by Nathan Roden
“Don’t be so quick to make me out the hero. Not long ago, I had the tip of a sword at my back. I could have died by the hand of an old woman.”
“You didn’t…”
“Kill her?” Boone said. “No. The woman knew me. She remembered my mother.”
“Then both you and Helena may be saved—by a miracle,” Simon said.
“It was far more than a miracle, Your Grace. I am beginning to believe that the heart of a resistance beats inside of the realm. If I dare say it—I actually believe they would unite behind you. They seek a better destiny than what lies before them.”
“The people united—behind the dragon,” Simon said. “The minstrels will certainly never suffer for new tales to sing.”
“Aye!” Boone said.
“I am thirsty,” Helena said. Simon and Boone leaped to their feet.
“I cannot thank you enough,” Helena said.
Simon held his hand toward Boone.
“You can thank Lord Blankenship—whose madness knows no bounds. A brave soul is he—a man whose head and heart do not know the meaning of the word ‘impossible’.”
“That was beautiful,” Boone said. “Write that down for me—while you still have hands.”
Helena put a hand to her mouth.
“I had completely forgotten. You have wasted much of the full moon day to help me.”
“A waste?” Boone said. “I think not. You represent one-third of the new Kingdom.”
“I beg to argue, Lord Blankenship,” Helena said. “One-fourth.”
“Who do you include?” Simon asked.
“The Queen, of course.”
They paused in awkward silence.
“You return to—to your other body, at the next moon?” Helena asked.
“Yes,” Simon said.
“Is it as terrible—as before?”
“No, no, no! Nothing like that.”
“I think he enjoys it, myself,” Boone smirked.
“I must admit,” Simon said. “The transformation is most pleasurable—which makes it far worse.”
“Worse? Why?” Helena asked.
“The pleasure works against the will. I am always aware of it—every day. The memory fights against my will to seek to break the curse. Some part of me fights to keep the dragon alive.”
“I believe this fight makes you stronger, Your Grace,” Helena said.
Boone nodded in agreement.
“We shall see,” Simon said.
Helena’s eyelids fluttered. Boone jumped to her side.
“Lie back down, My Lady. Oh, I almost forgot.”
Boone grabbed the sack that he had carried from the apothecary. He took out the shawl, and put it around Helena’s shoulders.
“Where did you get this?” she said.
“It was a gift—from a friend.”
“We should move soon,” Boone said.
“Yes,” Simon said. “I was thinking—”
“Do you have sanctuaries near the Southland borders?” Helena asked.
“Yes, there are two,” Simon said.
“We should go there,” Helena said. “We should begin to scout the Southlands—while the bonds formed by my father and his brothers are still remembered.”
Boone shook his head.
“Our immediate concern should be to see that you return to good health. I believe we should take refuge near Islemar. The salt air will be good for you.”
“I must agree with Boone, My Lady,” Simon said. “At least for a short time. Sterling is not likely to send his armies into Islemar. Lord Lamont is likely the only man in the realm that Sterling truly fears.”
“There is some wisdom in going to Islemar,” Helena said. “If your intent is to keep hiding. You will raise no army there.”
Simon stared at Helena.
“We will travel to the Southlands—when we are all strong enough,” he said.
“That is how things work in the new Kingdom, My Lady,” Boone said. “Fair and square. Two votes to one.”
Simon walked away from the cave before sunset. He took to the air and flew over the route that he would take later, with Boone and Helena on his back. He dropped down near the chosen cave that stood high above the sea. There was a constant breeze. There were no signs of human presence there, since the last time he had used it.
When the three landed there later that night, Boone helped Helen from Simon’s back.
“Well, how did you like the ride?” Boone asked.
“That was incredible!” she said. “I…I am almost ashamed. I should not take such pleasure in the King’s curse.”
“Do not worry,” Boone said. “You heard him. There are parts that he likes, as well.”
Helena grew stronger in the next days. Her wound healed at an exceptional rate, aided by the salt winds.
“It is time to change the dressing, My Lady,” Boone said. “We have enough for three more at best.”
Helena smiled. She pulled up the tattered end of her dress.
“Then you have but three more opportunities to enjoy this view, My Lord.”
Boone smiled, as well. He sighed.
“And I shall savor every one, My Lady.”
Forty
Boone hunted by day, and Simon by night.
Simon woke one day to the mouth-watering aroma of roasted fish.
“What is this delightful dish?” he asked, as he exited the cave.
Boone looked at Helena and moaned.
“I knew that we should have built the fire farther away! The cove beneath us is full of these fish, Simon. But we only have twenty. You could probably eat a thousand!”
Simon looked toward the sea.
“In the cove, eh? Do not worry about me. Enjoy your meal. I will have a go at catching these fish for myself!”
Simon took flight and descended upon the cove. He discovered that he was far more adept at fishing than hunting. His vision worked exceptionally well at night. He found that he could spot schools of fish beneath the surface from the air, as well.
Helena grew tired of wood gathering and cooking, and pestered Boone enough that he began taking her on hunts. She was a tentative student of the skill.
Along with hunting, they passed their time learning reading and writing skills from Simon. Boone and Helena took turns turning the pages of books that Simon had “collected”.
They built fires only when they had to. When the nights grew cold, they huddled together beneath all the clothing they had. Winter was not far away, especially in the mountains. The benefits of the healing salt winds had about run their course.
Boone and Helena left the cave at dawn.
“If we find something early, I’ll track and let you have the bow. The practice has served you well—you’ve taken to it quickly.”
“For a girl, is what you mean!” Helena teased.
“Believe me, Helena,” Boone smiled. “When it comes to hunting—or combat—all I care about is skill. Not what parts the bowman carries beneath his knickers.”
Helena stopped.
“What is it?” Boone said.
Helena smiled.
“You said my name.”
Boone shrugged.
“Sorry, My L—”
“No,” Helena said. “I liked it. I liked it very much.”
“Boone.”
“I liked it very much, Boone.”
“Drop the bow.”
Boone and Helena froze. The voice came from the trees.
Boone raised the bow instead.
“That’s a poor job of dropping a bow.”
That voice came from their opposite side. They were surrounded.
Boone dropped the bow and pulled Helena to his side.
Two soldiers stepped into the clearing. They sheathed their swords.
“We’re looking for two men. Who is this girl?” One of the soldiers asked.
“It’s not two men we seek, Lieutenant,” the other said. “It’s one man and a dragon!”
“Yeah, that’s right,” the lieutenant said. “A smart-as-a-whip talking dragon, at that!”
“Would have made a right-respectable King, don’t ya think?” the second soldier said.
“Better than the sorry lot we got at Morgenwraithe now, without a doubt,” the lieutenant said.
“Who are you?” Boone asked. “And how do you know so much about the…the dragon?”
The lieutenant wiped his gloves together.
“Let’s just say that we’ve met.”
“Why should we believe you?” Boone asked.
“Because Lord Lamont sent us here. Actually, he sent pairs of us—six men that he trusts—to three different caves nearby. We’re the lucky ones who found you.”
“So, you’ve found us. For what purpose?” Boone asked.
“Lord Lamont wishes to speak to you and…your large friend. He will come here within three days.”
“Very well,” Boone said. “He will be welcome. Please, tell Lord Lamont to signal his arrival. Dragons can be…unpredictable.”
The soldiers laughed. They turned to leave.
“Oh. I almost forgot,” the lieutenant said.
He stepped into the trees and returned with a bundle.
“Blankets. Lady Lamont’s idea. It gets cold up here.”
“That it does,” Boone said. “Thank you.”
“Yes, Thank you, very much,” Helena said.
“I don’t know who you are, Miss, but your friends have a difficult life ahead of them,” the lieutenant said.
“I am where I am meant to be,” Helena said.
“We wish you well,” the soldiers bowed their heads and they were gone.
“This is destiny at work,” Simon said. “I have believed for some time, that if I am to retake the throne, Islemar and Lord Lamont will play a role.”
“A role of support, perhaps,” Helena said. “But they haven’t enough numbers to—”
“Numbers are important,” Simon said. “But more important still, are brave leaders who people are willing to follow. Lord Lamont is such a man.”
Two days later, their studies were interrupted.
“You there! Lord Lamont desires an audience!”
“Well, speak of the devil,” Boone said.
Simon and Helena glared at him.
“Just a figure of speech.”
Lord Lamont and his lieutenant entered the cave.
“Welcome to Islemar,” he said. He rubbed his hands together.
“Winter has come early.”
“That it has, Lord Lamont,” Simon said. “Thank you for the blankets.”
“Do you feel the cold, by the way?” Lamont asked.
“Not when I fly, or move about,” Simon said. “As long as I have food in my belly, the cold does not reach me.”
Lamont nodded.
“We have been to visit the Queen,” he said. “Robin and…I dare say, Lady Lamont and I.”
“How is she, My Lord?” Helena asked.
Lamont had not noticed Helena.
“Do I—are you Jaclyn’s handmaid?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“By the gods!” Lamont exclaimed. “She thinks you are dead! She will be so happy—!”
“She cannot know, Lord Lamont,” Simon said softly. “Not yet.”
“She would never tell anyone,” Lamont said. “I would swear that on my life!”
“It is safer for the Queen if she does not know,” Simon said. “It is also safer for Helena and for Boone and me as well. It is dangerous to arouse Sterling’s suspicions.”
Lamont slammed his fist into his hand.
“I lie awake and dream of separating that devil’s head from his shoulders. He has never been anything but poison to this Realm!”
“We are of one accord on this matter, Lord Lamont,” Boone said.
Lamont blew out a long breath.
“You are right, of course. It is just that the thought of being able to take Jaclyn a piece of good news is intoxicating to me now. The Queen…my Jaclyn…she has become distant. Forlorn. Depressed beyond measure. She does not sleep.
“I thought that I had given her the greatest gift of all—the throne of Morgenwraithe. She was forever at my side—a delight.”
Lamont chuckled.
“She was never what you would call—’ladylike’. I’m to blame for that. My little girl has become Queen—and my heart breaks at what has become of her.”
“Lord Lamont,” Simon said. “The curse that protects the throne against magic—does it extend to the King’s Regent?”
Lamont sighed.
“There is no way to know. It has never been tested.”
“What about poison?” Boone asked. “If it did not work, he would be none the wiser in the effort.”
“Sterling has tasters—at least two young boys,” Helena said. “They follow him everywhere and test every drop and morsel that goes into his mouth. I have seen the boys so drunk that they cannot stand.”
“The curse of protection on the throne is not the curse that we should be concerned with,” Lamont said. “If Magdalena’s spell is broken, the people will follow us. I know this as sure as I am standing before you. It will require bloodshed, but the people are starved for a better life.
“They require a champion to lead them. The redemption of the rightful King will give them their noble purpose.”
“We have spoken of traveling to the Southlands,” Simon said. “Helena’s people were preparing alliances there when Sterling sensed the beginnings of rebellion. We know what followed.”
“Aye, the slaughter of an entire village of good and innocent people,” Lamont said. “I met your father, Helena. And his brothers. I sensed that they were up to something—but they never mentioned it to me.
“We should be going. I will think on what you have said about the Southlands. And we should all think hard on how we might lay hold of the sorceress. At the edge of the clearing, due south, you will find a little gift.”
“You are too kind, Lord Lamont,” Simon said.
“It is nothing, really. Four fat goats.”
Lamont reached his hand toward Simon. Simon stiffened.
Lamont laughed and patted Simon’s belly.
“We will need plenty of fire in the days to come, Your Grace.”
“It will be my honor, Viceroy Lamont.”
“Let us see that I never have to exercise that title, shall we?”
“Agreed.”
“You should have a signal—for when you return here, Lord Lamont,” Boone said. “My large friend, here, he does not respond well to surprise.”
Lamont stroked his beard.
“What about…All hail the true King!”
Forty-One
Helena became more skilled with a bow, learning at Boone’s side. Simon visited the cove twice a day. One dive into the frigid waters never failed to provide him less than a full catch. He carried the fish to the mouth of the cave, where he roasted them himself with one blast from his jaws.
Fishing did not bother Simon as much as having to look into the frightened eyes of animals. Although winter was upon them, no one was going to starve.
Three days later, they heard a voice from below them on the mountainside.
“All hail, the true King!”
“We did not expect to see you so soon, Lord Lamont,” Simon said.
Lamont wore a serious expression.
“The Queen is with child.”
Simon sat down hard on the forest floor.
“What does this mean—for the realm?” Boone asked.
“If it is a boy child, it means that the line of kings is secure, and Sterling has nothing to fear from my position as Viceroy,” Lamont said. “That is a good thing. We will have the freedom to seek out support in the Southlands without drawing his attention.”
“You are forgetting one possibility,” Simon said.
“What?” Boone said.
“Sterling holds the position of regent until Lucien’
s seventeenth name day,” Simon said.
“That is the law,” Lamont said.
“By the gods!” Helena said. “Could Sterling be so evil—?”
“What are you talking about?” Boone asked.
“If it would cross the mind of any man, it would be Lord Sterling,” Lamont said.
Boone shrugged. He was puzzled.
“If Lucien and Jaclyn have a boy child,” Helena said. “Sterling could remain Regent for seventeen more years.”
“That is not possible,” Boone said. “The only way that could happen is if—”
Realization came over Boone’s face.
“He wouldn’t! Murder Lucien? Simon? What hellish spirit does Sterling possess?”
“I will see this madness come to an end, if I have to raze the castle to the ground,” Simon said. “I would begin tonight, if I knew that I could put an end to this terror.”
“Jaclyn is in even more danger than the King,” Lamont said. “I have just come from Morgenwraithe. Lady Lamont remains there. I have seen the faces of both Lucien and Sterling. They are sorely displeased with Jaclyn’s reaction to the child.”
Lord Lamont’s voice broke.
“Forgive me. Seeing her so unhappy was already hard to bear. To see her miserable at the thought of having her first child…it is not only painful for me to see. It is making the King and his Regent most angry. And there is nothing that I or my wife can do.”
“If you will excuse me, Lord Lamont,” Simon said. “I need…a few moments.”
Lamont nodded. Simon stepped out of the cave. He took to the air. The others paused in the silence of their thoughts.
Their heads jerked up when they heard an awful roar echo against the mountains.
Lord Lamont, his lieutenant, Boone, and Helena studied each other’s faces.
“He is a passionate dragon,” Lamont said.