by Scott King
"Long time ago," Doug said. "And if this is anything like my last visit, you all should get comfortable. There is no way to escape from here."
"That won't cut it," Kane said. "If we are to get away from here, we need all the information you can provide."
"Since when are you part of our 'we'?" Doug asked. "Last time I checked, you were trying to kill us?"
"I'm not a fan of confinement," Kane said. "Thus a truce would be in all of our best interests."
"Why not shape shift and break out?" Alex asked.
Kane held up a hand. Nothing happened. "As you can see, I've lost my abilities. The green light is not natural. I'm stuck in human form."
"Fun, isn't it?" Doug said sarcastically.
Kane raised the corner of her lip, showing her teeth like a dog growling.
"Why would the green light make a difference?" Carter asked. "I had figured your shape-shifting was an inborn magic."
"Sunlight fuels me." Kane pointed toward the green light oozing in through the door to the prison. "That makes my stomach churn."
"It's not sunlight," Doug said. "Agnar was, well I don't know what it was, but it's old, maybe even older than the Erediä."
"This is all your fault." Kane punched the wall of her cell.
"My fault?" Doug laughed. "None of this is on me. Carter turned me into a human, and you've been trying to kill me. All I want is to be left alone."
"Is that why you ditched us in Compitum?" Alex asked. "If you had been with us when Kane first attacked, we never would have been on the ground for the Grekers to nab us!"
"The point is," Kane said. "You should be dead like all the other rogue dragons. If you were, I wouldn't be trapped like a pet pig. Instead, I should be sitting pretty in Dras, relaxing in a hot spring while Medrayt finishes preparing his army."
"What is wrong with you?" Alex kicked her metal tray, and it slide across the floor, letting loose a ringing sound. "My people have done nothing to you or Medrayt. What you are doing is wrong."
"It's not about your people," Kane said. "You lot are dense. By now you should've figured it out."
"Figured what out?" Alex asked.
"The Fates are behind all of this," Kane said. "They are the bad guys not me or Medrayt."
"The Fates?" Alex raised a brow.
Kane rested her head in the palm of her hands. "The Weird Sisters. The Oracles. The Sisters Three. Call them whatever you want. They are the pissholes that are behind all this. They are the ones you should be mad at. If not for them, not a single one of us would be locked in these cells. Their strings are tied to each of you like puppets."
"We know this already," Doug said. "It's why I ditched the kids. I don't want to be a part of anyone's game."
"That's why you left?" Carter asked.
"Yes." Doug rubbed his temples. "I'm not going to ask why you thought I left."
Alex told the story of the sister she had met. It was the day she had left Elene. The woman had pretended to be a maid in the palace, and she had shown Alex a secret exit, a way to slip out of the city without anyone knowing. Alex had taken it, and if she hadn't, there was no way she would have ended up in Hal or met Carter and Doug.
"See!" Kane rapped her knuckles against the wall, pointing at Alex. "Medrayt and I are trying to save the world. Well, your uncle is. I want to piss off the Sisters."
"My uncle?" Alex's face contorted, and her mouth dropped. When Kane had revealed her disguise in Compitum, Alex figured the story about Medrayt had been a ruse, but if so, why keep it up.
"Did you think I lied about that?" Kane laughed. Not a chuckle. Not a snicker, but a gut-busting laugh that caused her to gasp as she desperately tried to catch her breath. "Oh that is great. Yes, Medrayt is your father's brother."
It was a lie. It had to be. Or did it? Alex didn't know who or what to believe anymore.
"Back it up," Doug said. "You said Medrayt wants to save the world. How is possessing dragons saving the world?"
"I thought you didn't care?" Kane winked at him. "That all you wanted was to be alone."
"I don't care." Doug lay back down and stared at the ceiling.
"Even if you are right. Even if we have been manipulated, so what?" Alex said. "There is still right and wrong, and what you and Medrayt are doing is wrong."
"It's for the greater good," Kane said. "Something bad is coming, and only the human kingdoms united under Medrayt can stop it."
"How could you know such a thing?" Alex still didn't believe Kane. The shapeshifter was an actor at its core, skilled in deceiving and putting on masks, but a small piece of the story nagged at her. What if it were true?
A stubby Greker entered the jail. She had tufts of white hair protruding from her ears and wrinkles around her eyes. She was tugging at her whiskers with her head cocked sideways. "You bypassed the cell's sound proofing. That's a new one."
"Who the hell are you?" Kane said. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. Let me out now, and I won't kill you."
The Greker pressed her face against Kane's cell, smooshing her nose into a pig-like shape. "You intrigue me."
"Cut the crap, Bova," Doug said. "What do you want with us?"
The Greker pulled a pair of bifocals from a breast pocket and perched them on her nose. "How do you know my name?"
"What, don't recognize me?" Doug stood and twirled, showing off his body. "I guess I look a bit different than last time I was here."
Bova's mouth dropped open. "Doug?"
"In the human flesh."
"How delightful." Bova smiled revealing rows of sharpened teeth that looked out of place with her grandma-like demeanor. "When the scouts said they returned with the Arg'Natz, I was disheartened to learn it was not a dragon."
"I want you to let us out of here," Doug said.
"I can't do that," Bova said. "You have to understand."
"As Arg'Natz,"–Doug paused as if it let the weight of his words sink in–"I order you to let us out."
Bova grimaced. She looked over her shoulder to the jail's entrance and then back to Doug. "Things have changed since you were last here."
"You are the Domo," Doug said. "The Pontis will obey your orders."
Bova shook her head. "The factions war. The power of the Pontis is not what it once was."
"You're the Arg'Natz?" Alex asked.
"Not now," Doug said.
"Yes, now." She didn't yell and made sure her voice was controlled, but at the same time she put her own authority into it. "Enough with your secrets."
"I'm the Greker king or emperor." Doug rolled his eyes. "The word doesn't have an exact translation."
"Being the Arg'Natz is so much more!" Bova spoke faster, growing excited. "The Arg'Natz is our spiritual leader. He or she is destined to bring back the Erediä. Can you imagine if it were to happen in our lifetime? The return of the Erediä!"
"Stop." Alex held up her palm. "Doug, the human, who used to be a dragon, is the spiritual leader of the Grekers?"
"Greker society is complicated." Doug said "I kind of inherited the gig after I left the dragons."
"Twelve years ago, when the last Arg'Natz died,"–Bova kissed the palms of both her hands and covered her eyes–"May The Silver Lady lead him in Yorndrak, Doug witnessed the passing of our last Arg'Natz."
"It wasn't so sweet sounding as that," Doug said. "I stumbled upon a squad of Grekers that had been torn to shreds by a roc, a nasty dragon-sized bird. The only Greker still alive was a young one. He couldn't speak, his throat was slit, and bleeding out, but he placed his hand on my snout, and I felt a bit of heat. From then on, I've been able to heal extra fast."
"Why do you make it sound like a bad thing?" Carter asked "It sounds cool to me."
"Because, Carter, I am a dragon, remember?" Doug glared at him. "I live to fly. To feel the sun's rays on my wings and the wind whip around my body. I can't live underground in a creepy cave, but that's what the Grekers did. They tried to keep me here against my will. It was only through dumb luck that I e
scaped last time."
"If you are their ruler, couldn't you order them to let you go?" Alex asked.
"Greker society does not work that way," Bova said. "In fact, things have only gotten worse. As I said before, the various factions are at war. The people demand a new Arg'Natz or proof that Doug deserves to be its bearer."
"They are opening the arena?" Doug asked.
"Yes, in a few days' time." Bova motioned toward the door to their prison. "Right now, there are over a hundred soldiers guarding this building. All the factions are here and all plan to challenge you in the arena."
"What happens in the arena?" Alex asked.
"Any who thinks they deserve to be the Arg'Natz may challenge the current Arg'Natz in a trial by combat. If they manage to kill the Arg'Natz, then they can claim the sacred spirit for themselves."
24
The Return Home
Islesday, 40th of Hearfest, 1162.111
The hills of the Freelands flattened, and in the distance, Gideon could see the Redrock Mountains. Their rust-colored peaks faded into craggy snowcaps that rose above the clouds.
Three days later, the familiar sight of Elene's azure towers greeted him. The city sat nestled in a pass connecting the Freelands to Arwyn. Shear, unscalable cliffs protected it from the north and south. To Gideon's horror, the road leading to the city was clogged with a shanty town made by hundreds of refugees. They had no permanent structures or any kind of defense, and when the dragons attacked, they would be the first to die.
Elene's outer ward wasn't much better, having been transformed in the months since he had gone on the road to track Alex. Rows of wooden hovels butted the walls, and the foot traffic was ten times what it should be. The market district and inner ward were equally packed.
Making his way to the palace took far too long, and once inside, it took him twenty minutes to track down Edgar. He found the king in his study, asleep at his desk. The ruler looked older than when Gideon had last seen him, and his face was puffy with big bags under his eyes. His grey hair was long, but neatly kept, tied back in a ponytail.
"Majesty." Gideon shook him. "We need to talk."
Edgar yawned, and a disoriented look crossed his face. He then blinked and looked past Gideon. "Where is Alexandra?"
"That's what we need to talk about."
"Is she safe?"
"She was the last time I saw her."
"And you return without her?" Edgar's cheeks flushed with anger, in the way that Alex's did.
"I did what I thought was best," Gideon said.
"I'm sure you had your reasons." Edgar crossed the room and poured a glass of water then handed it to Gideon. "Sit and drink. Have you eaten? No, of course not. Look at you. Let me have food brought up, and then you can tell me everything."
Gideon was hungry, though waiting another hour to eat wouldn't kill him. Still, he didn't protest. He knew there was no arguing with Edgar when it came to this kind of matter. At the same time, there was one thing worth mentioning.
"You should know," Gideon said. "Medrayt is alive."
Servants brought lunch, and when the sun had set, they brought dinner. Gideon held nothing back, sharing everything from the moment he left to track Alex, finding her, their journey to see Owen, meeting Carter and Doug, and of course the meeting with the Sisters.
"And so, my daughter and Owen's boy are finally dragged into this?" Edgar pushed back his chair and stared at the ceiling. "This was never what I wanted."
"Since when has that mattered? Besides Alex is her father's daughter."
"And her mother's." A rare smile danced across Edgar's face. "We are going to have faith because if not, we are doomed anyway."
"You could turn Arwyn over to Medrayt."
"Maybe, once," Edgar said. "But it's been twenty years, and clearly he's not in his right mind."
"I could be biased," a rich voice said, "but I'm confident that I'm the only one who is thinking clearly."
Medrayt stood in the door to the study. He wore no armor nor a sword at his belt. Beige robes hung off his worn frame, and in his hand, he held a glass orb.
Gideon didn't waste a second. He drew his longsword and lunged at Medrayt.
As if Medrayt were a true ghost, the blade passed through him and embedded itself into an oak book shelf.
"That is quite precocious," Medrayt said. "You thought I was actually here? No, I am too busy. This is merely a projection."
Grunting, Gideon sheathed his sword.
"How can you do this?" Edgar asked.
"It's not too hard." Medrayt twirled the orb. "My skills in magic have increased quite a bit since we last spoke–"
"Not this." Edgar waved a hand through Medrayt's misty face. "How can you do this?"
Edgar threw open the curtains. Below were the streets of Elene, and beyond them and the city walls was the camp of refugees.
"I do what I must, brother."
"These are our people." Pain showed in Edgar's eyes. "It is our duty to protect them, and instead, you destroy their homes and kill their loved ones. My brother, the brother I loved and who died all those years ago, he would never do something so cruel."
"I've learned a thing or two about cruelty," Medrayt said. "I can thank both you and Lady Zera for that."
"That's what this is about?" Edgar asked.
"No," Medrayt said. "But it was the first sign. The second being when the assassin tried to kill me."
"Too bad he failed," Gideon muttered.
"What's that?" Medrayt spun to face him. Now that he was closer, Gideon could see the same marks of age that showed on Edgar's face, and eerily, the same sense of tiredness.
"Are you here for a reason or just to mock us?" Gideon asked.
"Never were one for small talk, were you Gideon?" Medrayt narrowed his eyes. "How is the favorite puppet of the Sisters? I was quite surprised to learn you were escorting my niece through the lands. I didn't think they would let you off your leash for such a personal matter."
"My allegiance no longer lies with the Sisters," Gideon said.
"Has Yorndrak stopped spinning? Is the sky now below and the ground now above?" Medrayt leaned in so close that his ghost-like pointy nose protruded into Gideon's forehead. "You are telling the truth, aren't you? My, my... things have changed."
"You too have changed." Edgar stepped closer. "Growing up, you always put others first. You were full of honor and cared more for protecting Arwyn than anything else. What has happened to you? How could you subvert the dragons and kill the same people you used to protect?"
"Why?" Anger erupted in Medrayt's voice. "From the time I was your daughter's age The Weird Sisters groomed me. They trained me to be the greatest leader the world has ever seen. I put honor and virtue above all else. And what happened? Assassins were sent to kill me, and nearly did."
"This is revenge then?" Edgar said. "I had nothing to do with your assassination and have grieved for you ever since."
"This is not revenge," Medrayt said. "Merely what I must do. In another life, I would have done it in a gentler manner, but that was before I took a dagger through my heart."
"I can't let you do this," Edgar said. "I can't let you kill innocents."
"And so, we come to why I am here." Medrayt paced the room. "Cede your crown to me, and I'll spare Elene. With my dragon army and your forces, we will be unstoppable. The other kingdoms will fall in line without fighting. Thousands of lives will be spared."
Edgar lowered his head. "You know I can't do that."
"You can," Medrayt said.
"If all you wanted was Arywn, I'd give it to you in a second." Edgar met his brother's eyes. "But if I back down, nothing will prevent you from conquering the other lands. It wouldn't be right."
Medrayt turned away from Edgar and gave Gideon a quizzical look. "Does he not know?"
Gideon kept his mouth shut.
"This is grand. You don't know." Gideon spun back to face his brother. "I must rule all the kingdoms because, if I don't
, the world will be destroyed."
"Is that true?" Edgar asked.
Gideon felt his throat tighten. He had to say something, but wasn't sure how much was safe to divulge.
"Of course, it's true!" Medrayt blurted. "The Sisters showed me long ago the horrors we are to face, and unless we are united, the human race will be wiped clean."
"And when did you last speak with the Sisters?" Gideon asked. "It is true they once choose you to be the protector of this world, but fate is fluid, and now others have been picked to replace you."
"You are a pet, a mouthpiece with no brain attached. I do not expect you to understand." Medrayt closed his eyes and gave Edgar a pleading look. "Surely brother you see that this is the only way. Instead of wasting precious resources fighting me and my dragons, join me."
"I'm sorry," Edgar said. "I'm sorry to learn that you have been alive this whole time and I didn't know. I'm sorry that now, having come back, instead of once more being my most trusted friend, that we are to meet on the battlefield."
"Fighting me is death," Medrayt said. "Don't make me kill you."
"You do what you think you must do," Edgar said. "I will do the same."
"Then I, too, am sorry." Medrayt's misty visage faded to nothing.
Gideon and Edgar spent the night talking. It wasn't until after three in the morning that Gideon returned to his chambers.
He had an entire suite to himself, even though he insisted over and over again that he didn't need so much space. In the years that the room had been his, he acquired few items to fill it. Personal property did not matter to him.
No art or tapestries adorned the walls. No ancient vases sat on end tables.
A plain, double-sized bed, custom built for his height, sat in the middle of the room. An oak chest that held his clothing, rested at the foot of the bed. A small table with two chairs abutted against a window. He took meals there, so it served a purpose.
A wooden rack holding three lutes was the only bit of frivolousness in the room. The instruments, hand crafted decades ago borderlined ostentatious. Built by masters, in a time when music meant more, they had jewels embedded in them, and intricate staining that looked beautiful, no matter what the lighting.
