“So, I have no say in this?”
“None. You are too important.”
Soren bristled at the words. “No. I’m not.”
“I beg to differ. I spoke to Kincade earlier. He told me of your plan to retrieve the scepter. Risky but you are willing to try it. Not everyone would.”
Soren bowed his head and shuffled his feet. “Someone else could do it. There are seven other dragon riders.”
Bevin shook his head. “You and Dex have a connection the others don’t have. I saw you get through some tough situations on our trip to Drachen’s fortress. As I said, your plan is risky, but if anyone can do it that person would be you.”
Soren shook his head, unsure of what to say to the confidence Bevin seemed to have in him. He met Bevin’s eyes. “I don’t need a sitter. I can take care of myself.”
Bevin shrugged. “Looks like we are going to have to disagree.”
“Those men are under my command. You don't have the authority to tell them to follow me.”
“Maybe not but I can get others assigned to do it.” He pointed to one of the men from the group he had been speaking with. “There is the commander of my unit. He has already given me permission to help you in any way necessary. Your safety falls under that.”
“Fine,” Soren said through tight lips. He turned and, with Quinn by his side, left.
“Your welcome!” Bevin called after him.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Soren pushed away his plate, glancing at the other dragon riders as they talked and laughed. He had kept to himself throughout the meal, still annoyed to be saddled with them watching over him as if he couldn’t take care of himself.
Someone sat down across from him. Soren’s eyes widened.
“Rodar? When did you get back?”
The older man smiled. “About half an hour or so ago. We had no luck but then again, I guess you would know since I hear you found the box.”
Soren nodded. “We did.” He glanced around the dining hall. “Where is Emery?”
“She should be here in a minute. Again with the washing up with her.”
“How was Longmont?”
Rodar took a bite of bread and swallowed before answering. “The army had been through there. A lot of the city, including the palace was destroyed. King Bristol is dead.”
The other dragon riders stopped talking. All eyes were on Rodar.
“The few people still there were…” The old man shook his head. “…desolate I guess is the word for it.”
“They didn’t kill everyone?” Drake asked. “I thought they weren’t leaving anyone alive.”
“That may be true in Walencroft, but it doesn’t appear so at least in Longmont,” Rodar said, pausing to take another bite of bread. “We did speak to one old man who said anyone who could fight was forced to join the army. Some of the women, children and a few older men were sent to somewhere to the South. He didn’t know where. They did kill everyone in the royal family. We had no opposition as we entered the palace to search for the box. Of course, it wasn’t there.” Rodar shook his head. “The stench was horrible in Longmont with most of the dead still lining the street. We tried to help dig graves, but the people feared us because of Agnot. It seemed safer to let him recover away from the city. We flew north, following the trail of destruction. A few of the smaller villages were spared, but the larger ones were wiped out. Not a building left standing.”
“You were lucky no one attacked you because of Agnot,” Soren said.
Rodar grimaced. “It did happen. Two days after we left Longmont. A few villagers pelted Agnot with rocks. Emery got hit on the shoulder. She has a bruise about this size of my fist. Agnot Blinked us to safety, but it also delayed his recovery by a few more days.”
Emery walked over with her plate and sat beside Soren. He hadn’t seen her enter the room. Her face face was pale and dark circles lined her eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Rodar told me about the attack.”
She frowned at the old man before focusing on Soren. “It was nothing. I’ve been hurt worse.” Her eyes rested on the fading bruise on his cheek. “Seems you had trouble on your trip too.”
Soren ducked his head. “That’s not from our trip, not that we didn’t run into danger there too.”
Rodar’s eyes narrowed. “Your father?”
Soren nodded. “It has been taken care of,” he said with a glance at the other dragon riders. This wasn’t a discussion he wanted to have. He changed the topic instead. “We are working on a strategy to steal the scepter controlling the Southern dragons. We could use your help.”
The distraction worked. Rodar latched onto the new topic and soon he, Kincade and Royce were deep in conversation about scenarios they would need to plan for and how to best prepare. Emery sighed. Soren noticed her eyes drooping. Figuring she was exhausted from her trip, he rose.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Emery smiled and stood. Drake rose too. Emery raised her eyebrows as they walked out of the dining hall with the guard following them.
“Don’t ask,” Soren muttered. Once outside, they stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Did they assign you a room?”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t even have one before. It doesn’t matter. I’ve gotten into the habit of sleeping near Agnot. I’ll be more comfortable out there with the dragons than here anyway.”
“Soren Blackfist?”
He turned. A man holding metal cuffs stood behind him flanked by two guards. Their hands rested on the hilts of their swords. Emery placed her hand on Soren’s arm. He glanced at her, noting the look of concern in her eyes.
“Are you Soren Blackfist?” the man asked.
“I am.”
The man grabbed his wrist, slipping a metal cuff around it before Soren could react. “My name is Maddock Bray, the Quester of Camden. You need to come with me.” He slapped the other cuff around Soren’s other wrist.
Soren jerked his hands away. Maddock snapped the chain with a downward yank. Pain shot up his arms as the metal dug into his flesh.
“What is this about?” Emery asked.
Drake grabbed Soren’s arm. The two guards beside Maddock pulled their swords. As they stepped forward, Drake held up his hands, backing away.
“You have been charged with theft,” Maddock said as he took Soren’s dagger.
“What?” Soren and Emery both exclaimed.
“My orders were to apprehend you. The charges will be read at your hearing tomorrow.”
Maddock grabbed Soren’s arm, propelling him toward the building. Emery and Drake moved to follow, but the guards blocked their way. Soren heard them calling to him. His mind whirled. He didn’t understand any of this. What was Maddock talking about? What had he stolen? The man escorted him into the building. Their boots clicked loudly as they walked down the hall, turning toward a part of the building Soren had never seen before. A few more turns and they stopped in front of a door. Maddock took a key from his belt, unlocking it.
The room was small, barely two paces wide. A narrow wooden pallet was pushed against the back wall. Maddock pushed Soren into the room, closing the door behind him. He heard the lock click as he blinked, trying to see something in the pitch-black room.
“Dex?”
Soren strained to hear the dragon as he crept forward. His knee bumped into the pallet. He swore as he reached out with his bound hands. He ran them over the edge of the pallet before sitting down. As he did so, he called out to Dex again.
“What is it?” the dragon asked, his voice full of sleep.
Soren sighed. “You aren’t going to believe it. I’ve been arrested.”
“Again? What for this time?”
“Theft.”
“Hmm…I’m too far from Bevin or anyone in Camden. I’ll fly closer.”
Soren sat in the darkness, trying to figure out what he could have done. Nothing came to mind. Even though he couldn't hold down a job or spent way too much time drinking
and gambling, he had never been arrested before. And now within a few short weeks, he had been arrested twice. At least the last time he knew it was for impersonating his brother and approaching the King. This time he couldn’t think of anything he had done, which would lead to his arrest. Several minutes passed before he heard from Dex again.
“Soren, I am here in the main square. Emery says they don’t know where they have taken you. Nor can they get any answer to what you have done.”
“Tell her to talk to Darvin. Maybe he can help.”
“She says they have tried. He is in a meeting with the General and the Kings. They are not to be disturbed.”
A dragon roared outside. Two more roars followed the first.
“Dex, what is going on?”
“If they can’t disturb them, nothing says we can’t. Warnox and Rakkah are here. We will get them to come out.”
Stunned at the dragon’s audacity, Soren sat with his mouth agape. The dragons continued to roar for a while, and then everything was silent.
“What happened?” Soren asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.
“Our plan worked. Warnox is speaking with King Arden. He knows nothing about this. Nor does Darvin. They are calling for someone named Maddock.”
“That’s the man who arrested me.”
Soren fidgeted as he waited for something to happen. Time seemed to move slowly. He wanted to ask Dex what was happening but figured they were still waiting for Maddock. Finally, the cell door opened. Soren squinted, raising his hands to shield his eyes from the torch’s light. A guard beckoned him forward. Another guard led the way as they walked to the meeting room. King Arden and King Edric sat at the table with General Thayer and Colonel Hader. Rodar and Kincade stood off to one side.
“Rodar says to say nothing until Maddock arrives and delivers the official charges,” Dex said.
“Charges have been brought against you, Soren,” King Arden said.
“Thievery,” King Edric sneered.
King Arden held his hand up for silence. “As I was about to say we will wait for Maddock, Camden’s Questor.”
Darvin hurried into the room leading the man who had arrested Soren. Maddock looked around bewildered.
“What is this?” he asked, briskly. His eyes widened as he saw the Kings. He bowed. “Your Majesties, what can I do for you?”
“I understand you arrested this man earlier this evening,” King Arden said.
“I did. The charge is thievery. I have two men who have sworn under oath he stole from them. And those items have been found in his bag this very afternoon. I had planned to bring his case to Colonel Hader’s attention in the morning.”
Rodar stepped forward. “Your Majesty, Soren and the other dragon riders need to practice. Is there any way we can clear this up this evening?”
King Arden looked at Maddock. The man shook his head.
“I do not have everything with me and there will be no way to round up the witnesses. I can be prepared to do this at your earliest convenience tomorrow morning.”
Rodar shook his head and looked like he wanted to object, but instead he said, “At least let Soren go for the evening. I will guarantee he will be back in the morning to straighten this out.”
“No,” King Edric objected. “He has access to the dragons. He could easily leave.”
Maddock stepped forward. “I didn't know his relationship with the dragons but even without that I would recommend we keep him over night. It is custom to keep thieves locked up. For the sake of our people, I urge you to leave him here.”
“It hasn't been proven he is a thief,” Rodar said.
King Arden nodded. “True.” He cast a glance toward King Edric. “But the risk of flight is a valid one. Guards, you can return him to his cell. We will address this charge first thing in the morning.”
One of the guards grabbed Soren’s arm, propelling him toward the door. The others watched helplessly as he was led away.
“Don’t worry, Soren,” Dex said. “It will all be all straightened out tomorrow.”
As the door clanged closed behind him, Soren didn’t know if he could believe him.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Soren shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The metal around his wrists chaffed. Last night, the guard had not removed the cuffs causing him to sleep with his hands awkwardly in front of him. Between that and the hard, wooden pallet, he hadn’t slept well. He rubbed his wrist, causing the chain to pull at the post the guard had secured it to earlier. He had been standing there for half an hour. Others had entered the room and were now sitting in the rows behind him. He could feel their eyes on him but refused to turn around. Having never been in this situation before, he wasn’t sure what would happen.
“Emery wanted me to let you know she and the others are there,” Dex said. “Rodar explained the process to her. Maddock will state his case and bring the witnesses forward. Then you will have a chance to address the issue. Others can speak too. She says not to worry.”
Soren sighed. Everyone kept saying that. It didn't help. Everything had been going so well. He knew it was about time for it all to go the other way. It always did. His attention was diverted as Maddock entered with a Rison guard. Soren recognized him. It was the guard who had been with King Edric the day Soren returned to Camden. The tall man glanced over at him, his eyes lingering on the mark on his neck. If his hands hadn’t been cuffed, Soren would have reached up and covered it with his hand.
King Arden, King Edric and Colonel Hadar entered from the side door, crossing in front of Soren as they walked to the table at the front. They sat, and Colonel Hadar nodded at Maddock. The man rose.
“Yesterday, I was alerted by Rison Captain Risley Pratt that his dagger was missing. I spoke to several other Rison guards who said they saw someone lurking around the area that morning. Captain Pratt recognized him as Soren Blackfist. The dagger was found in his bag.” Maddock motioned for the guard to stand. “Captain Pratt, please tell us what you saw yesterday morning.”
“Several of my fellow guards reported seeing a man sneaking around the corridor to the rooms belonging to the Rison guards. As I went to investigate, I saw this man,” he gestured toward Soren, “leaving the area. He appeared to be hiding something in his hand.”
“Had you ever seen him before?”
Risley nodded. “Once when he and his dragon landed in the square two days ago.”
Maddock produced a small dagger with an elaborately carved handle which Risley verified was the one he was missing. Maddock turned to Soren.
“Have you seen this dagger before?”
“No.”
“It was found in your bag. How did it get there?”
Soren shrugged. “I don’t know but my bags are at the campsite I share with my dragon. Anyone could approach it and put the dagger there…when Dex isn’t around of course.”
“Dex?”
“My dragon.”
“Can you tell us what you did yesterday morning?”
“I woke up around midmorning. I was with Dex. Bevin Croxen brought me breakfast before we went to train with the other dragon riders.”
Maddock called for Bevin. The guard stepped forward to answer Maddock’s inquiry.
“I came by early in the morning and spoke with the dragon, Dex, while Soren was asleep. I left to get him breakfast. When I returned thirty minutes later, he was awake. We then rode his dragon to the training ground. You can of course verify all this with his dragon.”
Maddock’s face blanched. He turned to Soren.
“Are you saying you never went into Camden?”
“Not in the morning,” Soren said. “I couldn’t have been the one Captain Pratt saw. Someone else must have taken the dagger.”
“Are you questioning the word of my guard,” King Edric bristled. “His eyesight is fine. If he says he saw you there, then he did.”
Before Soren could speak, Rodar stepped forward. “No one is doubting Captain
Pratt believes what he saw, Your Majesty. But he had only seen Soren once before. He could be mistaken. Soren obviously was never alone yesterday morning.”
“Hmmph,” King Edric said with a frown. “The dragon doesn’t count. Besides, he could have…what do they call it…Blinked on his dragon, stolen the dagger and been back before Bevin returned.”
Rodar shook his head. “Not possible. Dex had recently Blinked and it is impossible for him to Blink again so soon.”
King Edric smiled. “Ah ha but I have heard the dragons did multiple Blinks that morning at practice.”
Kincade stepped forward and introduced himself. “Yes, some of us have Blinked several times in our training, but those were short distances. A distance, say from the door to your table would not be a problem. For a dragon to Blink from the outskirts of Camden to the center would be too taxing especially after Dex had Blinked the day before. Besides, if he had come on his dragon, there would be many witnesses. Perhaps Captain Pratt is mistaken in who he saw.”
“It was him alright,” Risley said. “Unless there is someone else that looks just like him.”
Soren and Rodar exchanged glances. Soren shook his head. He didn’t want his brother mentioned. He didn’t need to cast suspicion on him, especially when he wasn’t even in Camden. But it was King Arden, who spoke now.
“He does have a twin who works in my court in Ballinger, but he is still there.”
Maddock nodded. “Let’s move on to the second item he is accused of stealing.” He held up Soren’s grandfather’s journal.
Soren’s stomach tightened as his eyes flickered to Rodar.
“That’s mine.”
Soren turned around. His eyes immediately stopped on the tall man standing in the doorway. His father. His clothes were neat and pressed, and his beard was trimmed. He walked to the front of the room. He slowed as he passed Soren. His eyes fell to the metal cuffs, and he smirked. Soren closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm the unsettled feeling forming in his stomach.
“This is Joran Blackfist. He approached me yesterday to report his journal missing. It was also found in Soren’s bag.” Maddock gestured toward Joran. “Before we begin, can you tell us what your relationship is to the accused?”
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