Heart of Steel

by Samantha M. Derr

  Eventually, they came to the hall where the princes held court. It had been emptied just for their arrival, and Aria imagined that wasn't a good sign.

  As if in sync, they paused outside the final set of closed doors. It felt like they'd been walking away from the surface for an eternity. Aria saw Tess stare ahead, and Aria saw the slightest flutter at her throat as she swallowed, just visible over the brace of wool and leather that protected her neck.

  "Nervous?" Aria asked.

  Tess grinned. "Not at all." She motioned to the door. "Shall we?"

  Aria nodded and Tess announced herself to the guards at the door. The doors opened, and a herald announced their presence.

  "Tessandra of the human kingdom, Lady Knight, Rider of the dragon Merryn, approaches the throne, your majesties," the herald announced. Then, after checking the sheet, he added, "and guest."

  In the little satchel Aria held, her hatchling stirred.

  They approached three elderly dwarves sitting on three stone thrones, each as fully armored as any of their guards. In the Eleven, weapons were not allowed within 100 yards of the regents. The dwarves took the opposite approach. Every other person under the mountain was armed, and Aria felt particularly naked without any sort of weapon to protect herself. She fought the urge to sink even farther into Tess's shadow.

  Tess and Aria bowed before the dais and the princes. The eldest of the three—a grizzled dwarf with a white beard, said, "When you did not stop to rest in Overtown, in my principality, we feared the worst. I speak for all of us when I say I am eager to see the gift your queen wishes to present us with."

  Tess rose from her bow. "My lords, it is an honor to be in your presence, although I fear there was a change in plans as I travelled here to see you." Tess motioned for her, and Aria stepped forward, hatchling in her arms.

  The response from the Dwarven princes was immediate, loud, and promised violence. They screamed about thieves. One on the far right hand side stood from his seat to gesture that Aria should be arrested. Until that happened, Tess seemed willing enough to endure the shouts, but when a pair of guards started to approach, Tess let her hand fall to the hilt of her sword. The guards hesitated.

  "Please, princes of the Mountains, listen to me," Tess began, voice firm but formal. "I was attacked by riders of the Eleven just after passing over the Rockwood, in the town by the same name." She gestured to her right shoulder. "I was able to overtake two of them, but was knocked to the ground by the third. This woman and her mother cared for me after I was injured." Tess inclined her head. "The dragon egg meant for you fell into the hands of my new friend here."

  "Then kill her!" one of the old men spat, and Aria startled at his venom. He hated her, and hated her deeply, for taking something he saw as his.

  "I don't think you understand the nature of the gift." Tess's voice stayed level. "We were bringing you an egg. There was no guarantee that the dragon within would choose any of you, or would even hatch at all. What my queen offered was—if you will—the opportunity to have a rider serve the Mountains, and strengthen the bond between our two countries." She motioned to Aria. "Killing her will not break the bond between her and the hatchling; it will doubtlessly die if she does. While I take full responsibility for the egg falling into unintended hands, I cannot allow violence to befall this hatchling or this young woman."

  "Then you should die with her!"

  Tess took a deep breath, and Aria—despite the direness of the moment, despite the weight of the princes' rage and demands—stood as tall as she could. Tess was standing tall in her defense, just as she had said she would, and Aria felt something inside her sing, something she'd never known before and didn't know she could feel.

  "Killing a rider and a knight of Queen Leona on a diplomatic mission?" She tsk'd in defiance of their ire. "It would be cause for war and you know it. How long do you think either of our countries would be able to stand against the Eleven if we have to fight a war on two fronts?" She gestured to Aria. "And that seems entirely unnecessary when you have what I was sent to bring you. Essentially."

  "Trickery and outrage!" The prince in the middle bellowed again. Still, he seemed to acknowledge the truth of her words and sank violently back into his seat, as if he wanted to crack it with the sheer force of his anger.

  "Again, you have my deepest apologies. However, you have before you a brave and noble woman who will serve you not only as a rider, but an emissary." Tess took a breath. "And I am sworn to protect her, on my honor as a knight. If you make an attempt on her life or that of the hatchling, I will lay down my life in her defense. I believe I've made a case for how disastrous that would be for all parties?" She raised an eyebrow.

  "Well," the prince farthest to the left, who hadn't spoken yet, said, "now that you've made an impassioned case, what do you propose as a solution?"

  "I propose that you knight Miss Aria, and that she returns with me as a diplomat from the Mountain Principalities, and the queen's dragon riders train her into a warrior who will be a great boon for your people." Tess puffed up her chest, as if in triumph, although Aria was afraid it was a little premature. Still, Tess's confidence seemed to be rubbing off on her.

  There was silence, dark and tense, as Aria waited for their verdict. Her palms sweated and under them she felt the hatchling purr.

  The prince on the far left rose from his seat, and Tess reacted quickly, hand grasping her sword.

  Aria's heart jumped, and she had a breath to be terrified that Tess would die defending her and that the whole journey would be for nothing.

  "Peace, Lady Knight and Rider of the Dragon Merryn," he rumbled. "Your case has been made, and all will leave well and healthy." He scowled. "Although your queen will be hearing about this."

  Tess inclined her head, and Aria watched her hold the post for a little longer than she normally would, in thanks.

  "Now," the older dwarf rumbled. "Aria of Rockwood, step forward."

  Aria froze, eyes wide, and felt her shoulders shaking, barely able to hold the hatchling.

  But something pushed her onwards, through the fear of the large axe in her prince's hands, something old and powerful touched her mind and told her that her death did not lay there.

  She walked forward and kneeled before the dais, with Tess anxiously watching behind her, hand off but not far from her blade.

  The axe lifted, and Aria closed her eyes.

  "I dub thee, Knight of the Mountains." The axe touched one of Aria's shoulders, then the other, before falling back to the prince's side. Aria glanced up from her kneeling position, and he smiled down at her. "Serve well, and pray we never learn this wasn't an accident."

  Aria inclined her head, deeply, and she and Tess bid farewell to the Dwarven princes.

  The second the doors to the court shut behind them, Aria dropped to her knees. Tess bent over, hands pressed to her knees with an anxious laugh she had to have been holding in throughout the meeting. "Gods," Tess said, "that was terrifying."

  Aria looked at her hands. "I can't stop shaking."

  "It's all fine. Just mind the hatchling." Tess wasn't looking too serious when she said it, as wide as her smile was.

  The hatchling chirped, then scrambled up Aria's outer vest, rising to sit at her shoulder and nip playfully at her braid. She and Tess left the mountain hall giddy with success.

  *~*~*

  Tess finished gathering their supplies for the long trip back to the human kingdom. It would be slower going, now that they needed twice the supplies, but Aria had asked to stop in Rockwood again on the way back and Tess couldn't agree more.

  Tess found Aria in the hall of the embassy just as she expected to. Aria smiled as she approached.

  "Merryn's all packed up. Time to go." She motioned behind her. "Lady Knight."

  "There's one more thing," Aria said, tapping her chin with one finger as if in deep thought.

  "Oh?" Tess asked. "What's that, now?"

  "I remember telling you about a dwarven traditi
on I wanted to honor."

  "Oh!" Tess exclaimed, but when she saw that Aria was serious, her voice pitched lower. "Oh."

  Aria corrected herself quickly. "If you want to, I mean!"

  Tess strode towards her and went to her knee near Aria's seat on the long, stone bench. Tess carefully positioned herself just a little too close to Aria's knee and the space between, careful to watch for any sign of discomfort. Aria's lips were bright red, and Tess waited, making no further movement.

  Aria bent over and placed one kiss to Tess's cheek. It was a peck—almost platonic. Then Aria planted a second kiss to the other cheek, this time holding it a little too long to be chaste.

  Tess turned her head when Aria broke away, and Aria's lips finally met hers. They kissed sweetly, and the meaning behind it was unmistakable as Aria clasped Tess's hand. Her lips were softer than Tess expected, and when they finally broke apart, it felt like it hadn't lasted long enough, even though Tess couldn't stop breathing heavily.

  "That was nice for me," Aria said. "How about you?"

  Tess kissed her again and felt Aria smiling against her lips. They parted again, laughing and smiling. "We have a long way to travel today, but I would love to continue this… later."

  "I would love that," Aria replied, and got up from her seat, eyes never leaving Tess's, as if enticing her to follow. Soon after, Tess did.

  Merryn waited for them above. The skies wouldn't always be clear, but they were bird's egg-blue when Tess and Aria stepped onto the roost.

  The Silent Knight

  Avery Stiles

  "They told me you don't speak much."

  Loran's looming companion said nothing as they distanced themselves from the stone walls of Fallowshelt Keep. Trees stretched high into the cloudy skies above, and meager rays of sunlight shone through whatever holes they could find in the leafy canopy above. Loran's soft leather shoes whispered over wet leaves while her companion clunked along in metal plate. Loran could hear the birds take wing, frightened by the knight's cacophonous march.

  "By 'not much', I suppose I mean 'at all'," Loran clarified. "It sounds so mysterious... 'The Silent Knight'. It is a rather catchy title, but not suitable for a name. You do have a name, don't you?"

  Naturally, the knight did not answer. Loran's metal escort only clunked along at the same steady cadence as before. Loran breathed a sigh and clutched the strap of her satchel, worrying the tempered leather between her fingers.

  "Well, I'll have to come up with some kind of name for you, I suppose. I have so many questions, but I have to keep reminding myself you can't answer... I imagine that must be tiring, being questioned all the time when you can't answer."

  Loran thought she caught the slightest nod of the knight's head. Her chest swelled with pride at the simple acknowledgement.

  "It's a long way to Lionswell. If I start prattling on you can... Oh, I don't know, clap at me or something? Just let me know. I've always made these journeys alone until now. That's how we're meant to work, you see. Not that I blame you—you're as much the victim in this as I. We just go where we're told." Loran patted the satchel, fingers drifting over the ornately embossed leather. "It's so fancy. Likely worth more than everything I own combined. Tern priests aren't known for our finery, you know. Or maybe you don't? Regardless, most of the patrons I've served prefer plain vessels. The more important looking it is, the more likely it is to be snatched."

  She glanced at the helmet mounted on those tall shoulders, a tired violet plume bouncing with each step. Loran couldn't find even a hint of the knight's eyes through the visor; she half wondered if her companion was a golem of some kind. She'd heard stories: the Silent Knight was known to be strong and steely, to stand strong against even the most terrifying of foes. Loran half-wondered why Lord Vanderjo hadn't simply sent the knight alone if he was more worried about safety than subtlety. Nobles hired Terns for exclusive secrecy: they were bound by both faith and law to honor an oath of confidentiality, protecting whatever they were tasked to deliver with their lives. That was rarely required, as the Terns were trained as quiet chameleons, melting into their surroundings, using back roads and secretive paths known only to other Tern priests.

  Adding a loud, clunky bodyguard made her job far more challenging.

  "I usually just talk to the birds on my travels. They make for surprisingly good company. Very good at warning of any oncoming danger. The second they take wing, you know you should, too. Have you ever fought a tree cat before? One of them nearly attacked me on my last trip to the Crystal Coast. I was delivering a treaty from one of the neighboring keeps, I can't remember who... Anyhow, I was passing under some tall pines and then there was this big rumble and all the sparrows took wing. I thought surely the sound must have been a rock slide from the Dusky Peaks, but then I heard it again and—"

  An iron gauntlet shot in front of Loran's chest, and she froze. The knight had come to a sudden stop.

  "What is it?" Loran breathed, doing her very best impression of a statue. She scanned the path ahead, ears trained to the woods around them for any sign of bears or tree cats. "I don't see anything, what is it?"

  The metal hand extended forward, pointing past the curve of the path ahead. Loran's eyes followed the knight's pointing fingers toward the shadow of a bridge through the trees. A company of five crested the apex of the bridge, two of which were on horseback.

  "Oh." Loran covered her mouth to keep silent. The travelers were likely no more than that: travelers. None wore armor, but several were armed. Any traveler with steel to spare would be foolish to take to the roads without some kind of protection from brigands. Still, she took her duty to heart and wouldn't take any unnecessary risks with the Lord's parcel.

  With the knight shadowing her every step, Loran knew she couldn't take the hidden paths. Those were known only to other Tern priests, and showing them to a stranger would put them all at risk. No outside eyes could know their secrets, and so, this road would have to do.

  As the travelers plodded on, Loran knew they were at a safe enough distance to wait out their crossing. She sat on a mossy root and rummaged through one of her hidden pockets for some dried seaweed strips. She lifted one of the strips up to the knight as she nibbled the corner of her own. She expected a polite shake of a clattering helmet. Instead, a gauntlet reached out to take the seaweed with surprising dexterity. Loran couldn't help but watch in hopes that the knight might lift their visor and reveal the face underneath. Was it scarred? Winsome? Hideous? Her curiosity begged her not to look away, but there was something strangely intimate about watching the knight eat. Loran made herself look away, even as the squeak of hinges begged her to reconsider.

  Just as Loran was finishing her snack, she heard the clink of the visor returning to its place. A heavy tap on Loran's shoulder brought her out of her reverie and she glanced back at the path. The travelers were out of sight now, the way was clear.

  Loran dusted off her layered garb, patting a few of her hidden pockets out of habit. Everything was where it should be. They moved onward down the path.

  For a particularly long trip, any Tern worth her salt could easily fit a week's worth of food, defensive and travel powders, and two full skins of water without hindering movement in the slightest. For trips longer than that, a simple rucksack functioned well enough. Centuries of practice and improvements from each generation had culminated in the simple yet effective design in their unassuming uniforms, though the overall appearance had changed little over time. The brown robes blended into the trunks around them, rendering them effectively invisible when they wanted to be.

  Her knight, however, wore unpolished steel plate, dented and scarred from battle, but still clearly effective. It was difficult to miss in the warm earthy tones of the forest.

  "You know, I still have to wonder what Lord Vanderjo was thinking sending a Tern priest and a knight. I don't need protection, and you aren't exactly stealthy. Not to offend, of course, but does he have any idea why we are so highly sought af
ter?" Loran scoffed. "Of course he doesn't. I suppose that's one of the downsides to keeping our methods so secret. Don't misunderstand, I know why we have to keep our ways hidden, but it's a royal pain sometimes."

  Loran's pet knight trod along the path beside her, clinking and clanking all the way. It truly wasn't all that loud, but she was accustomed to the quiet of the woods, the babbling brooks and singing streams as her companions rather than another human, much less one clad in metal. She missed the sounds of the waters, longed to be walking along the stones as she often did when she was alone, singing made up songs to herself.

  "This is a several-day journey, with the route we're taking," Loran reminded the knight. "I suppose that means we'll need to either camp or find an inn. I'm not fond of inns: too many people in one place. Are you up for making camp with me? We can take shifts keeping watch."

  The knight turned their slotted visor towards her, giving Loran a nod. She thought she sensed a smile behind it, but it was impossible to tell. Surely just her imagination.

  Still, Loran smiled back. "Excellent. I can take first shift. Did you bring provisions for yourself? I have enough for me and a little to spare. We should avoid fires if we can: too easy to be spotted and just too dangerous. I'm not fond of fire."

  The knight patted the worn leather strap slung over a hulking metal shoulder.

  "Perfect. Sounds like you're well-prepared, then. Good." Loran felt a little skip in her step. Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible.

  The sun sailed low in the sky, the air tinged with a champagne glow as the light through the trees slowly died. A cool gust brought chills to Loran's skin as they walked.

  "Perhaps we should find a place for the night, don't you think?"

  The knight said nothing, instead veering silently into the trees. Loran followed her lumbering companion, and it wasn't long until they found a clearing big enough for them.

  The knight dropped a worn rucksack on the ground with a graceless plop, then the visor turned to Loran with an expectant stare.