The Dragon King

by Patty Jansen

  “I can’t see another option. We’ll tell him as much as he needs to know.”

  Chapter 12

  * * *

  NELLIE FOLLOWED HENRIK across the forecourt up the steps to the front door. When he knocked, the sound reverberated in the hollow space beyond.

  A moment later Lord Verdonck’s housekeeper opened the door.

  Henrik said, “We would like to speak with your master, please.”

  “May I ask what this is about?”

  “It’s a confidential matter of extreme importance.”

  Henrik clearly had experience in sounding very authoritative and convincing.

  The housekeeper showed them to a small room and told them to wait while he went to inform the master.

  The sound of male voices drifted across the hall from the library. Having been inside the room before, Nellie could imagine Adalbert sitting by the fire.

  Not much later the housekeeper came back. “The master will see you now.” He led Henrik and Nellie into the library.

  Adalbert Verdonck sat behind the big desk, and when Nellie and Henrik came into the room, he pushed away the paper that he had been writing on.

  An agreement he didn’t want them to see? A budget for sending out an army? A letter to someone else to join him?

  “This is an unusual visit,” he said.

  “It’s an unusual situation,” Henrik said. “I spotted Master Emmel outside.”

  “Dear man, do you wish to criticise who I receive as guests?”

  “I know him well and I know what he does, so I cannot help but question his presence here.”

  “What would you say to ‘That’s none of your business?’ ”

  “I accept that, yet it is my business. Knowing the things I know, I would strongly advise you against sending mercenaries into Saardam.”

  Adalbert Verdonck snorted and lifted his eyebrows. “What makes you think I’m going to do that?”

  “Master Emmel’s presence, for one. And the things you’ve said while in the palace.”

  Another snort. “The place is in chaos, and someone needs to bring order. Apparently, the Regent’s son has truly taken his father’s position, and the church supports him.”

  Nellie couldn’t stop herself exclaiming, “Casper?”

  “Yes. That utter ill-mannered brat. He’s taken to ordering the guards about on ridiculous tasks. He’s sent me another letter asking for my assistance, financial assistance, of course.”

  Nellie thought of the previous letter he had shown her. “What did you respond to the first letter?”

  He spread his hands. “And now you want to know my business as well? Yes, I responded. I told the young brat that if he really wanted to be a ruler, he’d start by taking a mentor and marrying a princess.” He laughed.

  Nellie pushed down annoyance.

  “Ruling a country is a serious business, not to be placed in the hands of a sixteen-year-old boy. Someone has to teach him a lesson.”

  “I agree, but sending in troops is not how to do it,” Henrik said.

  Adalbert Verdonck raised his eyebrows. “He’s a boy. What can go wrong?”

  “As long as the church supports him, everything.”

  Adalbert wrinkled his nose. “Priests. I will hear no more of them.”

  “Dangerous magical priests. You think a boy of sixteen can control them? You think mercenaries are the answer to a strong magician?”

  Adalbert Verdonck hesitated. A small frown crossed his face. He might have dismissed their stories about magic during their last visit, but he was not stupid. He’d learn what there was to learn about a situation, and then he would use as much as he could.

  He gestured at the couch.

  Henrik took the hint and sat down. Nellie sat down next to him.

  Lord Verdonck took a piece of parchment from the top of the stack of books next to his desk. He handed it to Henrik, presuming Nellie couldn’t read.

  But Nellie looked over his shoulder.

  “I received this from a friend,” Lord Verdonck said. “I know you believe otherwise, but it was one of the reasons Master Emmel was here: to deliver that letter. He and I go back a long way. We used to live on the same street.”

  “So did we,” Nellie said. “Henrik went into the guards, and I ended up working in the palace for the queen. I also went with her to Florisheim.”

  Nellie was quite sick of this young noble acting like he thought less of her.

  “Is that so?”

  He looked at her with renewed curiosity as if he couldn’t believe that a maid could have any use.

  Meanwhile, Henrik was reading. The letter was written in a very neat handwriting, and Nellie recognised a seal at the top as being from one of the council families. She even thought she knew which family. The father was a grumpy old man who refused to come to any of the Regent’s banquets. Normally she would question what he knew, but in this case it was a good sign.

  “Things have really started to go bad,” Henrik said.

  Adalbert Verdonck nodded, as if he expected Henrik to agree with his proposition to send an army.

  “Did he really do that?”

  “Yes, Master Emmel was talking to me about it because he had to confirm what they said was true. The young upstart got the other young boys who taunted him in his youth to come to the palace, take off their pants, and run laps around the forecourt.”

  “It might just be a little teasing,” Henrik said.

  “I wouldn’t think so. There is that trollop Baroness Hestia egging him on. And the church should know better and should stop it. Already some of the noble families are angry, but apparently some of their young sons have given the lout money.”

  “They should be livid.”

  “Take it from me, I’m sure they are, and I’m sure that some action won’t be far away, especially if we show up at the palace gates with an army.”

  “What would you do if it were your son?” Nellie asked. She didn’t know if he had a son; she guessed probably not, because of what Gisele had told her.

  “If I had a son, I would be there demanding my loans back immediately, except I have already done that and I am not exactly known for my patience. Most of these lazy people have a lot more patience than I do.”

  “But this is such a dangerous situation, with a young boy playing these games at the expense of the country.”

  He gave her a suspicious look, as if wondering where she was going with this.

  “My point is, I don’t think anyone who is sensible, like you, would put up with this any longer than it takes for your son to walk home without his pants and be laughed at by all the citizens.”

  He pressed his lips together.

  “Now I guess a lot of these men are your friends. Would you suggest that they wouldn’t do exactly the same if a member of their family was insulted? In fact, I observed Casper ridiculing the mayor’s daughter and making crude comments about her. The mayor was very angry indeed, so it is not as if it is the first time that Casper has been insulting people. Shouldn’t they be much angrier than they are?”

  She could see in his eyes that he finally saw that she might be right. “Why are they not acting in a way that suggests that they’re angry?”

  He gave a small shrug. “Because it takes time to get protest organised. Oh, it’s easy enough to storm into the palace and make your displeasure known, but it’s another thing altogether to do it in such a way that it has an effect.”

  “Your friends in Saardam have been doing this?”

  “Not as fast as I would have liked. But I can’t see into their affairs. There may have been issues that necessitated a delay in their actions. It’s difficult to judge from here.”

  Nellie asked, “All the while doing this, have there been any more dinners?”

  “I suspect they are more lavish than ever,” Henrik said.

  Adalbert Verdonck scoffed. “The letter says that despicable priest even takes part in most of them. He fills the young gentlemen�
�s heads with rubbish, from what I hear, and they behave like animals without their parents around.”

  “Just to be clear, you haven’t offered him any support?”

  He gave her a What do you take me for? look. “I thought my father’s support of the Regent was already too much, even if I accepted his arguments for it. I think this young lout well crosses the boundaries of acceptability.”

  “But that same letter he sent you, he would have written to others, and some have obviously given him their support.”

  He snorted. “It seems so, although I have no idea why.”

  “Magic in the food,” Nellie said. “I told you this last time we were here.”

  And obviously, he had discounted her words.

  She continued, her voice low. “I have noticed it myself, after leaving the palace. My thoughts have become much clearer, and I’ve felt more able to ask questions.”

  His frown deepened. It was now a few days ago that he had last visited the palace. The effect of anything he’d eaten there would have worn off.

  He spoke slowly. “You mean they support him because there is some sort of magic poison in the food that is served at the banquets?”

  “I don’t think it comes from the kitchen,” Nellie said. “I worked in the kitchens, and I can tell you that nothing suspicious happened there. The food arrives at the palace already infused with magic. I have seen how they do it with gin. I told you this last time, too. I think at the time you had just come back from the palace and you didn’t believe me.”

  “I don’t even remember that you said it.” Adalbert Verdonck was looking decidedly disturbed now. His face was haunted and his expression dark. After a long silence, he said, “I feel a like an idiot, and believe me, I do not like admitting that. My father talked about this magic a lot. But he was always taking all those pills for his health, and he was fine whenever he visited the palace. Even when he got sick in the palace I thought it was just his way of complaining that he didn’t want to go to the banquet. He was always everywhere, but he got sick of people very quickly and he always left early.”

  That was true.

  “I laughed about his pill taking, but I never really questioned what was in all these things. He was very particular about what he ate and told me not to trust any food served by anyone whom you didn’t consider a friend, but said nothing more about the food that was served at the palace. I didn’t go to the banquets. I brought my own food, because I disliked the company. He may have been trying to protect me.”

  “Do you have any of those pills he was taking?” Nellie asked.

  “Maybe. I will have to search for them. Why?”

  “I have heard of some herbal remedies that work against magic. I suspect they only work against low forms of magic and that a direct attack by magic will still require a magician to be defeated. But if people in the city—important people at least—could be convinced to take these pills, then you would get a lot more support if you came to drive Casper out of the palace.”

  Now he was looking at her with renewed interest. “So, if I found these pills, could you tell what’s in them?”

  “I can’t, but some of the women would probably know.”

  “And you could make more of these pills?”

  “Probably. We have with us a woman who used to run a shop selling sweets. I’m sure she knows how to make pills.”

  “But how would we get them out there and how would we let people know that they should take these pills?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just making this up as I go.” Then, thinking of Zelda, she added, “We could pretend to be medicine women, although you’ll find it hard to get many in my group to go back to Saardam. Most of them are terrified of being recaptured. Maybe your soldiers could enter the city and hand out food like the shepherd does.”

  “We don’t want the poor people to eat it. We want to reach the nobles. We have to put it in the food that’s served at the banquet.”

  “In that case, I don’t know. I’m not at the palace anymore and it’s too dangerous for me to go there.”

  “I agree it would be dangerous to go into town. You’ve made me think, though.”

  Hopefully he’d think for long enough to see that taking an army into the city was a bad idea. Maybe he’d heard the fire dog rumours from his friends. Who knew what sort of contacts these rich men had?

  Meanwhile, Henrik continued, “We actually came here today because a boy from our group has gone missing. In the past few days, he appeared homesick and we think he’s either hiding somewhere or he has gone to Saardam. We would like your assistance in trying to find him. Anything you can think of, but most of all, we would like you to tell your men to look out for a skinny young boy, fourteen years of age, with dark hair and dark eyes.”

  “This boy came with you on the ship?”

  “Yes.”

  He gave both Henrik and Nellie a sharp look. Did he suspect this was Bruno? And then a horrible thought: Adalbert Verdonck considered himself eligible for the throne. What if he had recognised Bruno and made him disappear?

  But it was clear from the tracks in the frozen grass that Bruno had left on the dragon’s back. And certainly the dragon wouldn’t allow Bruno to be captured.

  While Nellie struggled with her suspicion, Henrik said that they wanted only to borrow two horses and a cart. He explained it was for himself and Nellie, because the two of them were the people the boy knew best and trusted most.

  “All right,” Adalbert Verdonck said. “If you want I can lend you some men to search for him. I have a house in the city that is currently empty. You can use it if you want. There are three permanent staff in the house.”

  Henrik bowed. “Thank you very much, but the latter is not necessary. I have family in Saardam.”

  Nellie and Henrik left the room, walked across the hall and out the front door. It was not until they were halfway down the lane that Henrik spoke.

  “That sneaky bastard. I think he intended to storm into the city, depose Casper and take the throne for himself.”

  “Do you think we shouldn’t have told him about the magic?”

  “No, because it offends me to send fellow soldiers to their deaths, and I think he may hesitate sending his men now that he knows about the magic.”

  “I think he might know about Bruno,” Nellie said.

  “Probably, although Bruno definitely left of his own will, or that dragon would have made such a ruckus that all of us would have been awake.”

  That confirmed Nellie’s thoughts on the matter. “But what if he promised Bruno something?”

  “That would have required him having spoken to Bruno, and no one came near the barn, not even when you were away.”

  “Do you think he would do Bruno any harm?” Nellie’s heart was thudding. She did and didn’t want to hear the reply to this question, but she had to know whether Adalbert could be as bad as her fears made him out to be.

  But Henrik shook his head. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t seem that type of man. Although he may stand by the side while we look for him and probably won’t mind if we don’t find him. I suspect there are a great number of people who will object if Adalbert makes a grab for the throne, and it’s probably why the church has never made haste determining who the rightful heir is, anyway. They can’t reject him too publicly, because of his loans to the city, so they’re doing this careful dance instead.”

  “Does he have any claim to the throne?”

  “The joke goes that there isn’t a noble in all of the lowlands who doesn’t have a claim to the throne, no matter how distant. If there was a line for the throne, however, he would be somewhere at the back.”

  “You think that’s what the mercenaries were for?”

  “It’s possible that he only had a friend visit him, but in my experience, these men don’t have friends. They have associates and business partners. If Master Emmel was here, he was here for a reason. Either to protect Lord Verdonck on a trip, or to get rid of band
its, or protect the estate. But there is no danger that requires an army of men.”

  “He could just be nervous.”

  “Not him, I don’t think. He’s the bold and loud type. He dislikes spying and scheming.”

  Nellie said, “I don’t think he’s a bad man, just very impatient.”

  “No, he isn’t, but he’s a very brusque person and will have everyone in Saardam fighting before he even gets there to assume power that isn’t his to take. We won’t be using his house, and we won’t be using any of his people. We will use his horses, because at least horses can’t talk. We are going straight to the city now before he can warn anybody. We’ll find Bruno without his help and meddling.”

  “I don’t like leaving the others here, though,” Nellie said.

  “They should be safe. He’s not interested in paupers. They’re better off here than at that nunnery. It’s only when we find Bruno that he will become more dangerous. There is only one thing you can do with men like him.”

  “And that is?”

  “Use them. Be smart and get them to do what you need done while letting them believe it was their idea and they’re doing it to benefit themselves. I bet that, right now, he’s going through his father’s bedroom to find those pills. What’s the bet he’s going to come to the barn to ask for the women’s assistance in figuring out what’s in these pills? That was quite smart, the way you mentioned how magic affects the nobles.”

  “It was an accident. It was just a thought. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it at all. That man frightens me.”

  “He frightens me, too. That’s why we need to use him.”

  Chapter 13

  * * *

  NELLIE HAD BEEN prepared to go back to the city to find Bruno accompanied only by Henrik, but she was unprepared for the reaction they got at the barn. It was time for the evening meal, and Agatha and Mina were putting out plates. The smell of hearty cooking was heavenly. Nellie had sent Ewout and Bas to get some rabbits from Mustafa. It was a long time since they had eaten meat.