Age of Valor: Dragon Song

by D. E. Morris

  “My rooms are only a floor and a few hundred feet away. I think I can manage to make it there without the world ending. Besides, if the girls have fallen back asleep, I don't want the two of us to be talking outside my door and wake them again. They've been as jumpy as a mouse in the woods after dark. They need their sleep.”

  Cavalon nodded and grew serious. “Don't take any more of that potion. You hear me?”

  She started to walk away but waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, Father.”

  He crossed his arms and smirked, watching her head for the stairs. “Goodnight, pain in my backside.”

  “Goodnight.”

  She hoped she wouldn't need any more potion, at least not tonight. Though Jaryn and the others were clearly being held somewhere, they were safe and free enough that they could send messages. No captor she'd ever heard of was kind enough to allow an urgent note sent home, let alone one so carefully and casually written as that. There were times when the not knowing was what kept her wound up and unable to sleep. Though there was still a very real fear of losing her husband, she found some comfort in knowing he was with Cailin and Misuzu, even Connor, to some small extent. She knew nothing more of the boy than what her imagination had made him out to be, but if he was being held with them, that meant he managed to become on friendly enough terms with them to be captured in their company - unless he'd followed them after their departure and was simply collateral damage.

  By the time she reached her rooms, Ashlynn was as frustrated as she had been for days. If only her thoughts would stop going over each and every aspect of every little situation, she might find some peace. Since she was a child, however, it was simply the way her mind worked. She over-analyzed everything, agonizing in secret whether any given decision was the correct one and trying to project all possible outside elements, causes, and effects. It was maddening on the worst of days, and she felt she was in the middle of those terrible days now. Still, she knew she had to try to sleep. It was easy to recall how quickly she'd deteriorated last year when sleep was the very thing she avoided. She couldn't let that happen again.

  The two men outside her door stood motionless as she walked between them, never even blinking as she pushed her door open and went inside. All was dark and quiet, peaceful in a way it hadn't been since before the attack. Ashlynn stayed by the door a moment, letting her eyes adjust. It had been as though looking into pitch when she'd first entered, but with each passing second, shapes and outlines faintly illuminated by the moonlight coming in the window took on form. She could easily make out Lilia and Mairead under the covers on the bed, both of them fast asleep. This simple sight made her feel a little more at ease. Her girls loved her so well, but she worried for their health just as they worried for hers.

  “If you do not take care of yourself first, you cannot take care of anyone else.”

  It was a common chide between the three of them...four of them, for Zarra had a part in that warning, too, and one they often passed between each other in a playful warning when one of them was taking on too much. Ashlynn heard the words spoken in the darkness, a soft, whispery voice that made her feel like she was standing in a field with a warm breeze floating past her. She turned to the other side of the room where her changing screen stood, watching without surprise as a woman came out from behind it. Though there was no light to illuminate her, Ashlynn knew well the paleness of her skin and corn silk hair, as well as the bright blue of her eyes and her small pink lips. Hers was the face of a specter, Ashlynn assumed, an angel of the Giver, perhaps, to come soothe her fevered mind as it had in the days after the battle on the Isle of Contest. More than likely, she was none of those things, but Ashlynn knew her presence meant comfort and felt all the walls she'd constructed around herself begin to crumble before the strange woman.

  “They will not wake,” she promised, glancing at the girls with a small smile, fondness in her eyes like that of a mother looking on her children. “They care so deeply for you.” Turning to Ashlynn, she said, “Many women of standing are not so richly blessed in company as you.”

  “I know.” Ashlynn leaned back against the door, clutching the collar of her robe tightly under her neck. “On the day they came to me, I promised to watch over them, to guide and protect them, yet they have done more for me than I for them. I failed to protect Lilia's heart. I failed to protect Mairead's body.” She swallowed hard. “I failed to protect Zarra's life.”

  The woman laid a reassuring hand on Ashlynn's shoulder. “You have done more for them than you will ever know. They have no regrets for the lives they lead, neither did Zarra when she passed. Never underestimate the great influence you have on these precious girls, Ashlynn. Never take it for granted.” The ever present smile now dimmed, pity on her face. “I know these past few days have not been easy. I am truly sorry for your losses.”

  Though she'd heard those same words more times than she could count, coming from this strange woman, she felt more vulnerable and broken than she had since the night of the attack. Suddenly, all she could do was bury her face in her hands and weep. The woman took her into her arms and held her tightly, tucking Ashlynn's head under her chin in a protective manner and stroking her back as she cried. “I know,” the woman murmured, her arms feeling remarkably strong around Ashlynn for a woman so slight in figure. “Come. Sit with me.” Her small fingers took hold of Ashlynn's hand as they parted. She was led to a lounge where the woman sat and drew Ashlynn down beside her, guiding her to curl her legs up and rest with her head in the woman's lap. All at once she was taken back to the times she'd shared moments like this with Emiline. They were few and far between, stubborn and independent as Ashlynn had always been, but they were poignant moments in their relationship and always precious memories. If she closed her eyes she could pretend she was there again, with the only woman she'd ever known as a mother, and feel safe.

  “All I wanted,” she managed once her tears stemmed, “was to prove I could be a great queen when I was young. I wanted to grow up and be someone my parents – both sets of them – could be proud of. I thought I would understand everything and I find now that I know nothing. It is as if I stumble through each day making decisions someone else should be making, and when I lay my head down at night, all I can do is wonder how I got through the day.”

  “Stop that,” the woman chided gently. “You know very well that Wessely could not be more proud of you and your sister, were you his real daughters. Emiline loved you both fiercely and cherished every single moment she had with you. Your birth parents...” She trailed off, her eyes going to the window. “They did not have enough time with you to be able to have the kind of pride a parent has in their children.” Returning her gaze down to Ashlynn, she smiled with tenderness. “I can promise you, however, that you made each day more joyous for them than if you had never been with them.”

  “How do you know that?” Sitting, Ashlynn tucked her hair behind her ear and studied the woman's face. “How do you know everything that you do when I feel I know so little? Each time I see you it seems as though I am with someone I have known my entire life, yet I do not even know your name.”

  The woman said nothing at first, only held Ashlynn's questioning gaze as calmly as she did everything else. As they sat in silence, wind whistled in quiet, high notes past the closed shutters on the windows and Mairead and Lilia's deep breathing felt like it was all around them. The moment felt quick to pass, yet somehow Ashlynn knew time wasn't working the way she was used to. Nothing in this moment was as it always was.

  “You will have another child.” The promise was barely a whisper, but it was so sudden that it seemed much louder and made Ashlynn jump. She looked at the woman with question, making her nod in reply. “It will not be for some time, but you will have another child. She will be special...gifted...and neither her birth nor her life will be easy. Cherish this time you have with Lochlainn. He has a great destiny as well, and will need both you and Jaryn for as long as he has you.”

  �
��What do you mean? Tell me how you know these things!”

  “You will understand in time.” The woman took a slow breath as though to gather her thoughts. “It will seem as though peace will reign for several years, but know that is not the truth. The Shadow King needs time to gather and strengthen his army, and in that reaping, you will be free for a time.”

  “The Shadow King?” Ashlynn looked to the darkness for Tadhg's shadow, but the woman shook her head.

  “Your enemy is not a shadow, Ashlynn, but a very real man. Soon there will be a choice before you, a grave choice, that will affect the lives of everyone on this earth no matter the path you take. Neither has more good in it than the other, only the promise of great change.”

  Ashlynn shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. “What are you saying? That no matter what choice I make, terrible things will happen?” She glanced into the shadows again when the woman didn't answer right away. “If my enemy isn't Tadhg...” Trailing off, she inhaled deeply and said with quiet confidence, “...it can only be Merrik that we face.”

  “You always knew that, deep down. It was never Tadhg you had to fear once he drew his last breath. The dead have no power, only the living.”

  “I knew Merrik wasn't dead.”

  The woman nodded, regret turning down the corners of her lips. “He is very powerful and understands his own capabilities much more than he did during the war here in Siness. Your biggest mistake would be to underestimate him.” She reached out to take one of Ashlynn's hands. “A dark tide is rising, gaining in power every day as it breeds hate, fear, and mistrust, and it will leave many casualties in its wake.”

  The panic Ashlynn had been experiencing so frequently lately was beginning to speed the pulse in her veins. “I will lose people important to me, won't I?”

  “Everyone will,” the woman affirmed with sadness.

  They sat together, hand in hand in the silence, as Ashlynn tried to find an anchor for all of the thoughts and new information swirling around inside her head. Instinct made her look to the bed as though Jaryn were there and she could simply wake him to talk to him about all of it. Seeing Lilia and Mairead still slumbering, however, was sobering. In raw honesty, she looked at the woman and confided, “I'm afraid.”

  She nodded. “I would worry if you were not.” Lifting a hand, she rested her palm against Ashlynn's cheek and gave her that familiar gentle smile. “As long as you do not let it consume you, you will be just fine. Remember also, sweet girl, that you are a chosen daughter of the Most High. Keep your eyes on Him always and He will guide you. The path He leads you down may not always make sense to you, nor is it a promise of a happy ending, but it will be perfect. Do you trust that? Do you trust Him?”

  Ashlynn swallowed and looked down, feeling like a child about to be scolded. “I want to say that I do, but there has been so much pain.”

  “A dull blade is good to no one unless it is surrounded by flames and sharped by the master creating it. You grow and change every day, Ashlynn, and your life tells a story. I know your heart believes in the Giver even when you struggle and doubt. I see it in your eyes. You cannot allow your sadness and anger to prevent you from seeking after His heart. That is exactly what the Deceiver wants to happen and you cannot let it. Let others see you falter, but never let them see you give up. You have been placed where you are to be a light, a city on a hill, that will turn eyes to the Giver, never away.”

  Ashlynn's heart was heavy and she felt the weight of her uncertainty on her shoulders. It was so much easier to believe in the Giver when all was well, when her kingdom was happy and at peace, when she was surrounded by loved ones who were smiling and content. That was the life she always thought those who followed the Giver were meant to live, yet it felt as though she'd faced more hardships and testing in her faith since she'd committed herself to Him.

  “I know He is still good,” she affirmed after a time. “I have read about the man in scriptures who lost his health, his riches, his possessions, even his family, yet he clung to the belief that the Giver was still good and just. My faith is not that strong.”

  “Not yet,” said the woman with quiet confidence, “but it will be.”

  Ashlynn glanced at her with barely hidden amusement. “Is that another premonition?”

  The woman's smile grew and she tilted her head. “No. I simply have faith in you.”

  As she sighed, Ashlynn felt some of the weight lifting from her shoulders, only to find it replaced all too quickly with exhaustion. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. “I'm so tired.”

  “You must be. Here.” Ashlynn was pulled down again to rest her head in the woman's lap. She kept her eyes closed even when she felt her hair being stroked and heard the soft familiar tune of the faery lullaby her mother used to sing being hummed by the strange woman. Within seconds she could feel herself drifting and knew sleep was imminent. As the tune wrapped itself like a blanket of comfort around her, Ashlynn heard the woman whisper, “Call me Brigid,” before sleep pulled her under.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  When Ashlynn began to swim through the haziness of sleep toward wakefulness, she still felt a hand running over her hair and wondered if she ever really fell asleep or only dozed. The sounds were different than they had been before, though. She could hear birds and the rustling of fabric as someone moved about in a heavy dress. With sudden understanding, she realized she was in her bed, beneath warm blankets with her head on a pillow and not someone's lap. She took a deep, sleepy breath before attempting to open her eyes. The morning light that poured into her room was offensively bright, making her squeeze her eyes shut before she could even fully open them.

  “Perhaps we should let her sleep a bit longer.” The quiet suggestion had definitely come from Mairead; her Sinessian accent had given her away.

  “Nonsense,” Lilia countered. “It's gorgeous out. Some time in the sun would do her good. Go ahead and wake her up, Rowan.”

  “She's awake.” The little girl's voice was much closer than the other two, making Ashlynn realize it was Rowan who was stroking her head. “I heard her breathing change.”

  There was more rustling of fabric before someone seemed to block out a bit of the sun as they bent over her. “Ashlynn,” chirped Lilia, “good morning!” Ashlynn opened one eye and scowled up at her. Lilia glowered in return. “Please, you don't scare me. We've let you sleep in for a while now, but it's time to get up. Come on, the sun is high and the air is warm. I think spring is finally here!”

  Ashlynn opened her other eye and rolled onto her side. With no warning, she wrapped her arms around Rowan's waist and pulled her down onto the bed beside her, the little girl giggling madly. “You should learn some bedside manners from Rowan,” Ashlynn told Lilia. To Rowan she said, “You'll let me sleep a while yet, won't you?”

  “No!” Rowan laughed, squirming to break free as Ashlynn held her. “I want to go outside and play and I want you to come with me!”

  “Before breakfast?” groaned Ashlynn. She let the girl go and heaved a sigh.

  Something silent passed between Mairead and Lilia, a smirk that communicated everything they needed to say without having to speak. “Come along, little fish,” said Lilia, extending her hand to Rowan. “Let's let Mairead help Ashlynn dress while you and I go find a nice thick blanket and pack a morning picnic so none of us starve.”

  “Do you think there are any more plum preserves?” asked Rowan as Lilia took her hand. “I miss fruit.”

  Lilia headed for the door. “Probably not, but I'm certain we have some winter apples left.” Before she closed the door, she met Mairead's eyes. “We will see you out in the bailey.”

  Ashlynn waited until the pair was gone before turning a questioning gaze to Mairead. Though it had been several days since she'd seen the younger woman without a mask on her face, the scars, remaining even after taking Tasarin's potion, still made her heart ache. Mairead, it seemed, knew as much, and had begun to avoid meeting Ashlynn's eyes be
cause of it. Even now, she looked at the floor as she wrung her hands together. “You don't have to come outside with us, Mairead. Don't feel badly if you choose to stay in.”

  Mairead shook her head. “No, I would like to go outside.” She moved to the wardrobe to pull a dress out to help Ashlynn into. “We received word from Zarra's family this morning.” She waited as Ashlynn passed her to disappear behind the changing screen to swap her nightgown for a clean linen shift. “As was to be expected, they are heartbroken and have demanded the person who ordered the attack be found and executed.”

  “I am in agreement with them on that.” Coming out from behind the screen, Ashlynn let Mairead help her into the blue gown she'd picked out for her. She adjusted the full skirt and bodice over her body and began tying up the laces. “They wish for her body to be sent home, back to Caedia. There they will have a pyre for her and take some of her ashes to Cieria.”

  Ashlynn nodded, smiling despite the loss. “She always wanted to go there.”

  Mairead sniffled as she tucked in the ends of the tied laces and met Ashlynn's sorrowful smile with a hopeful one of her own. “And now it is where she will rest.”

  “We will send her home with colorful banners and trumpeters surrounding her carriage, then.” Ashlynn squeezed Mairead's hand. “We will give her the best of everything she loved in life while we still can.”

  “Yes.” Mairead looked down and flattened the skirt of her dress. “Her ship will sail tonight before sunset.”

  “Then we will share all of our favorite memories of her today. Come, help me with my hair so we can join the others outside.”

  As promised, Mairead and Ashlynn met Rowan and Lilia out in the larger bailey. The sun was as warm as Lilia boasted, making Ashlynn shed her cloak soon after they had begun to play games with Rowan. Mairead even participated, though Ashlynn knew she couldn't have been very cool with a veil over her face to hide her scarring.