by G L Roberts
“If not, she will die, Arryn. And you will have to be quick as I want her head too.”
Malcolm and IronHeart stood and watched the sky as it changed to a pale yellow along the horizon. King Edmond stood next to him with Cinnia and Kayleen. King Edmond pointed toward the horizon, and Cinnia nodded in return.
“They have made the point,” Cinnia said.
“They will be on the sand just as the sun clears the horizon,” King Edmond said. “They have timed it, so we are blinded by the sun as they approach.”
Malcolm smiled at Cinnia. “That is why we are on either side of them. You and I will be behind them as they pull their boats ashore and begin to press their advantage.”
“When will we show our beautiful and terrible beasts?” Cinnia asked.
“When they gather to advance,” King Edmond said. “King Heli will move in from the North. My army will advance from the South. By the time they are fifty feet from their boats, we will be where they can advance no further inland. Then, it will be your turn.” King Edmond chuckled. “How I wish I were on the back of a dragon.”
Malcolm laughed. “Their fury will be aimed at the dragons when they finally understand their escape is cut off, King Edmond. Be careful what you wish for.”
“We still intend to burn the boats?” Cinnia asked.
“We do,” Malcolm replied. “Remember, these are the vík ingr who came with Heardred. These are not the negotiating kind. They will need a strong showing to temper their attitudes.”
Kenna paced beside Caraid while Lothan stood quietly with Demrahl. Kenna did not know Lothan’s dragon very well, and Demrahl was young in dragon years. Suited for Lothan’s own youth, Kenna thought. She looked over at Jend and Bendor who stood close together quietly talking. The sky overhead was turning a pale yellow as the sun pushed up in the East. Lady Anestar had met with Kenna and the captains the night before, but she remained unmoved. The conversation lingered in Kenna’s mind.
“Why would they bother with the West?” Lady Anestar had asked as they sat for an evening meal in the great hall of the Bridei.
“They mean to take the whole of Alban,” Kenna replied.
“The Lady Athebryn believes they mean to invade from the West while a small entourage treats with our envoy in the East,” Lothan said.
“Does she?” Lady Anestar said. “And what leads her to believe something which has not happened in the West for centuries?”
Bendor frowned at Lady Anestar. “Things have changed, Lady Anestar. The Council of Alban discovered the vík ingr’s plot to separate into smaller groups and head in different directions. That could only mean they plan to invade from all sides.”
“The Council of Alban, is that what they are calling themselves?”
“Yes, mother,” Kenna said. “The Council of Alban. The dragon riders. The loyal of Alban. Call them what you will, but they are the Council as sanctioned by the elders, and you know this well enough. Your questions are aimless as well as baseless.”
“I know all too well too much is happening too soon. We have not the slightest idea what the Norsemen want. And I still say they will not come west. To do so would be folly.”
“Folly only in that they will be met with the strength of armies,” Jend said. “Lady Anestar, I have seen what these marauders can do first hand. They will stop at nothing. I too believe they are bent on possessing all of Alban. I am here, with the strength of many, to stop them from overrunning the West. If you do not ally with us, then at least do not stop us.” Jend got up from the table and left the hall at almost a trot.
“Daughter, this plan is madness,” Lady Anestar said to Kenna unmoved by Jend’s hasty departure. “Your armies are wasted here. They should be in the East where they can kill every last one of the Norsemen.”
“And be as they are? Murdering hordes? No, mother, this is not what will happen in the East. Mark the words of the captains, the vík ingr are coming to the West and thankfully, so is the Lady Athebryn.” Kenna got up and left the table, followed by Bendor and his aides.
Lady Anestar was left alone — again.
Leus stood with Rythale and watched the sun rising over the sea. The village behind them was as quiet as death. Queen Betony had instructed all the villagers to take refuge in the forests and underground cairns. The brochs again contained no stores to be looted, no villagers to be killed. Instead, the brochs held armed men and women of the Pict and Northern Clanns; the new armies of Lady Athebryn. This time the dragons would be present, and the thought pleased Leus.
“Even to have the dragons present is a great gift,” Leus said. “It should have happened sooner, and we would not be here now.”
Rythale touched Leus on the arm. “Lady Athebryn knows what she is doing. To have shown the dragons any sooner may have cost more lives, the life of the Princess Thalynder for one.”
“Why say this? A show of force and there would have been no war.”
“No, not initially, but the raiders would have returned in force with weapons deadly enough to kill the dragons. You saw what they did to the one at the lake, black arrows pierced his scales. And Lady Athebryn told us the story of Meriel and how she died. Many would have been killed.”
“True. There would have been more deaths in the beginning. I suppose eventually we would have used the dragons as weapons.”
“To the dismay of the dragons,” Rythale said. “I have not been a dragon companion as long as the rest of the council, but I do know my Prandahl would not like to be a weapon.”
“Then, as a compromise, you believe the dragons are content to be present as deterrents only. That would fit with their current attitudes.”
“You are a strange creature, Leus of the Umbriel Forest,” Rythale said. “I had imagined elves to be more like Picts or Druids; children of the elements and living things.”
“We were, once,” Leus almost whispered. “We were turned to what we are now by the ancients and their selective ways. It is not what I wish to be. I wish to be like my kin, the Picts and the Druids.”
Rythale took Leus’ hand in hers. “Allow me to be your guide once this war is over. For now, remain selective and fierce. We will be deterrents ourselves.”
Leus smiled at Rythale. “Let the enemy cast an eye this way and see what we truly are—strong and united.”
❦
“Do you wish to send a scout?” the man asked King Heardred.
“A scout? There is no one expecting us here this far west,” Heardred replied. “Listen to the earth around us. Even the crows do not make a sound as we move past them. We are to the crows the same sheep who inhabit this side of Alban, and no one would look for us here. The sun is beginning to rise. We are close to the horse town. There we will take to the land and blood will be spilled as it has never been before.”
CHAPTER NINE
King Thamen looked at Bryn. Bryn removed boots and leggings, leaving her barefoot wearing only her underdress and the over tunic now worn by all the captains. She placed her sword and scabbard on the ground.
“What are you doing?” King Thamen asked.
“I am now the druid the vík ingr expect,” Bryn replied. “I will play on the myths and legends and what those stories have led the marauders to believe of us. I am only a druid maid to Heardred, weak, and unsubstantial. You will speak first. You know Meydra, and I leave you to introduce her to Heardred.”
“Are you in command of her actions?” King Thamen asked. “Will you keep her in check?”
Bryn chuckled. “Meydra will only act if I give the word. I will not allow Heardred to go further than where he stands. He will ask of me. He will want to know what I am to you. You will introduce me first as an advisor. When he laughs, you will change the description to one who knows the hearts of dragons.”
“You believe he will laugh at you being an advisor. Will Heardred not remember you were the one who flew in on a dragon last summer?”
“He did not see my face last summer. I was cloaked, and the
sun was behind me. I was dressed like the others in mail and leather. Yes, he will laugh at first. When you tell him I know the hearts of dragons, he will pause remembering Meriel.”
“He will not pause for long if I understand all you have told me,” King Thamen said.
“True. Heardred will recognize we are alone with one dragon. He may hesitate for a moment, but you must be ready, Heardred will attack.”
“Do we force his hand and set loose the Jewel on him?”
“I will not show the crown nor the jewel until he is very close. Close enough to smell.”
King Thamen smiled. “That will not take long, they smell foul enough from any distance. Are you certain you will be safe without your sword in your hand?”
“As safe as any here,” Bryn replied. “One more thing, if Heardred does not yield and insists on a fight, I am the one to deal with him. His head must be my prize, or his daughter will seek revenge, and Thalynder will be within striking range.”
“I will remember.”
Bryn touched King Thamen’s arm. “Heardred approaches.”
The enemy rounded the bend in the river and found itself in shallow water. Any further progress would need to be made on foot. Heardred gave a signal to his oarsman, and the boat’s advance was stopped. Heardred stepped out and began to lead the others through the ankle-deep water. As they rounded a stand of trees, they came upon the spit of sand in the middle of the river. Heardred stopped when he saw the man and woman standing with the rising sun to their backs. The sun glinted off the crown on the man’s head.
“So they mean to stand in my way,” Heardred muttered. He gave a hand signal to those behind him, and they stopped. Heardred looked around but did not see King Thamen’s troops. The men and women behind him began to whisper.
“Silence!” Heardred said. “I will have the head of anyone who cannot hold their tongue.” Heardred looked up at the sky above him. It was cloudless, and he lowered his shoulders. He held his shield and axe at his chest.
“Do you think they mean to treat with us?” the oarsman asked.
“Treat with us? A man and a maid? HA!” Heardred took a step forward. The men and women behind him readied their weapons.
King Thamen spoke quietly to Bryn. “They mean to fight.”
Bryn had seen the move to take up arms. She expected this moment would come, and still, she wished it would not. She sighed.
“Give the signal to Captain Calden.”
King Thamen raised his sword to hold at his chest. He slowly lowered it to place the tip in the sand. As the sword tip touched the sand, archers stepped out of the trees behind Heardred’s now abandoned boats. Half of them faced Heardred, and the other half turned to those behind Heardred. On the south bank, troops with swords stepped out onto the banks. The company to the north remained hidden.
King Thamen called to Heardred. “Come no further.”
Heardred pretended not to understand the words. He signaled to for those who followed to stop. “Du kan ikke stoppe meg, gammel mann.”
Bryn chuckled. “He just called you an old man who wears gray hair like a crown.”
“How do I speak with him?”
“Tell me what you want to say, and I will speak. It will give the illusion I am what we want Heardred to think I am, a druid.”
“I can and will stop you,” King Thamen said to Heardred.
“Jeg kan og vil stoppe deg,” Bryn repeated.
Heardred laughed. He looked at Thamen, dismissing Bryn. “I can speak your tongue when it suits me,” he said. “Today, it suits me to tell you I will have this island.”
“You will die trying to take it,” King Thamen said. “Look behind you.”
Heardred turned and looked behind him. He saw the archers and the troops on the southern bank. He frowned for a moment before turning back to King Thamen.
“Did your druid witch tell you I can be defeated? HA! I know these druids. They only know the entrails of the dead. They are good for nothing else.”
“And do you know dragons?” King Thamen asked.
“I know they can be killed.”
Bryn’s heart began to beat hard in her chest. Meydra dropped to the ground and slammed the ground with her tail, and the blow caused the water to lap hard against Heardred’s legs. Stunned by Meydra’s presence, Heardred could not take his gaze off the dragon.
“If that beast thinks it can scare me, it should think again. I can pierce its hide, and it will die,” he said.
“Your axe will fall from your hand if you raise it to this dragon,” Bryn said.
“Be silent witch!”
“Slipp dine våpen,” Bryn said to those behind Heardred. “Vil du dø i dag?”
Heardred turned to the men and women behind him. “You will not lay down your weapons unless you do mean to die today. I will have the head of each one of you who obeys this witch!”
“You see,” King Thamen said. “You have those among you who do understand the nature of this dragon. You seem to be the stubborn one, old man.”
In a fit of anger, Heardred turned quickly and released his axe. It hit Thamen squarely in the chest and killed him instantly. Arrows filled the air as Thamen’s men fired on the enemy. Many Norse fell into the water.
“STOP!” Bryn called. She held Calibairn in her hand and raised it above her head. As Heardred and the others turned to look at her, Bryn grew as tall as Meydra. She was bathed in the light of the rising sun as it seemed to pulse behind her. On her forehead flashed a jewel of bright white light. Her skin shimmered as if covered in silver scales.
“I am the Jewel of Legend. I am the Star which fell to the earth and consumed it to give birth to the Dragons. Heed my words, lay down your weapons!”
Heardred hesitated only a moment. He grabbed a spear from the man standing beside him and threw it at Bryn.
“Odin!” he called.
Malcolm and Cinnia descended from above the boats as the men and women ran onto the sand, axes, spears, and shields at the ready. IronHeart gave a loud cry, and the men and women stopped running to look up at the sky. The sight of the two dragons quickly descending on them caused them to scatter towards the trees. Some turned back to the boats only to see the boats engulfed in flames as IronHeart and Kayleen set them to blaze. Those who ran toward the trees were met by the troops who waited hidden from view. IronHeart and Kayleen set down on the sand, and Malcolm and Cinnia came quickly off their backs.
“Yield and your lives will be spared,” Malcolm said.
Several of the Norse lay down their weapons and sank to their knees on the sand. Some continued to run for the trees where they were met by bright swords and swift arrows. The death cries of many filled the air and mixed with the smoke of the burning boats. The leader of the longboat, who had first run toward the trees, turned to face Malcolm.
“For Odin and Heardred,” he said. He lunged toward Malcolm. Malcolm raised his shield to defend against the man. The man swung his heavy axe at Malcolm’s shield, and it broke the sword in two. Malcolm raised his sword toward the man. The man again swung his axe at Malcolm but was met by IronHeart’s tail. He was swept off his feet, and as he landed, he cursed Alban. His weapon fell at Malcolm’s feet. Malcolm started for the man when he heard Bryn’s call.
“STOP!” Bryn called.
Malcolm looked around for Bryn and there on the edge of the sea she stood. Tall as the dragons and bathed in bright white light, the jewel in her forehead pierced the smoke of the burning boats. Malcolm heard her tell the Norse she was the Jewel. She was the star who fell to earth and consumed it to give birth to the dragons. He saw the shimmer of scales on her skin. At her words, the Norse dropped their weapons, falling to their knees among the trees and on the sand. The army of Alban too stood in awe of the sight. Malcolm lowered his sword and bowed his head toward Bryn. In the next moment, Bryn was gone. The jewel on Malcolm’s right arm began to glow. He raised his sword high, and the light from the jewel caused the blade to shine with fiery brillianc
e. The enemy cowered before him, dropping their heads to their chests and their weapons to the ground.
“Take up their weapons,” Malcolm called to the others. “Round up the dead Norse and bring them to the boats. Corral the living where they can see the burning boats.”
Lady Anestar stared in wide-eyed dismay at the boat as it came to a stop on the sand. The men and women aboard the longboat came out quickly with weapons moving swiftly to take the lives of those approaching them. Arrows filled the air. The sound of swords meeting axes was loud and caught Lady Anestar by surprise. A battle raged around her. As the Norse moved further up the sand, Kenna and Lothan descended toward them. Kenna came off Caraid with her sword drawn. She called out to Lothan, “Drive them back to the boat.”
Lothan remained on Demrahl. He directed his dragon to dip down and rush the Norse, trying to flee into the trees. He knew they would be met by Jend and Bendor and their armies and many lives would be forfeit. He shouted to those below him.
“Yield!”
The Norse looked up and saw Demrahl and Lothan. Lothan had his bow drawn, and he shot an arrow at the leader. It hit the leader in the shoulder, and he paused. As he hesitated, Demrahl came down on them and swept them aside with his tail. The Norse did not get up but remained on the ground. Those who ran into the trees were met by the swords and arrows of the armies of Alban. They would have all perished with the fierceness of those protecting their homeland had it not been for Bryn.
Lady Anestar was watching her daughter wielding her sword against the enemy. As Kenna raised her sword to deal a fatal blow, Bryn appeared on the hill opposite of Lady Anestar. Lady Anestar gasped as she saw Bryn. Tall as her dragon and brilliant as any star. She saw the scales of silver and the bright jewel at her forehead. Lady Anestar sank to her knees and wept.
The enemy dropped their weapons when Bryn called out. The Jewel on her forehead touched each of them as if branded by the hottest iron, and they screamed. Some fainted, and others hid their faces in their hands. No one understood until just then, the true nature of the legend of the Jewel.