“Tell me why you came here?” King Zorlan asked.
“I came to find a friend and help him if I could.”
“Did you find your friend?”
“Yes,” Quinn said.
“Good, then your task is done. I will give you a new one. I want you to move in here with me. I need advisors. I doubt that King Felix will be happy to see me.”
“No, I don’t suppose he will,” Quinn said.
“I will need you to vouch for me. Can you do that?”
“I’m just a simple carpenter, Sire. I wouldn’t dare speak for a king.”
“I’m ordering you to do that. You will have time to get to know our plans. You will be given every luxury that can be provided within our limited means. No one can ask for more than that.”
“I do not wish to impose, Sire,” Quinn said. “I will speak on your behalf, but I do not wish to move into the Inn. All I ask is that whatever assistance you would have given me be given instead to the hospital.”
“You are a noble and generous man, Quinn. I do not trust that in a man. I prefer to work with people who are in my debt.”
Quinn’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.
“You will stay here, and your friend as well. Please do not think that I am a fool. Your friends will not be safe here or anywhere else unless you do as I say. Is that clear enough for you? Surely even a washed up soldier from Yelsia can understand that.”
“Your threats are unnecessary, Sire,” Quinn said, tension making his voice more gruff than usual. “I will do as you ask.”
“Yes,” Zorlan said, his eyes narrowing. “I know you will.”
Chapter 21
Prince Willam was angry. He didn’t know what to do with such strong feelings, since he knew the only person he could blame for his uncomfortable situation was his father. As a son, he had no problem confronting his father, but as the Crown Prince of Yelsia, he loathed the idea of challenging his King. Still, he knew he couldn’t stay in Orrock. The time had come to move the army south, and he was determined not to be left behind.
He stalked to his father’s domicile. The richly carved doors were standing open, Prince William could hear the chatter of his father’s advisors. The fact that he was always left out of the King’s plans made him even angrier. He strode into the room, ignoring the advisors who oversaw the administration of the kingdom. Felix was surrounded by his generals, and Willam broke into the tight group.
“Father, it is time the army moved south,” he stated bluntly. “I will be going with them.”
“Of course you won’t,” King Felix countered, “you have a wedding to plan.”
“No,” Willam’s voice was almost menacing. “The marriage will take place once we return to Orrock.”
“Don’t be a fool,” King Felix said. “You must not risk the royal line by rushing off to war, especially since this fight is not even our own. Stay here, marry Brianna, and make babies. That’s the best part of marriage anyway.”
“Father, I will not be left behind. I am the Crown Prince of Yelsia, and I have trained all my life for battle. I am going south, and nothing you can say will stop me.”
General Corlis leaned over and whispered in King Felix’s ear. The King frowned as he looked up from his seat and stared at Prince Willam. When he spoke it was slowly and with an angry growl.
“You may go to Felson, and take the cavalry south through the Western Pass.”
“Fine,” Prince Willam said.
He was just turning to leave, when his father spoke again.
“You will serve under Commander Hausey.”
Willam froze. He couldn’t believe he was being placed under another officer’s command, but he decided not to argue. He needed space from his father and the stifling expectations of the royal court.
He returned to his lavish quarters and packed a small bag. He had one thing to do before he left the capital, and he was dreading it almost as much as seeing his father. He slung his pack over his shoulder and walked down the winding stone staircase. He needed to see Brianna, and he expected to find her in the suite of rooms she was sharing with her family. He was surprised to find her sitting alone in the stairwell.
“What are you doing out here, my lady?” he asked her.
She looked up, her eyes red and puffy.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I couldn’t stand another minute with my mother,” she said. “She thinks because you proposed that she is now Queen of all Five Kingdoms and the rest of the world combined.”
“She is a demanding woman,” Willam agreed.
“No, she is a selfish, hateful, unhappy woman. And she takes it all out on her daughters. She thinks that because we are getting married, she is the most important person at court. She has no idea that everyone is just humoring her and that behind her back she is the laughing stock of the city.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Willam said.
“It is, and because I’m not jumping for joy making wedding plans, she is making my life miserable.”
“You don’t want to get married, do you?” he said sadly. “At least not to me.”
“Oh no,” she said quickly. “I love you, Willam, honestly. But there is a war coming. A war I’m not sure we can win. It is difficult to think beyond that at the moment.”
“Yes, well...” he hesitated, not sure how to say what he needed to say. “I’m leaving for Felson. Gyia and I will fly there and help move the cavalry south.”
“You’re leaving?”
“The army is ready to move,” he said. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Of course it is; I guess I just thought we would leave together.”
“There is no reason why we shouldn’t,” he said. “Let your mother stay and plan the wedding. We can leave as soon as you’re ready.”
“Alright,” Brianna said, brightening at the prospect of leaving Orrock and escaping her mother’s constant demands.
She hurried to her room and Willam went down to the kitchen. He gathered enough rations for the two of them and then went outside to meet Brianna.
* * *
“Are they ready?” King Felix asked, still angry from his son’s confrontation.
“Yes, my Lord,” said the goldsmith. “I’ve engraved the names you requested into the crown, just as you ordered.”
“Good,” King Felix said, taking his crown from the goldsmith. “You may go.”
“Yes, my Liege.”
“What now?” Corlis asked. He was the only advisor still in the king’s domicile.
“We go up to the watchtower and see if this really works.”
“The scholars said it would,” Corlis said. “But it certainly seems too easy.”
“We shall know soon enough,” King Felix said.
They made their way up the long set of winding stairs that led to the top of the watchtower. Corlis threw open the trap door, and they made their way onto the roof. There were four men standing watch and Corlis sent them away.
King Felix sat the crown on his head and closed his eyes. He didn’t feel any differently. He tried not to let the foolish feeling he suddenly felt keep him from giving his best effort.
“Selix, Tig, Gyia… come up here!” he ordered under his breath.
Then he stepped back from the edge of the rooftop and waited.
“Did you do it?” Corlis asked.
Felix ignored him. It had been a week since his messengers returned from Ebbson Keep. They had brought all the translated scrolls from the recently discovered library in the ruins of Ornak and two of the scholars who had been working on the difficult translations. The scrolls told of kings who controlled dragons by writing the names of the huge beasts inside their crowns. It seemed strange, but King Felix was willing to try anything to gain control of the dragons. He wouldn’t leave anything to chance.
For a long moment it seemed that the plan had failed, but then they heard the unmistakable sound of the dragons’ wings beating against t
he wind as the terrible beasts soared up from the pen down in the courtyard. Selix was the first to appear; the great golden dragon snarled furiously, but landed gracefully on the watchtower roof. Tig and Gyia quickly followed, all three roaring angrily.
“Bow before me,” King Felix shouted.
Flames billowed out of the dragon’s mouths, but they lowered their long necks before the king. He smiled in triumph. The plan had worked.
“Return to your pen,” he said, “And speak of this to no one.”
The dragons turned and glided down to the timber corral filled with hay where the dragons were kept in the castle courtyard.
“My Liege,” Corlis said in awe. “You did it.”
“Yes,” King Felix said, holding in the glee he felt. “Now everything will be as it should. Yelsia will overthrow the other kingdoms, and I shall rule them all.”
* * *
Brianna hurried down to the courtyard of the castle. She felt better than she had in days. Her father had tried to help her see all the good that could come from marrying Prince Willam, but her mother had nearly driven her insane. Brianna couldn’t believe that her mother could be so arrogant. She was just a tailor’s wife from a small village, Brianna thought, and yet she acted so high and mighty, looking down on Brianna for not wanting to forget everything else and focus all her attention on wedding details.
Brianna had been anxious to rejoin her pride and take to the skies once again. She knew the dragons would be excited to leave the confines of the castle pen as well. She was shocked when she saw them, and the dragons weren’t lying down as they usually were. Instead, she found them on their feet stalking around the confines of the pen, smoke billowing from their mouths and low, menacing growls rumbling from deep in their chests at anyone who ventured too close to the pen.
“What is going on?” she asked, as she hurried up to the wooden railing.
The dragons refused to look at her.
“Selix!” Brianna said. “What has happened?”
The great golden dragon roared so loudly it shook the ground and reverberated all around the castle. Brianna saw an image of chains in her mind, but she didn’t know what it meant, and the dragons would explain no further.
“I don’t know what has gotten into you but calm down,” she told them. “We’re leaving.”
The news that they would be leaving the castle was the only thing that seemed to sooth the beasts. They sent images of returning to the castle.
“No,” she told them. “We are leaving with Prince Willam and flying to Felson. From there, we’ll fly south back to the Walheta Mountains to prepare for the fight.”
The dragons bellowed in what Brianna took for happiness. When Prince Willam appeared, they bound their packs that contained their clothing and food together and gave the heavy bags to Tig. The small dragon couldn’t carry a person, but it could fly with their belongings in its big, blue talons.
Brianna jumped up, summersaulting and then landing lightly on Selix’s broad back. The golden dragon roared again and took to the air. Tig followed close behind. It took Willam longer to climb up onto Gyia’s narrow back and get a good grip. Once he did, the purple dragon reared onto its more powerful hind legs, then jumped into the air. The wide wings flapped hard, propelling them both up into the sky behind Selix and Tig.
The countryside flew by beneath him. There was traffic on the Weaver’s Road that ran east and west through the heart of Yelsia from Ebbson Keep through Felson, Orrock, and all the way to the trading city of Tragoon Bay on the western coast. The sun was shining and both man and dragon felt a sense of freedom that they had sorely missed.
Brianna forgot about the strange behavior of the dragons. They stopped at midday a few miles south of the Weaver’s Road. They took shelter beneath a large oak tree that grew beside a swiftly flowing stream. Brianna and Willam ate while the dragons rested from the long flight. Gyia was exhausted after carrying Prince Willam so far, but after a couple of hours they continued their journey.
Night fell before they reached Felson, and they made camp for the night near a homestead that sheltered them from view of anyone on the road. Prince Willam introduced himself to the farmer and his family, and assured them that their animals were safe from the dragons. Brianna built a fire and unfurled the blankets that were in their packs. They ate toasted bread and cheese for dinner, while the dragons hunted.
Brianna was reminded of camping with Zollin in much the same way. The thought made her sad and quiet.
“You haven’t said more than two words all evening,” Willam said. “What’s troubling you? I’m sure the dragons are fine.”
“No, it isn’t the dragons,” she assured him. “I’m just remembering happier times.”
“Most women would think that being betrothed to the Crown Prince of Yelsia would make these happy times.”
“They are, in a fashion,” she said. “But it’s hard to think about marriage and settling down when we’re about to fight a war.”
“Perhaps we won’t,” Willam said. “Perhaps this is all for nothing. Maybe the monsters went away or perhaps they have no interest in Yelsia.”
“You know that’s wishful thinking.”
“Of course it is,” Willam said. “I think we have to plan for the worst and hope for the best. It does us no good to dwell on the bad things that might happen. For instance, I’m not dwelling on the fact that you don’t want to marry me.”
“What?” she asked suddenly shocked out of her revelry.
“I knew the night I proposed that you didn’t really want to marry me. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but I admit that I am. I thought that you felt the same way for me that I feel for you.”
“Why do you think I don’t want to marry you?” she asked, trying desperately to sound convincing. “I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t want to marry you.”
“We’ve spent a lot of time together,” Willam said. “I feel like I know you pretty well. We’ve had some intimate moments. But when we kissed at the feast I could tell that everything had changed.”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then tell me that you love me,” he said, moving closer, his face highlighted by the dancing flames of their campfire.
“You know I love you,” she said, not meeting his eye.
“I think you do love me, but you’re not in love with me.”
“I have said yes, what more do you want from me.”
“I want everything,” Willam said. “I want your heart and soul, every bit of your happiness, excitement, and passion. I want to know deep inside that I am the man you want to be with, not Zollin.”
“I love you both; I can’t just stop caring for him.”
“Yes, I understand that, but it’s more than just care. I won’t venture a guess at how you feel for Zollin, but I do know that you care enough to be deeply conflicted.”
“Is that wrong? I was promised to him. Breaking that promise did not come easily.”
“So, why did you do it? You can tell me.”
“I wanted to,” she lied.
“Please, you are not a good liar, Brianna. Tell me the truth.”
“That is the truth.”
“What did my father threaten you with?” he asked, his voice softer and this time it was Willam who couldn’t look Brianna in the eye.
“What? Why would you think that?”
“Because I know him and because something has changed him. I always idolized my father, despite the fact that he rarely had time for me or Simmeron growing up. I worked so hard to win his approval, always doing whatever he told me to do. He was always so focused on being a good king and seeing Yelsia prosper, but now, his ambitions have grown. I don’t believe there is anything he wouldn’t do to further his plans. I don’t know why my marrying you was part of his plans; he excluded me completely when I returned to Orrock. But I have no doubt he pressured you somehow to accept my proposal.”
“He and my father worke
d out an arrangement,” Brianna said. “The King didn’t want me to do anything that would embarrass my family, but he didn’t pressure me.”
“I don’t believe that. I hope someday you will tell me the truth.”
“I wish you would just believe me,” Brianna said, trying her best to sound hurt.
“I wish I could.”
“How can I prove it?” she asked.
Willam thought for a moment and then he leaned closer.
“Your virtue is safe with me,” he said. “But if you really want to marry me, kiss me now. Kiss me with the same passion and selfless abandon I see on your face when you fly with your dragons. Then I will believe you.”
Brianna hesitated for a second, both scared and excited. Willam was handsome and kissing him was appealing, but she had lost the thrill of a romance with the Prince when King Felix forced her to accept the wedding proposal. She wasn’t sure if she could get that thrill back, or if she could fake it convincingly enough.
Still, she closed her eyes and leaned toward the prince, her lips seeking his. The kiss was long and passionate. She fought to keep from thinking of Zollin, trying instead to focus just on Willam. Her hands went around his neck, and he pulled her body close to his. She could feel him trembling slightly, and she wondered why he would tremble for her.
When they pulled apart there were tears in his eyes.
“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have you kiss me like that every day of my life,” he said.
“Why won’t you believe me?” she asked.
He didn’t respond, instead he wrapped himself in his cloak and lay down with his back to the fire. Brianna didn’t push him. She didn’t want him to keep questioning her. She had done all she could to convince him of her feelings, but he was right and she doubted she could keep up the rouse.
She lay down, her head resting on her pack of clothes, her body wrapped in a long, fur lined cape. She closed her eyes and saw Zollin in her mind’s eye, but she couldn’t keep the tears from rolling down her face. She knew that sooner or later he would learn of her betrayal, and then she would have to face the reality of her decision to marry Prince Willam. She wasn’t sure if her heart would survive.
Five Kingdoms: Book 06 - Evil Tide Page 20