Breath of Dragons (A Pandoran Novel)

by Barbara Kloss

  I grinned up at him. "You have been keeping both eyes on me, haven't you?"

  He didn't smile, but his eyes lit up as he twirled me slowly. "That is my job." He pulled me close again, though I had the distinct impression his watching me so closely was more than his just being my Aegis. "Being a leader is mostly about perception, your grace. You look the part. You act the part. If you believe who you are, so will they."

  "So who do you believe you are, Aegis Del Conte?" I looked him straight in the eyes. "Because you never present yourself merely as an Aegis, and no one ever treats you like one."

  His jaw worked and his expression was suddenly shielded. "I'm not sure what you mean."

  I wasn't so sure what I'd meant either, but there was always something about Alex. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Something that nagged at me like a ticking clock.

  The song suddenly ended. Alex brought my hand to his mouth, and his lips brushed the back of my hand, soft and gentle. I felt his kiss all the way to my feet.

  "Wait, I really do need talk to you about something," I whispered. "About my conversation with Mercedes."

  Alex gripped my hand tightly, as though he were trying to push the words back inside of me. He glanced around to make sure no one had overheard as the servants began ushering us all to dinner.

  "Can we talk later? In private?" I whispered. "It's about the portal."

  Alex looked surprised, then wary, but nodded fractionally. He offered me his arm, which I took, and he escorted me to the table, careful to leave ample space between us. Mercedes sat at one corner of the long table and I was directed to the very center, with Alex and Vera sitting on either side of me. Alex's new groupies had taken residence near one end where they could have a full view of him. And, oh, were they already feasting their eyes.

  I thought someone should give them bibs to keep the drool off their gowns.

  Mercedes made formal introductions, though interestingly enough, I didn't remember anyone's names but Sal and the girls ogling Alex from afar. Apparently, they were all cousins, related to a large man with a bulbous nose seated a few places down from me. People remarked on the dragon, and I responded much as I had to Catia, but for the most part, conversation continued in Saqai.

  I did, however, manage to gather that most of these people were landowners, ranging from small parcels to entire mountain ranges—like the man Alex had pointed out earlier—and all of them had stock in Gesh's welfare. One woman, with chin-length white hair and severe features, was in a heated discussion with the large man with bulbous features over her serfs. According to Vera, it seemed that he had been buying them off, and now much of the woman's crop was spoiling because she didn't have the staffing left to harvest it.

  "I am sorry to hear about your father, your highness," said a gentleman with a tall forehead, narrow face, and cropped white hair. He looked a lot like an older version of Sting. "I met him once," he continued, turning his body so that he faced me, "long ago. He had very friendly eyes. You can tell much about a person by their eyes, and I see that you have the same kindliness in yours, though they may not be the same shade."

  The chatter quieted a bit, all but the argument over serfs at the opposite end of the table.

  "Thank you," I said quietly. "He was a wonderful father. What is your name?"

  "Ah, forgive me, your highness. I am Ven Orelius, High Priest of Mosaque. I am here on behalf of the venita."

  A venita. "You are one of the ones who monitors the portal here," I said, my interest piqued.

  He nodded slowly, taking a sip of wine. "I am, your highness. Our temple—the Temple of Draconi—is in the city center. Perhaps, if your grace has the time, you might stop by for a visit. I am sure the other venita would love the opportunity to speak with the last of the Pandors."

  I nodded, feeling the weight of Alex's gaze. "Absolutely. I would like that very much." Maybe this man would help me. Maybe I could convince him to let me through.

  Right after I convinced Alex.

  "Yes, Prince Alaric was a goot man," said a woman with a much thicker accent, who had shaved only the right side of her head. A curtain of black hair fell down the other side. "Eet is a shame thet 'e is gone. We are 'onored thet you woot come to Gesh."

  By the sudden glares bestowed upon me from the three groupies, I didn't think everyone shared her opinion. However, I smiled at the woman and told her that I was honored to be here. Sal caught my eye a few times through dinner, his gaze lingering long after I'd turned mine away. I didn't like how he could undress a person with his eyes.

  Servants brought out a main dish of some kind of large, roasted bird with fingerling potatoes and leeks and some other unidentifiable orange vegetable. I followed Alex's lead with table etiquette. He caught me watching him and then slowed to make his movements more deliberate. I grinned at him and he winked back at me.

  On occasion, I would catch Hawk looking at Vera, but she didn't once look in his direction. Vera remained mostly quiet, though sometimes she replied to a question asked by the large, mountain-range-owning gentlemen to her left. It surprised me that when the same gentleman said something to Alex in Saqai, Alex responded fluently. And I had to admit: the language sounded very nice on his tongue.

  I would have to ask Alex about that, too. After dinner.

  During the meal, fireworks exploded in the sky in celebration of the summer solstice. They were similar to the ones at the castle during the games, depicting scenes of warriors hunting and horses cantering and dragons in flight. And then there were scenes of fighting, magical blasts and armies fallen and all the firework-made banners of the seven territories erupted in fire. I could only assume this was to signify the one hundred years of Darkness, which I'd read about in the castle library. It had been a very long civil war between the territories and had ended only about twenty years ago—with the Dark Reign of my uncle, Lord Eris.

  To signify this Dark Reign, there were images of monsters—like barghests and shadowguard and gargons—attacking the people, and then a great glittering man appeared, signifying Eris. How strange that a man could be so famous as to have fireworks made in his image, when all he'd done was evil.

  In this history of light, a new firework pierced Eris through the heart and the sparkling masterpiece exploded, colorful and magical, dissipating into a rain of glitter upon our terrace below. People "oohed" and "aahed," and after the scene dissolved in the night sky, the terrace erupted in boisterous cheers and applause.

  I couldn't remember the last time I'd had such a fine meal, and I ate my fill—even of the unidentifiable vegetable. By the time the tiered cake of exotic fruit and custard was presented to the table, I was too stuffed to eat another bite. I hadn't broached any difficult topics yet, but I'd waited on purpose. It's very difficult to influence an audience one doesn't understand, and I'd had a good deal of time to watch them.

  Mountain-range Man beside Vera suddenly decided to engage me in conversation. "I've heard so much about you, your highness." He took a sip of wine and dabbed his napkin on his mustache.

  I wasn't sure where this was going, but by his tone, I had a small feeling I wasn't going to like it. "Have you?"

  In my periphery, I saw Alex watching this man.

  "Yes." The man put his napkin back on his lap. "And I've often wondered how the daughter of a Pandor and a Regius could exhibit absolutely no inherent magical potential whatsoever." He shook his head. "Really, it is quite extraordinary—especially for a princess of Gaia, waker of dragons or no."

  Alex frowned, but I smiled before I could make a different and much more insulting facial expression. I had to be careful with my answer. I would need to win this man's favor, too, even if I didn't like him. Especially if he owned most of Gesh. "You have heard quite a bit, then," I said. "Unfortunately, I am not quite so well informed as to who you are."

  His smile was ostensible. "Sir Randik, your highness. I am, what you might call, Gesh's patron."

  Ah. I'd read about Sir Randik, a
nd it seemed all that patronage had gone to his head. Of course, I kept this to myself. "Your English is incredible; you have no accent at all," I said.

  "Thank you." Sir Randik sat up straight and tugged at his mustache. "I studied English in Valdon a long, long time ago—well before you were even a thought, I'm sure. I like to pride myself in my ability to assimilate into other cultures."

  "It is a pride well deserved." I tilted my glass toward him then took a sip of the heady wine. Alex kicked my foot beneath the table, and I kicked him back.

  "It is a pity you've refused Lord Danton's offer of marriage," Sir Randik said.

  I held my goblet against my lips, frozen. How did Sir Randik know? And why was he bringing it up right then?

  "It would have been a great benefit to your name and all of Valdon, had you accepted," Sir Randik continued. "A necessary benefit, I might add. Lord Danton is quite beloved amongst the gentry, and for a princess who only recently entered this realm, your presence has been astoundingly calamitous for the entire Regius line. Pretending to be the prince and entering the games? Duping an entire kingdom so that you might inherit a territory of your own?"

  A few people around us had begun listening in. Oh, there were so many things I wanted to say back to this man, but I didn't dare. My tongue was trapped behind bars of necessity. What he'd said was true. I had done those things. Just not for the reasons he was implying.

  "It is a marriage you do not deserve," Sir Randik continued, "for that marriage would have forgiven your ignominious reputation. Not to mention, such an alliance would significantly strengthen Valdon's fortifications. Perhaps no one has given you this piece of advice. I realize it's hard to see the world from behind castle walls, but the entire kingdom—myself included—can't imagine what could have possibly propelled you to refuse such an offer, and why in Gaia's name Prince Stefan would have allowed your refusal. If King Darius hadn't locked himself away, I imagine you'd be in Orindor as we speak. Still, one can't help but wonder if you've had a…better offer? Though I can't imagine whom; I happen to be well acquainted with all eligible lords."

  It was in that moment that I finally realized the depth of Mercedes' warning. How deeply rooted the traditions of marriage and titles of the regency were. My heart belonged to the man sitting beside me, but this kingdom could never and would never accept it. Not from a princess they didn't respect, and certainly not when we were on the brink of war. I would marry a throne, not a man.

  "I have not received a better offer," I continued. "I happen to believe I am too young to consider something as conclusive as marriage."

  "Too young?" Sir Randik gasped. "Forgive me, your highness, but it is your birthright as a regent to secure the safety of your people, and as princess, well, it is your duty to marry a lord that will make that possible."

  "I understand my duties, Sir Randik," I said, "and you must also forgive me. Where I come from, women don't have to rely on a marriage to accomplish things."

  Sir Randik slapped his leg. "What a peculiar place you are from, your highness. I thought it was every woman's dream to marry young and start a family. What else is a young woman good for but to carry the lineage forward? It is quite obvious you are all ill-equipped to handle matters of state. As a princess, you'll marry when the kingdom needs you to. That is your purpose, your highness."

  I had the sudden urge to punch him in the face, but (sadly) I resisted. Instead, I said, "How…enlightening."

  A good half of the table was listening now. Alex was stone-faced and rigid, and Vera looked as though she might stab Sir Randik with her dinner fork.

  Maybe I'd get lucky and she would.

  "I wonder, Sir Randik," I continued, "if you've communicated such thoughts to Mercedes."

  "Of course not." Sir Randik touched his mustache. "Mercedes has more than earned her right to govern Gesh, and therefore must be excluded from my former presumptions. I wonder…" He looked straight at me. "My brother-in-law still serves in Valdon with my nephew. Perhaps you know him? I realize Valdon is quite a large region, but my nephew, Denn Faris, attended the Academia. Maybe your Aegises are acquainted with him?"

  Was everyone on this cursed planet related to each other somehow?

  "I believe I may have crossed paths with him once or twice," I said flatly.

  "Is eet true thet an army of shadowguard hef assembled along the northern wall?"

  The question had come from a man who had been listening to us and had not spoken until now. He had a slight frame and a very pronounced chin, eyes like coals, and if Sir Randik had called in the attention of our half of the table, this man's question called in the rest.

  How had this man known?

  Mercedes folded her hands on the table and sat tall, hiding the unease I knew she felt, and Sal Amorentis's gaze was unnerving from farther down the table. Catia, sitting beside him, studied me with a kind of hungry interest, but most of the table looked wary, like at any moment the shadows might jump out and attack them.

  "Princess Daria," Mercedes said evenly, "would you care to inform my guests as to how the situation stands along the northern wall? We hear so many things, but you can imagine how little we actually see being this far south." Her tone was all cordiality but her gaze held the weight of a kingdom.

  The summer breeze slipped lightly over my skin.

  Remember: you are an heir to the throne, a regent of Gaia. And they will believe it only if you do.

  I sat up straighter, chin up with my hands resting calmly in my lap, mimicking the poise and body language I'd so often seen Stefan display while in meetings with his advisors. It surprised me a little how easily it came, and adjusting my poise had a strange and immediate affect on my mind. As if someone had flipped a switch in my head, and a different, and much more collected person stepped forth.

  "It is true," I said, letting my eyes fall upon the faces of each member in my audience. Eye contact would be important. Eye contact would convey strength and control and confidence more than any of my words ever could. "An army of shadowguard stand there now, waiting to attack. I'm afraid that Alioth is completely outnumbered and will not be able to prevent them from breaking through."

  My words were met with silence.

  And then glances were exchanged, whispers heard, and I even felt the spark of surprise from the guards around us.

  However, the whispering was short-lived because the questions slammed into me from every angle at full volume. Why was I here? Why wasn't I helping my brother? Was it true that I'd refused to marry Lord Danton Pontefract? Why would I refuse something like that? Was Lord Eris controlling the shadowguard? And on and on and on. Mostly, they all couldn't understand why I'd refused Danton when Valdon so obviously needed Ordinor's support. I'd wanted to answer their questions, but it was difficult when they all came at once.

  Thankfully, Mercedes stepped in. "Calm down, everyone, please," she interceded, and the table quieted at once. "I am sure that Her Highness will be happy to answer your questions, though she'll be unable to if she cannot hear them. One at a time."

  I looked gratefully at her and she nodded slowly. I noticed that Alex and Vera had leaned back in their seats, probably to make sure everyone's view of me was unobstructed. Though Alex's eyes were like weapons, and he moved them around in silent challenge.

  "Has Lord Eris really returned?" asked an elderly gentleman with thin, white hair that fell just past his shoulders.

  "Yes," I replied. "Though we do not have direct proof that he is behind the wall with the shadowguard, we have good reason to believe that he is responsible for them. It is not the first time he has employed the shadowguard to do his bidding." The thought distantly crossed my mind that I had no idea where I'd learned to talk to people like this. I had picked up a lot in six months.

  "But he is supposed to be dead," said the large man with the bulbous nose.

  "Unfortunately, he is not." I said. "And he is plotting an attack on the castle at Valdon as we speak to finish what he started twenty yea
rs ago."

  There were more murmurs and whispers, and Alex and Vera sat perfectly still, taking in every movement, every sound, and every word like silent predators tracking their prey.

  "Why should we believe this nonsense?" It was Sir Randik. "There is no proof. On what authority do you have that Lord Eris and his shadowguard have returned?"

  I was done dealing with this rude and arrogant man. I reached into my top, eliciting some baffled looks from the guests, pulled the arrowhead from its hiding place between my breasts, and dropped it right on the table with a clank.

  Gasps were heard all around as the people saw the irrefutable weapon of the shadowguard. Those nearest leaned closer to get a better look at the triangle of shiny obsidian. They didn't come too close, however, as if the arrowhead were a viper that might lash out and strike, injecting its deadly venom. Alex's surprise was marked clearly on his face. He hadn't known I'd saved the shadowguard arrowhead that had punctured my skin. "My scar is just beneath this dragon." I touched the tattoo on my shoulder. "The wound almost killed me, and it would have, had not my Aegis taken care of it before I reached your healers."

  Flickers of unease and hesitation lit around the table, but it was Sir Randik who broke the heavy and anxious silence, his cheeks splotchy. "If that is true, your highness, then how can you still refuse Lord Danton? Alioth and Valdon will not survive against Lord Eris without Orindor's help."

  "Then Orindor should help out of loyalty to the crown," I said. "Not because of a marriage."

  Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say. The table erupted in chatter—much of which I didn't understand because it was all in rapid Saqai, but I got the gist of it. They thought I was an idiot.

  Well?

  Conscience, whose side are you on?

  "You hef sealed Valdon's fate, then," someone said.

  "Valdon is perfectly capable of sealing its own fate," Sal offered, his eyes hard as he looked at me. "If they are going to ignore the other territories, they should not expect help to come to their aid on a whim."