The Stone Eater (The Magic Eaters Trilogy Book 3)

by Carol Beth Anderson

  Nora briefly squeezed her eyes shut, lacing her fingers together in tight regret. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it; I just wanted to convince you I was serious. I was pushing you away. But I didn’t mean it.”

  “I know you didn’t.” His voice was low and so very kind. “But you were right.”

  “No I wasn’t!” It came out as a shrill cry, bouncing off the barn’s floor and walls. She brought her volume down. “Calling you weak—nothing could be less true!”

  A sigh left his chest. “I let myself get lost in you. I shoved down my own dreams. I loved you; I really did. But if I’d married you and become king, one day, I would’ve regretted it. And . . . I would’ve been good to you, I know that. But I don’t think I would’ve been good for you.”

  Exhausted, relieved tears sprang to Nora’s eyes. She impatiently swiped one off her cheek. “Do you really believe that?”

  “Trust me, I’ve had way too much time to think about this, stuck under that dome. You need someone who won’t just love you. You need someone who’ll stand up to you too. Someone who’ll be excited to get up every morning. Not just because you’re next to him, but because he cares as much about ruling this land as you do.”

  She unfolded her hands, spreading them wide in frustration. “How am I supposed to find someone like that?”

  Ovrun laughed softly and placed a warm hand on her knee. “You’re a lot of things, Nora . . . but you aren’t stupid.”

  She stilled, an odd tingle taking over her cheeks and hands. Was he saying—?

  Ovrun started coughing. He let go of her knee and turned to the side.

  Grateful for the distraction, Nora said, “You should ask Krey to fly you to the healer we visited earlier tonight. We all got our lungs healed.”

  Ovrun got control of himself and turned back to her. “I’ll do that.” He let out a short laugh. “But I’m not letting you change the subject so easily. I saw the friendship you and Krey were building before I got taken. I saw you talking in the corner just now. And like I said, I’ve had a lot of time to think. Tell me you only see him as a friend, and I’ll shut up. But be honest.”

  Honesty. She owed him that much. But there was no way she could honestly say she didn’t have feelings for Krey. She bit her lip, then released it with a harsh sigh. “Whoever I marry will be king, but he’ll also be my subject. I can’t . . . I can’t do that to someone I care about.”

  “So you’ll marry someone you don’t care about? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?”

  “Well, when you put it that way . . .”

  “Hey, you’re the one who—”

  Nora interrupted Ovrun. “Hang on. Vin just called my name.” Yes? she asked the dragon.

  I have fed and shall arrive shortly.

  I’ll be ready. Aloud, she said, “I swear I’m not avoiding this conversation, but Vin is on his way back.”

  “Let me ask you one more question. Before I got taken, you were pulling away from all your friends. What was that about?”

  “I . . .” She could spend an hour explaining this, but all she had time for was brutal simplicity. “I realized it’ll be impossible to have real relationships with people I’m ruling. I’ve been trying to prepare myself for that.”

  “Did you get that idea from your father?”

  “You said you only had one question.”

  “I lied,” he said with a short laugh.

  Nora shrugged. “Well. . . yeah. I’ve spent a lot of time considering the sacrifices my father had to make through the years.” Although, come to think of it, Sharai had been the one to claim the king had kept himself distant from his subjects. Was that even true? Who had her father really been before he’d lost the love of his life?

  “One more question,” Ovrun said. “Don’t answer it; just think about it as you fly. Why are you trying to be like your father when you’ve always said that’s the last thing you want?” He reached out and gave Nora’s knee a squeeze. “It really is good to see you again.” He stood and started walking toward the others, leaving Nora alone in a maelstrom of confusion.

  “Wait!” she called, leaping to her feet and running to him. She grabbed his arm. “I’ll think about it—I will. But let me give you something to think about too.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She lowered her voice. “There’s a girl across the barn you need to talk to. You need to ask her why she ended things with you.”

  “I got over Joli a long time ago. We’re fine.”

  “She’s not fine.”

  Ovrun stilled. “She’s not?”

  “No. So talk to her. And maybe . . .” A grin took over her face. “Maybe get to know her again.”

  “Don’t get any thoughts in your head, Nora. I never loved her. It was, well . . . honestly, I don’t think it was ever more than a crush between us. We called it a relationship. But it wasn’t deep.”

  “Okay. But have you changed in the last two years?”

  “Of course.”

  “Ever think maybe she has too?”

  Satisfied with Ovrun’s silence, Nora smiled, released his arm, and walked to where she’d set down her pack. She grabbed it and said her goodbyes. As she walked outside, she became aware again of the lump in her pocket. She gripped it through the fabric of her pants. Her smile, which had lingered on her lips after her conversation with Ovrun, disappeared.

  Yes, she’d have a long time on Vin’s back. And maybe she’d ponder Ovrun’s words. But first, she had to figure out what to do with the object she was carrying. A piece of the stone that brought magic into the world. The same artifact that caused the apocalypse.

  Somehow she knew this small piece of it would affect the coming fight. What would it bring this time—freedom or destruction?

  28

  “I want you to know I trust you,” Ulmin said, “so I’d like to tell you something.”

  When he took my hand, I thought he’d say something sweet—maybe tell me he wants more than friendship. Instead, he told me a secret . . . about international politics.

  I’m sure it sounds unromantic, but it was what I needed to hear. It showed me he still wants me to be part of his life. Part of his future.

  -Letter from Ambrel Kaulder to Dani Kaulder

  Dated Barna 13, 180 PD

  As Vin landed in an expanse of golden grain at the farm where Hatlin was staying, Nora waved at several militia members working in the field. The morning sun was gloriously bright in the pale-orange sky. In the past, the dragons had been wary of flying over inhabited areas during the day. But during Nora’s tour of Cellerin, they’d had to put aside their caution.

  Nora gave Vin’s deep-red scales a pat before sliding from his back. She asked a militia member where Hatlin was, then ran off toward the field behind the farmhouse. It wasn’t far, but her legs were terribly heavy. During the flight, only her racing thoughts had kept her from drifting to sleep. Unfortunately, she hadn’t reached any conclusions about her best friend or the stone in her pocket.

  As she approached, Hatlin looked up. “Nora! You’re back!”

  She halted, panting. “Sharai defected to my father. I’m sure she’s told him everything by now. He has a dragon, and he may fly here in a few hours. We have to get everyone off these farms.”

  His eyes widened as she spoke, but all he said was, “We’ll make it happen.”

  “Great. We should send all the farmhands home—I’m assuming most of them have family in the city. As for the rebels, I was thinking—”

  “Nora. I said we’d make it happen.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He grinned. “You think we’ve been doing nothing since you left? We’ve got an evacuation plan. We’d arranged for our people to ride in wagons, but . . . you didn’t happen to fly in on one of those dragons, did you?”

  “Vin brought me.”

  “You think he would mind ferrying some passengers?”

  “Great minds think alike.”

  Nora watch
ed Hatlin give orders to militia members. They rushed off to saddle orsas and visit nearby farms. He also sent messengers to the city to spread the word to New Therroan dissidents there. Sharai knew who many of them were, and they’d need to hide or join Hatlin’s group. “It’s all just like we’ve done in our drills,” he told Nora.

  “I had no idea you were so organized.”

  He laughed. “I had lots of help.”

  “Can you update me on the plan?”

  “Our team’s been gathering supplies—everything we need to live in the wild for a couple of weeks. They’ll bring it all here in wagons. The plan was to use the wagons to evacuate our people too. Instead, we’ll have everyone carry what they can, strapped to their backs. Vin can fly them out, a few at a time.”

  “Where will he take them?”

  “We’ve found a place near the river. It’s not far from here, but it’s off the beaten path. There’s plenty of trees to hide us. But then . . . well, we had another idea too. A couple of us scouted out the woods east of the palace. We figured some of us can relocate there—at night, of course. If we’re camped out by the palace, it’ll make it easier to support you when you’re ready to take your father down.”

  Suddenly, Nora was laughing—harder than she should’ve, but that was the exhaustion. When she caught her breath, she realized Hatlin was looking at her like she’d lost her mind. “I would’ve never considered camping right under his nose like that,” she said. “But it’s brilliant. There are streams in there, right?”

  “Yep, and even a little pond. Plenty of water.” Hatlin’s broad shoulders had a proud set to them.

  Her smile faded. “My father’s got a dragon now. If he sends her out to keep watch over the area, she’ll see you.”

  “Yeah, but she can’t talk to him, right?”

  “No, he’s not a dragon speaker. He might have someone ride her, though, so they can report back.”

  “Then it’s not a problem. We knew the king might have a feather eater scouting the area. We already planned for it. The trees are thick where we’re gonna stay, and we’ve got dark clothes. We’ll rest during the day, staying hidden. At night, we can come out.”

  Nora nodded slowly. “A human won’t be able to see you in the dark, and if the dragon spots you, she can’t say anything about it. How many of you will be there?”

  “Less than forty—just the former militia and others we’ve been working with on the farms. If rebels from the city join us, they’ll stay here, by the river.”

  “This might be doable if you’re careful. It’s dangerous though.”

  “Everyone already knows that. If they’re willing to take the risk, I say you let them. You don’t know when the right time will come to attack. You’ll need people there, ready to back you up.”

  Nora nodded. “Okay. Leadership suits you well, Hatlin.”

  He smiled. “I know Vin might be tired after carrying everyone to the river. Think there’s any chance he can take a bunch of us to the woods by the palace after dark tonight too?”

  “I’ll ask him. As long as he has some time to rest and hunt first, I doubt he’ll mind.”

  Hatlin’s brows drew together. “You need rest too—you look exhausted. How about you ask Vin to take you to the river now, while everyone’s gathering up? I’ll come along to give him directions. We’ll bring a tent and some bedding. Then Vin and I’ll spend the next few hours getting everyone moved.”

  The thought of lying down sounded heavenly, but Nora shook her head. “I shouldn’t leave before everyone else.”

  “That’s absolutely what you should do. If your father gets here sooner than you expect, you can’t be here.” Seeing her about to protest, he held up a hand. “You do realize we’re all here to support you, right? To protect you until we can make you our queen? So take a damn nap. You need one.”

  She gave him a soft smile. “Thank you, Hatlin.”

  Nora hadn’t expected to sleep long, but her body had other plans. She didn’t wake until the sun was setting. Maybe the sound of the nearby river had blocked out the clamor of rebels arriving. A peek outside her tent revealed more tents and people surrounding multiple campfires.

  Nora ventured out and approached a group of former militia members. “Did everything go smoothly?”

  One of the young women laughed. “Yeah, just as the last group was leaving the farms, they saw another dragon way off in the distance. I heard our dragon flew so fast, the people he was carrying almost fell off!”

  Nora’s heart leapt into her throat. The people she was talking to had no idea it was her father on the other dragon.

  She wandered the camp until she found Hatlin. They ate dinner together, along with other members of her leadership team. She updated them on the events of her two-and-a-half-week tour.

  When full darkness fell, Vin began carrying rebels to the woods by the palace. With his first group on his back, he reached out to Nora. Shall I fly over the farms?

  Her chest tightened, but she didn’t have the privilege of looking away from whatever her father had done. Yes, please.

  A few minutes later, an image entered her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her mouth, grinding her teeth together to prevent herself from crying. Her father, taking full advantage of the dragon under his control, had attacked with fire, striking every farm that had allied with Nora. Dozens of fields and structures were ablaze, and flames even extended to the fields of some farmers who hadn’t taken in rebels. Joli’s family’s farm was the worst, its details invisible past black smoke and orange flames.

  Emotion thickening her throat, Nora spoke to Hatlin and the others, describing what Vin had shown her. They began a quiet discussion about how they’d share the news with the farmers.

  Vin’s voice reached Nora’s mind again. I have dropped off the first group and am flying high over the palace now. I see no sign of Gild. However, something is happening at the stone dome you’ve spoken of.

  Can you show me?

  Her mind filled with the image of the back of the dome. A new stone platform protruded near the top. It was large, with a low wall on one side. As she watched, a massive stone brick appeared on top of the low wall. Then another, and another. What is it?

  I know not. I must return to carry another group.

  Nora stared at the campfire, considering what she’d just seen. Her father was home, using his enhanced magic again. It looked like he was creating a room on the side of the dome . . . a room big enough for a dragon.

  He was building a cell for Gild.

  Morning hadn’t yet dawned when Vin and Nora returned to the abandoned barn. Despite the early hour, everyone was awake. Their sleep schedules must be as messed up as Nora’s. She smiled to see Osmius sitting in a corner, silently watching her enter.

  Her friends were sitting in a circle, huddled in blankets. Nora gave them a full update. Joli sobbed when she heard about her farm. But a certain hope covered the group when Nora told them some of their allies were waiting near the palace to help them.

  “If Gild and your father are back at the palace,” Krey said, “we don’t have to worry about them finding us. Anyone want to sit around a fire outside instead of freezing in here?”

  The reaction was enthusiastically positive. They broke up some old crates and built a campfire. As the sun peeked over the eastern horizon, they ate dried berries and meat for breakfast.

  Nora stood. “I’ve been spending a lot of time on a dragon’s back. I’m going to take a walk.”

  “Can I join you?” Krey asked.

  A little thrill shot through her. She shrugged. “Sure, if you want to.”

  They strolled to the dilapidated farmhouse and walked around to the front of it, out of sight and earshot of the others. Krey tested the porch railing, then leaned against it. Nora did the same. He said, “I’ve been strategizing nonstop since you left, except when I was sleeping. Even then, I was dreaming about what we should do. I have an idea.”

  Eager to hea
r it, she took one of his hands. “What is it?”

  He looked down at their hands but didn’t pull away. Nora became very aware of the warmth of his fingers on hers. A giddy tingle made her shiver. You’re eighteen, not twelve, she chided herself. Get a grip.

  Krey ran his thumb over her knuckles. “What if we went back to some of the towns that supported us? We could ask them to send people to the capital—anyone who’s willing to fight for you. They could spread the message to nearby communities too.”

  “We don’t have time for any more traveling,” Nora said. “We have to stop my father before he gathers his new Overseers.”

  He frowned. “It’s too late for that. He’s already back at the capital. He’s probably gathering his new Overseers as we speak.”

  Nora’s shoulders fell. “You’re right. Damn it, that’s why we needed that attack on him to work. I don’t even want to think about what this means. Eight people like Faylie?”

  He sighed. “I know.”

  There was no time to get mired in melancholy. She met his gaze. “If we try your strategy, do you think people will say yes? Will they fight for us?”

  Krey smiled, and Nora could’ve sworn the sun itself got brighter. “Not us, Nora. You. They love you. I don’t know what the result will be, but hang onto that truth—a whole lot of people believe in you. They’ll fight for you.”

  By the sky, she wanted to hug him for saying that. She didn’t, though. Ever since her conversation with Ovrun, she’d twisted her mind inside out, trying to convince herself a relationship with Krey was a good idea. But she couldn’t justify it. Krey deserved more than a messed-up romance with a future monarch.

  She dropped his hand. It was time to focus on goals she could actually meet, not dreams that would never come true. Folding her arms, she resumed walking, more briskly this time. As Krey scrambled to catch up, she said, “If a bunch of people travel to the capital, the soldiers there will notice. Where are they supposed to stay? How will we communicate with them?”