Raven stood tall and held her hand over her eyes to shield them from the glare of the afternoon sun. At first she just stood there examining the rider, but then her head started to nod. “Yes, I recognize the way she sits in a saddle. That’s her!” said Raven excitedly. There was no mistaking the relief in her voice.
Kai could only follow as Raven took off sprinting across the valley field towards the horse and rider. At they grew nearer, Kai was able to make out more details. Yes, the rider was a young girl. They had found the princess, and more importantly, found her alive, and by the looks of her, relatively unharmed.
15
JUELZ COBB SLOWLY WALKED INTO THE CAMP. He stopped at the cook fire and cut himself a big chunk of meat off of the deer being roasted on a spit. He then took his food and sat down beside Isaac Byrne.
Isaac Byrne, first cousin to King Byrne, was a ruthless and ambitious man. While he had been annoyed when his cousin Robert had been chosen as the next husband to Queen Amelia, it had not bothered him as much as many thought it would. For Isaac Byrne was a devoted student of history and he knew that far greater opportunities were coming with the return of dragons.
“You left with three men, you come back with nothing. No men and no girl. Surely one old man and a woman warrior weren’t too much for you?” asked Isaac.
Juelz chewed his chunk of venison slowly. Finally, he answered, “No, the ambush went as planned. The old man is dead and the woman fell down a cliff. We had the girl.”
Isaac scratched his chin as he waited for Juelz to finish eating. The man was no fool, and the men he’d taken with him were competent warriors. If the ambush had gone as planned, then something happened afterwards.
“We made camp last night and I took last watch. It was a few hours before dawn when I heard a noise out in the bush. I went out to find out what was there. I ran right into the biggest set of eyes I’d ever seen, gold and black, like those of a mountain lion, but it was no lion. I jumped back and the beast flew over me. Its tail struck me in the head, knocking me. out. I woke to find the horses and girl gone, and the only thing left of Ollie and Toby was their charred remains.”
Isaac swore. When he’d attended the wedding of his cousin to Queen Amelia, he’d been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to notice her daughter Isabella scratching her arm. When she scratched her arm, her dress moved slightly and for the briefest of moments the back of the girl’s shoulder blade was exposed and Isaac could see the mark of the dragon. The girl shifted her dress back and once again it was hidden, but Isaac knew what he’d seen. He’d been studying dragons his whole adult life and had been searching for such a mark. That his brother had just married the child’s mother was even more perfect.
Isaac had wanted to get the girl under lock and key before she could meet with a dragon. It was only a matter of time before dragons would return. When they did, whoever had the girl in their possession would be the most powerful man in all of Seron. He’d left spies in Prozia to watch the girl. When they reported back that she’d snuck off in the night, he knew it was his golden opportunity to get the girl. But from Juelz’s story it was obvious that they had run into a dragon and she’d bonded with it! Of all the damned luck, he’d been so close to having her in his grasp. He scowled fiercely, cursing under his breath.
“Do we try get her back?” asked Juelz.
“No, it’s rotten luck that a dragon is now involved. By now, the two have bonded, and there will be no opportunity to bend her to our will. No, now we’ll have to create an opportunity out of this setback,” said Isaac. Anger resonated in his voice. Even as he said it, he knew that his goal of using a Dragonblood to control the entire Isle of Kosal was gone. It was one thing to try manipulate a young girl by herself, but trying to do so with one bonded to a fire breathing dragon was madness. He would have to find a different way to take advantage of the return of dragons. “Queen Amelia will be glad that her daughter has bonded with a dragon, but my cousin won’t be pleased at all. Before, he saw the child as a bargaining chip to be used to strengthen his own position. Now he’ll see her as a threat. And the Ramsey’s will also see her as a threat. Both kings will give orders to hunt her down, but they don’t understand the forces they are up against. History has left us many lessons about the power of dragons, yet they have faded into memory. They are foolish to oppose the child, but perhaps it will be to our benefit. We shall wait and watch, someone will make a fatal error. Then we will attack.”
“What can we gain without a dragon?” asked Juelz.
“Power. The girl is far too young to try to rule the entire isle, and if she fails, the dragon no longer matters. If she lives, then the kingdoms of Kosal and Prozia will be weak, available for the taking. So we head home and wait. Eventually, we kill the girl, but for now we wait.”
16
ISABELLA COULD SEE THE MOUNTAINS ACROSS the valley. She was almost back to where the attack had happened. Sisera had led her back, just as the dragon had promised. Isabella was just starting to ride across the valley when she saw movement on the other side. Two people were running towards her. Isabella felt her heart leap against her chest. Had Juelz more men or had Prince Ramsey caught up to her? She was just getting ready to turn and spur her horse away from the threat, when she saw the braid of the first warrior whipping in the air. Isabella stood up in her stirrups, staring across the valley. Could it be Raven? Could her old friend and protector be alive? Her gut told her it was Raven. Without hesitation she spurred her horse forward, galloping across the meadow to meet them. Drawing nearer, Isabella could see that it was indeed Raven. Tears of relief ran down her cheeks. Joy filled her wildly beating heart at the sight of the beautiful warrior running to greet her. As Isabella got to them, she barely slowed the horse down before leaping to the ground, giving Raven a huge hug.
“Raven, I knew you wouldn’t be dead. I just knew it!” said Isabella as she clutched the big barbarian woman. She had felt so alone while captured. She had wondered if she’d ever see anyone she knew again. To have Raven back was a gift from the gods.
“I’m fine, only a scratch or two. What about you, child? What happened to you? How did you escape?” Raven returned Isabella’s hug waited for answer
Isabella was about to answer when she noticed Raven’s companion. A scruffy looking fellow with bloodshot eyes, lathered in sweat was staring at her as he tried to catch his breath. She needed to tell Raven about Sisera, but could she trust this stranger? She eyed him warily. Perhaps it was better to talk to Raven alone first, find out who this stranger was and then tell her about what happened. Isabella let go of Raven, trying to regain her poise. She straightened her posture, and addressed the man in the manner of a prim and proper princess. “Hello, Sir, I apologize profusely, but I need to speak privately with Raven. Could you hold the horses while we take a short walk?”
“Of course, Your Highness,” said the man with a short polite head nod.
Raven looked ready to protest Isabella’s rudeness, but Isabella’s meaningful expression made Raven hold her tongue. It was obvious Isabella needed to talk to her, and talk to her now. Isabella pulled Raven away from the man, and left him standing obediently with the horses.
“Isabella, what are you doing? That is Kai. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to find you.”
“I shall thank him profusely,” said Isabella, in whispered voice “First I need to tell you what’s happened. It’s important. It’s really important, Raven! I’m not sure if he should know.” Isabella paused, she could sense Sisera coming nearer. “Damn! I guess it doesn’t matter now. Raven move very slowly, we have company.”
Raven frowned as she whipped her head around to see who was near. There was no one approaching. No one to the left, the right, behind or forward. Raven looked around, again clearly disconcerted. When a shadow caught her eye she finally looked up to see a beast descending from the sky. Instinctively, Raven clutched the handle of her sword, preparing to defend Isabella. Isabella quickly gra
bbed Raven’s sword arm, and calmly said, “Stand down, there is nothing to fear.” Before Raven could caution Isabella, Isabella ran towards the descending beast. Raven watched in awe as the beast dropped down beside Isabella. Raven gasped at the marvelous creature. She closed her mouth quickly. She turned to look at Kai. Kai’s mouth was as wide open as hers had been seconds before she snapped it shut. Isabella’s face glowed with a confident smile. She stood beside the dragon and faced Raven.
“Raven, this is Sisera. Sisera rescued me from my kidnappers,” said Isabella. She could see that Raven was conflicted. They had talked about dragons and the possibility that one day they would meet one, but having one drop out of the sky right beside you… well, that was something entirely different. Isabella hoped Raven, and her new traveling companion would remain calm once the shock left their eyes.
“Hello, Sisera,” said Raven, her voice filled with caution. “Thank you for saving Isabella.”
“Greetings, Lady Raven, ‘tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Isabella thinks highly of you, so I’m honored to meet you,” said Sisera. A small bow of Sisera’s noble head followed her impeccably polite greeting.
Raven seemed to relax at the formal and polite greeting from the strange beast. She relaxed her grip on her sword and turned to Isabella. “Are you two bonded?”
Isabella pulled down her hood to fully reveal her face. The sun shone on her face and the small scaled areas on her face sparkled as the sun reflected off of them.
“That answers that,” said Raven. “Dragonscale is one of the possible magical outcomes we knew could happen. Having super tough skin and being pretty as a polished gem is not the worst possible outcome. Your mother always believed you would bond with a dragon. When you were born with the mark, she knew you’d be a young woman during the return of dragons. To have such a special magical connection with a majestic creature like a dragon is a blessing.”
Isabella smiled brightly. Pretty as a polished gem sounded very good to the young girl. Isabella wasn’t particularly vain, but she had worried that the world would now see her as some sort of freak. That Raven, biased as she might be, found her pretty was very reassuring as her calling it a blessing. Isabella did know that her life was more dangerous because she was Dragonblood, but her growing connection with Sisera was well worth the risk.
Raven turned to Sisera, “Any other magic that I should be aware of?”
Sisera took a breath and then released a small belch of flames.
“Fire!” Raven’s eyes widened. “You’ll have fire magic.”
Isabella nodded “yes,” eyes sparkling. The few scrolls and books that had been passed down through her mother’s family suggested that elemental dragon magic was among the most powerful magic a Dragonblood could receive. “I haven’t tried any fire magic yet. I haven’t had time. We’ve been trying to get as far away from my captor’s camp as possible. There are still more of the kidnappers out there.”
“Yes, wise decision. I think it’s best if we take it very slow when it comes to discovering the extent of your dragon magic. Now we should discuss what to do next with Kai.”
“Do you trust him?” asked Isabella.
Raven glanced over towards Kai and then looked Isabella in the eyes. “I’m not entirely sure. He shows potential, but he has a dark past.”
“You can trust him,” interjected Sisera.
Raven turned to the dragon. “How can you tell?”
“I can sense people’s emotions. You should talk to Kai now. I think you will find him more useful than you’ve previous thought. Listen to his story.”
…
Kai could not believe his eyes. A dragon swooped down from the sky and landed right beside Isabella. Kai clutched the reins of the two horses, fearing they would bolt in fright, but they seemed unnaturally calm. They kept an eye on the beast, but strangely did not try to run away. With the horses under control, Kai quickly returned his attention to the dragon. Raven and Isabella were far enough away from him that he could not move quickly enough to defend them if the beast meant to do them harm.
He was even more shocked when neither Isabella or Raven moved away from the beast. Were they frozen in terror or not surprised by the presence of the beast? Kai watched in fascination as the two women talked to the dragon. When Isabella pulled down her hood, Kai inhaled sharply, unconsciously holding his breath. He could see the small patches of dragon scale on her face. The air in his lungs rushed out. He almost staggered. The girl was Dragonblood! His face paled. It took a few seconds for the color to return. Not only was she Dragonblood, but she’d obviously already bonded with the dragon. The implications were earth shattering to Kai’s world. His heart pounded in his chest. Although he’d been banished from the Kingdom of Kosal for beating Prince Erik, he had not been removed from Dragon’s Tail. Dragon’s Tail Brigade had historically been the protectors of Dragonbloods. Often Dragonbloods were royalty or rulers so powerful that other kings and kingdoms bowed to them and pledged their allegiance to the Dragonblood ruler. When dragons had been banished centuries ago, Dragonblood rulers lost their most powerful allies, their bonded dragons. With time, all the Dragonblood rulers died, some of old age and some of more abrupt methods so the Dragon’s Tails had no one to protect. The leaders of the Dragon’s Tail had known one day that dragons would return and new Dragonbloods would be born, but they needed to keep the brigades intact, in the centuries that would pass, before dragons could return. Long ago it had been agreed that the brigade could serve kings in the absence of Dragonbloods, it was part of the sacred vow that all future members of the Dragon’s Tail Brigade would take. “Honor thy king, protect your brothers, never forget the Dragonblood.” Every member of the Dragon’s Tail was taught the history of the brigade and the duties and obligations of the order, that the obligations of the past were as valid now as they had been in the past. Every member knew that someday, in their lifetime or in the lifetime of some future warrior, dragons would return to the land, and the Dragon’s Tail Brigade would return to their old time honored position as protectors of the Dragonblood.
His entire life, since the moment he first swore his oath till the day he found the prince in his tent and Kai’s life swirled into a nightmare, he’d dreamed, hoped, prayed, that dragons would return during his life time. The honor of being the first Dragon’s Tail member in over a hundred years to serve a Dragonblood was now his.
As his excitement surged through him, so did shame. The shame hit him like a punch in the gut. Shame in the man he’d become, made him drop his head. A drunk who had only agreed to help a defenseless child when he’d found out who she was running from. A drunk who had to be tricked into going more than a day without having a drink. A drunk who was disheveled, sweating like a whore in a monastery, after a measly half day’s run. But the gods were showing him mercy. Here he was, standing mere yards away from a Dragonblood girl, one who he could serve and protect. Kai swore to himself he would regain his former self, he would return to being a man of honor and dignity. No longer would he allow self-pity and despair to rule his emotions. No longer would he hide in a bottle. He would act like a true Dragon’s Tail once more. He took a deep breath and lifted his head.
Kai’s thoughts were interrupted when Raven and Isabella left the dragon and started walking towards him.
“Forgive me for being rude earlier, Kai. I wanted to discuss what happened to me with Raven before I told anyone else. I didn’t know Sisera would show up right away. I hope she didn’t frighten you,” Isabella said.
Kai gave Isabella a full formal bow. “No need to explain, Your Highness. If I were Dragonblood, tis not something I’d want just anyone to know. You did the right thing. For one so young, you are wise. Although, now that you have bonded, it will be near impossible to keep your secret, ‘tis written all over your face.”
Isabella touched the scales on her cheeks. A look of worry crossed over her face.
Kai’s smiled at Isabella. He could tell she was still insecure
about the dramatic change to her appearance. But she had nothing to worry about. “Your face is lovely. It’s exquisite.”
Isabella brightened.
Raven eyed Kai suspiciously, “What do you know of Dragonbloods?”
Kai pulled down the neck of his shirt so that the woman could see his shoulder. On it was a tattoo of a shield with a dragon’s tail. The emblem of his brigade. “I am Kai Woods of Dragon’s Tail Brigade, sworn protectors of the Dragonbloods. It has been generations since the Dragon’s Tail has had a Dragonblood to protect, but our oath never changed.”
Raven examined the tattoo and then took another look at Kai.
Kai could see the doubt in her eyes.
“How does a Dragon’s Tail warrior become the town drunk of a village in the middle of nowhere?” asked Raven.
“I was once a young man in love. I walked in on another man and the woman who was to be my wife.”
Raven raised her eyebrows.
“They were in my bed.” Kai could not help picture the moment he’d walked into the tent. His memory of the prince bedding his betrothed was as fresh as the day it had happened. Without drink to dull the pain, Kai felt a wave of sorrow, but he pushed it aside. He was dealing with something bigger than his own misery now and no longer had time for self-pity.
Raven lowered her eyebrows. “I see.”
Kai continued his story. “In a fit of rage, I beat the man severely. For that act, I was banished from the kingdom of Kosal. I lost myself, and found solace in drink. Only by numbing my brain with wine and ale could I dull the pain of all I had lost.”
Sisera's Gift (Dragonblood Sagas Book 2) Page 7