Age of Valor: Dragon Song

by D. E. Morris

  “I'm sorry, Da! I'm sorry!”

  Killian released her enough to try to look into her face, pushing her tangled hair back. “You have nothing to apologize for, Rowan.”

  “I tried to protect them.”

  Killian swept away the tears that fell from her eyes, new ones replacing them only seconds later. “It is your job to protect no one; it is you who should have been protected.” He set her on the ground so he could look her over. “Are you injured?”

  Rowan shook her head and wiped her face on the one sleeve of her gown still attached. “No. I shifted almost as soon as they came into the nursery. I bit one of them and he made me go to sleep somehow. It made me human again but as soon as I woke up, I ripped my dress and left a piece for you to find before I turned back into a dragon to try to keep the man away.”

  “Good girl.” Scooping her up again, he looked to his two companions. “How are they?”

  “They appear uninjured.” Though the two older boys were still crying, Killian gave them a cursory once-over himself before checking the wellbeing of the infant.

  “Are there any Gaels among us?”

  “There are three in our company.”

  “Good.” He lifted Rowan up into the saddle of his own horse before climbing up behind her. “We will send one of them to find the other party and let them know we have all four of the children. Rowan, can you hold tightly to Prince Lochlainn as we ride?”

  “Yes, Da.” Lochlainn was handed over and Rowan accepted him with open arms. She cradled him to her like a mother would her own child, talking to him in high-pitched, tender words that helped calm him. Tiyal was held carefully by one rider while Lucien, still rather upset, was held by the other. Together, all three horses were turned around to make their way back to the rest of their waiting company. Killian gave the task of finding Tasarin's party to one of the three Gaels, then had the others fly back to Altaine to give them the good news. With three horses now available, Rowan and Lochlainn were given their own mount, Killian leading the horse by the reins as they began the slow walk back to the capital.

  They hadn't even come to the place they had parted ways with Tasarin before the elf came thundering down the road with his full company behind him. He dismounted almost before his horse could even come to a complete stop, rushing to take his son and make sure he was all right.

  “Thank you, Killian,” he said, once satisfied with the condition of Tiyal. “I do not know what I would have done if I had lost him.”

  “Thank Rowan. She was the one who kept them safe and tried to fend off the attackers to begin with.”

  Though he knew Rowan couldn't see him, Tasarin nodded in the little girl's direction. “Thank you, Rowan. Are you injured?”

  “I'm fine. Lochlainn and Lucien cried so much, they may not have voices for a few days, though.”

  Tasarin kissed his son before handing him back to the rider so he could examine the boys. By now they had both been lulled to sleep in the comfort of the arms holding them with the steady motion of the horses below them. Tasarin looked them over with gentle hands, making sure they were truly whole. Before leaving them, he placed a hand on both of their heads and spoke something low and hard to discern. “They will be well after a night of rest,” he promised. “Come, we will walk back to the castle together.”

  “It appears we may not all have to,” Killian replied. He pointed skyward, and Tasarin looked to see four dragons in the sky. Though it was safe to assume they had come from Altaine to help bring the children back to the castle, Killian drew his sword to be ready should they not be friendly beasts. Following his lead, the rest of his company did the same, raising a soft chorus of steel sliding against steel. “Wait for my command.”

  The dragons descended several feet away, taking time to shift before joining the others. Cailin was among them and quickly gave her attention to Killian and Tasarin for a report. Both were pleased to hear one of the dragon riders had been slain and managed to stay atop his dragon. Cailin said it would send a clear message to their attackers for sure. She waited until she was shifted with Tasarin and Tiyal settled safely on her back to tell the elf of Ashlynn's loss through telepathy. With two more soldiers mounted on dragons with Lochlainn and Lucien in their grasp, the Gaels headed back to Altaine, leaving everyone else to ride home with the extra horses.

  By the time they were back at the castle and the horses were all taken care of, the atmosphere had changed dramatically. Though it was the middle of the night, there was a somber feeling in the halls that went beyond the invasion they'd all endured. Killian was quick to get Rowan to her rooms before searching out a member of the guard to ask what he had missed. By now the entire castle had heard the news that Ashlynn had lost her baby. Though he was grieved for her and for Jaryn, he knew there was nothing he could do.

  The adrenaline from the battle, the search, and the ride back left him spent, so he headed for his quarters to rest for the night. On the way, however, someone called his name. Turning toward the sound, he saw Jaryn approaching and bowed his head. “Your Majesty.”

  “Well done finding the children. Is Rowan all right?”

  “She is, thank the Giver.”

  “Thank the Giver they are all safe.” Jaryn was drawn and distracted, hands on his hips as he spoke. “Cailin said the riders flew toward Ibays and that you shot one down.”

  Killian grimaced. “They flew in the general direction of Ibays, yes, but there is no solid proof that is where they came from or were heading to. One of my men shot the rider who was guarding the children before he was able to fly away. Again, I lack solid confirmation on this point, but I am fairly confident that he was killed. The dragon, however, continued on with the rider on his back.”

  “Good,” Jaryn muttered, running a hand over his beard. “That's good.”

  “Your Majesty...I am grieved deeply to hear of your loss.”

  Jaryn frowned and nodded, unable to speak for a moment. When he felt he had regained some of his composure, he cleared his throat before speaking. “Right. Well, I know you're tired but I need you to come with me.”

  “Of course.” Just a few steps behind, Killian followed Jaryn down the hall to another section and another floor of the castle, where his offices and libraries were as well as Ashlynn's own private rooms. He was led into the largest of Jaryn's offices where Elas and Wessely were waiting, along with Cavalon, Tasarin, Misuzu, and Cailin. Some of them were bent over something spread out on a desk while the others stood back with arms crossed or hands on their hips. Killian couldn't help but feel like he had walked in on something and paused, continuing forward only when Jaryn clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Judging from the flight pattern we were able to see,” Wessely was saying, “it would appear they were going toward Ibays.”

  “It is still conjecture,” Tasarin pointed out. “The intelligence and forethought that had to go into an attack like this would allow me to believe the dragon riders could have taken that route purposefully, only to change direction when far enough out to sea. For all we know, they could circle back around to the highlands of Siness or even down into Caedia or Braemar.”

  “There's no way they came from Braemar.” Cavalon stood up from peering over the map, confident in his statement. “Nuala knows every nook and cranny of her country, even the outer islands that no one ever uses. If they came from anywhere near there, it would be the countries below us.”

  “And there have been no real issues between the southern nations and the Celts for ages,” Cailin added.

  Elas shook his head. “Why would there be when they could just sit back and watch us destroy ourselves with Tadhg at the head of it all?”

  “There are few safe places for dragons off the Isles, so it would be highly unlikely that they would be from a nation beyond the seven Celtique nations.” Killian's comment made the others look at him, but it was Cavalon's scrutinizing gaze that had him feeling slightly uneasy.

  “How do you know that?”
>
  “I have been stationed in many different countries during my lifetime, several of them beyond the Celtique population.”

  Cavalon crossed his arms. “What exactly do you do?”

  Killian held the Badarian's gaze, though not for very long. Glancing around the room, he said, “I have done many things from cleaning out stalls to leading companies of men into battle. I am the quintessential jack of all trades.”

  “I don't buy it.”

  Turning to Killian, Cailin inclined her head toward the map. “How are you at tracking?”

  “Exceptional.”

  “And almost as modest at Cavalon,” muttered Misuzu, a small smirk on her face. The comment, however, drew no reaction from Killian.

  “I know what I am skilled at and what I am not. Most of my adult years have been spent caring for and making sure certain things - certain people - were kept safe. If they were ever to be taken, displaced, in danger, it has been my duty to never lose track of them and to always protect. In that, I have acquired many skills. I understand how that would be hard to believe, especially in the wake of Jessiah, but I have never, and will never, misrepresent myself.”

  Jaryn bypassed all of them and sank heavily into the chair behind his desk. “I don't care who can do what,” he said at length, his voice strained and quiet. “I just want to find whoever organized this attack, and I want to make them pay for hurting my wife and taking my children from me.”

  “Barring a random change in direction over the ocean,” Cailin said, sparing a glance of acknowledgment to Tasarin, “the logical assumption to make, lack of funding aside, is that the riders and/or the dragons came from Ibays. Everyone with me on that?” Killian joined the group around the map, giving it a quick look before nodding along with everyone else. Cailin flipped her long brown braid over her shoulder. “I think it would be best if I went to talk to Connor. I've known him since he was young...younger...and we always had a good relationship. Even if his father told me to never return to Ibays - which technically he never did because, for one, it wasn't even really Donnchadh and two, no one ever told me anything like that officially - I think he would be less inclined to hang me for treason than anyone else. I'll also be able to tell if he's lying or not.”

  “I would like to go as well,” Killian offered.

  “I have other plans for you.” Everyone looked to Jaryn, but he had turned to fix his gaze on Cailin. “I'll go with you.”

  “What?” asked Misuzu.

  Elas looked at him in confusion. “You can't go to Ibays.”

  Jaryn slammed his hand on his desk. “Don't tell me what I can and cannot do! If that child is responsible for what happened tonight then I want to hear the confession from his own lips. I will be there to show him exactly how far the fist of Siness reaches and that we are not to be taken lightly. A strike against us will gain two strikes in retaliation.”

  “Jaryn,” Tasarin began, “you and Ashlynn have just suffered a terrible loss.”

  “Exactly. I will not sit back and let others fight this battle for me. This is personal and I will deal with it personally.”

  Wessely took a breath before looking at his son-in-law. “What if we-”

  Cavalon's hand on his arm cut him off. There was understanding on the Badarian's face as he met eyes with Jaryn. If anyone knew what it was like to have his family violated, leaving him to feel nothing but helpless in his rage, it was Cavalon. “If you need to go do this, then we stand behind you.”

  Nearly everyone in the room expressed surprise at this sudden support. Jaryn, however, nodded in appreciation. “Cailin and I will head out in the morning then.”

  “I'm coming with you,” Misuzu volunteered. “I don't want to go home and I can't sit around here. I'm not like everyone all crowding around Ashlynn. I don't know what to do for her.”

  Wessely looked sharply to Misuzu. “Who is crowded around her?”

  The young woman shrugged. “Who isn't? Kenayde, Nuala, Luella, her ladies past and present...”

  Now Wessely turned to Jaryn. “You must go to her. Now. I know all of them mean well, but she will not want them there. I speak from experience.” When no one said anything, only looked at him, Wessely's lips curved downward. “Emiline and I were able to conceive on three separate occasions, but none of them could be carried into the second trimester.”

  The atmosphere in the room grew markedly heavier and no one said anything for a long moment. Finally, Jaryn waved a hand to dismiss everyone. “It's been a long night. I'm sure you are all tired.” Standing, the gathering broke apart and people began drifting from the room. Cailin promised she would be ready to go as soon as Jaryn was, Misuzu nodding in agreement. Before they could go too far, Jaryn held Cavalon and Killian back to tell them he would want to speak with them again before he left. Both men gave a nod of acknowledgment, then looked one another over before parting ways.

  It felt like there was lead in Jaryn's legs as he made his was slowly through the castle to get to the rooms he and Ashlynn shared. If the attack was good for anything, it had shaken people up so greatly that they'd all retreated to their own quarters for the night. Combined with the late hour, Jaryn was mildly glad to have the halls to himself. It was a rare moment, one he would have savored but for the tragedy surrounding the evening.

  Just as Misuzu said, the bedchambers were packed with women and quiet chatter was abundant. As soon as Jaryn walked in, all conversation stopped and every pair of eyes turned to him, save for that of his wife who was buried in blankets on the bed. He almost couldn't take the sad looks and the way Luella touched his arm to convey how sorry she was without saying the words. He had to pause a moment and search out a place within himself that would allow him to speak in a normal, level manner.

  “Ladies, I thank you for looking after my wife while I attended to business, but it's late. You should all get some sleep.”

  Nuala glanced at Ashlynn's unmoving form on the bed. “Are you sure?”

  He forced a smile. “Positive.” The words “please just go,” rambled through his brain, but instead, he extended a hand to the door. “Good night, all of you.”

  One by one, the women shuffled past him and out into the hallway. Those who were more familiar with him and on more familial terms offered quick touches to convey their condolences, some accompanied by the occasional word or two. Mairead and Lilia, as well as the other two girls always at Ashlynn's beck and call, all bowed their head to him before leaving. When everyone was finally gone, Jaryn shut the door behind them and stood, staring at the wood for a minute. There was no sound of movement behind him and he wondered if Ashlynn had fallen asleep even in the middle of all her company. He wasn't sure if that was a relief or not. Surely her grief was deep and she felt the loss in a way that was different from him. He wanted to comfort her more than anything, but he felt so drained that he didn't know what he had to give.

  He was slow in removing his jerkin, then pulling his shirt free from his trousers and kicking his boots off. In the minutes that passed, Ashlynn still hadn't moved, and Jaryn hadn't taken his eyes off her for a moment. He finally climbed up onto the bed beside her and ventured to pull some of the covers back. Ashlynn didn't fight him, nor say a single word, but she was awake and looking as worn as he felt.

  “I wanted them to leave,” she muttered thickly. Though she didn't appear to be crying, he could hear the tears just below the surface. “I just wanted them all to get out and they wouldn't stop...touching me, and talking to me, and crying.” She clenched her teeth, staring at the wall. When she spoke again, her voice was a tremulous whisper. “I just wanted them to go away.”

  “I'm sorry, love.” Jaryn brushed hair from her face, pausing when she flinched from his touch. He dropped his hand and sighed. “What can I do?”

  The question finally broke the dam and sent tears spilling down onto the sheets. At a loss, Jaryn pulled more of the blankets away to wrap his arms around her. She fought him for a moment, pushing him away angrily as he wh
ispered words that had no meaning to her grief. Within seconds, however, she willingly rolled over to bury her face in his chest and sob. Jaryn fought with everything in him to keep his composure. He knew she needed him to be strong, that this rare moment that had her so broken meant he had to be the one to keep it together. As he listened to her cry, he held her as tightly as she would let him and rested his head atop hers.

  Words began to form a prayer of anger and despair in his mind. He didn't understand why any of this had happened, and screamed at the Great Dragon with his thoughts. How could this have been allowed? Had they not already been through enough? Why was He permitting so many terrible things to happen to his family?

  Ashlynn pulled away and rolled back over, hugging one of her pillows close to her chest. “Ashlynn,” Jaryn whispered, trying to pull her back to him. “Come here.”

  “I don't want you to touch me,” she hiccuped. “I'm sorry, I just...I don't want you to touch me.”

  He nodded, trying to respect her feelings but warring with himself against simply taking her in his arms anyway. Lifting a hand, he rubbed his eyes, his face, his chin. It had been a long time since he'd felt so tired, yet his mind was racing and he knew sleep would be impossible to find if he tried. As Ashlynn quieted beside him, he rested his head back against the headboard and looked up at the lavish canopy above him.

  “The general consensus is that the dragons and the riders came from Ibays.” He sighed deeply and shook his head. “You have been saying for months that an attack would come from there and I never fully listened. That makes the second time I have disregarded your instincts since we have been married, and...saying sorry doesn't feel like it's enough. For that reason, I am leaving with Misuzu and Cailin in the morning to confront Connor.”