’s Guard were fully armed, however, and they followed her into the tent, studiously ignoring the Askorian nobles who cautiously filed in behind.
Chapter 10
The tent was eerily quiet as Kalina took her place at the head of the table, with Kari on her left and Lord Illeron on her right. She wished again that Leif was by her side, and sent up a quick prayer to Skaldir for his safety returning from the countryside where her armies were stationed. There was no room to house her entire army within Ravenhelm, so a temporary tent city had been erected outside the walls.
The Askorian nobles filed into the tent, taking their seats at the opposite end of the long table that occupied the space. Many of them looked supremely uncomfortable, their eyes darting around nervously. But one man was eyeing her, seeming to size her up. He was tall, with light brown-haired and dark eyed, and looked similar enough to Prince Terric to be a close relative, was eyeing her, seeming to size her up. An awkward silence stretched thin, the animosity from both sides palpable. Finally, Kalina cleared her throat.
“Welcome to Ethea, Lords, and Ladies. To what do we owe this unexpected but welcome visit?”
The dark-haired man across from Kalina stood and gave her a slight bow of his head, the kind you might give to visiting monarchs. His clothes were richly made of thick fabrics, but they also had seen hard use.
“Your Majesty. My name is Julian Blackbourne and I am a Prince of Askor. Prince Terric is my older brother. We have come to request that you release my brother to me so I may return him home, and also-”
Kalina held up a hand.
“Let me stop you there, Prince Julian. Your brother Prince Terric stood trial two days ago for his crimes against this crown, and during his trial, he attempted to assassinate me. He was killed by my dragon, Maska.” She paused, watching the prince’s face hardened for the briefest of moments before he mastered his expression. “We are sorry for your loss,” she continued. “We’d be happy to give you his body for proper burial in your country.”
Prince Julian laced his fingers before him. He was clearly a diplomat by the way he spoke, his hands were slender and fine-boned with no hint of calluses insight. Kalina held back a slight smirk. She had to admit it felt good to know that for once in her life, she was more powerful and more dangerous than a prince of Askor.
“Thank you, your Majesty. That is most generous of you.” He cleared his throat. “We would be grateful for the opportunity to take him home with us.” He sat back down, and Kalina could see his jaw clenching and unclenching. He wasn’t happy.
“Was there another reason you came, Prince Julian?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She saw Kari grin out of the corner of her eye. Prince Julian shook his head.
“No. We just came to collect my brother,” he said. She didn’t believe him.
“Very well then.” She looked to Anders and Talon who stood to the side. She and her council had anticipated this when they’d spotted the ship and so she had made sure Prince Terric’s body, or what was left of it, had been prepared for shipment. “Sir Talon will bring his body to your men on the beach. Now, I have a message for your king.”
“Of course, your Majesty.” The other nobles beside the prince shifted uncomfortably, each of them aware of how precarious and charged this whole situation was.
“Please tell your father, the King of Askor, that Ethea is no longer his to command. He no longer has a puppet on the throne. We are a free nation, and no longer under Askor’s thumb. If he wishes to maintain the peace, please tell him to keep his ships out of my waters, and his soldiers out of my mountains. We will extend him the same courtesy.”
Kalina stood, preparing to leave the tent when the prince’s voice rang out.
“What about my nephew?”
She paused, dread pooling in her stomach. How had they heard about Osian so quickly? She turned back slowly, her face schooled into polite confusion.
“I’m sorry, what are you talking about?”
“My brother wrote to me just before you performed your coup and took over the castle that his wife was pregnant with his son. She is dead, is she not? That means the baby may have survived. Where is he?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about. My mother Cherise Stanchon, the late Queen of Ethea, died during a skirmish.” Kalina turned away to leave once again.
“He belongs with us, his father’s family.”
“If there was such a child, he would belong with his mother’s family,” she said smoothly. “But there isn’t. Good day, Lords and Ladies. Good day, Prince Julian.” Finally, she turned on her heels and exited the tent, making a beeline for Maska, who lay on the warm sand waiting for her. She heard the prince yell as she left.
“We know he is alive. And we will bring him back to be with his people.”
Cold shot through her as she leaped up onto Maska, turning to see Prince Julian and his nobles filing out of the white tent. Her own people ranged out in a line before her, Kari and Jormungand mounting their dragons behind her. Kalina had to bite her tongue to keep from responding. Instead, she told Maska to leave, and with a mighty sweep of his wings, they were launched skyward, leaving a sea of stunned faces below.
She considered staying to make sure the Askorians left, but she knew she could count on Lord Illeron, Anders, and Talon to see to that. She wanted to get back to the castle right away and to send Jormungand to the Valdir camps high in the Great Grey Mountains to check on Eira and her little brother Osian. She needed to know they were safe.
When Maska landed on the practice grounds of the Queen’s Guard, a small contingent of her soldiers came pouring out of the barracks. A few began taking the saddle off Maska, while the others lined up behind her as she waited for Kari and Jormungand to land.
“I need you to leave now and fly straight to High Pass Camp,” she said to Jormungand, placing a hand on Shania’s side. “I need to know Eira and Osian are
alright. Please,” she said with desperation and fear in her voice. Jormungand bowed low from the back of his red dragon.
“Of course, your Majesty. We will leave as soon as we have grabbed provisions.”
Kalina nodded, her mind already hundreds of miles away in a camp high in the mountains. There must still be snow on the ground up there.
“How could he know where Osian is? Or even that he is alive?” She said to Kari who had joined her. Together they walked back into the castle, leaving Jormungand to resupply and leave.
“I don’t know, Kalina, but we will find out.”
“In the meantime, we must prepare for war. That prince had murder in his eyes when I told him we were no longer under Askor’s thumb. As soon as my council arrives, I want to meet with them.”
“I will let you know when they return.”
Kalina let out a long sigh. She needed something, a nap or perhaps a strong drink, after a day like that. Instead, she changed into her Valdiran leathers and went back down to the practice grounds where she, Kari, and a few of the Queen’s Guard went through drills. Kalina worked until all thoughts of worry about her brother and Askor had left her mind, and all she focused on was the ache and fatigue in her body.
But lying in bed awake that night, after a frustrating council meeting, the fear returned. What had she just done? She had been so drunk on her own power, so focused on proving that she was better than Askor, that she had instead provoked them further and possibly started yet another war they couldn’t afford. Her people had suffered enough, she was already struggling to feed the country, she couldn’t possibly also feed an army on the move as well. But what choice did she had? Should she have just apologized, begged for forgiveness? That would have made her look weak, and she was already in a fragile position. No, she’d had no other choice, and now she’d have to live with the potentially awful consequences.
Fear for her younger brother also ricocheted around in her head, making sleep all but impossible. She wondered if leaving him in the highland camps with the Valdir had been a good idea, or whether she should have brought him here to live in the castle. She had wanted to keep him safe until he was old enough to decide for himself where he wanted to live. She wasn’t sure where was safest, surrounded by dragons and Valdir trained to fight? Or in a castle surrounded by her own guards and high walls? Both seemed to have pros and cons. She finally fell asleep making a list of all the reasons why it would be a bad idea to bring him to Ravenhelm.
Chapter 11
Kalina was pacing the council chamber three weeks later. She was angrier than she had ever been, but she was also the most terrified. It had taken a week for word to arrive. She had expected Jormungand, only he hadn’t returned from the mountains. Eira had come but had arrived empty-handed.
Her aunt had broken down in tears the moment she’d seen Kalina, and Kalina could see the barely healing burn on the woman’s temple. She knew then that Osian was no longer at High Pass Camp. He had been taken by the Askorians. The ship and the meeting had been some kind of distraction, a way to make her think her brother was safe and to pull her resources to the coast. It had been a warning and a farewell.
Eira had told her about how a small force of men had been spotted in the next valley, so she had sent the majority of her fighting forces there to investigate. They couldn’t prove they were Askorians, but what else could they be? Then a fire near their Emberweed barn had broken out, and she had left Osian with a young girl named Bri while she had gone to help put out the flames. When she returned, Bri and Osian were nowhere to be found. She had launched a search party, but when her fighters returned, reporting they had slaughtered all the supposed Askorians, she didn’t know what to think.
Jormungand had shown up the following day, and he had taken a few Valdir and Eira with him to track the enemy into the mountains. But somehow they evaded Jormungand and his search party. When they returned, Jormungand had sent Eira with the news and the reassurance that he and Halvor, his friend, would continue the search. Kalina had spent the last week and a half pacing it seemed. Either she was pacing her rooms, or the halls, or the practice yard.
Even Maska had taken to pacing the garden paths, wearing ruts into the cobblestones. He was just as worried as her. Babies were precious to both the Valdir and the dragons. Dragons only mated later in life, and only produced a dozen or so eggs in a lifetime. Not all of those dragons hatched or made it to adulthood, at least not in recent years with all the fighting. While dragon and Valdir culture had become so intertwined in the last few centuries that they were virtually indistinguishable, the dragons still were their own people, with their own councils and leaders, their own conflict resolution. It was rare for the Valdir to participate in their affairs, just as it was rare for dragons to participate in human affairs. But they did share one purpose, and that was to protect all life, especially the lives of young ones.
Leif had returned finally the previous day. Kalina had made sure he was aware of the situation at the castle, but he had been forced to stay with the troops, first to resolve a conflict with Rangvald and another commanding officer, and then to inspect the troops for war. Kalina was grateful she’d had the foresight to send him there, but the entire time he’d been gone she’d missed having him by her side.
Now she waited for him and the rest of the council to join her as she paced the council room. There had been no word from Askor yet, and no sign of her baby brother. Even her Valdir up on the heights of the Great Grey Mountains hadn’t seen anything since the Askorian ship had gone north. The silence was concerning. At least if there had been news she’d have something to do, some way to fight back or plan. But this interminable waiting was driving her to insanity.
Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Leif entered the room, followed closely by a scowling Kari. Rangvald was still with her troops, along with Talon, and Jormungand was still searching the mountains to the north. Her council chamber would feel rather empty today. Leif came and took her hand gently, and she gave him a strained smile. She knew she could show Leif and even Kari how she really felt but the others, especially Lord Averil and his lackey Lord Tameron and even Lady Renfort needed to see strength from her. Any weakness and Lord Averil would find a way to exploit it, she knew.
So by the time he entered, Kalina was calmly sitting in her seat at the head of the table, awaiting their arrival.
“Lord Illeron,” she began, addressing the man just as he took his seat to her left. “Is there any news from your spies in the north?”
The thin man cleared his throat before answering. Kalina braced herself for bad news.
“There is no news of Prince Osian, your Majesty, however, there is news that King Blackbourne is gathering his army at the coast. We don’t know yet whether he intends to set sail south, but we do think the possibility is imminent.”
Kalina let out a sigh and turned to her commander.
“Leif, how are our troops looking?”
He had already given her his report the night before when he’d returned, but now he needed to repeat it for the council.
“Our armies are tired and have gone unpaid for too long. Many were conscripted, and despite the Queen’s reassurance that they may return to their families, many have opted to remain because it means three square meals and a roof over their heads. They also talk about sending what money they do make home to their families. Other than that, they are well trained and improving daily under the command of Rangvald and Captain Higgs. Sir Talon has left to join them and together they will march our army from Wolfhold to the coast. The only concern is housing them once they arrive in Blackwater.”
“Lord Tameron, will you see to it that temporary garrison housing is built outside the city of Blackwater and prepare it for the arrival of our troops? As I understand it, your wife is running the city in your absence?” Kalina looked to the plump man who rapidly turned red under her scrutiny.
“Of course, your Majesty. I will leave at once to prepare.” He beg
an to get up, clearly a bit flustered, but Kalina held up a hand, a smile pulling at the edges of her lips.
“No need to leave immediately, Lord Tameron, it can keep until after the meeting. Commander Leif, will you let the Lord know what is needed?” Leif nodded, and Kalina could see the side of his mouth twitch.
“Lady Renfort, how are our crops looking? Winter still has a hold in the mountains but is beginning to let go here in the valley. Can we afford to feed our troops and provide for Ravenhelm and the outlying cities?”
Lady Renfort opened a small notebook she had with her and cleared her throat.
“Your Majesty, the harvest this year was the smallest it has been in the last decade, due to Prince Terric’s forced draft taking our young men out of the fields, and in part to having to feed a huge army that was constantly marching into The Wastes. We will be hard pressed to make it through till summer, let alone the next harvest season.” She closed her notebook decisively. “We will all need to make sacrifices in order to survive.”
“Right then,” Kari spoke up. “The Valdir will share what little we can, but in the meantime, I say we tighten our belts and give the poor some of what the castle consumes.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” Kalina agreed, enjoying for a moment the look of horror that crossed Lady Renfort’s, Lord Tameron’s, and Lord Averil’s faces. Lord Illeron smiled quietly beside her. “Mistress Aynne?”
One of the Queen’s Guards opened the council door and Mistress Aynne swept in, her decisive air instantly seeming to calm the room.
“Mistress Aynne, I wonder if you wouldn’t mind sitting in on the council, at least until Lord Tameron gets back from Blackwater, and until the remainder of my council returns from the field?”
Mistress Aynne gave Kalina a quick curtsey.
“Of course, your Majesty.” She continued around the table and seated herself across from Lady Renfort, who gave Mistress Aynne a slight sneer. Clearly, Lady Renfort thought herself above the castle Stewardess.