Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III
Page 72
Something must have happened that night that Aurim had noticed Toma. Perhaps Toma had lost control of the knife. Aurim probably recalled now. If Cabe survived . . .
“Jussst a little longer,” Toma continued, oblivious to the intense interest Kyl now had in what he was saying. “Jussst a little longer and then he would have been emperor. I could have been introduced to him ssslowly, firssst as Benjin Trassske, his advisor, and then asss myssself.”
Someone would have had to pave the way for that to happen. Cabe looked up at Grath, who was growing uncomfortable. That was why Toma needed Grath. Kyl had always looked to his brother for advice; if the younger drake recommended leniency, even a position of importance for the renegade, Cabe did not doubt for one moment that the new emperor would eventually grant the duke both.
How long after would Toma be all but emperor? Could Kyl not see what Toma’s plans would ultimately mean?
Cabe was not quite certain how he hoped to end this situation, but he knew that much of it rested on Kyl now. The heir was obviously neither the steady ally nor the outright pawn the mage had expected him to be. If Kyl no longer supported Toma . . . “Kyl, the Dragon Kings will never accept Toma. Ask Blue what they think of him. You already know how Lord Green feels about him. When I spoke of the danger to your ascension, I was referring to this. If you support Toma-and have no doubts that even if I should remain silent, the Dragon Kings will discover what happened today at the Manor-they will reject you.” The warlock shrugged. “Some might not-I suspect that Toma has support from some quarter-but that will only mean a potential civil war among your kind. I can’t allow that to happen. The fate of the drakes is tied to the fate of my kind as well.”
Kyl brooded on this in silence, which Cabe took as a good sign and Toma, it appeared, took as the opposite. The drake turned toward his supposed emperor and, forcing himself to remain calm, again pointed at the warlock. “Subtle wordsss in their own way, my brother, but surely you sssee what lies beneath them?” At the heir’s puzzled look, Toma quickly continued, “He says give in to the Dragon Kingsss in this and give in to the Dragon Kings in that. He tellsss you not to be a ssstrong emperor, but rather a weak puppet of theirs, fearful of offending them. Let them sssee you back down once and they will make you back down again and again! You will be an emperor in name only. A mockery to be paraded around whenever they have need to impressss the humansss. It will be Black, Ssstorm, and the others who will dictate and it will be you who obeysss!”
As opposed to you giving him sage advice, Toma? The trouble was, there was something to what the duke had said, just enough, in fact, to lend credence to his warning. It was clear that Kyl thought so, too, for his face took on a troubled expression, as if Toma had reminded him of something he had already feared.
The renegade drake saw that he had touched a nerve and pushed his advantage. “It wasss what they tried to do to our father, Kyl, but he persssevered . . . at leassst until they entirely abandoned him.” Toma’s tone grew sad. “They tried to overthrow him, but when that failed, they turned their backs on him in his hour of need. Left him to be driven mad by the very human before you! That isss the thing you mussst truly remember, my brother and my liege! The creature resssponsible for the fall of our father, our emperor, ssstands before you now spouting lies!”
Kyl raised a hand, silencing everyone. He rose from the throne and peered down at both the duke and the warlock. The heir’s expression was unreadable. He clasped his hands behind his back, then glanced at Grath, who had remained by Valea all this time. Cabe did not like the way the younger drake held his daughter so possessively. He was almost willing to swear that Grath was obsessed with her, which would be yet another thing he had failed to notice during the past several years. What have I been doing all this time? There were obviously many things he had failed to notice and realizing that now did not in any way assuage his guilt. Should this situation somehow be resolved, Cabe swore that he would be more careful . . . and more caring. How much of what Toma had accomplished might have been avoided if the warlock had not suffered from his own prejudices against drakes?
Kyl faced him again. “There isss much merit in what you sssay, Massster Bedlam, but at the sssame time, there isss much, even you will admit, to what the duke saysss. Asss emperor, I will have to make decisions on mattersss far more complex than even thisss. I mussst consider what ssserves bessst. I cannot be weak, but I cannot try to be too ssstrong, for that, alssso, hasss itsss dangers. I mussst learn to heed the advice of many,” here the heir indicated Grath, Toma, and Cabe, “but make the final choice basssed on my own evaluation of the sssituation.”
Triumph returned to Duke Toma’s expression and Cabe could not blame him for reacting so. While Kyl’s words impressed upon the warlock the fact that the drake would make a more able emperor than he had once supposed, the tone left little guesswork as to his decision regarding Toma.
“I will not bend to the Dragon Kingsss. With or without an official coronation, they mussst learn that I am emperor. They mussst accept my decisions. Lessst they think that I will have no sssupport without them, the duke hasss informed me that the legionsss of the drake confederation will act as my handsss. They are more than a match in number to any Dragon King’s army.”
At this revelation, Toma hissed in dismay. Cabe, on the other hand, found it interesting that Kyl would reveal such a secret. It was almost as if he was trying to warn the warlock.
The confederation. After the debacle with the Silver Dragon, survivors of those clans without a Dragon King had finally banded together, first slowly and then quicker and quicker as the benefits of an independent “clan” became clear. They held lands to the west and, if the rumors were true, kept on fairly good terms with the human kingdoms there. However, among the clans of their kind, they had no recognized status. The backing of the emperor, even an embattled one, would give them some recognition in the eyes of both the drake and human races.
No doubt Toma had presented it to their leaders in much that way.
Kyl looked at his brother, who appeared almost as upset as the renegade, then returned his gaze again to Cabe. He nodded slightly to the wary sorcerer. “I have made my decision. If you have no other reassson for being here, then thisss audience isss at an end.”
That suited Toma. Recovering from his consternation, he started to point at Ursa, no doubt to tell her that the warlock was to be escorted out now. Cabe, however, did not give him the chance to speak.
“You know that I can’t leave yet, Kyl. Even if I grant you all that you say, I can’t leave here without my daughter.”
Grath held Valea’s arm in an even tighter grip. Toma backed up a step. Kyl, oddly enough, did not seem put out by the demand.
“I once thought to make her mine,” he began almost apologetically. “She doesss fassscinate me, Massster Bedlam. I would have treated her like a queen.”
“But not an empress. At the very least, Kyl, as emperor you would have to take one of your own kind to be your prime mate, the matriarch of the hatching chambers.” Dragon Kings took several mates, mostly because many eggs were either sterile or were damaged before the young could hatch. Young drakes also often perished in their first several months.
“True.” Kyl stared long at Valea. There was something more than fascination in his eyes. Cabe was unnerved by the notion of the heir actually caring for his daughter.
“Give me back my daughter, Kyl, and I promise you I won’t interfere in whatever comes of your fight for the throne. Leave my family alone-make him leave my family alone-and we will remain distant.”
Toma gave him a mocking look. “I find that a-”
“I agree to your termsss.”
Duke and warlock stilled. Cabe could hardly believe his ears. Kyl was giving up one of his strongest cards so easily? Without Valea as his prisoner, his hold on the Bedlams was almost nothing. Under the same circumstances, Toma would have laughed in the warlock’s face and threatened the young witch unless Cabe and the re
st of his family agreed to obey the renegade.
The differences between Toma and Kyl were becoming more and more evident with each passing moment.
Grath would have none of his brother’s promise. “Kyl, are you insssane? Give her up? I-you cannot do that! Think of what you are saying!”
Toma, too, was incensed. “Lisssten to your brother, Your Majesty! If you give up the female, what’s to ssstop the mage from trying to bring you down next?”
“His word.” Kyl, sounding a bit tired, gave Cabe a polite smile. “In all the yearsss I have known Massster Bedlam, he hasss rarely broken his word, and thossse times were not generally by choice. Thisss time, I know he will hold to his word, becaussse he truly does want peace. Ssso do I, Massster Bedlam. After all this, I mossst definitely do.” He reached a hand in the direction of the ensorcelled woman. “She isss yoursss, with no ssstrings, no tricksss, involved. I ssswear this by both my sssire and the throne of the Dragon Emperor.”
Cabe found that he believed him. It hardly seemed possible, but he could find nothing in the heir’s manner to make him suspect a ploy of some sort. Kyl wanted to release Valea to him.
Unfortunately, the emperor-to-be’s brother did not feel so. Still holding Valea by the arms, he turned with wild eyes to Toma. “He can’t do that! It would ruin everything!”
Toma was seething, his breathing an audible hiss. Yet, he restrained himself where Grath could not. In a very quiet, overly calm voice, he told the young drake, “He isss our emperor, Grath. He may do asss he pleases. Release the female from the ssspell and let her go to her father.”
Grath was aghast. He had clearly not expected such words from the duke. It was only with effort that Kyl’s brother slowly released his grip on Valea. He did not step away, however, instead continuing to stand uncomfortably close while he began to unravel the spell he had cast on her.
For the first time since Cabe had followed the drakes to the cavern, his daughter was able to act of her own accord. He expected her to come running to him, but instead, she suddenly whirled on Grath, who resembled, of all things, a forlorn lover, and slapped the drake hard on the cheek.
“That is the least you deserve!” she snapped. Ignoring him from there on, Valea turned to Kyl. Unlike her tone when speaking to Grath, the young witch’s manner was now cool yet polite. “Thank you for doing this, Your Majesty.”
Kyl’s expression shifted, indicating that he would have preferred a slap.
Moving a bit unsteadily, Valea made her way to the steps of the dais. She carefully avoided descending anywhere near Duke Toma. The drake clasped both hands behind his back in a manner reminiscent of Kyl’s earlier stance, but in the renegade’s case, it was evidently more to assure that she need not fear him trying to grab her.
As she neared the bottom, Valea’s expression finally turned to joy. Cabe could not keep the happiness from his own face.
“Father!” Valea cried as she began to hurry across the remaining distance. At the edge of his vision, the warlock caught Kyl staring directly at him. His attention was pulled somewhat away from his returning daughter. Had he not known better, he would have sworn that the drake was trying to tell him something, but it could not be what Cabe thought it was.
Valea stretched out her arms to hug him. Forgetting Kyl for the moment, Cabe opened his own arms to receive her.
“No! You cannot!”
The horrified voice was Grath’s, but he was not protesting his brother’s decision again, rather something that Toma was doing.
Cabe cursed silently for forgetting the duke even for as long as the blink of an eye. As his gaze snapped back to the renegade, something flashed in his direction.
His first thought was Toos!, despite the differences between what had happened in Penacles and what was happening now. Cabe only knew that a knife-no, the knife-was hurtling toward his daughter. Everything around him slowed as the warlock threw Valea to the ground. He knew that his shield would not hold against the ensorcelled blade. Toma would not, of course, have forgotten the original use of the object that had controlled his shaping spell. A knife was made to be used. Trust Toma to ever remember that.
Cabe tried to transport them away, but for some reason, his spell failed. He had no time to consider the reason. Cabe Bedlam now fully expected the blade to strike him and knew that, at long last, Duke Toma would have his death. The drake would not have thrown the knife if he had not been certain of the results. Cabe threw himself onto Valea and closed his eyes, wondering just what form his death would take. From a blade magicked by Toma, it would not be a painless one.
Valea gasped as she struck the floor. Cabe’s shoulder scraped against stone, but the pain was muted by the realization that he had suffered no other injury. No knife had sunk into his side.
Rolling onto his back, he discovered the sinister blade frozen in the air above him. From where it floated, the warlock estimated it would have struck him squarely in the back. The thought was an unsettling one even despite the knowledge that he had in some way escaped.
The reason for his survival stood gasping at the top of the dais. Grath, face covered in sweat, had one hand stretched toward the blade. From the look on his face, he was struggling with something. It slowly dawned on the warlock that Kyl’s brother was still battling the magical knife.
Kyl, furious, had taken a step toward Toma. “Ssso thisss isss an example of your loyalty! Ssso thisss isss a sssign of your complete obedience!”
Toma said nothing, but abruptly glanced at the dark blade.
The knife spun around and flew toward the top of the dais.
Kyl gasped and raised a hand to protect himself, but too late he realized that he was not the intended target.
Grath stared round-eyed as the blade sank deep into his chest, too stunned by the swiftness of what had happened to scream.
“Interfering little fool!” growled the renegade.
Bright orange flame enveloped the younger drake. Grath was outlined but a moment as he started to fall . . . then the knife pulled away and flew back to the claws of Toma, leaving the unfortunate drake a sprawled form on the dais.
“You . . . murdered . . . Grath!” Kyl, his eyes darting from the corpse of his brother to the knife nestled in the renegade’s hand, clenched his fists and took yet another wary step toward Toma. “I gave you sssanctuary! I protected you and thisss-”
Duke Toma gently wiped the blood from his blade. He eyed the heir and hissed. “No more gamesss, Your Majesty. Do you think that I do not know what you were planning? Have you forgotten how well I know all of you? I know how you think; I know how you plot. I saw your eyes when you ssspoke to the human. I read the truth in there.” Toma toyed with the knife. “I know just how secure my place with you would have been once she was safe in the care of the warlock.”
Cabe and Valea had risen, with the mage shielding his less-experienced daughter. Ursa joined them. Watching the duke, the warlock whispered, “Valea, get ready to transport the two of you away when I say to. We don’t dare do it until Toma’s fully occupied. Otherwise, he could easily pull you back.”
She looked astounded. “I’m not leaving you, Father!”
“We don’t have time to argue! He-”
“Hasss heard everything, Cabe Bedlam!” Duke Toma backed away from them all, the knife still at the ready. There was a strained look in his eyes and Cabe, who had already wondered about the renegade’s instability, knew that Toma had nearly reached the brink. He could no longer tolerate the slightest interference with his dreams. Grath’s death was proof of that, and now the duke had even turned on the one being who might have given him succor.
“Ssso much work for nothing . . .” muttered Toma. “So many yearsss wasted on raising an unfit hatchling for what should have been mine in the first place. I had my doubtsss time and time again, but the promissse was still there.”
Kyl worked to keep his own temper in check again. “Toma, if you sssurrender now, I will give you a jussst judgment.”
It was now or never. Cabe leaned toward his daughter and whispered. “Leave! Now!”
She hesitated for a moment, but knew he was correct to send Ursa and her away. It was fast coming to the point where Toma would talk no more, and that left little other choice but battle. Valea was aware that she especially would be more hindrance against the drake than help. At least she could go for aid.
The only trouble was . . . she did not disappear. Neither did Ursa.
Toma ignored Kyl for the moment and smiled at the two humans from within his false helm. “Did you think I had not consssidered thisss eventuality? I am Toma! I led my father’s forces. I planned his campaigns! How sssimple, then, to consider the possibility that a wavering, would-be ruler would waver the wrong direction or that my foes might come to this very sssanctum! How simple, alssso, to plan ahead, come here, and leave a few sssurprises. You will not be leaving.”
Darkhorse! Cabe called in his mind. Darkhorse! I need you!
His silent cry could not go beyond the cavern walls.
“You are alone. Cut off,” Toma informed him needlessly.
“What do you hope to gain by this? You’ve lost everything already, Toma! Kyl’s offered you a fair judgment. It’s the best you can do now.”