“Thank you, I’ll be fine.”
“Good night, then.”
Drayaen sat back in his chair and frowned as he recalled his first encounter with Aisling. Now it seems, she was responsible for his brother’s rescue.
When he had barged into the sick bay, he stopped in his tracks when he saw her in the light. She was exotic, with almond-shaped green eyes, the color of a lush garden in spring. Her long, flowing white and yellow hair was pulled to the side. Everyone he knew had dark features. As he tried to assert himself, his mind had wandered. Her presence disarmed him.
A few hours later, he awoke with a start to find the commander in the room.
He straightened in his chair and turned to face her. “There’s been no change.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said.
“Thank you for helping him,”Drayaen said, searching for the right words. “I don’t know what happened, but it’s clear he wouldn’t have survived without your aid.”
“We were happy to help. What’s your name?”
He hesitated. “I’m Drayaen, and my brother is called Zo.”
“How are you, Drayaen?”
He jerked his head back and struggled to respond. He was so used to barking out orders that he couldn’t remember the last time he had a casual discussion with anyone except his brother, or Colonel Lex.
He made it a point to avoid these types of situations.
“We’ll be leaving as soon as he’s well enough to go.”
“I imagine it was quite a shock to see him like this. I was worried about you.”
Drayaen brushed back his wild hair and bristled at her kind words. “The person who did this to him won’t live long,” he said, in a chilling pledge.
Aisling looked at his piercing eyes and saw a hardened warrior who was skilled at eliminating his opponents. She wondered what had caused him to be so ruthless.
And she realized she wanted to find out.
CHAPTER FIVE
SMOLDERING EMBERS
The next morning, Aisling awoke as the dawn peered over the horizon. Its orange and yellow colors contrasted with the grey-blue sky. She grabbed her red cloak and walked toward the galley.
Cookie was passing out food, and the men were already lined up with their dishware and pewter spoons. This morning, the boisterous voices of the crew rang out as they were served fresh fish, hot biscuits with raisins, marmalade, and preserved peaches.
Life at sea is difficult, she thought. Serving good food is a way to offset some of those hardships.
She turned to a ship’s assistant. “Please deliver three meals to the sick bay. The doctor is busy, and we have two guests.”
“Aye, Commander.”
As she walked to the Captain’s Quarters, she thought about her contact. It was important that they meet soon. She tapped her fingers together as she calculated the limited time she had left. She’d pay another visit to the temple tonight, she reasoned, and deliver her offer of assistance.
After breakfast, Aisling spoke with Ryen. “I’ve decided to go ashore. Please arrange for a few men to accompany me. We can go tonight, so it won’t interfere with their duties.”
“Aye, Commander. Will you and the crew be staying overnight?”
“Yes, please signal Maológ and the other ships that we’ll be disembarking later today.”
“I’ll let them know.”
She walked down the deck and wondered about the identity of her connection and the nature of their mission. Aisling approached the door to the sick bay and was met by Patrick.
“Commander, our patient is better this morning. He’s awake now.”
“That’s good news,” she said, lightened by the update.
They walked in to find the injured young man sitting up in bed. Aisling glanced at his brother and found him staring back at her with a watchful eye.
“Hello, how are you feeling?” the doctor asked as he checked his patient’s pulse.
“I have a powerful headache, and I’m dizzy.”
“What is your name?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you remember anything before you were hurt?”
“No, nothing.”
The visitor interjected. “Do you recognize me?”
“I don’t.”
“All right,”said the doctor. “Let’s not worry about this now.You must rest. In the meantime, I’ll prescribe a special diet. It’s important that you eat well. That means fruits and vegetables.”
Aisling turned to Patrick. “I’m organizing a trip to the mainland later tonight. Let me know what you need and we can bring it back tomorrow.”
The visitor turned to Aisling. “I’ll go with you. I know the terrain. It could be useful.”
“All right. We leave after sunset.”
I’ll be ready, he thought, as he envisioned all the issues waiting for him on shore. Drayaen had been awake half the night, thinking about recent events. He’d been gone for a day, but it felt far too long. He hoped Colonel Lex had organized the warrior monks. He had an uneasy feeling that General Neo was increasing his subversive activities. Drayaen shook his head, thinking about the betrayal. He needed to get a message to the palace.
As he scribbled a note in haste, he thought about Aisling. She had put herself in the middle of this fight by protecting his brother. He felt as though a burden had lifted, but he was also worried for her safety. At least Zo was secure. There was no better place for shelter than the midst of an armed fleet.
The rays of sun faded into the horizon as the crew disembarked from the ship. The guest sat next to Aisling, his proximity making her feel unsettled, while Sean, Fionn, and the other men rowed toward land. The air was silent except for the motion of the oars and the rippling waters. The temple looked far away, the candles in its windows mere flecks of light, like fireflies in the wind.
As they crossed the bay, heavy darkness enveloped the boat. Drayaen took out his spyglass, straining to see any signs of life. I wonder why I don’t see a signal from my men, he thought.
He had relayed a coded message earlier in the day, letting them know of his impending return. As they neared the temple, he straightened his posture and fixed his gaze on the shore.
“We should disembark down river. It will be safer.”
Aisling turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “Are you saying we’re in danger?”
“I don’t know. Whoever harmed my brother may know he’s on your ship. I don’t want you to be a target.”
She met his intense gaze. That piercing look said he wasn’t going to back down. He was familiar with the landscape, she considered.
“All right. Men, head north, beyond those rocks.”
“Aye, Commander.”
They moved closer to the coast, navigating around crags that jutted out from the water. Drayaen scanned the terrain.
He thought about turning back. All at once, the boat rocked with a violent motion. Camouflaged soldiers emerged from the murky bay, trying to overturn the vessel. Drayaen launched himself in front of Aisling and withdrew his sword, shouting to the crew.
“Attack!”
The men turned to face their assailants. The next moment, they were all flung into the frigid waters.
Aisling struggled to draw breath. The weight of her clothing pulled her down into the depths. As she waved her arms and kicked her feet to surface for air, she summoned the dagger from her magic pocket. Something held her in place. An arm gripped her neck and she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.
She turned around and thrust with her leg, making contact with a solid weight and a jagged object. As she continued to struggle, a strange light emanated from her wand, illuminating the murky depths. Someone grabbed her hand and pulled hard, driving them upward. She turned to see Drayaen, holding his knife.
They surfaced, gasping for air.
“Swim!” he yelled.
Aisling searched for her crew.
“Take cover,” she shouted.
Se
an and Fionn struck at the attackers with the oars and headed for dry ground. Drayaen was still engaged in hand-to-hand combat. He subdued his assailant and started swimming to shore.
Aisling was struggling. She paddled as hard as she could, but her cloak dragged her deeper into the morass of darkness. She looked around, and to her relief saw that Drayaen was coming back to get her.
He grabbed her arm and towed her to safety. They staggered to the shore. The crew crawled over the rocks to dry ground, coughing and gasping, but uninjured.
“Is everyone here?” she asked.
“Aye, Commander.”
Aisling looked at the surrounding terrain. It was an expanse of black. As she glanced at Drayaen, he waved her forward.
“We need to keep moving. All of you, hide in the forest. Stay behind me.”
He grabbed Aisling’s hand and started running. Something about the situation felt familiar, he thought.
After awhile, they came to a storage warehouse. The crew kicked open the door, and they straggled into the hideaway, drenched and winded from the attack.
Drayaen turned to the group. “We can’t stay here for long. They’ll be looking for us.We need help.”
“I’ll go,” said Sean.
“Head to the temple. Take the others with you. It will be more difficult for the enemy to defeat a team. Stay in the woods until it’s safe. Tell the monks that Wangja and the ship’s crew were attacked.”
Aisling’s head lifted. She had heard that name before. It was in one of her father’s letters. Why was he mentioned, she wondered.
“Doesn’t wang mean king?” she asked. “So Wangja must mean you’re related to him?”
“Yes, I’m the Fifth Prince, Drayaen. Welcome to the East Kingdom.”
The prince drew a map of the terrain in the dirt for Sean and the men. A blast of cold air rushed in as they left the building, their figures disappearing into the darkness.
Aisling sat down and leaned against the sacks that occupied most of the space. She inhaled deep breaths as the room began to spin. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” she asked, trying hard to distract herself.
“I felt it was safer if you didn’t know.”
As the prince talked, Aisling felt as though his voice was coming from a distant place.
“You need to take off your wet coat.”
As she struggled to remove it, she saw Drayaen gazing at her with intense scrutiny. He glanced down at her hand, resting on the nearby bag of grain. It was dripping blood. “You’re hurt.”
Aisling nodded. “I can’t move my arm.”
The prince grabbed his knife and crouched next to her. “Tell me where.”
She pointed to her shoulder.
“I’m going to take off your coat. We need to treat your injury.” He unbuttoned it and slowly pulled her arms out of the sleeves. She winced. Her left shoulder was stained red. “You need to remove your shirt.”
“No, I’m fine,” she said, her teeth chattering.
“You’re not.” He sighed and reached for her uninjured hand. “Look at me. If we don’t do anything, the bleeding will continue.”
Aisling nodded, trying not to be sick.
“I’m going to cut away a small section of material near the shoulder area. I need to see what we’re dealing with here.”
Aisling looked into his eyes. As she listened to the deep tone of his reassuring voice, the room started spinning and everything went black.
Drayaen was talking in low tones to Aisling when he noticed her eyes flutter. Without warning, she pitched backward. He reached out for her and realized she had fainted. He laid her down and ripped off a portion of his shirt to hold against her shoulder. It was a jagged cut. He berated himself for insisting they disembark downriver.
“I thought we were too exposed to the light by the temple,” he muttered, “offering the enemy an easy target.” They must have anticipated his move.
He thought about the icy bay. The attacking soldiers had timed their efforts with precision. No one could survive in those glacial waters for more than five minutes. As he looked down at Aisling, he felt as though this were his fault. She was injured because he miscalculated. He shook his head in frustration.
Aisling dreamt that someone hovered over her, pressing into her shoulder. It wasn’t her imagination. As her eyelashes fluttered open, she looked up to see the focused gaze of the prince. She was surprised to see concern.
“You have a knife wound. Your heavy coat saved you from a more serious injury, but you’ve lost a lot of blood. We need to keep applying pressure.”
“All right.”
“I’m going to sit behind you and hold onto the cloth. It will hurt.” She nodded. “Can you move forward?”
“I think so.”
As he positioned himself on the floor, he extended one arm around her waist and the other on the injured shoulder.
“Lean into me.”
Although they were both drenched from the bay, she could feel the hard contours of his chest and the warmth of his body. She thought back to the soldiers hiding in the water. “Do you think Sean and the others will be safe?”
“There’s danger, but at least they are together.”
“How long before help arrives?”
“An hour. Maybe more.”
“Why were we attacked?”
“We have powerful enemies. I’m sorry you were caught in the middle.”
“General Neo is one of them?”
He remembered how he had mistaken her for the soldier during their first encounter. “Let’s just say that I have my suspicions.”
“If you’re the Fifth Prince, what is your brother called?”
“He’s the Sixth. Prince Zo is a few years younger than I am. He was on his way here to help me. I’m worried about his injury.”
“The doctor says he has a good chance.”
“It’s alarming to have shared memories with someone, and then one day they don’t recognize you.”
“I understand. It must be terrifying.”
“Thank you for saving him. I know you took a risk bringing him onboard.”
“And I’m grateful that you rescued me from a watery grave. I think we’re even.”
He leaned forward to look at her face. Aisling thought his own looked pale. “I’m curious,” he said. “What made you come to the East Kingdom?”
“My father, Lord Bailey, was the previous commander. He asked me to undertake a trading mission. I’ve arranged to connect with some people here.”
“Who are you planning to see?”
“I’ll find out soon. The intermediary is supposed to meet me at the temple. That’s why I came ashore.”
“If you need to travel inland, I can take you.”
“Thank you, I’ll let you know. At this point, I’m not sure where I’m going yet.”
The prince nodded and adjusted his arm. “How are you feeling?”
“My shoulder is throbbing and I think I have sand in my eye, but you’re doing a good job of distracting me.”
“Sand? I wonder where that came from.”
“It’s on my hand. It spilled out of those sacks,” she said, pointing to the bags next to them.
For several moments, it was silent.
She struggled to maneuver as she turned around and faced the prince. “What’s wrong?”
“I think you just uncovered part of the enemy’s plan.This warehouse is supposed to be filled with grain. Our people’s lives depend on it. It seems as though there’s a plot to steal the food and replace it with worthless material. If we hadn’t come here, this might not have been discovered until much later.”
“I’m sorry you have to deal with such a difficult problem.”
“We’ve had a severe drought.Without rain and a good crop, the supplies in storage become critical. It’s the difference between life and death. Once it’s gone, we have few means of replacing it.”
“How much will you need?”
“We
’ll have to inventory the distribution centers and warehouses. From there, we can determine the gap.”
Aisling gazed at him. “Our ships are carrying grain. I can help you.”
The prince raised an eyebrow. “If that’s possible, you have my sincerest thanks. Even if your cargo replaces a portion of the missing supplies, it will have an impact. There are many who would want to meet you to express their gratitude.”
“Who?”
“To begin with, the Dragon.”
Aisling thought back to her father’s contacts. His name was on the list. “Who is he?”
“Why, he’s the king.”
Perhaps this is why her father insisted that she come here. To help his friend. We’ll find out soon enough, she thought.
Sean and the crew hid in the forest. The wind rustled through the trees, trapping a cold, inhospitable gale in the alleyways between the branches. As he monitored distant sounds, he heard the clomping of hooves on frozen earth.
“We need to move, now.” He glanced at the other men and waved his arm. “Several horses are coming our way. From the sound of their search pattern, each rider is covering a section of the underbrush. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Fionn nodded. “Where should we go?”
Sean studied the landscape. “Some place where they won’t find us.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are oak trees ahead, with low branches. The soldiers are scanning the ground. If we climb up, we’ll be able to see them.”
“What should we do then?”
“Just wait there.Try not to move. Don’t look down. It may cause your weight to shift and they will hear a noise. No more than two men in each tree. We don’t want the branches to creak.”
“Aye, Sean.”
“Listen to what they say. We may hear names or places. Let’s go.”
The sound of voices drew closer as the crew clambered into the branches and held their breath.
Aisling leaned against the prince. She was starting to feel tired. He was talking, but it sounded like a remote voice. After a lengthy pause, he stopped. As he glanced at her, he noticed she was drained of color.
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