Dragonfly Refrain

by Aimee Moore

  Caelund scoffed. “You cannot even bring me the empire’s most wanted without failure. Tell me Lianne, what can you do? You cannot cook a meal, you cannot woo a man, you cannot look the part of a woman, you cannot even piss standing up. What can you do?”

  My anger blazed for her. How dare this child who bore no weapon at all insult her?

  “I can swing a sword better than any halfwit here,” Lianne said, raising her chin with pride.

  “I doubt it, since only halfwits let women serve in my army,” the boy king said. “That’ll change shortly.”

  Lianne’s nostrils flared as her eyes narrowed.

  “Your Majesty,” I said in a voice that echoed. “Dal and I are on an errand of peace to Sunwold. They lack livestock and crops and we seek to remedy that before leaving forever. We shall not return to bother you again. Tell us how we may acquire what we need or let us go.”

  Caelund turned a hostile gaze from Lianne to myself. “Bold demands from a traitor. Bolder still with the enemy at her side. I heard Kraw are twice as hard to kill as a normal man, and twice as much torture is needed to extract information. Imagine the secrets he could spill.”

  I opened my mouth to defend, but Dal stepped forward, his deep voice carrying through the room and up into the darkness. “We tire of conflict. You are now the ruler of a vast civilization, and so should recognize great power and opportunity when it stands before you.”

  The boy king scoffed. “I see only an enemy soldier and his whore, the arrogant woman who dares return to beg for help. You must place much faith in this woman to have marched into this city after you had suffered such defeat.”

  The whore comment failed to offend, for it was always the same insult when people saw that we were companions. It was fear steeped in ignorance, nothing more.

  Dal said, “The defeat was yours, whether your new position as ruler has gifted you with this knowledge or not.”

  Caelund gave a superior smile that didn’t reach his eyes. I wanted to burn that smirk off his face.

  “Defeat, Kraw? You savages marched upon our city and waged war you couldn’t finish. You gained no spoils of war, no food or treasures.” He tilted his palm up. “Here Elanthia stands, and we’ll build a more glorious existence than before in spite of your paltry attack.”

  I said, “The leyline below this castle is closed now because of the Kraw. That was their objective; to cauterize the wound in our world so that we may live. They met their goal and left.” Yes, the Kraw left. Right after I killed the Warlord, the most horrifying being in existence, and then succeeded him. I would no more admit that to these humans than my other sins.

  Caelund’s lip curled under the weight of my words. “You lie to your king?”

  Dal said, “It is foolish for any ruler to think that an army which cut through your defenses like rendered fat turned tail in defeat. Your advising council has failed you in their attempts to forge you into a malleable puppet. We offer the truth. You would be wise to accept it, for there is power in truth.”

  One of the robed advisors leaned forward to whisper to the boy king, and my mind was filled with the last images of the leyline. That writhing, purple glow over the wound in my world. The power spilling from it, saturating my very blood. I could have moved worlds with it.

  “Shut up,” Caelund snapped at the old man, who backed off with a sour look. The young king scowled at us. “I read my father’s accounts, you know. I learned of your imprisonment and your attempts to take Elanthia’s great power for yourself. I know more than you could ever hope to understand.”

  Youth. “It can’t be wielded,” I said. “The council tried, and it killed our world. Have you not seen the skeletons of forests beyond these city walls? The barren fields of crops that will never again bear the life of harvest? The mountains that crumbled up into the sky?”

  “And why should I believe you?” Caelund said, a look of superiority on his face.

  I glanced at Dal, and he gave me a small nod. Turning to the rug at my feet, I swallowed, then let off an exhale. When at last I looked up and met the boy king’s eyes, I raised my chin and spoke loud and clear.

  “Because it was I who destroyed the leyline.”

  Voices crested to a hostile wave.

  Caelund yelled over the noise. “Silence, fools.” And soon, the glint of blades mixed with the burn of anger all around the room. “You,” Caelund said to me in disbelief.

  “I would do it again, to save my world. You call me a traitor, because all you know is that I chose to believe your enemy before taking the leyline from your people. But make no mistake, I have suffered much for it. The Kraw murdered my family, took me captive, and subjected me to atrocities not fit to be mentioned in this great hall.

  “And still, after those sorrows weighed so heavy in my heart and freedom was within my reach, I returned to the Kraw. To be brutalized and tortured some more. Because my own people would rather call me a traitor than do the right thing for the world they were killing.”

  The silence was stifling.

  My voice got low. “You can call me what you want, write your history as you wish, but make no mistake; I am losing patience. After what I lost for you people, some part of me yet would rather burn this cursed city to the ground than bear the insult of your mistrust.” My hand twitched with the urge to touch my belly.

  Caelund’s brows were knit together, his thin lips parted slightly in surprise.

  “Bloody hell,” Lianne said into the silent room.

  Dal spoke up. “The council were powerful rulers, and they sought to use the leyline for their own ends. A wise ruler would see what the leyline has done to his world, and learn from mistakes past. The next time your world’s power poses such a threat, the Kraw may not arrive to stop it.”

  The advisor behind the boy king gestured, his motions jerking with agitation. “Are you going to listen to this nonse—”

  “Do you think I got this limp from spinning wool in my village?” I snarled, flame licking its way up my hands and feet, singeing the opulent carpet.

  Caelund raised a hand to the advisor, silencing him. The old man began whispering frantically to the others he was standing with behind the throne.

  The air was tense with indecision, and the boy king chewed on his thumbnail as he considered us for a time.

  Finally, he said, “Sunwold? That run-down sunflower village? You have friends or kin there?”

  “A friend. I only want to procure goods for her village, then we’ll be gone. You’ll never see me again after today.”

  Another stooped old man leaned forward and whispered to the boy king, and he nodded, then turned back to Dal and me. “You are still traitors to your own people, both of you. But right now, detaining you will be more trouble than you’re worth. You want to leave? Then leave.”

  Then Caelund turned to a soldier standing nearest him. “Take their goods, allow them to make their trades, and see them out of Elanthia.” Then that cold, pompous gaze was on me again. “Perform your errand in the great name of Elanthia, and never come back, Seraphine of Lambston. When we meet again, I’ll have found a way to subdue you and your Kraw, and your life will be forfeit. Do not forget my generosity this day,” he ended in a bored tone. And then, the boy king waved us away, and our escorts closed in around us to usher us from the child’s sight.

  Had I known the circumstances in which I would see him again, I would have warned him at what was to come. As it was, I limped away in irritation, thinking myself rid of him forever.

  ∞∞∞∞

  Dal and I were not granted the courtesy of food or a night’s stay. It became clear I could no more take Dal through the city to trade than I could shoulder the burden myself. As such, some of the palace guards conducted the errand in our stead while we stood in a room with a desk and no chairs. I had no doubt that they kept some of the coin for their troubles, but as they returned to us with all my requirements met, I didn’t make trouble over it.

  We were ejected from
the palace with our new supplies as soon as they were able. Within the day, I found myself just outside of the crumbled gates of Elanthia, the spoils of our trade in tow behind me. I was perched on a covered cart containing pigs, chickens, buckets of seeds and fresh preserves, salted meats, and weapons for the people of Sunwold to defend themselves. I had ensured that the weapons were small and light.

  Small and light enough for women to wield.

  I had also procured three strong horses, a cow and bull, sheep, fresh soaps, jewels, and luxurious fabrics. And last but not least, happy yellow sunflowers in dirt-filled burlap sacks for Sunwold to be returned to its former glory. It would seem that the Kraw weapons were a high prize to fetch all of this.

  I stopped the horses pulling the cart and looked back at the city. The cart behind me rocked, and Dal squeezed through the small opening into the wide seat next to me. The brush of his skin against my arm sent butterflies into my belly. “Meddlesome humans,” he said as he sat.

  I flicked the reins and got the horses to clopping on. “Yes, but look at all the supplies we obtained for Sunwold. And, I cannot say why, but I’m relieved that my people know the truth of the war. Perhaps it can serve as a warning to any others who seek to wound our world anew by using another leyline.”

  “Children bear warnings as well as they bear being told no.”

  “Well then, it shall not be our problem.”

  “Hm. Stop the cart,” Dal said, turning.

  “What? Why?” I asked, pulling the horses to a stop.

  But Dal didn’t answer, he turned to look around the back of the cart. I heard nothing at all besides the animals, but Dal’s Kraw hearing caught something significant. When he turned back to me, he said, “You make friends with ease, Sera.”

  I scoffed. “Yes, I’m surrounded by… Why are you looking at me that way? As if someone told you a great joke?”

  Then a familiar voice cut through the air behind our procession. “Oy, it’s hotter than sheep’s balls out here.”

  “Oh no,” I whispered.

  Dal let off a quiet laugh as Lianne, full armor shining in the blazing sun, walked up to the side of our cart to stand next to me. Helmet under her arm, her new Kraw sword bouncing at her hip, she was squinting upward at the late day sun.

  “Lianne, what are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Came to see you off, of course.”

  “Thank you, brave soldier, but my slave and I can take it from here.”

  “Right,” Lianne said with a huff as she grabbed the side of my cart and helped herself up. The cart rocked under her muscled weight and armor combined. She stood between us in the front seat, then said to Dal, “Okay then, I’ve got it from here. Slaves to the back of the cart, yeah? Off you go.”

  Dal relaxed himself against the back of the cart. “My duties are not for you to decide.”

  I smirked.

  Lianne scoffed. “Awful mouthy for a slave, that one. Can’t tolerate that guff, you can’t. Alright, then.” Lianne then squeezed her bottom between myself and Dal. I gasped, my mouth hanging in an incredulous gape, while Dal scowled down at the imposing human who had just wedged herself squarely between us.

  “Let’s be off then,” Lianne said.

  “You’re joking,” I said.

  “Nah, can’t miss a joke of mine; I can’t stop laughing.”

  “Isn’t the point of a joke to make other people laugh?” I asked in a flat tone, flicking the reins. The cart jolted onward.

  “Can’t say I give a rat’s arse what the point of a joke is, I laugh and that’s plenty enough for me.”

  “Well, Lianne, we’re out of the kingdom now, and we really don’t need an escort. As you know, my guard and I are more than capable of handling ourselves.”

  “Oh sure, but you know I figured I’d go to Sunwold on behalf of Elanthia. All official and whatnot, you know, a good proper job for a soldier of the capital city.”

  “Let her come,” Dal said in Kraw.

  “I do not want the intrusion,” I answered in his language. “She will be meddlesome.”

  “King’s spit, you speak their language,” Lianne said.

  “You know as well as anyone else that I was captive,” I said in a flat tone.

  “I taught her,” Dal said.

  “Really…” Lianne said, looking over Dal. “One hell of a slave, eh Seraphine? Not bad looking either, if I may say. You use him for anything other than hauling goods around? Not that I’m into fraternizing with enemy beast flesh or none that, but a woman can’t help notice that he’s got all the right parts for a good run in the sack if you know what I mean. Built just like us, they are, twice as rugged and stronger than oxen. Would make a great f—”

  “I am not a bed slave,” Dal growled.

  “Why are we letting her come?” I asked in Kraw.

  “Listen to what she does not say, Sera, and you will understand,” he answered in kind.

  I huffed a sigh at Dal’s way of saying things without actually saying them. “Alright, Lianne. But I must request that we keep the talk to a minimum,” I said.

  “Ain’t much of a conversationalist anyhow,” Lianne said with a wave of her hand.

  Of course, she never shut her crude trap for the entirety of the day’s journey. And Dal never ceased to find her amusing. I settled into defeat by the end of the day, refusing to quirk even a smile at her jokes. Crabby I may have been, but humans were unwelcome to me anymore. Less so when they imposed themselves on me.

  Chapter 3

  The Truth Of You

  The real test of Lianne’s character came when we made camp that night under the skeletal arms of trees that refused to leaf out. It took time to get our circus of animals cared for and our tents erected. Dal and I worked at our tasks peacefully, Lianne joining the careful dance of our existence with all the finesse of a bull herder.

  Whatever her reasons for joining us, it was plain to see that she could breathe easier away from Caelund’s court. Perhaps that was another good I could do in this world before Dal took us away forever; giving Lianne a reprieve from Elanthia’s gilded prejudice.

  When it came time to share a meal around my undying campfire, I made a decision. I sat next to Dal, leaning into him as I ate my stew. Lianne’s gaze rested on our nearness, for this was the first time I had gotten this close to my slave in her presence.

  “I’m loathe to admit that I’m grateful for her help,” I said to Dal in Kraw tongue.

  “As the people of Sunwold will be, should she stay,” he answered in kind.

  I smiled. “Did that brilliant mind of yours cook that up before we even met her?”

  A slight laugh tumbled out of Dal. “Sunwold’s women have much to learn from her.”

  I let my gaze shift to Lianne. “Much, indeed,” I murmured.

  “I do not think that secrecy is necessary any longer,” he said.

  “Council’s balls, you two are a strange pair of travelers,” Lianne said into her bowl of stew. Most had an aversion to my use of Kraw tongue in front of them, but Lianne had never displayed hostility over it. Perhaps Dal was right.

  I looked up at Dal and spoke in the common language. “She thinks us strange, Dal.”

  Dal put his arm around me as I put my soup down, and I warmed, my body lighting up at the contact.

  “She is not wrong,” Dal said to me, pulling me close.

  I reached a hand to his face and pulled him in for a lingering kiss. He was gentle with me, teasing, and I could hardly wait to get into the tent and be teased some more. We ended our kiss, and I curled into his side with a contented sigh, then glanced at Lianne to witness the impact of our truth. If ever there was a test of someone’s tolerance for Dal, it was allowing them to witness our affections.

  Lianne was staring at us with wide eyes. “Slave, my tit,” she bellowed. “So that’s the truth of you, is it?”

  Dal laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile at the chaos our one kiss had summoned.

  “Seven hel
ls, the sniveling snert of a king was right, you are the creature’s whore.”

  Dal spoke first, his deep voice settling over our camp. “Sera is my mate. It is a rare bond, to be celebrated.”

  “That like marriage?” Lianne asked, a suspicious squint to her eye.

  “No,” Dal said.

  “Kraw don’t marry,” I said. “It’s something deeper. We forged this bond after what we survived together.” Then I picked up my stew and began to eat.

  Lianne got a stern look on her face, looking between us as she digested this information. Finally, she gave a nod. “Cross species love affair, that is. Two of you could start another war just by doing what you did there in front of the Elanthian court.”

  “That’s why I presented Dal as my slave,” I said.

  “Well then, our noble leader didn’t believe a lick of it. Truth is he sent me to keep an eye on you two, make sure you’re not plotting the end of the world under our noses.”

  “You can’t believe that,” I said in exasperation.

  “Didn’t believe Elanthia could be breached either, but here we are,” Lianne said. “Was given orders, I was, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to muck them up like I always do. Kraw like blood, you’re Kraw, bout all I need to know.”

  “We tire of war,” Dal said. “We wish only for peace.”

  “Even if our intent was malicious, you’d have no way to notify your king,” I said.

  Lianne straightened to reach into a section of her armor, fishing out a stone bird figurine, no bigger than a butterfly. “One of them Gifted enchanted it. Says if I whisper to it, it’ll fly back right quick and lead them to us.”

  “You can’t whisper if you’re dead,” I muttered into my bowl.

  Dal gave a soft laugh as Lianne’s face went blank with realization. “We have no desire to cause more death. Your people’s gifts are unique. I am sorry that we will not get to witness this one in action.”

  “Yes, what a sight it must be,” I said as Lianne stowed the tiny bird back in her armor, frowning at us.