“You mean a spy who keeps secrets from people he claims to be helping?”
“Aside from being your brother, yes, that too: which is something you need right now,” she said, still nudging Agne toward the mezzanine. “Grayling, get your rider, now,” she said as loud as she could while still being quiet, before looking at Agne. “And please remember, without trusted spies you will rule for about ten minutes before someone takes over.”
“She went with Zhao, I can come without her," Grayling said looking at Agne and not her aunt.
They walked toward Marut’s room. "No, everyone will notice if your rider is out there walking. Agne, you must trust us. Marut will help you. He already has."
"I will take good care of you, Princess," Marut said, cheerfully, but the downcast look on his face suggested that her lack of confidence in him hurt his feelings.
There was a loud gong from downstairs.
"They’re here, go…now," Ty-Leah hissed, as she shoved them through the secret bookcase, shutting it.
Agne could still hear Ty-Leah ordering Grayling to go pick up his rider immediately and make sure Zhao stays at the temple for now. They couldn’t have the King’s troops finding him. She heard Grayling leave, and her aunt head down the staircase.
Marut nudged her with the tip of his tail and whispered, "Princess, we really should be leaving, right now." She felt his tail curl around hers, and he gently pulled her down the staircase. He paused and motioned for silence, pointing with a long diamond claw toward the wall.
They were on the first floor. She could hear her father’s guards talking on the other side of the wall. She knew one of the voices. It was Loutic, and if he was here, then Chactau was too. She knew they were a Fire/Earth Dragon partnership. Together the two were as powerful as her father in their dragon magic.
Too bad they were diehard loyalists to him. With their help, this coup would be an easy one. But, that was probably why father sent them. They were smart, and they missed little regarding intelligence that would help her father. They no doubt would find her bed in her aunt’s den. She said a silent prayer for her aunt’s and the pup’s safety. She shouldn’t have come here. It was foolish.
"Minister, we already know Queen Airyanna sent the princess here. We intercepted your return eagle." She was sure it was Loutic’s voice.
"I don’t know what you mean. It must be a ruse to mislead you because we have not seen her. If she left when you said, then she should have been here by now. Has anyone in town seen her? Perhaps she didn't know where my barn was?" Ty-Leah's voice was muffled through the wall, but Agne could hear the concern in it. "May I ask why you think my sister sent her here?”
"You may not," The other voice said, turning harsh. She wondered if it was Chactau. For a second she thought it was her father, but the tone was not one she recognized as her father’s tone.
"Does anyone have any idea where Agne..."
"I am sure you mean the Princess. I am also sure you didn’t mean to address her Highness in common form. And if we knew where she was, we would not be looking for her. Would we?" Loutic’s voice came off calm but frigid as it always was. It surprised her that he didn’t roar ice shards with his aloof and cold demeanor, it was the opposite of what a Fire Dragon frequently embraced as a personality trait.
"I am sure I mean my one and only niece. The one missing. Do we have any intelligence she is even all right? Are the rumors true? Was she kidnapped right out of the castle by a human? I heard terrible things about the other princesses. We have received many eagles from both North and South Dragons Ridge."
"I am sure you did. The King wishes the new Crown Princess to be returned to her home. Meanwhile, if you would post this flyer for us," Chactau said, with an equally chilling coolness in his voice.
And, mother wanted him to become her betrothed?
"It's a beauty contest, for a future queen. You don’t really expect to find a suitable bride in that manner, do you?" Her aunt’s voice sounded disgusted. As if it were a stupid thing to do.
Agne didn’t think so, she knew how pageants worked. You had to be on topic, better than everyone else– who also wanted to win and would be prepared to do so. In short: they would find out really quickly who was qualified to be queen and who wasn’t. The thing that caused her heart to skip a beat was why did her father need a new queen.
"Read the whole thing you hag." The voice was indistinguishable from Loutic’s or Chactau’s.
She heard Loutic laugh a small huff. “He doesn’t need a queen; he needs a mother for a fresh batch of pups.”
"Get out," Ty-Leah said in a low, dangerous tone of voice. "Get out of my barn, now!"
"Oh, we will leave once we have searched everything. Go see what you two can find,” the indistinguishable voice said.
Could the third one be her father? It sounded like him, but at the same time, it didn’t sound anything like him.
The other troops had been so silent that Agne hadn’t even realized they were there until she heard them move.
She heard Loutic and Chactau say “Yes, Majesty.” Her blood froze in her veins. “By the Holy Elemental Powers, Father is here.” She mouthed the words to Marut, who put his paw up to be quiet.
Agne could hear them walking up the stairs. It sounded like Ty-Leah was crying. Why would she cry? She wanted to find out what would make her proud aunt cry in front of a king she considered the enemy. She was also dying to know what happened to her mother. It was taking all her senses to keep from clawing through the wall and asking why a new queen was needed.
She felt her tail being tugged by Marut, with a pleading look on his face, mouthing the words, “We have to go, now!” She nodded and followed him down and into the tunnel. They didn't speak until they got out. Grayling was waiting there, with his rider and Zhao.
Zhao smiled, he seemed rather pleased with himself in the saddle, holding Grayling's rider around the waist. “Retea and I were just walking back. We got lucky.”
"Zhao. They are looking for us,” Agne said, trotting up to them, with Marut close to her side.
"I know, Grayling found us as we were finishing up at temple,” he said, still holding tight to Retea’s waist.
Marut frowned, “Didn’t the Minister tell you to have Zhao stay at the temple?”
Ignoring Marut, Grayling craned his neck to look at Zhao, "I know an area by a shallow lake. We can stay there for a bit to hide." He took off, "Fly very low, we don’t want to get some altitude until we are further away from the village and can reach the clouds. Hey, Marut, that is a priceless artifact." He lifted off, heading toward the northwest, glancing at Marut’s horn ring.
Marut was smiling with the crown on his left horn. "A priceless artifart is more like it," he said, jumping in the air to follow them.
His white wings seemed to disappear against the gray morning sky as he hovered a second above Agne, who was giving him a disapproving look.
He offered a cockeyed grin. "She slipped it to me as we were leaving. I didn’t steal it. Finding that crown there would be a signal for them to look deeper. Plus, the rest of the religious crap he would attach to finding it. And, let’s remember that Grayling has disobeyed orders. An eye of caution in his direction may be necessary. Because I am sure, he was supposed to leave Zhao in the safe care of the Air priests. Not have him possibly captured while Grayling paraded through the village with an additional rider: for all to see."
Agne nodded and smiled, jumping up to fly next to Marut. It felt good to have friends and even better to have a brother. No one had ever casually used the word fart or crap in front of her, or cared enough to point out discrepancies in orders.
"You know, Marut, even if it is a dud, the evil that has been done in pursuit of it should be respected. Are you sure you want that thing tainting your horns?"
Maybe Aunt Ty-Leah’s right, Marut is just a soldier following orders; but whose orders, because it clearly wasn’t Father’s or Aunt Ty-Leah’s. Could it be Mother’s? What were the
odds she would happen upon her secret brother in the woods? She had been told the framework for a coup was in order. Perhaps mother had been closer to her son than Ty-Leah thought.
"I'll take it off when I get there. I put it there because I have no packs to put it into. Speaking of that I hope they don't upset my tea set. It is the last thing I have that belonged to my parents." He looked back at the forest, Blue Valley was now in the distance as they raced away. “My real parents,” he corrected.
“I am sure they won’t bother it, why would they?”
Grayling hung back to fly next to them, “Unclaimed saddle gear.”
“What’s that got to do with it,” Zhao asked.
Retea answered. “Only three of the dragons living there have riders. I just hope the nanny was able to put your gear with the pups’ stuff and get that purple saddle hidden.”
“Okay, so Air Dragon riders don’t keep extra gear,” Zhao said, smiling.
“Minimalism is an Air trait, but don’t worry, I am half Fire, so you can have extra gear.” Agne looked down as the mountains gave way to rolling hills.
“Good,” Zhao said, giving Retea a squeeze around the waist.
Grayling focused his eyes forward as he said, “Maybe they’ll be able to convince the guards that they are trying to prep the pups for rider training. I remember those Blood King loyal dragons from when they burned East Blue Ridge and South Aquaqueia. They aren’t easily fooled and have yet to be defeated.”
Marut flew just below Agne, matching her wing strokes. “Let’s just pray that your aunt is able to hold them off long enough to get away.”
“Actually, the green and brown dragon, Chactau, is the son of the general who assisted in the burning of those villages. He’s not much older than us,” Agne said thinking it was too bad she had never formally met him. He had sounded so loyal to her father. Could he be turned? It was too big of a risk.
Once they were a safe distance from the village, they landed and allowed Zhao to change dragons. It was the Yellow Foothills of the mountain range that led up to Blue Valley, going north. She could tell because of the trees. They weren’t tropical. Tall hardwoods surrounded them. Several were covered with fragrant yellow spring blooms that gave the valley it’s official name- Yellow Hollow.
“But I don’t have a saddle,” he objected. “She’s an Air Dragon, no one can ride them bareback. The King said so.”
Marut snorted, blowing some leaves away. “Are you serious? Since when do you care about the King’s opinion?”
Zhao shrugged, then slid off the saddle, walking over to Agne.
Retea smiled at him. “Then this is your first lesson for being an Air Dragon rider – you must be able to ride bareback. It’s a rite of passage for all Air Dragon riders to show off their skills without the saddle.”
Zhao shook his head. “What’s a Fire rider skill?”
She ignored him. “And, you must do so within the first month of taking the oath. South Dragons Ridge is a human Fire village that is why they have a hard time mastering bareback training. I learned playing Castle Tower with Grayling when I was five.”
“There are only four dragons, who serve the king, in South Dragons Ridge. They don’t have riders.”
She continued to counter his excuses. “Here, you won’t find that. Here, you will find riders who have mastered the bow on bareback, using only their legs to hold on.”
“What, how?”
“You’re a Water Wizard, connect your legs with her blood water, you’ll be able to hold on just fine, and conquer that block that is keeping you from using your magic. Trust me, the threat of falling off a dragon in flight will spur your magic on.”
Marut giggled, “I could help him train for the first few rounds.”
Zhao pursed his lips and furrowed his brow at Marut. “I don’t think so.”
Agne smiled and wagged her tail. “I’ll be careful, just hang on to my horns and slide up further on my neck.” She was sure she had read that somewhere.
Zhao smiled as she bent down low for him. He climbed on. It felt strange, like she had a scarf on that was too tight. “Ready,” she asked when she felt his hands grasp the base of her horns, pulling himself up further on her neck. She would have to remember not to look up too fast: she didn’t want to stab him with her horns.
“No, but you may proceed anyway.”
They took off again, still heading northwest when something occurred to Agne as they flew over a small lake. “Where are we going again, a shallow lake?” Her aunt said to connect with a Water Dragon near the mountains, Marut was right. This was the second-time Grayling had gone against her aunt. So; whose orders was he following? For crying out loud, the only one she could trust was Zhao, who was too far outside of his element – in more ways than one to be able to help.
She couldn’t believe the level of maneuvering that was happening because both of these dragons were following someone else’s orders. There was definitely a well-planned coup underway. She hoped she would survive long enough to get into hiding – and stay there.
Grayling nodded, “Yes, but not that one. I have a very remote one with a special type of cover to hide us. Additionally, it is someplace the guards will not look for you because you’re also a Fire Dragon. It is also a place that they can’t coerce out of your aunt because she doesn’t know we’re here.”
“There is a huge tactical difference between cover and concealment,” Marut said, frowning.
“What’s the difference?” Agne asked, thinking that the words seemed interchangeable.
Zhao leaned forward, hugging his legs tighter on her. “Cover is being hidden and protected by whatever you are hiding behind, concealment isn’t protective, it just hides you. So, Grayling, does it provide cover or concealment?”
“Cover, you’ll see when you get there,” Grayling said, smiling. “I would say the Princess made a better choice for her rider and friend than I first thought.”
CHACTAU AND TY-LEAH
Chactau acted like he didn’t see Ty-Leah standing over a hatch in the rider’s quarters. He hoped no one else would notice. He moved over to help block the view a bit. The princess was here; he was sure of it, or at least, she had been.
Ja Hua hadn’t spoken to him again. Her back was to him now. She appeared to be concentrating on what the King was doing – upheaving everything and sniffing it for any sign of his daughter. He kept complaining about smelling the queen’s pup, but it wasn’t Agne. It would be easy for Air Dragons to mask a scent, and there was a whole barn full of them. This was a useless, wasteful, display that showcased desperation.
Chactau scowled. He couldn’t believe his father wanted him to marry into the royal family. They were all lunatics. He saw Ty-Leah move to say something, and he glanced over his shoulder making eye-contact with her. He glanced at the hatch she was standing on, and mouthed “quiet.” Her eyes widened, and she stood still, closing her mouth.
The King paused his searched. “Chactau, Loutic. What did that guard say? He must have been telling the truth. Go find this shallow lake and see if he was able to lead her there. I want her rider killed at once. I want his head hollowed out for a chamber pot. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Majesty.” They left the barn and flew off toward the northwest.
It was time for him to decide which side he was on. No, he already knew what side he was on, it was time for him to act on his decision.
THE SHALLOW LAKE
About two hours later they arrived at the shallow lake. Agne could see the pebbles and limestone on the bottom almost everywhere she looked, except one place. The northern end of the lake appeared to have a small dark hole in it. The rest of the area was nothing but prairie-style grasslands. Little purple, white, and yellow flowers dotted the landscape.
"What a beautiful place," she said, sniffing the air.
"I don't see any concealment, let alone cover," Marut said, huffing, causing the wind to blow over the grass and up-heave the grasshoppers.
Agne watched him for a minute and considered that he could handle hurricanes alone. Hurricanes were wind and water. Marut was just an Air Dragon. How did he handle the water portion? She focused in on the crown on his horn, Water Dragons made it. That meant it would heal the Water element first. The crown isn’t a dud. It just didn’t give Marut the power he wanted, it gave him the power that he, as an individual, was missing. She wondered how upfront he was about the crown, but remained quiet, for now.
Grayling smiled, "It's here. Let's land by that north edge over there," he said, gliding toward the area with his wings spread wide, and then trotting to a stop on the shore.
Zhao clung tighter as she trotted behind Grayling, and was grateful to feel him dismount once they arrived. She definitely did not like bareback riders, but she was impressed that he did as well as he did, and that she didn't have to dive after him. She stretched and clawed in the mud, smiling at how good it felt.
"You'll ruin your manicure, Lilac," Zhao said smiling.
She smiled back at him, and scratched harder into the mud.
"Hey, no dragon signs," Marut said, frowning as he walked over and trampled the marks. "If the guards fly over they will see this."
"He's right, but it won't matter because we have the best hiding place. We have only to convince her she can get to it." Grayling used his tail to point at Agne.
She tried not to glare at him. "Why me?"
"Your actions are so focused on the Air Dragon part of who you are, that you keep forgetting you're also a Fire Dragon…" Grayling started to explain.
“I talk about…”
“Forgive me, Princess, but he is correct. Your actions tell a very different story,” Marut said, bowing his head in respect.
The Lilac Princess and the Blood King Page 11