Eventide (Meratis Trilogy Book 2)

by Krista Walsh

  He looked pained, and Jeff wondered how much of this fight was his own doing, how deep their connection had gone. Was Brady choreographing the fight, or had he just convinced Talfyr to come make a stand against the ancient dragon invading his territory?

  And Talfyr was holding his own. Despite his size, the smaller dragon was faster, had more dexterity on his wings, swooping beneath Raul to come back up under his left wing, knocking him off balance. Raul tripped in the air and crashed face-first into the field.

  Fury and hatred filled his cry, and Cassie screamed out, reacting to the same pain that cut through Jeff’s ears.

  In a moment, both dragons were airborne again, Raul striking with renewed energy, fuelled by his anger. With each clash of scales against scales, the sparks flew. Raul, younger and drunk on the power and magic he had so recently absorbed, fed off each strike, gaining energy and motivation to fight harder. At the next blow with Raul’s tail, Talfyr teetered in his flight, tired from the long journey from Treevale and the exertion after centuries of sleep and peace.

  Jeff saw it. He feared what it meant. Talfyr was their only chance. No matter how much courage Jayden or Jasmine had shown when Talfyr posed the threat in Feldall, they would never win against a dragon Raul. There would be no point in trying.

  Even as he thought it, Talfyr faltered again and Raul took the opportunity, dipping his head to sink his fangs into Talfyr’s right wing.

  The smaller dragon shrieked with pain, and Jeff screamed with disappointment. Raul hung on, shaking his head to tear at the scales and tissue of the webbing.

  Jeff had to look away, preferring that the last glimpse he had of life be of the people he cared about. Jayden had wrapped his arm around Jasmine’s shoulder and she clung to his waist, horror on both of their faces. Venn was still tucked up against the wall, but her other arm had reached out, clinging to Cassie’s hand as if to a life raft. Cassie’s other hand twisted into Jeff’s shirt.

  As he looked into her blue eyes, another steely gaze came to mind and his jaw fell open.

  I’m such an idiot, he thought. They weren’t finished yet.

  “I love you,” he said, just in case he failed, and then he turned back to the fight and reached for the pouch at his waist.

  With no idea what to do with it, he followed Maggie’s instructions and aimed the mouth of the bag towards Raul, who had made a fresh grab for Talfyr’s wing, doing his best to detach it at the shoulder. Opening the pouch, he nearly lost his grip on the leather as the blue smoke poured out with a force he hadn’t expected.

  “What are you doing?” Jayden yelled over the noise of the fight, at the same time Jasmine cried, “Do you know how to use that stuff?”

  “Not the faintest idea!” Jeff called back in answer to both of them. “But let’s hope it works anyway.”

  They watched the tendrils ooze forwards, a few fingers reaching back towards the nearest objects, and then seemingly losing interest to follow the stronger path. Like water in the air, the current swirled and rippled and crashed in waves until it wrapped around the base of Raul’s foot.

  Talfyr released scream after scream as he fought to get away, and Jeff wished Maggie’s spell would work faster. Hoped it would at least work in time.

  Raul didn’t notice the binding around his legs, but when it reached his wings, he tottered, releasing Talfyr. With a shriek, he jerked against the smoke, and Jeff nearly lost his grip on the pouch. A second jerk and Jeff stumbled towards the edge of the ledge, the sharp drop only a footstep away. Cassie grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back, Jasmine taking her by the arms to ground them both.

  “Look!” Cassie yelled in his ear, but Jeff had already seen.

  Taking advantage of Raul’s distraction, Talfyr struck, cobra-quick, and clamped his jaws down on Raul’s neck, left exposed by the angle of his attack.

  In one swift bite, he cut through the scales, a river of blood spurting from the massive artery to coat everything below. Jeff ducked his head to avoid getting any in his eyes, but looked back, just in time to see Talfyr’s second bite.

  “Come on!” he screamed his encouragement. “Get your head in the game!”

  “Yeah!” Cassie yelled with him. “Show him what you’re made of!”

  “Tear the fucker apart!”

  Jasmine, Jayden, and Venn tore their eyes away from the battle to stare, but Jeff ignored them. He considered himself a pro at cheering from the sidelines. They had clearly never been to a Montreal Canadiens game.

  A laugh bubbled up in his chest and spilled over his lips as Talfyr struck Raul’s neck one last time.

  Three snaps and Raul’s dragon head slid to the ground. His body followed and under the force of his weight the mountain shuddered one last time.

  His battle done, Talfyr dropped onto the field, crying out as he tried to shift his damaged right wing. He vomited one blast of fire up into the sky and then disappeared over the side.

  Jeff rose to his feet on shaking legs, Cassie coming with him. He kept hold of the pouch, the smoke still stretched like a lasso around what remained of Raul.

  Jayden, Jasmine, and Venn followed, and soon they all stood at the side of the rocky ledge. Below, what remained of the Feldall army, who appeared just as awe-stricken as Jeff felt, approached Raul’s transformed corpse.

  “So that’s it?” Jeff asked. “It’s over?”

  No one seemed able to find an answer.

  For so many years Raul had tormented this country. Killed people, tortured and experimented on them. Twice he had disappeared only to come back again. From the time of his rising, they could never be sure that he was gone for good.

  Until now.

  As they watched, the red scales turned grey, hardened into stone, until the dragon who had once been the sorcerer became nothing more than a fallen, broken statue.

  Maybe now everything in Andvell would return to normal.

  With a soft sigh on the breeze, the binding dissipated on the air, and Jeff tucked the pouch back into his waist.

  “Brady,” Jasmine murmured.

  She turned towards the rock face and looked up.

  On the edge of the mountain, Brady had fallen, his eyes closed, his lips still, his arm limp and dangling over the side, as if reaching out for them.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  One week later …

  Jeff fiddled with the collar of his borrowed green coat, running his finger under the side where it scratched against what was left of the cut at his neck. The scratch on his cheek had faded into a soft line, hardly noticeable in this soft candlelight.

  “Remind me again why I have to wear this thing?”

  “Because it looks better than the tattered garbage you were wearing when I first met you,” Venn replied, sitting on his bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. She had also changed into the Feldall colours, except with her own black boots and trousers.

  Jeff made a face at her while Cassie smoothed the creases on the coat. “I think it’s handsome.”

  “Well if you think so,” Jeff replied with a smile. “You look absolutely stunning.”

  Venn gagged as Cassie smiled back, smoothing her hands over the sapphire blue gown Jasmine had lent her. The colour matched her eyes and made them stand out like gemstones. The dress hugged her figure, blossoming out in the back with a bustle. Small diamonds glittered at her ears and throat, just enough to make her look like a starry night that Jeff wanted to lose himself in.

  Venn had been offered similar treatment and turned it down, only agreeing as far as the coat and white tunic.

  There was a knock at the door, and they both turned to see Jasmine, Brady at her side. After a week, the scholar hadn’t gained back any of the weight he’d lost, and still carried the look of death about him, but Jeff had checked the man’s pulse more than once to assure himself that he was alive. Much to Brady’s amusement.

  “Are you three ready to go?” Jasmine asked.

  Jeff took a last look in the mirror—took in
the brushed hair, green coat, white tunic, and cream pants. He felt even more like he was on his way to a costume party than he normally did in these strange Andvellian outfits. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He held out his arm, and Cassie slid her hand underneath, Venn sidling along behind them.

  Outside his bedroom, the corridors of the Royal Palace stretched out, covered end to end with rich red carpet. In honour of her Feldallian guests, Queen Ansella had added some extra decoration: flags of gold and green draped from the walls, the hawk sigil embroidered in the centre.

  The royal servants led them down the stairs and towards the great doors to the audience room where Jayden waited for them. Jeff’s belly fluttered, but at least this time he didn’t have to worry about possible imprisonment or execution.

  How far they had come in a few short weeks.

  He couldn’t believe they were here at all.

  After Brady fell and Talfyr disappeared off the side of the mountain, they stood in a shocked silence, not knowing quite where to begin to pick up the pieces.

  The soldiers down below roused themselves first, calling up to Jeff and the others to make sure they were all right.

  Jayden gathered himself back into the head of the House and ordered the best climbers to get Brady down.

  Two young men had stripped off their armour and scaled the side of the mountain like it was a fight of stairs, not even stopping at the ledge before continuing up to the top.

  Jasmine had grabbed Jeff’s free hand and squeezed it until his bones ground together as they waited to hear what the soldiers found. It felt like an eternity before they shouted down, “He’s alive!” and Jasmine’s knees gave out, Jeff grabbing her before she fell.

  With a length of rope a few of the soldiers had had the good sense to bring, they’d lowered Brady down to the ground. To look at him, Jeff wouldn’t have known the scholar was alive. The white death clothes did nothing to give colour to his face, and he lay still, not even seeming to breathe.

  But then like a drowning man coming up for air, his eyes had flashed open and he’d taken a deep breath, his arms reaching out to grasp at nothing.

  Jeff had choked up as he watched Jasmine’s reaction. He had seen so many sides of her since Corey’s death. He remembered seeing her grief when they’d brought home her lover’s broken body, and how the tears had flowed when she finally accepted his death. Tears of joy were new. They streamed down her cheeks, and she smiled as brightly as the rising sun, which cast its warm pink hues over the mountain, contrasting sharply with the devastation on the battlefield.

  Falling to her knees, she wrapped her arms around Brady’s neck, forcing him to sit up. In surprise, possibly still not sure where he was, or what had happened, Brady’s grey eyes had widened, and he returned the embrace, holding her tightly as she sobbed.

  Venn, uncomfortable with the scene, had wandered off towards Raul, running her hand along the stony scales. Jeff had left Cassie’s side to join her, keeping a bit of a distance in case she wanted to be alone.

  “Quite the sight, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “Too bad he has to stay up here,” she said, gently gliding her finger over the sharp stone fang. Jeff wanted to tell her to be careful, in case any poison still lingered, but he kept his mouth shut. She was Siobhan’s little sister, not his. It wasn’t his place to watch out for her. Even though he suspected she’d need someone to lean on right now, considering what she’d done.

  “I’m glad I killed him,” she said, as if reading his thoughts. “I feel like I can put Siobhan to rest now, knowing she’s been avenged.”

  “I’m glad,” said Jeff, sincere but at the same time regretting that vengeance had been needed at all.

  She lay her palm flat against the dragon skull and turned to him. “I’m sorry I tried to kill you.”

  He grinned and approached, reaching out to touch the dragon’s corpse and then dropping his hand, not wanting to be in contact with anything Raul-related ever again. “Forgiven and forgotten.”

  “Turns out I’m glad it wasn’t you,” Venn continued. “You’re a decent human being. There aren’t many like you out there.”

  Jeff’s grin faded to a small smile, and he finally worked up the courage to pull her into a tight hug. She remained stiff for a moment and then eased into his hold.

  Not wanting to push his luck, he pulled away. “Jayden, Jasmine, Maggie, Brady, they’re all pretty fantastic. Never in a million years should it have been possible to reach this place, and step into your world, but, in spite of everything, I’m grateful every day that it happened. They’re the best friends a person could want.”

  Venn smiled up at him, but her cornflower blues looked sad. “For you.”

  Around them, the wounded were carried down the mountain on the few stretchers they had, the dead laid out and brought down afterwards.

  Jayden had hailed Jeff and Venn that it was time to go, and together, Brady draped between Jayden and Jasmine, they had started down.

  After that, they faced a whirlwind of activity. Getting everyone back to the Keep, treating injuries, processing what they had seen.

  Their losses had been relatively low, but still over a hundred men had to be taken down from the mountaintop and returned to the Keep for interment. Jeff tried to involve himself as much as he could. He told himself it was just to help out during a difficult time, but his honest side knew that he wanted to get everything squared away so that when he went back into his world, there would be no loose ends. The Keep would be in capable hands, safe, and would go on coping with life.

  Then he could try to start one with Cassie. An honest relationship with no other secrets.

  With the rush, he only managed a brief conversation alone with Brady. Jeff found him in his library, right where he should be. The serenity in the room offered a refreshing pause after the chaos elsewhere in the Keep.

  “Welcome back,” said Jeff. The words didn’t do justice to how happy he felt, but Brady’s return smile suggested he knew.

  “I wanted to thank you,” Brady said. “For trying to pull me out of myself before. If I’d listened….” He stopped and shrugged. “But it worked. In the end.”

  Jeff had fallen into the wingback chair across from Brady and stretched out his legs. “Was it worth it?”

  “Remains to be seen. Saved your lives, so I’d say yes.”

  Jeff snorted. “I would have used Maggie’s binding spell, we could totally have done it without Talfyr.”

  Both men grinned, well aware he was full of shit. Then Jeff’s smile faltered. “How do you think he’s doing anyway? Talfyr, I mean. As much as he’s a fire-breathing dragon, I really like the bastard.”

  “He’s healing,” said Brady, and Jeff stared in surprise. The scholar chuckled. “Turns out the connection is a permanent sort of thing. We’ve found a balance for the most part between myself and him, but he’s still in there. Hurt, but he’ll live.”

  “Did he go back to Treevale?”

  Brady shook his head and closed his eyes. “He’s somewhere dark. I can’t see any details.” He opened his eyes again. “But I’m not worried. I’m sure we’ll see him again.”

  Jeff cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. “I’m glad. That he’s alive.”

  Brady smiled again, picking up the double meaning. “Me, too.”

  ***

  When the summons came from the Palace, Jeff was disappointed. That morning he and Cassie had discussed asking Maggie to send them home, ready to put this second episode behind them and find out what they had missed in their own lives. If Cassie still had a job or a Masters degree to go back to; if Jeff still had an agent or parents that would speak with him. So many questions remained unanswered. But their presence had been specifically requested on the queen’s personal invitation, and while Jeff was willing to ignore it and go home, knowing the queen’s disapproval couldn’t follow him, Cassie insisted they stay.

  “It’s only polite,” she said. “And who knows, ma
ybe we’ll find out more about this Ariana. Do you think Jayden has any chance with her?”

  Jeff stuck his fingers in his ears. “I refuse to get involved.”

  So now they were here, taking a moment to breathe before the doors opened and the rush of cheers flooded out to embrace them. Applause and yells of gratitude from the strangely-dressed courtiers in the crowd. Brady seemed to shrink at Jasmine’s side, uncomfortable under the attention, but she gave him a nudge, smiling up to offer courage. Jeff noticed how the scholar pulled his shoulders back in the face of that smile, and he couldn’t help but grin himself.

  That was one storyline he was glad to see wrapped up. And according to his original outline.

  Jasmine looked lovely. Only once in four books had he written her in a dress, and in that scene she’d been uncomfortable, preferring the freedom of trousers to skirts. In person, she cleaned up well. A swath of rich silk wrapped around her body into layers of varying shades of green, with gold embroidery swirling around the hem. A large emerald—her mother’s favourite piece of jewellery—sat on a gold chain around her neck. Cream-coloured gloves reached up to her elbows. She looked like the perfect lady. Except that Jeff had seen the flash of a dagger before she tucked it into a hidden pocket in her skirt, and he knew the shoes peeking from the dress were more practical than fashionable. Jasmine Feldall: shield-maiden in disguise.

  They reached the front of the room, Jeff giving Maggie, Conrad, and William a subtle wave in reply to their eager gestures from the crowd, and lined up.

  Queen Ansella sat up on the dais, the court mask in place, flanked by Princess Ariana on her right and First Counsellor Basten on her left.

  He rose on their arrival, and the room fell to a hush.

  “Today, we honour courage and heroic efforts in the face of a great national threat,” he began. His voice projected across the length of the room, echoing over the walls. “The House of Feldall has long been held in high regard by our sovereign family, and they have proved their loyalty not once but twice within the last year. Most recently, they stepped in where no one else dared to bring the sorcerer Raul to heel. Using whatever means necessary, with the help of Venn Connell and the scholar, Brady Reed, they have eliminated the danger and kept our country safe.”