“About time,” the captain of the guards says.
Remy smiles, then catches sight of Talen walking around with Kip.
“A dragon in Dragmoore. It must be a good omen,” a guard says.
“To think, Gavin’s daughter is the keeper of that dragon. That only makes her sexier to me,” another guard says.
Remy goes after the guard who said Talen is sexy. That guard ducks and smacks Remy on the back of the head.
The captain of the guards laughs. “Don’t let a woman break your concentration.”
The guards laugh between each other.
Kip roars at anyone who looks in Talen’s direction. He trots next to her like he is her protector. She sees the prince training and decides to watch him from a distance. Guards bow as the infant dragon approaches.
“Your fists will not likely be your weapon of choice. We will continue to incorporate hand to hand but we must train you with swords.” The captain of the guards grabs a sword from the rack. It also has a nice display of daggers.
Remy is mentally tired. He has never had to learn to fight. He’d rather take the farm work right now. He waves to Talen. How can he kill her when he doesn’t see her as an enemy? No one can know how tangled his emotions are for her. A sword is shoved against him. He grips the handle and holds it as he has seen guards do countless times.
“At least you can grip a sword correctly.”
Remy climbs up onto the fence to better watch some children playing with Kip. Talen looks up and sees Remy. She waves.
The captain of the guards snaps his fingers. “I’ll take that girl out myself if you won’t focus.”
“What?” Remy becomes enraged and charges. His sword rings down hard on the captain’s sword, forcing him to the ground.
“That is impressive.”
Remy lets him up.
“Emotion is going to be your strongest weapon, but also your weakest one.”
Remy drops the sword. His hands shake.
“Take a break, my prince.”
Remy walks over to the fence.
A guard picks up the sword Remy used. “That Talen is a problem.”
“It’s just a lust the prince suffers from. Now, are we going to fight or not?”
“Hello, Talen,” Remy says.
Talen closes the distance between them. “You’ve never handled a sword before, have you?”
“I had to carry one but never had to use it. I don’t like violence.”
“I can see that.”
“Hey, I can defend myself if need be.”
She walks away and Kip follows.
“You dare to turn your back on me? I am the prince.”
The guards stop sparring to watch her reaction. She continues walking with the dragon.
“Talen Dragniss, you come back here right now!”
“If she’d show a bit of affection towards him, we’d have a powerful queen,” the captain of the guards says.
Remy returns to the spot where he was fighting. “I’m ready to continue. Who is next?”
“Why not woo her, my prince?” an older guard asks.
“You will keep your suggestions to yourself.”
“It’s clear that you like her a little.”
Remy takes a sword from a guard and goes after the older man. The blade’s tip is right at his neck. “I said keep your suggestions to yourself. Do I have to repeat myself again?”
“No. Forgive me, my prince.”
“You are forgiven.”
The Marksman watches from nearby. He contemplates giving Remy a talking to, but instead he starts after Talen as she is heading into the city center.
Talen stops by the blacksmith that her father trusts the most. A young man with good looks but his skin is way too tanned from being out in the sun all day. She finds him attractive but not in a way that would prompt a relationship. She can’t believe she is thinking about relationships. She blames Remy, the Marksman, the king, and her father for these thoughts. “Will my dagger be ready before tomorrow? I plan to ask the king to leave then.”
“I’ll have it ready tonight.” He winks at her.
“Good. Let’s go, Kip.”
The Marksman walks alongside her. “The prince is stronger than I thought.”
“I can’t believe he is coming with me. First it was you that the king ordered to come with me, and now the prince. I’m doomed.”
“He will prove to be a distraction for you.”
She makes a face at the Marksman which Kip takes as defensive and immediately attacks the Marksman’s leg.
“Kip, no.”
The Marksman shakes his leg to loosen the dragon’s grip. She is able to pull him off but the Marksman has suffered a bad bite. “Stupid beast.”
“He is not a beast. And not stupid. Can’t say the same for you.”
“He likes you very much.”
“He doesn’t like you.”
“The king has given Remy this opportunity to complete his task of worth. Complain all you want but there’s no getting out of it.”
Talen takes Kip into the Wilderness. He has grown considerably. He comes almost up to her waist. Baby dragons must grow fast if they are to survive. They must learn to kill within the first month of their birth. Talen suspects that Kip is around the second or third month mark, which means he has only a few more months left before he will start to fly. The little she knows about dragons comes from her father’s stories about them.
They come to a clearing where there is a circle of rocks. Inside the circle the grass is stained red. “Blood?”
Kip sniffs at it. Yes. It’s dragon blood. But it’s an elder dragon.
“There is another dragon nearby?” She looks to the sky.
No. No dragon was here. This was put here by humans.
She walks to the edge of the Wilderness where it overlooks the ocean. “How far have we walked? We aren’t supposed to be leaving Dragmoore. I am sure we are near one of the ports.”
No. We are far from Dragmoore though. This blood is a bad sign. We need to go.
“Which means you best be getting back,” the Marksman says.
“You followed us?” She walks up to the Marksman with her fists ready. “If you try to take him from me, I swear I’ll get a few good hits in first. Who sent you? The king? Remy?”
“I sent myself. I am trying to keep you safe. Now get back.”
“What is your part in this? Kip, did he kill your mother?”
Kip trots off.
“Maybe get a rope around that thing.”
“I’d rather put a rope around your neck.”
“You must prepare yourself for whatever the Masters will tell you. If Gavin did kill her, he will lose his head for it.”
“I am aware of what happens when someone kills a sacred beast. If he is guilty, then I must accept his fate. I wish he’d tell me so I can avoid going to the Veiled Haven. I am thinking it might be a bad idea.”
“Speaking of.” He reaches inside his tunic. Pulls out a folded parchment. “This is the most direct route to the Veiled Haven. If you are smart you will stop halfway at this place. I’ve circled it.” He unfolds the parchment and shows her the red circle. “A friend of mine lives there. He owes me a favor.”
“Who is your friend?”
“Deegus.”
“I see.”
“Just mention my name.”
“The Marksman?”
“Desmond. My name is Desmond.”
“Do you have a last name?”
“Yes. But you don’t need to know it.”
“Thank you. I’ve been abrasive with a lot of people lately. Just because you’ve given me this map doesn’t mean that I like you now.”
He smirks. “You’re worried about your father. I don’t mind you being nasty to me.” He looks nervous and restless. “It shouldn’t be Remy. I should be going with you, like previously planned. Let me train you at least.”
She is glad to not see that lust he had previously wh
en he stared into her eyes. There’s genuine concern for her. “No need. And there’s no time.”
Kip glides over to her.
“Having a dragon connect with you can be a burden or a blessing.”
“Who is the woman that you love?”
That knocks him off guard.
“There are rumors around the city that you love a woman so powerfully that it sometimes affects your mind when it comes to serious issues.”
“We are not yet that close for me to divulge such personal things.”
She pats Kip on the head and scratches down his back. “I guess my female curiosity is shining through.”
“You’ve always had that shining through.” He seizes her hand. “I wish I could tell you. How about I tell you when you get back?”
She nods. He doesn’t let go of her hand right away. It takes him a few minutes before he decides he’s held it long enough. She feels a whirlwind of emotions.
Ragbar watches the infant dragon scoff down the grilled chicken with roasted potatoes. He hiccups and a small ball of flames shoots out.
Talen cleans the plates and then gets ready for bed. Kip jumps and curls up next to her. “You’re getting too big for the bed. Might be better for you to sleep on the floor.”
He looks over to the floor. No soft surface. He shakes his head and curls back up next to her.
Talen wakes to thrashing around the room. Guards have cornered Kip. “What are you doing?”
The dragon screeches and snaps.
“Leave him alone.”
A guard throws Talen against her headboard. Kip goes into a rage. His wings come out and create a wind that shakes the walls. A fireball is coming up from his throat. He lifts his head and the flames come out. The roof is burned. He jumps up and climbs out.
“You idiots!” Talen runs outside. “Kip!”
He lands in front of her.
“Did you just fly?”
No. Glided.
The guards come outside. “The dragon comes with us.”
“Over my dead body.”
“That’s the point.”
“No!” She covers the dragon with her body.
The abattoirs’ doors fly open. Cows, chickens, and pigs come stampeding towards the guards. The cows trample a few of the guards. Pigs push guards down and then lay down on top of them. Their weight pins the guards down while the chickens come over and peck at their eyes.
Talen can’t believe that the animals came to her rescue. She holds Kip close to her. “I didn’t even call to them.”
You are getting stronger. I can sense your thoughts before you say them. They can too.
The animals move on from the guards and return to their home. Talen looks over the guards. They are all dead. “What is to become of me, Kip?”
It’s not simply talking to animals anymore. If she does accept the change in her, she won’t have to worry about being proven innocent or proving her father is innocent. She’ll have much bigger issues.
Guards come down from the palace and surround her. Almost as if they knew the few guards sent before wouldn’t make it back.
Talen is brought before the king and this time he is deep in contemplation. “What to do with you, Miss Dragniss.”
“Let me leave now.”
“You killed my guards.”
“I didn’t put a finger on them.”
“It leads me to believe that you are capable of sending a much more terrifying ally to kill anyone who stands in your way.”
She follows his eyes. He is looking directly at Kip. “Kip will defend me without me asking him to. That’s what having a bond means. Something you lack with your son.” As the king is about to snap at her, she continues, “You dare to go back on our agreement and send guards to take the dragon from me. You are not worthy of sitting on that throne.”
“Enough!”
Kip nudges her to be quiet.
“If I disgust you and aggravate you, then let me leave.”
“Oh, I have all intentions of letting you leave. Be ready at dusk.” His voice was as sharp as a knife a second go, and now he is as smooth as a lazy brook.
“Good.” She storms out of the throne room with Kip.
“Sire, you are breaking again,” Jexxer says.
The king wraps his hands around his head. “I can’t take it anymore.”
Talen made her uncle breakfast, said her goodbyes and then had to get out of that house. The afternoon breeze sweeping across the valley is surprisingly warm. The small piece of open, solid land is full of short green grass with bushels of wildflowers scattered around. It is a great place to sit and think, and the smell from the bogs never reaches there. A storm is brewing miles away but the thunderheads tease their assault on her.
The Marksman rides down into the valley. Keeping to the small trail along the valley walls, he makes it over to her. “I guess I better train you now.”
“I don’t want to learn how to kill.”
He gets down off his horse. Points to a hare that is sniffing along the Wilderness. “Always eye up your target first without the arrow. If you can’t see it without aiming, you won’t see it when you do.”
“You are so persistent and annoying.”
He grins. Seeing him in this light, she finds herself attracted to him. Then she gets distracted by Kip who has found a mud puddle. His face is completely covered and he is loving it.
“Talen.” He brings her between him and the hare. “Look.” He readies an arrow. Guides her hand to the string. He pulls back with her hand still under his. “Do you see it?”
“I suppose.”
“Then let go of the string.”
The arrow hits the ground next to the hare. It leaps off.
“You aren’t focusing. Daydreaming about the prince?”
“I am not a killer.”
“Take it with you. Maybe you’ll get lucky.” He climbs back onto his horse and rides off.
“Kip, come here.”
He shakes, covering her in mud.
“Thanks.”
He stares up at her with a toothy grin.
As dusk approaches, Talen gets all the stuff together that she needs to take. She opens a backpack and shoves clothes, food, and linen cloths needed for any surprising wounds. “At least feeding you won’t be a problem. You can hunt, right?”
Yes.
She looks up at the roof that needs to be repaired. Someone will do it while she’s gone. In truth, she doesn’t care. When she comes back and frees her father, she is leaving again and it’ll be for good. She almost forgets about the map and the bow and quiver the Marksman gave her. She puts the map inside the pack, puts the bow and quiver across her back and then looks down at Kip. “Don’t get settled.”
Talen walks into the kitchen and grabs a few pieces of fruit from a basket. Ragbar is sitting at the dining table sipping on tea.
“Uncle, are you afraid for me?”
“No. You’ll be fine. It’s the prince I’m worried about.”
“It seems silly that the king would have his only son come with me to the Veiled Haven.”
“The king can choose whatever task he wants. Maybe he is being lenient with the kid seeing that he lacks skills.”
“Lenient? Sending him to the Veiled Haven with a woman who only cares about proving her father’s innocence? The path to this place is not going to be easy.”
“And your innocence is on the line as well.”
“That won’t matter. If anyone wants to see the prince fail, it’s the king.” She sits down at the table. “Will you be okay with the farm on your own?”
“There are farmhands to be had. I’ll be fine.”
“You really aren’t worried about me?”
“No. The only problem you’ll face is anything that isn’t an animal or at least half an animal. There’s plenty of those.”
Talen spots the small money purse that the king had dropped off earlier. There’s enough money to cover lodgings and book passage if needed
, but not much more beyond that. She grabs it and puts it into the backpack.
A knock on the door is what Talen has been eager for and dreading. She opens it and finds the king, the Marksman, and Prince Remy. The prince has a cross body bag on, along with a small backpack. She hopes that he was sensible with his packing. A sword is strapped to his belt. She fears him tripping and impaling himself.
Ragbar gets to his feet and bows.
“Hello, Talen,” Remy says. A little too excited.
The Marksman catches Remy blushing. He sneers at the prince.
“The Marksman will follow you up until the marker that reads Dragmoore. Then you will be on your own. He has graciously offered to give you his horse. I’m afraid that only my son may ride the horse.”
“I’m fine walking.”
“Father, Talen and I can share the horse.”
“Do as you will.”
Talen goes into her bedroom to wake Kip. “Let’s go.” She grabs two Bota wineskin bags full of water off the dining table and puts them into the backpack. Now it’s a bit heavy but she will manage.
Kip walks lazily out of her bedroom. Yawns and stretches.
The king looks down at the dragon. “You are in charge of a sacred beast, Talen. Don’t forget that.”
“Don’t you forget that when I come back and prove my father’s innocence, changes will be made to this kingdom.”
“What changes?”
The Marksman clears his throat.
“Be on your way.”
Talen walks out of the house and heads for the main road.
“Remember what your task is,” the king says to Remy.
“I remember.”
Remy joins Talen on the main road. He almost wants to offer to carry her backpack seeing how heavy it is. It’d be the gentleman-like thing to do. However, if he is to attend to his task at hand, he must keep a clear mind. Must stay focused on the task. Find the courage to kill her or make it easy for something else to. Then he can return with her body, gain his father’s respect, and try to move on. It also means that he will have accepted his fate to be king one day. And the woman that he sees himself being married to will be dead.
“You forgot the horse,” the Marksman says.
Heir of Dragmoore- The Veiled Haven Page 8