by Nathan Roden
But mostly, they waited for Brendan and Reese to come to the grounds with the padded gloves and protective headgear. There was no better entertainment in the kingdom than watching the king engage in fisticuffs.
Lucien was still taking the worst of it. Brendan and Reese were not only bigger, they had grown up with older brothers and cousins. They had also been in their share of scrapes with their fellow guards—often as part of a simple wager.
If Lucien sensed that his friends were being too easy on him, he would berate and insult them until they knocked him on his backside. This caused the other guards to hold their breath, but Lucien always got up, dusted himself off, and put up his fists again.
The guards whispered among themselves constantly.
“What is he doing?”
“Has he gone mad?”
“What sort of king trains in fisticuffs? Isn’t that what we’re for?”
The training came to an abrupt halt one afternoon.
A lightning bolt shot across the sky, knocking over a huge tree and setting fire to others. There was not a cloud in the sky.
A tortured roar shook the ground. Such a sound could only come from one place.
Dathien.
The giant stormed across the field from the castle. The guards retreated as Dathien approached. His fists were clenched. He seemed to be headed directly for Lucien.
Dathien stopped. His head whipped around. He sniffed the air.
“Sterling,” he growled. “When will he be back?”
“I have no idea,” Lucien said. “What’s wrong?”
Brendan and Reese withdrew slowly.
Dathien squeezed his fists until they turned white. He raised his face to the sky and appeared ready to scream again.
“It’s everywhere! I can feel it! We must act now!”
Lucien pulled the wraps from his hands. He appeared bored with the giant’s behavior.
“What are you talking about?”
“Magic!” Dathien growled through clenched teeth.
“Magic?” Lucien smirked. “You know, I think maybe this whole mission has become too much for you. It’s gone on for too long, and you’re no closer to catching my brother than the day you stepped off of that ship. Why don’t you just—”
Dathien’s eyes blazed a brilliant white. He roared as his hands reached overhead. A blue fire traced between his hands before blasting down toward Lucien’s head. The blast stopped, reversed its direction and hit Dathien in the chest. The giant was blown backward through the fence that surrounded the archery field.
Half of the guardsmen turned and ran. The others were too stunned to move.
Lucien walked to where Dathien lay. His robe had only been discolored. The giant pushed himself to his feet and chanted an incantation. The dark stain on his robe vanished.
“You won’t think it funny for long, little king,” Dathien seethed. His eyes traced across the skies.
“It may only be witches and sorcerers. Or…it may be more formidable foes. But know this one thing, little king.”
“None of them fight for your side.”
The giant walked away.
Thirty-Five
Sterling saw the fear on the faces of his soldiers. The mention of dragons had taken their resolve.
“Dragons,” Sterling seethed. “How many?”
“A dozen perhaps,” the man said. “I saw two of them fall from a flurry of arrows. Another was hit by the cannon blast. They are small—young ones, I would guess.”
“Leave half a company here to wait for Lamont’s men,” Sterling said to Raynard. “He will not stay here to defend the south—not with his wife and daughter in danger. He will come north, and soon.”
“Shall we pursue the forces at our rear?” Raynard asked.
Raynard recognized that Sterling did not wish to speak further in front of the other men.
“Lieutenant!” Raynard yelled. “Select a quarter of your troops to remain here and wait for the rebels to march to the north. Members of the guard of Islemar are to be treated as the enemy and shot on sight!”
The men disbursed.
“Do you think it’s true?” Raynard said. “We have been told that the dragons are on the edge of extinction. Is it possible?”
“Possible that we have been lied to?” Sterling spat. “What do you think?”
“What if they have been breeding,” Raynard said. “And what if the dragon-king has rallied them to his side? We could be facing more of a threat than we ever imagined.”
“We return to Morgenwraithe,” Sterling said. “Send teams of scouts to the outlying villages. Explain the call-to-arms, and tell the newly drafted soldiers to assemble at our gates, three dawns from now. Failure to comply will be considered an act of treason.”
“And the forces at our flank?”
“You saw the men’s faces as well as I, Captain. The last thing we need right now is to encounter dragon fire in the open field. We will assemble our troops at Morgenwraithe and give orders to the others as they arrive. It looks as if Dathien will earn a higher price after all.”
Sterling paused. He swore.
“Dragons! I should have emptied the kingdom’s coffers and brought over the entire cult of those blue-robed freaks!”
“Perhaps it’s not too late,” Raynard said.
“Even the fastest ship would be too slow,” Sterling said. “And the task would no longer be a simple thing.”
“Why not?”
“Because the ships are in the harbor at Islemar—which is where the rebels will run to. When the battle is over, there will be precious little left of that village.”
****
Captain Finn ordered the men toward Evenshire at double-time speed. The dragons circled them in the air, hovering over the wagon that carried the crippled dragon. Finn had no idea whether they understood their fallen comrade being transported that way. He could only hope and pray.
Advanced scouts shouted out the proximity of the village of Evenshire.
Allies, Finn thought. Friends. By the will of the gods, may Sheriff Jacobs have soldiers to add to our numbers.
With Evenshire in the distance, Finn heard the clanging of the alarm bell sounding from the center of the village.
That cannot be good news.
****
Sheriff Adam Jacobs was in sight of the city square. His tired troops trailed behind him. Their ranks were swelled by two hundred new allies—men and boys who had joined them along the way. The village bell sounded. As Adam would quickly learn, the bell was sounded by one of three scouts that had come to the village from the Army of Morgenwraithe. Citizens flooded into the village square.
“People of Evenshire,” a scout proclaimed. “By order of Lord Sterling, every able-bodied boy and man of the kingdom is hereby ordered to report to the village of Morgenwraithe to take the oath of service. By the decree of Lord Sterling, Regent of the Kingdom in the name of King Lucien—”
Sheriff Adam Jacobs pulled the reins of his winded horse. He knew he had reached his point of no return. His first thought was of his own life. This thought gave him little pause. His second thought was of his mother and father—and the service and sacrifices they had made. His choice became crystal clear.
Adam raised his crossbow and sent an arrow through the neck of the King’s messenger. The lieutenant at Adam’s side took the life of the other member of the King’s army before the man could draw his sword.
The people of Evenshire were in shock.
One man stepped forward.
“You have chosen to make us enemies of the crown—without our consent!”
“I do not make your choices,” Adam said. “But today, you must choose. Will you stand with Lord Sterling and his rule of fear and tyranny? I will not. Sterling brought an evil mercenary to our land—and my father is dead because of it! A good man who dedicated his life to others! If you choose to stand with Sterling, I will not stop you. But I believe we deserve better. And I will stand with those who be
lieve as I do.”
“They are too strong—and too many!” another man cried out.
“You do not yet know the strength of our rebellion!” Adam cried. “Look!”
Seven young dragons crossed the skies on the outskirts of Evenshire.
“Dragons! Flee for your lives!” some of the people cried.
“They are not enemies!” Adam said. “They are allies!”
“You’re mad!” men cried.
“If I am mad,” Adam said, calmly. “Then explain that!”
A line of soldiers appeared on the horizon, flying the banners of Islemar.
“There are good people in this kingdom and good people south of the border—all who are tired of the tyranny of Sterling Morgenwraithe! We fight for our survival—and the ancient kings of the sky fight with us! Morgenwraithe was cheated out of its rightful king, the Dragon-King, King Simon!”
A cheer began among the people, growing louder as the approaching army came near.
“Men of Evenshire!” Adam called out. “March with us—to Islemar!”
“What about our women and children?” a man cried.
“We will load every ship in the harbor to take them to safety,” Adam said.
Thirty-Six
Magdalena passed by the front of Castle Islemar. It was heavily guarded as she expected. She had no desire to use the dungeon doors. There remained only one option. The servant’s entrance.
Magdalena raised her hand. The heavy iron frame of the door glowed red, and she heard the lock mechanism give way. But she could not push the door open—it was barred on the inside. Magdalena sighed and pondered her next move. She jumped when she heard something inside the door. She stepped back into the shadows.
“Lady Magdalena?”
It was the whisper of a woman’s voice.
Magdalena did not answer.
“I saw you from my balcony. Why are you trying to break into my home?”
Magdalena relaxed.
“We came to find the other children. Where are they?”
Robinette Lamont stepped through the door.
“I had to send them away. It’s a long story.”
“Come with me,” Magdalena said. “You can explain it to everyone.”
Robinette caught her breath and clutched her collar.
“Is Nicholas with you?”
“No. He is still at the border. Caleb is waiting outside the village gates, along with more of our allies.”
“Let me get my boots and my coat. I’ll only be a moment.”
“I should warn you, My Lady, before we go.”
Lady Lamont stopped.
“The Morgenwraithe boy is with you isn’t he?” she whispered.
“There are two dragons with us,” Magdalena said. “But only one—”
“Only one who can…speak.” Robinette said, softly. “Only one that has stolen my daughter’s heart—” Robinette’s voice cracked.
“I’ll only be a moment.”
Lady Lamont returned carrying a basket. She saw Magdalena stare at it.
“It’s food. Or do you travel with ample supplies?”
“Food will be most welcome,” Magdalena said.
Sir Edmund was standing watch when Magdalena and Lady Lamont arrived. Caleb woke and ran to Robinette. He threw his arms around her.
“I’ve missed you, My Lady. Where are Sara and Zeke?”
Robinette opened her mouth to answer, but then she felt the ground shake. She looked up into the eyes of the great black dragon.
“Are you…are you Simon Morgenwraithe?”
“No, that would be me.”
Robinette spun around. Her knees grew weak—but not from the dragon’s domineering physical presence. His voice resounded with power. With assurance. But also…with something else.
Compassion?
Robinette stared into the dragon’s eyes. They were nothing like those of the black dragon.
His eyes are not the eyes of a beast.
I can see the color of his eyes reflected even in the pale torchlight. His eyes are green, and they are the eyes of…the eyes of a boy.
But there is more. Intelligence. Strength.
He has the eyes of a King.
“Lady Lamont,” Magdalena said. “May I present Sirs Edmund Braun, Gregory Beasley, and William Wood.”
Robinette covered her mouth.
“The knights—the knights of legend? I thought you were only myths! Is this possible?”
Sir Edmund took Robinette’s hand and kissed it.
“My Lady, I tell you with regret that we should have put an end to the evil in this kingdom a long time ago. We may not be the warriors we were in our youth, but our swords are now sworn to Lord Lamont’s army—”
Sir Edmund raised his sword in front of Simon.
“And to the return of the throne to its rightful king.”
“Bless you, Sirs,” Robinette said. “I had to send Sara and Zeke away—with Noah.”
“Noah?” Magdalena said. “Your son?”
“Yes. He had just arrived, delivering a ship. That awful giant stormed into the village only minutes later. He was searching for the children.”
“The giant came for the children?” Sir Gregory said. “Why?”
“Sara put the giant to sleep,” Caleb said. “That is how the queen escaped.”
Sir Gregory laid his hand on Caleb’s shoulder.
“Where did they go, My Lady?”
Robinette wept and shook her head.
“I don’t know. There was no time to discuss it. The monster was coming!”
Robinette rubbed her throat.
“Did he hurt you, My Lady?” Caleb asked.
“He would have killed me—if Captain Raynard had not stopped him.”
“Raynard?” Sir Edmund growled. “Raynard was here?”
“They know what we’re doing, Sir Edmund,” Robinette said. “Sterling and Raynard. They know…everything.”
“I don’t believe they’ve learned everything, yet, My Lady,” Edmund said. “We encountered the Border Guard. They marched into the south, leaving us no choice but to engage them. Twenty young men from that Guard now fight with us. The rest are dead.”
Edmund pointed at Papa.
“My friend, here. We call him ‘Papa’. He was a major factor in our victory. And thanks to him, the kingdom no longer maintains a presence at the border.”
“Sterling will learn all about this very soon,” Magdalena said. “We need for you to warn the people of your village that the dragons are on our side.”
“The dragons have agreed to fight with us,” Edmund said. “It is important that this does not cause a panic. Our pact with the clan is based on two things. Papa and I have a history dating back to the days of my arrest and defection to the Southlands. And Caleb, here, is the only one of us able to communicate with them in their language. Our allegiance will not survive them encountering the bows and cannons of your village.”
Robinette squeezed her eyes shut.
“This is a tall order, Sir Edmund. When will Nicholas be here?”
“The canyon entrance at the border keeps them safe,” Edmund said. “But once they leave the safety of the canyon, they become vulnerable. I know why you ask, My Lady, but the fact is—we can expect our allies to arrive from the southwest before that time. And with those soldiers,
“There are dragons.”
“Is that not dangerous?” Robinette asked. “Caleb is here—how can you trust what the dragons will do?”
“The dragons are loyal to their clan, My Lady,” Caleb said. “But the young ones will soon form a clan of their own. The dragons with Captain Finn are quite young. They are led by Papa’s children, Nigel and Alice.”
“They have names?” Robinette asked.
“I gave them names,” Simon said. “I needed to call them something.”
“They have a name for you, Simon,” Caleb said. “And one for me, as well.”
“This is the first I have h
eard of that,” Simon said. “What is my name?”
Caleb raised his head and made a screeching sound. Papa bobbed his head toward Simon and grunted.
“What does it mean?” Simon asked.
“Big brother.”
“What name did they give you?”
Caleb made another screeching sound. Papa lowered his head and pushed against Caleb’s back with his nose. Caleb stumbled forward and laughed.
“Let me guess,” Tanner said. “Little brother.”
Robinette nodded. She stared at the quiet man, who had not been introduced.
“Who are you?”
“I’m sorry, My Lady,” Magdalena said. “This is Tanner. Tanner Raven. My brother.”
Robinette’s eyes grew wide.
“Your brother? I thought you were…all alone.”
Tanner bowed.
“Fate has reunited us, My Lady. A small miracle. The first of many, we can hope.”
“I like him already,” Robinette said.
“Dare we search for the children?” Tanner asked. “Where would we start?”
Sir Gregory chuffed.
“The children are with the son of Lord and Lady Lamont? There is little doubt where they are. His sister is held in the dungeon of Morgenwraithe Castle.”
“Going to Morgenwraithe would be madness,” Sir William said. “Sterling will gather his forces there before they march on Islemar.”
“We should do as we planned,” Caleb said. A single tear ran down his cheek.
“We should return to the south and make our plea to the dragon clan. And then, we will escort Lord Lamont’s troops to Islemar.”
“Tanner and I will find Sara and Zeke,” Magdalena said. “Try not to worry, Caleb.”
“I knew you would say that,” Tanner said.
“Thank you,” Caleb said.