He wanted to run. To escape. But then, he would appear guilty at the worst and go against the king’s will at the best. Either choice would destroy his life and possibly lead to the loss of his title, his fortune, and his lands. So Gannon road with the guards, feeling sick with dread. By the time they crested the hill overlooking the king’s camp, he felt ready to collapse.
“I can’t believe we’re going to get to meet the king,” Brynland said, his voice filled with enthusiasm.
It made Gannon want to smack him, but he knew the young man was oblivious to his fears. So he swallowed down his anger and forced his voice to come out as naturally as possible. “My cousin is a fine king. You’ll be amazed when you meet him.”
People were always surprised when they met the king, but for all the wrong reasons. For a man in his mid-twenties, he acted like he’d barely hit his teen years. And with his short and tiny frame, he looked the part as well.
As their horses moved through the tents, Gannon spotted a head spiked to the dirt. As he drew closer, there could be no denying that it was the head of his assassin. His hands grew sweaty on the reigns. The man had been caught, but it didn’t mean he’d told anyone who sent him. Gannon still had a chance. All was not lost yet.
Vomit rose in his throat, and when the guards stopped before the largest tent, Gannon had to swallow the bile. His legs shook as his page dismounted and offered him help in climbing down from his stead. Gannon reluctantly allowed Brynland to help him, and the young man fussed, straightening his clothes, as if they weren’t in the middle of the Gods forsaken Prairie Lands.
Gannon slapped the page’s hands away. “Leave it, boy.”
A flash of hurt came and went on Brynland’s face, but Gannon ignored him. If Gannon was found to be a traitor, he had no doubt the boy would be executed right along with him. The king would assume he was in on the plan. So his page had more to worry about than Gannon’s frustrations, even though he didn’t know it.
Before him, two guards emerged from the tent, lifting the flap and letting out a massive cloud of smoke. Brynland coughed and waved away the smoke, but Gannon shot him an angry look, and the boy quieted. Taking a slow breath, Gannon lifted his head. If he was going to die today, it’d be with his head held high, not quivering before a boy-king.
Striding into the tent, he was met with a familiar sight. King Reid Tudler looked more and more similar to his crazy father, the killer of all dragons, with each day that passed. His red hair was wavy and messy about his head. The whites of his brown eyes were streaked with red. And the freckles across his face stood out against his pale flesh. On both of his sides, naked women lounged, and their drug pipe sat between them. Reid, for once, had a blanket over his naked groin, but in all other ways, he appeared the same as every other time Gannon had seen him.
“Cousin!” King Reid exclaimed, his voice coming out slurred.
Gannon and Bryland knelt, but Gannon was the one to speak. “Your highness, you’re looking well, as always.”
His cousin waved away his words and grabbed his pipe, drawing from it, holding it, and puffing it out. Then, he lifted the pipe. “I know my stuffy cousin won’t have any of our magic brew, but surely his boy can?”
Gannon almost answered for Brynland, but the fool spoke first, “I’d be honored, your majesty.”
The women giggled as Bryland came forward and knelt down. His cousin handed the boy the pipe, and he took a draw, then coughed it back out. The king and the ladies laughed like it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen, and then the king shoved the pipe back toward Bryland. His page inhaled from it two, then three times, each time coughing. When at last the king took the pipe away, the boy bowed, almost drunkenly, and stumbled back.
“I might have use of a handsome man like you,” the king said, lifting a brow at Brynland.
Bryland turned worried eyes onto Gannon, but Gannon was focused on the king. Most people would think all of this meant he wasn’t in trouble, and they’d be wrong. The king had a notorious temper, that often seemed to come out of nowhere. Gannon had seen him command a man to death while on top of a woman.
So, Gannon wasn’t relaxed. Not yet.
“You sent for me.”
“Ah, yes,” the boy waved his hand as if he’d just remembered. “I grew bored of my company to your betrothed’s estate. These Prairie Lands, they’re a drag. So dull. So filthy and uncomfortable. I don’t know how you’ve tolerated them for so long.”
“They have a way of growing on a man,” Gannon lied.
The king laughed. “Much like the sores on my cock.”
His father would’ve been proud.
“And how is your beautiful bride-to-be?” the king asked, blinking through the smoke. “I hear that she even puts our women to shame.”
The thought of Kadelynn brought a mixture of emotions rising inside of him. On one hand, she was beautiful. More beautiful than any woman that even the king could claim as his own, but on the other hand, she still had yet to be returned to him.
“She is all that and more.”
His cousin grinned. “And she didn’t run screaming when she saw that mug of yours?”
The two naked women giggled again, like useless bags of flesh.
“She did not.”
The king turned to the women. “His own mother did that to him. Can you believe it? She cut strips of flesh from his face and reattached them so that he wouldn’t look like his father.”
Gannon wished he was too young to remember being strapped to that table, begging his mom to stop. But even now, the memory of what he’d endured rose like a whip, cracking through him. He was shaking, his body covered in sweat, and his throat feeling tight.
“But if this Prairie bride of yours can tolerate looking at that every day, you were certainly a wise man to claim her. Even if you could’ve done better than the child of a Cowardly One.” The king turned to his women. “All the lords of this terrible realm betrayed my father. They called him crazy for spending so much money and manpower to be rid of the dragons. And so, they were killed and their families were sent out here to die.” He turned back to Gannon with a grin. “Fortunately for the man who couldn’t get a better woman, he was able to find one here.”
Bryland stiffened beside him. The boy hated when people insulted him, but even he knew better than to speak out against the king.
“So then, I have the privilege of escorting you the rest of the way to Wipendrow Manor?” Gannon held his breath, waiting.
His cousin smiled. “You do.”
Finally, he felt himself relax. If only a little. Yes, he found the king unbearable and would rather lose a toe than spend the next day traveling with him. But if it meant keeping his head, then he could endure it.
“Please,” the king waved to a pillow near him. “Take a seat. Both of you! There will be food, wine, and drugs!”
He and Bryland reluctantly sat near the king. Four guards entered the room and stood in silence.
Gannon looked to his cousin in confusion.
The boy-king smiled. “But first, there’s the matter of an assassination attempt against your royal majesty to discuss.”
16
Kadelynn
Acker and Kadelynn had ridden all through the day. With the supplies her cousin had given them, they no longer had to stop for more. Instead, they road quickly, to the area Acker was certain they’d find a Dragulous. This was a place that was far from the road to Olarata, or any of the Cowardly One’s lands, so it wasn’t well-known, nor well mapped out.
To her surprise, it was also an area with more trees and more grass. Not a lot more, but enough to offer some reprieve from the evening sun. And while she enjoyed the shade, and the change in the landscape, it was unsettling to not be able to see the landscape, and any coming enemies, from far away. Still, she kept her thoughts to herself. Acker was familiar with these lands. He was also a powerful Seer who could kill with his mind. If she was safe with anyone, it was with him.
“
We’ll settle down for the night in just a few minutes,” Acker said.
She glanced over at him and found he was watching her again. It was strange. Something about burning down those trees had changed things between them. She had expected him to be angry with her. But when the dust settled, he’d been… kinder and less angry. He also hadn’t touched a drop of Wipendrow. She didn’t know what to think, but his entire demeanor had changed. Traveling with him was almost fun.
“Acker?”
He gave a tentative smile. “Yeah?”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened back there with the Cahula? What I mean is… you seem happier.”
He didn’t look surprised. “It’s hard to explain. I guess, I guess I just realized I’ve been holding onto this idea of myself being bad. And I realized, that maybe I didn’t have to be. Maybe instead of hating myself for all my past mistakes, I could just let it go and try to be happy.”
That surprised her. “I’m glad because no one deserves to just be punished for eternity.”
Darkness came and went in his gaze. “I think I deserve to be, but I’m going to do my best to forgive myself, even if my family never can.”
“You haven’t told me much about your family.” Again, she was surprised. In their time together, she’d learned so little about him, and yet he seemed to know so much about her.
He nodded. “Seers are different from your people. We feel a connection to our family. It’s like when they hurt, we hurt. From the time we’re born, we can feel what the other members of our family feel. Only, most families have just one child. My parents had two. I’m the youngest, and for whatever reason, when I was born, the connection between my brother and my parents seemed to vanish. And it was never there between us. He resented me for it. And I resented him for being, well, the perfect son.”
She shook her head. “Why aren’t you with them now?”
“It’s a long story,” he looked straight ahead once more. “But I ruined everything. My father died. My mom was broken. And my brother… he hates me.”
Kadelynn thought of her own father for the first time in too long. Would he hate her for leaving? Even if she returned with the head of a Dragulous, would he honor the Book of the Gods and let her choose her own path in life? Her father was a devote man. She couldn’t imagine him disobeying the word of their gods, but at the same time, maybe he would agree to her terms and hate her for ruining his chance to marry her well.
“Are you okay?”
She glanced up and found Acker staring at her. “I was just thinking about my father and whether he’d be able to accept all of this.”
He gave her a small smile. “I think if you can kill a Dragulous, he’ll have to accept it.” Then, he added. “And be proud of you. I’d be proud to have someone as brave as you be related to me.”
She laughed, realizing that it was strangely nice to talk to Acker. “We’ll see, I haven’t had to fight the Dragulous yet.”
Acker led them to a resting place near a small river, and they dismounted. As he was unloading Gremly, she felt his gaze continue to return to her, until he finally said, “About the Dragulous… are you still sure about this whole plan? I’ve never actually known anyone who was able to successfully kill one.”
“It’s the only way,” she told him firmly.
“Do you even know what they look like?”
Every muscle in her body stiffened. “Something monstrous?”
“More like something sad,” he told her softly, then added. “And very dangerous.”
That’s a strange way to describe a beast…
But she wasn’t sure she wanted to know more. Not yet.
They led the horses to the water and left them to drink, then laid out their bedrolls. Acker started the fire, and she went to wash up further downstream. For the first time since their trip, she finished washing off and sat down by the edge of the water. The long grass swayed around her, and up ahead was the most brilliant sunset she’d ever seen. It took her breath away, and she found myself lost in thought. So much had changed so quickly. Her mind instantly went to the dream with Drazen. Maybe he wasn’t real. Maybe all of it was only in her mind, but it was the closest to being in love that she’d ever felt.
Which was silly. Ridiculous. She didn’t even know if he existed. And yet, something inside of her called to something inside of him. Not quite like two puzzle pieces finally coming together, because that implied she wasn’t whole as she was. It more so felt like the moment a bird sings out into the night, and then an answering song rang out, and it was all the more beautiful that the two birds had found each other.
And then there was Acker.
She didn’t want to feel anything for him. Over the course of their travels together, he’d shown her dark sides of himself. He was like something broken that was trying to piece itself back together. A strange instinct inside of her said that she didn’t want to involve herself with someone who was so broken, but a whisper in the back of her mind said that she was broken too. And while Drazen seemed like some untouchable god, Acker felt more like a person who could understand the parts of her she was too afraid to show to others.
If she was weak. If she was afraid. If she wanted to be more than just a wife, or a pretty face, she had a feeling he would celebrate every aspect of her.
Or maybe she just wanted him too. Maybe leaving her home and venturing out, feeling the minds of so many souls in those trees, and tapping into a kind of magic she didn’t understand made her want… more. Answers that she might only find with the three men in her dreams.
She stiffened. Had she heard a sound? Maybe it wasn’t a sound. But something sent a chill rolling down her spine. Slowly, carefully, she reached for her sword, her ears straining. Trying to make out what it was that disturbed her. Looking behind her, she saw a flash of movement before she could withdraw her sword, and then a thousand pounds came crashing into her. She flew back and hit the ground. Above her, a great beast stood, its breath hot on her face.
A strangled scream came from her lips, and then it snarled.
This was how she was going to die. Staring into the face of some scaled creature with a long snout, massive jaws, and sharp teeth. A creature that reminded her strangely of a dragon itself. Big eyes connected with her own, and for a second, she was lost in its jade-colored pupils. Lost, but not afraid.
Someone shouted behind her, and a sword hit the side of the creature’s face.
It roared and looked behind her. Acker stood, sword in hand, looking like a knight of fury himself. The beast leaped from her toward Acker. But the Seer didn’t back down. He faced a being larger than a horse, larger than six horses, with stubby, fat scaled legs, and the face of a dragon. Black, shriveled wings lay useless on its back, fluttering like something sick, as it circled Acker.
Kadelynn grabbed her sword and struggled to her feet, approaching the beast from behind.
“Use your magic!” she shouted at Acker.
Why hadn’t he already done it? He had the ability to kill with his mind, so why not now? Why not when they really needed it?
Acker didn’t even look at her. The beast leaped forward, and he caught it in the throat with his sword. Only, the metal didn’t pierce its scales. Acker’s eyes widened, and the creature used one massive taloned hand to smack him. The Seer went flying hit a tree trunk and crumbled to the ground, unmoving.
Her heart raced as it roared and closed in on Acker. Surely the creature would kill him, but how could she hope to defeat it? Reaching down, she picked up a rock and threw it. It hit the stumpy tail of the beast, and it whirled around and looked back at her, smoke coming from its nostrils.
At that moment, she knew they were dead. That they couldn’t defeat something like this. But something deep inside her said that she would go down fighting.
It started running toward her, smoke rising from its nostrils.
She planted her feet firmly apart and held out her sword. Maybe if she could catch its eyes, or
some vulnerable part, they would survive. But as it closed in on her, she spun out of the way at the last second, knowing that she wasn’t going to hit it where she needed to.
The beast went flying past her, and she struck out at it from behind. Her sword made sparks as it glanced off the hard scales on its back, and the beast spun around and jumped crashing down on top of her. All the air was knocked from her lungs. She tried to rasp in a breath, but couldn’t.
The creature lowered its head once more, so their eyes met.
And time stood still.
Death hung in the air. Kadelynn had never felt anything more powerful than that. As if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for the moment her life was snuffed out. The beast lowered its head until its forehead touched hers, and then it was like a burst of light inside her mind. A swirling of colors spiraled through her mind, then vanished, and she could finally draw in a breath. At first, she didn’t know where she was or what she was doing, and then she realized she was soaring through clouds, her massive wings at her side. Beside her, a dragon flew with bright blue wings and a similar face to the Dragulous that attacked her.
And then, it hit her.
“You’re a dragon!” she said, her voice ringing through her mind.
A male voice, unfamiliar and sad answered. “I could’ve been. But they took us to the Pool of Life too early. We were born disfigured, unable to fly, and our minds lost, trapped inside what you call a Dragulous.”
The loss in his voice made tears swelling her eyes. It was as if he was an old man speaking about what could’ve been, but never was.
“And yet, our mothers imprinted upon us their memories. Their knowledge of everything. You are the first humanoid that I could speak with. Who could hear me. You drew my mind back from the beast I’d become, but I can’t be sure how long I will remain this way.”
Dragon Memories: A High Fantasy Reverse Harem Romance (Legacy of Blood and Magic Book 2) Page 13
