Sorcery (Dragons & Magic Book 3)

by Dave Higgins

  Just when Edmond thought it couldn’t get any stranger, Grew lowered himself onto his head and raised his arms. His legs whipped through the air as he whirled. Those people who were still breathing stopped as Grew slowed until he was barely spinning at all.

  For a moment, he balanced motionless. The instant before he fell, he pushed off from the ground with his hands. Flipping into the air, he landed on his feet with his arms folded.

  Applause echoed off the walls of the courtyard, with Edmond leading it. He hadn’t known anyone could dance like that. They’d theorised things like the head spin; but it had been purely theoretical.

  “Did it work?” Daffodil emerged from the feast hall.

  Grew pointed. A line of crisp footprints rose from the ground, leading out of the front gate; a trail they could follow even on horseback. “It’ll continue as long as my mana holds out. Until dusk, maybe beyond. If we hurry, we can track the kidnappers and free your daughter by sundown.”

  “She’s nearby?” Daffodil asked.

  Grew shrugged. “I don’t know. But how far could she be?”

  Edmond’s legs protested when he got back into the saddle, but not as much as they’d cried out at the end of yesterday; or as much as he suspected they would by evening.

  By the time the light finally faded, they’d left Green Moss and made it halfway across West Nontems. Eyes aching, they each admitted they couldn’t see the raised footprints any more. Halting at an inn in a small town, they stumbled inside and took the best rooms the innkeeper could manage; which turned out to not be much better than sleeping in the barn with the horses.

  Edmond prodded the straw-filled mattress with his finger before sitting. According to the innkeeper, he and Daffodil had the Honeymoon Suite. Grew, meanwhile, got the Royal Suite, which for some reason was a single. Edmond was too tired to complain, though. He collapsed back and watched Daffodil take off her armour.

  “What?” Daffodil set her chest plate aside.

  “Just trying to remember the last time we went to bed at the same time—or even in the same bed.”

  She sighed and went back to removing her armour.

  “Stephanie mentioned something this morning. Are you unhappy?”

  Daffodil stopped fumbling with a buckle and looked at him. “Our daughter’s been kidnapped and you’re asking if I’m happy?”

  “Not now. Lately. It seems like years since we last laughed together.”

  “We grew apart.”

  He pondered for a moment. “Is it us that’s changed or our circumstances? I remember questing with you, laughing as we cut the heads off drakes. We even laughed while that bog troll was throwing muck at us.”

  “We’re not children any more. We have our own child, and responsibilities. I have a whole kingdom of children to mind.”

  “She’s eighteen. Present circumstances notwithstanding, she’s an adult and doesn’t need us.”

  “And the kingdom?”

  Edmond spread his hands. “The kingdom has always been yours, not mine.”

  She unlaced her armour and sat beside him. “Just how many books would you have without the kingdom’s coffers to pay for them? How many conferences would you attend?” She leant in and kissed him on the cheek, then moved to her own side and lay down with her back to him.

  He stayed up for a long while, thinking about her words. Was she sacrificing everything for him? Was she burying herself in the running of the kingdom just to buy him books? They’d had books before. Not the rare ones he had now, though; he hadn’t even considered where they’d come from.

  He rolled to face her back, two loves warring within him: the one for his wife, long waning; and the one for his studies, as fresh as ever. Could he give up one to preserve the other? Was it even possible to have both any more? Closing his eyes, he did his best to clear his thoughts enough to sleep.

  Next morning, they ate breakfast and watched Grew dance without mentioning their conversation. Cold bread gulped down, they remounted. Grew took the lead, following the footsteps westward with his charging horse. Edmond and Daffodil fell behind, but their horses moved too quickly for them to talk.

  Edmond’s heart sank as he realised they were heading toward the sea. If the kidnappers had taken Peony on a ship, their motive couldn’t be ransom; or political pressure. If they weren’t after money or power, he didn’t know what they wanted. Peony was a princess, but not special in any other way. Her Wisdom was high, but plenty of people had high Wisdom.

  Unbidden, he remembered the villagers of High Nocking sending adventurers to the dragon. Edmond gripped his reins harder. Was there some monster that required royal sacrifice? Something that only ate noble virgins?

  He regretted every time he’d chased peasant boys away from the castle. Perhaps he should have invited them in. That boy who took Peony to hunt wights, Alf, had come calling years before with his parents in tow. He’d spent the entire visit staring at the floor while his parents complained about the danger Peony put him in. In the end, though, they’d mentioned compensation and Edmond had realised what it had been about—not worry for their child, but opportunism.

  Alf hadn’t seemed happy with the situation either. He’d hung back to apologise for his parents’ behaviour. And Edmond thanked him for saving Peony’s life. Edmond wondered what kind of man that boy grew up to be. He made a mental note to find out when they got back.

  As the sun approached midday, they reached the harbour town of Staglight. Edmond didn’t mention his fears as they rode into town, afraid it would send Daffodil into another fit of rage. Instead, they followed the footprints in the cobbles until they reached the harbour wall.

  They dismounted in a line and stared at the choppy water that separated them from Peony. Edmond’s mind went through his maps at home, trying to work out where a ship could have sailed. Could it have looped around to return to Clua Thines somewhere else? Maybe the kidnappers had known they’d have Grew’s help?

  “It’s hopeless.” Daffodil glared at the waves. “She’s gone forever.”

  Chapter 11

  Fishing

  After an hour of walking—or in Peony’s case, stumbling—through the woods, they emerged overlooking the sea. Ahead of them, a large village ran along either side of an inlet. At the far end, a pier jutted out to sea, several ships moored along it.

  She paused. She hadn’t expected the village to be as large as that. There had to be three dozen houses, along with a larger building she assumed was the local pub.

  “We should hurry,” Rauger said. The sun, heedless of their need for speed, brushed the horizon as he loped onward.

  She scurried after him, legs unhappy not to have a rest after slogging through the undergrowth. Moments later the pain in her side returned, followed by an ache in her lungs.

  Rauger seemed oblivious to her difficulty, speeding up as he reached the road.

  “Can you slow down a little?” she called. “It can’t be that urgent.”

  He halted and stared back at her with barely masked impatience. As she caught up, he turned to stride off again. “Once they start drinking, there’ll be no persuading them to leave.”

  “Wait. I need to talk to you before we enter the village.”

  He frowned at her over his shoulder. “I told you, we don’t have much time.”

  “This is necessary. I feel like you hate me and I don’t know why.”

  “It’s not important. Let’s just get you home.”

  “Is it me? Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, it’s not you. I… It’s difficult to explain.”

  “It’s something to do with my being… a princess.” She negotiated with her legs for a moment of jogging. “I’ve worked out that much.”

  “Perhaps it’s not you. Maybe I’m just difficult to be around.”

  She shook her head. “Your Charisma is five. That’s high enough that you shouldn’t be this annoying. Not unless it’s on purpose.”

  He seemed confused. “How do you
know that?”

  “I looked at your stats.” She frowned when he seemed even more bewildered. “You know, you unfocus your eyes on someone’s back and you see their points; or their front to see their health and mana.”

  “Really? I’ve never even heard of that. Turn around.”

  She blushed, before facing away from him. “Can you see it?”

  He didn’t reply. When she turned back, he was a dozen paces away, striding toward the village. She wasn’t fooled, though; he was avoiding the conversation. Sooner or later, she’d either find out what the problem was or figure it out herself. Paired Charisma and Wisdom were at least good for that.

  By the time she caught up with him, he’d reached the shore and was deep in conversation with a swarthy, bearded man. Rauger waved at Peony as she walked up.

  “Not at night,” the man said. “Come morn, I’d be glad to take ye.”

  “Morning will be too late,” Peony said. “Captain, there are people after us. We need to leave right away.”

  Rauger widened his eyes. But it was too late; the damage was done. The captain turned without another word and headed into the pub.

  “Keep your mouth shut.” Rauger stomped toward the pier. At the end of it, a few men unloaded nets from a small ship. He sauntered over as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  As they got closer, the men stopped working and watched them approach.

  “Ahoy, the boat.”

  “Ahoy, yourself,” a man called back. He jumped from the deck of the ship to land on the pier in front of them. His sun-bleached hair and smooth skin suggested he was young, but his badly kinked nose suggested he wasn’t callow. “I’m Captain Aubrey Rigley. What can I do for you?”

  “Nice to meet you, Captain,” Rauger said. “We’re in need of a ship to take us to Clua Thines.”

  “That’s several day’s voyage. What do you want with that place?”

  Rauger shot Peony a look, warning her to stay silent. “We’ve had enough of Imperatis. His forces grow stronger every day. We’re hoping a sea between us and him might help.”

  Captain Aubrey’s smile didn’t reach his nose, let alone his eyes. “You wouldn’t be the first; but we’re not in the business of moving refugees. This is a fishing vessel.”

  “We can pay our way.” Rauger rubbed finger and thumb together. “Cover your losses for the days it takes, plus two extra.”

  Captain Aubrey inclined his head. “Let’s see the colour of your purse, then.”

  “You’ll get the money soon after we land,” Rauger said. “But not before.”

  The captain chuckled and turned back to his nets. “I wasn’t brought into this world last week. Without coin, the only destination for me and my crew is a cold pint.”

  “I’m Princess Peony Moldi.” Ignoring the aches in her legs and side, she drew herself up to her full height and tilted her head to catch the light. “Heir to the Kingdom of Green Moss. My parents are King Edmond and Queen Daffodil. We’re rich enough to buy you a fleet of ships, if you take us across.”

  Rauger rolled his eyes, apparently giving up all attempts to keep her quiet. Captain Aubrey, meanwhile, turned back and tugged his lower lip. “A princess, you say? You have any proof of that?”

  With a lurch, she realised she didn’t. She hadn’t had any jewellery on when she’d been taken. She had nothing but her underwear, which she’d no intention of showing them; even if it proved anything other than that she was old enough not to have name-tags sewn in her clothes.

  One of the other men dropped from the deck and whispered in his captain’s ear. Captain Aubrey nodded, then waved his man away. “Fine. We’ll take you.”

  “You will?” Rauger said, shock in his voice.

  “You won’t regret it,” Peony said. “My parents will richly reward you.”

  “We’ll see. Climb aboard. We’ll leave at once.”

  Peony hurried up the gangplank after Captain Aubrey. Rauger trudged after, seeming less enthusiastic about their new passage. She assumed he was jealous he’d been unable to convince the captain without her help.

  Moving adeptly, the crew finished unloading their nets onto the pier, before untying the boat and pushing off. As the boat slipped away from the village, Peony watched the lights from the windows glowing against the growing dark. What would happen when their pursuers reached the village and found them gone? A smile crept across her face as she imagined their disbelief when they had to return empty handed.

  The crew raised the sails, and the ship picked up speed, coasting out of the bay and into the wider sea. Her stomach churned as the gentle rocking of the deck became wilder.

  She focused on the ship to distract herself, but seeing it rock and lurch only made the queasiness worse. Legs refusing to take her in a straight line, she reached the rail just in time to throw up the little her stomach had left.

  Someone came up behind her and lifted her hair, holding it as she retched into the sea. When she had nothing left, she straightened.

  Rauger let her hair go and smiled. “No sea legs?”

  “Ugh.”

  “Don’t worry. After two days, it’ll get better.”

  “You said the crossing only takes two days,” she said.

  Her statement was met with a grin. Trying her best to ignore him, she sat with her back against the rail. Her stomach roiled, but it was too empty to protest any more than making her feel ill.

  Rauger settled beside her. “I’m not sure I like this captain and his crew.”

  “They’re taking us home. Who cares if he’s doing it for the money?”

  “He should do it because it’s the right thing to do.”

  “Not everyone can be as honourable as you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You say you got put in that house for trying to save me; but from everything I’ve seen it was just to argue. You’re the most difficult person I’ve ever met.”

  “Well, we can’t all have your etiquette and manners.”

  She burped. “Enough. Tell me why you hate me so much or the next time I feel queasy, it won’t go in the sea.”

  He turned his head away for a moment. When he looked back, there was some of the previous fury there. “Let me tell you a little story. My mother died when I was born. My father raised me himself. He rented his farm from Sir Clifford Teach. A man of such noble bearing, everyone talked about his honour and manners. If he had honour, I never saw it. Every year he raised the rent, until we barely had enough left to keep from starving. Then one year, the crops failed. My father begged Sir Clifford to let him stay, but good old Sir Clifford said no.

  “So in desperation, my father bought a Scratchum, and to all our surprise he won. He matched three pictures of a castle and won a kingdom. If he’d been a smarter man, he would have kept it to himself, but he wasn’t. He told his neighbours and prepared to leave.

  “Word travelled back to the honourable Sir Clifford, who turned up in the middle of the night and demanded the Scratchum instead of rent. My father refused, so they beat him and took it. Sir Clifford left to become the king of somewhere called Bad Elbow. My father, meanwhile, struggled for three more years before dying of the pox.

  “Since I was now an orphan at nine, I was sent to join the hunters.”

  Peony couldn’t help smiling despite her nausea.

  “And you think my father’s death is hilarious. Of course you’d take the side of a noble.”

  “It’s not that,” she said. “Let me tell you about my father and it’ll make more sense. He was born to two of the dumbest people in the world, who put all his points into Luck. They thought it would mean they could win at Scratchums. And they did. They matched three castles and won the Kingdom of Bad Elbow.

  “However, when they got there, they found out Bad Elbow wasn’t quite the prize they expected. It was filled with dragons, who ate everyone who ever went there. My father barely escaped with his life. So your Sir Clifford was a fancy meal for a dragon.”
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  Rauger stared at her for a moment, then broke into a grin that turned to a throaty laugh. He continued to laugh for a full minute, drawing stares from the crew.

  “You think all nobles are like Sir Clifford?” Peony asked. “Maybe most of them are. I’ve met plenty of regular people who weren’t that great either. A whole town of them tried to sacrifice me to a mind mage.”

  He considered that for a moment before inclining his head. Leaning back, he looked up at the stars.

  She followed suit. There seemed to be more than she’d ever seen, the sky stretching in every direction around the ship. It was as if it had grown around them.

  Rauger jumped to his feet. “We’re going the wrong way.”

  She struggled up to stand beside him, looking at the dark ocean around them. “How can you tell?”

  “Clua Thines is north. But the North Star is behind us. This boat is going south.”

  She stared behind them, unsure which star was the North Star. She knew it was somewhere at the end of a long finger. Which was on one hand of a… bear? “What does that mean?”

  “It means Captain Aubrey isn’t taking you home. My best guess would be he’s taking us to Myrefall. Imperatis has a stronghold there.”

  Rauger led the way toward the prow, where Captain Aubrey leant on the mast.

  “You’re taking us to Myrefall?” Rauger said.

  Captain Aubrey turned to them, his face set like stone. “I hoped you wouldn’t notice until we were closer. We couldn’t take you home. Not if Imperatis is looking for you. He’d find out we helped you and drain our families. Maybe even our entire village.”

  “Imperatis will kill us instead,” Peony said. “You don’t mind having that on your conscience?”

  “It’ll weigh heavily. But not as much as would the deaths of my children.”

  “We could have taken your families with us,” Peony said. “My parents own a kingdom. You don’t think we could have found a place for you all?”