Kai felt his heart pounding and his throat was swollen. He’d been such a fool over the years, yet still these men, the leaders of the village of Shelby were giving him their endorsement as a good man. Something he hadn’t thought possible. It had a strange effect on him. Pride, shame, anger at himself, and goodwill towards the good people of Shelby filled him all at once. He vowed that Shelby would only ever see him at his best again. His voice cracked with emotion as he replied. “Your words are too kind, Alder Tatum. I fear you’ve exaggerated my worth.”
Kai was then interrupted by Britt. “No, we’ve always known your worth, Kai Woods. What we didn’t know was how to help you through your suffering. We knew you’d need to face your past at some point instead of drinking your pain away, but we feared that if we cut you off, you’d leave the village and find someplace else to stay while you drank the pain away. Now that you are standing here as a Dragon’s Tail warrior beside Lady Isabella, we can see that our patience has been rewarded. A Dragonblood of royal descent is a blessing upon this land, but she’ll need plenty of help. We’re glad to see you filling that role.”
Uncomfortable with the praise, Kai turned the conversation to another matter. “Britt, we’ve need of a magic user, one who might be able to help Isabella discover her talents.”
“There are a few mages that occasionally come through Shelby. None that I’d trust. There is a witch who might be able to help you, her name is Adina Aviel.”
“Good,” said Kai. “Where can we find this Adina Aviel?”
“That is the problem. She lives on the edge of the dark forest by the ruins of Mara. The ruins of Mara are full of bandits and outlaws. It’s not safe to travel anywhere near there,” said Britt.
“We’re planning to head to Mara anyways, so finding this Adina is not a problem,” said Kai. “We’ll deal with bandits as we find them.”
“Best of luck with that,” said Alder Tatum. “If there is anything we can do to help you, please let us know.”
“There will be,” said Isabella. “For now we can use supplies and a couple of horses.”
Alder Tatum turned to Hans Lear. “You can help with supplies?”
Hans nodded, “Yes, that won’t be an issue.”
“Tom Shephard would normally be the one to speak to about horses, but I suspect he is still unconscious. Shan, can you spare a couple animals?”
“How many will you need?” asked Shan Browne.
“Two decent mounts and a pack horse,” replied Isabella. Isabella looked to Kai for affirmation. He nodded.
“That won’t be an issue. I can have them here within the hour, plenty of time for Hans to gather your supplies,” said Shan Browne.
Raven bent down and whispered in Isabella’s ear. Isabella made a point of looking at each of the men sitting before her. “Thank you, gentlemen, for your assistance. We’ll speak again soon. I don’t want to be rude, but we should be leaving soon.”
Hans and Shan rose. Hans spoke for the both of them. “We’ll go now. Your horses and supplies will be outside in an hour.”
Isabella pulled out her purse to give the men gold.
“No. I’m sorry, Lady Isabella, but we cannot accept payment. These are our gifts to you. Use what coin you have towards the future. We believe a Dragonblood ruler is what is needed in Seron. We want to contribute to that cause,” said Alder Tatum.
Isabella put her purse away and smiled demurely. “Your kindness will not be forgotten.”
Britt stood up. “While Hans and Shan gather your supplies, you should eat. I’ll bring some food.”
Lastly, Alder stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time I had a little chat with Tom Shepard about his role in this community. I think he needs to understand that he is very mistaken in his views and if he doesn’t change, he’ll need to leave. Lady Isabella, Raven, Kai, I wish you all success. May the gods smile upon you.”
As the four men left the room, Isabella turned to Raven and Kai. “How’d I do? I was so nervous.”
“It didn’t show,” said Raven. “You did well. You’ve gained allies today, Isabella. That is important. I don’t think you need to ask me any more how to act. You’ve learned the lessons well.”
Isabella smiled.
Kai had to agree with Raven. Isabella had acted like a future leader. She’d handled the meeting with the leaders of Shelby with dignity and aplomb. She was a natural leader. If she handled every situation the way she handled this one, she would make a great ruler. It was strange to think about such possibilities, but if others felt like the villagers of Shelby, then it would happen. It was just a matter of time.
Kai’s thoughts drifted to Mara. The news that bandits were thick in the area was unwelcome but not unexpected. Ever since the destruction of Mara, the lands had been sparsely occupied by honest citizens, and traveled seldom by those who could not afford protection. With no organized communities or nobles to protect the lands, those who passed through Mara were ripe for the picking by overly bold bandits and outlaws. But the fact that there was a witch who could be of use nearby was valuable information. Trying to find this Adina Aviel would be one of their first tasks. The sooner Isabella learned more about her magic the better. As much as he and Raven were now her protectors, eventually Isabella would be more dangerous than the both of them. The gifts of Dragonskin and fire would make her a formidable foe for any one foolish enough to attack her. There were many challenges ahead for all of them, but Kai was invigorated. This was a challenge he readily accepted.
23
FROM THE RIDGE, THEY COULD SEE DOWN the length of the entire valley. A mixture of fields and forest with mountains to the east and far off to the west, rolling hills. Kai pointed down the valley. “You can’t tell from here, but that large plateau, on the east side of the valley beside that small stand of oaks, is where the Castle of Mara stood. The entire middle of the valley was once a thriving kingdom.”
“But there’s nothing there. I can’t see more than a dozen houses in the entire valley,” said Isabella.
“There are a few villages that you can’t see from here, but you’re right, there is not much here. The last King of Mara wanted to rule all of Kosal. He started his attacks to the south, and he was able to control most of it. However, when he tried to take the north, he was thwarted.”
“The battle of the Valley of Tears,” said Raven.
“Yes,” said Kai. The battle was fierce. Both sides ended up with devastating losses. The king had to retreat to Mara. After that, his stranglehold on the south was broken. The clans and villages of the south all combined to destroy what remained of his armies. They destroyed the castle and killed the king. The villages and farms surrounding the castle were all destroyed, the crops burned. There was nothing left but ashes, the dismal grey evidence of destruction. It was years before anyone dared to come back. Even now, the valley is more often than not empty despite having rich soil and fair weather.”
“This is where you think I should live?” asked Isabella as she gazed over the scenic valley.
Kai could sense doubt in her voice. He didn’t blame her. Mara had a sad history. “Before the dragon wars, Mara was a wonderful kingdom. It’s central to the entire isle with large tracts of farmable land and good water. It’s only after dragons left that it turned into a story of human greed. A rebuilt kingdom of Mara is a perfect place for a Dragonblood to live. But before we ever think about rebuilding Mara, we would go further east.” Kai pointed to a narrow peak above the plateau which once held the castle of Mara. “There, where that small peak is. That is the Tower of Kings, the last standing structure of Mara. If the king hadn’t been so vain, had not been so disparaging of his old castle, he’d have moved his armies to the Towers and his rule wouldn’t have ended. It’s ugly and old, but a stronger fortress you won’t find.”
“Well, it’s certainly a beautiful valley. Let’s get down there and see what remains,” said Isabella.
Kai nodded and nudged his horse forward. From the ridg
e they were on, it was only an hour’s ride down into the valley. They’d made good time coming from Shelby. Kai had backtracked several times and cunningly obscured their trail. Even if Prince Ramsey had a good tracker among his knights, he would find it nearly impossible to find them. The same applied to whoever had kidnapped Isabella. That was the force that concerned Kai the most. Prince Ramsey was a known commodity, and they knew there were bandits in Mara, but what they knew nothing about was Isabella’s kidnappers. Who they worked for, why they’d kidnapped her. Kai knew not knowing who your enemy was, hindered the ability to prepare for them. It was an unknown situation that bothered Kai. But the closer at hand, more pressing issue, was the bandits of Mara. How many were there? Did they hold the towers? Normally, removing the bandits from the mountain fortress would be a near impossible task. With the outer gates closed, the tower was easily defended by a small number of archers. But the one thing, the saving grace Kai had in his favor, was that the fortress was not built to defend against dragons. Isabella happened to have a fire breathing dragon at her disposal.
Kai scanned the trail as they descended into the valley. There were tracks of riders, but not nearly the number you’d expect from a valley that occupied the middle of the isle. It should have been a natural trading route from the large villages and cities along the southern coast and the kingdoms of the north. Obviously, fear of bandits or the rumors of ghosts and demons in the dark forest, had caused the unnaturally low amount of traffic. It was a problematic situation that worked in Kai and Raven’s favor, as the few farmers and villages who made the valley their home would likely welcome assistance in ridding the land of bandits.
Kai tried to remember as much as he could about the land surrounding the ruins of Mara. He’d only travelled this far south a few times, once on a trip to the southern coastal town of Shearport, the other time on a hunting trip where he’d tracked a herd of white elk migrating south from Shelby. It had been during winter and the summer crops had been decimated by ravenous hordes of grasshoppers so the town had needed to rely on wild game more than ever to fill their bellies. The extra hunting had thinned out the local wildlife. Kai had needed to travel further and further to find game to bring back to Shelby. The land before him was one long and wide valley, but it was broken up by rolling hills, thick forests and a river that ranged from roaring and dangerous in the spring into a slow rolling and meandering water way, easily walked across in the dry winter months. Mara was far enough south that the residents of Mara almost never saw snow. Occasionally the mountain range along the tower would get a flurry, but never enough to be a hazard. Not like the northern coast of Kosal where the winter months, especially at elevation, were harsh and snow filled. Not that Kai had minded the winter months. There was only two truly cold months, unless you lived in the far northern mountains, and even then winter only lasted a few weeks longer. The winter months were good for cozying up to a roaring fire, having a cup of hot cider and squeezing someone tight.
Normally when Kai had thoughts of such a nature, Rosalie would come to mind and his mood would sour quicker than old milk on a hot day. He didn’t know if he could ever love a woman the way he’d loved Rosalie and to this day the thought of her brought pain to his heart. But to his surprise, lately, when he thought of a roaring fire, thick bearskin rugs and a beautiful woman, his vision of Rosalie had been replaced by the warrior woman whom he’d been spending so much time with lately, Raven. Raven, with her brusque manner and sometimes surly demeanor, was no one’s image of perfect feminine beauty. But once you got past the weapons, armor, and intimidating size, she was most certainly a woman. In fact, she had a pretty face with a pert nose, a nose with nostrils that flared when her anger was raised. Her long luxurious hair was dark, thick, and always contained in an intricate braid, that ended with a heavy metal bobble. Kai had seen a male fighter once with such a bobble at the end of his braid. He’d been fighting and whipped his head around. The braid acted like a whip and sent the bobble smashing into his opponent’s face, breaking his jaw. Despite knowing the true destructive nature of Raven’s hairstyle, he could still admit it was attractive. Her body was large. She was a tall woman. She could look him straight in the eyes, and he was a tall man himself. A woman that tall was extremely rare, and she was muscular. Not the thick heavy muscles of a blacksmith but the more sculptured muscles of a well-trained warrior. Her muscle-sculpted body was a result of years of training. Her strong legs and firm round buttocks were the base of her power. Her wide shoulders and well-defined arms were the result of hours and hours of yielding heavy weapons. The truth was, Raven was a very attractive and well put together woman, just on a larger scale than one normally saw. When she wasn’t kicking his ass for grabbing her ass, an offense he now wished he’d committed, or scowling and worrying about finding Isabella, he found that she was an intelligent and interesting woman. When she was relaxed and in a good mood, she even showed signs of having a sense of humor. Of course a warrior woman like that would only end up with some giant brute, a northern king unafraid of the challenge of trying to tame such a wild strong woman. Kai smiled to himself at the thought. The idea of taming her was foolhardy. She was intriguing, but he need not worry about such things.
24
JAIME STRODE INTO CAMDYN’S OFFICE, not bothering to knock. He knew the Camdyn was there, likely reading. Jaime and Benson, his fellow Dragon’s Tail warrior who’d been relegated to acting as a scout for Prince Eric, had ridden day and night to get to Dragon’s Tail headquarters before any word from Prince Eric could arrive.
“Sir, we need to talk,” said Jaime as he reached Camdyn’s desk.
Camdyn put down the parchment he’d been reading and looked at Jaime. “I received word that you and Benson had returned, on lathered horses and no sign of the prince or his knights. And now you stand here looking like you haven’t slept in days. I suppose it’s safe to say that you don’t come bearing good news.”
Jaime shrugged, “That would depend entirely on your definition of good news. Benson and I slipped out of the prince’s camp two nights ago. We rode back as fast as we could.”
Camdyn’s brow raised, “You left the prince’s escort without his permission? If he’s in a foul mood, he’ll petition his father to have you hung as traitors. What is so urgent that you’d risk that?”
“A visitor slipped into the camp in the dead of night and woke me.”
“Someone got past the guards and that close to you? A skilled sneak,” said Camdyn.
“He should be skilled,” said Jaime. “You trained him. It was Kai Woods. He’s assisting Princess Isabella flee Prince Ramsey.
“Really?” said Camdyn, looking intrigued. A hint of pleased surprise was in his voice.
“Yes, but that isn’t the important part. Kai tells me that Princess Isabella is Dragonblood,” Jaime paused for a moment for that announcement to sink in before continuing. “Kai also says she is bonded to a dragon, that he’s witnessed them together.”
“A bonded Dragonblood! Well that is welcome news. This changes everything.”
“Kai also informed me that Princess Isabella would like all of the Dragon’s Tail to join her at the Tower of Kings.”
“The Tower of Kings? What is Kai thinking?” mumbled Camdyn. “No, I suppose that does make sense. If the child has bonded with a dragon, the tower is a perfect place for a dragon, and with the brigade we could defend the tower.”
“Sir, what do we do about King Ramsey? He and Prince Eric will be furious that we are leaving their command.”
“King Ramsey, like his father before him, has long forgotten that we are not truly his to command. It’s why we keep our headquarters here and not in the castle. You are correct though, King Ramsey will consider this treason, but our oath is clear. We’re sworn first to Dragonbloods. Now that one has bonded with a dragon, our oath must take priority. King Ramsey be damned!” Camdyn’s face was more animated than Jaime had ever seen before. “Have the men assemble, pack everything we can put into t
he wagons we have, and prepare to leave at dawn. I’ll send a messenger with a note to the king declaring our pact ended.”
“I’d send a slow messenger,” said Jaime.
Camdyn smiled, “Yes, that was what I was thinking as well.”
“Sir, you didn’t seem very surprised when I mentioned the girl had bonded with a dragon.”
“No, truth be told I’ve been expecting it. The prophecies said that dragons would return before the last celestial event, that and the frequent reports of dragon sightings on other Isles had led me to believe we’d soon have word of a Dragonblood.” He waved the parchment he had been reading. “I never imagined that Princess Isabella would be the one, and that Kai Woods would be the one to find her, but fate has a funny way of tying things together sometimes. Go, start the preparations, I must gather my thoughts.”
“Yes, Sir,” Jaime said. He then left Camdyn, heading towards the mess hall. It was right before suppertime. The majority of the Dragon’s Tail would be together, excluding those on scouting missions.
The mess hall was almost full. It seemed that very few of the men were on missions. Good, thought Jaime. That will make things easier. Jaime walked thought the dozen large rectangular tables. Each had room for ten men. As he walked by, men greeted him with nods. Some yelled out their hello’s from nearby tables. Jaime returned their nods and headed to the main table at the front of the room. It was reserved for Camdyn and the leadership of the Dragon’s Tail. Jaime was one of the three men other than Camdyn that held the privilege of sitting at the head table. Jaime joined Grayson and Tyler, two captains, at the table.
“Good to see you, Jaime,” said Grayson.
“Grayson, Tyler, it’s good to see you as well. I have important news, but I’m going to address everyone at once.” It was customary for Jaime to discuss his orders with his two captains before addressing the rest of the men, but time was not on their side. As soon as the men finished their meals, he wanted them moving with purpose.
Sisera's Gift (Dragonblood Sagas Book 2) Page 11