by Mike Shelton
“Did he bond with you?” Liam asked Bakari.
Bakari shook his head. “Not a full bonding—no. But we can communicate.” Bakari felt the presence of the Cremelino in his mind.
What is your name, mighty Cremelino? Bakari asked.
You tell me, the horse said with a hint of humor.
Bakari thought, then said out loud as he hopped up on the horse, “Flash. I will call you Flash, as we need to get somewhere very quickly.”
With that, Liam and Bakari, on the two Cremelinos, began to trot, then gallop, then run. Bakari was amazed at the horses’ speed. The ground flew by in a blur underneath them. They were five times as fast as the quickest horse he had ever ridden. The Cremelinos’ strong legs burned across a field of late spring grass, then sped into a small forest of trees, taking a small, winding path.
Liam seemed to know where they were going, so Bakari just let his horse follow. Soon they turned right and came out a few dozen feet above the sea again. Looking down, he saw a small town with ships anchored in its bay. Liam pointed to a narrow path down the cliff, and the Cremelinos took it—surely and swiftly.
Coming up to the harbor, Liam carefully dismounted, took a small cane from his pack, and walked stiffly toward a small ship. Taking a few minutes to speak to a man beside the ship, Liam then motioned Bakari forward.
“This ship will take us to Mar,” Liam said.
Bakari was amazed how quickly they had secured passage.
Liam must have guessed his question, for he said, “It does help to be the son of the king.”
Bakari smiled. It was easy to forget sometimes that Liam was royalty. Liam didn’t fit the pompous molds Bakari had read about within royalty.
It took the rest of the morning for the captain to gather his crew, who were enjoying a day of rest in the small town. And, just as the ship’s sails rose and they began to move away from shore, the headmaster’s advisors appeared on the dock.
As Bakari stood at the back of the ship, looking at them, one stuck his hand out, and a tendril of blackness snaked its way toward the ship. Bakari reached out with his own power, but a brighter light came to his mind.
Pull back, Wizard. It was the Cremelino, Flash. Your wizard power will not work on them… I will take care of it.
Bakari watched as a bright light emerged from the ship where he stood next to the Cremelino. It headed out over the water, colliding with the dark tendrils. A flash occurred, and he watched as one of the advisors fell to the dock. Then the ship picked up speed as it moved out of the bay.
Moving around to the front of the ship, Bakari could already see the mainland of the Realm. They would be in Mar soon. He felt a tug in his mind once again, pulling them north.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
As Alli left the city and entered the tunnel back to the Sanctuary, she tried not to think of all the seawater above her. She proceeded then to the back of the complex where she and Jaimon were staying on the Sanctuary grounds—protected by the Followers of the Dragon. Alli rolled her eyes a bit, thinking of the group. Low-level wizards, most of them, with a fanaticism about dragons that made Alli doubt their sanity at times.
After giving a specific knock on the door, she was let into a dim room. She walked down a maze of hallways, in a part of the Sanctuary that was little used, and stopped when she came to a particular room. Jaimon stood by a table inside, examining small carvings and artifacts shaped like dragons. Three Followers of the Dragon, a man named Devin and two women, stood around him.
Jaimon turned to Alli as she entered, holding a small jade carving in front of him. “They say these all have some type of magic in them.” His eyes sparkled with excitement.
“These draw power from the dragons,” Devin said. “Each of these figures and artifacts will accentuate a dragon rider’s power when needed. You must be very careful with them. In the histories, we have evidence of many artifacts. In fact, I have read—”
“Well then, Jaimon, you better grab a few of them,” Alli interrupted as she tried not to roll her eyes—for the second time in the last few minutes—as she cut off the dragon fanatic. “Because you and I have been invited to the castle.”
Jaimon blinked rapidly, and the others in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to Alli.
Devin laughed uncomfortably and said, “You can’t just take the artifacts, Battlemaster.”
Alli glared at Devin. But, before she could tell him that she could and would take whatever she wanted—if it would help them, Jaimon spoke up.
“Where exactly have you been, Alli?” Jaimon asked with authority in his voice. “Are we in trouble?”
Alli cringed only slightly, then put a serious look on her face. She didn’t answer to Jaimon—well, she kind of did, through Bakari. Oh, it was so confusing.
She knew that Jaimon was intimidated by her. But he was a good young man, and she had tried to stay patient with him. Besides, he was a dragon rider, and Alli didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Cholena.
“I met someone.” Alli crossed her arms in front of her. “And I kind of ran into the Von Wulf’s.”
A multitude of gasps filled the room.
“The king?” Jaimon’s eyes opened wide.
“Not him, specifically, but his son.” Alli paused to take a breath. “And Kaspar.”
Jaimon slapped himself in the forehead and laughed. “The famous Kaspar Von Wulf, second heir to the throne? His abilities with the sword are a legend already—second only to his looks, I have heard.”
A few women in the room blushed, and Alli felt her own cheeks burn. She tried to divert attention with a cough. “He wasn’t that good with the sword.” But thoughts of Kaspar’s perfect visage still heated her face. The man was too beautiful for his own good, however. She tried to think about Roland’s face but had a hard time concentrating on it at the moment.
Jaimon took a step toward Alli and asked, “You didn’t fight Kaspar, did you? Please tell me you didn’t, Alli.”
Alli stuck her chin out. “I sparred with him. And, yes, I beat him—and I didn’t even use my magic.”
Gasps sounded around the room again.
Alli didn’t care. She shouldn’t hide her talents. Just because she was a woman and was small didn’t mean she couldn’t do anything these arrogant men did. She was the Battlemaster!
Then Jaimon actually laughed. “Well, no wonder we’ve been invited to speak to the Wolf.”
“He knows who we are, Jaimon,” Alli said. These words had their intended effect on the group. They sobered the others and gave Alli the floor.
“The Wolf and his son have some type of magic,” Alli reported. “I don’t think they are wizards, but they can tell things about people—it felt like they were looking into my soul. So we need to be very careful,” Alli said. “On my way here, I heard that the two kings of Solshi are arriving to talk to the king of Quentis. The castle will be guarded well. But, if we are being invited in, we could have an opportunity to find out what is going on. Rumors are the king is sick, but I think it may be otherwise.”
Jaimon nodded. “The Chameleon is still around. I can feel him, but not as close as he was yesterday. I think he is in the city.”
Devin stepped forward reluctantly and shoved some of the artifacts into Jaimon’s hand. “Take these, Dragon Rider. You might need them.”
Jaimon nodded his thanks, and Alli raised her eyebrows at the man. He wouldn’t give them to her, but Devin would trust them in the hands of a dragon rider. She wondered if they would even do any good. Alli would trust her own abilities before trusting some inanimate object made of ivory or stone or wood.
Then a few of the Followers of the Dragon walked with Jaimon and Alli to the tunnel. And the two of them began their walk back toward the city.
Alli was getting tired of this trek and wished they had opted for using a boat instead. But they were being searched for, so the tunnel seemed like the best course for the time being.
Jaimon turned to Alli. “Trul
y, you met Kaspar? What is he like?”
Alli tried not to blush, but she couldn’t prevent the color from creeping up her pale cheeks.
Jaimon laughed. “That good, huh?”
“Shut up, Jaimon.” She slapped his arm playfully. “It’s hard to take Kaspar seriously. It’s really not fair…” Alli added, trailing off as she thought about Kaspar’s smile.
“Watch out, Roland might get jealous.” Jaimon’s eyes crinkled.
But Alli was still lost in her own thoughts. Then she said, “For a moment, I thought I felt Roland there, when Kaspar and I were sparring. It was strange.” She shook her head. “And then, a short time afterward, I felt someone trying to drain my powers. It gave me a horrible headache.”
Jaimon opened his eyes wide and said, “As did I. But what could do that?”
“I am not sure.” Alli shook her head and gave a slight scowl. “But I swear that boy gets into trouble every time I go away.”
“What boy?” Jaimon asked.
“Roland,” Alli said.
Jaimon laughed. “Oh, I didn’t know we were still talking about him. I thought we were discussing the headaches and our loss of power.”
Alli only grunted in reply.
Soon they emerged from the tunnel and began the short walk to Margarid. Entering the gate was easy, and they soon found themselves walking down one of the city’s main streets. Shops lined either side of the broad street, their colorful flags hanging off of sturdy awnings, which were erected to block any storms coming off the Blue Sea. The shops were still open, but there were not a lot of customers about.
“Kind of quiet,” Jaimon said.
Alli nodded her agreement. In her experience, when things were too quiet, trouble was afoot. So she placed her hand on her sword and heightened her wizard senses.
Soon the shops thinned out, and the large, multi-storied homes of the nobles began to take their place. Alli made sure to stay off of the Von Wulf’s street. She didn’t want to run into Kaspar again, for she needed to stay focused on the task at hand.
“Do you feel anything?” Alli asked Jaimon.
“Yes. We are getting closer to him,” Jaimon said. “Alli, what do we do if we see the Chameleon? He neutralized your power last time.”
Alli nodded. She, of course, remembered that. It was horrible to be without her magic. She had felt lost and empty inside for the next few days following their encounter in Elvyn with the Chameleon.
“When we find him,” Alli said. “Then we will report back to Bakari, and he will let us know what to do.”
“I don’t know if we can communicate with Bakari anymore, Alli.”
As Alli flipped her head around, her growing hair flew around her face and she said, “What do you mean?”
“Cholena said that she can’t communicate with Abylar anymore, and Breelyn and Miriel seem to be in trouble too.” Jaimon looked worried. “So we might be on our own.”
“Well, we are not without our own powers. I am the Battlemaster, and you are a dragon rider. That might have to do.” She smiled, trying to reassure the young man without showing her own concern. The Chameleon was the first person Alli had ever met that had truly scared her.
Soon they arrived in front of the castle gates, where they were stopped by a guard. Alli decided to play up who they were, now that they were at the castle.
“Battlemaster Allison Stenos and Dragon Rider Jaimon Schafer to see the Wolf.”
These titles had the intended effect, for the guard stood up straighter. “Yes, ma’am,” he stammered. “We have been expecting you.” With a short bow to Jaimon, the guard ushered them through the gates, where a set of two other guards fell in beside them.
“Quite a parade,” Alli said to one of them. But he ignored her and continued walking straight ahead. It seemed they had no sense of humor. Then Alli noticed they were turning away from the main castle doors and heading toward a door on its south side.
So, even the Wolf doesn’t necessarily want to parade us in front of others, Alli thought. She guessed that, here, like everywhere, information was power.
After entering the immense building, they soon arrived at a waiting area, where the guards motioned for Alli and Jaimon to sit.
As they waited, Alli turned around and realized that this building was ancient: much older than the castle in Cassian—maybe it rivaled the Citadel for its history. The gray stone walls showed signs of age and held tapestries and paintings from all over the Western Continent.
Alli rubbed the smooth wooden armrest of the chair she sat in and wondered about what would happen. What did the Wolf want with them?
Then the door opened, and a woman ushered the two of them inside.
The room was significant in size but was furnished more reasonably than—and not as gaudily as—the waiting area had been. Behind a serviceable, dark desk sat the Wolf. Motioning the woman out, he stood and approached his two visitors.
Turning first to Jaimon, the Wolf bowed, with his hands clasped in front of him, and said, “Welcome, Dragon Rider.”
Jaimon appeared nervous, but he held himself together well. “Thank you, sir.”
“And, nice to see you again, young lady,” the Wolf said, his tall frame rising way over Alli’s head. “I hear that you gave my son quite the beating.”
Alli shrugged. “He tried his best.”
The Wolf laughed and motioned them to a grouping of chairs around the desk. After they were seated, the Wolf looked at each of them in turn before he started talking. “It seems we have a slight problem here.”
Alli raised her eyebrows but waited to see what this problem was before saying anything.
“Both of you were seen entering the Sanctuary,” the Wolf continued, “but have not presented yourselves to the commander yet, and he seems to think you have been hiding there.” The Wolf smiled, but Alli could tell that there was a dangerous undertone to what he was beginning to imply.
“We were not informed that the commander was available to see us,” Alli said, holding her voice firm.
The Wolf waved his hand in the air. “That is beside the point. The dragon rider’s stay there can be excused; he is one of us at least. However, it seems you stayed rather hidden while you were there. Having a Battlemaster from our northern neighbor—one with which we have had no contact until recently—hiding in the Sanctuary cannot be excused.”
Alli stood, resting her hand on her sword, which, surprisingly, had not been taken from her. “And, what is the point of your threats, Minister of Trade—that is the role you play in this government today, isn’t it?”
The Wolf glared at Alli. And, once again, she felt his eyes prying inside of her.
“Get out of there!” Alli yelled and brought up a ball of fire in front of her.
“Alli!” Jaimon yelled as he stood up. “What is going on?”
“He’s trying to see inside my mind—he has powers,” Alli said to Jaimon. Then, turning back to the Wolf, she said, “You have no right to invade my privacy.”
The Wolf stood and took a step forward. “I have all the right. You are a foreign Battlemaster on my soil.”
Alli realized that the man had a point, but she still had to save face. So she turned the conversation back on him. “You don’t seem like a wizard.”
The Wolf guffawed and sat back down. “You are correct, young lady. I am not a wizard, but the power of seeing runs in my family.”
Alli grunted and then said, “I remember your son trying to do the same thing.”
The Wolf waved for Alli to sit back down. “As I said, it runs in the family. My father had it also.”
“Had?” Alli asked.
“That is none of your business,” the Wolf snapped, not seeming too happy with where the line of questioning was going. “Now, tell me why you are here.”
Alli took a deep breath. She didn’t know if she could trust the Wolf, so she had to be careful about what she said. “Jaimon is here on the order of Dragon Master Bakari, and I am only
accompanying him. We are searching for a man who has caused disruption in both Elvyn and Alaris, and we have reason to believe he may have come here.”
The Wolf turned and stared at Jaimon for confirmation of Alli’s story.
“That is true, sir,” Jaimon said. “We would never do anything to jeopardize Quentis. It is my home.”
“But you did not come and present yourself at the Castle or to the Sanctuary commander when you arrived.” The Wolf leaned forward in his chair.
Sweat formed on Jaimon’s brow. Alli knew he was not used to politics. Until recently, Alli herself had not been either. But, with the barrier coming down and the fighting between the judges and king-men the previous year, she had been thrust into politics on many occasions.
So Alli pulled the Wolf’s attention back from Jaimon to herself. “Sir, do you deny the right of the Dragon King in this matter?”
The Wolf turned pale—the first sign Alli had seen of a weakness in the man. Or, was this awe at the mention of the Dragon King? He covered this up with a quick cough, but he took a moment to think.
The afternoon sun sent a ray of light into the room. It landed on Jaimon, giving him an altogether otherworldly look. The Wolf had seen this also, and he poured himself a drink before answering.
“I do not deny the right of a dragon king, if there is one.” He seemed to gather strength again as he spoke. “But he would need to present himself to my father, the rightful king of Quentis, for any acknowledgement.”
“We can arrange that, can’t we, Jaimon?” Alli said.
Alli’s statement made the Wolf search again for his words.
“When the time is right,” he finally added.
“You mean, when you are king?” Alli said. “I’ve heard your father is sick.”
The Wolf stood up and, in two long strides, stood directly in front of Alli. “I don’t know what game you play here, Battlemaster. Your future sits in my hands. How dare you talk of my father in that way. He is a great king and has ruled in peace for years—at least, until the barrier around Alaris came down. Now, nothing but problems have arisen.”
