by G L Roberts
“And if the seeds die?” Bryn asked.
“All things die. All things find their way to another realm. A seed that dies still nourishes the soil it was planted in. Ideas die to become new ideas. You know these things.”
“Yes, I have learned this from the elders.”
“Trust in the knowledge you already have and the knowledge you have yet to understand. There are answers in the history written on the Stones and in the Book.”
“It will be hard to convince the lower kingdoms that I do not wish to usurp them. I only want their loyalty and understanding that what I want for Alban is best for all. This may be a harder road to travel.”
“There are several who will travel it with you,” Queen Athyl said. “You will never be alone.”
Thalynder and Malcolm left the courtyard and took the path leading behind the Keep to the dragon garden. IronHeart and An-Yun lay quietly in the tall grass. Thalynder passed under the linden tree arch and pointed to the downed tree trunk made into a bench.
“Please sit. There is much we must discuss.”
“You wish to speak of the marriage,” Malcolm said.
“Yes, I must be honest with you. Knowing how much stock our fathers are putting into this proposed union, I find I do not know where to start.”
“We have talked about the good this union will bring. We have talked about your love for Bryn. What is left to discuss?”
“I do not wish to marry,” Thalynder said. She sat down next to Malcolm and took his hand in hers. “I see a union between our kingdoms to be a good thing. The combined armies would be a great assistance to the Council and Bryn’s growing legions. Three smaller kingdoms would become one large kingdom with assets of great value.”
“This, I understand as well.”
“You know my heart too. You understand, I love Bryn. Do you not see that becoming your wife diminishes the bond I have with her? Would I in time see less and less of her because of you?”
“That would cause a rift between all of us.”
“It would.”
“I see there is a problem, and we must find a solution, or we risk alienating our families and our kingdoms’ tenuous bond.”
“I’d like to make a proposal.”
“What do you propose?” Malcolm asked.
“That we, together, confront our fathers and explain we intend to unite the kingdoms but not by marriage. You will rule when your father dies. I will rule when my father dies. Neither of them wants to lose all they and their ancestors have built. Even though you and I—and I do include you—believe there is a new strength that can and will unite all of Alban. At that time, there will be no lower kingdoms. Alban will be ruled by one, but governed by many.”
“We would be in a position to assure our lands remain as they are without rendering the countryside or its people useless and obsolete.”
“Yes, the Council is set up so that many voices speak out for the community. We would be able to set the Council in a position to govern by voice and vote,” Thalynder said.
“Do you think we can convince our fathers of this?”
“My father has already spoken to such an idea. He has given me permission to not marry.”
Malcolm touched Thalynder’s cheek. “With your father’s help and with the words of the Council and Lady Athebryn, I believe we can convince my father as well.”
“Do you think the lesser kingdoms will take issue?”
“No, they are equally as concerned by being run over by the Norsemen or any who would try to take their livelihood from them. Do you truly believe Lady Athebryn wants to unite and give a voice to all?”
“I believe this with all my heart.”
Malcolm looked out at the dragons. He saw the slight slap of IronHeart’s tail on the ground and watched as IronHeart raised his chin and inhaled the air. He sensed something on the wind.
“I should return home and begin to speak of these things with my father.” Malcolm stood and pulled Thalynder up with him. “Do you feel that? A heaviness rides the wind.”
“Yes,” Thalynder said. “I wonder where Bryn is?”
Bryn and Meydra stood at the mouth of the Inbhir Nis. Bynack More was not far, but Bryn wanted to watch the sea for a while.
“Thank you,” Bryn said to Meydra as they stood on the sand at the eastern shore. “There are still questions to be answered, and the Stones are a comfort. It was good to walk among them again.” Bryn gathered sand in her hand and let it flow out slowly. If only I could control time, she thought, I would turn it back and make better use of it. Bryn shook her head and stood up to watch the eastern sky darken. She felt something was about to happen, and she was uneasy.
The sky darkened, and the stars began to flicker above her. Bryn inhaled and let the scent of the sea fill her lungs. There was much going on in the hearts and minds of her council and of the dragons. The evening break for a meal would be commencing. The Council would be readying themselves for another journey north; each saying goodbye once again to their families and their liege. Bryn paced. She held the last of the sand in her hand and looked at the tiny glistening grains.
“My Council is restless.”
As Bryn turned to face Meydra, she felt a heaviness in her chest. She looked up at Meydra and saw a look of great pain cross her features. Meydra slapped at the ground with her tail just as Bryn drew her sword. Bryn could not tell where the threat was coming from and instinctively she turned back to look at the sea.
The pain became unbearable for Meydra, and she tilted her head back and wailed. The sound was deafening, and all animals who heard it cowered in their lairs.
Bryn watched as a shower of stars filled the eastern horizon. The pain in her arm, at the wound from the Jarl’s sword, caused her to drop Calibairn and clutch at her arm. The weight in her chest began to build, and she cried out. The jewel on her brow lost its shine and turned black. Bryn fell back against Meydra, and they both stared at the horizon as the stars faded and the sky became as black as the most bottomless well. Bryn grabbed at Meydra’s forearm to steady herself and felt Meydra’s tail swing around to hold her. The darkness spread until it covered the sky above them. They continued to watch and wait. In her heart, Bryn heard the soft voice of the little dragon.
I was born for you Athebryn, Meriel said. In your heart lies the truth. All dragons need to know of this truth and your profound affection for all things. I am content to die for you.
“No!” Bryn cried, and the heartbreak took her to her knees.
Meriel waited until the boats were very close together. The sun was setting behind her, and land could be seen now in front of her. The men in the longboats raised their voices in anticipation of reaching home. Meriel stretched against the tether and lifted up. She began to drag the boat with her. She arched her back and lifted higher. The vessel rose above the water, tossing men and women into the sea.
“Cut the beast loose!” Kegen shouted to Hansa.
“No! I will not lose this dragon.”
“You will have it drag us to our death!” King Heardred called. “Spears!”
Meriel turned to look back at the human who began to tug at the tether. She felt nothing, no remorse, no sadness, no connection. Continuing to climb, Meriel pulled the boat with her. As soon as she was close enough to the other longboats, Meriel lifted Heardred’s vessel entirely out of the water pulling hard against the tether.
The tether broke, the boat fell on top of two others that had come in close. Many humans fell into the water, while others were crushed by the falling timbers. The ocean was churning with struggling Norsemen.
Meriel did not feel the first arrows as they struck her in her legs and under her wings. She did not sense the dart when it pierced the scales at her neck. The arrow dislodged one of the diamonds and penetrated her neck. Meriel continued to climb toward the waiting stars. Her breath grew labored, and her wings grew heavy. Struggling, she flew higher and higher. Below her, a shape caught her eyes.
Mediter dived to Meriel the moment he heard the cries from the boats. He set fire to the first boat he encountered and would have set the second to burn had he not felt the sting of arrows under his wings. He stalled for a moment then caught the wind again and flew toward Meriel. He could see she had taken many of the black arrows, and he knew she was dying. Her wings beat slower and slower. Mediter struggled as well but finally found the strength to reach the brave little dragon. He came up under her.
“It is time,” Meriel said. “Thank you for being here with me.”
“I will not leave you.”
Mediter spread his wings wide and caught Meriel as she raised her own one last time. He felt the sting of more arrows and his breath caught in his throat. He drew a labored gasp. “We can go home now.” He moved his wings to fold back against Meriel and hold her close to his body. Mediter turned his face up to the sky and saw the stars coming out above him. He was glad they were not alone.
“En annen dyr!” one of the men in the water screamed. “There is a second beast!” Men were yelling and swimming for the one boat not touched by either dragon.
Hansa did not see the other dragon. She lay unconscious across the beam of her own boat as it bobbed in the water. King Heardred, holding on to the same spar, cursed his daughter.
“What have you done?” Heardred cried. “Curse you and the beast! Odin, why are you lost to me?”
Heardred felt his daughter stir beside him, and he grabbed her hair.
“Look up and see what you have done.”
Hansa looked up and saw a large shape flying high above her. A more massive dragon carried the smaller dragon.
“There are two?”
“Yes, and we have none!” Heardred yanked Hansa’s hair again.
Hansa winced. “I have this.” She held out her hand. The diamond glowed with a soft inner light.
Heardred let go of Hansa’s hair. He reached for the gem and Hansa snapped her hand back.
“No father, I will use this to save our house. I will set this dragon gem in a new symbol for our tribe. We will have the dragon head as our tribe’s symbol, and I will wear this gem.”
“The beast is out of your reach. You cannot have its head. Odin will not allow it.”
Hansa started to speak just as the sky exploded with brilliance. She looked up and watched as the two dragons became bright points of blue-white light. As they continued toward the heavens she saw a third light join them. The lights moved high into the sky. Hansa held up the gem and the light inside glowed brightly. She felt the jewel grow warm. The glow turned from white to orange and the became too hot to hold. Hansa held onto the gem until it burned her skin. Above her the sky exploded with shooting stars and the stone fell from her hand. It landed on the beam she and her father clung to. There the gem sealed itself to the wood.
“Now, what will you do?” Heardred asked. “Odin does not want you to have this beast’s gem.”
“I will no longer follow Odin,” Hansa said quietly. “This beam will be used to carve the new symbol of our tribe. The gem has chosen a new home to reside.” Hansa glanced up once more and whispered, “I am, sorry brave little dragon, I will keep your image before my house, and you will be worshiped.”
CHAPTER TWO
Two shooting stars sailed across the sea to rise above Bryn and Meydra. Bryn’s body shook, and she felt Meydra close tighter around her. The jewel at her brow began to brighten, and it lit up the darkness around her. She raised her face to the sky, and the light from the jewel shot out to touch the two stars as they continued their ascent to the heavens. Bryn gasped as she felt the last tug of Mediter’s heart on hers. Mediter’s voice echoed in the dark.
“You saved me from death once before, and I did not know why. Now, I do. I was needed here. Thank you for this gift, Lady Athebryn.”
“Mediter!” Bryn cried. “Forgive me.”
“Lead them Jewel of the Stars, Heart of Alban, and remind them of how precious they are,” Mediter said. “Remind all of them; dragon and human.”
Bryn watched the two stars join the light from the jewel and become one. She began a dragon song to the stars, and all the dragons of the world stopped to look up at the newest members of their ethereal domain. As the last words of the song drifted high above the earth, Bryn and Meydra wept.
“A shooting star,” King Thamen said. “As a child, I was told you should make a wish on a shooting star.”
Thalynder looked up and saw the remnants of what looked like a double shooting star. She clutched at her tunic and felt a sharp pain in her chest.
“No,” she said. “We did not know this would happen.”
Malcolm looked up, then quickly lowered his gaze. Shaking his head, Malcolm moved his fist over his heart. He reached out to touch Thalynder’s arm.
Thalynder looked at Malcolm through tears that fell unchecked. “I must get back to Bryn.”
“We both must.”
Thalynder reached out and touched Malcolm’s hand. She lowered her head, and the tears fell silently down her cheeks.
The great army of the Epidii rode in silence as they bore their dead before them. The sky darkened quickly, and Arryn looked up at the featureless blackness. More rapidly than nightfall, Arryn knew this sudden darkness was not usual. He stopped his horse and looked up. As two bright stars shot across the sky, he felt a great sadness come over him, and he slid off his horse. Jorid stopped his horse and watched as Arryn sank to his knees and called to FireSong. His dragon set down behind him and touched his back with his tail. “This will kill her,” Arryn said.
Leus walked with the elves. He knew his dragon was above him and he felt rather than heard, the steady beat of NightWatcher’s wings. Neulta walked beside her brother with the rest of the archers walking ahead of her.
“It is too early for the evening sky,” Neulta said to Leus. They stopped and looked toward the West, half expecting to see the sun setting. “Where is the sun?”
Leus turned east. “It is not the sun leaving the sky, creating this early darkness. There is death in this sky.”
“The little dragon?” Neulta asked.
“I do not know for certain.”
NightWatcher alighted in the open field next to the outer forest. He bowed his head. Leus and Neulta walked out toward NightWatcher but stopped when the dragon raised his head and let out a long mournful wail. Neulta covered her ears and turned her face up to see the stars. Leus walked further out onto the field and stopped at NightWatcher’s chest. He held one hand over the dragon’s heart and the other over his own. He felt the sadness in the sounds coming from NightWatcher, and he shook his head. “There is such depth of feeling in your cry. We did not realize others felt as we do.” Leus closed his eyes, and for the first time in his life, he felt the sting of tears.
Kenna rode her horse at the front of the line to lead Baendar and Teela to their final rest. She saw the streak of light out of the corner of her eye and stopped to watch the sky. Lady Anestar slowed her horse and turned to look up at the sudden change. She started to reach out to her daughter but held herself in check. She gripped the reins of her horse tightly.
Without being asked, Caraid dropped out of the sky and stood next to Kenna. Together they watched the heavens accept two new stars as they sailed higher, being lifted up by a single brighter light. Kenna sighed and reached out to touch Caraid’s scales. “Our little one is home now,” she said.
Caraid bowed her head. Then, with great determination, she spoke.
“Airson na h-Alba,” she said in an ancient tongue.
“Yes,” Kenna replied, surprised that she understood the words. “For Alban.”
❦
Meydra bowed her head and waited until Bryn was ready to stand before she spoke. The words were hard to say.
“The Council awaits,” she said.
“The Council awaits?” Bryn replied. “That’s all you have to say?”
“What would you have me say?”
“Something about M
eriel maybe, or Mediter? Surely you have words for them.”
“I have said them,” Meydra replied. She lifted her head. “This was—is, all for the Jewel. Do you not understand you are the most important thing in the lives of the dragons? Do you not understand it is only you that can keep the dragon and human bond from splintering? I gave you my egg, my daughter. She knew the moment she was born what was expected of her. Have you learned nothing from us?”
“I have learned you keep secrets. I have learned you do not find my bond worth the confidence it takes to keep it true!” Bryn picked up Calibairn and placed it in the scabbard at her belt. She rubbed at her arm. “You tell me the little one will bond only with me, then you let her go to her death. I cannot find the thread between us anymore. I feel lost.”
“Search your heart. The first bond is there to guide you.”
“Guide me? I am blind, and I am being led by a long-dead dragon. If my heart could stand it, I would laugh.” Bryn started to walk away from the sea and headed for the trees.
“Will you not ride?” Meydra asked.
“Not unless you can take me someplace where I will not be found,” Bryn replied. “I need time to grieve. I need time to find my way again.”
“And you need sleep.”
Bryn turned quickly to glare at Meydra. “There are too many voices in my heart and in my head. Sleep does not come to me.”
“I will take you somewhere,” Meydra said. “But you must tell the Council where you go.”
“No, I have already put too many of their lives at risk. This time I go alone.” Bryn looked up at Meydra. “No tricks. Take me to where I will not be found.”
“As you wish, Lady Athebryn, but the others will ask after you. Princess Thalynder will worry.”
Yes, Bryn thought, she will. She took a deep breath. “When she asks, tell her I am safe.”