And beyond that…shrouded for now…the mainland.
He sighed slightly as he considered that.
The mainland…
It was the only thing that marred the life he had created on these islands. The only real problem in an otherwise comfortable existence, certainly more comfortable than Dragan had ever imagined it would be when he had set off on his journey away from the planet that had once been his home.
Dragan frowned slightly, unsure why his thoughts seemed determined to head in that direction today. Perhaps it was because of the decision he had so recently made? Because of all the issues, and all of the work, that decision had created?
He shook his head. Because there was little point in thinking about that now. Little point in questioning it. It was already in motion. Instead he began to walk across the dock and around to the road that his people had laid in the first weeks of their arrival on the islands. It linked the east to the west, the main town to the surrounding ones, and Dragan enjoyed making his way along it each day.
His land craft was waiting for him. He jumped inside, laid his palm against the crystal interface and set off, the system automatically calculating his route for him. All of their tech worked in that way. It interfaced directly with their DNA and did their bidding however they required. It was both a blessing and a curse really. A blessing because it meant that the natives could not make use of it, but a curse because the rebel aliens could…
Dragan moved his palm from the interface and settled back to enjoy the journey back to his home. It wouldn’t take very long, not at his current speed, but still it left him time to think. Dragan spent that time thinking not only about the various jobs he had to do today, but also those that he would have to do in the coming days. The new moon was fast approaching, and that left little time for all the preparations that would be required.
That too was something new for Dragan. Before landing on this planet, before he had made the decision to make these islands home for his people, they had lived their lives based on the days and the seasons the crystal system created for them. It was an artificial construct based on the length of what had once been a day or a season on their home planet. But down here their day was longer, and their seasons were based on the phases of the moon. There was no choice about that really because those phases dictated much about their home. When the seasons would change, which fish would be swimming in the waters, what animals would be hibernating.
The next moon phase heralded the arrival of the deep winter, and Dragan was eager to ensure his people had whatever supplies they needed in place before that winter arrived. He had lived through five of them already and knew how brutal they could be.
Were they equally as brutal on the mainland? That thought came out of nowhere, and Dragan found his gaze straying back to the mists of the eastern seas.
Despite the fact that he had never stepped foot on the mainland, Dragan knew that it was the only land mass on this planet that was welcoming to life. The other, slightly larger land mass, was hostile in the extreme. The natives called it The Shadows, and Dragan had always thought that apt. His early surface scans had shown it to be a great expanse of ice with treacherous crevices and razor sharp mountains. The mainland was the only place that was habitable, that food could be grown on, and the seas fished for their bounty, and because of that it was home to almost all the natives of this planet.
Of course, that hadn’t always been the case. Those same early surface scans had shown Dragan that there had once been a much larger land mass that connected the mainland, the islands and The Shadows. But the southern polar cap had melted for some reason and much of that old land mass had ended up below the icy oceans. Only the northern polar cap remained, and that connected to The Shadows, keeping that place in a state of perpetual cold.
It was no wonder a war was being raged on the mainland. Because there was nowhere else on this planet for either the natives or the rebel aliens to go.
This was it.
As good as it got.
And once again, as he so often was, Dragan was grateful that he had reached the islands before Maylor, the leader of the rebel aliens, had done so. Had that not been the case, would he be the one warring with the native king? Dragan considered that as he entered the main town and zoomed over to his home. He didn’t have long to think it through though, because someone was waiting for him at his front door.
“Dragan?”
He stepped out of his land craft and walked over to the male calling his name. “Lei? To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Lei, leader of the eastern coastal town, sighed. “We may have a problem.”
Dragan gestured to his door and Lei followed him inside. It was noticeably warmer once they were under the four walls that made up the greeting room, and Dragan shivered because he hadn’t realized just how cold it had been down the docks, not wrapped in his cold-weather clothing. But there could be no doubt now, winter really was coming.
“A problem?” he asked once he removed his outer layer of clothing. Lei did the same. “Speak of it.”
Lei was never one to dance around a topic. That was one of the main reasons Dragan had charged him with keeping the eastern coastal community safe and happy. He was eminently suited to the task and he worked hard to make sure his people were comfortable.
“There is a ship approaching.”
“A ship?” Dragan frowned as he poured both he and Lei a hot drink. “More refugees from the north?”
Lei accepted the drink of heated berries and shook his head. “No. It’s too big to be refugees. Besides, none would dare to attempt the journey from the north with the new moon so close.”
“Some are desperate,” Dragan said and he frowned as he did so because the stories some of those northern refugees had told him…
“Desperate or not the ship does not carry refugees,” Lei said.
“Another messenger from the king then?” Dragan asked. “Or is this one from Maylor?”
“Maylor?” Lei shook his head. “He will not approach you again. His pride will not allow it. Not to mention he values his life.”
“He is right to do so,” Dragan said. “For if he did come here....” He paused, the refugee’s stories once again filling his mind. They did so too often these days and that was one of the main reasons that Dragan had made his recent decision. And now, and because of that, it was not only the winter he was readying himself for.
“If it is not Maylor,” he continued, “then I assume it is another of the king’s lackeys. Another messenger who I will turn away.”
“He will keep sending them,” Lei said. “He is desperate for your help. He is losing the war. That’s quite an incentive to keep reaching out.” Lei took a sip of his drink, giving a visible shiver as the warm berries travelled through him. “May I ask what Maylor’s current position is?”
“Closing in on the capital,” Dragan said. “Our strategists have suggested that without intervention the native’s energy barrier will fall at some point during the deep winter.”
“And the capital with it.” Lei paused. “You are the king’s last hope.”
Dragan frowned at that because Lei was not telling him anything he did not know. Several of Dragan’s advisors kept him updated on the war that raged on the mainland, and he listened to everything they had to say for that was their responsibility and he would never deny his people their responsibilities. Still, in truth, there was much he would rather not have known. But then, that was his responsibility to hear the worst, and so he did.
“I had expected more of the natives,” he said after a moment. “Their energy barrier is impressive. I excepted them to apply the same ingenuity towards the rebels.”
“They did at first,” Lei said. “But over time…”
Dragan frowned. “They fled south and are too busy hiding behind their king to do anything.”
Lei shrugged. “They believe they are no match for Maylor’s army. Or perhaps a long war has simply tired them.�
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Dragan shook his head. “You champion them only because of your wife.”
Lei grinned. “She is quite a female, and she is not the only one.”
“If their females are so impressive then perhaps they should have a queen?” Dragan suggested. “Instead of a king?”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Lei replied. “The old king had no female children. His son is all that remains.”
“His son cannot take no for an answer.”
Lei shrugged. “At least he is consistent.”
“He is annoying.” Dragan finished his drink, his mind whirring as he did so. How many of these messengers would the king send? How many more horror stories would he have to hear from the refugees before this was finished once and for all?
“Send the messenger away.”
“Well, that is the thing, Dragan,” Lei said slowly. “It is not a messenger.”
“Then…”
“It is a royal ship.”
Dragan’s eyes widened as he realized what Lei was saying. “A royal ship?”
Lei nodded, and then, almost like he couldn’t help himself, he grinned. “It seems the king himself has come to see you.”
Chapter Three
William was not sure what he had expected to see when he embarked from his ship. He had a vague expectation of ice and cold, but that was more memory than anything else. Because he hadn’t visited the islands since he was a boy, and back then they were not only completely uninhabited, but also freezing cold, his memories were not much more than that. So when he stepped out of his cabin and onto deck, William was surprised by what he saw.
Yes, there was ice, but it was different to how he remembered, very different. The dock itself was fairly ice free, though the sea lapping at the wood, and then at the black beach around him, looked bitterly cold. But away from that, past the wide road that snaked along the cliffs, was ice unlike anything William had seen before. He didn’t know if it was a natural or if the aliens had done something to it, but the ice was remarkable. Great columns and structures surrounded the dock. Some looked almost like they had been formed into buildings. Others looked like they had simply been dumped into place by the hands of giants. And if the ice was not enough, there was also the natural beauty that William had expected, his mind suddenly recalling memories that he’d thought long since buried. The islands had survived the great flood because they had been once been part of a mountain range, and so there were no flat plains here. The road that snaked its way along the cliffs looked almost like it was disappearing into the clouds, and the valleys were awash with twinkling lights against the backdrop of ice and rock.
William was surprised, more than surprised in fact, by how much it all appealed to him. Though the capital was less than a moon’s journey away, the climate was very different. Yes, the winters were bitter and hard, but nothing like this.
Why hadn’t he visited here before?
Because of Dragan…
Because of the war…
Because it takes everything you have to hold on to what’s left.
William frowned as those thoughts filled him, turned and locked eyes with Niahm. She was wrapped up in the same sort of furs that he was, and her pale skin bore a remarkable resemblance to the ice around them. She wasn’t the only one. She, along with one of the court’s advisors and a number of security guards, had come along on this journey with him, and they all looked pale and out of place now they had embarked from their ship.
Still, William was grateful that they had accompanied him, and that they’d braved the hard ride across the sea. The days had been long and the nights even longer still cooped up on board his ship. He’d had far too much time to think. Far too much time to worry over the importance of this meeting. To worry if Dragan would stop them from docking. To worry about whether he would see them once they docked, and on and on.
Still, they were docked now and that was a good sign. Dragan would have known they approached. They’d passed more than one sentry ship as they made their way to the capital island, and the fact that those ships had not stopped them was encouraging. Now, it was just a question of waiting to see if anyone would greet them, and then if they would welcome them to the islands.
“Your thoughts?” he asked Niahm.
She narrowed her eyes and looked down at the walkway. Through the little slits in the wood the sea was visible. It was a deeper blue than William had imagined it to be.
“It is much as I expected,” she said. “Very like the north.”
“You don’t like it.” It was a statement, not a question.
Niahm visibly shivered. “I don’t like the cold. Never have. But we’re not here for my comfort. Or yours for that matter.”
“You should not address the king in that way!”
Those words came from Bertram, the court advisor, and William couldn’t help but sigh as he turned to look at the other man. He was also wrapped in furs, though William couldn’t help but notice that his moustache was already beginning to show the effects of the cold.
“It is okay, Bertram,” he said.
“It is not okay,” Bertram replied. “If your own advisors cannot show you the proper respect…”
“Who else will?” William said, finishing Bertram’s sentence for him.
Bertram somehow managed to both scowl and smile triumphantly at William’s words. William would have liked to say something to wipe the half scowl-smile off the other man’s face, but he bit back his retort. Fact was, he had not wanted to bring Bertram along on this journey, would have preferred it to be just him and Niahm, but the court had insisted and William was not yet at the point where he felt he could ignore everything they said. There had already been one too many tussles over his style of rule, and William was painfully aware that he needed to keep at least some of his court on his side. Rebuking their chosen advisor would not help with that.
Still, it took quite a bit of William’s self-control to find some more diplomatic words, and he found himself thinking again how he would have preferred Marcus or even Reginald over Bertram. The older man had been in court as long as William could remember. Fiercely loyal to the capital, and just as loyal to the old king, he could be trusted. There was no doubt about that. But he was…difficult…
“She can address me however she likes,” he said after a moment. “As can you, Bertram. This will only work if we are all honest about what we think.”
The half-smile disappeared to be replaced by a fully-fledged scowl. “You already know my thoughts,” Bertram replied. “This is a waste of time. He will not see us. He has sent every single messenger away. He will not involve himself or his people in this war. He has made that clear from the beginning.”
William opened his mouth to reply to that, though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to say, but closed it a moment later, because he became aware now that there was activity at the bottom of the walkway. A land craft was coming to a halt, and the moment it did so a number of people emerged.
Not people, aliens.
William knew this not because they were on an island that was full of them, but because it was beyond obvious. Their blue skin, dark hair, and substantial builds gave them away every time. William looked from one to the other, wondering if one might be Dragan. It was unlikely he knew, because it was doubtful the lord of these islands would come directly to greet them, but it occurred to William then that he would not know Dragan from any of the other males in the group that were now walking towards them.
“There’s over a dozen of them,” Bertram whispered. “I’ll call the guards forward.”
“Tell them to move slowly,” William replied. “Let us not start out on the wrong foot.”
Bertram moved back behind him and William took a deep breath. Despite Bertram’s negativity around this meeting William could trust him to deal with the guards. He’d once commanded a whole garrison after all. Besides, all of his attention had to be on this first meeting. It would decide so very much.
“They’re exactly as I remembered them to be,” Niahm whispered.
“In what way?” William whispered back.
“Very…physical…” she replied.
William couldn’t disagree with that. Not when one of the males stepped away from the group and walked ahead towards them. He was thickly built with a wild tangle of a beard. The dark, wiry curls were a stark contrast to his blue skin. He locked eyes with William, and then, to William’s surprise, lowered his head in a nod of respect.
“King William,” he said as he came to a halt. “I am Lei. I lead our eastern coastal town.”
He waved a hand to his right where, in the distance, a few hundred buildings were located. This male was a leader then? That pleased William. He wasn’t sure how he would have dealt with the situation had it been simply someone who happened to live in the area.
He stepped forward, away from his group, just as Lei had. “I am pleased to meet you,” he said. “And pleased to finally visit the island. It is quite beautiful.”
“It is,” Lei agreed. “A harsh beauty but beauty nonetheless.” He paused. “We did not expect your visit. Though of course, you are welcome.”
“The king is welcome in all of his lands.”
Those words came from Niahm, though in truth, William would have expected them from Bertram. But then, she looked so fierce stood just behind him, eyes still narrowed, red hair pushed by the breeze, that perhaps he should not have been shocked.
William waited, wondering how her words would resonate with the alien leader, but he simply smiled and nodded slowly.
“As you say.” He gestured behind them, to the group of males and females who were watching the exchange curiously. “There is much to see on these islands. I would be happy to give you a tour of them myself.”
“That would be welcome,” William replied. “But a tour must take second place to our business. We are here to see Lord Dragan.”
Lei nodded. “Of course you are. He is expecting you. We saw your ship approach some hours ago.”
The Claiming of a Virgin King Page 2
