Age of Valor: Dragon Song

by D. E. Morris

  Accepting the subject change reluctantly, Ashlynn shook her head. “It was a hard winter for all of us. I am sad to say the last time I saw either Lucien or Nuala was in the early autumn. I have seen Cavalon frequently, though. He comes by often to check on me and says Lucien is growing rapidly. He looks just like Nóe, and he calls Cavalon 'Père' which is the sweetest thing. He is walking and talking both in Caedian and Braemarish.”

  “A bilingual baby. Tiyal will probably be the same.”

  “If not more,” Ashlynn agreed. “With all the languages Tasarin knows, I have a hard time thinking he will not impart that knowledge unto his son.”

  Luella sighed. “How strange it is to think that not so long ago, none of us were married or had families. Now there are children popping into existence left and right!”

  “All boys, though,” Ashlynn lamented.

  A sly grin lifted the edges of Luella's lips. “We just received our invitation for Elas and Kenayde's wedding. Perhaps they will give our wide-spread family a girl. Or perhaps it shall be you to give our generation its first princess.”

  “I do pray it is a girl.” Ashlynn touched her hands to her belly, still flat under her corset. She was not yet far enough along that her growing baby would show through proper dressing. There was a silent thread of fear within her for the health of her child, wondering if the poison Jessiah flooded her body with would have any lasting or adverse effects. “As long as he or she is healthy, I will be overjoyed with whatever it is Jaryn and I have.”

  The sadness in her voice was evident and it made Luella touch her arm. “Forgive me. I have been so wrapped up in my excitement that I forgot to ask after your health. It has been so long since we have been able to truly speak...”

  “Please,” Ashlynn waved a dismissive hand, “you have every right to be distracted. As for me, I am recovered. Cavalon saved my life that night and it is because of him that I am able to walk and stand strong today.”

  “I often marveled at the potency of that elixir Jessiah gave you, that it would take months for you to feel well enough to get out of bed with the Elemental healing magic of both yourself and Cavalon within you. It makes me wonder if our blood loses its efficacy when it is passed to someone not in our direct bloodline.” She tilted her head with a partial frown. “Jessiah would certainly have been in for a surprise when he sought to use our blood if he had succeeded in collecting from all of us.”

  Ashlynn scooped up Lochlainn so they could walk a bit faster, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. With a cleansing breath, she made herself smile. “If I remember correctly, you promised me a tour.”

  Luella's eyes widened in obvious surprise, though she recovered quickly. “Of course! Well...follow me.”

  By the time the two women had traversed through the castle, Lochlainn was fast asleep in Ashlynn's arms and Ashlynn herself felt like she could sleep standing up. “You must be exhausted,” Luella sympathized, looking herself as though she would still be awake for hours. She summoned one of her ladies to take Lochlainn to the nursery before walking Ashlynn to the rooms she shared with Jaryn. “Please, do not let me keep you from your bed any longer. I think I may fly for awhile to see if I can wear myself out.”

  A pained smile crossed Ashlynn's face and she nodded, turning for her door so Luella would not see her. “Enjoy yourself. I will see you in the morning.” She did not give Luella time to reply, slipping into her room and closing the door quickly behind herself. For a moment she gave into the ache within her, the one that desperately wanted to join Luella in the sky. She leaned back against the wood and iron door and closed her eyes, fighting the sadness and anger that were too often just below the surface. For a moment she simply breathed in and out, forcing herself to remain calm. It was late, after all, and she didn't want to wake Jaryn. When she opened her eyes, however, she found her room was empty. Jaryn had still not come to bed. Despite the hour, she knew he would still be with Tasarin and some of the other men, having a time of it. So she was alone; that suited her just as well.

  While she and Luella were walking, she'd discovered Tadhg's personal library was right off of Tasarin and Luella's bedroom. Luella revealed it was as yet mostly untouched, and the thought of poking around inside of it was too enticing to resist. Her rebellious spirit told her that it would be best to do it in secret if she wanted any peace while she was in there. Countless battles had likely been planned in that room and she was almost certain there would be things she found that would be upsetting. It would be better to process them on her own rather than having someone there, trying to rationalize or comfort her.

  There was a small interior door in her room that led directly into the chambers her three ladies shared. Ashlynn opened it as quietly as she could and slipped in, searching for Zarra in the thin light that spilled inside from her room. The young girl had a bed close to the door, and Ashlynn crouched to touch her shoulder.

  “Zarra.” Her deep breathing stuttered, then resumed a second later. This made Ashlynn give her a little shake and try again. “Zarra, wake up.” This time Zarra's eyes opened and she sat up under her covers, eyes half open and confusion on her face.

  “Ashlynn? Are you all right?”

  “Shh, everything is fine.” The sound of voices roused the other two, who sat up in their beds as well. “Everything is perfectly fine,” Ashlynn repeated, louder so the others could hear her. “Go back to sleep. I only meant to wake Zarra. Come help me dress for bed.”

  The two girls watched through the haze of their drowsiness as Zarra threw her covers back, laying back down only once Zarra and Ashlynn had gone.

  “Are you sure you're all right?” Zarra asked as she closed the interior door. “Since when do you want help getting ready for bed? You usually have Jaryn help you.”

  “He isn't here.” Ashlynn grabbed a long night shirt that was draped over a privacy screen and turned her back to Zarra. The younger woman immediately got to work on the ribbons that kept Ashlynn's dress fastened together. “Zarra, I need you to do something for me.”

  “Before or after I undress you?” Zarra yawned.

  “In the morning, certainly not tonight.”

  “Oh, good.” She made quick work of the lacing and helped Ashlynn out of the heavy gown, hanging it in the wardrobe as Ashlynn donned her nightshirt. With instruction, Zarra then began undoing the braids and ribbons in Ashlynn's hair. “What is it you want me to do for you?”

  Ashlynn watched Zarra from the mirror before her, how careful she was even in her state of exhaustion. “I need you to find me a key.”

  “A key?”

  “Yes. There is a library off of the rooms Tasarin and Luella share. Knowing Tadhg as I do, I am most certain there is a lock on that library door, which means there is a key somewhere.”

  Pausing in her work, Zarra met Ashlynn's eyes in the mirror. “How do you expect me to find a key to a secret library?”

  “I don't know, but I need you to figure it out somehow.”

  With a heavy sigh, Zarra picked up a brush from the vanity to run through Ashlynn's long blonde waves. She said nothing for a time, her lips pressed together in thought. It was only when she had Ashlynn's hair together in a single braid and the brush put back that she nodded and said, “All right. When do you need it?”

  “As soon as possible.”

  “I hope you don't expect me to charm it out of some stupid soldier. I am not as pretty as Mairead and I am certainly not as flirtatious as Lilia.”

  Turning around, Ashlynn took her hand and squeezed it. “I have faith in you.”

  With raised brows, Zarra tilted her head. “I suppose we are about to see whether or not that faith is misplaced.”

  It took two days before Ashlynn had any indication that Zarra had succeeded in her mission. While she and the other two girls were helping Ashlynn dress that morning, Zarra slipped something into Ashlynn's hand as she tied up the lacing on the sleeve by her wrist. The shape of the cold metal was unmistakable.
Ashlynn closed her fingers around it before turning her head to a chest on the other side of the room. “I adore the red of this gown, but these jewels make it look cheap. Perhaps I brought something that might match a little better.” Both girls moved for the chest without hesitation. Knowing they only had seconds, Ashlynn looked at Zarra and spoke very quietly. “How did you get it?”

  Zarra bent to guide Ashlynn's foot into a boot, answering just as quietly, “Don't ask.” She looked up in time to see the horror on Ashlynn's face, her own eyes going wide, only able to assume what Ashlynn must have thought. “Nothing like that!”

  Relieved in knowing the young girl hadn't compromised herself or her purity, Ashlynn nodded. “Thank you.”

  A sly smile lit Zarra's face. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  The other two were back with pearls and dark crimson rubies set in ornate gold settings. “What about these, Your Majesty?”

  “Those will be lovely,” Ashlynn conceded. She turned to watch the three girls finish dressing her in the mirror, feeling rather deceitful as her crown was placed atop her head, but for the first time in awhile, she felt confident in herself again. Action needed to be taken and she was not going to sit around, waiting for someone else to do it for her.

  It was not altogether difficult for Ashlynn to find time to slip away. Luella was accurate in noting that she was not a morning person, though it seemed a bit more extreme than Ashlynn remembered it. If she was staying up later than usual, however, that would certainly have an effect on when she awoke in the morning. Either way, she was still in her quarters by late morning, and Tasarin was busy with the daily duties of running a kingdom, happy to have Jaryn with him for company and council. Ashlynn assured them both that she would be fine roaming the castle and not to worry about her.

  She took her time walking down the hallways, stopping now and then to admire portraits that hung on the walls or to examine woven tapestries draped over chairs. There was time enough for her to visit the nursery, play with her son and hold Tiyal for a little while. Her two new ladies followed her everywhere, eager to be of service to her should she need them. When Zarra came into the nursery close to mid-day, they gave her looks to ask where she had been all morning, but she only had eyes for Ashlynn. Something silent passed between them and Ashlynn rose, handing the baby back to his wet nurse.

  “There is a seamstress here,” said Zarra. “She has such beautiful fabrics in designs I have never seen in Siness. I was wondering: if you don't need us, perhaps the three of us might go see her. I would love to have a new dress for the wedding.” The other two looked to Ashlynn, hopeful but reserved. Ashlynn surprised them by smiling and giving a decisive nod.

  “I think that is a wonderful idea, Zarra. The three of you should speak with her immediately. Let her know that the gowns will be needed soon and that cost is no issue. I will pay for them myself.”

  “Your Majesty!” The two younger girls gasped.

  Ashlynn waved off her generosity with a warm smile. “It is the least I can do. You three took a very long and cold ride across the sea to aid me any moment I may have needed it. Think of it as my way of thanking you.”

  “We should hurry,” Zarra prompted. “The seamstress has only just arrived and already there are other women looking over her fabrics. We do not want to miss out on the best ones.”

  “Yes, go!” There was laughter in Ashlynn's eyes as she ushered the girls out of the room. “I look forward to seeing what you find!” The two girls curtsied before hastening out of the room, Zarra close behind. Before the three of them turned the corner, Zarra looked back. She nodded to Ashlynn and Ashlynn's false smile immediately dropped as she returned the nod. Once all three girls were out of sight, Ashlynn hurried down the hall in the opposite direction. The path she took was a long familiar one. Though she'd never actually reached Tadhg's rooms to deliver the poison directly, she had memorized it well enough that it stayed with her.

  Close to the royal quarters she dismissed her guards, telling them to wait at the end of the hallway and to see that no one disturbed her time with Luella. They did not question the fact that there was no guard outside Luella's door, only did as their queen commanded. Keeping up appearances, she knocked on the closed door. “Luella, it's Ashlynn. May I come in?” She waited a moment, then opened one of the heavy doors and slipped inside. Careful to disturb nothing, she walked on silent feet to the back of the room, ignoring the decorations and the furnishings. The door to the library was closed before her, but upon grasping the brass handle and giving it a lift, she found it was not locked as she had assumed. With a careful glance around her for good measure, Ashlynn closed herself within the confined walls of a room she was sure Tadhg had made great use of when he was alive.

  It was almost like sliding back to a moment that time had forgotten. The walls were lined with tall shelves stuffed with books, many of them covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. There were three tall windows facing out to the valley that lay behind Montania with a large, impressive looking desk before it. The light from outside fell upon the back of the tall ornate desk chair, fragmented as it shone through and around the designs of the wood. As Ashlynn passed slowly in front of the desk, clouds of dust swirled in her wake, highlighted in the shafts of light pooling around the chair and atop the desk.

  A movement on the side of the room where the light was weakest made Ashlynn spin, breath hitched in her throat. She stared into the shadows, not needing to see Tadhg to know he was there. She could feel it as soon as the door had closed behind her. Since her recovery he had always been there, but his presence was so weak he was nearly always an afterthought. Here in his library, the very place he plotted and schemed in his quest for power, it was not a surprise to feel him so strongly. There had been silence in the room before, but now she could hear that Tadhg was laughing at her. The sound of it centered in the darkness and echoed around her in threatening rounds.

  Backing herself into a shaft of light, Ashlynn let out a calm breath and lifted her chin. “You have no power over me.” The laughter took on a mocking tone, as if Tadhg was asking if she was certain of her statement. Her fingers slipped under one of her sleeves and wrapped around something small and metal. The knot of the Trinity with a heart in the middle of it, the token given to her by the strange visitor who had come to her room during her recovery, was a great source of comfort and something she always kept close. It reminded her that she was not alone and that Tadhg truly was powerless. She closed her eyes and gripped the brooch, turning her thoughts to the One who was watching over her.

  “Giver, protect me.” The words repeated themselves over and over in her head until her racing heart slowed, the mocking laughter faded, and a peace flooded her entire being. When her eyes opened again she could see Tadhg's shadow, the outline of his entire form somehow darker than everything else around him, but there was no fear of him. Instead, she hoped he watched her as she went around to the other side of the desk and pulled the chair out to make her search easier.

  It was impossible to tell how much time she would have so Ashlynn worked quickly, glancing over papers that sat atop the desk in neat piles. She recognized Tasarin's elegant script and knew he had already claimed the desk for himself, even if the rest of the library was left untouched. Still, she crouched to look under the desk and run her hand along the smooth surface of the polished wood underneath to look for hidden locks or latches. She pulled the drawers out one by one, careful as she removed the contents to search within for secret compartments and just as cautiously filled them again. There was absolutely nothing. Tadhg had been so confident in his powerful position that he must have felt he had no need to hide anything here. In frustration, she looked over the top of the desk again, reaching for a quill to move it out of the way, but it stayed firm. Curious, she gripped the quill near the base where it sat in its golden rest and nudged it. The quill remained stationary. Ashlynn pushed gently on the quill, then pulled and wiggled it from left to right until it felt as tho
ugh it fell into place within its rest. There was a clicking sound, and a panel on the side of the desk swung open. Ashlynn gave a little cry of victory, anxious to see what she had uncovered.

  Large rolls of weathered parchment, some clearly older than others, were lined up in neat rows inside the thin compartment. She glanced at Tadhg's shadow, watching as it moved around the room as though trying to better see what she was doing. Anxiety crept up her spine in tingling threads. Was that a voice she heard in the other room? She held her breath, straining to hear. Yes. Laughter. She was sure of it. Making as little noise as possible, she stood and started for the door to investigate, but the laughter came again from behind her. Ashlynn looked to the windows. She hadn't noticed the one in the middle was open a fraction. The closer she drew, the easier she could hear the laughter. It was coming from outside. With an exhale of relief, she went back to the desk.

  The first roll Ashlynn pulled out was a map of Ibays in great detail. Lerranyth was painted in by skilled hand. Many of the lesser kingdoms with a great deal of land under their control were there as well. Someone else had come along after the map was made and written in other areas of great power or wealth, their handwriting barely legible. One she recognized as the keep that had been destroyed by Badru the previous year. On the map it had been crossed out with a date penned right beside it. As Ashlynn looked closer, she could see most of the lesser kingdoms had been crossed out, all with varying dates beside them within a few weeks, sometimes even days of one another. Lerranyth had been crossed out so aggressively that it had almost torn the parchment. The date next to it she knew for a fact to be the date Donnchadh surrendered and turned Lerranyth, and subsequently all of Ibays, over to Tadhg's control. Mirasean was there as well, the island of the elves small enough to fit inside one of Ibays' larger provinces.