by Ivy Clyde
Perhaps, the three of us had become part of Daria’s harem. She was as loyal to us as we were to her.
Cain and Adal already understood this about their relationship with her. They treated her with kindness and understanding while I bickered with her all the time. Now that I was miles away from her, I couldn’t even tell her how stupid I’d been.
My thoughts kept me awake the whole night, only getting me to doze towards dawn. However, as soon as the eastern sky turned lighter, I was up. The earlier I rode, the quicker I’d reach Partaig and get a proper bed to sleep.
The journey to Partaig was uneventful. Other than stopping at a roadside tavern for some hard bread and ale, I kept riding, making sure to keep my hood up at all times. Both my midnight-blue hair and purple-hued eyes were uncommon in the four kingdoms. I received them from my mother, a concubine to the late dragon king of Redfall.
It was the first time for me to be visiting Partaig. My earlier visits to Iorna were always restricted to the palace of Gweryn.
Now, however, I stared out into the vast city which was right outside the gates of Cain’s palace. It was close to noon, and the streets were full of vendors selling fruits and vegetables, silks and luxury goods, and earthenware. The people shopping around looked well-off and happy. None of the poverty I saw in the smaller towns and villages of Iorna touched this city.
“Hey, old man,” I said, leaning down my horse towards an elderly shopkeeper selling oranges. “Which way to the finest tavern in this town?”
He stared at me, his large gray eyes taking in my appearance from head to foot. A calculative look replaced his earlier expression of boredom. Unease stirred inside me. Raising a hand, he pointed forward. “Keep going straight until you see it.”
Thanking him, I headed to the tavern. I hadn’t spent more than a few copper coins on the way, keeping to Daria’s logic. My exhaustion was about to rebel though. I hadn’t slept or eaten properly for two days now and was craving for a decent meal of wine, meat, and freshly-baked bread. Since most of the people on the streets looked well-off enough, I decided they wouldn’t take note of a man spending a few silvers to get a meal.
Tethering the horse to a nearby post, I entered the inn. It wasn’t crowded but there were several tables filled with patrons. Heading to the back of the pub, I took a seat at an empty table.
“You don’t look familiar,” said a middle-aged woman, waddling towards me. From the tight stretch of her apron over her protruding belly, I could tell she was pregnant.
“Just passing through.”
“What can I get you, traveler?”
“Get me the best stuff you’ve got.” I placed two silvers on the table. “Enough?”
She seemed to be taking in my appearance with an unusual scrutiny, same as the old seller I met at the city’s gates.
“Stay there. I’ll get your meal,” she said, sweeping away before I could decide whether to leave the tavern and head straight for the place Cain arranged for me. Without my companions at my side, I was suddenly feeling vulnerable. It was barely a week and I’d already gotten used to the feeling of watching each other’s backs.
The woman came back with a basket of bread rolls and wine. “I’ll get you some more meat in a while. It will take some time to cook it through.”
“Thank you,” I said, happy to have something to eat and drink for the moment. The rolls looked buttery and soft. Ignoring her, I stuffed a whole roll into my mouth. Chewing on it, I poured some wine into the wooden goblet left behind by her. I chased down another roll with a gulp of the wine. Within minutes, I’d wolfed down all the bread and sat drinking the wine.
It was only then I noticed the sudden hush that had fallen over the inn. The patrons filling up the tables were all gone, leaving the place empty and deserted. An odd silence filled the vast space. Unease settled in my chest.
Getting to my feet, I decided to walk out. It already seemed like a bad idea to have come into the tavern. Senses alert, I walked through the tables until I was at the door. Through the open entryway, I spotted a whole garrison of men stationed outside. My gaze flickered to the other side of the inn. Through the dirty glass windows, I saw more soldiers surrounding the building.
Fuck! Were they here for me?
“Look what the cat dragged in.” An unsettlingly familiar voice sneered. Shifting my gaze away from the windows, I looked towards the man before me. Fuck, fuck, fuck! It was Mekhi, Emperor Ivan’s eldest son, the man who’d already executed me once. A sinister grin curled the corner of his thin lips. With a sideways glance, he said, “Come along, Helena. Is this the man you saw hanging around Prince Cain?”
To my horror, Helena came to stand beside him. Her cold black eyes rested on mine. “That’s him.”
Mekhi sniggered, slowly dragging his feet to walk towards me. “How did you live through your last execution?” Before I could say a word, he held up his hand. “Wait! Don’t tell me now. We’ll have plenty of opportunity to carry on our conversation in one of Cain’s dungeons.”
Electricity crackled around my hands, steadily flowing through both my arms.
Mekhi laughed openly in my face. “Are we still doing this? You know what happens when you try to resist.”
With a backward glance at the soldiers behind him, he said, “Kill at will.”
The battalion broke away and before my horrified gaze began stabbing at the people who were shopping and going about their business mere moments ago. Their screams of anguish pierced through me. The men and women ran in every way they could, only to be intercepted and slashed to death.
“How could you do this to your own people?” I shouted at the soldiers. Their maroon and gold uniforms were the standard colors of Iorna. “You should be listening to your prince. Not him!” None of the soldiers stopped. They continued their assault on the innocent.
“Cain won’t be prince much longer,” said Mekhi, lazily looking at his nails. The bloodshed happening behind him had no effect on him. “Now that we have proof of his alliance with you, do you think the emperor will support his claim to the throne?”
“Cain can have power only if he marries me,” said Helena.
“Don’t be stupid, sister. Father will never agree to it.”
“I’ll ask him to hand over Iorna to me,” she insisted. “I want Cain as my husband. And no other!”
Mekhi shook his head. “Do you have any sort of attachment to him?” he asked, sticking a thumb towards me.
“He’s handsome too,” said Helena, her gaze raking me. “But I still want Cain.”
“He won’t thank you,” I said, balling my hands into tight fists. “I can tell you that, bitch.”
Her dark eyes flashed with rage. She stomped forward with her fist raised but Mekhi pulled her back. “Let’s get him to come with us first,” said Mekhi. Turning his gaze at me, he casually asked. “Are you coming or what, Norvin? I don’t mind cleansing the whole city for your submission.”
It was getting harder to breathe. Was my life really worth any of the ones that died today? Would my dying stop the carnage Mekhi unleashed on Cain’s people?
“Tell them to stop.” I drowned the electricity surging through me to calm down. “Please.”
“Nah. I’ll let them continue a while longer. I really hate it when you resist me.”
“Stop this now!” I bellowed, shooting a tongue of lightning at Helena’s feet. She gasped, jumping backward. Her feet caught onto the train of her gown and she stumbled to the ground. “Do it or I’ll roast this bitch right now.”
Mekhi’s sickening grin finally vanished from his face. “Stop!” he shouted to the soldiers in the back. “Tell them all to stop.”
The streets were already littered with corpses. Rivulets of blood flowed down the dusty ground, getting darker. My stomach threatened to turn at the sight of those wide, lifeless eyes frozen in an expression of terror and pain.
“Come along, now,” said Mekhi in a deceptively soft voice. “Don’t test my patience anymor
e.”
Helena glared at me as she got to her feet.
I walked out through the threshold of the inn and onto the street. Mekhi was waiting for my arrival in the city. He’d stationed his informers everywhere in Partaig. The moment I stepped through the city’s gates, I was in his grip.
As I let two soldiers roughly drag me out to the street, I wondered if Adal had managed to escape. It would be disastrous if Cain was lured out to save us. He and Daria were supposed to leave Carran that morning. Would they get news of what happened in Partaig before they got too close?
Despair and dread settled in my chest. I’d already suffered torture under Mekhi’s hands and knew what waited for me. I was anxious for Cain, Adal, and Daria. Would they be forced into Mekhi’s trap when they tried to rescue me? At that moment, I really wished I’d died the first time I was poisoned and thrown away to drown in the river.
Gritting my teeth, I walked through the streets, keeping my gaze straight ahead. The grounds were covered in corpses and each time my boot hit one, I felt a cold shudder run through me. My heart was breaking at the senseless massacre. Even in that moment of agony and despair, I wished for Daria’s presence beside me.
Please be safe, my love, I prayed.
25
Cain came to get me at dawn.
After a cold bath and thorough rest, I was ready to take on the last leg of our journey until we reached Gweryn. I was already missing Adal and Norvin. Hopefully, I would be able to see Norvin before heading to Baledonia to meet Adal with the scrolls.
“I am sorry I couldn’t come to see you,” said Cain as he stood at the threshold. Dark rings circled his eyes. Coarse beard shadowed his chin and his dark hair was unkempt. He was the one in need of a good bath and a proper meal. I’d somehow managed to do both by sneaking around the back courtyard but he barely must have gotten time to look after himself.
“You look awful.”
He chuckled, the dullness in his blue eyes vanishing for a moment. “I’ve missed you, Daria.” He walked inside the room and set down the bundle he was carrying. “You have no idea how tempting that bed looks.”
My mind went to the intimate moments that passed between me and Adal. Even though I’d washed myself well, I wondered if Cain could smell the sex and sweat in the room.
“I am ready to get going,” I said, showing him my packed bundles. “Am I riding with you or taking a new horse?”
“You’ll ride with me, Daria. It’s still dark out there and the best time to slip out. If I went around asking for a new horse, it might’ve looked suspicious.”
I nodded. “What about the villagers? Has the cure worked on them?”
He let out a long breath. “It has. Everything is calm for the moment but I know they all want justice. Helena needs to be put on trial but that will never happen. Not until the emperor falls.”
“You should’ve asked me to assassinate her.”
“Daria.” He looked grim at my suggestion.
“Don’t tell me she doesn’t deserve a death sentence for killing these innocent people. You’re the rightful king. You can give the command.”
He moved close to me and suddenly hugged me. “She still needs to go through a trial and be sentenced. Even a criminal deserves that much. Word of this will spread throughout the four kingdoms. She’ll never be welcomed anywhere other than Ivan’s palace now.”
“Still not fair,” I muttered, pressing my head against his chest.
“I know.” Stepping back, he bent down to look into my eyes. “Shall we head out? I am really looking forward to reaching the temple by daytime so I can show you some of the beauty of the dragon temple of Iorna.”
“Would we stop in Partaigh?”
“No. We’ll go around the city to reach the temple. I don’t want to be seen riding through town in this garb.”
I nodded but couldn’t help feeling the pinch of not seeing Norvin before leaving for Baledonia. “Will Norvin be staying with you?”
“I will try to get him inside the palace but it has to be done carefully. It’s much harder to move through the palace.”
“But you’re the ruling prince!”
Cain laughed again, his hand playing with a stray strand of my hair. It was such an intimate gesture, spreading warmth through me. Soon, I would have to leave him behind too. The journey to Drakhaven would be especially lonely after having traveled with them for a week.
“There are more eyes on me in the palace than here,” explained Cain. “They watch my every move.”
“Still not a fair deal.”
Cain shook his head. “No, it’s not.” He gestured towards the doorway. “Let’s get going then. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
I nodded and shouldered my pack, heading out of the door with Cain at my side.
The courtyard of the manor was completely dark without a single soul in sight. Tuto flew overhead, keeping a watch for us as we headed outside to our waiting horse.
“What happened to Lord Carran?” I whispered as we crossed one of the paths through the courtyard.
“He is very weak. I’ve sent him to live with one of his relatives so he can get well and look after his village.”
“Helena is a monster.”
“She is,” he agreed. I still bristled from the way she wanted to covet Cain like he belonged to her alone and she would kill anyone who stood in her path. I couldn’t help the smug grin that lifted the corner of my mouth as Cain helped me mount the horse. We would be riding together all the way to the dragon temples outside Partaigh. I suddenly wished Helena could see me with my back pressed to Cain’s chest while his hand rested on my stomach.
“Ready?” asked Cain, settling himself behind me.
“Ready.”
We took the open road and rode hard and fast, leaving the village behind in a short time. Tuto was like a ghostly shape, flying low over us. The eastern skies soon turned lighter but we kept going.
The only stop we made was a few hours before noon. It was a remote spot with nothing around it except for a small stream cutting through the expansive wild moors. Letting the horse drink and rest, we built a small fire to roast sweet potatoes. I’d smuggled some from the kitchen last night while I was there to hunt for some food.
“Have some bread and cheese. And there’s this wine too,” I said, taking out the earthenware jar of sweet, spiced wine.
“When did you have time for all this?” asked Cain as he eagerly opened the wine jar.
“I got that from Helena’s quarters,” I said, gesturing at the wine. “The rest came from the kitchen. There’s this bacon too I stole.”
Cain laughed. Despite his haggard appearance, he looked relaxed now. The wind whipped through his long, dark hair and as he grinned at me boyishly, I felt my heart race. I was so lucky to see this side of him. He rarely got to act so free.
For a short time, we ate and drank in comfortable silence. The cool breeze felt wonderful against the warmth of the sun shining overhead. It was easy to pretend I wasn’t on a mission to assassinate the emperor. We could just be enjoying a picnic outdoors.
“I am going to miss this,” said Cain, laying down on the grass and looking up to the sky. “The palace would feel even more suffocating after this short adventure.”
“I still don’t like riding long distances but I’ll miss you, Adal and Norvin.” I lay back on the grass beside him.
Cain shifted closer to me, offering his arm so I could use it as a pillow. It was astonishing how intimate it felt as he brought me in a warm embrace. My heart wished for the moment to last forever, us lying under the sun in a deserted moor with the breeze blowing around us. It was so easy to pretend the world didn’t exist.
Cain turned to look at me. This close to him, I could feel his hot breath fanning my face. My gaze dropped to his luscious lips. He moved nearer, his lips brushing mine and all I could do was close my eyes.
His lips were warm against mine.
Cain’s hand rested on my sho
ulder while I almost climbed on top of him, kissing him. He held me close, his arms wrapping around my body. When he opened his mouth to me, I let my tongue slide over his. Within moments, I was addicted to the delectable peppermint taste of his kiss.
When we parted, I was breathless. My body was already on fire, burning and tingling from the closeness.
“We should get going,” he said, his own voice sounding strange. “Or we’ll really end up staying here.”
Chuckling, I got off him and sat up. “We have a long way to go, don’t we?” I didn’t just mean the physical distance between the moor and the temple, but the enormity of the tasks lying ahead.
“We do.” Getting to his feet, he stamped out the remnants of the fire.
I packed up the rest of the remaining food and handed them to him.
We were on the road once more but now my mind was distracted by the kiss we’d just shared. I wondered if he knew about my intimacy with Adal. While he never acted jealous or angry like Norvin, I couldn’t help speculate what he thought of our relationship.
This isn’t the time, my mind insisted.
We rode over the next few hours, not stopping for any breaks. Close to an hour after noon, we reached the outskirts of a lush green forest. Unlike the wild abandoned ones common in these parts of the hilly region, the woods looked tamer with a visible path disappearing inside it.
“Are we there?” I asked, peering through the foliage. Something solid and white shimmered through the gaps in the leaves but there was no way to know what I was seeing.
“We are. I’ll leave the horse here while we go the rest of the distance on foot.”
Great! My thighs were sore and burning again after the hours of riding. It would be good to walk to ease some of the stiffness in my legs and back.
I followed Cain through the trees ringing the forest. Dappled-green sunlight fell through the gaps in the leaves overhead, illuminating the shadowy woods beneath. A few paces later, I got the first view of the dragon temple.
It was a beautiful monstrosity of pure white marble. A mammoth stone dragon towered over the structure. I stared up at it, feeling my lips part in awe. The creature looked so real I could feel myself staring at its exposed teeth, imagining them impaling right through me and crunching every bone in its path.
