Raven nodded in agreement. “Wise. That will save us time as well. We can focus on finding the witch while Sisera scouts the tower.” Raven rose, and as she did, she reached over and touched Kai on the cheek. “I’m glad you didn’t get yourself killed today, Kai Woods. I’ll take first watch.” She then walked out into the night.
Kai watched her walk away, he could still feel her touch on his skin. It had been so long since he’d felt any sort of feelings for a woman other than Rosalie, but Raven was certainly stirring something in him. It didn’t matter if was love or just simply physical attraction, it simply felt good to feel something other than anguish over lost love. Starting something with Raven would be complicated, but it could also be good. Kai tried not to overthink it. He would enjoy being in the moment instead of his memories.
26
PRINCE ERIC RAMSEY STORMED INTO the castle. They’d not found any trace of the girl, and without the Dragon’s Tail scouts, he had given up hope of finding them. Eric, hot, tired and irritated by the lack of success, returned home with only a few of his knights. The rest of his contingency of knights he dispatched to search every village and town south of Kosal. He’d find the girl, one way or another.
A quick word with a servant let Prince Eric know his father was out at the stables. It came as no surprise to Eric. His father’s stallions were his prized possessions. Often Eric wondered which took a higher priority in his father’s eyes, his son or his horses. Eric knew most days the horses would win that contest, but the old man’s days were coming to an end soon. He told himself, Let the old codger enjoy his beasts while he lives. Eric was counting on taking the throne sooner than later. The prince was eager to become king. There’d be more entertaining things to do with his time than play with simple beasts. He planned to rule all of Kosal. Not that he didn’t have his own passions, it just happened that his passion was for bodies that had two legs and not four.
Eric found his father brushing down a large black stallion.
“Welcome home, son,” greeted the king.
“A wasted trip,” swore Eric. “First that damned King Byrne loses the girl, and then my scouts disappear when we almost have her. Those bloody Dragon’s Tail are useless.”
“No, Eric, they are not useless. They are traitors. All of the Dragon’s Tail Brigade have abandoned us.” The anger in his voice was unmistakable. His brow was furrowed and his fists clenched.
Eric was surprised to see his father so angry, but even more surprised by his news. “All of them? What in the seven hells?”
“It seems your bride to be is a Dragonblood. The Dragon’s Tail have declared their ancient oath to serve Dragonbloods, supersedes their loyalty to this kingdom.”
“Dragonblood? What a crock!” said Prince Eric with a snort.
“Don’t discard it from the realm of the possible just yet. There have been dragon sightings from three different parts of the isle, and a trading ship from Droll confirmed that they have a Dragonblood there. Dragons have returned, and dangerous Dragonbloods with them!”
“What do we do? I’ll not give up my rights as Prince of Kosal, because of some Dragonblood.”
“Nor would I,” said King Ramsey. “My days are coming to a close, but I want to see your future kingdom expanded before that happens. I’d hoped that a marriage to the little bitch from Prozia would give you a political weapon to exploit. However, it now seems unlikely that we can continue down that path. I think we’ll have to expand by other means. We’ll attack Prozia.”
Prince Eric grinned at his father. Finally, the old man was making sense. Enough with this political correctness foolishness. It was time to use their army, and his prized knights, to attack and smash their enemies. “When do we leave?”
“Soon,” replied King Ramsey. “I’m sent an emissary to King Byrne demanding he produce the princess. I informed him I was sending you and a small compliment of men to assist in the search. You’ll take your knights into Prozia and assassinate King Byrne. If you can gain control of the courtyard and the castle, do it. Otherwise retreat and we’ll lay siege to the kingdom. I will be a few days behind you. It’s time we put what we learned in foreign wars to use. Our catapults and battering rams will open the gates of Prozia.”
Prince Eric would make sure that King Byrne died. He smiled, thinking about the pleasure he’d take in killing that meddlesome Queen Amelia along with her husband. King Byrne was a fool. His loss would not be painful for the citizens of Prozia. However, Queen Amelia’s death would put Prozia into chaos. His father’s plan was excellent. Soon all of Northern Seron would be part of the kingdom of Kosal. They would work their way south. Eventually, all of Seron would be under Ramsey rule! The prince rubbed his hands in anticipation. One way or another, he would become the most powerful king in Seron.
27
BRIGHT FLAMES FILLED THE AIR AS Sisera blew flames over the funeral pyre that Raven and Kai had made for the bandits. The incredibly hot dragon flame engulfed the pyre, creating an inferno that consumed itself and everything in it. Within seconds, all that remained of the funeral pyre was light white ash.
Kai felt little pity for the bandits. They’d made their choice in life. Anyone who preyed on travelers didn’t deserve pity. They deserved the fate that had fallen on them.
When the flames died out, Sisera spoke. “May the gods ignore your follies and accept you into the beyond.”
Kai was surprised by the words Sisera used. She spoke of gods, forgiveness, and hinted at compassion. Not what Kai expected from a dragon. As a Dragon Tail, he’d been told that dragons were intelligent creatures, but to hear Sisera talking like that made Kai realize that in some ways dragons and humans were very similar. It was a comforting, yet very disturbing idea. If Sisera, a dragon, shared the same commendable qualities as some humans, such as intelligence and compassion, then surely there were dragons with some of the darker qualities that people could possess like stubbornness, indifference and anger, or hate. It was a scary thought. He suppressed a shudder.
Kai walked to Sisera, “Did Isabella explain what we’d like you to do today?”
“Yes. I’m to scout the tower, without being seen. It looks like it will be fairly cloudy all day so that shouldn’t be an issue. I will also take a look at the village to the west of here.”
“Good,” replied Kai. “It doesn’t concern me much if the villagers see you, just don’t get close enough to scare any of their livestock, for some fool may try shoot you.”
“Don’t worry, I will stay high in the air or in the mountains. I have better vision than you humans, so I don’t have to be that close to assess the village. When you go south towards the Dark Forest, keep an eye out for two large white pine trees on the edge of the forest. There is a cottage a few hundred yards into the forest there. That may be your witch’s cottage.”
Kai nodded, the dark forest was not someplace people chose to have a cottage. It was likely the cottage Sisera spoke of was indeed that of the witch, Adina Aviel. Britt had given them general directions on how to find her, but Sisera’s description of the two white pines was much more specific. It would speed up the task. “Thank you, Sisera, ‘tis very helpful information.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Sisera, when is the last time you ate?” asked Kai. Isabella had explained that Sisera preferred fish, but how often the dragon needed to eat had not been a question Isabella had been able to answer.
“Since I found Isabella,” admitted Sisera. “I am good for a few more days and then I will have to go to the coast. The lakes around here only have tiny little fish. Good for a snack, but not enough to sustain.”
“How long does it take you to go to the coast?” asked Kai.
“It’s a short flight from here. It takes me an hour or two. I’ll spend more time fishing and eating than I will getting there and back.”
Kai put the information away for later. Soon he’d ask Isabella to send Sisera to the coast, but today they needed the dragon to scout. “Good to k
now. Scout as much of the valley as you can today. Tomorrow we’ll map out what you’ve told us.”
Kai turned his attention from Sisera, to Raven and Isabella who were mounting their horses. “Ready?” he asked, looking to Isabella.
“Yes,” said Isabella.
Kai grabbed the reins of his horse from Raven and throwing his foot into the stirrup, launched himself onto the back his horse, a sturdy chestnut mare that Shan Browne had provided. Kai would be leading them south, but still he waited for Princess Isabella to give the command. It would serve her well to practice the royal chain of command protocols.
Isabella turned and nodded to Kai. It was time to go. Kai smiled. Isabella apparently would not need a lot of practice. Her nod was regal, yet gracious.
From the plateau down to the main valley floor was a slope of several hundred feet. It wasn’t particularly steep, but it had been an effective defensive advantage for the castle of Mara before its destruction. Enemy troops expended more energy going up the long slope, siege weapons were difficult to transport to the castle, and the extra elevation favored the archers of the castle over anyone in the valley. Kai could see why the castle had been built here. A beautiful location, with a wide open view of the valley, and good defensive position. If the battle of the Valley of Tears had not happened, the kingdom of Mara would likely have been able to rule Southern Seron for generations. Instead, the ruins now stood as a reminder of the devastation caused by one man’s thirst for power. It was a lesson about the danger of power that Kai would need to make sure Isabella appreciated and understood as she grew into becoming a ruler. As a princess of Prozia she had noble rights, as a Dragonblood she had a force behind her that could lay waste to armies. That she became a just and honorable ruler was something Kai would pray for, to all the gods. At least he would pray to all the gods that smiled upon peace and prosperity. Many of the gods seemed to favor chaos and war, something Kai hoped would not accompany the return of dragons. But that was beyond his control. All he could do was serve Isabella, offer her advice when it was requested, protect her, and hope Princess Isabella would mature into a wise queen, a queen worthy of the undivided loyalty of her subjects.
Once they finished walking the horses down the slope to the valley floor, they found the ancient road from the castle that followed the valley south. The ancient road, long out of heavy use, was covered in moss, wild flowers and weed. However, it was still flat, and other than in the places where random trees decided to grow, it was far easier to travel the old road than going through the uneven fields. They were able to maintain a slow gallop without any difficulty. The horses could’ve maintained a faster pace, but Kai wanted to go slower. His knowledge of the large valley was limited and he wanted to absorb as many details as he could. He made note of the amount of edible plants and berries that were growing wild, the amount of animal signs, the amount of human tracks. Everything that he saw helped Kai learn more. He was pleased by the amount of food stock that he could see. The valley was rich with plants and grains, and judging from the animal droppings, equally blessed with game.
…
The Dark Forest came by its name honestly. The forest was full of Black Sincha, huge trees that only had branches at the top. The trees created a huge canopy of vegetation which let little light through to the ground. Even on the brightest of days, little light got into the forest.
The Dark Forest was along the east side of the same ridge of mountains that separated Mara from the eastern coast. The forest jutted west all the way to the middle of the isle. From the description given to Kai by Britt Wistol and Sisera, Kai was confident finding the witch wouldn’t be too difficult. The road they were traveling on went straight south until it hit the edge of the gloomy forest. There, the road went west curving around, leading deeper into the dark and dangerous woods. When the road turned west, they would turn east and follow the edge of the forest until they saw the two white pines.
They had only gone a few miles from the old road when Kai noticed the two pines. When they got to the pair of pines they couldn’t see any signs of a cottage. The forest was so dark that from outside of it looking in they could only see black. “I’ll go and see if I can find the witch,” said Kai.
Dismounting, Kai handed the reins of his horse to Raven. The animal hardly noticed as it was taking the opportunity to graze while they were stopped.
“If you’re not back within the hour, we’ll come in looking for you,” said Raven.
Kai nodded, cautiously walking into the forest. Just inside the forest he stood for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the much lower light levels. While peering from the outside of the forest, it had looked black, but, amazingly once inside, it was significantly more colorful and bright. The Sincha trees were actually more a dark chocolate color, except at the base where most of their massive tree trunks were thickly covered with moss. The trees at the edge of the forest had green and brown mosses but further inside the forest where there was less light the moss was strangely iridescent, luminous. The soft glow of the moss helped Kai make his way deeper into the woods.
Kai could find no sign of a cottage. Had Sisera been mistaken? And how had the dragon seen a cottage through the heavy foliage? Kai looked up towards the sky. His eyes widened. There it was, off to his left. The cottage Sisera had spotted was a treehouse!
Kai carefully walked up the trees below the house. He could see no easy way up the trees. Perhaps it was time he announced himself. “Hello!” Kai yelled. “I’m looking for Adina Aviel.”
From behind him a voice returned, “You needn’t yell. Now state your business.”
Kai turned. Half way up a nearby Sincha tree was a woman. She was mostly hidden behind the tree, but her long red hair and green eyes were hard to miss against the background of dark green trees. “Britt Wistol sent me to you. We’re in need of a magic user.”
“This ‘we’ you speak of—does that include the two women sitting at the edge of the forest?” asked Adina.
“Yes, they are with me. Or rather I’m with them. Princess Isabella needs a magic tutor. We’re hoping you might be of service.”
“A royal that needs a magic tutor?” said Adina her voice filled with scorn and questions. “And you end up here instead of one of the large villages or in one of the castles? Have all mages fled Seron?”
“Not to my knowledge, but we were looking for someone local. We’re taking up residence at Mara and a witch who lives a short way away is far more useful than a mage on the other end of the isle.”
“Ha! Taking up residence at Mara? You take me for a fool? No one in their right minds would take up residence at the ruins of Mara. The Tower of Kings is full of bandits and they’d have your purses and possibly your throats by the end of the first night.”
“Actually, we met some of those bandits last night. You are correct, they are, or were, a disagreeable lot. Five bandits that won’t be bothering anyone else. Truth be told, we’ll be taking over the tower. It’s at the tower that we’d ask you to teach her magic.”
“Well, I am impressed that you survived your first encounter with the bandits, but five is a drop in the hat. Unless you’ve an army hiding somewhere, you’ll not easily rid them from the tower. Even if you did, magic isn’t something you can teach to just anyone. You either have the blood or you don’t. Princess or not, if she doesn’t have an affinity for magic then parlor tricks are all I could teach her.”
“My guess is that Princess Isabella has far greater affinity for magic than anyone you have ever known,” said Kai.
“She’s showing signs of having magic blood? That helps.”
“You could say that. She is Dragonblood.”
“Dragonblood! She has the mark?” asked Adina in an excited voice. Her eyes sparkled.
“Yes. She also has Dragonscale, and a gold and purple dragon.”
Adina quickly dropped out of the tree and walked up to Kai. “You’re telling me there is a bonded Dragonblood princess alive and sitting outside th
is very forest right now.”
“Yes. Now can you help us?”
“Heavens no!” said Adina.
“No?” asked Kai. He was now worried that the trip to the forest had been wasted.
“I mean no, not me personally. I don’t know anything about dragon magic. It’s not the same as having an affinity for the elements or for earth. Being proficient in one type of magic doesn’t make one an expert on all types. Dragon magic is a beast of its own nature if you catch my drift, but I do know someone who’d give his left leg to assist you. I could bring him to you. However, I wouldn’t drag him to the tower without seeing your Dragonblood with my own eyes.”
“In which case you should come meet her,” said Kai as he turned and started back to the edge of the forest.
“A Dragonblood, how exciting!” said the witch as she followed Kai.
Stepping into the field, Kai had to shield his eyes. The sun seemed incredibly bright after being in the forest with its softer light.
Adina stood at the edge of the forest for a moment, letting her eyes adjust slowly, a move Kai regretted not following. Being blinded by sunlight left him at a disadvantage. He made a mental note.
When Adina stepped out, Kai introduced her. “Princess Isabella, may I introduce Adina Aviel.”
Adina bowed, “Your Highness, it’s an honor.” Adina quickly forgot her intention to be polite as she noticed Isabella’s skin. “Oh my, you do have Dragonscale! How lovely. I’d hear a couple rumors of dragon sightings in the nearby villages, but I never actually believed them. I thought they were seeing a large eagle against the sun.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Aviel. Has Kai informed you of our request?” asked Isabella.
“Please, Your Highness, call me Adina. Yes, he did. I cannot help you with dragon magic. But I know one who can. Are you truly intent on making the tower your home? It would make a great home for a dragon.” Adina looked to the sky, obviously looking for Sisera.
Sisera's Gift (Dragonblood Sagas Book 2) Page 13
