Standing in the center of the circle, Dion scanned the group. His gaze traveled over Cob, standing beside Roxana, and Finn, who was talking earnestly with the Phalesian captain Dimitros. He finally rested his eyes on Chloe. She returned his look with a steadfast expression as she nodded her encouragement.
Dion raised his arms, and the group fell silent.
‘We have people of four nations here in Sindara,’ he said. ‘Soldiers of Tanus’ – he looked at the men in brown uniforms – ‘you have lost your queen. But rest assured that we of Xanthos and Phalesia stand with you. We have all suffered. Fear and desperation brought all of us here. We owe a debt of the utmost gratitude to our eldran friends.’ Dion nodded at Eiric, and a rumble of assent greeted his words.
He continued, ‘Yet I also must believe that the fates have played their part. Here we are, facing the greatest peril the world has ever known, and here we are, all together, where we can make a plan to fight back. Until now, this threat has had us running. Our mission has been to seek safety for our people. With the help of the eldren, we have sanctuary, but we well know it is temporary, for this land will never support so many for long. We are builders and farmers, craftsmen and traders. We owe it to our children to end this threat and reclaim our homes.’
‘But how?’ a grizzled captain from Tanus spoke up. ‘We have seen your ballistae. We had nothing like your weapons to defend our homes with. But even you, King Dion, were forced to abandon Xanthos. I’ve spoken with your soldiers. How many dragons did you kill?’
‘It is true,’ Dion said. ‘It is almost impossible to defend a city full of people. That is why we did the right thing to evacuate. When we fight – and we will fight – all civilians will remain in Sindara. From now on, only men of the sword will face this enemy.’
He swept his gaze over the entire group. ‘Until today, as we have fought to defend our homelands, we have been separated by distance. But we are now united in one place. I have seen thousands of soldiers from Tanus. Phalesia’s army is mostly intact. We lost many at Xanthos, but I can still proudly say that we have some of the best-trained soldiers in this valley, and I challenge anyone to tell me otherwise.’
Dion paused to take a breath. ‘I won’t tell you that destroying the bloodren will be easy. You have all seen them. Most likely you have faced them up close. Our latest assessment is that they still number close to two hundred. Before we go any further, I need to know. Are your men ready? Are you willing to sacrifice lives, in order to give our children a future? And before you answer, ask yourself this: Do we have a choice?’
Dion looked at Chloe first. She stepped forward, and instantly all eyes were on her. ‘If you do not know me, I am Chloe of Phalesia, daughter of Aristocles,’ she said. ‘Abandoning my home was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.’ She looked at each face in turn, and soon most of the people present were nodding. ‘When I left, I vowed to return, and I’m sure I am not alone.’ Chloe let silence ensue for a moment, and then spoke firmly. ‘Leaving Phalesia to crumble and decay is not an option. Hiding in Sindara while the rest of the world falls is also not an option.’ She looked at Liana. ‘Our eldran friends will not say this, so I will. Each day we have to search farther for game. Forcing those who have taken us in to starve along with our people is also not an option.’
Chloe nodded at Captain Dimitros, who stepped forward. He looked proud and stern in his blue uniform, and his face was deadly serious. ‘Phalesia will fight,’ Dimitros said.
He and Chloe moved back to rejoin the circle.
‘You all know I speak for Xanthos,’ Dion said. ‘I thank you, Chloe. I could not have said it better myself.’ He glanced at the grizzled officer in brown. ‘Tanus?’
The old captain stepped forward. Dion tried to hide his concern. He needed every nation to unite, every soldier to stand together.
‘There is something that has yet to be said,’ the captain growled. ‘There is magic at play here, dark magic that we don’t understand.’ He spread his hands and cast an inquiring look around the circle. ‘Unless someone here disagrees with me?’
Chloe shook her head. A few people murmured to each other, but no one stepped forward.
‘However, if there’s one thing I know it’s this: whatever bleeds can be killed. And we have potential allies here, people who have magic of their own.’ He gave a grim smile, turning to look at Eiric, whose golden eyes were shining eerily in the flickering light of the torches. ‘We will fight if they will.’
Murmurs rumbled throughout the group, but Dion raised his hands to call for silence. He held his breath as he waited for Eiric.
Tall and lean, with high cheekbones and a crown of laurel leaves on his head, Eiric cut a striking figure, drawing every person’s gaze as he stepped forward.
‘Peace has finally been made between eldren and humans,’ Eiric said, scanning the group. ‘We are few in number, but we will not desert you in your time of need. This menace also threatens us, for we have no desire to be trapped here in Sindara while the rest of the world suffers. If there is a way to destroy these dragons, we will fight.’ At the end, Eiric met the officer from Tanus’s gaze. The man nodded. Both stepped back.
All eyes were now on Dion.
‘Here is my plan,’ he said slowly. ‘And like all good plans, it is a simple one. We must draw the dragons out, in one final confrontation. We will assemble on Sindara’s shore and wait for their attack. With arrows, spears, tooth, and claw, we will fight until every one of them is dead.’
Immediately voices rose.
‘Open ground?’ The captain from Tanus scowled.
Dion nodded, his face grim. ‘We have seen what happens when they attack and we kill a few. They fly off, regroup, and then when they are ready they attack again. We must fight to the end if we want to destroy them.’ He turned his eyes on Chloe. ‘Chloe knows more than any of us about the Aleutheans’ magic. She has suggested a weapon we can use against them.’
Everyone glanced at Chloe.
‘It is an artifact at the bottom of the sea,’ Dion said. ‘I won’t discuss it until I know I can recover it, but it could be decisive against the bloodren. With or without it, what we must do is lay a trap.’
‘But who is to say they will come when we want them to?’ the Tanusian captain asked.
‘I think I can answer that,’ Eiric said. ‘Liana?’
Liana nodded and held out a wooden box, beautifully carved, appearing as if vines were woven around its exterior. Lifting the lid, Eiric took something out and raised it high. Gasps filled the area.
It was a horn, made from a conch shell nearly the size of Eiric’s head. It was pure white, but gave off rays of rainbow light that shone brightly on his face. It was undoubtedly otherworldly, a relic from another age.
‘The Horn of Marrix,’ Eiric said. ‘The spell on the red dragons uses both eldran and human magic. This horn may not have the same hold on them that it had on the wildren, but I believe that, nonetheless, these creatures will come when they hear its call.’
‘For now,’ Dion said, ‘issue orders to your men. Prepare them for departure. Above all, we work together. If one army is short of arrows, the others must share their surplus. We need to coordinate our actions, combining our archers into a single force, as with our hoplites and ballistae. The longer we wait, the more villages, towns, and cities will be destroyed. More people will die. In the meantime I will seek out allies, as well as this artifact.’
‘What of the Ileans?’ Dion was surprised to see that it was Zachary who had spoken. ‘Would they help us?’
Dion’s expression darkened. He remembered Kargan forcing him to hand over Palemon and Zara, who might have been able to tell them something about the dragons that they could use. Rather than let him recover his ballistae from the citadel, Kargan had taken them for himself. ‘We can expect no help from Ilea,’ he growled.
‘There is one other matter,’ Captain Dimitros said, speaking up. Dion wondered what the Phalesian was going to say.
‘We have eldren in our force, and officers from three nations.’ He took a deep breath. ‘We must nominate a war leader.’
Eiric raised an eyebrow. ‘What is there to debate? My warriors will not answer to any human soldier. It should be Dion.’
Chloe raised her voice. ‘The choice is clear. Dion is the reason that the people of Xanthos and Phalesia are still alive. He knows this enemy better than anyone. He brought us all together. He is the only one with a plan.’
‘But is he strong enough?’ the captain from Tanus muttered to the man next to him.
‘He burned half the sun king’s fleet to save his homeland,’ Roxana said gruffly, standing next to Cob and speaking for the first time. ‘I will vouch for him.’
‘He stood with us on the beach at the Battle of Phalesia,’ Captain Dimitros said. ‘I will vouch for him.’
‘He was, and still is, the king of the Free Men,’ Finn said. ‘I will vouch for him.’
Everyone turned to Cob as he spoke in a voice that was low, but clearly audible to all. ‘He was captured and beaten, treated like an animal, and yet here he stands today. A man with an iron will, if ever I saw one.’
36
It was a clear night, and stars sparkled overhead as Dion and Chloe walked side by side. The warm breeze rustled the treetops and tugged at Chloe’s long dark hair. The pale moonlight made her face glow like silver.
Dion was pensive for a long time, thinking about the coming days. ‘It’s a lot of responsibility,’ he finally said. ‘Those things you all said at the conference . . .’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t know if I can live up to them.’
‘We believe in you,’ Chloe said. ‘There was something I saw, the very first time you came to my home. After the earthquake, when the Narrows were blocked, you had no hesitation in proposing a solution to my father. He respected you for it. You had such . . . self-belief. And then when you came all the way to Lamara, a place you knew nothing about, to help me, a girl you barely knew . . .’
‘I know you now,’ he said, glancing across at her and giving her a slight smile.
‘And I know you,’ she said. ‘After everything we’ve been through together, of course I do. Trust me, you can do this. You can get us through.’
‘What about you?’ Dion asked, gazing into her eyes. ‘How do you keep going? I hear your name everywhere I go. This place we’ve built here . . . It’s working because of you. Rather than pulling apart, our people are pulling together. There is no “us” and “them”; we don’t have Xanthians living in one section and Phalesians in the other. It’s as if everyone has forgotten that some wear gold and others copper.’
‘Our people are brave, when we let them be. And they are wiser than some give them credit for.’
‘You have a touch I have never had,’ Dion said. ‘If there was an election tomorrow, you would be the first female first consul in history.’
Rather than reply, Chloe suddenly looked sad. Dion reached out and squeezed her hand, holding it for a moment before letting go. He knew she was thinking about Amos, and maybe her father as well.
They followed the wide river for a time, approaching the trail that deviated from its bank to lead to the ramshackle city. It was late, and Dion looked into the distance to see people still attending to their duties: pounding grain, baking bread, stirring pots, and mending clothing. Couples stared into the flames of the campfires, the men holding their women close. The military encampment beckoned, but Dion wasn’t ready for bed quite yet.
Instead he continued on, leading Chloe toward the darkness at the valley’s end, where forests of swaying trees girded both banks of the slow-moving river.
‘You asked me how I keep going,’ Chloe said, breaking the silence. ‘I think it comes down to hope. When we go through dark times, we all must believe there is light at the end.’
The riverbank narrowed as they entered the forest but then opened up again. As tree branches rustled overhead, Chloe kicked off her sandals, holding them in her hand, and Dion did the same. The grass underfoot was thick, as supple as the softest mattress.
‘We will survive. I have to believe it,’ Chloe continued. ‘I hope that one day we will be able to return home. I hope to find love. That is . . .’ A short distance into the forest, she came to a halt and turned to face him. ‘That is, if my greatest wish comes true.’
Dion stopped in front of her, with just a few inches separating them. She looked directly into his eyes. He reached out to brush a lock of hair back from her face. ‘I’m afraid,’ he said. ‘I’m afraid for the men who will fight for us, and for all of our friends. Most of all, I am afraid that something will happen to you. But you’ve shown me that there is no use being alive if I am dead inside. I also need hope to keep going.’
His put his arm around her and pulled her in close. He continued to gaze into her eyes while their bodies pressed together. He saw her red lips part, and then her eyes gently closed.
He kissed her without hesitation, knowing that there was no other woman he would ever feel the same way about. He held both arms around her as feelings of warmth and desire flowed through him. His heart raced; blood roared in his ears. This wasn’t like it had been before. This time he was utterly committed. It was so wrong: he didn’t have time for love; he needed to focus; they both might not survive the days to come. At the same time, nothing would stand in his way.
She had once been married to his brother, and then he had thought she was dead. He had been betrothed to Isobel, who carried his child. Now there was nothing preventing him. He couldn’t fight his feelings anymore.
He broke the kiss, gasping for breath.
Chloe was flushed and panting. Dion still had his arms around her waist.
As his wits slowly returned, he glanced at the water flowing nearby. A barrier of large rocks meant that the river had formed a wide pool.
‘It is a warm night,’ Dion said with a smile.
She returned the smile. ‘I can still remember a swim we never finished.’
‘You first,’ he said.
‘No.’ She shook her head, lifting her chin. ‘You.’
Dion unfastened the belt around his tunic and threw it to the side. Cursing his clumsiness under his breath, he wriggled out of the tunic and then hopped on one leg while he removed his undergarments. Laughing, he finally stood in front of her wearing nothing at all.
She looked like she was trying not to inspect him but failing. Her eyes lingered on his strong arms, broad chest, and flat stomach. In the moonlight, the ridged muscles in his abdomen were clearly visible. When her gaze moved downward, Dion quickly dashed to the water and plunged in. His head was submerged for a moment before he straightened, shaking droplets from his hair. He looked at Chloe and grinned.
‘It’s your turn,’ he said.
Chloe blushed, as if she’d forgotten that she had to follow suit. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a chiton made of white silk, with a shimmering blue pattern woven through the material. It was low cut at the neckline and drawn in the waist, with a long hem that draped all the way to the ground.
She slowly unfastened the delicate leather belt and tossed it away. She looked down at him, hesitating when she saw his eyes on her, and then glanced at herself again. She shrugged first one shoulder, then the other, out of the garment, sliding it down her body to let it fall to the ground.
Dion swallowed. She was naked in front of him, and her pale body was in perfect proportion. Her long dark hair hung down, slightly covering her full breasts. She had wide hips but a narrow waist, with a stomach that bulged out the tiniest bit before descending to the patch of fine curls between her thighs.
Before his gaze could linger long, she was crossing the bank and had dipped her lower leg into the water. In a single movement she dropped into the pool, soon standing in water that covered the tops of her breasts.
Neither of them said anything as they approached each other, wading slowly. The riverbed underfoot was made of fine gravel and the water w
as warm, just cool enough to be pleasant on such a hot night. Chloe draped her arms over Dion’s shoulders and his hands circled her waist, pulling her toward him. This time there was no material separating their bodies. He ran his hands up and down her back, and then lower, feeling where her waist narrowed above her hips.
As their lips pressed together her legs came up and circled his waist so that he was supporting her weight. Her breasts became flattened against his chest and his tongue probed into her mouth, sending shivers up and down his body every time his tongue touched hers.
Water flowed past them as they kissed. There was no pretense at playfulness; they both knew what they wanted. Time passed, with every fiber of Dion’s being focused on the woman in his arms.
Finally he carried her to the grassy bank, where the green carpet was softer than any manicured lawn, and laid her down by the water’s edge. In one swift movement he climbed out of the pool, and then he was directly over her, supporting himself with his hands on the grass at either side of her head. He leaned down and kissed her again.
Their eyes met, hers dark and his pale brown. He saw that she was trembling, but also smiling slightly, her lips parted and moist.
Her legs slid up his body. He brought his face down as his mouth found hers.
37
A towering wave lifted the lean ship, holding it high in the air before it began its inexorable slide into the valley behind. The next came immediately after, raising the bow up so that for an instant the crew had an expansive view of the roiling sea. They saw rows and rows of waves, stretching endlessly into the horizon. Then the ship plunged down again, smashing into the water amid a torrent of spray.
Kyphos clung grimly to the rail and scanned in all directions, always worried about the fleet of twelve ships staying together. Fortunately, after their journey to the frozen north, the crews were now experienced and there appeared to be little danger of the vessels drifting apart. He watched for a time as the multitude of oars at the sides of every bireme rose up and then dipped into the water, lucky if they could grab the top of a wave as it slid below their ships’ hulls. These were the worst seas they had faced.
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