Suddenly, Jaevid sheathed his weapon and dropped to his belly on the ground—right as a blast of burning dragon venom hit the bulk of the soldiers around him. Mavrik was up with Aedan still clinging to his back. The king drake shot another plume of fire, lashing his tail and sweeping several soldiers from the tower’s edge. Fifty stories is a long way to fall.
With his black wings spread wide, Mavrik held fast long enough for Jaevid to leap back to his feet and run over, sidestepping and jumping around burning Tibrans all the way. As soon as he was secure, the massive blue drake shot skyward. He dove headlong toward the storm, past clouds snapping with lightning and battering winds. And we followed without hesitation. I looked around in vain for Phevos, still hoping to see that familiar glint of purple scales. He wasn’t anywhere in sight. My heart wrenched in my chest, torn in agony at the idea he might be gone.
Without padding or armor, I couldn’t stop shivering. The frigid air chilled me right down to the bone. Huddling close to Calem was my only shelter. Once we broke through the clouds into the smoother air above the storm, he sat back in the saddle long enough to unbuckle his heavy navy-blue cloak and wrap it around me tightly.
Calem had been my wing end and partner in combat for years. He was someone I knew I could count on, even if he was less experienced than the rest of us. Through the glass slit in his helmet, I saw his gray-blue eyes looking me over as though searching for any apparent damage.
I tried to force a smile, but my chin trembled. It probably looked more like a child trying not to sob.
“You’re okay now. I’ve got you,” he said using the dragonrider code of hand signals.
I hurried to signal back. “Where is Phevos? Did he make it to Cernheist?”
“He’s fine. Stayed behind to guard the city. He wasn’t happy about it, but the king drake wouldn’t let him follow. Promised him we’d bring you back safe.”
I shut my eyes tightly and buried my face into his cloak. My body shook from adrenaline, relief, and a lingering chill as I leaned against him. Phevos was safe. He was alive and waiting for me.
Safe had become such a loaded word. While Argonox lived, and as long as there were Tibrans in Maldobar, none of us were safe.
We were just out of reach … for now.
TWENTY
We flew above the large storm system that spanned most of the northern border of Maldobar. It stretched out below us like a carpet of boiling gray smoke. Portions of it flashed with bolts of lightning that occasionally jumped from cloud to cloud like rigid fingers of light. It was a wild and beautiful thing.
Spring storms weren’t an uncommon sight for Maldobar. They blew in from the west and lingered for weeks. Sometimes they even brought late snows. This one gave us the perfect cover for retreat. The distant shape of Luntharda and the stars overhead were all we could navigate by, but that was more than enough for a trained dragonrider. Orienteering was one of the first things we learned at the academy. I’d spent countless hours poring over maps and star charts, learning to find my way from a dragon’s saddle.
Mavrik led us west, past the smoldering remains of Barrowton. I was glad we couldn’t see it through the cloud cover. Just the thought of our failure there made my mouth taste of cinders. How many people had we lost? How many had made it to the mountains for safety?
I looked across to Haldor and Turq. Phillip’s body was still motionless where it was tied down in front of him. Jaevid had promised he wouldn’t wake up. My hand came to my neck, feeling the bruised, tender skin left by his chokehold. I’d never known Phillip to try to hurt anyone before. But if Jaevid hadn’t been there, he would have …
I clenched my teeth against the urge to cry. I wouldn’t grieve—not yet. Not until I knew my Phillip was gone. There might be some of him still trapped somewhere inside that creature he’d become. And if there was even one tiny fragment of that Phillip left, I wouldn’t give up.
Cernheist came into view late the next morning, although it was difficult to tell because of the bleak weather. Below the storm, the white jagged peaks of the Stonegap Mountains were shrouded by the toiling gray skies. You couldn’t see the sun at all.
Here, the rain had become a heavy snow. Summer was as short-lived as it was mild this far into the mountains. The people here led a different sort of life, cut off from the rest of Maldobar unless they dared to brave the icy mountain passes riddled with bears, wolves, and mountain cats. Cernheist was one of the larger settlements due to the thriving mining industry. Most of the precious metals and stones came from the northwestern most mountains, and Cernheist sat closest to the largest gold mine in the kingdom. If you could stand the horrible weather and didn’t mind tunneling around in the dark like a goblin, a person could make a good living there as a worker in the mine.
Perched on the steep incline of a jutting mountainside, the city looked small compared to Barrowton or Halfax. Most of the buildings were huddled at the crest, overlooking a vertical drop to a large frozen lake below. I could make out the shape of the keep, where the governing noble lived.
Although I didn’t know her personally, Baroness Adeline Marden had an infamous reputation as a recluse at court. Her husband had died young, leaving her to manage things alone. She rarely left her city—not that I blamed her, considering what a trek it would be to get anywhere. My father had told me that she was a bright, yet incredibly shy woman. I could only hope she would welcome us.
After all, we were bringing trouble right to her doorstep.
The lights from the city burned warm and welcoming against the stormy sky as we began our final approach. Mavrik started a spiral pattern above the keep, circling for a landing, and the rest of us followed suit. Our dragons held pattern like a flock of huge vultures, taking turns to land in the small front courtyard one at a time.
Anyone could tell this place wasn’t made to house dragons. Everything about it was subdued, unassuming, and without the usual grandeur of a noble home. There were no lavish gardens or ornate walkways. The exterior walls were made of the same slate blue stone as the mountains around them, making the keep itself look like a part of the wilderness. Blue Maldobarian banners depicting the king’s golden eagle fluttered from the foreword ramparts. Apart from those, there was nothing fortified about the keep—not that it was necessary considering the back portion of the structure hugged the edge of that staggering drop to the frozen lake below. No one would be making a tactical approach from that side.
Servants dressed in heavy wool clothes hesitated when our dragons landed. Their eyes were wide with awe, and even the men were reluctant to get too close. They probably didn’t see dragons very often.
Calem climbed out of the saddle first, then he reached up to help me down. I tried to manage it. But as soon as I put weight on my injured ankle, it caved. I crumpled and Calem barely caught me before I hit the ground.
“It’s all right. I’ve got her.” A manservant had mustered the courage to come over and help. He looped my arm around his shoulder as I hobbled along, trying not to put any more pressure on my foot than necessary.
The others were dismounting, too. Haldor and Jaevid had to work together to untie Phillip and carry him toward the entrance from the courtyard. Aedan and Calem followed, lugging bags of gear.
Before me, the open doors of the keep made my heart feel crushed and renewed all at the same time. We were here. We were safe. But we were on borrowed time. How long could we really stay before the Tibrans came for us?
The servants took us to the great hall, a spacious room with cavernous ceilings that boasted bare wooden beams adorned in carvings of bears, wolves, and the occasional dragon. Two wrought-iron chandeliers holding a hundred lit candles hung on either end of the space. Their warm light shimmered over the granite floor, inlaid with design work of green turquoise and red jasper. The place had a natural, earthy feel to it—something I preferred to the gaudy grandeur of most noble houses.
“Your Highness, I welcome you.”
I managed a smile. “Thank you for taking us.”
“Of course.” The baroness nodded slightly, her features softening into a motherly smile. “I must admit, when your companions told me of their aspirations of stealing you back, I was not convinced they would be successful. Northwatch was a mighty fortress, even before the Tibrans took it. I’m very pleased to be proven wrong.” Her keen gaze shifted to where Phillip sagged between Haldor and Jaevid, taking more time to consider him before she spoke. “I’m afraid I can only offer you the most basic of comforts. I’ve never had many visitors. But you are all welcome here. The North Wing is at your disposal for as long as you want. My servants will see to your needs.”
“What about the dragons?” Jaevid asked.
Baroness Adeline studied him for a moment as well. I could have sworn I saw her blush. “They’ll be taken to the stables in the caverns beneath the keep. I’ve already had my stable master move the horses. It’ll be cramped, but they’ll be warm and safe from harm.”
“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate this,” I rasped, emotion shaking my tone.
She waved her hand dismissively, making the fur-trimmed sleeves of her green dress swish. “Please, Your Highness, you don’t need to thank me. It’s my honor to aid the kingdom. I only wish I could do more. We’ll speak again when you’ve all had some food and rest.”
“Jenna!” Eirik burst out into the main room of the North Wing as soon as we entered. He was balanced with a crutch under one arm, hobbling along with one entire leg sealed in a plaster cast from thigh to toes. “You look as pitiful as I do!”
I cried out, shouting his name as soon as I saw him. We limped to one another and I threw my arms around his neck to hug him tightly. “You idiot, I thought we’d lost you.”
He chuckled. “Bah, you know me. I’m like a weed—hard to kill and always popping up where I’m not wanted.”
“Gods, look at your leg.” I wiped my face and leaned back to get a better look. “You’re practically a statue. How are you feeling?”
“Hot meals, warm bed, and pretty servant girls giving me sponge baths every night—I can’t complain too much.” Eirik shrugged and gave me a wink.
“As you can see, his horrible sense of humor is still firmly intact,” Haldor mumbled as he trudged past to collapse onto the nearest sofa, armor and all.
“Someone has to keep things light,” Eirik countered. “You lot are about as cheerful as a two-week-old corpse.”
“There isn’t much to be cheerful about right now, I’m afraid.” I sighed.
“We’re alive,” Aedan pointed out in a quiet voice. “That’s something.”
Eirik nodded in agreement.
I couldn’t bring myself to argue with it. My body ached. I was starving, thirsty, and in so much pain, I could hardly think straight. Aedan was quick to take up where the servant had left off, helping me wobble to the nearest of the bedrooms that had been opened for us.
It took the rest of the day for everyone to get settled. Space was limited. We would have to share one central washroom, but luckily many of the bedrooms had multiple beds.
Haldor and Eirik were already sharing a room. Calem and Aedan took another, although it took some convincing. My usually-silent wing end didn’t like the sight of a Tibran slave soldier. Not that I blamed him, but under the armor and slave brand, Aedan was a Maldobarian—not a Tibran. He’d proven that several times over now. It helped that he was all too eager to wrench that bronze armor off and toss it piece by piece into the flames of the huge hearth in the main room. Stripped down to the tattered, bloodstained rags he wore beneath, Aedan looked much less threatening.
I was the only one to receive a private room because Jaevid had insisted on sharing with Phillip. No matter how I argued, he wouldn’t back down and see reason.
Okay, so maybe it was safer for him to be the one to stay with Phillip. Jaevid could stop him if he lashed out again. But it was my fault Phillip was in this state to begin with. He was my responsibility. I should’ve protected him. I should’ve found a way to get him out before the Tibrans had gotten their filthy hands on him. If he hurt anyone, it should be me …
Things got quiet as night closed in. Servants came to turn back the beds and bring us more than enough food to eat, although most of us chose to eat in our rooms. The atmosphere was heavy. Silent tension hung thick over us like smog. We were all bracing for what we knew would come sooner or later. It was only a matter of time.
Lying on my back in the soft bed, I tried not to think about what would happen next. I tried to force myself to relax. My strength was gone. I had nothing left. And yet sleep was out of the question because of how my body throbbed in agony. My ribs caused me pain with every breath. I couldn’t bear anything to touch my fractured ankle. Every time I closed my eyes, it felt like the whole room was spinning.
A soft knock on the door made me flinch and my hand snap to my hip, reaching instinctively for a blade that wasn’t there. After a few breaths, the panic passed. I should’ve sat up. It wasn’t appropriate for a princess to be seen sprawled out unceremoniously on the bed like that. But just the thought of moving that much made my breath catch because of how it would hurt. Burn appropriateness and let it rot.
The door cracked open slightly.
“Jenna?” Jaevid sounded unsure.
“I’m here. Come in.”
He entered quietly followed by a younger girl I didn’t recognize carrying a bathing pitcher and basin. She was petite, probably half my size, and her long, wool dress hung off her shoulders a little, as though it were too large. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen, about Reigh’s age, but then again, her stature might have made her seem younger than she was.
When she caught me staring, her heart-shaped face shone with a friendly smile. “Hello, Your Highness. My name is Miri. I’m Adeline’s niece. She asked me to come and make myself useful. We’re a bit shorthanded on staff. It’s so exciting! We’ve never had so many visitors at once.”
“Oh.” I forced another obligatory smile. Seeing lovely girls like that always filled me with a mixture of anxiety and envy. I’d never been that dainty or pretty. At least, not in my opinion. I wondered what it was like to be so effortlessly fragile. That was the sort of woman most men wanted, right? Her presence made me want to cover my unpolished, callused hands and all my various nicks and scars.
“Please, call me ‘Jenna,’” I mumbled. “If one more person calls me Highness today, I will lose my mind and throw myself out that window.”
Jaevid turned his face away, as though trying to hide his smirk. I saw it, anyway.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He cleared his throat, still fighting that grin as he pulled a chair to my bedside.
“Must be a very amusing nothing, then.”
He finally let it slip. “It’s just that, well, you remind me of someone.”
I didn’t get a chance to ask who. Miri came over to begin adjusting the pillows and help me sit up straighter. It hurt like the fires of hell were burning along my ribcage. My whole body trembled as I bit hard against the curses writhing on my tongue.
“Forgive me, Your—er, I mean, Jenna.” Miri’s smile was tinged with sympathy as she brushed some of her fluffy, light brown hair away from her eyes. Most of it was tied back into a long braid down to her waist. But her bangs had escaped and framed her face with wavy curls.
“It’s all right.” I blinked wearily up at Jaevid. “I guess you’ve come to put me back together?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Does word spread that fast here?”
I looked away. “No. But my father used to tell your stories all the time. He said you could heal people with just a touch.”
Jaevid didn’t reply. When I glanced back in his direction, I saw something complex and troubled cross his brow. It dimmed the light in his pale eyes.
Miri was apparently oblivious to the tension as she stood by the nightstand, ringing a washcloth in the basin. “I’ve been getting to know your friends. I always thought dragonriders would be stoic and fierce. You know, the silent, brooding sort. But they’re so friendly! Eirik is very funny.”
“Please don’t tell him that. We’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I won’t,” she promised with a giggle as she folded the wet cloth and hung it over the rim of the basin. “Will that be all, Master Jaevid?”
He bowed his head slightly. “Yes, thank you. Please tell Eirik I’ll be tending to him next.”
Miri beamed and all but danced out of the room. I was beginning to wonder if anyone could be that cheery and nice or if there was something wrong with her. Perhaps it was just that I didn’t spend much time around other girls these days. Not that I minded. For whatever reason, I had never felt all that comfortable around the other noble girls, especially the ones close to my age. It always felt like I was being silently judged purely on my appearance, and in my eyes … I would never be able to measure up to standard in that regard.
Jaevid let out a heavy breath as he turned to face me in his chair. “Jenna, before I do this, we need to talk. I would say it could wait until after but repairing this much damage to your body might leave you delirious for a bit. It’s best for you to rest afterward. We have to discuss it now.”
I swallowed hard. I had a feeling I already knew what this was about.
“Phillip is stable, for now. But on my first attempt to peer into his soul and see what consciousness it holds, be it man or beast, I couldn’t find anything. It was just chaos.” His brow furrowed, and I could see lines of fatigue and worry in the corners of his eyes. “Chaos and fear. It’s as though he is still at war with that venom.”
Harbinger Page 17