Jewel of Fire

by G L Roberts

  “No.” Bryn kissed Thalynder’s cheek. “You’ve seen my armor. I will be dressed as any other of the king’s guard, only I will remain cloaked until time to reveal the crown. I am not a queen, Thalynder. I will never bear that mantle.”

  “You already feel that burden,” Thalynder said and held her palm to Bryn’s cheek. “You carry the weight of a country on your shoulders and soon you will see that you need to distribute that weight between your captains. This foray will test us, but once tested we will be stronger.”

  “That is my hope.” Bryn held Thalynder’s hand. “Are you ready to join the archers at WestHill?”

  “Yes. Teela is waiting with my horse, and our dragons are waiting to follow. You know I do not like being parted from you. Especially now. If your plan works, WestHill will not be a target and I will be there worrying about you at Lochend.”

  “It is to our advantage that we keep all targets covered. There may be stragglers waiting at the boats, and you and the forward army will be closest to them.”

  “I will not let you down. My army will control WestHill and the boats.” She took a step closer to Bryn. “Be careful, my Bryn. I would be lost without you.”

  “And I, you, Lynder. Watch your back and direct your thoughts at An Yun. She will keep you safe, and she will let you know when to move to the boats. Meriel will be with An Yun, as will Mediter.”

  “Why send the young ones to WestHill?”

  “Mediter needs to be there to watch the coast. Meriel is there because WestHill has the better defensive positions. She can watch and still be safe. She is too young for any of this.”

  “An Yun is becoming a good friend.” Thalynder pulled on her boots. “She treats me less like a princess and more like a friend. I guess Meydra was reserving her love for you.”

  Bryn touched Thalynder’s chin and tilted her face to look up. “Meydra loves you unconditionally, Thalynder. Her burden is that she loves us both.”

  “Well, she had just better keep you safe. I’ll never forgive either of you if this is our last parting.”

  Bryn pulled Thalynder back up to stand before her. She brushed her fingers over Thalynder’s face and kissed away the little tears that gathered on her cheeks. Bryn kissed Thalynder’s mouth, and the jewel in the crown began to glow. When at last Bryn broke the kiss, Thalynder’s eyes were clear and the jewel held a strong clear light.

  “You are the source of my joy, Thalynder, Princess of The Realm That Touches Two Seas. Never forget that. We will never be separated for longer than necessary. Are you ready?”

  “After you kiss me again, My Liege.” Thalynder leaned into Bryn and for a moment, the world disappeared.

  Bryn pulled the chain mail over her tunic and tested the weight by moving her arms up and down. “Fine work,” she said to no one. She shook out the over tunic and tugged it over the mail. The over tunic bore The Tree of Life on the front and a dragon on the back. She had never before considered either symbol as emblems of responsibility, but today was different. She rubbed her hand over the Tree of Life. She picked up her belt and scabbard and lifted them over the tunic. Her sword, leaning against a small chest in the tent, gleamed as she picked it up. “Let us hope the only need to remove you is to polish the dust from your blade.” She kissed the hilt before placing the sword in its scabbard. Grabbing the cloak to cover the tunic and the crown, Bryn emerged from her tent dressed like any other member of the King’s Own Guard.

  Arryn touched his fist to his chest. “Lady Athebryn, we are ready.”

  Bryn gripped Arryn’s shoulder. “Today we ride to set the wheels in motion, Arryn of the Epidii. You have been my teacher, my captain, and my friend. Even if tomorrow we meet our death, we will have started the revolution. And that, my fellow dragon rider, is a good thing.” The jewel at her brow turned a deep ruby red and glinted in the steel of the chainmail. “Ours is the right cause. Ours is the true cause.”

  Arryn touched his fist to his heart. He raised his head and looked at the jewel. His gaze moved over the jewel and stopped at Bryn’s eyes. The blue eyes, sprinkled now with silver starlight, looked back at him with determination. His heart leapt into his throat and without hesitation, he raised he sword above his head and called to the others gathered at the base of Bynack More:

  “For Alban and for Athebryn!”

  Above his head the voices of seventy dragons bellowed, “Athebryn!” The sound was as thunder in the still of night. The air was charged with energy, and the ground shook. The men and women gathered raised their swords and shouted to the stars. Bryn stepped out where the others could see her. She held out her arms, and the jewel began to change color. The deep red burst into shards replaced by a brilliant blue-white light. Beams from the jewel rose high into the sky. In a heartbeat Meydra was at Bryn’s back, her wings open wide. To her sides landed IronHeart and FireSong who tilted their heads back and released a plume of flame. For all standing there at the base of the hill, legend was no longer legend. The beacon who stood before them called to their hearts and they were glad.

  Bryn laughed. The children of Alban I will gladly give my life. She turned to Meydra and gave her a wink. I will ride now on my trusted Pymmar. Wait for my call, but remember, do not engage the humans.

  As you wish, Lady Athebryn, came the reply of many voices.

  Bryn mounted Pymmar and whispered in his ear. “Ride now, steady friend. Ride for the Loch. Step sure and swift and bring me to face my enemy.” Pymmar stamped his feet twice and set off on an unseen path. Bryn led the company away from Bynack More. She did not know what to expect from the Norse king. Her plan to send a message worked, but to what end, she wondered.

  We will be here waiting, Meydra said. We cannot harm the humans, but we can help deter them. Your plan will work and we, your companions, are ready.

  The helmsman approached Heardred. “We will make land by morning, my King.”

  “What is left of my son’s boat will be there on the sand. His blood mixed with the ashes,” Heardred told the captain at his side. “I want no one to touch that boat.”

  “As you command. Where do we move first, my King? North or south?”

  “I will decide once I have seen the evidence. I still doubt the existence of the beast. We will need horses before anything else. The villages nearest the inlet have all but given up horses. We will have to try one of the inland villages.” Heardred turned away from his captain and stared toward the land. “Does it matter where we strike first? We will have every last living thing begging for its life before we burn it all to the ground. This will be my island and no ram among sheep will keep me from taking it. Beast or no beast.”

  The men moved the oars through the water and though their hands were busy with the boat, their eyes strayed skyward. Heardred noticed. Despite that he doubted its existence, his men continued to search for the fell beast of Alban.

  Heardred was startled awake by the sound of gulls. His dreams, dark and foreboding, were filled with the sounds of wings on the wind, rushing in his ears. The gull’s cries heightened the anxiety he felt in his chest. He stretched his arms and legs and stood up. He looked toward the island. Three of his boats were already pushed up onto the sandy bank. His boat bounced about in the shallow surf, waiting to be moved onto the sand.

  “My sword,” Heardred shouted at a young man standing nearby.

  “My Liege,” the young man replied. He found the king’s sword and held it out for the king’s hand.

  “I will wait no longer!” Heardred shouted. He jumped off the boat and into the cool shallow water, the small waves hitting the back of his legs. He trudged through the water and stepped up onto the sand next to his two stepsons.

  “What are you waiting for?” Heardred asked. “What have you learned from this massacre?” Heardred walked around the burned-out shell of the boat. “Is this where Helstun died?”

  “No,” a voice behind Heardred said.

  Heardred turned to see his daughter Hansa. She carried what looked like
torn pieces of cloth in her hands. “The blood on this cloth is darker. My brother was not killed here.”

  “Bring me the toad that saw the beast with my son. Is there anything that can tell us who is responsible?”

  “There might be,” Heoroth replied. “We are still looking around.”

  Hygid nodded agreement. “We need a little time to acclimate to the land, my King. After a meal and a bit of rest we can start out to the villages.”

  Heardred drew his sword and stepped very close to Hygid. “We do not rest until we know what happened to Helstun. Do you understand me?”

  Hygid bowed. “Yes, sire. We do not have horses so the going will be slow.”

  Hansa pushed her way between Hygid and Heoroth. “Not as slow as you think, my pretended brothers. A band of fishermen was spotted just upriver from here. They have at least twenty horses.”

  “Daughter, you should have been born a man.”

  “No,” Hansa muttered under her breath. “That would leave me witless.”

  Heardred motioned to Heoroth. “Gather the men. We take the fishermen first.”

  Lothan led Betony’s men through the trees and toward the new village. He kept looking forward while his men continued to call out the distance of the Norsemen.

  “How many follow us?” Lothan said above the wind.

  “There are one hundred behind you.” Lothan looked up and saw his dragon, Demrahl.

  “Where are the others?”

  “They remain at the mouth of Inbhir Nis,” Demrahl said.

  “Have you sent word to Lady Athebryn?”

  “The Dragon Daughter rides now for Lochend. She will be there when you arrive.”

  Lothan leaned down and spoke in his horse’s ear. “Run now. The hounds of Hulda follow.” He urged his horse forward, never once looking back.

  Thalynder stood among archers of many realms. They gathered silently and waited for the demons from another country. The soldiers were restless. They spoke in whispers and speculated on the Norsemen. Thalynder walked among them and sighed deeply. They doubt, she thought. How can I make them see? She pushed back her cloak, revealing her family crest on the purple bodice that she wore over her chain mail. Walking out among the soldiers, she greeted their questioned faces with a smile and a soft touch on the arm. They are so young, she mused. Never have they had to defend their country. Never have they chosen to stand and fight. How many will die this day?

  Thalynder stopped at a small group of men speaking in hushed tones. As she approached, they turned. Among them were soldiers of her realm. They bowed their heads and touched their fists to their chests. Thalynder put her hand on the arm of one who wore a captain’s tunic.

  “Captain Joubert, it is good to see you here. Tell me, are your men ready to meet the Norsemen?”

  “We are ready to defend you and King Thamen,” Captain Joubert replied. “We are here at the king’s request.”

  Thalynder observed the men. Several wore the colors of The Realm That Touches Two Seas. She looked back at Joubert. “You are not here to defend Alban?”

  “Alban is not our charge, Your Highness.”

  “Not your charge. Is not your charge the safety and safekeeping of the Realm?”

  “It is.”

  “Is not The Realm That Touches Two Seas a realm on this island?”

  “It is.”

  “With your home on this island, how can you not feel a responsibility to the island as a whole?”

  “If we die, do we die for a realm several distant leagues to the south, or do we die for a Druid maid and a people we do not know?” a voice in the group asked.

  Thalynder drew her sword and placed the tip on the ground. She rested her hands on the hilt. “Let me tell you a story,” she started. “Before there was The Realm That Touches Two Seas, there was this island. It was populated by a simple people. Not simple in the mind, but simple in life. They lived for one another. They lived for the forests, the rivers, the animals. They lived because living was a gift.

  “Then one day the island was visited by a people from over the southern sea. The visitors wanted to take the island from the inhabitants, but instead they were shown another way to live. The inhabitants gave the southern half of the island to the visitors, and they lived side by side in peace for many years. The northern areas remained quiet, and the people continued to live in peace. The southern areas fought amongst themselves and eventually formed kingdoms and realms. A wall was built between the north and the south. The southern kingdoms built forts and walls, and the inhabitants grew suspect of anyone outside their own realm. But the people in the north remained open and friendly. They had no forts, no walls, and no kingdoms. They lived to care for each other and for the land.

  “Now, those people are fighting to keep their way of life. They are fighting to keep the raiders from over the seas from coming in and taking over the things they love, including their neighbors in the south. They care about those neighbors because they all live on the same island. They share the same land, breathe the same air, fish in the same seas. So tell me, do you think the Druids die for one of their own that wears a crown or do they die for their island and their way of life?”

  “Our country is this island. It belongs to all the inhabitants, northern and southern,” Teela said as she joined Thalynder. “You are my countrymen, no matter which realm or kingdom or clann you belong to. I am one of those people of the north, and I will fight side by side with you to protect my family and yours, my way of life and yours. It just happens that I follow a Druid with a crown as you follow a man with a crown. We are not so different.” Teela touched Thalynder’s arm. “We have heard from Lochend. The first riders have reached the village and the Norsemen are following. Some of the Norsemen remained at the mouth of the Nis. We may yet see some here at WestHill.”

  Thalynder patted Teela’s shoulder and turned to men of the south. “Who now do you die for?”

  “Alban!” many voices cried.

  “For kith and kin, fill your quivers, string your bows and harden your hearts to the enemy that approaches.”

  Lothan dismounted and closed the paddock gate. Ten horses, weary from the run, stood in the paddock and stamped the ground. Lothan walked over to the center broch and looked behind him at the forest. He could see the glint of armor in the trees, and he drew his sword to salute them. The glint disappeared as the archers withdrew into the shadows. The ten men separated into three groups, and each group entered a broch.

  Lothan entered the center broch with his men. Three men remained at the bottom of the broch while he climbed the stone block steps that led to the top. Midway, he closed a wooden door in the floor and moved several stones over the door. He continued to climb. As he reached the last block step, a hand appeared to help him up into the tower. Inside the tower a small pot full of peat stood in the center of the room. A window cut into the outer wall faced east, the direction the Norsemen would approach. When they lit the peat, it would shine a light as if the room was occupied. He smiled at the invention. He saw Arryn and Bryn standing close to a small stone stair that led to the roof of the broch…another of Bryn’s ideas.

  “Ten horses are in the paddock, Arryn. The rest are in the trees with the archers. My swordsmen are in the brochs.”

  Arryn patted Lothan on the back. “The Norsemen are close behind you. You did well.”

  “Heardred remains behind this group, and we need to draw him in,” Bryn said, looking at Arryn. “Tarnish his honor.”

  Arryn nodded. He went down to the middle door and removed the stones. Opening the door he called down to the men, “They come.”

  Bryn stood on the top of the tower and called to Meydra. Meydra dropped down and perched on the edge of the broch. “My Lady?”

  “I am at a crossroads.”

  “You can only take one path.”

  “Death comes, and I cannot stop it.”

  “It was always the case with these men,” Meydra said.

  “I promise
d the clanns to spare life.”

  “You will take only those that are necessary.”

  Keep Thalynder safe, mo anam. If I cannot be there to protect her, the dragons must.

  “Mediter and Meriel are with An Yun. Meriel will be my eyes and voice. I will know all that happens.”

  “Is the hatchling ready for this?”

  “She knows her place among the dragons. She understands all that I do.”

  Arryn stepped up on the roof and gave a quick nod to Meydra. “We are ready, Lady Athebryn.”

  Bryn pulled her cloak around her. “Let us join the others on the ground. We will meet the enemy on our terms, and we will be the fear in his heart.”

  King Heli, King Edmund, and Queen Betony sat on their horses looking out over the fields. A strange quiet lay over KirkHill. Betony’s people were secreted away in the cairns. The armies of the kings spread out between the brochs, the forests and the rock outcroppings. All waited for word that the Norsemen moved toward the village.

  King Edmund scanned the surrounding field. “If Lady Athebryn’s plan works we may not see the raiders here in KirkHill. I would rather have been where I could show my colors to the invaders.”

  “You will have a chance to do that, King Edmund,” Queen Betony told him. “Once those that traveled inland do not return, Heardred will raid the two villages. He is vengeful. He will not let his men die without a tribute.”

  “We will have our battle?” King Heli asked.

  “Yes. You will have your battle, and we will start a war.”

  Hansa watched her father issuing orders. He was best when angered, she mused. Now if only Hygid and Heoroth do not let him down. What a waste to be born a woman to a tribe of useless men. She wiped her hands on her tunic and picked up her small pack from the mud. She remained with her father, while the men from the first two boats pursued the Picts on horseback. If Hygid or Heoroth did not return, Heardred would mount a second attack. The horsemen headed west, which, as her father shouted, was not usual. Hygid only laughed and said he would stop them and take their horses to return to the king. Hansa felt the same aggravation her father did at Hygid’s foolhardiness. Hygid was always quick to act and slow to think.