The Dragoneer Trilogy

by Vickie Knestaut

  The hordesman’s grip on her arm closed like a shackle. The air grew still and nearly rang with the silent tension over the village.

  Trysten tugged at the man’s grip, and it tightened further. “You can’t do that! It’s the fighting season. You need my horde—”

  “As I have said,” Prince Aymon announced to the villagers gathered around, “the protection of Aerona will fall under the responsibility of my own personal horde until a new horde can be brought to Aerona. You will not—”

  “But I am…” Trysten began, and then let the words Dragon Lord fall silent, like the puff of warm, shimmering gas when a dragon failed to ignite a breath.

  “What you are is under arrest,” Prince Aymon said again with a nod.

  Murmurs erupted from among the crowd.

  “No!” Darin said. He slid down from the back of Lorga, landed awkwardly, then staggered a step before his brother caught him. “You can’t do that! It’s my fault! Not hers.”

  Darin rushed forward. As Trysten sucked in a breath, ready to call him off, a royal hordesman swung out a fist and caught the young man in the front of his shoulder as he ran past. Darin staggered, caught off balance. The hordesman on Prince Aymon’s left stepped forward, clamped a hand on Darin’s shoulder, and with a shove, drove him to his knees before he fell over and collapsed to the ground.

  The hordesman drew back his foot. Prince Aymon lifted his left hand, held it palm out and open near his shoulder. The hordesman paused, foot in the air behind himself.

  “That will be enough,” Prince Aymon said.

  The hordesman lowered his foot.

  Trysten watched as Darin relaxed. By the wilds, things were getting out of hand far quicker than she had intended.

  “Go home, Darin” Trysten said calmly. She then raised her gaze to Prince Aymon and glared. He may have won the hour, but he would not own the day.

  Darin pushed himself up from the ground and stepped away. The Prince lowered his hand, then gestured vaguely at Trysten. “Put her in irons. Take her to one of the tents and keep her under guard until I have completed my investigation. She is to receive no visitors. Is that clear?” Prince Aymon asked.

  “What?” Trysten snapped.

  The murmuring of the village escalated into excited chatter. A few people delivered catcalls in the Prince’s direction.

  As a second hordesman took her other arm and began to lead her toward the tents, Trysten glanced at Elevera, who watched through her large, brown eyes. Her head swept down in a low arc. She opened her mouth, baring her teeth. A lick of flame flashed over the hordesmen.

  Trysten shook her head. This had gone too far. Her responsibility was to protect the people of Aerona, not endanger them, and this was getting far too close to danger. She shook her head at Elevera again and silently commanded her to hold her ground for now.

  “Your Highness!” Tuse yelled out from the edge of the crowd. Without waiting for a response, he hurried over to the Prince. “Your Highness. Surely we can reach an understanding here. Though your men are certainly capable of protecting our village, you can see that Trysten has some unique abilities. And her hordesmen know this area. They know the terrain. There is not a group of people more qualified for the job than Trysten and her hordesmen.”

  Prince Aymon sneered. “And what is it, Village Overseer, that you would have them protect? The right to disobey a royal order? The right to disregard generations of tradition? It isn’t enough that she continually disobeys the orders of the court, but that she would take it a step further and recruit and train women? Is that the kind of dragoneer you want? One that will so easily part from the traditions and customs that have kept your village safe, out here, on the edge of the kingdom, for generations?”

  Tuse inhaled a deep breath and puffed up his chest. Anger colored his cheeks. His eyes flicked to Trysten then back to the Prince. “I gave her the village sword. She swore to protect our village. She returned that same sword after repelling two enemy attacks, not to mention taking prisoners and securing new dragons. I placed the safety of this entire village and all of its people in her hands. She and her hordesmen protected Aerona and the Cadwaller kingdom with their very lives. Can we say the same about you?”

  Tuse crossed his arms over his chest. “As Village Overseer, I demand you release her and reinstate her as Dragoneer this very instant.”

  Before Tuse had even finished, Prince Aymon began to shake his head.

  “You have my solemn word that when I present my case to the King, her service to your village and the kingdom will not go unmentioned, but I cannot allow someone who displays such disregard for the laws of the kingdom to serve in a leadership position. Your request, Village Overseer, is denied.”

  Prince Aymon turned away. He signaled for the hordesmen to continue. Trysten glanced at Tuse, met his eyes and wished that she could communicate her gratitude to humans as easily as she could communicate it to dragons. As she and the hordesmen escorting her approached the edge of the circle of onlookers, the villagers all stepped aside.

  Except for Mardoc.

  Trysten’s breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding as the Prince and the hordesmen stopped before her father. Though he had been a solid wall of a man that she once thought could fight an entire horde bare-handed, to Trysten he appeared tired and fragile leaning upon his staff with his twisted leg.

  Prince Aymon stopped. “Fallen, I assure you as well that your sacrifice will also be considered along with your daughter’s punishment.”

  “There will be no punishment,” Mardoc said with a slow shake of his head, straightening his back. At full height, he stood a head taller than the Prince. “You will release Trysten, or you and your men will be arrested for endangering the village during the fighting season.”

  Several tense heartbeats passed before a grin crept up Prince Aymon’s face. “Sir, I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who has served the kingdom, but I am afraid you may have injured your head as well as your leg. You do not have any authority in this situation. As Prince, I am here as a direct representative of the King’s will.”

  Mardoc gave another slight nod. “Be that as it may, neither my leg nor my mind will excuse me from the responsibilities I have accepted. Until my heart ceases to beat, regardless of my fortune or situation, I am sworn to protect this village. That is what it means to be Dragoneer, and as you well know, that responsibility, once accepted, knows no end.”

  “I have guaranteed you and your neighbors safety beneath my horde. I dare say that you are better off for it, for my hordesmen are the best of the kingdom, and not simply the best of the village.”

  “You are mistaken,” Mardoc said.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “If your horde had the best in the kingdom, then you would count my daughter among your hordesmen. No offense to your dragoneer, but if you had the best, then that title would be hers.”

  Trysten sucked in a tight breath. By the wilds, how awful this situation was turning. She dared not open her mouth, dared not say a word. She wanted to beg her father to step aside and let her go before he got in trouble as well, but she could not. She could not say that she was in the wrong, for to do so would be to admit fault in being the woman her parents had raised her to be.

  Prince Aymon clapped his hands together twice and let out a short bark of laughter that sounded more forced that he had probably intended. “A beautiful tribute to your daughter, Fallen. I am sure it will bring her great comfort when she reflects upon it during her imprisonment. Now, please step aside. I have no desire to bring further dishonor upon your family.”

  Mardoc stood a second longer, and then to Trysten’s great relief, he stepped aside and turned to the entrance of the weyr.

  “Paege!” Mardoc called out. “I believe you have a duty to perform.”

  Dragons streamed from the side door of the weyr. Trysten gasped as the colors and riders flew up over the crowd and circled overhead. The crowd of villagers cheered and a
pplauded.

  The Prince’s hordesmen quickly fell into a knot around Trysten. They stood with their backs to her and formed a circle, trapping her. Their hands went to the hilts of their swords.

  Out of the swirl of dragons, Sone dropped down and landed with a flush of deep red wings before the astonished Prince. The dragon lifted her head, straightened her neck, and let loose with a roar that became a gout of fire that blistered the air.

  Prince Aymon stepped back. His hand flashed to the hilt of his own sword.

  With a flick of his heel, Paege urged Sone to turn aside so that he could stare down at the Prince directly. He reached for his bow. A quill full of arrows bristled from Paege’s back. Whether or not he intended to use them, Trysten couldn’t say, but he, as well as the other Aerona hordesmen in the air, were armed for battle.

  “Prince Aymon of Cadwaller. You are holding our Dragoneer captive. As Commander of Aerona Weyr, I demand her immediate release.”

  Trysten pursed her lips tightly together and concentrated on keeping her hands from flying up to cover her mouth as she blinked away tears.

  “This is treason!” Prince Aymon yelled up at Paege. “You are threatening a prince of Cadwaller. I represent the will of the King. You cannot disobey my order!”

  Aymon’s face reddened with each word. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. In response, the royal hordesmen tightened their grips on their swords. A horde of dragon riders on foot with short swords would not stand a breath of a chance against a full horde on the wing, armed with bows and full quivers, but pride was a dangerous vulnerability, and it remained to see how much of it Prince Aymon carried with him.

  “I cannot allow my village to be endangered. We need our Dragoneer to ensure our safety. Release her now, and I will allow your men to leave,” Paege responded.

  The Prince released his grip on the hilt of his sword, but kept his hand near the weapon as he stepped forward.

  Sone lowered her head as if taking offense at the Prince’s proximity. She stood ready to warn him off with another burst of fire if needed.

  “If you truly cannot allow your village to be endangered, Commander, then I suggest you allow my men and I to proceed with our business without interruption. Do you honestly think you can get away with this? I have the might of the entire kingdom backing me. Now I tell you once more, as I say to all in this village,” Prince Aymon said as he spun around slowly, projecting his voice to the crowd, “stand down. Do not interfere with the King’s business. Otherwise, you may consider yourselves enemies of the kingdom. Do I make myself clear?”

  A hush fell over the village broken only by the whoosh of dragon wings as the horde circled above.

  Trysten glanced at the hordesmen around her, at the people in the crowds. A collective breath remained held as both sides waited for someone to blink. The Prince and his hordesmen could not stand against the village, but indeed, the village could not stand against the kingdom he represented.

  Something had to be done.

  Trysten stepped forward. To her surprise, none of the hordesmen tried to grab her. Instead, each remained poised, ready for battle, ready to defend the Prince.

  She called out for Prince Aymon.

  He glanced over his shoulder, but would not look away from Paege for more than a heartbeat.

  “Move,” Trysten grunted, then shoved her way past the hordesmen. As they tried to contain her, Prince Aymon waved them off with a flick of his hand.

  “We have to put a stop to this,” Trysten said as she stepped up to the Prince’s side.

  “Order your commander to step down,” Prince Aymon said, his voice low enough that only Trysten might hear.

  Trysten opened her mouth, ready to ask how it would be possible for her to have a commander while not being a dragoneer, but she buried the snide remark. It wouldn’t help the situation. Instead, she said, “We have to find a way to work this out together. We can’t afford to allow this situation to come to blows. We have a common enemy. We have to be united against the Western Kingdom.”

  Prince Aymon gave a snort. “United? You are but one village in a vast kingdom. I believe our family’s throne will survive the fall of Aerona.”

  “Even if Aerona falls at the hands of the very people sworn to protect it? You’ve talked to our hordesmen. You’ve heard them tell of the Western Kingdom, of their change in tactics, of the devastation of Hollin. You have seen the sword. You know that something is going on in this corner of the kingdom that is not happening elsewhere.”

  Prince Aymon barely glanced at Trysten, but it was enough for her to know that she had hit a nerve.

  “Please,” Trysten said. “Stay as our guests. Finish your investigation. We will cooperate fully, but you must not stand in our way.”

  Prince Aymon shook his head. “Stand in your way? So that you can make a show of disobeying the King’s will? You do not understand. Your crimes cannot go unanswered. Our family has ruled this kingdom for generations because we were able to enforce the law when others weren’t. The law is what we stand upon. Without it, we are lost.”

  “And so if you stood upon the slope of the mountains in the west, and you were to see an avalanche approaching, would you stand upon your stone, defend your rock against the whole mountain falling upon you?”

  Prince Aymon glanced at her again. “It is not the same.”

  “Isn’t it?” Trysten asked.

  Prince Aymon did not respond. Paege’s hand crept slightly closer to the bow hooked to his saddle.

  “All right,” Trysten said. “I will make you a deal. Stay and finish your investigation, but allow me to see to the village’s defense. At the end of the fighting season, I will turn myself over willingly to the judgment of the King’s court.”

  Prince Aymon raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Trysten. “Do you expect so readily to die in battle?”

  Trysten’s brow furrowed. “No. I plan to live through the fighting season, and to fight the next.”

  Prince Aymon looked her over as if she were someone he had just met. “You surprise me. Why would you agree to that, then?”

  “Because I am the Dragoneer. I protect my village as I protect the kingdom, and right now, both are under threat. Help me stop this, Aymon. Agree to my deal. You will not get a better offer, because I have nothing else to offer. You know as well as I do that this village will not let me go today.”

  “Do you give me your word? Will you swear to me that you will give yourself up for judgment at the end of the fighting season?”

  Trysten nodded once. “You have my word.”

  The fight relaxed from Prince Aymon’s posture. He released his grip on his sword and nodded to Paege. Paege glanced at Trysten, then gripped the lip of his saddle.

  Prince Aymon turned to Trysten. “I have never in my life doubted the word of a dragoneer. You will not give me cause to start, Trysten of Aerona.”

  Trysten took a few heartbeats to parse out his meaning. Was he saying that she wouldn’t break her word because she was a dragoneer, or that she wasn’t a dragoneer, and so he didn’t expect her to keep her word?

  Before she could ask, Prince Aymon turned to his men and gave a quick, swiping gesture with his left hand. The hands of the hordesmen dropped from their hilts. “We have reached an agreement with the village of Aerona,” Prince Aymon said. “We will continue our investigation, but we will no longer interfere with the operations of the village. Return to the tents.”

  The men dipped their heads and marched off at a fast clip.

  Trysten turned to Paege. She couldn’t hide the grin on her face as she stared up at him. His courage, there upon the back of Sone, ready to take on the entire Cadwaller army if it meant defending his Dragoneer was more than she had ever expected from anyone.

  Despite his efforts to look menacing and formidable, a grin teased at the corner of his lips. Rather than allow him to struggle with it, Trysten gave the gesture for the horde to return to the weyr. He conveyed it to the dragons circ
ling overhead, and then Sone leaped into the air for the short hop back to her stall.

  Prince Aymon nodded to her, and then followed his men back to their tent, while the people of Aerona let out a great cheer that doubtlessly was heard by the cutting party halfway to the Wilds, and possibly even by Rast, deep in the forests in search of a translator.

  The villagers rushed forward, and despite her protest, Trysten was lifted to the shoulders of the crowd. She laughed as the village hailed its true Dragoneer.

  II

  The Hidden

  Chapter 22

  Trysten jumped when a knock sounded on the door of her den. She had been standing against the far wall staring through the warped window into the gray light of dawn. “Come in.”

  The door opened and Paege entered. “Did you speak to the night watch?”

  Trysten pushed herself away from the wall and walked to her table. “No. Why?”

  Paege passed through the antechamber and into the den. The floor creaked beneath his boots as he stepped up to the other side of the table. “He says that one of the royal hordesmen left last night, in the dark, on the back of a dragon.”

  Trysten nodded. She had expected as much.

  Paege leaned forward and placed his hands upon the edge of the table. “How much can you trust Aymon?”

  She shrugged. “He gave me my den back.”

  The joke fell flat as Paege continued to stare at her. “He’s calling for reinforcements. We outflanked him yesterday, but if it was a fair fight, if they had been on dragons, it may not have turned out that way.” He stood upright.

  “It wouldn’t be a fair fight. I would have the royal dragons in a matter of minutes. The Prince knows it, too.”

  Paege lifted an eyebrow. “He knows?”

  Trysten nodded. “He knows. He knew about the dragonslayer sword. Muzad said something about it being genuine. If they know about the swords, then it’s not a stretch to imagine that they know the lore too.”