“Where are you going?” Max wondered. “I was thinking about leaving here also, possibly to go to the beast riders school”.
“You know I was thinking of going to our capital myself” Francis replied. “Help me load up that wagon I got parked around side”.
CHAPTER 6
Mary
“I am not long for this world child” Queen Alissa began. “I do not think I will make it to your marriage. Come we have much to discuss about your rivals and things that have been done to counter them”.
“You believe my position uneasy?” Mary replied.
“I do” Queen Alissa said as she pointed to a small place on a map. “This village has no name and appears nowhere in any other map in this Queendom. Anyone who attempts to move anywhere near it is taxed so heavily they give up. Any merchants find an inhospitable place if they ever happen to stumble upon it. The place only exist for one reason, to protect the Queen”.
“How can such a small village no one has heard of protect me?” Mary asked. “Any fighting force once they know where it is could easily go in and wipe that place out. Griffin and dragoon riders would not be put off by such a place”.
“Girl, how about you do less talking and more listening” Queen Alissa began. “If you have your own plans better than what I have come up with over the years then I’ll shut up and let you have them”.
“I am sorry Your Majesty, please continue” Mary said through gritted teeth.
“As I was saying, there are no real roads to get to the place” Queen Alissa said as she pointed to where the nearest road ended. It is a small place, or so it seems at first glance. What they do have though is a grand ship, it is the best in my fleet and capable of navigating the roughest waters. You see this island here girl?” Queen Alissa pointed at a small island a good distance away from the town.
“That looks like Griffin’s isle” Mary replied.
“Well what do you know about the place?” The Queen questioned.
“All I know it is a small island that for some reason is the only place griffins breed at” Mary replied. “There really isn’t anything there, its inhospitable and the waters around it, combined with all the rocks make it almost impossible to go there. We normally send Griffin riders to carry back the baby griffins”.
“You are half true” the Queen said with a smile. “Griffins isle is surrounded by rough waters and rocks and will shatter almost any boat heading her way. There is only water lane that one can take that would bypass all the rocks and arrive somewhat safely to the island. Provided the ship’s captain knows what she is doing, she could take this current and arrive easily. Care to guess where this current begins?”
“From the town!” Mary said excitedly. “I was under the west side of our country was just horrible for sailing, that’s why there were no waterfront towns built there. Your little village is the only place feasible”.
“It is possible to run into rough waters from the town” the Queen admitted. “But there are four skilled captains, two at the town and two at griffins isle”.
“Griffins isle?” Mary said confused.
“Of course” the Queen replied. “Most people only see Griffins isle from one angle, while there are boats who venture in the waters around it, no one is stupid enough to actually go into the rougher waters. On Griffins isle are study stone buildings, no expense was spared in their construction. There is a small palace there, nowhere near as grand as this place but it is more than doable for someone in exile. There are barracks for the soldiers, and the place is always stocked with food. Grains and such are brought in from my little town, although the soil on the island is perfect for growing three types of vegetables. The waters surrounding the place are easily fished and ensures there is always enough meat to be had. Since about three years ago though, I have moved the best engineers we have to the place. Just three months ago I started moving the best archers we have along with starting a secret school on the place. Their families are being paid handsomely for the honor, there is a secret griffin riders school on the island, separate from that of the regular army. If anything stupid was to happen here, I want you to first make your way to the town. From there get to the island, even if you have to live out your life as an exile you will be the only one in charge of the griffins. Taking the island would mean a lot of death for whoever tries to overthrow you, but we both know who that might be”.
“Duchess Yadia” Mary replied.
“Yes, Duchess Yadia” Queen Alissa nodded. “Yadia has been stirring up trouble, I think she senses I am not long for this world and wants power. You would be the first Queen in centuries to ever hold the position without being a mage. She has tried to exploit this and has a sizable number of people following her. The problem is that unless she makes a move your hands are tied. She will try her best to find a weak spot armor, she is definitely not pleased that you decided on having a tournament to find a husband instead of selecting one from amongst her family. When you deal with her, do so from a position of power. What have I told you about Mages?”
“That they need time to cast their spells and to be successful you have to be right up on them” Mary replied.
“A lesson I hope you learn well” Queen Alissa replied. “Here child” Queen Alissa said as she handed Mary a book. “Inside you will find everything that needs to happen starting now, if the worst does come, never say I didn't leave you prepared. Now the meeting I have called, the Macomians have beaten the Razonians. It will take them a time before they even think about striking here, this meeting is one you will handle alone. It is scheduled to be in three weeks’ time, along the same time your tournament starts since they will all be here anyway. The plans we have already worked out, you will brief the assembled nobles. Remember to operate in a position of strength. It might not be a bad idea to keep your sword or dagger on you”.
Mary nodded and went to prepare for the meeting, although it was a ways away she still liked to be prepared. The Macomians would invade, this she was certain as she had kept up in their movements. What would be difficult is that this would be her first time addressing a meeting of the most powerful nobles in Gale. Most were a lot older than she was, this could lead to disrespect that she would dictate to them. They would have to get over it though, she was the princess and of a higher rank than any of them. When the time came she would not be cowed by those who were supposed to work under her. Mary took her time to get ready, she put on her custom made leather armor along with a dress her grandmother had especially made in case Mary ever had to defend herself. Since it was determined early on that Mary was not a mage, she had nothing but the finest tutors in swordplay, unarmed combat and fighting with various weapons amongst other things.
~
Mary played the meeting over and over in her head as she walked through the door. Everyone was standing and as she sat down at the head of the table the nobles around her looked confused as the door closed. “I am running this meeting today about our status update” Mary said as she unfurled a big map that she could work off of.
“Where is the Queen?” Duchess Yadia said looking around. The fact that she did not use Mary’s title did not go unnoticed.
“Are you her keeper?” Mary replied.
“I just thought our ruler should be here” Yadia replied.
“Your ruler is here, now do you have any other outburst” Mary asked.
“Who do you think you are talking to girl?” Yadia asked as she stood up.
“I am talking to someone about to commit treason by standing in my presence in a threatening manner” Mary began. “I am talking to someone who if she knows what is good for her will sit down”.
“And are you going to make me?” Yadia said as she walked over towards Mary. Mary smiled then leapt out of her seat with her sword drawn and held at Yadia’s neck.
“Go ahead and say one more thing and I will end this now” Mary said in a low voice. “Go sit back in your chair, I will not ask again”. Mary eyed Yadia as the
woman was wide eyed and attempted to move the blade from her neck, Mary dug the blade in a little and caused a little bit of bleeding until Yadia backed up and held her throat. Mary watched as Yadia regained her composure and took her seat.
“It has not escaped my attention that some of you do not want a non-mage on the throne” Mary began. “I can assure you that not only am I competent, I am also not a push over, now with that said we have three big topics to discuss. The first being that my grandmother has went to the great beyond, it was two days ago and in her sleep. I have kept everything quiet until now, a private swearing in ceremony was conducted during her last days affirming me as Queen. I think it was only right you should know before anyone else. The second has to do with the Macomians, they have taken Razon and I believe it is only a matter of time before they invade here. I along with General Raisa have come up with a plan I think will work”.
“Ladies” General Raisa said as she looked at the map. “The Macomian Empire is vast and are known for their massive cavalry. They will swarm over us like a herd of angry bees in an attempt to overwhelm us. What we plan on doing is a practiced withdrawal; we want to slowly lure Macom deeper and deeper into our territory. We will leave nothing they can use and have planned several traps along the way. We want them to stretch their necks out as far as it can go, then we will send our griffins to disrupt their supply lines. We want them tired, hungry, and sleepy as we plan to conduct night time raids the entire time”.
“Run away from an enemy?” Duchess Yadia shouted. “We do not run we stand and fight, we have all the power!”
“Your Grace” Mary began. “You are now probably the strongest mage in Gale, is that a fact?”
“I believe so” Duchess Yadia replied.
“If I place you in this room with fifty men all armed with nothing but pointy sticks do you think you could stop them all?” Mary asked and continued before finishing. “I am certain you could kill maybe twenty of them but eventually you would be overwhelmed. In fact if there were 5 mages in here you would still be overwhelmed by the numbers. The same would happen out there in the field, now if I sent those fifty men after you one by one giving you a moment to collect yourself in between each battle, then you could be victorious. The Razonians, the Maracopians and all others tried to fight them head on and lost. Now their army has grown with the bodies of the defeated, if we lose because of our pride our whole way of life will be changed. Do you think they will allow a society such as ours where women are in power to thrive?”.
“Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that” Duchess Pem said joining the conversation. “The way I see it your plan about these tournaments was a master stroke. I didn’t have to pay one copper to get my men trained Your Majesty. In fact I made a killing selling swords, armor and even had my men sell lessons. My fortune increased by a fourth and any lady in here who claims she has not profited from this is either a liar or a fool”.
“Well I still do not see why we have given the low born a chance to ride dragoons” Countess Genny said. “A chance to ride griffins is one thing, those horrible beast don’t last long and kill many of their own riders. But Dragoons are noble creatures, your laws about not letting too many go to a particular family is one thing. But to see the price we pay for the majestic creatures which many families have had to save up a considerable number of years for cheapened because you are giving them away, that is just not right”.
“Well let’s talk about that” Mary replied. “I need Dragoon riders, are you all willing to put your husbands, sons and nephews on the frontline to meet the enemy? Someone has to do it and if you are all volunteering I will ensure every dragoon is taken away from my tournament winners and replaced with your family. I for one do not know how the Macomians will react to our dragoons, I do not know their tactics or anything. I do know after the first couple of skirmishes we can formulate a better plan to counteract anything they have come up with making the reserve dragoon riders safer. So who wants to go along with this plan? Mine was sending men who have proven themselves in battle to the front, I don’t mine switching them with noble men who probably are not as fit or skilled”.
“You have a point your majesty” Countess Genny said cowed.
“Now ladies, I have a husband to meet” Mary said with a smile. “The final tournament is today, as we were in this meeting I had the word spread about my grandmother. This tournament hopefully can ease some of the public’s pain”.
“Do you really plan on marrying a commoner if he wins this whole thing?” General Raisa asked.
“I plan on marrying the strongest man here” Mary replied. “But I have had my people pour over all the combatants present, the farmers and other laborers who won their tournaments because they have no real competition are in for a shock. I will hurriedly get rid of these men, they are actually going to meet real competition. I have three arenas set up, one for all of us. I cannot say that of course but the grand arena is charging 1 gold coin to get in, ten for the premium seats. The other two smaller arenas are free to the public so I believe they will be beyond packed. Everyone will be introduced in the grand arena then break off to wherever they are supposed to head. Everyone I think have a shot at winning this whole thing will fight in the grand arena. The nobles related to each of you will also fight in there and I have ensured they have easy competition to begin with while the commoners are facing stiff competition. This should sway the playing field somewhat but in the end it is going to be decided by the men on the field. If I am being honest though I think this is a four man race between that bandit they call the Axe, Golden Hammerson, Kaul Jorgenson and Gaul Blackstone”.
“Gaul Blackstone is fighting?” Duchess Pem said amazed.
“Yes” Mary replied shaking her head. “His wife died three weeks ago and as you know she was without child. If he was single before this all started I may have picked him to begin with, he is of noble lineage and would look marvelous sprawled out naked across my bed. Once I heard he had intentions on fighting I hastily threw together a final tournament which he won easily. I think his mother may have had a hand on making him compete, but I’m certainly not complaining. Now let’s get to this tournament”.
CHAPTER 7
MARY
Mary looked on as the participants were gathered inside the main arena, she had them separated of course so the commoners wouldn’t steal the appraisal from the nobles gathered. She could spot the boy she had seen fight previously in his garish armor, Mary had remembered him from the outfit and thought he would make a good first fight with Countess Dahlia’s son Frankwell. The boy in the red armor although big and fast fought like an amateur, like someone just learning the sword. Mary thought she could easily beat the boy as well if they ever fought. Around her arena was a who’s who when it came to great Galean warriors, the tournament idea ensured she would not be wedded to an old, fat man or anyone too lazy to keep their body in shape. Mary would have a real warrior as her husband and looked forward to the encounter.
Mary could hear the chattering coming from the crowd settled in the arena as they pointed out the participants, Mary could hear bets being waged and smiled to herself as she had one of her guards put down money on the Axe. She had been after the man for a while and not only had he always escaped he had always killed while doing it. Gaul was better looking for sure but to Mary’s knowledge despite his skill he had never taken on multiple enemies the way the Axe had. Mary scanned the crowd, all of the mages as usual sat together, as well as the non-magical nobles. This division would be something she would address sooner rather than later. Mary heard a hush come over the crowd as someone below started speaking, it was time to start introducing the participants. Mary watched as the first name was called out, it was the boy in red, that’s when all chaos broke loose.
Fire started raining down on the men in the arena, the men in the arena themselves started turning on each other. It took Mary a couple of moments before she realized exactly what was happening, only the sound of one
of her guards snapped her out of it.
“Protect the queen!” Mary heard one of her guardsmen say as they moved around her. Mary looked around as a fireball barely missed her head. This was a coup attempt, Yadia must had planned on making her move, just a lot sooner than Mary had thought. Mary pulled out her sword as one of her guardsmen went down. Mary stepped into his space and delivered a sword thrust which took one mage in the throat as one of her guards on the left took the other mage out. Mary could see Yadia smiling at her as Gaul Blackstone and the Axe climbed the stands and stood beside her. In fact Mary could see many of the elite warriors were attacking the guardsmen in the arena, she was surrounded. Mary lifted her dress over her head so she could fight in proper armor, thankful she never went out without it. One of her men started bulling his way through the fleeing crowd and Mary followed him, hacking and slashing at any man or woman who looked to do her harm. The guard she was following made a straight path towards the exit, he was grabbed by a dragoon who bit down hard on the man’s shoulder and shook him like a dog with a bone.
Mary was trapped, she could see other dragoons and they were obviously looking for someone, they were looking for her. The next time Mary saw the lead dragoon turn its attention to someone else she would try to sneak through, that is when she saw the boy in red appear. The boy plunged his sword deep into the dragoon’s hide which should have been impossible. The dragoon flapped about and Mary saw her chance and took off. The dragoon riders were now focused on the boy and not her, they would not live to make that mistake again. Mary climbed on the back of a dragoon and drove her dagger deep into the back of its rider’s neck before jumping off and repeating the process. By the time Mary was spotted something really unexpected happened, first the boy in red killed a dragoon and its rider somehow and took off taking most of the dragoon riders with him as they tried to run him down. Secondly a flying dragoon came down and picked him easily and kept going. Mary was in awe for a second but did not let it last. It front of her was Kaul Jorgenson, butchering the last of her guards.
Max the Dragon Warrior Page 5
