The Shattered Crown: The Third Book of Caledan (Books of Caledan 3)

by Meg Cowley

  "You know the old tales," said Brithilca. "You know who created the world and all upon it. Their slumber is ending. You must not let them rise."

  "The records," said Tarrell. He knew where to begin looking. The oldest archives of the Eldarkind held records of the elementals, and where they would sleep. "Many have been lost," he recalled with dismay. Fire, decay, and water damage had destroyed many of the oldest records over their time.

  "Begin with what knowledge you have," said Brithilca. "Seek them, and do it now, for my vision has long been clouded where they are concerned. I cannot see them as I once did, and I fear the worst."

  "At once," said Tarrell, shaken. Bahr had damaged much: the Eldarkind's magic, their lifespan, and more besides. He dreaded to think of the consequences of more like him rising from their wards. The elementals had been bound with good reason: they had created the world and all upon it, and would also be its destroyer, if given the chance.

  "And what of my kin and I?" asked Farran.

  Brithilca looked towards him and took his time to reply. "You must work with the Eldarkind. If you wish for our race to be united once more, you know what you must do."

  Farran bowed low.

  A disembodied keening arose, and Brithilca unravelled before them. Water crisscrossed once more as it deconstructed and tumbled in splishes and splashes back into the pond, which rippled, and was soon still.

  Tarrell and Farran stood in silence in the dark, digesting their meeting.

  "We have much to do," said Tarrell at last.

  Farran grunted. "Yes. But for now, we require needs more basic. Kotyir can no longer be called our home. I ask you on behalf of mine kin and I, if we may seek refuge with you here, in Ednor."

  "You and yours are most welcome, friend," Tarrell agreed without hesitation, but his mind drifted back to Cies. "Yet, I do not wish to become involved with your clan wars. Brithilca's words are clear. A much greater threat looms—heavens help us. We must stop the rise of the elementals or we are all doomed. I will not have you bring more danger to our doorstep."

  "The danger is here whether you will it or not," growled Farran. "Cies is a ruthless dragon through and through. Whether you stand against him, or not at all, mark my words, he will destroy you without a second thought."

  "And you would have him come here?" said Tarrell. "You would have him destroy my people, all for sheltering you?"

  "Of course not! Yet, wherever we are, should he defeat us, you will be next on his mind. He will not hesitate to eliminate you, so you do not threaten him."

  "It is still none of my concern. Our purpose is to act for the greater good. If you feel the need to engage in petty strife, do so. But mine and I will not intervene. Choose your home in Ednor as you will. You are welcome for as long as you wish. I bid you goodnight." With that, Tarrell turned and strode away. He entered the building through the glass double doors where his aide awaited him.

  "How long are they to reside with us, and where are they to stay?" Alikar asked.

  Tarrell sighed. "I do not know. But we shall have to ensure they are well fed. Did you count them?"

  "Upwards of six dozen. The winter stores will not see us through if they are to join us. What do they eat?"

  "Raw meat, I believe. I shall have to enquire."

  "We do not have the livestock, that is certain."

  "I know, but I cannot turn them away. They are our allies. We must find alternate means of keeping ourselves this winter." He scowled to himself. Something else to worry about.

  "As long as they stay far enough away from our habitations, hopefully all will be well. We have had some trouble already."

  Tarrell stopped abruptly and fixed Alikar with an eagle-eyed stare. "Explain."

  "A dragon may have knocked down a wall with its tail and ah—" Alikar gulped, "—stole, roasted, and consumed a goat."

  "Confound it!" Tarrell exclaimed. "See our kin compensated, and have sharp words with everyone. We are to avoid confrontation. I shall see this reaches Farran's ears. He needs to control his kin. They are our guests, but they may not take what they wish and abuse our hospitality."

  Chapter Four

  "Where is he?" Eve said. Her eyes searched each brown-robed monk frantically—and fruitlessly—as they returned to the monastery. "Did you find him?"

  Each day she had watched and waited for their return, sitting as long as her health permitted her in the freezing cold, swaddled in blankets. It proved difficult to endure after her own illness, for she had returned from the North with a raging fever that had left her delirious and incapacitated for weeks.

  Exhausted and drained, she still dragged herself outside to keep watch, determined not to languish. At the very least, even if she was incapable of venturing back into the wilderness, she could do that. Until, that was, Abbot Hador discovered her as he always did, and, with gentle chiding, ushered her back inside to warmth and recovery.

  Now, she could not move fast enough. Her chilled limbs were slow and stiff as she jogged with an awkward gait, still shrouded in blankets. The monks before her were weary themselves, and clambered from their horses with grunts and groans as the last members of the company plodded through the gate.

  Riding on the very last horse was the familiar figure she sought, and her heart leapt in her chest as she perceived him. He was not awake, his horse guided by another, and stirred only slightly when his brothers pulled him from the saddle.

  Eve rushed forward as he fell limply into their grasp. Luke’s eyes flickered open, unseeing as she called his name, and with a moan, he slid forward into her arms, unconscious again. She crumpled under his cold weight, as monks rushed to aid them both. His skin was ice to the touch, and he was a leaden bulk. His hair was tangled and matted in her hand.

  "Will he recover?" she asked, aghast.

  The monks had no answer.

  ~

  Inside the brightly lit, warm and dry infirmary—a log cabin with two beds and all the medicinal supplies that would fit—Luke's outerwear was peeled away. Mismatched gloves, a coat with tattered fur lining, and leather boots that had taken much wear and tear were stripped and piled in the corner.

  Eve stifled a sob as she saw his bruised skin, but that was not the worst. Dark fingers. Dark toes. "What is it?" she whispered, aghast. The healer did not answer, and instead examined Luke from head to toe in great detail, peering, prodding, and turning Luke this way and that upon the bed.

  "It is not as bad as I first feared," he said eventually.

  Eve held her breath for what might come next.

  "He has suffered chilblains and frostbite on his hands and feet. Alas, the frostbite will not recover, but unless it turns gangrenous, I have no need to amputate."

  "Amputate?"

  "It means to cut off a limb by operation."

  No… Eve blanched. I should have rescued him. Somehow.

  "The chilblains will recover with my ministrations. They ought to be kept warm and dry at all times," he added for Eve's understanding.

  She nodded, feeling relieved, and his eyes flicked back to Luke. "When will he wake?" she says.

  "I cannot answer. I do not know what has befallen him."

  I do, Eve thought, but she said nothing. This is my fault. The memory of his prone form, frozen in place upon the gigantic icy throne in the dark cavern, haunted her nightmares still. I should not have let him sacrifice himself for me.

  "You may wait with him until he wakes, if you wish. I am finished for now."

  "Thank you." She did not look up as the healer left.

  ~

  "Eve."

  The familiar voice jolted her from slumber. Eve opened her eyes slowly. She was still in the infirmary, slumped against Luke's bed with her head resting upon it.

  "Eve?"

  She gasped and bolted upright, suddenly awake.

  Luke's warm brown eyes regarded her. He smiled—a tired smile, but one nonetheless—and reached out a bandaged hand to her.

  A grin widened upon
her face, and she reached to hug him, reveling in how warm and alive he felt. "Luke!"

  "Am I dreaming?" he said thickly, with a swallow.

  Eve rushed to give him the cup of water from the side table. "No. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're awake. I'm so glad!"

  "What happened to you? I did not think I would see you again. You made it back?"

  Eve's smile faltered. She had returned—alone. "Nolwen. Nelda. They…"

  "I know."

  Tears welled in her eyes, as they had done many times before. She shook her head. "Bahr," she said past the lump in her throat. "He killed them all."

  "I know," Luke said softly. He stroked her hair. There was little else to say. What else could be said? They had journeyed north, full of hope, with the well wishes of the Eldarkind and the support from Hador's men. It was intended to be a simple task to establish Bahr of the fire slumbered on. They could not have expected that with so much ease, he could have risen from his binding and broke the wards upon him—or that they would have paid the ultimate price.

  "We are lucky to be alive," Luke acknowledged.

  "How did you escape? It seems a miracle to see you again, and so soon. It should have been impossible. The only way the bond would break is with the death of Bahr, and we know I could not accomplish that."

  "I don't know." Luke frowned. "I woke and I could move. I was no longer bound to the chair—I have no understanding of why. I left as quickly as I could. I nearly died trying to escape the mountain. I could not find the way out. Just as I gave up, I felt the breeze upon my skin, I found the entrance, and then I left without looking back. Hours passed, and then days. I have no recollection of the time. I saw a fire in the distance. I could not reach it. I was so close! The next thing I remember was being surrounded by my brethren. It was so good to see their faces. I thought I would die that day."

  Tears spilled from Eve's eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't—couldn't—return for you."

  "You returned, though? Here? Alone? That is a feat enough in itself."

  "Yes. I’ve spent these last weeks ill with fever. I wanted to leave with the search party to find you, but Hador wouldn’t hear it."

  "I’m glad of that," said Luke. He smiled and she mirrored it. Her face ached from it; she was so glad to see him.

  "What now?" she said. "What happens now? With Bahr? With us?"

  "I care not about Bahr, only that we are out of that accursed place and far away from Him. As for us? I don't know."

  "I’ll have to return to Arlyn. I cannot stay here much longer by Hador's generosity, and my father will have need of me. No doubt if he has returned home from the war, he will worry where I am. I am almost well enough to travel. Will you return with me?" she invited.

  Luke's brows furrowed, and he dropped his gaze. "I don't know. I gave my word as my bond. I’m a brother here, now. I do not know if it be something I can walk away from."

  "But you would if you could? You would return to Arlyn with me? Your mother, if you haven’t already sent word, misses you greatly."

  Luke's eyes flicked to hers. "I wouldn’t be parted again," he said quietly. "Not after what we’ve endured." He reached towards her with his bandaged mitts, and held her close again.

  Eve leaned into his chest and closed her eyes. Questions crowded her mind, but she had no answers save for two: that she wanted to return home, and wanted Luke by her side, whatever the consequences.

  Chapter Five

  Cies let out a gigantic belch and surveyed the scene about him with lazy contentment. His stomach bulged after the feast. Charred wool and bloodied, blackened, and cracked bones surrounded him—the last remains of the herd of sheep. Behind him, the barn blazed merrily, crackling, spitting, and bathing his hide with a growing heat. What humans were there were dead or fled. Cies did not care which. His kin gorged themselves around him, whilst the smaller dragons bickered and fought over scraps of meat.

  Cies' prey was left for him with no contention. Whether out of fear, respect, or a healthy mix of both, he enjoyed the trappings of leadership. No longer did he have to prove himself to earn a full stomach. No longer did he have to answer to another. The faintest snarl escaped his throat unbidden. He would not have to follow a worm like Myrkith again. As long as he could lead—and do so without challenge—he would be satisfied to do as he pleased, and that suited him perfectly.

  As he shifted to grab another carcass, now eating for greed, he hissed as painful spasms ripped and tore through his every muscle from head to tail. It took all his strength to remain still, but he could not move. To show weakness would be suicidal to his leadership, and he would not sacrifice that after all his hard work. The spasms subsided, and he regarded his clan from the corner of his eyes. They still gorged themselves. It appeared no one had noticed. The tiniest breath of relief escaped him.

  It was true Bahr's magic had brought great benefits: he had brute strength and uncharacteristic bulk. Yet, since Bahr’s death, it had also weakened him with debilitating spasms, and unevenly accelerated his growth into twisted forms that were sometimes awkward to manage. No more did the magic fuel him and grow his bulk and strength, for Bahr was gone. Cies could feel the magic slowly sapping away from him, no matter how much he desperately tried to cling onto it.

  Cies shifted his stiffening body. A spike of anger made him growl, as another wave of pain rippled down his spine. He regarded the sheep before him. He was too annoyed to eat now, and flung the beast away. It sailed to the other end of the dark field, where it was claimed by several younger dragons on the fringes of the group, whose voices and snarls rose in a cacophony of challenges as they fought over it.

  ~

  Divoky crowed into the night, a fierce and joyful roar that carried through the dark sky, no doubt striking fear into the hearts of those who heard it on the ground far below them. Cies let his deputy celebrate, but his own mood was marred by the pain that still ached in his bones.

  "This is far greater a life than scraping our existence on Kotyir," said Divoky with a smile showing his gleaming, white teeth. "We are true to our form now, and we have reclaimed our position in the world. No longer hiding, but making the world tremble in fear before us!" He laughed, and his grin widened with grim satisfaction.

  "It is only the beginning," Cies snarled. "We cannot be truly strong until Farran and his worms are defeated. As long as their rebellion holds, we are not at ease to enjoy this life." Cies could not stand the idea he would be defied, and that Farran and the rest of his followers would get away with it. Every wing-beat west drove them closer to Farran and his dragons, and Cies planned to end them one day soon. At any cost.

  "They are cowards," spat Divoky.

  "Cowards, indeed. Worms, and traitors, and filth," snarled Cies, his anger rising. "I will follow them to the ends of this world if I must, to make an end to them. I will not suffer their existence!"

  "Where are they?" asked Divoky.

  "They will be at Ednor, as Farran stated."

  "You do not trust that?"

  "He is not stupid enough to attempt to bluff us. I know it to be true. He seeks shelter with the Eldarkind." Cies's lip curled in disgust. Dragons, seeking the protection of a weak race such as they. They would also receive their comeuppance from Cies. He had no use for them. The Eldarkind had had the dragons at their beck and call for millennia, and that ended here and now with him. He would quash any notion of servitude, and any threat their magic posed.

  "We fly west to Pandora now, yes?" Cies could hear the excitement in Divoky's voice. He knew the younger dragon wanted a taste of bigger and better spoils, but that would not be granted, yet.

  Cies pondered a moment. He had considered it, yet, now his mind returned to Farran. He could see the other dragon in his mind's eye, smug and safe with the Eldarkind in their rat's nest Ednor. Fury rose again.

  "No," he growled. Fire roiled in his belly and spilled up his throat. "Crushing our opponents is of greater importance. We fly to Ednor at once. Farran will ru
e the day he crossed me, as will all those who follow him. Their likes will rue pandering to the whims of the Eldarkind with their pathetic agreements and pacts. The Eldarkind will understand we are their masters, not they ours. Pandora will be ours for the reaping when we are finished."

  Those dragons who soared alongside him heard his words. Gleeful rumbles rippled out through the clan as his words were relayed to all. Cies let his inner fire burst forth with an almighty roar, taken up by his clan until the sky burned bright with their flames.

  Chapter Six

  Eve slipped into the infirmary, which was toasty warm compared to the frigid fog outside. Luke was awake, sitting in his bed reading a thick book.

  "Eve!" He greeted her with a smile, placing the book open on his lap so he could clasp her hands in his. A smile stretched across her face as she beheld him. Shadows still sat dark under his eyes, but their unmistakable warm twinkle had returned. Her Luke was coming back.

  "You can read this?" she said, wrinkling her nose. The Luke she knew had hated school as a child, and could barely read or scribe.

  "Yes. Brother Ormund was kind enough to teach me. I'm glad he did; this is so interesting. It's a history of the monastery. Did you know the first abbot was named Dunnottar? And the first site of the monastery was at the crossroads to the south? The construction of this site commenced a hundred years later, under direction of Abbot Arbroath."

  "Very interesting," Eve said, but her smile faded. This was a very different life to lead, and one that would not see them on the same path.

  "How long are you to stay?" asked Luke.

  "I…" She did not want to think about leaving, but knew she must. "I’ll leave as soon as I feel well enough," she answered noncommittally. "I cannot stay, you know this. I have my duties to my father and to Arlyn, not least of all, but I’m a woman. I’m grateful for Hador's generosity in allowing me to remain for so long already. However, I need to be strong enough to make the journey unaccompanied."

  "You cannot travel alone," Luke said. "It's not safe."