Age of Valor: Dragon Song

by D. E. Morris

  It felt good to laugh and move, though guilt was always creeping at the back of Ashlynn's mind, telling her she should still be in the throes of mourning and praying every moment for the safety of her husband and her friends. Every once in awhile she would pause in whatever activity they were doing or whatever conversation they were having and she could feel the sorrow trying to get a grip on her once more. Rowan seemed keenly aware of her emotions, more so than the other two girls, and was usually quick to find amusing ways to distract Ashlynn. She even had her own stories of Zarra to share.

  In a quiet moment when they were all simply enjoying being outside in the warmth, Rowan rested her head on Ashlynn's shoulder and played with the loose hair that trailed over her shoulders. “Tha gaol agam ort.”

  The words brought a bright smile to Ashlynn's face, and she turned to kiss the top of Rowan's head. “I love you too, heartling. Your Sinessian is coming along nicely, I see.”

  “I love it when an Ibayish person tries to speak Sinessian. Their accents are all funny,” said Lilia.

  “I can only imagine they think the same of us,” Mairead laughed.

  Lilia's eyes wandered as she laughed as well. “Well you all sound funny to me. Caedian is the true accent of the Giver, you know.” Before the others could argue, she got to her feet. “We seem to be out of wine. I'll go see what I can scrounge up. Since we're celebrating spring and Zarra's life, we need something to celebrate with.”

  “Agreed,” Ashlynn chuckled in her wake. “So, my little mermaid, tell me how your dragon schooling has been coming.”

  Rowan shrugged. “It hasn't really been coming at all since the wedding.” No one had anything to say about that. Of course her time with Elas would have been cut back. After all, he and Kenayde were supposed to be on their wedding holiday and were only still at Altaine because of all the uncertainty. “Can I ask you a question?”

  Ashlynn looked down at her. “Of course.”

  “My da said I should wait because it would be insensitive, but I was going to ask you before...everything happened.”

  Mairead and Ashlynn looked at one another, sharing a smirk. “Go on,” Ashlynn prompted.

  Rowan sat up and grabbed one of her own tendrils, twirling it around her finger. “Since I'm a lady now, I wanted to know if I could be one of your ladies. I know I'm still too young, but maybe later when I'm older.”

  Ashlynn hardly hesitated before taking Rowan's chin in her hand. Though the eyes that stared back at her were pale and sightless, she looked into them as she would anyone else with whom she was seeking a connection, knowing Rowan would feel it just as well as any other. “My darling, if you still want to be one of my ladies in just a few more years, I would be glad to have you. Only know that desires change and if you should wish to be elsewhere, I would not begrudge you that.” She let go of Rowan's chin to tap her nose. “Do not wish to grow up so quickly, little one. Soon enough you will be too old to cuddle and tickle, and I adore you just as you are.”

  With a grin, Rowan threw her arms around Ashlynn's neck and hugged her as tightly as she could. “I'll try not to grow up too fast, but I can't make any promises.”

  Holding her close, Ashlynn sighed. “Neither would I ask you to.”

  High above, Killian and Tasarin were walking together on the open parapet, the elf with his hands clasped behind his back. “I do not wish to leave,” he said, “but Luella and I both feel that we should accompany Zarra's body back to her family in Caedia.”

  “It is a noble thing to do,” Killian conceded. “Her Majesty will understand, surely.”

  They both turned toward the bailey to watch the three below playing a game with colored balls. “It is not her understanding that gives me pause,” said Tasarin, “it is the letter she received overnight. Cavalon told me just before I came out here. If Jaryn and the others are being held somewhere, surely we should all stay here to protect one another until they are rescued or released.”

  Killian looked at the elf with a lowered brow. “You believe the threat will return.”

  “I do not know what to believe. There are so many elements at play these days.” Tasarin looked as if he might continue, but resigned himself to a frown. “I feel uncomfortable with us going our separate ways, yet I know Caedia is where I must go. My unicorn – my spirit-link – is still there and we must protect him as well. Should anything happen to him, my life is forfeit.”

  “Cavalon and I will do all we can to protect the high queen and the prince. We may not see eye to eye on much, but keeping them safe is something we have no trouble agreeing upon.” Killian looked at the elf with a furrowed brow. “Is there more I should know? For a moment I thought you might share something further.” Tasarin's lips drew into a thin line and Killian shifted to face him. “If I am to protect anyone, I require all the information you can give me. I will not tell you to trust me because that is a decision you must make on your own. Only remember that you are leaving her here with me. I have sworn an oath to the high king that I will give up my very life to save hers should it come to that. It is not an oath I made lightly.”

  “I know that.” Tasarin considered a moment, then shook his head. “There is nothing more. Just old stories Jaryn and Ashlynn were chasing with Luella and me. I can see it having no bearing on our present situation.”

  The sound of shoes clicking across the cobblestone made both men turn. Lilia approached with a jug in her hands. She looked at Killian with purpose, but paused when she saw Tasarin and dipped her head, her cheeks coloring. “Your Highness.”

  “Lady Lilia.” He glanced at the jug she carried, deepening her blush when he said, “I was just about to go find my wife.”

  Lilia raised her head, eyes widening in horror. “Oh! No, you don't have to-”

  Tasarin smiled kindly at her. “Good day, my lady.” With a nod to Killian, the elf passed her by and disappeared inside.

  “Oh, sweet heavens,” Lilia moaned, her shoulders drooping. “What he must think of me, coming up here to talk to you with a pitcher of wine, and in the middle of the morning at that!”

  Her dramatic exclamation made Killian chuckle. “I am certain he thinks nothing untoward.”

  “What else could he possibly be thinking?” With a sigh, she joined Killian at the wall and set the pitcher on top of it. “Oh well. Not that I don't already have a reputation as it is, and not that he would spread court gossip...none of it matters is all I am trying to say.”

  “Clearly.” Killian faced outward again. His attention was pulled by the sound of laughter from below, of Rowan doing some sort of dance with Mairead and Ashlynn clapping along. “Why are you here?”

  “I saw you from below, walking back and forth across the parapet. I hadn't realized you were with anyone, I simply thought you were watching Ashlynn. I was going to ask you a question.”

  “Ask whatever you like.”

  Lilia look sideways at him, watching him watch Ashlynn. “Are you in love with her?”

  “Would it matter if I was?”

  His answer was so quick that it made her blink, but she covered her surprise with a shrug. “Not to her. She loves Jaryn with her whole heart. There isn't room for anyone else.”

  “As it should be since he is her husband.”

  Narrowing her eyes, Lilia asked, “Do you want to get married someday?”

  Killian tilted his head, considering. “I cannot see where a marriage would fit into my life, but I am not against it.”

  “Only...Mairead is unspoken for and she still looks an awful lot like Ashlynn, despite her scarring. She needs someone who will be tender with her.”

  “It is not only her looks.”

  “Isn't it?” Lilia's question was cynical. “That seems to be the only qualification in the minds of most men. Would you believe I danced with a man at the reception who told me he would love nothing more than to marry me and take me away from here to be his bride because I was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes upon - if only I cou
ld keep my mouth shut?”

  Killian winced and gave a shake of his head. “I am sad to say that I would believe it. There are many men who still look at their chosen mates as property, pretty jewels to show off to make themselves look better.” He glanced at Lilia. “I am sorry that was said to you.”

  The apology drew a line of confusion between her brows. “You didn't say it; why on earth are you apologizing?”

  “I suppose I am apologizing for my gender.”

  Lilia fell silent, watching Killian from the corner of her eye. He kept vigil over the party in the bailey, his keen-eyed gaze going from one person to another in assessment, but always returning to Ashlynn. Eventually, Lilia turned to face him fully, leaning against the wall with a tilt of her head. “What was he like, your brother?”

  “The real Jessiah?” A brief smile flickered over Killian's lips. “He was the adventurous one of the two of us, always taking chances and risks. He was brave and valiant. He was everything I strove to be. He still is, really.”

  “It almost sounds like he was your hero.”

  “In many ways, he was. Though we were twins, he was always someone I looked up to. He is the reason I made many of the life choices I made. For a time, I wondered why the demon chose the face of my brother to fool everyone around him, but I believe I have figured it out. The day Nealie gave Rowan to me, she must have been followed or we must have been seen. The enemy knew the child was her heir and that she would be with me. It is likely the demon who took on the face of my brother befriended me as someone else, learning what he could about me and taking on the name and face of my twin, hoping not only to fool Nealie, but also Rowan if it came to it. When Nealie was killed, the false Donnchadh was already on the throne and no doubt waiting for the power transfer. Rowan's body went into fits, and she and I were both seized. While she was sent to a place where her death would be expected and even overlooked, I was thrown in a cell and my home was raided and destroyed. At times I still question why the Giver allowed it to happen since nothing takes place without His consent. The demon chose a face that had always been charming and easy to trust, one that would hardly question the spells he put on people when he tricked them into thinking they had known him for far longer than they truly had and told stories of his life that were nothing more than well thought out lies. It was this face that gave comfort to Rowan when she was most vulnerable as well, and that almost cost her life. My brother would have been nothing like the thing that pretended to be him. My brother would have grown into a man of great strength and integrity had he lived long enough to do so.” Killian glanced at Lilia. “Had he met you, I am certain he would have fallen for you as easily as you fell for the false Jessiah.” Lilia blushed, but said nothing as Killian continued. “He would have been a great ally in those times when I faced grave choices and indecision.”

  “All of which are still a mystery.” There was a teasing note to her voice. “There is so much we don't know about you.”

  “And that vexes you.”

  Lilia laughed lightly. “Sometimes.”

  “Does it make you mistrust me? I could hardly blame you if it did.”

  She thought a moment, her bottom lip between her teeth. “It would if I didn't see the genuine affection you have for Ashlynn and the great care you take with Rowan.”

  Killian gave a small grimace. “I care for Rowan because she is my daughter. I look after the high queen because it is the very least I can do to make up for the false Jessiah's sins.”

  “It is not your responsibility to pay for another man's sins whether he was your brother or not.” Lilia looked down. “Perhaps it is naive of me to say, given that I was eager for a marriage to a man who turned out to be a demon or whatever he was - we really don't know - but I don't think you're trying to fool anyone or misrepresent yourself.” She wrinkled her nose. “I can't say that I trust you, exactly, but I don't entirely mistrust you...if that makes any sense.”

  Killian nodded. “It does.”

  “I apologize for the way I've treated you.”

  “I never blamed you. I never blamed any of you.”

  Lilia gave him a small smile. “You extend more grace than you should, I think.”

  “Because grace was extended to me first, and one can never give nor receive too much of it.” He glanced at her. “Thank you for your apology.”

  She dipped her head. With one last tentative smile, she picked up her pitcher and turned to go inside. Before she could, however, a guard rushed past the entryway and disappeared down the hall. Lilia glanced at Killian, but as he started to follow the man, Wessely appeared from the direction from which the man had come. “Is everything all right?” she asked.

  “Bring my daughter to her library. Tell her Hideo has arrived.”

  Lilia's brow wrinkled. “He's back? But why?”

  Wessely looked at her, patience thin on his face. “Please, Lilia, do as I ask.” The girl's lips pursed, but she bowed her head in respect and hurried to carry out her orders, abandoning the pitcher just inside. Looking to Killian, Wessely appeared grim. “I will direct him to the library and stay with him once he is there, but I would like you and Cavalon to be there as well, ready should anything happen. He was volatile with Jaryn when he was here last and I want no risks to be taken. There is no telling how he will respond to learning his daughter is not here, no matter the tale Ashlynn may weave.” Killian nodded and moved past Wessely, but the older man grabbed his arm. “Make sure Cavalon understands he is not to speak unless there is a clear altercation. She cannot appear weak; if Hideo sees her bodyguards stepping in to speak for her, he could try to use that as a way to make her look like even she believes she is vulnerable.”

  “I will do my best, Your Highness.”

  Below, Ashlynn caught sight of Lilia rushing across the withered grass and smirked. “You were gone an awful long time to have forgotten your reason for leaving in the first place.” She lifted a hand to protect her eyes from the glare of the sun. “You seem in quite the hurry.” All at once her stomach dropped and her face paled. “Is there news of Jaryn?”

  Slowing to catch her breath, the younger woman shook her head. “No. Hideo is here.”

  A sigh of irritation passed Ashlynn's lips. She rose from the blanket and smoothed her skirts in no great hurry. “I would like nothing more than to tell you to let him stew a while, but I have a great deal of things I would like to say to him.”

  “Be reasonable,” Lilia begged. “The man clearly has a temper if he saw fit to speak to Jaryn the way he did.”

  “And that is precisely what I wish to speak with him about. Where is he?”

  Lilia's shoulders drooped in defeat. She looked to Mairead for help, but the older girl only shrugged and continued the small braids she was working Rowan's curls into. “He's in your library.”

  “Excellent.” Ashlynn now looked to Rowan and Mairead as well. “We will have to continue our frivolity later, it would seem. Rowan, be a good girl for Lilia and Mairead.”

  “I will.”

  Dignified, she walked across the open yard with sure steps and her head held high. A temper was already rising within her, remembering the conversation Jaryn had told her about and the all but open threats to her reign. If only Hideo had been bold enough to say them to her face, he might not dare be coming back now. As she passed into the castle, her two guards fell into step behind her. She met the eyes of no one, only walked on with her gaze fixed firmly ahead of her and an expression that said she was not to be bothered. After days of sadness and despair, this swelling temper within her was a new and welcomed feeling, one she intended to use to try to find a way back to herself so she could find her missing husband and friends.

  Once they reached the grand library, both men peeled away to take their posts inside. Ashlynn closed the doors behind her, then turned to face the room with a friendly smile on her face. She met eyes with her father first, standing patiently beside the tall chair behind the ornate desk at the other side of the
room, then a stoic Cavalon and Killian who also waited in silence. When Hideo turned to look at her, her smile was no less bright.

  “Where is my daughter?”

  Ashlynn's demeanor remained the same as she walked farther into the room. “It is lovely to finally meet you, Hideo,” she clasped her hands before her as she continued, “though I admit, this visit came much sooner than I expected after your recent departure.”

  Hideo clenched his fists. “Where is my daughter? I know this castle was attacked and there were losses. I demand you bring Misuzu to me now.”

  “Demand all you wish,” Ashlynn countered, unfrazzled by the outburst. “This is my home and the only demands that are carried out are my own and that of my husband. Anyone else is free to throw a tantrum as you seem to be fond of doing, but I feel you should know it produces few results.” With a humored glance at her father, she amended, “Well, few favorable results, I should say.”

  The older man's face reddened and his chin jutted forward. He said nothing for a moment, seemingly trying to gather himself, then glanced at the chair Wessely stood beside. “Please sit.”

  “I would rather stand, thank you.” She took a few slow steps closer to him, eyes narrowed and calculated humor on her face. “You do not like women standing in your presence, do you? It makes them seem more equal, even defiant in your eyes, and you simply cannot stand it when someone – especially a woman – defies you.”

  Hideo leaned back as she approached but refused to step back. He was shorter than most of the men Ashlynn knew, closer to her in height, which made her feel even less intimidated by him. Though his eyes were so dark a brown they appeared black, there was a fire in his poisonous gaze that kept her from getting too close.

  “How is it you heard of the attack?” asked Wessely, breaking the tension in the room. “News of this could not have already spread to Takashiri.”

  “I was not in Takashiri.”

  Ashlynn raised a brow. “I can only assume that means you were still in the Isles.”