The Hero's Peril (The Sorcerer's Saga Book 5)

by Rain Oxford

  “Not just the bonded dragons,” Yuri reminded me. “It should be a safe place for all dragons.”

  “Our island is not large enough to sustain the new population of dragons,” Shaerl said. “We will protect eggs and raise them for five years. After that, we will send them on their way. They can go to your kingdom if they choose.”

  “What about the immortals?”

  “They can come here to find their dragons, but I think they should be raised on your island so that all of the immortals can learn from each other. We will send Malaki, Keamon, Kador, and their families to live in your kingdom and help you.”

  Malaki frowned at his mother, no doubt insulted, but he wouldn’t question her. At least, not in front of outsiders.

  “They’re sorcerers, so they will be your official advisors and deter anyone from trying to overthrow your kingdom again.”

  “Can’t we stop people from hunting dragons?”

  “No. They’re going to be more determined than ever since dragons came so close to extinction. The best we can do is claim that our dragons are trained, but that means ‘wild’ dragons will still be hunted. All we can do, all we could ever do, is give them a safe place to stay. Many of them won’t take it because the idea of ‘training’ is an insult to them.”

  Yuri’s dragon crawled up on top of his head and chirped. “She says their pride makes them weak.”

  “I disagree,” Shaerl said gently. “To them, we are all little children who have taken over the world because we outnumber them. Although we make the rules, it doesn’t mean they should have to bow to us.”

  “Do you have a name for her yet?” I asked.

  “No. I want her to decide for herself what her name is, like other dragons do. I think I might need to start wearing a hat, though.” She smacked him in the face with her tail, effectively telling him what she thought of his idea.

  Chapter 19

  We appeared in Yuri’s bedroom where Kalyn, Mason, and Thaddeus were waiting. Kalyn hugged me. “You’re Ayden, right?” Mason asked.

  “Yes.” As soon as Kalyn let me go, I went to the wardrobe and started picking out some of the prince’s clothes. “Yuri is going to warn other immortals that they have to find their dragons to get their magic back. We’re going to save the kingdom.”

  After I dressed in Yuri’s clothes (with Kalyn’s help) we called a meeting with the king and queen. They were suspicious when we said it needed to be in private while I had Merlin, Kalyn, Mason, and Thaddeus with me. After some convincing, they told their guards to wait outside.

  “You have been acting very strange since your return,” the queen said when we were alone. “I take it the mage didn’t help you get your memories back?”

  “Oh, right. That. Actually, I lied to you. I never lost my memory. The truth is, I’m not your son, but I know where he is and he’s safe. My name is Ayden Rynorm.”

  “Why are you saying this?” the king asked. “Are you trying to upset your mother? Did someone put you up to this?”

  “Your people captured me and brought me to you because I look identical to your son.”

  “Stop this!” the queen insisted.

  “I learned that Yuri went after the treasure that was stolen. Merlin and I went to find him.”

  “You were right here the whole time!” the king argued.

  “That was Kalyn, who is a magician and disguised herself as me— or your son— to keep you from worrying. Merlin and I found Yuri and helped him recover your treasure.”

  “Then where is the treasure?” the queen asked cautiously. She obviously didn’t believe me, but she still wanted to believe the treasure was safe.

  “It hatched.”

  The royal couple looked at each other. Now they knew I was telling the truth. “Why… do you look like Yuri?” the queen asked. “Is it an illusion?”

  “No. Desandra Lenore, the seer who sent you to the sorcerer family, also went to them. That potion you took that enabled you to conceive Yuri made him look like me. Desandra foresaw everything that happened here. She looked at her options and decided that making Yuri and me identical would have the best outcome. I can’t say I agree, but I’m not a seer. It feels more like a bad joke to me.” Many things Dessa did were confusing and it made me wonder if she knew what she was doing half the time.

  “When the black star closed, Yuri was shot with something.”

  “It was like a ball of golden light,” the queen agreed. “I was with him when it happened.”

  “At that moment, he became immortal. He also became bonded to the dragon egg you protected— well, the dragon inside it. Yuri is just one of a new kind of magic user.”

  “He’s not a wizard anymore?”

  “Once the egg hatched, he gained his magic back. He’s an immortal wizard for as long as his dragon is safe. We don’t know if he has any new powers.”

  “Why isn’t he here?”

  “He has to warn other immortals to find and protect their dragons, because if the dragons die, so do the immortals.”

  “Why him?”

  “I believe the ‘treasure’ had nothing to do with you conceiving Yuri and all to do with saving his life. He is trying to help others. We can take care of your kingdom and give the immortals and their dragons a safe place to stay.”

  “The kingdom isn’t safe.”

  “Which is why we are all here. How did your defenses fail?”

  “Our advisor, Kragen, fell ill as soon as magic began fading. His son, Sondre, left and betrayed our secrets. Kragen was the only one who could control his son. When magic returned, we reinforced our defenses, but Sondre knew how to get past all of them.”

  “Your mage couldn’t help the advisor?”

  “Unfortunately, Kenja and Kragen hate each other. Kenja said he wouldn’t help the sorcerer.”

  “We can help defend the kingdom and maybe with healing Kragen.”

  “I can see a wizard helping, but why have you brought a sorcerer? And who is the other one?”

  “I’m Ayden’s brother,” Thaddeus said.

  “A wizard and a sorcerer as brothers?” the king asked.

  I looked at Merlin and after a moment, he nodded. So, I explained the Sjau, including the fact that I was born a sorcerer. By the end, the king and queen both looked like they wanted to kick us out. I couldn’t blame them.

  After a while of silence, the queen looked at me. “I knew you weren’t Yuri, I just didn’t want to believe it. He has been gone for so long. I should be with him.”

  “If it’s any consolation, he’s very lucky to have you. I know you want to see him, but the best thing you can do is help us make this place safe for his dragon and the others. Now, how long do we have to prepare?”

  “No time at all.”

  “What?”

  “Our spies say King Wallace will be attacking today.”

  I groaned. “This is going to be a long day.”

  “At least you ate breakfast,” Merlin said helpfully.

  * * *

  The Romanus kingdom did not have an army, and it was impossible to reserve an entire warrior’s guild without at least a month’s notice. When I asked the queen and king why they hadn’t prepared ahead of time, they said that they were too upset over their son’s disappearance. They had put all of their resources into finding him.

  Kalyn took over playing Yuri so that Merlin and I could sneak down to the sorcerer’s quarters and talk to him. It would have been a much more impressive feat if anyone at all had been guarding him.

  The room had the kind of odor that invoked dread. It was rancid, like coming across a deceased animal that had not been eaten. It was dark with only one small window high in the east wall. There was a table, a bed, and a magic circle in the middle of the room. Bookcases took up two walls, which were covered in books and ingredients for sinister potions. The table was covered in books, papers, and scrolls. Against the west wall was another bed, which was also covered in books, papers, and scrolls. Kragen slept in
the one that wasn’t cluttered.

  The man was old and thin. His white hair was tangled and damp from sweat. He was perfectly still under a blanket that he had not placed on himself. If it wasn’t for his soft, raspy breath, I would have feared he was already dead.

  “Can you heal him?” I asked Mason, who put his hand on the sorcerer’s head.

  After a moment, Mason shook his head. “I think this is more your expertise. He’s not sick; he’s cursed to look sick. I haven’t seen a curse like this, so I don’t think I can break it, especially when I could cause more harm because of his sorcery.”

  “Are you serious? I finally get to break a curse?” It felt like ages since I last used what I considered to be my best skill.

  I touched Kragen’s hand and let my magic seep into him. No one’s magic feels the same, although they could feel very similar. That was not the case. My energy encountered sorcery from two different people. Figuring out which energy was his and which was Sondre’s was a matter of determining which one was hurting him. Once I separated them in my mind, I could separate them with my magic. That was the difficult part. Although my light and dark magic gave me the advantage, I still had to fight against another sorcerer’s curse. Fortunately, Kragen had been fighting the curse as well, so it wasn’t as difficult as it could have been. I directed my magic to help Kragen’s unravel the curse.

  His eyes blinked open. “What happened?” He squinted. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Ayden. I’m a friend of Yuri’s.”

  He tried to sit up, but Thaddeus and Merlin made him go slow. “You have to help the prince. Sondre knows Yuri has no magic. He is going to tell King Wallace.”

  “How does he know Yuri is powerless?”

  “He overheard Yuri and his mother discussing it. After everyone else got their magic back, Yuri didn’t. We have to help him. I learned of Sondre’s plot. That’s why he cursed me.”

  “Yuri’s already safe. Trust me.”

  “Why? I don’t know you.”

  “Yuri has his magic back. He’s safe. We’re here now to protect the kingdom.”

  * * *

  We returned to discuss our plan with the king and queen, who were eager to do whatever they needed to in order to see their son home and safe again.

  Merlin, having had experience with kingdoms, was the one who came up with the plan. I wanted to convince them that this castle was too well guarded for them to attack, Mason wanted to pay them off with gold, and Thaddeus wanted to kill them all with a curse. Merlin explained that we needed to drive them off without killing anyone, and keep them away.

  “Death happens when it comes to kingdoms,” Thaddeus said, confused.

  “Not here,” the king said. “A wizard never causes harm to another person or animal.”

  “I’m surprised wizards don’t get overthrown all the time. My mother would never have stood for this. The opposing army would be dead before they realized they---”

  “She’s gone, Thad,” I interrupted.

  His mouth snapped shut and he stared at me with shock. “You mean she’s missing?” he asked after a moment.

  “You know I don’t.”

  “Can we focus on the matter at hand?” Merlin asked, in a way that told me it was not a request. “Thaddeus is right that it happens all of the time. However, where there is death, there is a loved one left behind. Those loved ones often want revenge.” I repeated his message and then relayed the plan he described.

  * * *

  I was in the throne room with Merlin and two guards. The man standing in front of us was a citizen of the kingdom and demanded that I fix the problem with his goats. Just to make sure I believed him, he brought his three goats with him.

  “They aren’t giving me any milk!”

  Outside, there was a line of people waiting impatiently to have their problems magically solved by me. Me and my shiny metal hat.

  “Do I really have to do this?” I asked Merlin in his mind.

  “Yes, young sorcerer.”

  I sighed. My goat didn’t give milk and I didn’t complain. Of course, with as many socks as she ate, that was probably a good thing. “How long have you had them?”

  “Three summers.”

  “And they never gave you any problems before?”

  “No!”

  “Have you changed their diets?”

  “No! It’s that sorcerer who moved in across from me, that’s what it is!”

  “Then why don’t you go talk to---”

  “No,” Merlin interrupted. “Him talking to the sorcerer will do only harm. I have a better idea. Tell the guards to open the door.”

  I motioned to the door and one of the guards opened the door instantly. That was kind of neat. Then Goat burst in, bleating her heart out and frolicking around the room with joy.

  “Guard your socks!” the guard said automatically.

  “Tell Goat to talk to the man’s goats and discover the reason for them not providing milk.”

  Thoroughly confused, I wondered if there was a customary way to order a goat to speak to another goat. “Um… Goat… ask these other goats why they won’t give milk.”

  The man’s expression revealed that he had as much faith in that tactic as I did. To our mutual astonishment, Goat stopped frolicking, ran to the other goats, wagged her tail, and bleated.

  The citizen’s goats bleated back.

  The citizen gaped.

  Goat ran to me and bleated, obviously trying to tell me what she had learned. “What did she say?” I asked Merlin.

  “Do I look like I speak goat?”

  “A little.”

  He grumbled. “Tell him that the reason the goats aren’t providing milk is that there is a revolution going on and that if everyone starts treating their goats well, maybe they’ll start giving him milk.”

  I did, and the man’s face lit up. “Really? Wow. I had no idea. I’ll be sure to treat them better and tell others to do the same.” He left.

  “That wasn’t true, was it?”

  “A goat revolution? I highly doubt it. However, those goats had been overworked and over-milked. They deserve a break.”

  The guards let in another citizen.

  * * *

  Dinner was tense, because the king and queen wanted to talk about Yuri, but we couldn’t make the guards leave without looking suspicious. It was a little suspicious that Thaddeus, Mason, Merlin, and Kalyn joined us.

  Afterwards, I was able to return to “my” room and was told to get into “my” night clothes. “I’m not wearing that to bed.”

  “You have to if you want everyone to think you’re Yuri. I did it.”

  “That’s fine for you! I don’t wear dresses!” The one Kalyn was holding up and demanding I wear was not even a manly dress. It was white with lace.

  “Neither do I,” Kalyn assured me.

  Reluctantly, I took it from her. “Fine, but I’m dressing myself.”

  “That’s not---”

  “I’m dressing myself.”

  She shook her head. “You’re right; you are stubborn.” With that, she left me alone with Merlin.

  “For the record, I don’t like this plan.”

  “For the record, I am saving a mental picture with which to blackmail you at a later date.”

  * * *

  I was awoken suddenly as a hand clamped over my mouth. I struggled on instinct and managed to bite the stranger’s palm. He muffled his own shout of rage and smacked me. “If you want to live to see the sunrise, Prince, you’d better settle down.”

  I did. I didn’t recognize the voice, but I saw enough of the man’s face to realize that he was a sorcerer. A moment later, we were standing in a well-lit bedroom. The headboard of the bed was against the west wall. It was a well-built bed without being elegant. To the left of it was a large wardrobe and to the right was a window with heavy wooden shutters. The door was on the right side of the north wall.

  It was not as fancy as Yuri’s room, which was a relief
to me. What wasn’t a relief was the presence of the king and his ten guards filling the room.

  The king was a heavyset man with unruly gray and brown hair and a matching beard that hid his neck. Frown lines marred his pale face. His brown eyes were narrowed with suspicion. Sondre, like all sorcerers, had black hair and dark red eyes. He was younger, probably in his early thirties, and his scowl looked permanent, as if he had many years of experience in being cross.

  The sorcerer released me and pushed me towards the bed. “Sit down.”

  I sat. “I don’t have any gold on me.” When I tried to stand, the sorcerer made a motion to smack me.

  “Stop,” King Wallace said sharply. Sondre did. “Tie up his wrists, but don’t mark him. He’s no good to me dead.”

  One of the guards handed Sondre some rope and I held out my wrists. “Behind your back,” he snapped.

  I stood, turned, and put my hands behind my back.

  “You’re… a lot less resisting than I had expected,” King Wallace said slowly, his tone full of suspicion.

  “You haven’t brought me here to hurt me; you want my castle’s riches. Fighting you without my magic would only get me killed.”

  “Smart boy. You’ll stay in here until your parents hand over your castle. Everyone knows how important you are to them.”

  I nodded, but as he headed for the door, I felt wood press against my hand. It was an extremely familiar sensation when my magic met the power of my staff. “Still…” I said, trailing off until he stopped and looked at me. “I’m afraid I can’t stay. I just have too much work to do. You know, there’s a goat revolution going on.”

  “That explains why…” one of the guards started to say before another stopped him with a sharp glare.

  “You don’t have a choice,” King Wallace insisted.

  “I do. I could leave peacefully after telling you nicely to leave my kingdom alone, but you wouldn’t listen. So instead, I’m going to give you a good reason to never mess with my kingdom again.”