by R. K. Ryals
“The silk business is affluent,” the king defended.
I snorted. “We should have a talk about much better dungeon conditions then, Your Majesty.”
He grinned, his wrinkled thumb rubbing the hilt of his sword. “Let’s pretend I’ve used one of these in the last four years.”
Together, we flattened our palms against the styled entrance, our eyes catching. Inhaling deeply, we shoved the doors open.
Swinging inward, they revealed a tumultuous scene.
Across a gleaming green-marbled floor, Blayne Dragern of New Hope stood facing the Prince of Sadeemia, his royal guard surrounding Cadeyrn, Lochlen, Gryphon, Oran, Daegan, SeeVan, and a handful of the Beatrice’s crew. All of them had weapons drawn, anger marring their features. Lochlen was in danger of transforming. Oran snarled.
At our arrival, everyone froze.
All eyes flew to the clean shaven man next to me. Only one pair of eyes found me: Cadeyrn’s. His unreadable gaze raked my figure before glancing at Brahn.
“And here,” Prince Cadeyrn called, his rage-filled gaze swinging to Blayne, “I’d just been told my grandfather was dead.”
Blayne Dragern’s hand rose, signaling his guards, but before they could advance on us, the knights’ swords went flying from their hands, all of them landing in a massive heap at Blayne’s feet. No one moved.
Cadeyrn’s eyes flashed. “Let’s talk politics, uncle,” he said. “Let’s talk about honesty.”
It made sense now why Cadeyrn and his men had drawn their swords before we’d arrived. Blayne had told him his grandfather was dead, and with Cadeyrn’s ability to discern truth from lie, he’d known it was untrue.
Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder, his sword pointed at Blayne Dragern’s throat, Cadeyrn asked, “Are you King Brahn of New Hope?”
Brahn cleared his throat, his sad eyes swinging from his son to his grandson. “Yes,” he answered finally.
Blayne’s face reddened. “Lies! I swear to you! It’s all lies! I attended his death myself.”
“When?” I called suddenly. “Four years ago?”
Blayne’s gaze found my face, the hatred in his eyes stark. It fed my courage.
Taking a step forward, I peered up at him. “Where’s your wife, Your Majesty? Where’s Princess Gabriella Trellon?” I asked. “Or have you annulled your marriage so quickly?”
Blayne started to lunge, his momentum cut off by Cadeyrn’s and Lochlen’s sudden crossed swords.
Cadeyrn’s gaze found mine, and even though I wanted to see something more than the burning curiosity in his eyes, I knew now was not the time or the place.
“Talk,” Cadeyrn told me.
Rather than moving forward, I remained with King Brahn. “We’ve had it all wrong,” I said. “The problems in Medeisia never had anything to do with King Raemon. Oh, he was mad, and he was cruel, a dictator who had no issue killing his people, but the threat of war came from New Hope.” Glancing away from Cadeyrn, I inhaled. “It came from Blayne Dragern of New Hope and Queen Isabella of Sadeemia.”
The Sadeemian sailors with Cadeyrn protested, their faces red with anger.
“Are you accusing our queen of treason?” one man yelled.
“Are you making accusations you’re prepared to back up?” another hollered.
Reaching behind me, I took King Brahn’s hand in my own, squeezing it. “It began when they imprisoned their father.”
“This is preposterous!” Blayne Dragern roared.
“Is it?” I asked, my eyes suddenly burning. “Is it really so preposterous, Captain Dragern? Do you know what I find preposterous? A girl of sixteen turns writing a missive for a mad king to a traitor, a missive that would catapult her into a war that began with you all along, a war that began with a simple piece of paper.”
Tugging Brahn forward, I continued to stare at Blayne, my anger growing. “Do you know what I find preposterous? That your ambitions not only caused the fall of my country but weakened that of your brother-in-aw. Tell me, which of you put King Freemont in a coma? You or your sister?”
The Sadeemians’ cries rose up, echoing through the chamber. My allegations were wild, but anyone who’d fought on the front lines with us over the past two years would recognize the truth.
Cadeyrn’s hard gaze found his uncle’s, something dark and eerily mad in his eyes. He’d fought with us. He’d seen the missive, and I knew exactly where his mind had gone, saw him draw the same conclusions I had in the dungeon.
His sword drawing closer to Blayne’s throat, Cadeyrn hissed, “Which one of you killed my wife and son?”
I froze, my heart breaking.
“No,” I whispered, but as much as I hated to admit it, as much as I hated to agree with Cadeyrn’s abrupt accusation, it suddenly made sense.
Queen Isabella had never wanted her son to marry a woman with many gods. According to her, the Henderonians were barbarians.
The true war had begun with Cadeyrn’s wife and son. Their death led to the marriage alliance with Greemallia. Their death led to the eventual missive I wrote to Blayne Dragern.
Horror filled me.
“Son,” King Brahn said suddenly, his eyes on Blayne. “What have you done?”
The sword I held clattered to the floor, my gaze rising to the man Cadeyrn threatened. “Was it all worth it?” I asked.
Cadeyrn’s knuckles had whitened around the hilt of his sword, his jaw tense, and I knew he was about to break. “Which one of you killed my wife and son?” he repeated, his words dangerous.
Blayne smiled, his gaze flicking to my face. He didn’t answer, and I knew why he refused. Whatever answer he gave would reveal the truth, and he didn’t want the prince to know.
But I knew.
I knew, because in the end, when Cadeyrn’s association with me resulted in a second Henderonian marriage, she’d convinced Gabriella to kill me.
“Queen Isabella,” I whispered. Blayne glared at me, and I stared at him. “You can’t destroy people’s gods by killing them.”
Blayne sneered, his fist rising. “Guards!” he screamed. “Arrest them all.”
Men spilled into the room, some of them entering from behind the throne.
“You’d listen to a false king!” I shouted, my hand lifting King Brahn’s. “When your true king stands before you?”
The guards froze.
“Arrest them!” Blayne yelled. “Now!”
Swords hissed as they were pulled from their scabbards.
“Tell them, Blayne Dragern!” I screamed, “how you locked your father up in his own dungeon for four years! Better yet, ask him yourself!”
“And who are you to make accusations?” Blayne roared. He waved at the room. “A bastard daughter with no affiliation to the royal family!”
“A dragon whore,” one of the Beatrice’s sailors called.
Blayne grinned. “Oh, ho! So, you’ve acquired yet another title since our time in Sadeemia?” He glanced at the crowd. “You’d listen to a whore?”
Cadeyrn’s sword suddenly flew through the air, the weapon slicing through Blayne’s tunic, the force of it knocking the man into the throne, the sword pinning him to it by his clothes.
“Call her a whore one more time,” Cadeyrn warned.
King Brahn leaned close. “I see,” he whispered, his brows rising. “Have faith in my grandson, child.” His gaze pierced mine. “Now, let me save your life the way you saved mine.”
Stepping away from me, King Brahn sauntered toward the throne. “Tell me, son, why you feel the need to belittle a girl you almost whipped the life out of only days ago.”
Cadeyrn’s startled gaze swung to mine. He began lunging at Blayne again but Brahn stopped him. “You have better restraint than that, Cadeyrn,” his grandfather said with a smile. “Though, in truth, I’d rather like seeing you run him through with a sword.” He glanced at me. “But I have a few plans for him in the dungeons first.”
Blayne laughed, the sound cruel. “I see she’s won the heart of another ru
ler.”
Ignoring him, Brahn took another step forward, his gaze sweeping the room, his eyes finally landing on Blayne. “If you are the true king of New Hope, tell me where your mother’s signet ring is hidden, where it was stored after her death. Only two people knew where it would go, Blayne, and one of them is dead. Your mother was a smart woman. She saw the deceit in you even then.”
Lochlen, who’d been quiet up until now, sauntered toward me, a twinkle in his eye despite the tension in the room.
“I’m impressed,” the dragon whispered. “When you reveal something, little one, you reveal it big.”
Oran padded toward me, his haunches meeting the floor next to my feet. “Does this mean we can return to Medeisia?”
My gaze found Cadeyrn where he stood with his grandfather, both of them staring at Blayne.
“No,” I answered. “I have to go to Sadeemia.” Lochlen’s and Oran’s startled gazes swung to my face, and I smiled sadly. “I have a king to heal. If it’s not too late.”
“And if it is, and it turns out Arien is in league with his mother?” Oran asked.
I swallowed hard, my eyes remaining on Cadeyrn. “Then you’re looking at the next King of Sadeemia.”
Chapter 28
After all of the wild allegations, revealed truths, and crushing revelations, it was finally a small silver signet ring inlaid with turquoise uncovered by a guard-led King Brahn that got Blayne Dragern dragged away, his protests chasing him all the way to the dungeons. His wife was taken with him, their prison cells right next to each other. Blayne would serve time in the cell his father had occupied. Gabriella would reside in mine.
It should have felt like a vindication, but after everything we’d uncovered, it didn’t feel triumphant. Too many people had been hurt. Too many lives had been lost. Too many nightmares had been born.
Prince Cadeyrn barely looked at anyone, his gruff, “We sail immediately for Sadeemia,” the only words he uttered as he left the room. His crew followed, SeeVan’s sympathetic gaze meeting mine as he trudged past.
As his first returning order, King Brahn had a guarded escort follow us down to the docks, and though I’d not seen much of New Hope other than its dungeons and forests, I didn’t feel slighted in the least. Sadeemia wasn’t home, but it was close and only a day away by dragon.
We’d left the palace and was boarding the Beatrice when King Brahn appeared. Originally, he’d decided against accompanying us, worried that his people’s reaction to seeing his face would be too disturbing, the possibility of a riot not out of the question.
He’d changed his mind.
Stepping onto the gangplank, the king approached me, his gaze on my face, his wrinkled hands reaching for my hands. I accepted the familiar embrace.
“Remember,” he told me, “You always have a place at my court.” Without warning, he pulled out his wife’s signet ring, and I froze.
“No,” I protested, “don’t even think it.”
The king chuckled. “I learned a valuable lesson in my four years in prison. Material things have little value unless they mean something.”
Brahn glanced up, his gaze finding his grandson, who stood behind me, his presence required out of respect for the king. Another royal custom.
Opening my hand, Brahn placed the ring within it, closing my palm over the silver. “For an hour, I watched my son whip you. For an hour, I watched you bleed. For an hour, I watched him try to break you.” He inhaled. “I knew it was an hour because I kept counting the seconds hoping you’d tell him to stop. You never did. You never denounced your gods or your people. That’s loyalty, Drastona Consta-Mayria, and that, my dear, is often harder to find than love.” Bowing over my hands, he released me. “Come see this old man again, would you?”
I nodded, my fist clenching around the ring he’d given me, my throat closing up.
“There are two Medeisian ships headed your way, Your Majesty,” I told him. “They’ll be accompanied by two dragons. Use them to help bring order back to your people. All the Medeisians ask is that you provide them with provisions for the return journey home.”
I wasn’t the Queen of Medeisia, but Feras was the acting king, and he’d promised Brahn the support.
Behind me, SeeVan gave the last call to board.
Brahn stepped away from me. “Until we meet again, Queen of the Forest.”
Somehow, my feet found the deck, my gaze on the shore, on the king I saw disappearing into the crowd. He’d been through a lot over the last four years, but I was learning that sometimes it took having everything taken away for a person to realize what they had.
On the deck, Daegan stood with an already putrid-looking Maeve, and a silent wolf. I walked toward them.
“I’m so sorry,” Maeve exclaimed when she saw me. “I was too weak to go ashore.”
I brushed my fingers across her forehead, the hand with the ring fisted against my stomach. “Oh, Maeve,” I soothed. “It doesn’t take being at every battle to prove you’ve got what it takes to win the war.”
Daegan winked at me. “I keep telling her that.”
I smiled. “When we arrive in Sadeemia, we’ll arrange travel with the dragons back to Medeisa.”
“Thank the gods,” Maeve mumbled.
Oran stared up at me, and I knew he didn’t approve as much as she did. My brows rose, and he snorted. “You’re not the one who runs the risk of falling off,” the wolf complained.
Above us, a falcon called, and I shaded my eyes.
“Good-bye, little one!” the New Hope forest called.
I didn’t care how crazy I appeared, I lifted my hand and waved.
“How’s Catriona?” I asked, glancing at the group next to me.
Daegan grimaced. “She’s returned to Henderonia. Her father insisted his heir be born where he could guard her. We docked there long enough for her to depart among a guarded escort. It seems women associated with Cadeyrn don’t have a long life expectancy.”
I kept thinking my heart couldn’t break any more than it already had only to prove myself wrong.
Nodding at my friends, I walked to the edge of the deck, the fist against my stomach opening to reveal the ring Brahn had left in my palm. Along the metal band, there was a line of words in a language I didn’t know.
I squinted at it.
“It says new beginnings,” a voice said from beside me.
Glancing over, I found Prince Cadeyrn on the deck beside me, a few feet separating us. His hands gripped the rail, and I knew by his white knuckles that he was damaging the wood.
“New beginnings,” I repeated. Without giving it too much thought, I slid the ring onto my pointer finger. “New beginnings.”
Chapter 29
The journey to Sadeemia was no shorter than our journey to the Isle of Marr. Three weeks passed on ship, most of them quiet. More rain fell on the return trip, but none of the showers turned into the dangerous gales known for sinking ships.
In truth, the sea voyage was a sad one, a heavy cloud hanging over the sailors aboard. Most of the men were Sadeemian natives loyal to their Captain. The things uncovered in New Hope had colored how they felt about their country and about their rulers. Only one thing remained true: their prince was a victim of circumstance.
Cadeyrn spent most of the voyage on deck toiling with his men, the physical labor working the demons out of his system better than anything else ever could. He was not an idle man. It was one of the things I loved most about him.
My nights with SeeVan, Lochlen, and Oran resumed, lantern light spilling over us as SeeVan regaled us with wild stories, his fingers working a sail. He’d begun teaching me how to mend the material, and I often joined him in the stitching.
Occasionally, Lochlen told us a tale, revealing things about the dragons I’d never known before. While Medeisia boasted a large portion of the draconic race, it was Guarda who was home to the most reclusive, powerful, and dangerous of dragons. I hung on every word, my eyes wide as he spoke. It never seemed t
o matter how much I went through, how much pain I endured, I never lost the excitement of a good story.
Daegan re-joined the crew, spending almost as much time on deck as Prince Cadeyrn, although he’d also begun visiting Maeve. As much as I loved the rebels, our path had begun to split after our uprising against Raemon. Our friendship wasn’t weaker. It would always be strong and dependable. We’d just entered into a new, exciting chapter, a chapter full of endless possibilities where we could practice magic, explore books, and try new things. I saw more sea voyages in Daegan’s future and a family in Maeve’s.
Reenah surprised me the most. Her path in life seemed closely ensnarled with mine. I’d begun spending most of my days with the consort and discovered—to my delight—that she had a keen interest in scribery. We spent hours poring over documents and books, our teasing banter enough to keep my heart light despite the loneliness that seemed forever ingrained in my soul. It was an odd sort of loneliness. Not so much a need to have Prince Cadeyrn in my life, but more a need to see him happy.
So many of our paths had become entwined. Despite the pain of our journey, when I looked up and saw Daegan swinging in the rigging, Maeve attempting to smile despite her weak stomach, Oran bickering with Lochlen, SeeVan stitching the sails, Reenah bringing me a new book, and Cadeyrn standing on deck bare chested, his sword flashing, I couldn’t make myself regret any of it.
Chapter 30
It was the last week on ship when the nausea set in. I spent almost as much time sneaking away to cast up my accounts into the sea as I did with my friends. Only Reenah, Lochlen, and Oran knew of my condition, and I’d come to depend on them in the final days on the Beatrice, my body weak but my mind strong.
“He’ll be a bold one,” Reenah told me one evening.
I laughed. “What makes you say that?”
She shrugged. “To cause such powerful sickness, he has to be bold.”
I’d taken her words to heart, my hand cradling my stomach as I walked the deck at night, Oran guarding me. The nausea was worse in the evenings. I’d had to cut my time with SeeVan short, my miserable form shivering against the shadows of the deck railing.