The Last Dragon: Book Three

by LeRoy Clary

  I called out, “This prisoner is mine. No harm is to come to him.”

  Now there were many confused looks aimed at me. But Flier pointed behind us and said, “Here they come.”

  Less than twenty of them burst from the shade under the trees and ran in our direction, but they ran no faster than we had through the soft sand, and they had a long way to go to reach us, or even to reach the range of an arrow. Slacker was debating to run or fight. If we fought in the open, outnumbered, some of ours were sure to be wounded or worse. Two already had minor cuts from the fight we’d just won.

  Nobody paid any more attention to my prisoner or me.

  Kendra called to Slacker, “We retreat. I’ll protect our backs.”

  Now it was Slacker’s turn to be confused. There had been a lot of that in the last few moments, but behind Slacker, a black dot appeared in the sky, and I knew what it was. Kendra’s dragon was about to arrive to protect us as it had done twice already.

  I said to the man who’d given me his truce, “I have no idea what happened with our swords. Do you?”

  “Did your ears ring with a whine?”

  “Hold your blade closer to mine,” I pointed the tip of mine at him.

  He didn’t react with fear at the tip of my blade. He drew his blade, and the keening increased in pitch and volume as the blades moved closer. He raised his blade closer to mine, and it became intolerable. Slacker’s men and my friends watched us, but obviously heard or felt nothing. They must have just thought us strange to hold our swords aloft while we winced in pain, but the blades never touched each other.

  “We should talk,” he said.

  The dragon was noticed by one of Slacker’s men. A shout rose, then others. Fingers pointed, and attention turned away from the two of us. Kendra’s dragon flew low, then slowed as it neared us, and as it passed over the stunned Vin soldiers, it curled its rear talons and snatched a man, using the same motion like a bird of prey snatching a fish from the water. It flew higher, then passed over the tops of the trees and disappeared behind them.

  The Vin troops held their ground for the space of two or three more breaths, then one of them broke and ran for the cover of the trees. In an instant, all twenty were headed for the safety of the trees, running much faster than when they’d chased us.

  Kendra was at my side, and I turned to her. She obviously was telling the dragon what to do but killing a man in that fashion was beneath her and had surprised me. “The man the dragon carried off?”

  She gave me the look that implied my stupidity at asking the question. “Dropped into the river from a low height. He waded ashore and has a tall tale to tell unbelieving grandchildren.”

  I felt better. “What now?”

  “The dragon is returning. It will land on that little hill behind us where no arrows can reach it and then guard our backs as I promised.”

  “Can arrow hurt it?”

  Kendra seemed unsure. She finally said, “Their hide is so thick and hard, I don’t think so, but arrows are sharp. Better to just stay out of range.”

  Slacker had come close enough to hear her last words. To his credit, he didn’t argue, plead disbelief, or ask any of a hundred questions he had a right to know the answers to. Instead, he turned and called to his men, “Move out.”

  We all faced the empty desert, the pointed mountain in the far distance. There was little talk. The “captured” soldier carrying a duplicate of my sword matched pace with me, and gradually the keening decreased despite the close proximity of the swords as if they sensed the truce.

  As we reached the top of a long, low hill, I turned and found the remainder of the Vin troops being organized and ready to follow. There were still far more of them than there were of us, but Kendra’s dragon flew into sight again. It circled a few times, far too high for arrows to reach. With a roar that hurt our ears, even at the distance where we mutely stood, the dragon landed between them and us almost daintily.

  It faced the trees where the Vin army fled and roared again as if challenging any of them to show themselves. None did.

  We turned away and trudged through the soft sand, but as we moved away from the river, the footing became firmer, and we moved faster. I wanted to speak to the soldier at my side, but I was too winded to do so. He seemed the same.

  I finished the last of my water, and my mind insisted I was still thirsty. The sun was at our backs and cast long shadows in front of us. We came to a small hill topped by black rocks. Slacker called a halt, and his men dug near the base of a rock and removed clay jars with sealed tops. Each contained water, stale and cool.

  Kendra said for all to hear, “The dragon is still on the ground, but will fly away to spend the night in the safety of the mountains soon. It has not heard, seen, or smelled any of the Vin soldiers for a while. They may have withdrawn.”

  She received more than one questioning look about how she knew all that, but nobody asked. I glanced at Emma and found her scowling at the soldier beside me. Her instincts were good, and my trust in them grew daily.

  I turned to him. “Your sword was not issued by the army.”

  “A gift from my father.”

  I glanced at mine. “A gift from my king.”

  “Have you ever seen or heard of such a thing?”

  “No. In some manner, they must be enchanted. How, I have no idea,” I said.

  “Like magic?”

  “Exactly like magic,” I said. Then, an idea came to me. “Old magic, not the kind mages these days use. The maker may have enchanted them, or another, but one thing seems clear. The swords are meant never to be crossed.”

  “The brothers!” he gasped.

  “I don’t know what that is.” I handed him a jar of water and noticed Anna was standing next to me, intently watching the soldier.

  *He is not scared. Not of you. And he tells the truth.* Anna’s words were as clear in my mind as if she’d spoken aloud, but the soldier heard nothing.

  “Your name?” I asked.

  “Fielding. A recent recruit to the Army of the Council.”

  I asked, “A willing recruit?”

  He hinted at a smile. “Unwilling recruits die, so that makes me a willing one, I guess. If possible, I’d still be working on my father’s fishing boats.”

  Flier came to my other side and asked abruptly. “Why have you brought this man with us?”

  I decided to semi-lie to avoid an uncomfortable explanation of a subject beyond my ability to understand and one that might confuse the issue further if I tried. “He may know things that will help us.”

  Flier didn’t appear convinced, but said, “Prisoners surrender their weapons.”

  “Not this time,” I told him. To Anna I asked, *Can you always tell if Fielding is lying?*

  *If I’m concentrating on his mind when he shares something. I mean, I can’t go back in time and tell if he lied before.* She gave me the same sort of look Kendra does when I ask something I should already know.

  To Fielding, I said, “Will you keep our truce and promise not to harm anyone here?”

  “If they attack me, I’ll defend myself. Otherwise, I want to know what’s happening between us as much as you.”

  *Truth,* Anna said. *He’s telling the truth, but what’s he talking about?*

  *Not now,* I told her, determined to continue the conversation on my terms, but pleased that Anna had confirmed he was not lying to me.

  Fielding said, “If your king presented your sword to you, you must be important. If it was the King of Dire, I wonder why he would present such a treasure to one from Kondor.”

  That was an insightful question. I decided to follow up with one of my own. “If your father presented your sword, I’d have to assume he was also an important man, not a simple fisherman. Yet, you are a foot soldier of Vin, and that makes me wonder.”

  “Perhaps we should discuss this later when alone and in more civil circumstances,” he said.

  I glanced around at the rebels, two of whom had
taken up positions in the desert to warn us of pursuit. With Kendra’s dragon out there, we didn’t need them, but military discipline demanded guards be posted. The others were lying or sitting on the sand, most with their weapons and a jug of water nearby. I said, “No, I think this is a good time.”

  Fielding reacted as if I’d struck him, as his chin drew back, and his body tensed.

  *Careful,* Anna warned me.

  I continued, “Tell me about your father.”

  There was a slight but perceptible hesitation. Then he said as if resigned to talk of things better left unsaid, “He was a minor noble and a soldier in the King’s Army, that’s the Army of Vin before the king fell. While serving in a foreign land, he was given the sword as a reward for meritorious service. He used his reward money to buy several fishing boats.”

  Flier came to sit beside me. He’d been listening to everything. “The king fell? Tell us about that.”

  “Who are you?” Fielding asked.

  “The king?” Flier prompted again. “Tell us.”

  I noticed Flier didn’t answer the question. He probably wanted the prisoner to know who was in charge, as well as not knowing Flier was from a prominent family and possibly influencing the answers.

  Fielding said, “I’ll summarize, and you can ask questions after if that is agreeable. King Flan, the Revealer, has a single son, Prince Alvar, who was Commander of the Seas. The prince’s ship burned and sunk within sight of two other ships. There were few survivors, none of them the prince. The next in line of succession was elderly and feeble, too much so to wear the crown. After him, the line was conflicted between two families with equal claims.”

  Flier nodded, his eyebrows furrowed as he sorted out the information. He seemed to understand and agree with what Fielding said.

  Anna entered my mind. *He’s holding back.*

  I gave her a brief nod but said nothing, waiting to see how the conversation continued.

  Fielding continued, “King Flan took ill after the death of his son. Most assumed he dwelled on it too much and his health declined. Within the castle, a Royal Regent was considered who would rule until the king recovered, or until the rightful heir determined, but there was conflict on who the Regent should be, and eventually a committee was agreed upon to rule.”

  Flier’s eyes flicked in my direction and back to Fielding again. It was the same story as Dire, Dagger, and Trager. Anna had told me Fielding was holding back important information.

  I said, “You know things that the average person does not. Why?”

  “I listen and observe.”

  He was evasive.

  *He’s still holding back.* Anna confirmed my own thoughts.

  Not lying. Holding back. There was a difference. I reviewed what I knew to be true and saw the obvious. “I think I understand. Your family was one of those in contention to assume the crown.”

  He hung his head and waited before raising it again and saying, “Yes.”

  Flier said, “Let me guess. Your family members also met with a series of accidents. You joined the new army under an assumed name, after allowing your hair and beard to grow as a disguise.”

  Fielding was on his feet, his hand on the hilt of his sword, but hesitated to draw it when nobody else reacted. We sat and watched him. For me, I believed that my magic could slow his hands and feet while I stood and drew my weapons, if necessary. A small whirlwind in the sand behind him confirmed my small magic was with me and ready for instant use.

  *It’s all true,* Anna confirmed.

  Fielding’s eyes were on Flier. “How could you know all that?”

  Flier said, “We’ve met before, a long time ago. When you were called by another name, as was I. My father is Hiram of the house of Rodin, the merchant. I was called Jewel.”

  “I remember,” Fielding said slowly, as he sat again. “Our families were friendly.”

  Flier continued, “Of the two houses in contention for the throne, yours has the stronger claim. If your father is no longer alive, that makes you the crown prince.”

  “The prince in hiding is more like it, Fielding whispered.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Princess Elizabeth

  As if by accident, Will brushed past me on the Gallant’s deck as I prepared to step on the gangplank. “Excuse me, Princess Elizabeth, I stumbled.”

  He didn’t slow but departed the ship as if on a mission. Timor threw him a nasty look for pushing ahead, but I noticed Lady Grace’s eyes twinkled. That tiny incident told me Timor knew nothing of Will, but she did. She had also been appointed to accompany me by my father. Lady Grace was more than a scribe.

  I now knew where her loyalties stood. My father was first, as was right and correct. I was second. With Timor, at least for the trip we were on, that may be reversed.

  Will careened his way down the gangplank as if a little drunk and entered the crowd by shoving and pushing his way through. I was amused at first and surprised at his actions. My first thought was that he’d imbibed too much wine after killing two people on the ship the night before, then reconsidered. That didn’t fit what little I knew of him.

  Will was making sure the crowd was friendly. He was placing himself in danger while clearing the way for me.

  The sun glinted off an object that fell on the heavy planks of the pier. It was a knife that slipped from the hand of a man who turned and sprinted away as the knife fell. Somehow, Will had made his way to the man and forced the knife from him—all without being noticed. Will picked up the knife as if he’d dropped it and slipped it onto his tunic.

  Lady Grace leaned close to my ear. “How did he know?”

  I didn’t bother responding because I didn’t know the answer, either. However, there was a larger issue to think about. Yes, Will had disarmed a man, but if that man was waiting for me, why? Had he been there to kill me? If so, how had he known I’d be on the ship?

  Will and I were going to have an intense conversation. Soon. Right after my hands stopped shaking and my knees were not threatening to buckle.

  Timor said, “Princess, I will return as quickly as possible.”

  He strolled down the gangplank almost innocently, the dispatch I’d drafted securely inside his vest. He would carry it to the palace and request a meeting with whatever person greeted visiting royalty. The dispatch would probably pass through several hands before someone arrived at the ship if things were done as in most kingdoms.

  Vin was a very small principality of Kondor, the city on the coast constituting almost the entire population. It had been independent only a few years ago, but the larger Kondor had been expanding and without bloodshed brought Vin under its rule. The compromise had been good for both. Vin paid taxes to Kondor in return for protection from pirates and kingdoms that might find the tiny principality an easy target.

  Instead of retreating to my cabin, I stood outside with Lady Grace and said, “Watch for any other unusual things. I had expected to arrive here by surprise and wonder how that man knew about me.”

  “I’ve heard mages can talk over long distances.”

  A glance from the corner of my eye revealed she was serious. If that was true, as I believed, how did she know?

  “They say many things. Most are not true.”

  Lady Grace said, “When I was young, there was a woman in Crestfallen who was rumored to be a sorceress.”

  “And?” I demanded.

  “My mother had me befriend her. She broke a leg, and we cared for her. While healing, I watched over her, and she talked to me. My mother watched over her daily. During that time, she had a fever and talked about it, the mages traveling, I mean. My mother went to the king with the information because he was interested in anything concerning mages.”

  Loyalties often run deep and cover generations. The revelation provided me with insights into palace intrigue I’d never known existed. I guessed that my father had wanted to know more about mages and probably sorceresses, as well. He might have sniffed out the beginnings of t
he plan to eliminate him, or he may have simply realized things behind the scenes were occurring over which he had no knowledge or power.

  “Did you find anything else of interest?”

  “Small things. Often half-heard or whispered while the fever held her. Twice, there were mentions of messages sent or received over long distances. We also heard that once a mage arrived at the gates of Crestfallen from a far land. It happened the king had army posts along the River Road all the way to Mercia and the sea looking for a man who killed a cousin of ours, so all travelers were stopped and questioned. The king had each officer posted on the road come to Crestfallen to meet with him. I heard none had seen the mage arrive on any ship and none had traveled the many days on the River Road to reach the palace.”

  “Then how?” I asked.

  “It was as if he arrived out of thin air along the road less than a half-day’s walk from Crestfallen. Several people were there when questioned. He insisted he’d traveled from Dagger, but was unable to explain why nobody on the road saw him. Later, he was asked how he enjoyed the white city of Mercia.”

  “Mercia was never white,” I corrected her.

  “You and I know that. He didn’t. You father can be very sneaky, especially when learning about magic.”

  Less than a half-day’s walk from Crestfallen. I pictured the road in my mind. That would be near the Waystone. A place said to be magic. Lady Grace was coy. She knew that as well as me. For the first time, she was willingly sharing information that was not in common knowledge. “Magic?”

  “Perhaps something else. Who knows? But to arrive in Dire and not be seen traveling from the only port all the way to Crestfallen implies one of two things. The first is that a person would have to be very good at concealing himself for the long journey, and for what reasons? The second is something else—which includes magic.”

  “What else do you know?”

  She said as she shifted her eyes to show me where, “If you look into the crowd on the pier near that food vendor selling the wonderful smelling meat-on-sticks, there is a man in the same brown robes as others, but he manages always to be concealed behind another person. A shift of his hip, a turn of his shoulder. Accidental? Maybe. But I don’t think so.”