“Is it dead?” the men were asking all around them. They fired their rifles again, for good measure.
This seemed too much, to pepper the dragon’s shimmering scales with holes when it was obviously dead. It wasn’t a very nice dragon, she told herself, but knowing that the dragons had lost so much, she couldn’t be angry at it. In death, it had a noble expression, but at the same time it was even a little cute.
“This is all your fault, Thanneau.” One of the toughest men stalked over to Grau and reached for him.
Grau backed away, but he seemed a little dizzy. Velsa went to his side, not that this did any good.
“You and your concubine,” the man said. “I heard that your concubine got in the fight with the Miralem in the first place, and you wouldn’t listen to Archel, and you killed the damn dragon.”
“And?” Grau demanded. “I fail to see how killing the dragon, which was Archel’s entire plan, was an error on my part. And the Miralem attack before had nothing to do with Velsa.”
“It just isn’t right, a telepathic Fanarlem. These things are attracted to her.”
“Telepathic?” a skinny man asked.
“That’s what I heard!” the first man said. “She probably told the dragon to kill Archel!”
More voices of protest joined in.
“We need to concentrate on putting out the fires!” Grau said. “I really don’t think you want to attack us.”
“You seem pretty exhausted.”
“We could say the dragon ate you, too…”
“The world might be better off without a skarnwen and his slave…”
“Grau!” Velsa shrieked as one of the men fired behind Grau, and this time, he didn’t have time to deflect. The bullet struck his shoulder.
“Back off or I’ll kill you all,” Velsa said, as some of them edged closer.
“Yes, back off!” Grau said. “I just killed a dragon, damn it!”
“Grau—we need to leave,” she said, but she could tell from the mood in camp that they couldn’t go without a fight.
“I need to put out the fire!” he said. “Or our squad will come back and find they have no shelter…” He let out a small gasp of pain, but he started running. Outrunning the poison, she thought.
A few of the soldiers followed, to keep an eye on them, but mostly they seemed to realize the sense of letting Grau staunch the flames at headquarters. The rain had kept it from going up completely, and maybe it had fireproofing spells placed upon it as important buildings often did, but smoke was trailing from one corner of the roof.
Grau made it to the building, but then he stopped and leaned against a post, his face drenched in rain and sweat. His color was positively sickly. “Can you get the bullet out?” he asked her. “My body can heal, but only if you get it out.”
“I think so…” She placed her hand on his shoulder, extending her telepathy to feel through his damaged flesh. She hated this, dealing with flesh and blood when it got messy and painful, but she closed her eyes and tried to pull the bullet out again.
He barked out a barely restrained sound of pain as the bullet fell to the ground.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry, I don’t think I did a very good job.”
“How were you able to stop Fern’s pain and not mine?”
“I don’t know how I did it! Where is your healing potion?”
“In my bag. In our room…” He dropped to his knees.
She looked back and what did she see, but a man applying healing potion to some petty little arm wound not five feet away. As soon as she saw him, he put it away and turned his back on her.
She ran after him. “You fiend, you won’t help Grau when he’s trying to save headquarters? Look, he’s passing out!”
“What do headquarters benefit me?” he said sullenly. “I sleep in a tent, not a fancy officer’s bed. I can’t read those books. I don’t really care if Dlara has a desk. You know benefited me? Flower.”
He grabbed her hand and lifted her off the ground, dangling by one arm. “I’m not afraid of you. They say you’re telepathic? Well, show me something.”
She reached for his pocket and tried to use telekinesis to pluck out the healing potion, but her head was still throbbing from fighting the dragon. She couldn’t quite seem to catch it and quickly, her panic rose. “Put me down!” Her mind was going back to having her hands tied behind her back, the complete helplessness of being unable to fight Flower and the guard.
Grau lurched forward to help her. “Let her go.”
“Or what?” The man shook Velsa by the arm.
This seemed to break her paralysis, so she could rake at him with her mental weapons. “There she goes,” he said, encouraging the other men to rush to his aid. One man kicked Grau in the stomach and Velsa screamed, wincing. She felt how much these men hated her and Grau—why? Some of them believed they were an affront to fate itself, and others were jealous of Grau for having enough money to buy a concubine. Potent fear mingled with their anger. Many of them had believed the dragon would kill them. They didn’t understand why the dragon would come, if not because it was drawn by the only other magical being among them—Velsa.
Velsa could feel something inside her like the very storm itself, that could destroy and leave her wondering what on earth she had done. This was the power Grau was afraid of. Her head was splitting open.
Outside the gates came the sound of horses and shouted voices.
Fates! The patrol!
The gate was unattended, and Dlara rushed through at the front, his rifle at the ready. The man put Velsa down, but not before Dlara saw him. Dlara barely noted the dragon corpse before leading his mount around the camp debris.
“What is going on here?” he shouted. “What happened? Where is Lieutenant Archel?”
“Dead,” a few people said at once.
“Then, Sorcerer Thanneau, you are the highest ranking person who was here for the dragon attack. Tell me what happened.”
“The dragon appeared…”
“Are you hurt?” Dlara dismounted.
“Yes,” Grau said, curtly. “I was shot and kicked in the stomach by—him, and him.” He pointed.
“All right, look.” Dlara turned on the surly expression of the men gathered around. “I have tolerated far more of this than I should, because Archel fought my efforts to maintain order at every turn, but I will not tolerate you attacking the only sorcerer in our camp.”
“He’d be all right on his own.” The man who had lifted Velsa by her arm spoke. “It’s his concubine. She’s telepathic.”
Dlara stalked over to the man. “I saw you grabbing her,” he said. “I am aware she is telepathic. It is not your place to decide whether her presence is safe. She saved our damned lives.” He struck the man across the face.
She tried not to think of what she might have done, if they had come five minutes later. And if she wasn’t able to fight, what the men might have done to her and Grau…
What they might do, the moment Dlara turned his back.
“We have buildings on fire, we have a dragon corpse, we have a lieutenant dead,” Dlara said. “This is no time to be worrying over a concubine. Garman, get your men working on putting out the fires. Drinna, ride to town and tell them we need help with removing the dragon. The rest of you, take care of the wounded and support Garman.”
Rawly threw his arms around Grau.
“Please, Rawly…it’s my turn to be dying,” Grau said.
“Ah…I see that now. I thought you were just wet. But you haven’t pissed yourself. We ran into the cook on the way in, and…well. I can’t blame him.”
Grau sighed. “I’m not sure we’re welcome here any more, Rawly.”
“Aw,” Rawly said, like he couldn’t quite believe it.
No, they weren’t really safe even now. Besides their own squad, the men were still glaring, muttering, pointing. Even in Grau’s squad, she couldn’t trust the mood not to turn once the story was told and twisted. And they would all know, now, that either her
golden band was a decoy, or her powers were much stronger than the band.
Dlara came to see them after delegating some orders. By this time, Grau and Velsa had taken shelter in the stable so Velsa stayed dry, although the rain was slowing now. They had already saddled Fern. Rawly had fetched Grau some healing potion, and he was looking much better.
“Sir—” Grau started to stand, but Dlara waved him back down onto the stool where he had been resting.
Dlara crossed his arms. “This is quite a mess. This camp is unlikely to be quiet ever again, now that we’ve killed a dragon. I’d be sorry to lose you two…but the suspicion of Velsa has become too dangerous. I’m willing to discharge you officially, but I don’t know where you can go…” He glanced outside and then noticed the stablehand. “Barlem, would you mind stepping out a moment?”
“No, sir.”
“Have you ever considered…claiming her as a flesh-born Fanarlem?”
Velsa gripped her hands together.
“I have,” Grau said carefully.
“I think it would be wise.”
“You really think so?”
“The thing is, whether or not it’s true that Fanarlem are meant to be slaves, she has done her duty. She’s protected us and she obviously makes you happy. This cruelty is unwarranted, and so I would be willing to notarize a birth record for her. But I’ll also have to claim that you brought her into this camp illegally, claiming she was a concubine so you could have your wife with you, and that I docked your pay accordingly. Which will make you seem a bit eccentric. But you’ll need a story to take home with you.”
“Sir—I hardly know what to say. Sounds like you’ve thought about this as much as I have.”
“I doubt it.” Dlara smirked.
“I can’t go home, though,” Grau said. “My father knows Velsa is no flesh-born Fanarlem and he would never play along. I need to put as much distance between this place and home as I can.”
“That’s a shame,” Dlara said.
“I’ve been considering going to Nalim Ima. You’ve been there, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” Dlara said. “It’s a very advanced nation. Surprises at every turn. I think you’d both enjoy it.”
“Do you think they’d treat Velsa well?”
“If they think she’s flesh-born, I’m sure they will. And I can tell you, I expect you’ll see plenty of phonographs.”
That very night, Dlara made up all the requisite papers.
“I’ve broken more than a few laws tonight,” he said. “But I’m betting all the distraction of dragons at the border will keep anyone from noticing. Still, be smart. Keep your secrets for all of our sake.”
They exchanged bows with Dlara—and offered him profuse thanks. Velsa hardly knew what to say.
“Don’t look so happy,” Dlara said. “I’m afraid the world might get a lot uglier before long. Enjoy your happiness, may it last you for decades to come.”
They said goodbye to Rawly, who hardly seemed to notice the weight of what had happened, and merely invited them to stay with him in his hometown any time.
They set off for the town. The rain had stopped, and town was close enough that they could still get a decent sleep. They had just been there that morning for her repairs, after all, but that seemed like a week ago already.
Velsa stared at the humble, hand-written paper Dlara had made up, with a eighteen-years-past date and a fictional signature, asserting that she had been born Velsa Biarnan, to a Halnari Miralem mother and a Daramon father, in the city of Nisa.
The rest of her false story, she would have to imagine for herself.
“So, I suppose this means we’re married,” Grau said. “I hope you didn’t want a big wedding.”
She scoffed. “I don’t need a wedding,” she said, “as long I get a wedding night.”
Thank you so much for reading! Authors depend on reviews for visibility, which allows us to sell more books and thus write more books. I would be so grateful for your support if you would consider writing a brief review for The Sorcerer’s Concubine. Amazon will ask you to give the book a star rating when you are done reading, but please note this is separate from their public reviews.
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Also in the Hidden Lands Series
(Series can be read in any order)
THE ATLANTIS FAMILIES (Young Adult Fantasy):
Book 1: The Vengeful Half
Book 2: The Stolen Heart
Book 3: Fall 2016
THE TELEPATH AND THE SORCERER (New Adult Fantasy):
Book 1: The Sorcerer’s Concubine
Book 2: The Sorcerer’s Wife, Fall 2016
Also by Jaclyn Dolamore
Magic Under Glass—Bloomsbury
Magic Under Stone—Bloomsbury
Between the Sea and Sky—Bloomsbury
Dark Metropolis—Hyperion
Glittering Shadows—Hyperion
About the Author
Jaclyn Dolamore has a passion for history, vintage dresses, David Bowie, anime, and food. She lives with her partner and plot strategist Dade and three weird cats in an 140-year-old house in western Maryland. She loves to hear from readers!
@jackiedolamore
Jaclyn Dolamore
jaclyndolamore.blogspot.com
[email protected]
The Sorcerer's Concubine (The Telepath and the Sorcerer Book 1) Page 20
