Battle of Illaria: Book Three of the Illaria Series

by Dyan Chick

  23

  Etta

  Dragons? My mouth dropped open. This can't be real. "Who sent that?"

  "It's from my brother in Canton. He only saw one dragon, but it was angry. Destroyed most of the town." His face darkened. "He thinks it may have had a rider."

  "Wait, your brother?" I had recently found out that Master Flanders had a daughter, who also happened to be the Oracle. Finding out he had a brother who was in contact with him made me realize how much I didn't know about him. There were so few people I trusted and despite the news about his daughter, I had continued to trust him. But I couldn't help but wonder if he was keeping more from me. Was that something I should be worried about?

  Before he could answer, Gaius reached his hand toward Master Flanders. "May I?"

  Master Flanders handed over the parchment and Gaius read it quickly. He shook his head. "If there is a rider, we have a bigger problem than just a rouge dragon."

  Dragon riders were a myth, at least that was what my grandmother had told me. Dragons were intelligent and independent creatures. They sometimes worked with humans if they had the same goal in mind, but they wouldn’t actually let a human ride on their backs. “That's not possible."

  Gaius passed the scroll back to Master Flanders, then looked over to me. "We have records in our archives of dragon riders. They were rare, but they weren't as rare as the stories would like us to believe. If somebody has formed an alliance with a dragon, we're all in danger."

  Who could have formed an alliance with a dragon? I reached for my pendant and started sliding it along the chain. What if Max or the king made an alliance with a dragon? For some reason, I had a hard time seeing the king on the back of a dragon. But Max, with his black dragon tattoo, didn't seem out of place riding one of the fire breathing beasts. But why destroy a random town?

  "What's in Canton?" I thought back to my lessons with Sir Henry, but couldn't place the name of the town on the map of Illaria in my head. "Whoever has something to gain from destroying Canton is the person who is riding that dragon."

  Gaius and Master Flanders both turned to look at me. Master Flanders smiled.

  Gaius tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "You are as smart as I've been told." He took a few steps toward the door and clapped his hands twice. The door opened and a member of his guard stepped in. "Yes, your majesty?"

  "Bring us a map of Illaria."

  The guard closed the door and Gaius walked back to his chair and settled in. "You're right, Etta. If there is somebody on that dragon, they'd have a reason for what they did. Now, forgive me, but my Illarian geography is rusty, so I've requested a map so we can see what is near that town."

  "No need for a map, majesty. I have a feeling I know what they're after." Master Flanders sunk into the couch, shoulders slumped.

  I sat next to him, throat suddenly dry. How many days has it been? I counted the days in my head. Canton was on the border of Illaria near Sardinia. If they were on track, Ashton and Celeste should have passed through yesterday or today. It couldn't be a coincidence that a dragon attacked there.

  Master Flanders still had the rolled-up scroll in his hands. Without asking, I grabbed it from him and opened the message. As I read, my hand moved over my heart and I leaned my head back in silent thanks to the gods. The first part of the message explained the dragon and the theory that somebody was riding it. It was exactly as Master Flanders said. The second part, however, both confirmed my suspicions and eased my mind. I met Ashton and passed along your message. He's safely on his way.

  My relief was short lived, however, as I realized what this meant. The rider had clearly been targeting Ashton and Celeste, endangering their mission. If the rider wasn't Max, it was certainly somebody working for the king.

  I tightened a fist around the scroll, it also meant that the traitor was somebody in my own council. Had Master Flanders kept this note from me on purpose? Was he trying to hide something from me? He never told me that he had a brother. How was it that his brother happened to be in that exact place at that exact moment?

  Gaius cleared his throat, bringing me back to the conversation I had neglected when I took the message from Master Flanders' hand. "I think I'm missing something here."

  I smoothed out the crumpled scroll. "I'm sorry. The pieces just started to come together. I'm afraid Canton is only a few days journey from where the stone is hidden. And happens to be where our people were at the time of the dragon attack."

  I watched Master Flanders out of the corner of my eye. After everything we'd been through, why did he still hide things from me? I had a hard time believing that he would put Ashton and Celeste in harm's way. One by one, I pictured each of the members of my council. Only the people who had been in that room and Annalise knew our plan. The timing was too accurate to have it be mere chance.

  "You have a traitor," Gaius said.

  "It seems that is the case. Unless by some unrelated coincidence a person who managed to align with a dragon had a vendetta against a town," I said. Part of me hoped that was the case. Perhaps it was an angry farmer.

  Master Flanders rubbed his forehead then took a deep breath. "As much as I'd like that, I don't believe in coincidence. I'd say there is a good chance that if there was a rider, it was somebody who works for the king. Which means a member of your council has betrayed you."

  I didn't want to believe it could be Master Flanders who betrayed me, I had to ask. "How did your brother come to be in Canton?"

  "It's actually our home town. He isn't well enough to travel anymore so he returned to take over the family business," he said.

  "How is it that Ashton met up with him? We didn't have any contacts in Canton. It was just listed as a possible stopping point." Something still didn't quite add up. Why had he kept his brother from us?

  Master Flanders could have been angry at me. He knew I was asking the questions out of suspicion. Instead of reacting negatively, he smiled at me. "Sometimes things don't make sense. I sent a message to my brother in the chance that Ashton would pass through town. Seems their paths crossed."

  "Why keep him from us? Why wasn't he on the contact list we reviewed in our meetings?" I didn't like having so much hid from me.

  "My brother was also trained as a sorcerer and is one of the few who openly opposed the king. He's retired to a quiet life and the only magic he uses is to call on his white raven to send messages to me. I didn't wish to share his location with anyone. The king wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he knew where he was."

  "I'm sorry," I looked away from him, embarrassed that I questioned his loyalty. Master Flanders had been helping me learn to control the magic that would stop the king. Why would he do that if he was working for him? But if it wasn't him, there was somebody on my council who had betrayed me to the king. I'd need to figure out who that was quickly and deal with them publicly. I wasn't looking forward to that. What type of punishment did one give a traitor? I didn't want to think about it right now. I'd deal with it soon, but at the moment, my focus needed to be on finding out if the king was in possession of a dragon.

  "We have to get eyes on the king," I said.

  Gaius held out both of his hands, stopping me from continuing. I turned to look at him.

  "Somebody who can control a dragon is a threat to every kingdom, not just yours. If the king truly has gained a dragon, there's nothing to stop him from turning his sights on us. Etta, you have your army."

  I blinked a few times while the words sunk in. "What about payment?"

  "We'll create a treaty between our countries. No marriage needed for a treaty," he said.

  Not wanting to come across as smug, I tried not to let my smile take over my whole face. "I would like that."

  He stood. "You can stay here for a few days while we work out all of the details." He offered his hand to me and I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. "I'll show you to the guest quarters. You can rest for a bit and we will meet for dinner."

  I dipped into a slight cu
rtsey. "Thank you."

  Gaius and Master Flanders left me alone in a well-appointed suite of rooms that were larger than the house I'd grown up in. How does one person need this much space? I walked from the sitting room to the dining area, to the bedroom, and through a small space that could serve as a private chapel. The floors were polished marble with thick rugs in the center of each room. I ran my fingers over the velvet fabric on the couches in the sitting room before turning my attention on the huge window.

  The window overlooked the sea, reminding me of just how far away we were from Illaria. A whole ocean separated us. I sank down on a cushion covered window seat and watched the rise and fall of the waves in the ocean. Looking over the sea from the top floor of the large castle made me feel so small. What was I going to do? I had a whole country to protect. People I loved and people I had never met were counting on me to do something nobody had been able to do. Now there were dragons and a traitor in my inner circle. Every time I felt like we were getting closer, that I could really succeed in the impossible, something else came in to make it more difficult.

  I let out a hard breath and the glass fogged. I turned away from the window and stared into the empty room, wishing I had somebody to talk to. What I wouldn't give to have Ashton here with me. I leaned my head back against the cool glass. Why can't I stay mad at you?

  Before I could reprimand myself for missing Ashton, a knock sounded on the door. Jumping to my feet, I ran over, eager for the distraction. Without hesitation, I pulled open the door. A girl close to my age smiled at me. She had tight, black curls pinned on her head and the same tan complexion as Gaius. She was wearing an ivory dress trimmed in pearls. It rustled in a pleasant sort of sound when she burst past me into the room.

  I spun around to face her, letting go of the door. It slammed shut behind me. Her smile grew larger and she let out an excited squeal, jumping up and down. My eyes widened and I took a step back. What is she doing?

  "I can't believe it's you!" She spoke Gallic in a shrill voice. Each word was higher pitched than the previous one.

  Switching to my unpracticed Gallic, I greeted the stranger. "Hello. I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are."

  She placed her hand over her heart and spoke in rapid-fire Gallic. "I'm so sorry, I am being rude. I'm Marielle, but everyone calls me Mari. I'm your cousin. I'd always hoped the rumors were true that you somehow survived, but the longer we waited, the less likely it seemed. Now, here you are."

  "My - my cousin?" The words came out in Illaria as I processed what she had said. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of the possibility before. I never even asked Gaius about his family. I let out a small laugh. A cousin. Maybe there were still good things happening. I had more family.

  She laughed and clasped both of my hands in hers and switched to Illarian, with only a trace of an accent. She'd clearly been studying the language for years and she put my Gallic to shame. "I want to know everything about you. Start at the beginning."

  Grateful for the switch, I continued in my native tongue. "I want to know everything about you first."

  Her words tumbled out, "I'm boring. I grew up here. I've never been anywhere. I've never done anything. I don't even have an aptitude for magic. Just like my father. But you, you've lived."

  I never considered what I'd been through over the last few months to be anything short of terrifying. I'd wanted nothing more than to be boring until recently. And still, I wondered if I'd give it all up for a chance to live a quiet life. Mari's eyes were fixed on me, expectant. To her, I was exciting.

  "Well, where do you want me to start?" I asked.

  She pulled me over to one of the velvet couches and sat down, patting the cushion next to her. I joined her on the couch.

  She lifted her eyebrows. "What was it like growing up as a peasant?"

  She really does mean everything. I took a deep breath and started to tell her about the village I grew up in, my grandmother, the woods I explored, and the simple existence I had for most of my life. She hung on every word.

  She leaned closer to me. "So how did you find out you were a princess?"

  Mari was a captive listener, asking questions as I told my story. As I recounted my journey, I marveled at how far I'd come. From the weak girl who went along with everybody else's plan to queen.

  "So what happened between you and Ashton?" She winked at me.

  I winced. I'd talked about my friends in my story, but left out the personal details. Yet, my affection for him had been clear to her. "It didn't work out."

  Her brow furrowed. "The way you spoke about him, I though you must be in love with him."

  My breath hitched. She was right, of course. No matter how broken my heart was, I didn't think I'd ever stop loving him. Not wanting to linger on the thought of Ashton, I changed the subject. "How about we talk about you? What was it like growing up in a castle?"

  She waved her hand. "Not as exciting as it seems. Lessons most of the day since I turned four. Nothing interesting, either. I never learned how to fight and I wasn't able to learn magic."

  "Why not?" I asked.

  She shrugged. "They just don't teach girls how to fight."

  "Why no magic?"

  "I wasn't able to channel it. Everybody has magic, as you know, but I never could gain any control over it. My dad is the same way. He used to say that your mom had enough power for both of them. They were close, our parents. Broke his heart when she died. He named my younger sister after her. She's four years younger than us and she's training to be a sorceress."

  "Are you 17?" I asked.

  She nodded. "Our birthdays are only a few days apart. You should come back next month and we can celebrate our birthdays together. My father has already planned a huge feast. You might even be queen by then. Think of the fun we'd have."

  Her enthusiasm was contagious. I started to picture a lavish party filled with laughing people and music and a huge cake for the two of us. "I would like nothing more."

  A light knock on the door sounded.

  "Enter," Mari called out with practiced grace.

  I can learn a lot from her about how I'm supposed to behave.

  The door opened and a woman in a plain brown dress with a white apron stepped in. "Pardon me, highness, but the king has asked me to summon you for dinner."

  24

  Ashton

  The terrain grew rockier every second as they climbed the deserted mountain pass. Travelers rarely took this road after summer so Ashton and Celeste were the only people in sight. Ashton pulled his hood up over his head. The higher they went, the cooler the air got. He knew they had to be close to the village.

  The mountain could only claim one permanent settlement, a tiny village called Round Springs, named for the spring that traveled down the mountain. It fluctuated between being small and being practically abandoned depending on how successful the summer trade routes had been. If the trades were good, the town would have enough supplies to survive the isolated winter. If the trades were poor, people would leave the town in hopes of finding work somewhere where they wouldn't freeze to death if they ran out of firewood.

  Ashton hoped the trade had been on the lower end, leaving the town empty. Less people would mean less questions. It was going to be hard enough to fend off the inquiries from curious townspeople who were unused to travelers. He wondered if they should have come up with a story before they reached the town. Too late. The first few buildings signaling their arrival emerged from the trees before he realized how close they were.

  It was late afternoon and the sun was quickly making its descent behind the peaks. A few of the homes had windows filled with the warm glow of candlelight. Several of the buildings had boards nailed over the windows. He slowed his horse and glanced around, looking for something that would serve as an inn for the night. This was the last vestige of civilization they would see until they returned home.

  A small, two story building had a wooden sign with a picture of a goblet swinging from abo
ve the door. He dismounted his horse and turned to Celeste who already stood next to her mare. "Might be a tavern ahead."

  He led his horse to the building and tied it to the post in front. "You want to go in this time?"

  Celeste eyed him suspiciously. "Something about that last place really got to you."

  Ashton didn't respond.

  She handed her reins to him. "I'll go."

  Once she was out of sight, he checked that the ring was still attached to the chain around his neck. He didn't need to touch it with his fingers to know it was there, he couldn't stop thinking of it the entire ride here, but somehow fingers touching it made it more real than its presence against his chest alone. The door opened and he quickly dropped his hand.

  Celeste emerged from the door. "Lady in here seems nice. Says we can bring our horses around back to their stables."

  Ashton untied their horses and followed Celeste around back. A boy of about ten greeted them at the stables with a wide smile. "I can help you with your horses, sir and lady."

  "Thank you," Ashton said.

  "Yes, thank you." Celeste handed her reins to the boy.

  "We don't get many visitors this time of year. You must be very brave or very stupid to be going up the mountain this late in the fall. It'll be winter any day now."

  "Thank you for your help," Ashton said. He didn't feel like coming up with a story to explain their passage through the mountains. He began to unpack his valuables from the saddle bags in silence.

  "Where are you going?" The boy asked.

  Before Ashton could tell the boy that it was their business, Celeste spoke up.

  "We're going home to my family in Fox Creek. My sister sent a message to let me know that my father is unwell. If we waited until snowmelt in spring, we wouldn't get to say goodbye."

  The boy was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear about your father. Have you been living in the city?"