Rosalyn knew she was fortunate to be the first one to arrive. Others would come, but by tricking Ketten and the simple-minded ogres into believing she craved more than the dragon's spirit, she had made them her allies. She had an army to keep away anyone foolish enough to come for the dragon's power now. She didn't have to break Sarya's secrets all at once; she could take her time.
At least enough time to eat a meal on occasion.
"But now that I've eaten, it's time to try again," Rosalyn whispered. She smiled at the statue and sat down in front of it. She began to chant and cast up a spell to show her the magic and allow her to begin to pick her way through the many shifting layers that made up the dragon's prison.
Chapter 4
"Moonshine doesn't like the look of this pass," Aleena said.
Celos glanced at her and then looked ahead to the rocky cleft ahead of them. "Do you agree that this is the route into the mountains?"
"Yes, but—"
"Then this is the route we must take. According to the guides, there's nothing else west of here for two days' travel," Celos finished. "By then, the only passes take us through the mountains to the lands beyond."
"We could try east," Aleena said. "There are more paths into the mountains there, even caves. Tristam told us of some and the guides and hunters mentioned others."
"Ketten came this way," Celos reminded her. "That's what they all said, that he brought a woman this way."
"They were drunkards humoring you after they'd taken all your money playing cards!" Aleena said with a hint of a growl. She'd seen too many good men turned fools by ale and gambling. Celos would never be like them, but it didn't make her happy to have been around them.
"They weren't drunk," Celos said. "Any man as good at cards as they were knows not to fall in his cups."
Aleena fumed, knowing that there was a good chance Celos was right. She'd known men who had arrangements with her father to mix their ale with water, yet they paid full price for it. The men they played knew nothing of it, or had the same agreements. "Fine, what about the rest? After they took your money. You're not a very good card player."
"I'm not good at bluffing," Celos admitted.
Aleena agreed but kept silent. Lying was not something condoned by Leander. Celos had tried to skirt around their doctrine by using silence and misdirection. He'd done a poor job of it.
"And why would they lie? It was months ago, they said, and nobody's seen either once since. That tells me they found the source of whatever is going on and we should follow them."
"You're jumping to conclusions, much like you hoped the other card players would do."
Celos scowled at her. "We have few options. We must do as we judge best."
"As you judge best," Aleena said.
Celos glared at her. "Yes, as I deem best. I am the elder knight and I have more time spent in Leander's service."
"Time does not equal devotion," Aleena retorted.
Celos spun his horse around, his eyes wide with outrage. "You question my faith?"
Aleena caught herself before she said something she didn't mean. She closed her mouth and shook her head. "No. Not your faith. But I do caution you to remember that though you may have known Leander's blessing longer than I, I have it too. I have a love for our saint that burns brightly in my heart and pushes everything else to the side."
"Not everything," Celos muttered. He snapped the reins on his horse and turned it back towards the pass.
Moonshine moved forward without being told to so that Aleena could grab one of the reins in front of Celos and stop him from commanding his steed. "What is that supposed to mean?" she seethed.
Celos met her piercing gaze with one heated by his own fires. When neither of them looked away, he heard himself say, "Alto."
Aleena let go of his rein and Moonshine backed away. She stared at him, her lips parted in shock.
The words spilled out of the paladin so fast he seemed to have trouble putting them in a proper order. "You said it yourself, you loved him. You gave him your heart."
"And then I found Saint Leander," Aleena responded.
Celos smirked. "Much as the people of Highpeak? Have they forgotten the Hero of the North and turned to the saint?"
"Some have," Aleena said. "Why does that upset you so much? He did a great thing and suffered terribly while doing it."
"He's just a man!" Celos shouted. He turned away, his fists clenching his reins.
Aleena watched as the paladin took a deep breath and let it out. She wanted to say something but she wasn't sure what. It was just as well; Celos continued when he'd restrained his anger.
"Alto's just a man and Saint Leander is a saint. He should never be placed higher than that which is holy."
"Have you ever been in love?" Aleena asked in a soft voice.
"I love my faith, my brothers, even my intemperate sister," Celos said.
"No, in love," she repeated, emphasizing the act rather than the state of being.
Celos shrugged and looked away from her. "I don't see that it makes a difference."
"It does."
"It shouldn't," he snapped. "Saint Leander is pure and wise. He teaches us honesty and gives us the light to banish darkness."
Aleena nodded. "My faith filled my heart and made me whole when I didn't realize there was something missing. It has much in common with a lover, I think, but there are things that the church cannot do. Places they cannot touch."
Celos frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"You are so pure it makes my heart ache," Aleena said. "I wish you could experience the magic of a kiss with someone that you know you are right for. I hope, someday, you can feel that and not have it taken from you."
Celos opened and shut his mouth. His eyes narrowed and he turned away. "Come, into the mountains," he said as he snapped the reins of his horse and started up the small pass into the mountains.
Aleena scowled at his back. "Stubborn fool," she muttered.
Moonshine stomped his hoof and whickered in agreement.
"Now, now," Aleena chided her unicorn, "he means well. He's a difficult man, but he has many admirable qualities as well."
Moonshine turned his head so he could look at her out of one eye. He blinked and then snorted.
Aleena laughed. "What? Oh, stop it! Give him a chance. He'll grow on you."
The unicorn shook his head and started after Celos. Aleena looked up and saw the paladin had stopped and was glaring back at her. She could see in his face that he was annoyed that she was moving so slowly. "We're coming," Aleena called up to him.
Celos turned around and started moving forward again, but at a slower pace so Aleena and Moonshine could catch up to them. They rode up the pass and found it turned into a moist gully. The mud and lack of moss or scrub brushes promised flash floods in moments if rain should come. Aleena glanced to the clear sky overhead and breathed a sigh of relief. The only threat she saw was the late day sun. They'd left Highpeak at first light and ridden hard to the west.
They picked their way through the mountains in silence, both focusing on the difficult terrain as the gully turned into a path that led along a treacherous mountainside and from there to a ledge and back into a valley. The sun dipped lower into the west, threatening them with darkness as the mountain peaks reached for Leander's light in the sky.
"We'll camp here," Celos announced, startling Aleena out of her private thoughts. "No fire."
She glanced around the small valley and nodded. A ridge ahead of them and some scraggly pine trees offered cover but it was a small enough section of land they could defend it. The downside was the trail they'd been following ran through the middle of it, preventing them from hiding if anything or anyone should walk down it.
Aleena slid off Moonshine's back and patted him on the side of the neck. The unicorn whickered and nuzzled his nose into her neck, making her smile. She had his support and friendship, even if Celos was being bullish. She slipped her pack off her back a
nd pulled out her skin of water and the rations she'd brought with her.
"I know you won't wear a saddle or anything, but it would make my life a lot easier," she said to her majestic steed while she rooted around for one of the carrots she'd brought with her. She fed it to the unicorn and then turned away just in time to see Celos turning away from her. Had he been watching her?
Aleena frowned and looked at their campsite again. She moved over to a flat spot of ground and set her pack down. She'd use it as a pillow later, after she pulled her blanket out. Summer or not, the mountains would be cold at night, and sleeping in metal armor exposed to the thin, cold mountain air wasn't something she was looking forward to.
"I'll take the first watch," Celos grunted as the sun began to slide behind a mountain peak.
Aleena looked at him and nodded. He always took the first watch. It didn't bother her; she was usually tired by the time night came. It let her watch him as the sun rose, something she secretly enjoyed doing. She could admire his handsome face while it was relaxed and peaceful, before he did or said something that would get her blood racing.
She sat down on the ground, her back against a rock, and chewed on the hard bread she'd pulled from her pack. She glanced over at Celos and saw him turning to look at the ridge ahead of them. She frowned and wondered if she'd almost caught him staring at her again. What was his problem with her? Why couldn't they get along more than a few minutes? And even that only happened when they had something to focus on like an enemy to fight.
"Celos," she called to him, jerking him back around with an open and surprised look on his face. "Why do you hate me?"
The elder paladin's eyes widened for a brief moment. He composed himself and shook his head. "I don't hate you, Aleena. There are times when I don't like you, but I never hate you."
Aleena nodded. "Okay. Why? What do I do that makes you not like me?"
Celos pursed his lips as he pondered her question "We make a good team," he admitted. "You infuriate me time and again, but most of the time you make me better by doing so."
"What?" Aleena asked, confused by his answer.
"You think of things that challenge me. Solutions to problems I had not considered. I am a simple man—"
Aleena snorted but let him carry on without additional complaint.
He sighed and continued, "I am a simple man. The battle for Dragonsgate. I saw what needed to be done and I did what I could to make it happen. It never occurred to me to use the mercenaries who had surrendered to us as you did. In the swamp, I would have burned the wizard's house and fought the foul creatures he'd made, rather than digging deeper for the true source."
Aleena smiled and said, "Those aren't much. I couldn't have done anything without the help of my brothers-in-arms."
Celos shook his head. "Even in training, you broke convention. When challenged directly, you pushed yourself to work harder, but you reached out to the other trainees as well. You made them better by involving them. You inspired them. Just as your crazy ideas sometimes inspire me."
Aleena fought against the smile that crept onto her face. "I inspire you?" she whispered.
"Sometimes," he said. "When you're not saying or doing something foolish."
Aleena laughed. "You've been inspiring me since I met you. You're so sure of yourself and so strong. Between your skill, your strength, and your faith, you don't let anything get in your way."
Celos nodded. "That is how I prove to myself my dedication."
"Not to Leander?"
"Saint Leander knows my heart and soul," Celos said. "If I should fail, it is not because of him; it is because of myself."
Aleena nodded. "I like that. It makes sense."
"And putting up with you is another way in which I prove my conviction to my beliefs," he added with a wry smile.
"You made a joke!" Aleena gasped. Her eyes narrowed as another thought came to her. "That was a joke, right?"
Celos shrugged but his lips crept upwards at the corners enough for her. "Get some rest, paladin. We've many more rugged miles to travel tomorrow."
Aleena nodded and reached around for her pack to get her blanket. She'd grown accustomed to sleeping in her armor but that didn't mean she looked forward to it. Her body wasn't designed that way. She endured it, though, and now with the new idea from Celos, she realized she would do it to prove to herself that she was willing and worthy of the blessings given to her.
She slid down and lay on her back, and then turned her head and found herself staring at Celos as he turned away and walked towards the ridge to investigate it. She smiled. He didn't hate her. He didn't understand her, but she knew enough about him to accept that. She was beginning to understand him. That was good enough. For now.
Chapter 5
"Lord and Lady Badawi have embraced the ancient tradition of the marriage retreat," Lord Badawi's assistant told Alto a week after they'd left the island of Britanley behind and sailed back to Mira, the capital of Shazamir.
Alto stared at the slender man for a long moment before he asked, "What does that mean?"
"It's—" Namitus was silenced by Kar jamming his elbow into the rogue's side as he coughed. The wizard then proceeded to reach into his robes to take out his pipe as though nothing had happened.
Jakar, Sulim's aide, glanced at the strange commotion and then looked back at the serious and imposing face of Alto. "The marriage retreat is an ancient tradition that few save the royal family and other senior nobles still honor. The newlywed couple seeks spiritual guidance and tutoring to aid them in their days. It can take as little as a few weeks or as long as months."
Alto fought against the tick in his eye. "Where is this?"
"It depends upon the couple. Each couple goes somewhere special and holy to them," he said. "Lord Alto, I respect and honor your obvious care for your sister, but I must remind you she is Lord Badawi's responsibility now. You can rest assured that he has her best interests at heart. Indeed, her success is his. Such is the way with our people."
Alto felt his eyes tightening but he forced himself to stay silent until the throbbing in his ears passed. "I respect your culture, Jakar, and your people. I have learned some news of our family that I need to share with her. Is there no way for me to get word to her?"
"If you would write it down, I will see to it that it is made available to them," he offered.
Alto shook his head. "I cannot. It is very personal and can only come from my lips."
"Then I fear you must wait, my lord. I trust you understand how important this is, culturally and nationally."
"Then we will wait," Alto said.
"Allow me to arrange for rooms for you at the palace. I can—"
Alto shook his head. "No, we will see to our own lodging. Send word when they return," Alto told him.
"I pray I haven't offended you. Please, Lord Alto, accept my humble forgiveness for any slight I have given."
"You've given no slight," Alto conceded. He glanced at his companions before turning back to Jakar and adding, "These are my closest and most capable friends. As such, I know them well and I have too much respect for your palace and our nations to risk any troubles arising. Far better for us to stay elsewhere."
"My lord?" Jakar seemed confused for a moment until his eyes swept over the breadth of Alto's companions. His eyes lingered on Garrick in particular. He lowered his voice and said, "I see. Might I suggest some of the more unusual entertainment Mira has to offer?"
"Unusual entertainment?" Alto pressed.
"Yes." Jakar glanced at Patrina and turned away slightly. "Not recommended for the more delicate members of your entourage, but there are many visceral opportunities available here."
Alto's confused frown asked the question his words could not.
"You're speaking of the Shadows District?" Namitus asked while holding his arms to block Kar from jabbing him again. The wizard did nothing more than puff on his pipe in silence.
Jakar turned to Namitus and let his eyes roam
over the man. He nodded and offered the rogue a slight smile. "Indeed. Though no such quarter officially exists, there are rumors that remain hard to quell."
"If we have the need for such entertainment, I'm sure my man can help us find it," Alto said. "As for Lord Badawi, I'll stop by to check on their progress from time to time."
"Delightful!" Jakar said. "I'll be sure to have a more fitting reception for your next visit, my lord."
The aide bowed, signaling Alto to leave. The warrior turned away and led his company back through the palace to the streets outside without a word. They remained silent until the sun beat down on them outside the palace gates. Garrick swore and wiped the sweat forming on his brow.
"I thought that island was hot," he muttered. "This is what a rabbit being roasted over a fire must feel like!"
Mordrim leaned back and looked at Garrick. "That explains the stick up your arse!"
The barbarian wrenched his head back and stared down at himself, and then he scowled when he heard the snickering from a few of the others. He glared at Mordrim. "You're the right height to see my arse," Garrick taunted back.
"Enough," Alto growled, conveying his mood. He turned to Namitus. "Where can we stay?"
"There are inns all over the place," the rogue mused. "One's as good as another, but I'd recommend something on the west or southern side of Mira. The docks have a lot of men anxious to earn gold and not caring how it's earned."
"Why west or south then?" Alto asked.
"In the west, there's not much but housing and the gate to the desert. Along the south, you've got the Khalalid River, which prompted more wealthy merchants and nobles once the city guard drove out the shadows."
Alto frowned at the mention of shadows again. "Shadows? As in the Shadows District? What is that?"
"Thieves and assassins. Thugs. Bandits. Any sort of illegitimate crime you want can be found," Namitus explained.
Alto grunted. "And entertainment?"
"Gladiatorial fights, gambling houses, opium houses, brothels, and much, much more."
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