by Nathan Roden
“Such foul words for such a pretty little queen,” Dathien said.
“I am going to let you down now. It cannot be good for you or your child to be stretched out so. Be a good little queen and you will not be harmed.”
“I am warning you for the last time, Wizard! Get out of my house!”
Dathien turned his attention back to the wardrobe until Jaclyn began hitting him with her fists. Dathien raised his hand again, and Jaclyn was forced back against the wall.
“What could be inside this box that brings about such blind passion?”
“Ahhhh…”
Jaclyn screamed…the giant held the parchment in his hand.
His eyes scanned it. An evil grin spread across his face.
“I want you. Your friend. S.”
Dathien threw back his head and roared with laughter.
Jaclyn pulled with all her might. But she could move nothing but her head. She remained pinned against the wall.
“This is rich, indeed!” Dathien said with delight.
“The innocent little queen—who carries the king’s child—is in love with his brother! The filthy dragon!”
“I will have your head on the wall of Morgenwraithe!” Jaclyn spat. “I will see the crows feast on those evil eyes! My father will—!”
Dathien crossed the room in two giant steps. He pressed his hand over Jaclyn’s mouth.
“I think we both know your father is nowhere near this place. No. If I had to guess, he is with his precious daughter’s true love. Hiding him. Protecting him. Well, it will be for naught.”
“When he learns that the only way to save his precious daughter—and her child—will be to hand the dragon over to me.”
Dathien lowered his hand. Jaclyn spat in his face and called him the foulest names she could think of.
Dathien ignored it all.
He held out his hand, inches away from Jaclyn’s belly.
“Interesting. Do you know whether you carry a male or female, little queen?”
Dathien lean close enough to Jaclyn’s face that she could feel his breath on her cheek.
“I do.”
“Get your hands away from my baby!”
Fifty-eight
Caleb stood in the doorway.
“Get away from her, at once!”
Dathien rolled his head back and laughed with satisfaction.
“I should have known! I should have guessed that the little queen was the key to finding everything I am looking for!”
“The magic blind boy!”
“I said—get away from her, this instant!”
“You find your way without seeing—impressive magic, indeed! And you were able to hide from me. You would be most welcome in my homeland. Your talents could be cultivated in a land where magic has value! Unlike this place where you hide in the shadows like a little mouse! Tell me, boy! Does the little queen bring you crumbs from her table or do you have to scavenge them for yourself?”
“You know nothing about me, Wizard. And you know nothing about the queen.”
Dathien laughed again.
“Oh, but I have learned so much about your virtuous queen today, my fine young fellow! Did you know that she and the dragon share a filthy little secret?”
“I know better than to be distracted by a common mercenary.”
Another laugh.
“Please, magic boy! Mercenary, yes. But common? I must disagree!”
“You kill for coin. And you kill for pleasure. That is common.”
“It is true, magic blind boy. I will take great pleasure in your death.”
Dathien raised his hand quickly and a bolt of lightning flew at Caleb. Caleb raised both hands and deflected the blast out of the window. The corner of the bastion exploded.
“Impressive, indeed,” Dathien said. “I do enjoy a challenge!”
“Get away from her.”
Dathien grabbed Jaclyn and pulled her to his chest. She kicked and swung her fists at the giant. He did not even seem to notice.
“On the contrary,” Dathien said. “The little queen will make a most excellent shield!”
Caleb lifted one finger. Dathien sniffed the air.
He let go of Jaclyn when he realized that the bottom of his robe was on fire.
Jaclyn ran to the far corner of the room as Dathien quenched the flames. The giant roared.
“Hide yourself!” Caleb called to Jaclyn. She threw herself behind the bed.
Caleb lifted his hand. A blast of energy threw Dathien against the wall. Parts of the stone wall crumbled.
Dathien loosed another blast at Caleb. Once again it was deflected.
Dathien raised his other hand and the bed rose to the ceiling. It hovered there over Jaclyn.
Caleb threw up both hands.
“No!”
Dathien threw his hands toward Caleb. The bed flew across the room. It knocked Caleb to the floor. Dathien crossed the floor and threw the bed out of his way. He grabbed Caleb and pulled him to his chest.
“Say goodbye to your queen, boy! With your last breath!”
The door burst open. A blinding shape flew in. It bounced off of the bed and onto the giant’s back. A tiny pair of hands gripped and climbed the massive blue robe.
Dathien raged as he tried to hold onto Caleb and swipe at the attacker on his back at the same time.
“Sara! No!” Caleb screamed.
Jaclyn looked up from the floor, unable to say anything.
Sara dodged away from Dathien’s hand. She held on even though the giant’s fingernails cut into her tiny arms.
She made a final leap onto Dathien’s shoulders and placed her hands against the side of his head. The wizard’s grip went slack. Caleb slipped to the floor. Dathien collapsed to his knees. Sara held on.
The giant’s eyes rolled up in the back of his head. And he was still.
Sara jumped to the floor.
“Caleb! Are you all right?”
“I am not hurt. My queen—!”
“I am not hurt either,” Jaclyn said. “Is he…dead?”
“No,” Sara said. “I could try…”
“No, Sara,” Caleb said. “We must go. Now!”
They ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. Jaclyn held Caleb’s hand. The magic that allowed him to find his way to the tower room had left him, and he had to have help. Sara led the way.
At the bottom of the stairs she almost ran into Finn and Lady Lamont. Robinette carried Zeke.
“You frightened us silly, children! What were you doing up there? The noise! Half the village is awake!”
“The giant is here!” Jaclyn said. “Sterling’s monster! He tried to kill us—we have to go!”
“Get the horses, Finn!” Robinette said.
“No, Mother,” Jaclyn said. “You have to stay. The giant knows…he knows too much. You must stay—and tell them nothing! Put guards on this tower. The wizard is unconscious but we do not know for how long. We have to warn father. There is little time.”
“But what about the children?” Robinette asked.
“Sara and Zeke will be safe here,” Caleb said. “Sara can keep them hidden. I have to leave. The wizard will follow me.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
“I will return with two horses and my second lieutenant,” Finn said. “The queen will ride with me. Caleb, you will ride with Lieutenant Winston.”
“I can ride by myself.”
“You’re blind, Caleb.”
“Yes, I am. Unless you fetch a blind horse there will not be a problem.”
“I must insist,” Finn said. “We may need another bow.”
****
Oliver stood up and stretched. He pushed a fist against the small of his back. It had been a while since he had slept on the ground. He had not slept well at all after learning that the king talked in his sleep.
Oliver was amused at first. But he was soon horrified by the demons that haunted Lucien.
“I
t’s morning, my king. I have some jerky if you’re hungry. We can look forward a hot meal inside the vill—”
Oliver stopped at the sound of hoof-beats.
What now? Oliver thought.
Oh, no. Raynard. And more soldiers.
****
Raynard and his men came to the gates of Islemar. Two wide-eyed guards stood there. The giant horse was tied up nearby.
“The giant,” Raynard said. “Where did he go?”
“He didn’t say.”
“You are guardians of our most valuable assets,” Raynard said. “Did you ask him his business?”
“Of course, we did. He didn’t say.”
“That horse will need food and water. And lots of it,” Raynard said. “Bring it back here when you’re finished.”
The guards nodded.
“You won’t let him kill anyone, will you, My Lord?”
Raynard glared and motioned his men inside the gates.
Fifty-nine
The soldiers were not happy to alert their Captain. He was rarely in a good mood—and never before breakfast and heavy doses of coffee or tea.
“This had better be good,” he growled as he pulled on his coat in the cold morning mist.
“Captain, the morning guard staff for the southwest tower did not show up. Their beds are made and no one has seen them.”
“Names?”
“Lucas Smithson and Timothy Stoddard, My Lord.”
“Do these two know each other?”
“I don’t believe so, My Lord. They are not from the same villages.”
“The camp is being searched.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
The Captain stared into the darkness.
“Send two teams south at dawn. Send another up the rope ladders of the western wall. Those are in need of inspection, anyway.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“And make certain that the men go nowhere near the mouth of the canyon. We have many new recruits. I do not want to have to explain to Sterling or Raynard that we have cut our own men into pieces.”
Two hours later the search party returned with news for the Captain.
The nervous corporal stood before the Captain and recited the facts as he knew them.
“We found three bodies, Captain. Lucas Brand was stabbed in the belly. Two young boys were found nearby. One of them was stabbed in the midsection—just like Brand. The other was killed by an arrow in his back. We discovered tracks from two horses. One returned to the south.”
“The other moved north—past our camp.”
The Captain swore and flung his mug of coffee as far as he could.
“Shall we send men north?” the corporal asked.
“No,” the Captain said. “If this Stoddard has indeed turned traitor, we still cannot spare the men to go after him.”
The Captain rubbed his chin.
“If those boys rode here bearing news that was worth killing for, then one rogue soldier may be the least of our concerns. Corporal, send a rider to Morgenwraithe. Tell him to speak only to Lord Sterling or Captain Raynard. Have him say that there may very well be trouble brewing in the south. They are to say nothing more.”
“Assemble a force of one hundred twenty of our best sword and bowmen and outfit horses with provisions for a week. Send our best scout to mark a safe passage through the canyon. We leave when the scout returns.”
The corporal saluted and turned to leave.
“One more thing, corporal. Prepare a cannon for transport.”
The corporal’s eyes widened. He looked afraid.
“A cannon, My Lord?”
“Yes, a cannon, corporal. Big, black, ugly things that go Boom!”
“My Lord, do you…do you mean to make war with the south?”
“No, not war. But the people of the south are simple-minded. They only understand one thing—strength. You are far too young to remember, but the south was once home to powerful magicians. And to dragons. Those days are long gone and forgotten. Kings once delivered goods to the south from the ports of Islemar; medicines and healing potions. That has all but ceased since the days of King Bailin. The people of the south have become a mystery to us. That was the reason I encouraged those two boys to keep me informed. Whatever news it was that brought them here was enough to cost them their lives.”
“I do not intend to repeat that mistake.”
“My Lord—if I may speak freely?” the corporal trembled.
The Captain scowled. He nodded.
“My Lord, our men are not battle-tested. They are trained to the best of our abilities, but—”
The corporal looked around and lowered his voice.
“We will be placing our lives in the hands of young boys who may not respond well in battle. Fear…can spread like a wildfire.”
The Captain made no expression.
“Your objections are duly noted, corporal.”
“Not objections, My Lord. Merely words of caution—”
The Captain stepped forward and backhanded the corporal’s face. He fell to the ground.
“I said, duly noted, corporal! On your feet!”
The corporal pushed himself up. He wiped the blood from his mouth.
The Captain leaned forward.
“You are an officer in the King’s Border Guard! If you ever dare to speak to me with the voice of a frightened nursemaid again, you will serve the rest of your days cleaning our privies! Do I make myself clear!”
“Yes, My Lord.”
sixty
The boy could not sleep. He thought he heard thunder in the distance. He got out of bed and tip-toed to the door, trying to keep from waking his mother.
He cocked his head and listened to the steady “thump, thump, thump” coming from the north. The sound seemed to be coming from the road but that made no sense to him. The night was pitch black.
And then he saw the faint light of torches.
And he was afraid.
He ran to their tiny barn and quickly threw the bit and reins onto their only horse. He galloped up the road where he could see what was coming.
What came—was what he had feared for weeks.
The Border Guard had entered the Southlands.
He relaxed only a little when the procession passed his house. That good feeling disappeared completely when he saw what brought up the rear.
A wagon—carrying a cannon.
The boy led the horse through a back path in the woods. He came onto the road just ahead of the Army, which he estimated to be at least a hundred strong.
He had heard that the village of Vallen lay in ruins. No one wanted to speak of what had happened. The boy feared the worst.
And now the worst was real.
This can only mean one thing, he thought.
They ride for Drakal—the home of the leader of their world. The source of their strength and spirit.
Sir Edmund Braun.
The boy had nothing to light his way but this did not slow him down. The old horse was in no condition to be driven hard but that also did not concern the boy.
The only thing that concerned him—was war.
And war had come to the south. In the dead of night.
****
The group stopped on the road south of Drakal.
“You should wait here, Simon,” Roball said. “We will come for you once we meet with Sir Edmund.”
“That would be wise,” Simon said.
Boone took Ben’s daughter from his arms.
“I’ll stay here, as well,” Boone said. “Along with my niece and these two.”
Boone pointed at Angel’s grandparents.
“In case they get any funny ideas.”
Rolf Roball and Sir Edmund Braun embraced as old friends do.
When they pulled apart, Sir Edmund’s bright, blue eyes went immediately to Helena.
He crossed the room with the stride of a strong young man.
He covered his mouth with his hand.
“I w
ould know you anywhere, sweet child.”
Helena looked confused.
“Have we met, My Lord?”
Edmund laughed.
“No, no, child. But many nights by the light of the fire I looked into the eyes of your father and your uncles and saw the same virtues: Strength! Defiance! The will of purpose! Of course, it goes without saying that they did not possess your beauty.”
The old man’s face grew sad. He turned away.
“Such a needless tragedy. A pity. You have taken up their cause, haven’t you?”
“We have, indeed, Sir Edmund,” Lamont said. “I am Nicolas La—”
“Lord Nicolas Lamont,” Edmund said. “Viceroy under three Morgenwraithe kings. Steward of the ports and village of Islemar. Father of the queen, and loyal to the throne currently belonging to King Lucien, the second-born son of Bailin.”
Lamont could think of nothing to say.
Sir Edmund smiled.
“Do not worry. I am no wizard, and no sorcerer. But I do have an inquisitive mind as well as a number of ‘little sparrows’ who bring me news from the north.”
“Sir Edmund,” Lamont said. “You pledged your support to Bodrick Fuller. The people of the kingdom suffer even more under the rule of Lord Sterling. The queen is with child, and we know that she carries a boy.”
“Oh?” Edmund said. “This, I have not heard.”
“We fear the worst from Sterling under these circumstances, Sir Edmund.”
Edmund rubbed his chin.
“Sterling,” he growled. He turned and spit on the floor.
“That entire family should be purged from the face of the earth! The arrogance! The lack of humanity! The…the pure evil! To tempt the gods by spilling a sorcerer’s blood on the throne of power! They deserve to rot in the depths of hell for their deeds! And Sterling is the worst of them all—and he not even in the line of succession. Is it any wonder that I abandoned my position? That I gave up everything to distance myself from their insanity?”