Age of Valor: Dragon Song

by D. E. Morris

  Jaryn waved a hand in protest. “One bucket's fine, Cailin. I can have a simple wash like the two of you.”

  She turned a mothering gaze on him, one brow raised. “No, you can't. You need a nice hot bath to soak yourself in. Connor and I will be just fine with a bucket each. No more discussion.” With purpose, she looked from Connor to the door. He stared at her for a good long moment, then swept the bucket up and left to carry out his instructions, muttering complaints to himself the whole time. “Thank you!” Cailin called as the door slammed shut behind him. She smirked at Jaryn. “He's been the polite and proper prince all along. Now we get to witness the joys of having a teenage boy around.”

  “It will add some adventure to our lives.”

  Cailin laughed quietly. “Yes, because we have been so lacking in that.” She sat down in one of the other chairs and looked at the cauldron. “I'll try to find some lavender and salts for your bath tomorrow. If you soak enough and take it easy, you should be back to normal in no time.”

  Jaryn quirked a brow. “Been in a tussle or two yourself before?”

  Her grin spoke volumes, but still she admitted, “Maybe once or twice. I learned a bit of medicinal science while I was still at Oceana, just after Kenayde left to join Ashlynn in Siness. Since I could read by then, I was absorbing every book I could get my hands on.” She shook her head absently. “Ashlynn will never understand what a gift she gave me when she taught me to read.”

  They fell silent, watching the water before them heat, each lost in their own thoughts. Even when Connor came back and put the full bucket beside Cailin, neither of them said anything. The boy sat on the floor by the hearth and stretched out his hands to warm his fingers. Soon enough the kettle was simmering. Cailin dumped it into the wash basin and excused herself to the bedroom Connor hadn't claimed, letting him begin heating his water.

  Jaryn had hardly moved the entire time. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but there were too many thoughts running though his mind to even allow him to doze. He watched Connor in the flickering light, knowing beneath the calm exterior, the boy had to have been at least a little frightened. “How are you holding up, lad?”

  Connor glanced at him, his attention quickly returning to the fire with a noncommittal shrug. “I'm fine. Better than you and Cai, I should think.”

  “Aye, perhaps on the outside.”

  A frown teased the corners of the boy's lips. “I'm okay, really. What I'm more worried about are our countries.”

  Jaryn tilted his head. “Why is that?”

  “My advisers told me not to go, that if anything happened to me, Siness would be the one Ibays looks to when placing blame. We told them we would be back before nightfall yesterday.”

  “We said we should be. No promises were ever made.”

  Connor shook his head. “It doesn't matter. They all hear what they want to hear and make grand assumptions from the smallest things.” He poked at the fire with a stick he'd found outside. “We don't have the resources to attack Siness, but I wonder what will come of it, if they will try to muster support from elsewhere to go against them.” He looked sidelong at Jaryn. “Not all countries are happy with this trend your queen has started, having the woman be as equal on the throne as her husband or, in Braemar's case, the woman be the sole ruler. Not everyone likes change.”

  “And not everyone is as closed-minded as the rest of the world.” Jaryn winced and held his side as he leaned forward. “Do you know of any nations for certain that would rally against Siness?”

  Once more, Connor shook his head. “No, but that would hardly stop my countrymen from trying to find them. Not that they would gain any ground since we've been left to fend for ourselves all winter.”

  Cailin came out dressed in a pale wine colored shift with a burgundy overdress. Her long brown hair was washed and draped over her shoulder in its usual plait. She glanced at the bubbling water in the cauldron. “There's a covered culvert under the window in the other bedroom,” she told Connor. “Dump your water there when you're done.” He said nothing but nodded as he rose to bring his water to the wash bin. “I'll go fetch some water for you, now.”

  Jaryn made a face. “You really don't have to.”

  Cailin's smile was sad. She looked down at her clothing and touched the rough linen. “It's all right, Jaryn. I've drawn water for baths before. I can certainly do it again.” Without another word, she left with the handle of the bucket draped over her arm. When she returned, three women followed her, all dressed in a similar fashion and each carrying two full buckets of water. As they entered, Jaryn sat a bit taller in his chair and watched them in wonder.

  “What's this?”

  Cailin nodded to the women once they'd left their buckets on the floor. “Thank you.” All of them offered polite smiles to both of them, then left and closed the door on their way out. Immediately, Cailin began filling the cauldron. “I was getting water when another woman came to do the same. Naturally, she asked a lot of questions since my face is a new one. When she heard I was intent on filling a tub for you one bucket at a time, she rounded a couple of other ladies up and all of them were nice enough to let this be only one trip for me. I'll return their buckets when we're done.”

  Jaryn looked perplexed. “That was very kind.”

  “It was, wasn't it?” Cailin sighed. “The water will still have to be heated in batches. I'll have Connor bring the next pot in when it's hot enough.”

  “I want to go exploring.” He came out from the other room, fastening a belt around a shirt that was too long for him. Looking at his baggy tan trousers and shoes, he grinned. “Look at me. I look like a peasant.”

  “I wouldn't say that to anyone here,” murmured Jaryn.

  “You can't go exploring,” Cailin told the boy. “I need you to help me with Jaryn's bath water.”

  Connor took a breath and gave Cailin a placid smile. “While I appreciate the image you are trying to uphold for us, some rag tag family, I am certain I need not remind either of you that you are not, in fact, my relatives, and that I am a high king who answers to no one but himself. Gia gave us permission to explore, I want to go exploring, and so I shall.” With a little wave to Jaryn, he stuck a floppy cap on his head and left.

  “Maybe I don't want Lochlainn to grow up to be like him,” Jaryn decided.

  “Can you believe the nerve?”

  Jaryn chuckled. “I can, actually. He's a boy. Worse still, he's a boy who's always gotten everything he's wanted. Of course he's not going to sit here and wait on anyone if he thinks he can avoid it.”

  With a huff, Cailin sank into the empty chair. For a minute they both stared at the fire, but eventually Cailin turned to Jaryn with a frown. “It's good that he's gone, really. I have a lot to tell you.”

  “I was wondering why you were so quiet after your visit with Misuzu.”

  “I wanted to process it before I told you. Plus, Connor is very much in the dark about a lot of things and I didn't want to deal with his incessant questions.”

  Jaryn nodded. “There is nothing wrong with sharing only what needs to be shared.” He studied her face. “It's not good news, is it?”

  She grimaced. “I'm afraid not.” The entire event was recounted, right from the moment she and Gianara ran down the mountain to the second she was led back to her cell. In her silence after she was brought back, she had replayed everything Misuzu told her about what had been seen and heard, hoping to burn it into her memory to be shared with Jaryn at the right moment. He was as shocked and confused as the two girls had been upon learning of Hideo's presence on the island, rendered silent to seethe when he learned Misuzu's father was largely responsible for the attack. He could easily recall the last time he had seen the older man and the poorly veiled threats he'd made, not only against Ashlynn, but the kingdom itself.

  “I wish you had told me about that,” Cailin chided quietly. “I would have had one of my scouts follow him.”

  “And likely have got
ten them killed. Clearly Hideo has deeper layers to him than we first assumed. Now he's going back there?” Jaryn sneered, gripping the arm of his chair. “I don't want that man anywhere in my country, let alone near my wife and child.”

  “There's more.”

  Jaryn's brows came together. “How could there be more?”

  “Gia asked about Merrik. She actually referred to him as the 'Shadow King' and asked if there had been any orders from him. Hideo said he hadn't heard from Merrik in some time.”

  There was only a brief pause before Jaryn started to haul himself to his feet. “That's it. I'm going to find Gianara and demand answers.”

  “No, you're not.” Cailin rose as well and pushed Jaryn back down, trying to be as gentle as possible. “You know our position here is precarious as it is. If you barge down the mountain on a mission like that, you'll only get us thrown back in our cells, or worse. We know they're not above violence to get what they want. Something tells me killing three people who matter very little to them and keeping their dragon as their own wouldn't cause any of them to lose sleep.” She took the bubbling cauldron into the other room to dump it into the basin, then put it back on the fire to fill with more water. “I'll boil another full one for you. That should be enough for a good soak and the one already in there will have cooled enough to even the temperature of this one out. Once you're situated, I'm going to go down and join everyone for supper.”

  “What?”

  “I'm going to play nice. If our walls are high, theirs will be, too. If we can prove we can be trusted, however, people will be more likely to slip up or even willingly share information we may need. Why do you think I let three strangers help me bring water back here for you?”

  Jaryn grumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We're never going to get home, are we?”

  “Don't be so dramatic.” Though her words were teasing, Cailin's eyes were downcast. She'd been assessing the situation every which way since her return and hope of escape, an immediate escape at least, felt impossible. “I'm sorry, Jaryn. I can't imagine how you're feeling or how Ashlynn may be feeling. This was supposed to be a simple day trip to Ibays.”

  All Jaryn could do was nod.

  When the second full cauldron was boiling, Cailin hefted it to the wash tub and dumped it in, then returned to the front room with her cloak draped over her arm. “I'll bring back some food for you.”

  His smile was tired, but genuine none the less. “Thank you.”

  “Go relax...take advantage of your time alone. Ashlynn wasn't the only one who lost the baby.” Flinging her cloak around her shoulders and fastening the toggles at her neck, Cailin cast Jaryn a nod of sympathy and understanding, then left to make the long walk down the mountain road.

  ~*~*~*~

  Connor knew exactly where he was going the second he left the tiny residence that was supposed to be a home. There was a certain kind of freedom he felt being dressed as he was, as though he could get away with practically anything he wanted. Nobles were held to much higher standards than commoners, after all. Since no one here held titles or knew he held any himself, he was just like everyone else. That fact alone put a little spring in his step. He saw several people in varying shades of skin color on his way down the mountain and at the base where he began his trek across the island. No one else had the great number of tattoos Gianara had or the pointed ears, he noticed. This island was home to not one race or nation, but a giant mix of all of them. He smiled jovially at each person who met his eye as he walked confidently along. If there was any danger lurking over him, he'd certainly already forgotten about it.

  The dragon caves were calling to him, had been calling to him since he realized that's what they were, and it was enough to quell any of his lingering fears as soon as he was away from Jaryn and Cailin. For as tall as he had been walking, making himself seem older than he was, all of it disappeared when he drew closer to the mountains. The sun was starting to set, and fires were lit in different caves, some out on ledges where it looked like people were working. He could see dragons still high above as they flew, the wonder on his face making him look like the young boy he very much was. Just like the people of the island, the dragons varied in size, shape, and color. Even those with similar features who obviously belonged to the same element were different from one another. Connor felt frozen on the spot, taking it all in and knowing there were hundreds of caves waiting to be explored, dragons to befriend and, hopefully, fly on. If he had to be stuck anywhere but his own home, this was certainly the place to be.

  Excitement bubbled up inside of him, coming out in a giggle of sheer joy as he ran for the mouth of the middle cave. People watched him with curiosity as he passed, though no one tried to stop him. There were so many paths to take once he was inside and he bounced on his feet with indecision. Should he start at the top first and make his way down, or start from the bottom and go up? Gianara had mentioned supper and he knew he needed to eat, but he wanted to see as much of the caves as possible before joining up with Jaryn and Cailin again and pretending to be Jaryn's little brother. That meant following their rules and that was not something to which he was eager to return. It was settled then: start at the bottom.

  He turned right and took the wide, sloping path down, wondering what he would find. For a time he walked without any promise that there would even be anything at the end of his journey, but just as he was about to turn around, he saw two enormous closed doors with a woman standing in front of them. She leaned casually against them, one foot propped up on the door behind her as she read a book in her hands. When she realized she wasn't alone, she dropped the book slightly and looked at Connor with question. “You're the new boy?”

  He nodded, his smile bright. “I'm Connor. Gia said I could explore.”

  The woman chuckled and set her foot on the ground. “Nice to meet you, Connor. I assume you're here to see your dragon?”

  Now it was Connor's turn to be confused. He didn't have a dragon. He'd always wanted one but... “Oh, Misuzu! She's down here?”

  “It's the only space big enough for her right now. She's perfectly comfortable, I promise. Do you want to go see her? She might be resting, but I assume you're allowed in when she is, unlike the rest of us.”

  “Yes,” he assured. “I'm definitely allowed.”

  The woman gave him a queer smile. “All right, then.” She stuck her finger in her book so as not to lose her place before turning and shoving one of the heavy doors open with all of her weight. Her eyes stayed on Connor as he passed her, amusement on her face at the wonder with which he took everything in. “Just give a loud bang on the door when you want out.”

  He waited until he was closed in to wander down into the barracks. Just as Cailin noticed, he realized each stall was made with different materials and wondered what they were for, exactly. Why should it concern him that Misuzu was kept down here when it seemed like dragons were all over the place? What set this area apart from all the others?

  “Misuzu?” His voiced echoed off the walls and high ceiling above him. “It's Connor. Are you here?” Knowing she was a shifter, he expected her to be in her human form to greet him, so when she poked her dragon head out from around the corner of her stall, he grinned and ran down to see her. It came as a surprise when she shoved her muzzle into his hands as though to greet him.

  We're not alone. Don't say anything incriminating and don't look around. Just pretend it's you and your completely normal dragon.

  Careful to not to show his reaction to the tingling buzzing in his head, he stroked her cheek and ran his hand along her jaw, pausing at her wispy mane. “How are you, girl? Are they treating you all right?”

  I'm okay. How are you? How is everyone?

  We're all fine. Don't worry. Aloud, he said, “I hope they've been feeding you well. Maybe they'll let us going flying again together soon.”

  Don't count on it, Misuzu grumbled, a low growl in the back of her throat. There are always dragon riders in the
sky with me when they let me out. I've thought about just swooping down and getting us all out of here, but that seems pretty impossible with the heavy guard I'm under.

  “It's all right,” Connor soothed. “It won't be like this forever.”

  She turned, coiling around him, scooping him up with her body and making him laugh as he sat in the middle of the mound she'd created. How is it you're allowed to come for me?

  We were given a house, some clothes, and are no longer under arrest; we are captives in a pretty prison.

  In other words, there's no way to leave, so why not let you have some freedom?

  Exactly. He sighed and casually looked around as he had upon entering. “I'm sorry you're all alone down here. It must be terribly lonely.”

  “She is not always alone.” From somewhere up high, Gianara dropped down to the rocky floor in a crouch, standing slowly as the growl built once more in Misuzu's throat. “I have come in several times to sit with her and speak to her. Sometimes I think she is beginning to trust me, other times I think she wishes she could eat me.”

  Connor was still looking up into the shadows above, his mouth open. “Where did you come from?”

  “I wondered when you would get here,” she said, ignoring his question.

  He turned his confusion on her. “You did?”

  “I know a fellow lover of dragons when I see one.” Gianara's dark eyes took in the way Misuzu was wrapped playfully around the boy. “She is fond of you.”

  Connor smiled happily and ran his hand over the cool scales on her back, his fingers trailing through her mane. “She's a good dragon.”

  “Have you seen some of the caves higher up?”

  Shaking his head, Connor slid down the side of the coiled dragon. “Not yet. I didn't want to get too far up and miss supper. I'm starving.”

  His answer made the woman laugh, her voice quiet and more feminine than usual. “We still have some time yet. I would be happy to give you a small tour before we join the others.”