Ice Dragon Tales

by Hurri Cosmo

  First he had the duty, privilege, and honor of being with his man to help ease him into the next world.

  After the funeral, he could no longer think straight. He couldn't shake the nightmares

  So he wanted to go to the sea.

  But, of course, his wife was no help.

  She had her parties and teas and gown fittings to attend to and his insistence they go to the chateau had been met at first with resistance and screaming exits from rooms where he found her to discuss the departure date. He won out in the end. It wasn't as if she had to come with him, which she made perfectly clear on a number of those occasions. But this time, he was feeling vulnerable and somehow exposed and wanted her company. The man who died in his arms was his age. He was beginning to realize his own mortality and he had no trouble admitting, at least to himself, he was shaken. He held some stupidity she would be good company.

  Plus he wanted Taiyo with him, and he could go nowhere with Taiyo that did not include his lovely wife.

  So they went, but only after Aric promised she could return after the weekend.

  "I simply took a walk, dear."

  "A walk?" What the hell was she talking about? "In the driving rain?"

  "I love the rain. You know that."

  Yes, he did know that. She did love rain. But why was she avoiding the question? "Abydell, you did not walk. You ran. I thought... Of course, you are perfectly aware we all thought you had gone over the cliff to your death. If you took a walk why didn't you come back?"

  He had chased after her that night. It wasn't that he was angry she'd left the conversation unfinished. He was more concerned about the fact the storm was fierce and she was crazy to go out into it. He was certain it was for effect. He was convinced she meant it as a way to end their argument and make him feel guilty. It was her way. She had done the same thing many times before. She would crop her horse into a gallop and then fall off. She would pick up her heavy skirts and dash away, only to pretend to faint and crumble to the floor, usually too close to a fireplace or staircase. She would squeeze a delicate wineglass until it would break in her hand, cutting herself. Each time, each act, would end any argument and basically send the fighters back to their respective corners until the bell would sound for yet another round.

  But running out into the tempest that was the storm that night was the most dangerous thing she had done to that point. He simply could not let her do it and by going after her, he'd thought he had chased her over the cliff. For two years, he'd thought he'd had a hand in his wife's death. Why had she not at least sent word she was okay?

  She rose from the chair she was sitting in. Aric was somewhat relieved she had put the glass of wine down before doing so. Of course, they didn't appear to be headed for any kind of argument yet but if they did, he wanted the wineglass to stay out of her hand.

  "I became lost. It was so dark that night. I became lost in the wilderness. I don't know how long I wandered, but I was finally picked up by a kind, old couple who took me in. Afterward, I became terribly ill. It has taken this amount of time for me to recover completely." She turned toward Aric. "Please, my husband. No more questions. I am lonely for you. I understand why you won't let me see my son until you are sure, but please hold me, so I feel welcome again."

  Something was wrong with all of this. Maybe the servants would be expected to accept such a tale, but it still made no sense to him. He was missing something. Was it in her words? "Why didn't you send a message?"

  "The old couple had no idea who I was and, for a long time, I was too sick to tell them. When I was finally well enough, I sent one of their grandchildren to tell you, but he came back to say you had moved on without me. He learned you all thought I was dead. No one believed him that I was alive, so wouldn't let you see him. I have to admit I was crushed for a long time to the point I didn't want to live any longer. But finally, my need for my family won out and I came home."

  Rubbish, all of it. Abydell would have stopped at nothing to claim her rights as queen and mother, even in the face of death. No, something was not right at all. She looked like his wife, but the story was weak, as if she were daring him to refute it. What can I do?

  Without proof, he could do nothing.

  Well, there was one thing he would do. He was finally going to allow himself to see Joron.

  Chapter 10

  "Where is he?"

  Aric's voice echoed in the large room and every one of his men who were within earshot--both in and out of the hall--flinched from the volume. The castle servants had discovered Joron's absence over an hour ago and not one of them had the guts to tell their king he had left the castle. Joron had help once again, but this time no one was talking. They acted as if they had no clue whatsoever he was even gone, much less where he went. They all were extremely nervous, too, because this would be in direct defiance of the king, once he learned the sequence of events.

  "Someone has to have seen him. He still doesn't know the layout of this castle, so he had to have had help. Find whoever it was who did this, so I can make sure he or she dies a slow, painful death."

  Aric slammed his fist down on the arm of the great throne with such force, the sound of the impact was heard throughout the hall. Again the guards recoiled and this time scattered like mice, because every one of them knew it had to have hurt like hell, even if the king seemed oblivious to it.

  Only TaParn was left watching the king, not quite sure what to do. He had also known pretty much right away when it was discovered Joron was gone. It was hard for him, because his first loyalty had to be to his king, but TaParn could not condone what Aric had done, or in this case, had not done. He understood the mental battle Aric was going through now that Abydell was back. He also knew it would be difficult for the king to come to the obvious decision he had to make and then have to tell Joron. The fact Joron wasn't going to wait around for it to happen was only self-preservation. So he ended up supporting Joron leaving.

  However, with as silent as the king had been over the last twenty-four hours, maybe there was more going on than any of them knew. He had taken the woman behind closed doors. But even if the questions had finally begun, the king came away from the meeting angry and determined to find Joron. It obviously had not been a good session. The king's anger now only solidified that fact.

  "TaParn! Get Nochi in here. We need to coordinate troops and send them out right now. Joron does not leave this castle without my consent, and I do not consent!"

  Wide-eyed, TaParn answered Aric. "Sire, Nochi...Nochi is not in the castle, your majesty." What was he supposed to say? Nochi didn't leave any instructions for this. They had not thought this thing out at all.

  Aric turned steel-cold eyes on TaParn and TaParn shivered. It was as if the stare shot right through him, right through his heart. All the anger he was feeling a moment ago had been replaced with raw fear.

  "Tell me, TaParn." Aric's voice was low, soft, dangerous. "Where is Nochi?"

  TaParn was about to answer but as he opened his mouth, the king raised a hand. "Be careful, TaParn. Make sure you tell me the truth. I will not tolerate lies." Again, his voice remained caressing.

  TaParn cleared his throat and thought for a second, knowing the silent moment would not be lost on Aric. It wasn't as if TaParn knew exactly where the man was. But it seemed the castle kitchen staff had a clue because the extensive amount of food stuff they took would expose at least the possible length of the journey. He also knew Nochi and Joron had a two-hour head start and it was full-out dark now. So if they ran all night, by morning the two-hour head start would have turned into eight. They could easily be through the pass sometime late tomorrow and the direction they would take beyond that would be anyone's guess--and that was only if they took the pass. The trackers might be able to follow, but with the way the castle servants were sticking together, TaParn doubted they would even find a trail. And maybe this was what would make up for the lack of actual planning on Nochi's part. What it boiled down to was TaParn
would not risk his life for this particular point. There was no need.

  "He... I have been told, your majesty, he... It's my understanding... he is the one who helped Joron. They are together."

  Aric sat totally still and quiet for a moment, then he said, "Good." Aric rubbed his chin, a chin badly in need of a shave, and seemed to relax, sitting back in his chair. "Good."

  "W-What? Are you..." TaParn could not believe what he was hearing. "Sire, I..."

  Aric looked up at TaParn then with unreadable eyes. "He's with Nochi. He's safe. Wherever Nochi takes Joron, I will trust he will remain safe, and when the time comes..." That was all he said. He rose from his throne and walked slowly down the steps. "Ready a carriage. I'm going to the sea. We leave in the morning."

  "The...sea? You mean--"

  "Yes, TaParn, and going forward I would truly appreciate it if you would finish more of your sentences." He winked and walked out of the room.

  * * * *

  Yes, thought Aric, the sea. Nothing had a more calming effect on him than the sea. It had been two years since he had been there, never since that night, and it was high time he chased some ghosts--and possibly some nightmares--away. He would go and relax and figure this thing out. Abydell was an imposter. All he had to do was figure out how to expose it. Somehow the answer would come to him. He headed down to where his son was hidden. Plus, having Taiyo out of the castle would make him feel more at ease as well. When he arrived, Taiyo jumped into his arms but looked behind his father.

  "Jo Jo?" His little eyes came back to look straight into his father's "Jo Jo, Daddy. Jo Jo."

  "I'm sorry, my sweet. Jo Jo is not here right now. How would you like to go on a carriage ride?"

  * * * *

  Nochi and Joron rode all night. They stopped near a stream to rest the horses after daybreak. Nochi sent one of the few men he had taken with them back to see if they were being followed. If they were being pursued, it would mean a court-martial and prison for him for kidnapping the consort of the king. Then again, if they were not being followed, the king might be giving him leave to protect the young prince. All night, as they rode, he had time to think and he realized his king had never let him down before. Not once. Why would Nochi doubt him now? Only because the circumstances were hellishly different? Just because it had to do with the complicated matters of the heart, as opposed to much easier matters of lives and land? He did not think too highly of his king if that was the case.

  He would see if the soldier came back at all. If he did, it would be with good news. If he didn't, well, he would figure it out at that point. Until then, he would hold his opinions and judgments in check. After everything, after all King Aric and Nochi had been through together through the years, his king deserved that.

  But resting for all of them, especially the horses, was first and foremost on his mind.

  He dozed. Later he was shaken gently and came instantly awake. He quickly took in his surroundings, noting it was still bright day--about noon by the angle of the sun--and Joron was not where he was supposed to be.

  "Sir, Prince Joron is down by the stream washing. Kaleb is back as well and he would like to give you his report."

  "Who's with Joron?"

  "Jab, sir."

  Jab? He was trying to remember who Jab was. It was obvious he was still not fully awake. "Send Kaleb to me."

  A splash in the cold stream would do wonders for him, too, if he could negotiate rising to his feet and then getting them to take him to the water. At the moment, the only thing he knew was he would only embarrass himself if he tried. He wisely chose to remain sitting on the ground, exactly where he had lain down, seemingly only a minute ago. He was extremely distressed with himself that Joron was able to wake, get up, and walk away and it didn't rouse him. It had actually taken a physical touch in order to do that. He was more exhausted than he thought. The man left, and a moment later Kaleb was standing in front of him.

  "Sit." He commanded the man, who immediately complied.

  "Sir, I went nearly two hours back and met no one. There was no sign of anyone passing through nor did I detect any stealth movement either. Sir, it is my opinion we are not being followed."

  Kaleb was the best tracker of all his men. If someone had passed by him somehow, which he honestly didn't think possible, he would see the remnants of it.

  "Good." And it was. Suddenly a heaviness that had been weighing him down was gone. Had he truly been worried his king would have mistaken what he had done?

  Actually he did, because at first he had done this for the wrong reason. But now he was going to move forward, knowing he had done the right thing, no matter what the original motive was, and taking Joron faraway was no longer going to be the plan. He knew Joron's motivation for wanting to do it, but there was another game afoot and they all needed to wait it out while the king worked through whatever it was he was going to do. He would send word when it was done. But he would need to know where they were in order to do that.

  There was only one place he could think of to take Joron where he would be safe, unbothered, and still remain on Claymoor land.

  The chateau by the sea.

  * * * *

  Abydell paced her rooms. It wasn't working. Aric was suspicious and she knew he didn't believe her story. That was a huge problem. If she intended to make the man come to her bed, she had a lot of work to do. Who knew he would fall in love with a man-child? Sure, the kid was a prince in his own right, one without money or power. She did her homework. Joron was brother, though, to the only other king of marriageable status. But she had her sights on Aric and the large kingdom of Claymoor Doom. It mattered little anymore what that fool Relel wanted. He had failed to take away the competition.

  And now it appeared the king had taken off to his chateau by the sea and left the little bastard behind. As far as she knew, the brat was still somewhere ensconced in the castle, tucked away from all mischief. Obviously Aric thought she would do him harm. She would, if she could find him. But she would leave that up to Relel. He was supposed to be confined to his rooms, but now with the king gone on vacation, he would find a way to get around all of that and figure out where they had the unpleasant little man holed up. He would finally do what he claimed he wanted to do all along and get that brat out of her way.

  But at the moment, it seemed the king removed himself from his bed partner and that was fine, especially since he was headed to the scene of the crime. Oh yes, the chateau would be the place where she would play her trump card. He felt guilty, thought he was responsible for Abydell's spectacular death. She would use it against him to force him to her bed. She needed to follow, and now with the fact she was the queen, no one else dared to believe otherwise, she simply ordered a carriage, much in the same manner as Aric had earlier, and packed for the weekend.

  * * * *

  Not one to wait for anything, Diagus followed his man, not twelve hours behind him. He wanted to get to Joron sooner, rather than later, with his big news. He fully expected his mother to be laid out for the full week or so, but the preparers needed to have time first to do their business. There was repair work to do to actually make her presentable. It would give him the time he needed.

  He had to retrieve the true king. The longer he sat on the throne, basically pretending, the more it rubbed him all the wrong ways. He told no one at all what his mother had said. The only other people who knew were his own two guards and Aric's men, and they were all sworn to secrecy. The uninjured man of Aric's also accompanied him on his journey.

  He was quite surprised when he met Aric on the road.

  So was Aric.

  "Amar! What are you doing here? Don't you have a funeral to attend to?"

  "Tamusi! Where's my brother?"

  They came up to each other, after each other's guards had finally allowed for the contact, Aric on his jet-black stallion and Diagus on his pure-white mare. Diagus noticed the carriage with all the curtains drawn. Aric saw the direction of his gaze. "My son is
in there, taking a nap. He's too young to ride a great distance by himself. Besides, it looked like it would rain."

  "So where is Joron? Is he in there, too?"

  Aric huffed out a breath and looked away.

  "What? Don't tell me you lost him again."

  "I didn't... Knock it off, Amar, it's none of your damn business."

  "Well, actually it is. I meant for Joron to be the first one to hear this, but I suppose I can let you be an exception, seeing how it will greatly affect you as well." Diagus paused to let what he implied to sink in.

  "Out with it, Amar! Quit your stalling."

  "Fine. I'll tell you. But first, tell me where Joron is."

  Aric cursed under his breath again. "He's...he's gone. I let him go."

  "You what?"

  "He's gone! He's gone off somewhere, and I don't know where."

  "He's off by himself?"

  "No. He's with my best men. He's well protected. I just don't know where."

  "Tamusi, you better tell me what the fuck is going on and you better tell me right now, or I swear I will put my blade right through your heart. And I'll do it so fast you'll be dead before you even see me move."

  Tamusi's men immediately moved between the two horses, blades drawn, and instantly Amar's men did the same thing, a fraction of a second later. Diagus frowned. Aric smirked.

  "Enough." He waved his own men away.

  "Pretty brave there, Tamusi. What makes you think I won't do it?"

  "Because you're not stupid. You might be arrogant and greedy and a cruel son of a bitch, but you are not stupid."

  It was Diagus's turn to smirk. "You don't know everything, Aric."