by Lea Doué
Mel spent the remainder of the day teaching Vanda to read using paper and ink from the desk in their room. She wasn’t the most patient tutor, but Vanda’s determination kept her focused. They fed the dragons again and walked True before supper. Baz informed them they were working on a system for flying that would be easier on Keir and everyone else. Hopefully. His excitement put a smile on her face, but she didn’t press for details.
Back in their room, Mel changed into her night clothes and slipped into bed, the sheets deliciously cool. She curled up with her pillow next to Vanda. “I told you he’d like the cloak.”
Vanda blew out the candle. “I suppose that means I’ll keep it, then,” she said, a smile evident in her voice. “To please our generous host.”
“Smart girl.”
*
Mel woke first thanks to a slit of sunlight peeking through the bed curtains and falling across her eyes. She nudged Vanda, and they took turns getting dressed and playing with the dragons.
“Let’s get Orin,” she told True, who waddled behind them into the hallway. Hunter and Jade poked their heads out of the sling Mel wore, while Fleet rode on Vanda’s shoulder.
Mel knocked at his door but got no answer, so she pushed it open and tiptoed in.
“What are you doing?” Vanda whispered, hanging back in the hall.
“Waking Prince Charming.” She crept to the bedside, where Orin lay on his back, blankets halfway up his bare chest and arms flung over his head. Her breath caught in her throat, and she paused. How many times had she seen him asleep in the goose field or in a chair at the palace? She flexed her fingers, resisting the urge to push back the lock of hair on his forehead. Instead, she grinned, pulled Hunter out of the sling, and set him on Orin’s chest. The little dragon flopped onto his back in imitation and draped his wings out to the side. He chirped loudly.
Orin’s arms flailed and he sat up, knocking the dragon onto the side of the bed. Hunter grumbled and then completed the tumble by falling to the floor.
Mel suppressed a giggle.
True scolded with a loud hwonk and rescued Hunter, who climbed onto her back.
“I’ll be right there.” Orin blinked, eyes bleary. “Go ahead and start feeding the horde.” He flopped back onto his pillow.
Mel closed the door behind her. Vanda giggled and put her hand over her mouth.
“These dragons are so much fun,” Mel said. “Let’s go feed them.”
After securing some meat scraps from the kitchen, along with some barley for True and breakfast for themselves, they met Orin in the courtyard, where he leaned against the wall watching the valley. Like her and Vanda, he’d found clothes that fit properly, but in shades of dark green. His hair shone gold in the morning light.
They used the feeding session to start training the dragons, who had already proven curious about their surroundings. Learning names was the first step—their own and each other’s, along with the names of the humans who handled them.
“I didn’t realize they were so smart,” Vanda said. “We never saw many around the village. I had to send all Baz’s letters by pigeon. Or rock dragon courier, if one happened to be in town.”
“Hey, you, that’s my finger.” Mel nudged Jade back. “They’re too smart for their own good sometimes. They hoard words and information the way other dragons hoard gold or flower petals. And they like to compete with each other. I swear they compare times after delivering messages.”
“Mine will be the fastest.” Orin held up a slice of meat and looked his dragon in the eye. “Find Melantha.” Hunter chirped and looked at her, but Fleet flapped over and landed on her knee and then held out a paw for the meat. Orin handed it over with a chuckle.
“I’m concerned about taking them with us,” Mel said. “They might not want to fly with Keir.”
“Why not?” Vanda asked.
“He’s only a dragon because of the curse, so he’s going to have the taint of sorcery about him. The dragons won’t likely tolerate him.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Vanda said. “Do you think we’ll have to leave them behind?”
“Not if I can help it. I just have to think of something. Maybe we could feed them until they pass out and then put them in a lidded basket. Not the best way to travel, but it might be the only way to keep them safe and close to us.”
Orin handed Hunter a bit of meat for successfully finding Jade. “And there’s no trainer at this mountain castle to leave them with. Not that I would want to.”
“Neroli oil might work to calm them in the air,” Vanda said.
Mel jumped up and ran off, speaking over her shoulder. “I’ll check in the kitchens and see if they have any.”
A maid tracked down a small bottle of neroli oil for her. After she grabbed a quick bite to eat, she decided to explore to pass the time. “What’s at the bottom of the stairs that go down to the valley?” she asked one of the cooks.
“Another walled courtyard with a few guardhouses,” he said. “Beyond that is the village and the forest.”
“If anyone asks, that’s where I’ll be.”
He nodded. “Don’t eat the meat pies from Smitwood’s stall. Oh, and mind the bone builder. He’s a little too fond of showing off his den lately. Needs constant reassurance since the… incident.” He pointed to the ceiling, obviously referring to the barrier.
Mel loved the friendly garbage dragons back home and, with Neylan and Wren, had often explored their dens built of stone and bone, but she wasn’t interested in making new acquaintances at the moment.
A servant directed her to the nearest staircase. Wide enough for four people to walk side-by-side, it descended in a tight spiral, well-lit by torches. She ran her hand along the cool stone wall, finding a rhythm to her footfalls. She saw only two people along the way, both panting as they climbed. She stopped at each of the three landings and sat on the benches carved into the mountain—more to pass time than because she needed the break.
Afternoon sunshine greeted her at the bottom, as did a guard just outside the open door.
“Mornin’, miss.”
She nodded, smiling at the novelty of not being called your highness for a change. She strolled through the open drawbridge, receiving another polite greeting from the guard there and a reminder of when the gates closed.
Late summer wildflowers lined the road to the village, dotting the grass with purple and blue splashes. The first houses appeared after only a few minutes, many of them boarded up, along with a few of the shops. The forest marched right up to the outskirts, but the town itself appeared tidy. She spied the vendor the cook had warned her about and veered off into an alleyway, crossing behind some houses and into the trees.
She’d read about the woods within certain regions of the caldera kingdom, but she’d never imagined the trees would be so massive. It would take at least four of her sisters touching fingertips to make a ring around most of them. Not even remotely climbable, the trunks stretched up and up and up before branching out into pine-like sprays of leaves, high enough to make her feel like a child. Like an ant.
Smiling, she lifted her arms out to the side, tilted her head back, and twirled. Her hair swirled around her until she lost her balance and fell into a patch of ferns, which covered much of the ground, along with flowery shrubs and other green growing things. The dragons would love flying among the trees.
She brushed herself off and continued walking, reveling in the openness and solitude. After guessing that about half an hour had passed, she smelled smoke from a campfire and decided to head back to the castle. No doubt a few people lived among the trees rather than in a village like Vanda and her father had, but she had no desire to meet new people at the moment and explain her presence.
When she turned around, the sight that met her eyes made her jump and screech. She drew a dagger instinctively, barely checking herself in time before throwing it. Tharius leaned against a tree a few yards away as if he’d been there all along. One bare fist rested at
his collarbone, wrapped around the orbs. Sissi’s ring hung on one of the cords, clearly visible and not in use.
How in the great, wide world had he caught up with them?
“Talk fast or my hand might slip,” she said.
He dropped his hand, revealing the glowing blue orbs, and put his glove back on. “I knew you would need my help again.”
How arrogant could he be? “I don’t need or want your help.”
“All right. My advice, then.”
“You already gave me advice.”
One side of his mouth tilted up. “And?”
She wouldn’t admit that he’d been right… or that she wanted to hear what he had to say so badly it nearly choked her. After all, he’d potentially saved Vanda’s life with his previous warning.
It didn’t help that she still had no idea what he wanted from her. “I have no more dead animals.”
His grin widened and a satisfied look settled on his face as if he knew her curiosity would get the better of her. “I have no need of money, but I’m not above accepting jewelry in payment.”
She didn’t wear jewelry. Oh, wait. The sundial ring. She removed it, but hesitated before handing it over. “First, I want to know how you caught up to us.”
“I got a head start. I know shortcuts. I can fly. Take your pick.”
She folded the ring in her fist, confident that he wouldn’t tell her anything without it. She studied his face, the uncertainty hidden in his eyes. He wanted to give his advice. He wanted to help her so he could eventually get what he wanted. Well, let him see how it felt to not get what you wanted.
Sliding the ring back on her finger, she walked towards the village, passing him and getting a few yards beyond.
Irritation colored his words when he finally spoke. “I have a rock dragon back at camp. They travel alarmingly fast.”
She whipped around so quickly her hair fanned forward over her shoulder. “If you can’t even tell the truth, why bother saying anything?”
“But I am telling the truth, Your Highness.”
“Try again. Everyone knows dragons hate sorcery.”
He blinked. “Yes, of course. I don’t use it around him.”
Oh. She hadn’t thought of that, assuming the taint of sorcery would be enough to drive the dragon away or make it irritable and unmanageable. But perhaps that wasn’t how it worked. She almost asked him to show her the dragon and prove himself, but oddly enough his words rang true. The swiftness of the rock dragons was legendary and the only explanation that made sense.
She tossed him the ring, and he caught it in midair. “Talk.”
He opened the ring, seeming genuinely interested in the working of it. “The king is expecting everyone at the palace, but you won’t find the grandmother there. He’s moved her to a different location.”
Thorns and thistles! “Where?”
“West to a tower. The landscape is bleak. No trees but lots of black rocks.”
“Can you tell if she’s all right?”
He slipped the ring on his little finger. “That woman is tough and probably has a few tricks up her sleeve, if I’m not mistaken.”
He shared the same opinion as Baz. Mel couldn’t wait to meet her. “One last thing. How do I know you’re not setting all this up with the king? I don’t know how else to explain how he knew about my presence here so quickly.”
He studied her for a moment as if considering whether to answer her question. Finally, he flicked the dragon ring on the cord around his neck. “Spelled items might not be as rare as you think.”
She waited for the dramatic pause to end.
“The king had a looking glass, but he’s as skilled at using it as Sissi was with the ring. His last use ruined it, so he won’t be spying on you anymore. Such a waste.”
“Well, I guess that makes sense then.” The knowledge that the king had been using a spelled object alarmed her, but relief quickly followed learning that he’d broken the thing. “I’d tell you to quit following me, but I know it won’t do any good.”
He bowed with a flourish. “You are wise beyond your years.”
The climb back up the stairs of Cliffside proved just as grueling as she’d imagined. After seeking Orin in the courtyard, the dining room—which was being set for a meal—and his bedroom, she found him in her room. True huddled in her dressing-gown nest, watching her brood of hatchling dragons flit about, her feathered chest puffed out with pride.
“Did you get lost?” Orin asked.
“Not likely. You can see the mountain even through those huge trees.”
He called Fleet, and the dragon swooped down from the bed curtains and landed on his forearm. “You went to the village, then?”
“Yes.” She sat on the bed. “And I promised to tell you if Tharius showed up again.”
He frowned. “How in the world did he catch up to us?”
She explained about the rock dragon and the king’s looking glass and what Tharius had said about Gram.
“What did you have to give him this time?”
“Wren’s sundial ring.”
Jade climbed up the blankets and glided off the edge of the bed.
“That’s it? He’s not asking for much, which makes me suspect that what he’s really after is going to be big.” He sent Fleet back into the air. “He’s trying to make you feel safe, like he’s on your side, but you know it’s a lie.”
“It doesn’t matter. I have something he wants, but I don’t have to give it to him.”
Orin’s mouth turned down like he wanted to say more about Tharius, but he let it go. “Baz must know where this tower is. Surely we can sneak in there as easily as we could the palace, especially since that looking glass is broken. Might be easier, since no one will be expecting us there.”
Easy was a relative term.
He stood. “It’s almost time to eat. We might as well tell everyone all at once.”
She scooped up Jade in mid-climb for another jump. “Get the other two, would you?” She arranged Jade under one of True’s wings. “Sleep.”
They repeated the order a dozen times before all three dragons picked up on the meaning of the word and settled in obediently. Hunter yawned and nestled into the feathers on True’s back, while the goose rested her head contentedly beside Jade.
They stepped into the hallway. Orin hesitated a moment and then slipped his hand into Mel’s. “Who knew an old crippled goose would make such a good mother?”
Shivers raced up her arm, and she sucked in a quick breath. Although Orin wasn’t like the other men who had chased after her, he was still a prince and would eventually return home to his family and to court life. But her heart told her to shut up and enjoy the moment. She gave him a small smile and clung to his hand. “True is special, isn’t she?”
He nodded, and they continued on to the dining hall.
Keir arrived just ahead of them looking well rested, his color less grey and his black eyes less pinched with exhaustion. Baz and Vanda sat side by side chatting.
“We’re almost ready with the new travel system,” Baz said, excitement in his voice.
Mel exchanged a confused look with Orin.
“What happened to saddles?” she asked. She and Orin sat in the same seats as before.
“I’m not a horse,” Keir mumbled and pulled out a chair across from her.
Baz cut in, eyes twinkling as he explained. “We’re going with a basket that Keir can carry strapped onto his back. The new saddle was taking too many straps, and flying in that position for such long periods of time was uncomfortable for everyone.”
Orin spoke with his mouth full. “Where are you getting a basket that big?”
“I’d like to hear more about the basket, too,” Mel said, “but I should probably mention that we won’t be going to the palace.”
Everyone stared at her with various degrees of interest on their faces.
As she spoke, she crumbled a piece of toast on her plate, eyeing the platters of sausag
es and roast chicken and fried liver. “I went for a walk today, and Tharius found me in the woods. Long story short—he’s been riding a rock dragon, and he says that King Lotario has moved Gram to some tower with black rocks around it.”
Orin looked at Baz. “Do you know where that is?”
Baz nodded. “The tower is near the Burnt River. There’s only one road leading to it and no tree cover. It’s where the sorcerers used to be held during the Dragon Wars, during the days of the soldier-king—but it’s not used anymore.”
Vanda laid down her fork with a loud clink.
Baz put his hand on hers, and she didn’t pull away. “I’m so sorry. We’re going to get her out.”
She nodded, anger darkening her face, but it didn’t seem to be directed at Baz. They must have had a chance to talk sometime during the day and worked things out.
Keir’s chair scraped the floor as he rose. “Please excuse me.” He stomped from the room.
Her gaze on the door, Mel said, “This must be harder for him than for anyone else.” At least she had her best friend with her, and Baz and Vanda had each other. Keir was alone. But perhaps he preferred it that way—she didn’t know him well enough to say.
Baz sighed, the sound shifting to a low growl. “The transformation he goes through is painful. Being a dragon is tiring, and when he’s back in his human form, those scale-like scars you see on his skin cause him a great deal of discomfort.”
She’d be grumpy too, if she had to deal with that. She promised herself she’d try to be more patient with him.
“I’m not sorry for traveling with Keir over the mountains and finding Vanda,” Baz continued. “But I regret that a sorcerer decided to tangle things up for his own selfish reasons.”
An image of Tharius’s arrogant eyes flashed in her mind. “I understand how you feel.”
“Well, then,” Orin said, the forced cheerfulness in his voice unmistakable. “We should probably follow Keir’s example and get some rest before riding in this new travel basket.”
When they reached their hallway, Mel hung back with Orin while the others entered their rooms.
“I’m still worried about the dragons traveling with Keir,” she said. “I got some of the oil Vanda mentioned, but I don’t know if that will be enough to keep them calm around an entire spelled dragon.”