King's Dragon: Chronicles of the Dragon-Bound: Book 2

by William Culbertson

  “How strong?” Dax pressed.

  The old man looked sidelong to both sides, then leaned closer to Dax. The ambassador dropped his voice, and Dax received the clear signal their general conversation was over. Now he was being given direct information. “She’ll eat Ruprek alive.” He nodded, settled back into place, and gave Dax a small smile. “She’s remarkable. I wish I was twenty years younger.” He looked up toward the ceiling and sighed. “No, make that forty years younger. She is the kind of strong ruler West Landly has needed ever since that unfortunate problem some years ago.”

  “The boy king?” Dax was certain, but it was proper to ask.

  “Exactly. I was ambassador during all that trouble. I think General Herne should be honored for sacrificing himself to keep Mathilde’s hand puppet off the throne.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Dax murmured, nodding.

  “Someday I would like to know what all went on, and what happened to that poor boy. We heard all kinds of crazy rumors back then.”

  Dax’s chest tightened with worry. He was afraid to say anything for fear it would lead to questions “that poor boy” did not dare answer. Desperately he latched on to a thought. “So, will you be heading back to Tazzelton anytime soon?”

  The man looked at him sharply for a moment before he replied. Dax hoped his turn of topic had not been too obvious. “Yes,” the elder Carmodi said, “probably sometime in the next fortnight. It’s getting to be a long trip for my old bones. I’ll be looking forward to talking and working with you and Ras when you get to the castle. My ear will be to the ground over there, but you have the unenviable job of trying to make the two ends meet.”

  The conversation had tacked back to safe ground, but Dax was still relieved when the ambassador left to talk with General Inik Gelgen, commander of the East Landly Lancers. Dax and Scarlet were not in uniform, as befitted their role as political advisors, but word of their accomplishments had obviously spread. Many guests made casual comments about one campaign of theirs or another.

  And then, there was the dance. An octet of strings played the latest dance music from both Landly kingdoms. The prince himself took charge of arranging groups for the courant and saraband patterns.

  The night wore on, as did the elaborate promenades and processions. Dax could not help thinking back to Iron Moor and how Renshau had insisted his cadets learn all the forms, the formal patterns, of court dancing. The instructor he remembered best was Mois Gremsley. Month after month, she was unfailingly patient with the cadets at her dance lessons. Attendance was required. For cadets training for combat, it seemed a strangely out-of-place ritual, and the cadets could be, well . . . restless—especially the young men. Looking back, Dax marveled at the lady’s forbearance.

  Later in the evening, the lively tunes gave way to more sedate melodies in an older style. Couples began to pair up and dance together. Scarlet took full advantage and had a steady procession of young ladies eager to dance with him. Dax watched from the sidelines near the refreshment table.

  As he mulled the ambassador’s earlier conversation, his thoughts were interrupted by a soft, feminine voice beside him. “Ah, Commander Daxdendraig, we meet again. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

  Dax looked up from the pastry-wrapped cheese-and-mushroom delicacy he had been idly studying. “Ah, Lady Aylssandra. Were you ever successful in finding that copy of Rosimund’s Lament?”

  She smiled and looked pleased. “You remembered. No, unfortunately they do not have many of the classics here in the palace.” Her eyes challenged him, and she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “And how is your study of the Ugori going?”

  Dax smiled in return. His pulse beat in his ears. The dainty morsel on the refreshment table no longer interested him. The beautiful woman had focused on him, and the effect was impossible to ignore. He sighed regretfully. “Unfortunately, now that we have begun preparations for the negotiations”—he shrugged—“I’m afraid I won’t have much time for side issues.”

  “They have given the deputy ambassador quite a daunting assignment. Do you think he is up to it?”

  She was angling for information about preparations for the negotiations—dangerous territory, since both the elder and younger Carmodi had emphasized the confidential nature of their preparations. Technically, since she had asked about the deputy ambassador and not their deliberations, she was not out of bounds, but the competence of the leader of the negotiating team was important information in itself.

  “Your question is a delicate one, my lady.” He nodded in acknowledgment. “But I’m sure we all share the same confidence in the deputy ambassador the king had when he appointed him to the post.” Lady Aylssandra smiled at him—a very winning smile. He felt a stirring of—what? Lust? Or was it dragon anger? He blinked as he struggled to keep his thoughts straight.

  Her expression turned a little sly. She had recognized his evasion. “And a diplomat too. What other talents do you have, Commander?” She smiled at him, eyes sparkling. “Do you dance?”

  “If you will, madam?” Dax held out his hands to her. She stepped close and took his proffered hands. For a moment it felt like she might slither closer within his arms, but she let Dax hold her at a strictly proper distance as they began to dance. Her warm, lithe body was close to his. Dax concentrated carefully to get his footwork right.

  In a moment Aylssandra laughed gaily. “They teach more than swordsmanship at Iron Moor.” She gave his hand a light squeeze. “You dance very well. What other talents are you concealing behind that stern exterior?” Her eyes were wide and shining.

  If he had been uncertain before, now he was sure. She was flirting. “Madam, I will convey your sentiments to my dance instructor next time I see her.” He smiled pleasantly and spun her out away from him at the bridge strain in the music. When she returned to his arms, she laughed and settled in closer.

  The warmth of her body next to his was palpable. “So how did Prince Ruprek do the other night at Double Tuck?” Dax wanted to draw her attention to something other than himself.

  She waved dismissively, then took his hand back somewhat more possessively and squeezed it again. “Who knows? I can’t keep track. He plays almost every night. Sometimes he wins. Sometimes he loses.” She smiled. “And I don’t particularly care.”

  The song ended. Dax was relieved to release her and step back. His heart beat rapidly, and he struggled to maintain his composure. They both applauded politely with the other couples. Aylssandra stood there staring at him, waiting for him to make the next move. Although Dax was confident in the face of the enemy on the battlefield, in this short time she had exhausted his social skills and was draining his willpower.

  “There you are, Dax.” Scarlet stepped in from behind his right side. Dax sighed silently with relief. His friend’s timing was perfect. “And, Lady Aylssandra, how are you this evening?” The younger man gave her a very proper small bow.

  “Major Scarlet. How pleasant to see you again.” Her words were welcoming, but her eyes were not. Her statement was not quite a lie, but it was not the full truth.

  “My lady, I’m glad you managed to get Commander Dax out on the dance floor. He can be unaccountably shy at this kind of function.”

  “The commander is quite a skilled dancer,” she acknowledged.

  Scarlet picked up two small glasses of wine from the refreshment table and offered one to Aylssandra. “Lady Aylssandra, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but have you ever been to Thara?” Scarlet laid the question out just as Dax had hoped.

  “Why, no.” She shook her head. “Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. You just remind me so much of a charming young lady I met several years ago when I visited. I just had to ask.” He arched his eyebrows. “More’s the pity too, if you know what I mean.”

  Aylssandra smiled slyly. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Scarlet. You don’t mind if use that name, do you? I hear everyone else call you that.”

/>   “Mind? Why would I mind? You, fair lady, can call me anything you wish!” Scarlet took a sip of his drink. “Yes, they all call me Scarlet because that’s my name. I’m one of the few to come through Iron Moor with only one name. Old Commandant Renshau thought I should be named up proper like Dax here, but nothing stuck.” He shrugged. “I’ve always been just Scarlet.”

  Dax looked up and saw Prince Ruprek approaching. The prince’s face was dark and his mouth set in a thin, straight line. Ruprek stopped beside Lady Aylssandra and held himself rigid. “There you are, my dear.” The prince’s serene tone belied his irritated mien. “Are these two annoying you?”

  “Oh, not at all, darling. They were just entertaining me while you were off talking business with old Master Stuff and Snuff.”

  “That’s Egger Stultfus, and he’s an important merchant and supporter of the king.” The prince’s tone was petulant. “Come, Aylssandra, we need to dance.”

  Aylssandra gave both Dax and Scarlet a lingering glance before she turned to the prince. “Well, if we must, we must. I know a royal command when I hear one.” She smiled as she took Ruprek’s arm, and they moved off toward the dance floor.

  After the couple had departed, Scarlet turned to Dax. “She’s trouble enough for two. That’s for sure.”

  “And I’m afraid we are the two who will be in trouble.” Dax nodded. “By the way, she was lying when she said she’d never been to Thara.”

  “Interesting.” Scarlet raised his eyebrows. “But not surprising. She’s been to Thara, but could she be from Thara?”

  “I can’t think of a way to ask without making her suspicious.”

  Scarlet snorted. “She’s already plenty suspicious, if you ask me.”

  #

  Dax and Scarlet met almost every day with Deputy Ambassador Carmodi and his aides. They made good progress on treaty issues, but the king kept revising his goals on sovereignty matters. Scarlet was bored to tears by the constant back-and-forth. “Why can’t the old boy make up his mind and stick with it?” he said, exasperated after the sixth revision in as many days.

  Unruffled, Carmodi replied, “The king is carefully and thoughtfully considering each point in regards to the possible consequences for East Landly.” The deputy ambassador had gotten much more casual in his dress after the first few days. Today he wore a rumpled jerkin over a shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

  “Well, the way it looks to me, he’s now right back to the same place he was five days ago,” Scarlet growled, making a dismissive gesture with his hand. “I’m getting tired of going over the same ground we’ve covered before.”

  “Perhaps,” Dax interrupted, “it would be better if the deputy ambassador and I carried on with this meeting alone.” He gestured toward the door. “The rest of you could use a little free time this afternoon.” He smiled at his friend. “Scarlet, I know you are getting rusty since it’s been four days since you’ve been able to get in any work with a blade.”

  The other three jumped at the chance, and soon just Dax and Carmodi remained in the room. The deputy ambassador poured them each a small glass of wine, and they worked their way through the list one more time, highlighting possible problems. At that point, Dax laid down his copy of the document and looked at the deputy ambassador. “So, is this going to work?”

  Carmodi sighed. “Our king is a bit frustrating to work with at times.” He laid down his pen and slumped more into his chair. “You see how it is. The man gets an idea, and he goes charging off over the horizon, only to turn around and charge back in his original position the very next day.”

  “What about Ruprek? Doesn’t he have any thoughts about this?”

  The deputy ambassador smiled a tight little smile. “The prince’s mind is elsewhere these days.”

  “Lady Aylssandra.”

  “Quite so, but he’s also interested in Double Tuck. Not to mention his stable of horses and the racing world in general.”

  “Statecraft is not on his list, I take it.”

  “I’m afraid so,” agreed Carmodi. “He’s a nice enough chap, but he will need very good advisors when he takes the throne.”

  “How do we do this then?”

  Carmodi put his hands behind his head and leaned back a little more. He was now reclining as far as he could on the straight-backed chair with his legs stretched out under the table. “We get as good an agreement as we can on the most important issues. West Landly we can deal with. The hard work will be selling it to King Kankasi. That will be the real test of our diplomatic skills.”

  “Where does Lady Aylssandra fit in this picture?” Dax asked after a moment.

  “That’s not something I even want to think about.” Carmodi sighed and shook his head regretfully. “From everything I see, she is perfectly willing for Prince Ruprek to marry Queen Dara. They both seem to treat their relationship as a casual fling—nothing new for Ruprek—but with her . . .” Carmodi paused. “I haven’t figured her out. Right now she seems to have great influence with the prince.”

  Dax nodded. “Did you know she has been to Thara?”

  Carmodi looked at him archly. “How did you come by that little piece of information?”

  Dax smiled. “If you recall, I’m one of the dragon-bound.”

  “Ah, yes. And you heard her say she had been to Thara?”

  “No,” Dax said flatly. “I heard her say she’d never been to Thara—and it was a lie.”

  “Now that is interesting, isn’t it? Why would she lie about something like that?” Carmodi sat forward and picked up his wine glass from the table. He tried to get one more drop out of it, but failed. “Are you a suspicious man, Dax?”

  “When the stakes are this high, I get wary of any and all factors that do not add up.”

  “She’s a charming lady, that’s for sure.” He looked wistful. “I’ve had several fascinating discussions with her.”

  Dax nodded. “She has also sought out Scarlet and me several times. Scarlet says she has that look about her that says she’s interested in more than conversation.”

  Carmodi shook his head helplessly and sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to keep our eyes and ears open as we go through this. Maybe we’ll get things figured out along the way.” He stood up and ran a careless hand through his hair. “It’s getting late. What about some supper?”

  #

  The next day the kingdom celebrated the Grand Jubilee Anniversary of the king’s accession to the throne. Dax had been vaguely aware of the approaching holiday, but being immersed in work, he had paid little attention. Because of the celebration, there was no meeting with Carmodi that day. Instead, he and Scarlet attended the Grand Parade on the Blue Plaza. For the parade they had been designated as representatives from Iron Moor Academy, and they were in uniform.

  The two sat on chairs near the back of the dais on the right side along with representatives from nearby kingdoms, trade associations, and other organizations. On the left side, the honor side, sat the king’s friends and relatives, members of the great houses, and other supporters. The rest of the crowd gathered in front of the low stage and the podium where a series of dignitaries delivered a string of speeches honoring the service and accomplishments of King Kankasi. The crowd waited patiently. Only when the speeches were done would they get to see the promised parade.

  One of Scarlet’s young lady friends was seated in the row just in front of them, and she kept them informed about each speaker and the group he represented. The last speaker of the day was the king himself. Dax noticed an aide pull a step out from under the podium so the king would be at the same level as the other speakers. After a few introductory words, the king launched into a rambling parable that Dax quickly recognized as “the bucket speech.” Since he already knew the general content of the speech, he watched the behavior of the people in the crowd. There was no sign of Markadamous, but he assumed the kilt-clad man sitting at the left end two rows in front must be a political representative from the Ugori.

  The
applause started when the speech ended, and the guests rose from their seats. The crowd chanted, “Long live the king!” Kankasi smiled and waved in acknowledgment. Finally a brace of trumpeters played a fanfare, and the king stepped down from the podium with a final wave to the crowd. He took a seat along with Queen Layna and Prince Ruprek under the shade of a pavilion in the center of the stage. Dax caught a glimpse of Lady Aylssandra under the shadowy billows of silk shading the royal party.

  Two aides removed the podium, while the honor guard of lancers posted in front of the dais began urging the crowd back to open the way for the parade to pass in front of the king and other honored guests on the dais. The people shuffled back to clear the path and found seats on a large tier of benches that stood on the other side of the parade route. The crowd was large, and scores of people stood strung out to either side and behind the prepared seats.

  Scarlet leaned over to Dax. “The word on the street is that some in the parade will throw coins as well as candy and other condiments.”

  “So they didn’t all come to hear the king’s speech?” Dax paused as if was considering this information carefully before he stated, “That explains the turnout then.” With a snort Scarlet turned back to view the start of the parade.

  The spectacle showcased all things great and small in East Landly. Troop after troop of mounted lancers paraded by, but between, humbly modest floats trundled along, many little more than decorated wagons, all hailing the glory of the king’s reign. Some groups threw small items into the crowds on either side, and it always produced a scramble. Whether or not they threw money, Dax was too far away to see.

  The parade went on and on. Under the royal pavilion, there were empty chairs, and vacancies appeared among the honor seating as well. Scarlet had been chatting with his lady friend and took advantage of some departures near them to move down to sit with her. At one point the gentleman sitting to Dax’s other side leaned over and said, “So many people have already marched past, I’m surprised there’s anyone in the city left to watch.”