“We will search this property,” said the captain.
Allan had heard enough. The captain was obviously here to cause trouble. If the king wanted this handled diplomatically he would’ve sent a higher ranked soldier with a better attitude. This man had no intention of giving Lord Lamar the curtesy due a lord. “Are you suggesting Lord Lamar’s word isn’t good enough?”
The captain looked over at Allan with disdain. “I am saying his word doesn’t matter. I have orders to search this property and find the outlaw. I was warned the locals might try to protect him.”
“That local you are speaking to is one of the most important nobles in all Droll, and for you to not accept his word that Lyric is not here is to call him a liar. If you do that again I will be forced to accept your challenge as his champion.” In Droll, like many of the other kingdoms in the world, nobles were given certain rights when it came to their word. For a noble to be called a liar by a captain was a challenge that could be answered with a duel. Nobles had the right to their chosen champion for such affairs. It was extremely rare for such duels as the champions were often the best swordsmen in the world and would take the fight to the death to defend the honor of their nobles.
“I have no quarrel with Lord Lamar,” said the captain. “There is no need for a champion. I am here on official duty of the king. I will search this property.”
“And I say you will not search this property, are you calling me a liar?”
The captain stared at Allan. “You are determined to get killed aren’t you. In that case, I will accept—”
Before the captain could finish accepting Allan’s challenge one of the soldiers quickly rode up beside him and grabbed his arm.
The captain turned and the soldier leaned in, whispering in the captain’s ear. The captain turned white. He then looked back at Allan. “Sir Chestmire. I don’t think there is any need for a fight today. We will take Lord Lamar’s word that he is not here. But I will remind you all harboring an outlaw is a crime against the king.” The captain turned and left with his men.
Allan stepped towards Lord Lamar as the soldiers left. “I apologize for stepping in. I realize it wasn’t my place, but men like him bring out the worse in me.”
Lord Lamar chuckled. “No need to apologize. I recognize a bully when I see one. That man would’ve caused a battle before backing down. The only thing that prevented it was his man informing him who he was mouthing off. Your reputation proceeds you.”
Allan shrugged. “The king came to Mandilla a few years ago with a large escort. There was an attack on the throne while they were there. I’m afraid some of the reports of the battle get exaggerated.”
Lord Martelle, who’d been standing inside the doorway of the Lamar house, hidden from view, stepped out. “And sometimes the reports are true. Lady Camburn is a friend of mine. She will remember that day for the rest of her life. The captain was wise to retreat when he did.”
Izzy Lamar looked at Lord Martelle. “You might as well tell us the rest of the story. Sir Chestmire obviously isn’t going to stare it.”
Lord Martelle smiled. “Don’t worry Izzy, Lady Camburn is no competition to you.”
Izzy blushed.
“Lord Martelle continued. “In fact, Lady Camburn was visiting the prince who Allan was mentoring.”
“Mentoring?” asked Izzy.
“Yes. Allan here likes to downplay his role within Queen Bexa’s court. He was the hand-picked advisor to the young prince, aside from helping train him in weapons, Allan was a teacher of sorts. Before Allan arrived in Evervale, the prince was a spoilt brat surrounded by sycophants and self-serving ass kissers who only ever told the prince what he wanted to hear. Queen Bexa saw how they were ruining her son so she brought Sir Allan Chestmire in and made him the person mentor to her son. By all accounts, the plan worked wonders.”
Allan shrugged. “The prince was good young man. He just needed an honest ear and the occasional boot to the ass.”
“Again, with the modesty,” said Lord Martelle. “Now let me finish my story damn it. So, as I was saying. Lady Camburn, a beautiful young noble and a potential marriage candidate for the prince was there visiting when a group of separatists attacked the prince’s quarters. The prince’s guards, following the late king’s protocols removed the prince from the attacks by secret passage. However, the protocols were clear about how the secret passages were to be used. No one outside of the royal family was allowed in them. So, Lady Camburn was to be left alone while the prince was removed. To the prince’s credit he demanded that she be brought with him, but the guards did as they had been instructed. The separatist, who’d come looking for a royal prisoner that they could trade with Queen Bexa, tried to take Lady Camburn instead. But Allan here wouldn’t let the young prince’s guest be taken. He singlehandedly held off over a dozen men until the queen’s guards could be gathered. Sir Allan was a bloody mess when the queen’s guards arrived, but when they did, eight of the attackers were dead and two more critically wounded. Lady Camburn, who comes from a family of fighters and is no stranger to battle, said Sir Chestmire was ferocious and relentless, and the most dangerous man she’d ever witnessed in battle. The story of that fight is well known among the soldiers who accompanied King Gramalt to Evervale. Sir Chestmire isn’t a noble who only excels in the tournament circuit. I have no doubt that his reputation is what saved us from conflict today.”
“You have my thanks, Sir Chestmire,” said Lord Lamar. “Perhaps I was being foolish in not letting them search.”
“I do not believe that,” said Allan. “These are your lands. Your family has held them longer than the Gramalts have held the throne. If the king’s guards had come to my father’s lands I would’ve done the same.”
“As would I,” said Lord Martelle. “King Gramalt seems to have forgotten that his hold on power is tenuous at best. Many of the nobles would gladly take his place while more would prefer to be kingless. Unifying all of Droll under one king hasn’t made it a better place for everyone.”
“I do hear the capital is quite lovely,” said Allan.
Lord Lamar chuckled. “It should be with the amount of tax revenue the king spends there.”
“That in itself is a good reason to absolve the kingdom,” said Lord Martelle. “But it isn’t the only one. Now that the king has declared Lyric, and therefore dragonbloods an enemy of the kingdom it will cause a rift in the kingdom.”
“And the king has given us little reason to support him,” said Lord Lamar. “I won’t directly challenge the king, I won’t stand for anymore of his interferences in our affairs, but I won’t go to war. Not now.”
Allan could see that the decision was troubling to Lord Lamar. Lyric had saved his daughter from a marriage that she didn’t want and now he was the one being hunted down. It would be easy to want to fight the king, but the war would be bloody and long. My men will be here in a few days. The farmers and their families will be here within a week or two as well. We will stand by our agreement regardless of how you decide to proceed. If war comes, we stand with you.”
Lord Lamar nodded. “Thank you, Sir Chestmire. That is welcome news. Let us hope it doesn’t come to war.”
“And young Lyric?” asked Lord Martelle.
“For now, I’m afraid he is on his own,” said Lord Lamar.
14
Caritha stretched out on top of the hot sands. She’d finished her rounds, flying from her visit to Ogrom, northeast to the isle where Saruth and Povny were located, then down to look at Nelarth’s lands. Thankfully, the mountain range where Nelarth had settled was in a remote part of his isle. Only one small village within a hundred miles of the dangerous black dragon. Checking the village was an easy task that allowed Caritha to avoid Nelarth, yet still make sure the dragon hadn’t eaten or terrorized the village.
Now that she was done with her rounds, Caritha needed rest. Basking in the hot sand was her favorite way of recuperating from the long surveillance flights.
Her home, a stretch of small coastal mountains along the southern desert of Partha was wonderful. She loved the heat, and the desert was the perfect home for her. Although if she completed her bond with the human she would likely have to move. Humans didn’t handle the heat like a dragon could. She wondered about her human. So far all she could tell was that her human was female, young, but definitely an adult, and filled with raw emotions. Something, or someone had hurt her badly. But outside of her emotions, Caritha knew little about her bonded human.
Humans were an industrious species. Caritha was in awe of all the cities and villages she saw. What a wonderful skill, to be able to build something with your hands. Caritha had heard all the stories of the towers and castles, but to see them was something else entirely. There was something chaotic about the way humans built their villages and cities, it seemed every building was different in some way. And the way humans dressed was different from village to village. Even within one area the clothing they wore was greatly varied. Males and females wore distinctly different styles and, as she’d learned in her lessons, by class. One could tell the affluent humans from the poor by their clothing and by their homes. In some ways humans were so very different from dragons, but in other ways they were much the same. Dragons liked shiny things as much as humans, and Caritha knew stories of older dragons that spent centuries collecting gold and jewelry for their hordes, usually by taking it from humans. Before the great war, many dragons sold their services to humans, protecting their lands from the other dangerous creatures who hunted humans and their livestock. Other dragons declared themselves rulers of the lands they could fly over and would require yearly payment for allowing the humans to live in their areas. The relationship between humans and dragons was long and complex. Slaves, enemies, partners, friends, at one time humans had been all those things.
A shadow over her head brought Caritha out of her musings.
Apophis dropped down beside her. “Greetings, Caritha. Ogrom delivered your message.”
“Greetings, Apophis. I didn’t know what to do. I have been keeping up my duties, but I know how important bonding with humans is.”
“You did right, Caritha. I hadn’t anticipated bondings between humans and dragons to happen so quickly. You are the third dragon so far.”
“Really? Who else?” asked Caritha.
“Kemoth and Sisera,” said Apophis.
“Really? I thought dragons with purple colorings didn’t bond often. How does that affect your plans?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t yet learned what type of humans you three are bonding with. And no purple dragons haven’t traditionally bonded, but this is a unique time in history, perhaps our exile has something to do with it. Perhaps we need dragonbloods with more magical powers. Tell me what you know of your human,” said Apophis.
Caritha nodded. She then told Apophis of how she’d been flying over Partha, on her way to check on Ogrom, when she felt the initial connection. The human had been in a fight, her castle attacked by men. Caritha described the pain and anger the human felt and how Caritha had felt her using dragon flame. She then told Apophis of the second attack.
“It shouldn’t surprise us that a dragonblood would have enemies. The Sacred Blood, one of the factions that led the war against dragons, were strong in Partha. Now that we are returned. The Sacred Blood will be hunting them.”
“But humans don’t live that long. All the humans from the great war are dead,” said Caritha.
“Yes, but humans pass their knowledge on generation to generation, just like we do. Those who hated dragons will have taught their children to hate dragons. There is no escaping the fact that some humans will hate us no matter how we act. My hope is that those who appreciated dragons also passed their knowledge on. The relationship between humans and dragons needs to be reset. But there are those on both sides who would rather not see that happen. That is why we must protect the dragonbloods. They will be critical to establishing trust between humans and dragons.”
“So, what do we do about my human? She is so angry and filled with rage. Will she accept me? And how to I keep my duties up?”
“I’m not that concerned about you keeping an eye on Ogrom, or Saruth and Povny. They are all old enough to look after themselves. It was mostly an excuse to give you a wide search area that overlaps with Nelarth’s territory. While I am not confident in Nelarth obeying my rules, I don’t consider him an immediate threat. Our priority is now your human.”
“Our priority?”
“Yes, I will stay with you until we’ve developed your bond. I will help you as much as I can. Kemoth is a little young for bonding, but I’m hoping by keeping him deep in the mountains we can prolong a full bonding. I believe your human is the most pressing issue.”
Caritha nodded her head. Not having to worry about patrolling would make keeping an eye on her human much easier, and having Apophis there to help her would make things easier. “When do we start?”
“Have you rested long enough to regain your strength?” asked Apophis.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
“Then we go now.”
…
Shayla rode back to Oakenreach. She’d spent a day trying to find out more about the men who’d attacked her in the alley, it hadn’t been too hard to get information. A few broken noses, a broken leg and a few singed eyebrows had gotten the local thugs to spill their guts.
Jobe Hollow. That was the man Shayla needed to find. But when Shayla went looking for him, it seemed the man had decided to leave town. It was no coincidence that Jobe bolted from town after the alley attack. It had been his men who’d attacked her. The temptation to drop everything and hunt down this Jobe was very strong. However, Sibylle had responsibilities back in Oakenreach. She would hunt this Jobe Hollow down, but on her own terms. Before leaving, Shayla had spoken with Primula. Lady Wells promised to have some of her own spies search for Jobe. But Primula warned that Jobe Hollow was a powerful man. A low level noble, a cousin of a cousin of someone important. It wasn’t his smidgeon of royal blood that made Jobe dangerous. It was that he was a leader of one the biggest gangs in Partha. That a criminal like Jobe had decided to attack her meant only one thing. The Sacred Blood had put a price on her head.
In a way, Shayla was happy. After the attack on Oakenreach, she had no leads on how to find the Sacred Blood. Most of the attacker had died and those who survived had disappeared. But now, she had a lead. Jobe Hollow.
Shayla’s horse started to snort and buck. Sibylle pulled hard on the reins, trying to settle the animal down. She looked around for signs of a predator. Something had the beast jumpy. Sibylle soon understood why the animal was jumpy. A dragon dropped down from the sky and landed thirty feet in front of her.
Shayla gasped as the beast hit the ground. It was huge. White with red tipped scales, the dragon was easily three times the size of her horse. Despite the dramatic drop to the ground and the panic her horse felt, Shayla wasn’t scared of the beast. Something inside her warmed at the closeness of the dragon. This was her dragon.
“Hello human. I am Caritha,” said the dragon.
The dragon’s voices was deep and its speech had a musical flavor to it. “Hello, Caritha. I am Shayla Finch.”
“Do you know why I am here, Shayla Finch?”
“Yes. It is because I am dragonblood,” said Shayla.
“Good. You have some knowledge of dragons.”
“Not as much as I like,” said Shayla.
“Excellent. I would be pleased to teach you about dragons.”
Shayla smiled. Caritha was polite. It wasn’t how she pictured dragons at all. “Would you come to Oakenreach?”
“Oakenreach. That is the castle where you live?”
Shayla wasn’t sure Oakenreach counted as a castle. It was small, compared to the big castles of kingdoms like Oxvein and others, but it certainly was the biggest estate in the area and at three four stories was significantly larger than most homes in Partha. Built of stone, th
e building was well fortified and had two towers. Yes. Caritha was correct, her home was a castle in that sense. “Yes. Oakenreach estates is my home.”
“I would be honored. And it would be better to speak to you without animals nearby, at least for the first while. My scent is new to them and my size can be intimidating.”
Shayla couldn’t agree more. Her horse was practically shivering at the sight of Caritha. The animal felt like it would bolt on her at any moment. Not that Shayla blamed it. Caritha was an awe-inspiring sight and looked big enough to eat the animal in one sitting. “Agreed. There is a meadow just north of the castle. Would you like to meet there?”
“Yes. Would tomorrow at midday be convenient?” asked the dragon.
Shayla nodded. It was like she was arranging tea with an old friend instead of agreeing to go to talk to a dragon alone. “Tomorrow at midday would be perfect.”
“I look forward to speaking with you again, Shayla Finch of Oakenreach estates." Caritha unfolded her wings and leapt into the air.
Shayla watched in awe as the dragon started to fly away. It was amazing to watch such a large creature fly. For its size, the dragon was as graceful and powerful as a hawk. Just a smidge or two bigger. Taking a deep breath, Shayla started back to Oakenreach.
15
The dry branches crackled and popped as the flames danced above them. Lyric stared into the fire. He loved watching the way the flames flickered and moved, there was no pattern to the way fire danced, but it had a rhythm to it. It was almost hypnotic, the way it captured the imagination.
“You shouldn’t stare into the fire. It will wreck your night vision and someone could sneak up on you,” said the voice behind Lyric.
“No. I’ve known you were there for the last two minutes. I could hear you moving, and I recognize your scent.”
Celine popped down beside Lyric and stared into the fire as well. “You could smell me?”
Dragon Magic: Lyric's Curse 2 (Dragonblood Sagas Book 4) Page 8