Heir of Dragmoore- The Veiled Haven

by Jennifer Ann Schlag

  “You said you had something interesting to tell me.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing.”

  Gavin nods. He has to go along with whatever the king asks for. Not for losing his good position, but because stability must be impressed upon to everyone. The kingdom suffered a lot in the past. Gavin feels somewhat responsible in making sure Dragmoore lives on for thousands of years to come. If his daughter must attend a matchmaking party, then so be it. He knows her well enough to know that she will handle it with a mature and open mind.

  Gavin comes up the path to the house of his brother and daughter. He feels guilt. Shame. Loss. He has vowed to stay away for good, but not seeing his daughter from time to time is worse than if she had been taken the same night as her mother. They grow mostly cabbage and carrots. He looks down at the rows and notices a few heads of cabbage missing. He peeks in the window and sees his brother Ragbar cooking dinner. Beef stew night. Ragbar is not a commoner by birth, neither is Gavin technically, but he accepted the farm as a means to have a purpose and as a favor to his brother. Coming down from the city center and leaving behind his noble house gave him a freedom he longed for.

  Moaning sounds from around the back of the house piques Gavin’s interest. He finds a woman and a man kissing. “Talen?”

  The two quickly break apart with the man adjusting himself. He runs off to his house which is two down from Ragbar’s. Gavin grabs hold of his daughter and drags her by the arm to the front of the house.

  “Leave me alone!”

  “Kissing some boy. What else have you done, child?”

  “I am not a child. I am an adult. The fact that I have to sneak around to kiss a boy at my age is insulting.”

  “It’s against the law to show such affection in the open unless you are engaged or married. And speaking of that. The king has ordered that you are to attend a party to choose a worthy suitor for marriage.”

  “Of course. The king commands it, so it must be done. You want me to be a puppet for the king like you are.”

  “Watch your tongue, young lady.”

  “No wonder the prince always hides in his tower. Even he hates his father.”

  “Not another word or my hand shall find your bare ass.”

  She hisses at him then goes inside.

  Gavin comes inside and greets his brother with a hug.

  Ragbar looks similar to Gavin, except both of his eyes are one color. A lovely shade of green. In the firelight, Talen’s eyes shine like rich emeralds with a faint mix of blue and purple in them. The rest of Talen, her natural beauty and brunette hair, is passed down from her mother.

  “Don’t you think, Uncle, that it is unfair that Gavin Dragniss can visit his family while the other Hunters must forget their own exist?”

  “Talen, get the bowls ready,” Ragbar says.

  “You want me to stop visiting? I can oblige you.”

  “You were gone longer this time,” Ragbar says. He gives the stew a good turn.

  “There are no beasts. Good for us, but bad for the kingdom.”

  “No trophy for the king.”

  “He may take solace in knowing we are safer, but he knows that we need the skins of certain beasts to stay warm in the winter months. It’s more than him having a new trophy. He’s concerned, as I am. He won’t show it. Doubtful it even gets a public announcement.”

  “He should send that coward of a son with you once. At least one of them will become a man.”

  Gavin sits down at the wood dining table. Ragbar turns over the stew a few times then slices some bread. Gavin envies his brother sometimes. He can’t return to that simple farmer life. He has become too valuable to the king. Deeper than that, he doesn’t want to be reminded of when he failed to protect the kingdom and his wife. He was lucky the beast didn’t kill Talen that night. She shouldn’t have come outside, but she followed her mother who chased after her father. Talen watched her mother get torn to shreds. It was the Marksman who saved everyone. He got a clean shot off at the beast before it killed more people.

  Talen comes out of her bedroom wearing a white robe. Her hair is down and combed out smoothly. She collects three wood bowls, pours the stew in, and then places them down on the table.

  “What is with the robe?”

  Ragbar sits down. Hands bread to his brother. Places a piece next to Talen’s bowl.

  Talen takes her seat. “Tell him.”

  “You tell him.”

  “Uncle has forced me to put on the robe when I come in from hanging out with one of the boys.”

  “What is that all about?”

  “To ensure that I am intact.”

  “What is this about, brother?”

  “You just scolded me for kissing someone and you’re questioning him about reacting the same way?”

  “I will not have my niece making a name for herself. She will remain pure until her wedding night.”

  “I am not stupid. I will not give myself like that without being properly married first. Uncle doesn’t believe me.”

  “Forgive me, but I believe the prince’s virginity is more solid than yours.”

  Talen gets up, turns over the bowl, spilling everything onto the table and then walks into her bedroom.

  Gavin goes to clean the mess but Ragbar stops him. “You shouldn’t be saying those things about her.”

  “You aren’t around enough to instill rules and check her behavior. Always out to please your king.”

  Gavin tosses the dirty rag at his brother’s face. “I’m too busy with keeping your ass safe.”

  Gavin opens the front door and stares out at the crops. Ragbar comes up behind him. “Forgive me. Everyone is a little on edge with the prince having that birthday celebration like he does every year. We are working overtime on the harvesting. The crops don’t magically grow overnight. I know that Talen is still pure. I will tell her she can stop wearing the robe.”

  “Do you think… never mind.”

  “What?”

  “Do you think they’ll ever return?”

  “Who?”

  “Dragons.”

  “Don’t speak about them.”

  “What about the Masters then?”

  “Even worse. Every time they get involved, the earth shifts a little more into darkness.” He pats the side of Gavin’s head, then goes inside.

  Every night one of the Hunters walks the entire perimeter of the city. Of course they can ride their stallion but they like the endurance of walking or running. It’s considered extended training to do this alone. To better prepare themselves for ambushes. It’s Bessy’s turn to patrol. She lives for it. She prefers the nighttime because there is less of the noblemen out and about staring her up and down. She is the one female Hunter that has a beefy body yet makes it look feminine and attractive. Her mother was a bit stocky but her father was built like a string bean. She ended up somewhere in between. Her dark hair and bright turquoise eyes have ensnared a man or two. Her decision to never marry didn’t come lightly. The one man she was attracted to and wanted to marry just lost his wife. His two children begged him to not re-marry. He had to do right by them. That meant granting any desire of theirs. She is an exceptional Hunter. Her fellow Hunters are jealous of her. It’s not because she’s the best with a weapon though.

  Bushes part. A low snarl whispers into the space between. They snap back together. But they did not go unnoticed.

  Bessy gets into a crouched position. Readies an arrow. What makes her exceptional is that she has a strange skill that no other Hunter has ever possessed. She presses her hand into the ground. She feels a tremble under her hand. “Not too big but still going to be hard.”

  She crawls along the ground, feeling the vibrations along the way. Then the vibrations stop. She goes back into a crouched positon. Being born with the skill to track by vibration when those vibrations are miles away, made her initiation into the Hunters easy. Every Hunter brings a certain skill with them that benefits the group. Gavin for instance has a knack for alw
ays steering his group in the right direction without the use of a map. Another Hunter can memorize animal noises and mimic them perfectly. That comes in handy when sneaking up on a target.

  The snapping of branches to the left makes her point her arrow in that direction. “I’ve got you.”

  As she pulls back on the string, she is pushed over and the arrow falls from its place. A burly man with a curly red beard stares down at her. “Ha-ha, Bessy got knocked over.”

  “You ass.” She shoves with all her might. It’s like moving a mountain. “Fredlorn, you probably just spooked whatever is stalking me.”

  “Let me have a look.” He walks over to the bushes. Sticks his hand around in them.

  “Don’t be stupid. Get back over here.”

  He pushes back. “You’re acting like such a girl.”

  “I am a girl, moron.”

  The bushes part, and before she can alert him, he is snatched up and pulled into the Wilderness.

  “Fredlorn!”

  Snapping of teeth. Fredlorn shouting pain sounds and profanities. Doesn’t sound good.

  “Damnit. Fredlorn, where are you?” Bessy parts the bushes.

  Riding up is a man dressed in a black hooded cloak with a black bow. His dark hair flops out the sides of the hood. It crosses over his dark eyes. A bit of moonlight shines down to show off the light blue that hides underneath.

  Bessy steps back from the bushes. Her face glows with the arrival of the Marksman. “In there.”

  He dives off the horse and straight into the Wilderness. His nimble, graceful moves quickens Bessy’s heart.

  Gavin runs over. “Tomlin heard the screams and we came running. I knew they’d return. The others are circling around to the back in case it is an ambush.” He snaps his fingers in front of her face. “Stop daydreaming about Desmond and pay attention.”

  “The Marksman, he went in after Fredlorn.”

  “Those creatures are mine.” He tramps over the bushes and yells out as he joins the sounds of teeth snapping, Fredlorn’s yelling, and the battle cry of the Marksman.

  “Great. Now I’m going to be seen as just a woman.” She pushes her way through the bushes, almost falling over something as she sees what is attacking.

  With its five mouths around Fredlorn, it still hasn’t pierced his skin. The giant head holding the five mouths is bald and golden-white. Its four arms have long, black, crooked talons. Its four hind legs stomp on the ground like a mad bull. A large white sac hangs under the mouths with a milky substance swooshing around.

  “A cauldysac, after all this time,” Gavin says.

  “Are you angry that it isn’t a jaka-shoom?”

  “I would love to kill them all.

  Bessy readies her arrow when she doesn’t see anyone else attacking. “I can easily take this one out. Let me do it, Gavin.”

  “No!” The Marksman interrupts her arrow with one of his own.

  “It’s killing Fredlorn.”

  “Bessy, if the Marksman says to leave it be, we have to listen.”

  “No, we don’t. He’s going to endanger the entire kingdom. We protect the kingdom, Gavin.” She readies the arrow again.

  The Marksman grabs her arrow and snaps it in two. “Go home, Bessy. Gavin and I will handle this.”

  His voice is like liquid fire. It burns through her body. She hasn’t felt these parts of her enflamed in a long time. But it’s for nothing. The Marksman has a love and it’s not her. It’ll never be her. It’s the same with Gavin. She’s had her fantasies about him but he never pays attention to her in that way.

  “You don’t treat the other Hunter women like this. Bastard.” She leaves the Wilderness.

  She can’t win an argument with the Marksman. He doesn’t take being wrong gracefully. He must always be right. She kicks at the flattened bushes. “I bet you’d never talk that way to the love of your life. Don’t think I don’t know who she is.” She glances over at the farmland.

  Talen wakes up thinking she hears a ruckus outside her house. She steps outside. Animal noises, men yelling. Fear and curiosity consume her. It takes her back to when her mother was killed. Before she can let that terrible memory fill her mind, she creeps along the line of the Wilderness until she sees a glimpse of the cauldysac. It towers over the men. She is entranced. Not making a single gesture towards attacking it, she steps in.

  Gavin sees her right away. “Talen! Go home.” He takes a step to stop her but the Marksman stops him. “Don’t. That’s my daughter. I won’t lose her.”

  The beast turns around to face Talen. She presents a calm stance and it responds by not making a move towards her. She pushes all the fear she has away. “You don’t want to hurt this man.”

  The milky substance inside the sac rises into its five mouths. It starts foaming at its mouths, covering Fredlorn.

  “It’s injecting him with its poison,” Gavin says.

  “It’s not going to kill him. It just makes you very sick,” the Marksman says.

  “Talen, that’s a cauldysac. It isn’t some rabbit,” Gavin says.

  “What are you doing back here after being gone for so long?” Talen asks the beast.

  It lulls its head. Looks ready to drop Fredlorn.

  “I know that you are afraid. I can make them go away.”

  “Stop her,” Gavin pleads with the Marksman.

  Fredlorn is limp across its five mouths. It drops him to the ground with a loud thump. Fredlorn comes to and crawls away towards Gavin.

  Talen reaches out to touch the beast. It lowers its head. She touches the top most part. “They pushed you back here? Why would they do that?”

  “What is she doing?” Fredlorn asks.

  “She’s talking to it,” Gavin says.

  “It seems her gift is expanding,” the Marksman says. His eyes are bright with excitement. He can’t take his eyes off Talen. Sensing their fear, he breaks from looking at Talen and looks at Gavin and Fredlorn instead. “Fellas, not a word about this.”

  “You should go. If that man dies, the king will order you to be killed. You aren’t one of the sacred beasts.” It rears its head all the way back, lets out a roar that sounds like the sheer force of a waterfall beating down on raging rapids. “They have named you sacred? Well, that does change things.” She turns to the men. “He is now a sacred beast. The Masters are sending us an updated scroll with all the new additions.”

  “Talen, there can only be seven sacred beasts. One for each of the cities. It is lying to you,” Gavin says.

  The beast roars at Gavin. Its five mouths dripping with salvia. Its rows of teeth glistening in the moonlight.

  “If the Masters say he is sacred, then you cannot argue with them. Perhaps there are more cities we don’t know about.”

  “There are only seven cities that matter. I taught you them. Now, come to me. Nothing needs to be done about this.”

  Talen looks incredulously at her father. “Father? I told you I can live with you being a Hunter and not coming around often, but I warned you about lying to me.”

  “I think we should report this to the king,” the Marksman says.

  “He says he is sorry for the attack. He was hungry. He says that the woman had food on her. Was Bessy eating meat?”

  “She carries some dried meat when she is patrolling,” Gavin says.

  The Marksman walks Fredlorn out. Gavin waits for his daughter.

  “I have to go. Go deeper into the Wilderness, until we receive the scroll saying you are protected.”

  The beast runs off.

  Talen comes over to her father. “What? You’re supposed to be protecting the beasts within the Wilderness and you were ready to kill him.”

  “How did you talk to the beast?”

  “You know I can talk to animals.”

  “But not any from the Wilderness.”

  “The woodland animals aren’t from the Wilderness?”

  “You know they aren’t. Quit with your games. How can you speak to the animals in t
he Wilderness? Only the Masters can do that.”

  “Maybe the Masters aren’t as talented as you think.”

  “Talen, stop pretending to be ignorant.”

  “Go back to your hut, Father. You have failed again.” Her voice gruff and poignant. She doesn’t blame her father for not saving her mother. She blames him for abandoning her when she needed him. Everyone finds their own way to relieve the sorrow, but she had no friends. No other family except her uncle, who at the time was dealing with his breakup from his girlfriend. She had to suffer the loss on her own. Bear the tears proudly while her father drowned his sorrow in work. And for all that, she still loves him. It’s getting harder to show it though.

  She walks back to her house. She can feel the heaviness of her father’s boots right behind her.

  “I’m sorry, Talen.”

  “I have decided my future, Father.”

  “Oh?”

  “When that stranger came into the city months ago, and he saw me talking to the woodland animals, he taught me how to talk to the creatures in the Wilderness. Whether or not he was one of them in disguise, he said he could feel the energy within me that was calling to the Wilderness.”

  “Why did I not know of this stranger?”

  “He came to see the king and it was kept a secret. Only the king and his advisor knew. And then me. You wouldn’t have noticed. You’re either on a hunt or patrolling.”

  His concern evident, he has to ask the question that can either push his daughter away or bring her closer. “How did he teach you?”

  “I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t tell you. It’s an energy that is released when the person is ready. He said I was ready and that the headaches I was suffering from was actually me not releasing that energy.”

  “Who have you told about this?”

  “No one. Can I trust Fredlorn to not spread the gossip about me talking to a Wilderness animal? As far as I know, only a few of you are aware of me talking to woodland animals.”

  “He will be discreet. I will talk with him.”