King Breaker

by Rowena Cory Daniells

Down on the terrace, he made himself sit at the breakfast table and eat. He speared a piece of honeydew melon on his knife and chewed it mechanically.

  All he could think of was Isolt in Neiron’s hands.

  ‘Fyn,’ Camoric said, dropping into the chair opposite. His eyes narrowed. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Have something to eat. Don’t react to what I’m about to say.’ Fyn waited until Camoric had filled his plate. ‘The queen was kidnapped last night.’

  A mandarin burst in Camoric’s hand. ‘I failed you. I had men posted outside her chamber, but—’

  ‘I’m not blaming you. Short of sleeping at the foot of her bed, you could not have prevented this. She was taken by someone who knew the palace. Her maid did not hear a thing.’

  ‘Neiron?’

  ‘That’s my guess.’

  Camoric glanced to the yachts moored just off from the palace. ‘He must have sailed in the night. We can beat him back to his estate. When I think of the queen, all alone and frightened—’

  ‘That’s it!’ Fyn sprang to his feet, relieved. ‘Loyalty will be able to find her. They’ve bonded.’

  The captain frowned. ‘If the wyvern can sense Isolt, why didn’t she come to the queen’s rescue?’

  ‘Maybe they drugged Isolt to get her out of the palace.’ But now Fyn was worried. ‘What if they’ve killed Loyalty?’

  Camoric shook his head. ‘The wyvern is always with the foenix. They’d have to kill both beasts.’

  ‘We sent Resolute with Byren, remember.’ Fyn sprang to his feet. ‘I’m going to the grotto.’

  To Fyn’s relief they found Loyalty sleeping under the grotto’s light-filled dome. The wyvern was glad to see Fyn.

  ‘She doesn’t look worried,’ Camoric muttered.

  ‘If Isolt is drugged, Loyalty wouldn’t sense that she’s in trouble.’

  ‘Then how will you tell the wyvern to look for the queen?’

  It was a good question.

  Fyn reached up to place his palm on Loyalty’s throat, then called his Affinity. It flowed easily up his arm, making the stone on his ring glow. Camoric gasped.

  In response to the power, Loyalty made a deep purring noise of pleasure. Concentrating, Fyn recalled the moment he’d lain on Isolt’s bed and inhaled her scent. The terrible sense of loss returned to him and he felt it mirrored in the beast. Loyalty uttered a heartfelt howl and leapt into the pool, swimming out of the grotto.

  ‘Quick, we’ll lose her,’ Fyn said.

  He emerged in time to see the wyvern spring from the pond, shake herself and flex her wings.

  ‘Loyalty,’ he commanded and called his Affinity again. The ring glowed less brightly than before, but the wyvern came to him and let him place his palm on her neck. He visualised the Flying Sarre and looked into the beast’s eyes. She understood. Even so... ‘Better bring some fresh meat from the kitchen, Cam. We don’t want her getting hungry.’

  Camoric went to see the cook and Fyn made for the jetty, where he found Yorale overseeing the refit of his yacht.

  ‘I hear the queen is not well.’ Yorale glanced to Loyalty. Her tail lashed back and forth. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Neiron has abducted Isolt.’

  ‘What?’ Yorale went pale with shock. ‘He can’t have. That’s impossible. Are you sure?’

  ‘The queen is missing and Neiron sailed overnight.’ Fyn saw Camoric with two kitchen staff, bringing the raw meat. ‘We’re going after him now.’

  Yorale fell into step with them as they strode up the jetty. ‘You think the Affinity beast can find her?’

  ‘They’ve bonded,’ Fyn said.

  Yorale was out of breath by the time they reached the gangplank. ‘I’d offer to help, but my yacht’s undergoing a refit.’

  Fyn took his arm. ‘Thank you for your support and guidance.’

  ‘Good luck, lad.’ Yorale put his hand on Fyn’s shoulder. ‘When I think of her in Neiron’s—’

  ‘Don’t worry. I’ll bring her home safe,’ Fyn said, as he ran up the gangplank.

  PIRO STEPPED ONTO the busy Ostron Isle wharf, fanning herself. Soterro stood nearby, waiting for his bags, and from his expression, it was clear he was glad to be home. It was strange, even back when she was Dunstany’s slave and Soterro was mean to her, she had never doubted his loyalty.

  Piro leant close to Siordun. ‘The mage needs someone on Ostron Isle he can trust to cover for him.’ Since the day Florin had almost uncovered the truth, they had been referring to the mage as a separate person. ‘Soterro—’

  ‘As it turns out, the mage has come to the same conclusion.’ Siordun gave her a dry look.

  ‘Won’t Soterro be surprised?’ She grinned. ‘I’ll see you at Cinnamome Palace.’

  ‘Don’t approach Varuska without me.’

  Piro nodded and they parted.

  She’d had every intention of keeping her word but, as luck would have it, when she was escorted into a private greeting chamber, she heard singing in the dining chamber next door. She peered in to find her look-alike sitting in a patch of late afternoon sunlight, polishing the silverware.

  Piro studied Varuska as she held up a fork to admire her work. The resemblance was uncanny.

  ‘Why do they have you polishing silver?’ Piro asked.

  Varuska dropped the fork. ‘You gave me such a turn...’ Her eyes widened as she recognised Piro. ‘Kingsdaughter!’ She sprang to her feet and bobbed her head, wiping her palms on her apron.

  ‘No need for formalities,’ Piro said. ‘After all, you were almost married in my place.’

  She strolled over to where Varuska stood and studied her frankly. The girl returned her scrutiny, head tilted. The mannerism gave Piro a little jolt of recognition.

  Varuska frowned. ‘I didn’t impersonate you by choice.’

  ‘I know. Florin told me.’

  ‘Is she all right?’

  Piro nodded. ‘She’s sailing for Rolencia with Byren.’

  ‘I’m glad. She kept me safe, and your brother saved my life.’ Tears glittered in her eyes. ‘I wish there was something I could do to repay him.’

  ‘Actually, there is. I need you to come with me to confront Cobalt.’

  ‘Anything but that.’ Varuska backed up a step. ‘I can’t stand Cobalt. He makes my skin crawl. There’s something missing in him.’ She pressed one hand to her chest. ‘Please don’t ask this of me.’

  ‘You’ll be perfectly safe. The mage’s agent will be with us, and we’ll be under the abbess’s protection.’

  ‘I can’t do it. I still have nightmares!’

  Piro caught her hand. ‘You have to help.’

  With a cry, Varuska twisted free and ran from the room, weeping. She left by one door as Nefysto entered by another.

  He cursed. ‘What did you do to upset Ruska, Piro?’

  ‘I just asked her to help Byren.’

  ‘By going back to Rolencia and confronting Cobalt?’

  She nodded.

  He swore, sounding more like Nefysto the sea-hound captain than Natteo the poet. ‘She’s not strong like you. She needs protecting.’ And he strode out muttering, ‘As if I haven’t got enough on my plate with Kaspian, now this...’

  Piro chewed her lip.

  A maid peeped in. ‘Have you finished the silver, Var—’ She gasped and bobbed her head. ‘Begging your pardon, kingsdaughter. I was looking for—’

  ‘I know who you were looking for. I’m looking for Kaspian.’

  ‘He lives in the dome tower now, but he won’t see you. Since the comtissa died, he keeps to himself.’

  ‘He’ll see me,’ Piro said. From the sounds of things, Kaspian needed to snap out of his self-pity and help Nefysto. Maybe she could make up for upsetting Varuska.

  Piro crossed the courtyard and ran up the tower stairs. She hesitated at the top. A faint breeze came through the gap under the door, bringing with it the scent of an Affinity predator. Her heart raced and her skin prickled with fear. Strange, she was comfortable with
Loyalty, why should she be...

  The door swung open and Kaspian pulled her into the chamber.

  ‘Who’s spying—’ He frowned. ‘Piro?’

  He’d changed. She’d left a beautiful youth of sixteen. Now he was a man, taller, thinner and hard muscled. There were dark circles under his eyes.

  ‘Are you ill?’ Piro asked.

  ‘No, I...’ He stepped aside and she saw the chamber. There was no bed, only a littered desk over to one side and the wyvern, curled up on a carpet in the centre of the large chamber under the dome.

  ‘Valiant’s gotten so big,’ Piro marvelled. ‘Is he full grown now?’

  ‘He could be.’

  She gestured to the balcony. ‘How does he get through the doors?’

  Kaspian laughed.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Everyone else is terrified of him, but you ask me how he gets through the doors. They fold right back.’

  The wyvern stirred and lifted his head. He reared up on his hind legs and extended his wings in display. The tips reached all the way to the underside of the golden dome.

  Piro gasped. ‘He’s beautiful!’

  He was, but in the way that a predator is beautiful. When the wyvern dropped to all fours and prowled across to inspect her, Piro couldn’t repress a shiver of awe. As the beast drew nearer, she felt her Affinity respond. Siordun was right. Her power was naturally drawn towards Affinity beasts.

  The sensation of gathering power was stronger than ever, making her hands and fingers throb. Eagerly, the wyvern rubbed his throat on her.

  Kaspian frowned. ‘Why—’

  ‘It’s my Affinity.’ She couldn’t be sure, but she thought Kaspian’s Affinity was stronger. And now that she was actually touching the wyvern, she understood why she’d found Valiant’s scent unnerving. ‘He’s male. I think he can sense Isolt’s wyvern on me. I played with Loyalty before we sailed. Of course, I’ve bathed since, but an animal’s sense of smell is so much stronger than ours.’

  ‘Why are you here, Piro?’

  She smiled as she petted the wyvern. ‘What? Oh, I’m running an errand for Byren.’ This reminded her. ‘I should go. I may have put my foot in it. And you should come down to dinner.’

  FYN HANDED CAMORIC the farseer. The wyvern had started flying north, but was now veering steadily northeast. ‘Neiron’s not heading for Nevantir Estate. He’s trying to outfox us. From his bearing, which estate do you think he’s making for?’

  ‘Could be any estate between Istyntir and Travantir.’

  ‘Elcwyff!’ Fyn cursed. ‘That lord’s been looking for a way to make me pay since his brother died. I bet he’s aiding Neiron.’

  Camoric lowered the farseer. ‘There’s another wyvern headed this way. Can’t tell if it’s freshwater or saltwater.’

  ‘Is it likely to attack Loyalty?’

  ‘They can be very territorial.’

  Fyn cursed again. If a fight broke out far above, he could do nothing but watch. He shaded his eyes. ‘Is Loyalty coming back?’

  Camoric checked. ‘Yes. And the wild one’s following.’

  Fyn made sure there was water and food ready for Loyalty when she landed. The other wyvern circled, coming ever closer. Loyalty lifted her head and eyed it, tail lashing.

  ‘The wild wyvern’s making her restless,’ Fyn muttered.

  ‘It’s a young saltwater male,’ Camoric said. ‘Might have been blown inland during a storm. Happens sometimes. They see the freshwater wyverns and think they’re home.’

  ‘Should we send archers up the masts?’

  An unfamiliar cry came from the male wyvern. It made Camoric laugh, and Fyn looked to him in confusion.

  ‘That’s their mating cry. The male doesn’t want to fight Loyalty. He wants to mate with her.’

  Fyn cursed. ‘What if he draws her off?’

  ‘We have to hope Loyalty’s bond with Isolt is stronger.’

  ‘Than the urge to mate?’

  The male called again and Loyalty answered, taking to the air.

  Camoric glanced to Fyn.

  ‘We follow Loyalty, for now,’ Fyn said. ‘If she heads for a wyvern eyrie, we make directly for Elenstir Estate.’

  ‘There’s an eyrie not far from Travantir Estate.’ Camoric shaded his eyes. ‘I think she’s flying west towards it. Should we...’

  Fyn’s stomach churned as he debated. In that moment of communion, he’d felt the force of the beast’s bond with Isolt. But what if the mating urge was stronger?

  ‘Fyn?’

  ‘We follow Loyalty.’

  EVER SINCE BYREN had learned that Florin was carrying his child, he had been trying to decide what he should do. He was reminded of the old seer who had told him that discerning right from wrong was not always easy. Back then he had scoffed. But now, no matter what he decided, he’d do wrong by someone.

  It was late afternoon, and he was no closer to finding a solution. Florin should not have to face an uncertain future alone. He could set her up with a farm in the foothills of the mountains, but that meant he would never see his child. And a wealthy woman alone would attract suitors—the kind of men Byren did not want his child having for a father.

  But having seen the consequences of war with Merofynia, he could not insult the queen and undo all the work they’d done to establish the peace. It was an impossible dilemma.

  If only he could split himself in two... He’d had a twin, but Lence hadn’t been the kind of man Byren would entrust his wife and child to. Orrade was more like a brother to him.

  Even as Byren thought this, he saw Orrade help Florin out onto the deck. She was pale and shaky but somehow, Orrade made her smile

  And Byren had his answer. He went over to the captain of the Wyvern’s Whelp. ‘You can officiate a marriage contract, right?’

  ‘I’ve never done it,’ Bantam admitted. ‘But yes, it is something a captain can do.’

  Byren caught Orrade’s eye and beckoned.

  As Orrade settled Florin in a sheltered spot in the sun, Byren marshalled his arguments, striving for eloquence. Yet the moment Orrade approached him, the words tumbled from his lips. ‘I can’t throw our two kingdoms into chaos. I can’t marry Florin. But you can.’

  Orrade took a step back.

  ‘Look after her for me, Orrie. Be a father to my child, because I can’t.’

  ‘Make your child the heir to Dovecote Estate?’

  Byren shrugged. ‘You were never going to take a wife.’

  ‘I didn’t say that.’

  ‘No, you didn’t,’ Byren admitted. ‘But... Orrie, I’m desperate. I can’t—’

  ‘I’ll do it.’

  ‘What?’

  Orrade laughed, then sobered quickly. ‘I said I’d do it.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Why do you think?’ Orrade met his eyes, angry yet vulnerable.

  Byren had to look away. He cleared his throat. ‘I’ve gone about this all wrong. If I lay dying on the battlefield, I’d entrust my wife and child to your care and die happy, knowing they were safe. If our positions were reversed, I’d do the same for you.’

  ‘I know.’ Orrade swallowed. ‘I won’t let you down.’

  Byren nodded. ‘I know.’

  Neither of them spoke.

  Then Byren grimaced. ‘I should tell Florin.’

  ‘No, you shouldn’t. I’ll do the asking. She may very well say no. She’s proud.’

  ‘She is,’ he agreed. ‘But she’s also desperate.’

  ‘Byren...’ Orrade shook his head, ruefully. ‘Just as well I’m doing the talking. You’d put her back up for sure.’

  FLORIN DIDN’T LIKE the way the ship shuddered as the prow cut into each wave. The nausea, which had faded on land, had come back as soon as she set foot on the Wyvern’s Whelp. She’d only ventured out on deck at Orrade’s insistence and, when Byren beckoned him, she’d returned to her cabin and climbed onto her bunk.

  It seemed like only a moment later there was a knock at her door. She loo
ked up hopefully, but it was Orrade. She hid her disappointment behind a jest. ‘I vowed I’d never set foot on a ship again. I should have taken the pass over the Snow Bridge.’

  ‘You would have been just as sick.’ Orrade took the chair, turning it back-to-front. He sat astride it, resting his elbows on the backrest, then hesitated.

  ‘Out with it, Orrie. I can take it.’

  He grinned briefly. ‘How would you like to be the lady of Dovecote Estate?’

  Florin laughed until she cried. Then she wiped her eyes. ‘So the worst happened?’

  Orrade blushed. ‘I—’

  ‘Forget it. Look, I normally wouldn’t say this, but Byren did manage to burn my home by staging a battle on Narrowneck, twice. If he rebuilds the tradepost, I’ll manage fine. Leif will be big enough to do a man’s work in a couple of years.’

  ‘You’d be a woman alone with a boy and a baby. A tradepost attracts all manner of men. You owe your child the best possible start in life. Dovecote Estate would provide that.’ His lips rose in a half-smile. ‘Leif would be ecstatic.’

  She laughed. It was true, and that reminded her... ‘I could go to Foenix Spar. Lady Cinna would take me in.’

  ‘You could,’ Orrade conceded. ‘But Byren has many enemies. If his bastard son grew up on a spar, someone like Cobalt could come along and plant ideas in the lad’s head about reclaiming his throne from King Byren, who abandoned him and his mother. If the boy grew up on Dovecote Estate, he’d grow up as part of Byren’s extended family, and his loyalty would be assured.’

  Florin picked at the frayed edge of her blanket. What Orrade said made sense, but it meant she would also be part of Byren’s extended family, and have to watch him with his Merofynian wife.

  ‘There’s a hundred reasons why this is a good idea, but there’s one more,’ Orrade said. ‘There are rumours about me, and they implicate Byren. I need a wife and heir. You would be protecting us.’

  Not only would she protect Byren, but she’d remain in his life. ‘I’ll do it.’

  Orrade rose, put the chair aside and offered his hand.

  ‘Now?’

  He pulled her to her feet. ‘We’re going into battle. If I die, you’ll inherit Dovecote.’