by Effie Calvin
Esofi shook her head. “I don’t care about the dragon. I know how to handle dragons.”
“Then what’s the matter?”
“My mother has come to Ieflaria.”
“What? How?”
“By ship, I imagine.”
“But why?”
“I don’t know!” Tears were threatening to overwhelm her again. “And she’s going to be here tomorrow! I need to be gone by then. I can’t—I don’t—I don’t want to see her.”
“Esofi,” said Adale. “Listen to me. She can’t do anything to you. You’re not just a princess of Rhodia, you’re a princess of Ieflaria by marriage. There’s nothing she can do to you, and there’s not a single person in Birsgen who won’t stand between you if she tries. You’re not hers anymore. You’re ours. You’re mine.”
Esofi just shook her head, unwilling to argue. “I need to go to Fenstell.”
“Then we will go,” said Adale. “Do you want to bring Carinth?”
The alternative was leaving him at the castle, where he might encounter Gaelle. “Yes. Yes, of course.” Esofi folded her handkerchief and put it away. “Meeting another dragon might be good for him.”
Adale squeezed her shoulders. “It’s going to be all right.”
“Didn’t one of the empress’s wives invite us to Anora?” asked Esofi. “Perhaps we should consider visiting them. Once I’ve sorted the situation in Fenstell.”
Adale smiled. “Perhaps. But I have to admit I’m curious. Why would your mother travel all this way herself? That’s a long time for a queen to be away from her throne.”
Esofi’s journey from Rhodia to Gennelet had taken three months, though that had been significantly longer than it needed to be because she had departed Rhodia in the winter, immediately after her birthday, when the sea was roughest and the monsters within were at their hungriest. She knew the Ieflarians would not have held it against her if she’d decided to wait until spring, but something inside her had been aching to leave.
Perhaps it had been uncharacteristically reckless. She’d been ready with the excuse that her marriage contract explicitly stated that she would leave Rhodia after her seventeenth birthday, and she intended to follow the letter of the agreement. But nobody had commented on her decision at all. Not the mages, nor her siblings, or even her father.
Further adding to the travel time had been the fact that Masim and Xytae were warring with one another in and around the Summer Strait. Though neither side had any hatred for Rhodia or Ieflaria, traversing the area could be extremely dangerous. Negotiating safe passage with both factions had been a tedious, time-consuming task, so much so that some of her mages had started quietly joking about blasting holes in any warships they encountered.
When they’d landed in Gennelet, it had been another month to Birsgen. A smaller party could have made much better time, but Esofi’s retinue was extremely large, and the citizens of Ieflaria had wanted to see her. They had also been attacked several times by dragons, until they’d learned they were outmatched.
It was autumn now, so Gaelle would have had significantly smoother sailing. And she wouldn’t joke about sinking Xytan warships.
She would just do it.
Esofi shook her head. No, not even Gaelle was that mad. Nevertheless, her journey had probably only been half as long as Esofi’s. “Maybe she heard about Albion’s death and assumed I never managed to secure another alliance? But she wouldn’t need to come in person for that, she could send an ambassador. I don’t know.”
“Maybe she’s been deposed and is seeking asylum,” said Adale.
“That’s ridic—” Esofi paused. Ridiculous or not, it was a legitimate reason for a foreign monarch to come to Birsgen unannounced. “Surely we would have heard already if such a thing had happened.”
“Well, that’s my only guess.”
Esofi was certain her mother had not been deposed, for who could hope to stand against her, and Esofi’s father, and all her siblings? Unless the dispute had been within the family.
Who would have the most to gain by deposing Gaelle? Eloisa? No. Gaelle favored Eloisa, and Eloisa knew it. Gael? But he was already set to be king, and he was not the sort to take risks. One of the younger siblings? All except Esybele were in advantageous marriages to other monarchs-to-be. Why would they seek control over Rhodia?
Well, the entire thing was a moot point because Esofi was certain her mother was still the queen of Rhodia. It was far more likely that she had travelled for months to berate Esofi for something.
Or maybe it had something to do with the Silence of the Moon.
The Silence of the Moon was not a chaos cult, regardless of the immediate impression that its name gave to outsiders. Its members worshipped Talcia, Goddess of Magic, and claimed that the goddess preferred it when they prayed to her in the wilderness, rather than man-made temples—though of course they attended all the temple services as well, just to prove their devotion.
Esofi had never disputed the philosophy of the Silence, and she did enjoy the time she’d spent in the Rhodian wilderness, focusing on her own gift and straining to sense Talcia’s presence. But she privately felt that Talcia probably didn’t care very much about where her followers worshipped. If nothing else, the goddess probably understood they were Men, not wild beasts, and did not hold it against them when they preferred to remain indoors.
There was no Silence of the Moon in Ieflaria. As far as Esofi knew, there was no Silence of the Moon anywhere in Ioshora. It was likely that she wanted Esofi to change that, to spread Gaelle’s influence further still. But that mandate could have easily come in a letter, or via courier. There was no need for Gaelle to see to it herself.
As though she had heard these thoughts, Adale ran her hand down Esofi’s back, over the tattoos inked onto her spine. Adale was the only Ieflarian who had ever seen them with her own eyes.
The tattoos depicted the phases of the moon, beginning with a waxing crescent, then a half moon, and a full, and a waning half moon, and then a final crescent. Innocuous to the casual observer but a little strange for a woman of Esofi’s station.
Esofi was careful to never commission dresses that were too low-cut in the back. She was not ashamed of the markings or what they represented. It was just easier to not give people another thing to wonder about, to make her feel even more like a foreigner.
Esofi felt no pressing need to reestablish the Silence of the Moon in Ieflaria. The Temple of Talcia had grown in strength over the last year, aided by Esofi’s efforts in establishing the University and the unexpected new blessings granted by Talcia since her arrival in Birsgen. Bringing the Silence back would only draw power away from the temple. And Esofi did not want to do that, even if it meant the power would be her own, because then…
…because then she would answer to Gaelle again.
There was a knock at the door, and Adale rose to answer it. Esofi expected to see Mireille, accompanied by maids to assist them with the packing. But instead, Saski stood there in the doorway.
Saski looked from Adale to Esofi and back again.
“What did you do?” Saski demanded.
“Me?” Adale sounded outraged. “I didn’t do anything! I haven’t even left this room yet today! Why do you always assume when something goes wrong—”
“Because I’ve met you, Adale!”
“That’s—” Adale looked as though she planned to argue her point only a hand’s breadth from her mother’s face. Esofi decided to step in.
“It’s not Adale’s fault,” said Esofi, getting up so she could take Adale by the shoulder and draw her back to a respectful distance. “I’m sorry to have worried you. I received some surprising news about my family. That is all.”
“Your family? In Rhodia?”
“Yes. Well…not precisely in Rhodia…” Esofi turned to Adale for help. “You tell her.”
“Apparently Queen Gaelle is in Valenleht.”
“What? That cannot be. We received no word—”
“I expect that was deliberate,” said Esofi.
“But whatever could she want from Ieflaria?”
“I don’t think it’s Ieflaria she’s here for. I don’t know what she wants, and I don’t think I want to know. When she arrives, you can tell her you have no idea when I’ll be back.”
“You will not see her?” asked Saski.
“I suppose I will have to at some point, unless you can convince her to return home. But…” Esofi shook her head. “Not yet. Not now. I’m sorry to put you in this position.”
“Have you written to her since your arrival in Ieflaria?”
Esofi shook her head again.
“I see,” said Saski. “Well, once we determine why she has come here, we will send a courier to Fenstell.”
“Thank you,” said Esofi. She was glad Saski had not demanded any further explanations. Perhaps she already understood. “I must prepare for the trip.”
BY THE TIME they left Birsgen, it was well past noon and the sun had begun its downward descent. She was asked several times by everyone from King Dietrich to Captain Lehmann to the castle hostlers if she was certain she wanted to leave so late in the day. But Esofi’s mind would not be changed.
Northern Ieflaria was not completely foreign to Esofi. After their wedding, she and Adale had gone on a tour of the kingdom, visiting every major city and a few minor ones as well. Unlike southern Ieflaria, which was mostly farmlands, and the eastern coast, which was fishing and port cities, the north was made up of pristine forests and crystal lakes. It was popular with Adale’s circle, who were fond of activities like hunting and riding and being out of reach of their parents.
But northern Ieflaria was also home to a thriving logging industry, and though the population was not nearly as high in that region, there were still several major settlements that Esofi heard of regularly.
Fenstell, located on the northeastern-most point of Ieflaria, was only notable due to its proximity to the Silver Isles, where the dragons came from. Once a humble fishing town, it had been nearly taken over by a defense camp in past years. Though the dragon attacks appeared to be a thing of the past, nobody was ready to disassemble the camp just yet. Tensions in Ieflaria were not as high as they had once been, but there was no guarantee that the informal peace would last forever.
Nevertheless, there had been no reports of any significant dragon activity until today. Immediately after the Emperor’s death, Lieutenant Vaseur wrote to Esofi asking if they would begin an attack on the Silver Isles, but Esofi had firmly denied this request. In years past, she certainly would have considered it. It would have been an ideal time to cull the dragon population before they got the chance to regroup.
But that had been before she’d learned to think of dragons as anything more than dumb, dangerous animals, before she’d hatched a dragon egg in her own fireplace.
The revelation that dragons could speak, reason, and think had come as a complete shock. Esofi sometimes still wrestled with her guilt over having killed so many of them, even though Adale constantly pointed out that it was not truly her fault.
She looked down at Carinth, sound asleep in her lap. They all hoped that someday he would be able to communicate with his own kind, to serve as an ambassador to foster peace between their races. But Carinth was growing slowly. Perhaps his role—whatever it turned out to be—was something else.
If anyone was going to reason with the dragons in the meantime, it was probably going to have to be Esofi.
Her feelings surrounding that were complex. Certainly, she was eager to see one of Ieflaria’s worst enemies become their allies. On a more personal level, she was intensely curious about how dragons lived their lives. Did they have a society of their own? A complex social hierarchy? Legends and lore?
But she had not really anticipated that they would respond well to her. After all, she was the one responsible for the death of their Emperor and those of many other dragons leading up to that, including one that had attacked Birsgen alone on the same day Talcia’s blessing had been discovered. She expected they would view her as a murderer, a war criminal. Not someone to negotiate with.
Maybe it was a trap. Maybe this dragon—Ivanedi—was only here to break Esofi’s neck and then fly home or die trying. Given Esofi’s experience with dragons, it would probably be the latter.
Esofi had already killed the Emperor. She could not muster up very much fear of this new dragon. What a terrible waste of time it would be if the request for peace was insincere.
Still, she was grateful for the excuse to leave Birsgen.
Dread rose up in her stomach. She had almost forgotten the real reason she was going to Fenstell.
Adale sat, half-asleep, in the seat across from Esofi. How different their childhoods had been from each other! Sometimes it felt like the only commonality had been their stations.
But now they were both here. Together.
You’re ours. You’re mine.
If those words had come from one of her blood relations, they would have been chilling; a declaration of ownership, a demand for loyalty. But when Adale said them, they felt soft and protective.
She only hoped that Adale could live up to them.
Chapter Three
ADALE
It was three days to Fenstell by carriage. For the most part, the journey was uneventful. But on the morning of the second day, Adale awoke to find Esofi was not beside her, nor anywhere else in their too-large tent.
Rubbing at her eyes, Adale forced herself to get out from under the warm blankets and dressed as quickly as she could manage. Inside the tent was a comfortable temperature, but she knew it would be significantly colder outside until the sun had a few hours to warm the air. Pulling on her boots and fastening a heavy fur-lined cloak around her shoulders, she stepped out of the tent and into the weak sunlight.
The camp was still quiet, though some of their guards had already set to work taking down tents and preparing the morning meal. Mireille was by the fire, and normally Carinth would be anywhere food was happening, but it was too cold for him to be up yet, and so he remained in the tent, under the heavy blankets, waiting for someone to come drop breakfast directly into his mouth.
Adale looked around for any sign of Esofi and finally spotted her near the edge of the camp, quite near the main road. Directly in front of her was Lisette, mounted on a horse and dressed in leather armor instead of her usual grey dress. Adale could not hear what they said to each other, for they were too far away and spoke too softly. Before Adale could get near enough to listen in, Esofi nodded vigorously, and Lisette turned her mount in toward the road.
Adale watched curiously as Lisette directed the horse not toward Fenstell, but back in the direction of Birsgen. Once she was out of sight, Esofi turned around, only to jump in surprise when she saw Adale standing there.
“Where is she off to?” asked Adale.
“Oh…it’s nothing,” said Esofi. “Don’t worry about it.”
Adale frowned, uncomfortable that a secret was being kept from her. Esofi must have realized this as well because she added, “I am concerned that we haven’t had a courier from Birsgen yet. Lisette believes it may be worth investigating.”
“We’ve not been gone that long,” said Adale. But Esofi only shrugged and said nothing more. Perhaps she was embarrassed by her own actions? That seemed the most likely thing, for there was no way that sending Lisette back was anything but a waste of time. It would take her a day to return to Birsgen and then three more to find them again at Fenstell. By the time Lisette managed to deliver any news to Esofi, they’d have already heard it from the courier.
If sending Lisette off made Esofi feel better, Adale wouldn’t say anything more about it. But it seemed so very unlike her, so uncharacteristically irrational, that Adale could not help but suspect that there was more to the matter than just a delayed message.
Adale did not want to call Esofi a liar. She did not want to believe that Esofi was lying to her, whether dire
ctly or simply by omission. And besides, Esofi was not required to tell Adale every detail of her life. Married or not, they were still separate people, and there was nothing wrong with enforcing boundaries now and then…
But how could Adale possibly help Esofi if Esofi would not tell her what was wrong?
If they’d been at home, Adale might have pushed a little harder. But the camp was rather public, and if it turned into a real argument, she did not want their guards to overhear and spread gossip that the princesses were quarreling. Rumors like that could move like wildfire. It would be better to wait, watch, and hope.
But Lisette’s departure did nothing for Esofi’s anxiety. Every time Adale turned around, Esofi was watching the sky. She and Mireille worked together to distract her from her worries, but it seemed that Esofi was having difficulty focusing on anything but the expected courier.
Even Carinth had noticed something was wrong. He spent most of his time at Esofi’s heels, watching her with worried golden eyes. Whenever Esofi spotted this, she looked down at him and asked, “What’s the matter?”
But Carinth never answered.
On the morning of the third day, Adale emerged from their tent and found Carinth chasing a dragonfly across the clearing. Esofi had not risen yet and so Adale went to pick him up.
“Are we ready to fly?” cried Adale, tossing Carinth up into the air on the last word. The dragon unfurled his limp, awkward wings, as though attempting to catch the wind. He landed safely back in her waiting arms, as always, but Adale still glanced around guiltily to make sure Esofi had not seen this.
Esofi had not seen, but Mireille had. But she was laughing—she never scolded Adale for playing too exuberantly with Carinth. Sometimes she seemed so much younger than Adale and Esofi. Her exceptionally youthful face did not help matters.
“It’s time for his breakfast,” said Mireille. She was holding an oilskin bag that Adale knew had strips of dried meat inside. Carinth clambered across Adale’s shoulders to sniff at it. “I know it’s not raw, but…”
Carinth’s tongue flicked out and wrapped around one of the strips. Before Mireille could properly react, he had swallowed it whole.
