Minstrel's Serenade

by Aubrie Dionne

  The captain pulled the ship into an alcove, hidden by the northern volcano’s ridge. They’d risk too much to travel straight to the lair of the She-Beast. Instead, they had to cross three islands and a desolate wasteland using the volcano’s treacherous ridges for cover.

  The ship dropped anchor beside a slab of lava rock, as black as coal and as sharp as a blade where a chunk had broken off and fallen into the sea. The crew dropped rope ladders to the outcropping and the captain gave the gesture to disembark.

  Scalehaven had come too soon, like a slap in the face after a long dream. Danika had busied herself with thoughts of Valorian and Bron. She hadn’t mentally prepared for the trek and subsequent battle to come. Now she had no time for pondering her fate.

  The crew of both ships stayed behind as the soldiers and minstrels climbed to shore. They’d wait five days for their return. If no sign of either army showed, they’d sail to Brimmore’s Bay empty-handed and hide in the corners of Ebonvale when the wyverns’ heat bathed the land. The thought sent shivers down Danika’s back.

  She took one last look at the stern, where Bron had opened his heart to her, then asked her to give it back. Could she follow his demand and stay with Valorian? Her father would beckon her to follow Bron’s wisdom. Her mother, on the other hand, would plea for her to follow her own wild heart.

  Who did Danika take after most? Only time would tell.

  She descended the ladder, following the troops as they carved a path through the molten-backed rocks. Bron kept his distance, leading the way. The minstrels followed behind the last of the army. They’d exchanged their finery for the armor she’d brought from Ebonvale’s smithy, and if it wasn’t for the instruments on their backs, she wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.

  “Have you stayed behind to walk with me and the minstrels, my lady?” Dressed in full armor, Valorian stood before her in a vision of gorgeous knightliness. The armor brought out his willowy arms and legs and the smooth curves of the breastplate complimented his river stone muscles underneath. Where Bron was lumbering, Valorian was swift.

  She’d do as Bron asked. Stay with Valorian.

  “I have.” She swallowed hard. “I will see that our union adheres during battle.”

  Valorian smiled and bowed. “You are most welcome.”

  Danika nodded and walked beside him. The lava rock felt hard and uneven under her feet. After walking on a boat three days, the firmness and solidity made her legs feel like ribbons. “I trust your minstrels have composed a song to enable our victory.”

  Valorian followed her, offering his hand whenever the terrain allowed. “Yes. We have studied the chordal patterns affecting the leviathan and drawn a new, more insidious drone for the wyverns.” His voice grew deeply menacing. “We call it the Song of Power.”

  The title inspired awe. “What will this song accomplish?”

  “Hopefully, our song will calm the fire in their bellies and send them into a comatose sleep.”

  “And how do you manage such a thing?”

  “We deduced a great many things from the mind of the leviathan as we tried our array of songs. Restlessness governed the beast’s movements. It had just woken from a long sleep and needed to feed. We believe, from the worm in the cave and from this recent meeting, these beasts have a hibernation cycle. Our song will instill in them the need to complete the cycle, the need for sleep.”

  The ways of the minstrels made Danika’s mind dizzy, like one of her father’s wood puzzles she could not solve. “Is that what you told the leviathan?”

  “No. The leviathan had primal inner fears of the oceans drying up and the world turning to barren soil. We simply showed her our vision.”

  A thunderous clap silenced their conversation, and every soldier and minstrel turned his head to the sky. A flaming piece of the mountain sailed through the air above them like a meteorite. The burning ball of rock hit the sea, sizzling. A trail of white smoke rose up from the waters. Thank Helena and Horred their ships had already passed.

  The troops resumed their walk, entering a canyon formed from a cataclysm cracking the earth in half. Danika followed. The soles of her feet burned and they’d just started their trek. “How could you fabricate such a lie?”

  “We didn’t.” His scarred face turned sad. “We illuminated what the future may hold if our campaign isn’t successful.”

  An icy chill shot across Danika’s shoulders and seized her heart. “You said you can see our victory.”

  “I see many possibilities. Our victory is only one of countless paths.”

  Danika yearned for Bron’s steadfast optimism. He’d tell her he knew in his heart they’d win. She drew her courage from his hope.

  Movement distracted Danika from replying. A scout waved a yellow flag up ahead.

  Bron’s voice echoed down the canyon. “Seek cover! Wyverns dive from the southern ridge.”

  Panic shot through Danika’s limbs. The canyon was too narrow for them to backtrack in time. They were sitting ducks in a trap.

  “Quickly.” Valorian pulled her to the rocky wall. They flattened in the canyon’s shadow. The rest of the army followed suit, stretching into a thin line. Every clink of armor echoed against the close walls, making Danika wince.

  Shrieks came from the sky and Danika held her breath. She twisted her neck to gaze through the canyon crack above her head. Black shapes darted in the air, circling. Danika held onto the rock, pushing her back against the hard surface until it dug her armor into her skin. She hoped the crew had hidden the ships a safe distance away.

  “Please, Helena, do not let them spot our transports.” Otherwise, this would be a one-way trip whether they triumphed or not. Only scraggly excuses for trees grew on Scalehaven. Nothing rose tall or wide enough to fashion into planks. Unless they sprouted wings from their backs, they were stranded without the carracks.

  A soldier slipped, and his silver boot skidded into the light. Rocks tumbled down the canyon past Danika and Valorian. Danika squeezed her eyes shut.

  Bron’s intense whisper rode the wind. “Do not move.”

  If he moved, the glint of the silver would catch their eye for certain. As it was, his leg could pass for a large chunk of mica.

  Movement in the canyon caused Danika to open her eyes. Bron slid down the incline in front of the line of soldiers, a hair’s breadth from the light. He carried a leather blanket the same hue as the lava rock.

  Bron threw the blanket on the soldier’s leg, and the bright metal gleam disappeared. They waited until the last cries rang out in the sky above, then the soldier slowly moved his leg back into the shadow.

  “That was close.” Danika breathed in relief. Valorian’s words came back to her. Our victory is only one of countless paths.

  Doubt clouded her mind. Their quest dangled by spider strands over an endless hole of oblivion.

  How could they hide their progress all the way to the highest island peak?

  Chapter 29

  Hope

  By twilight, they’d reached the end of the first island. A thin peninsula of hardened lava jutted across the ocean’s expanse, almost reaching the second island, and the largest in the chain. Bron stood at the edge, contemplating the depth of the ocean between the two lands. Could they swim across?

  His first in command approached him, standing beside him at the water’s edge, while the army rested under an overhanging cliff, dipping into their rations. “May I have a word, sir?”

  Bron took off his helmet and ran a hand over the stubble on his head. “You are always welcome to speak freely, Mr. Fairhaven.”

  Recktus nodded and followed Bron’s gaze off to the sea separating them from the next island. “The men are weary from the day’s trek.”

  “I know.” Bron narrowed his eyes, searching the crested waves for any signs of sea creatures. Did leviathans swim this close to shore?

  “Sir?”

  Bron blinked. The heat had baked his mind. He was just as weary as they were, if not more so fr
om leading, then doubling back to show them the easiest path. “The peninsula offers no cover. If we cross by the moon’s faint light, we can use the shadow as a cloak. If we wait until morning, we’ll be fully exposed to any flying patrols.”

  “I see the conundrum, but it will be difficult to convince the men to walk past sunset. The heat grates on all our nerves.” Recktus wiped a hand over his face. He was younger than Bron by five years, yet he had two little ones at home. Bron weighed his service heavily. He would not take any chances with his men, even if it meant pushing them past their limits.

  Bron knelt by the edge and picked up a dried clump of seaweed. “The tide has been moving out all day. If we wait too long, it will return, covering the peninsula in twenty feet of sea.” Bron threw the seaweed into the water, anxious to move. “Summon the men. We’re going across.”

  His first in command nodded with weariness and doubt in his eyes. “What if there are vermin in the water? Or if the distance is too far?”

  “There’s only one way to test it.” Bron clapped him on the back and started toward the peninsula before Recktus could stop him. “I’ll go first.”

  He had to gain a head start before Danika guessed his intentions and created a scandalous scene. The last thing Ebonvale needed was a princess who slighted her predestined union with a stronger faction for her lowly bodyguard, the son of a pitchfork-wielding farmer from Oaten’s Dell’s poorest region, no less.

  Sea spray slickened the hardened lava of the peninsula. Some waves surged tall enough to cover the entire surface up to Bron’s knees as he crossed. Warm as bath water, the tide seeped into the cracks in his armor, weighing him down. He hoped the salt wouldn’t corrode Garish’s metal alloy, rendering it useless against the wyverns’ fire.

  At least Danika had done as he asked. She’d stayed with the minstrels and, if anything came to pass at the front of the army, the trailing minstrels in the back would have plenty of time to retreat.

  His army followed his progress across the peninsula. Halfway to the other side, Bron froze, studying the horizon. One tidal wave could wash them all away. He scanned the waves rolling in from the sea. Each crest swelled with the promise of power as the tide rolled slowly in. They’d have to hurry to beat the odds.

  Bron reached the last ledge leading down into the dark waters. He searched for any sign of a sandy bottom but could discern nothing in the faint moonlight.

  “Can you swim across?” Fairhaven joined him at the edge.

  Bron judged the distance. It was a little longer than the lake in Oaten’s Dell where he used to race Hule to exhaustion. Then again, he was taller now and stronger. He wouldn’t let the distance intimidate him as a grown man. “I believe so, but only without my armor.”

  “We have no way of lugging the armor to the other side?”

  “Maybe one suit, but an entire army?” Bron shook his head. He could not lose hope. If they returned to the first island now, this whole channel would be covered by morning. There had to be another way.

  He unsheathed his sword and stuck the blade in the water, feeling the drop off of the ledge. Behind him, the army started to gather as they caught up. Soon the lines would back up. The tail end of the troops, along with Danika, would be stuck on the middle of the peninsula.

  Bron lowered himself to his stomach and dipped his entire arm in the water, along with his sword. The tip grazed the ledge, feeling the dark abyss stretched before them.

  He dared not look back. The troops must have thought he’d lost his mind.

  Bron knew better than to accept their defeat at face value. He’d learned from the temple scrolls that lava flowed in swirling patterns, and volcanos spewed large chunks of rock like the one they’d seen hit the water earlier that day. The sea floor was not flat.

  He pulled himself slowly across the curve of the ledge, reaching out with his sword in all directions until the water rose up his arm to his shoulder and then to his chin. Half his body underwater, the tip of his sword scraped something beyond the ledge.

  Thank Helena and Horred. For Bron, it was enough of a sign that the gods were on his side.

  He probed, feeling the circumference of the underwater rock. The surface was big enough to stand on.

  Bron’s muscles ached as he stood. Just a little longer, then they could rest. By now, the army had flooded the ledge to watch his progress, and he had to order them back. “At ease.”

  Fairhaven turned to the men. “Give the Chief of Arms more room.” He nodded to Bron, then whispered in confidence, “What do you mean to do, sir?”

  “Carve my own path.” Bron took a running leap and landed with a splash on the next rock. Cheers erupted behind him. He turned to Fairhaven with a grin stretching across his face. “Lead them in my footsteps. Don’t let anyone stray from the path.”

  “Yes, sir.” Fairhaven smiled and saluted him with a wave. “Lead on.”

  Bron felt the edge of the rock a few feet away. He probed with his sword until he found another standing stone, then another. Some footholds were several feet underwater and Bron had to wade up to his knees, and others were narrow enough to barely fit both his feet. Bron made sure to stay ahead enough to backtrack if he found a dead end. It took over an hour, but after discovering enough standing stones, he jumped in up to his chest and waded to shore.

  As the army followed, he heard a few splashes as men fell into the sea.

  “Quickly, get them out!” Bron called, wishing he could sprint across the water.

  Fairhaven had stayed behind and helped fish them out with rope. He waved to Bron. “All accounted for.”

  “Good.” As the army came ashore, Bron realized the same rock where he’d jumped off into water up to his chest now had water up to the chins of men the same height. The incoming tide deepened the channel. He looked across to the peninsula. Half the minstrel army still awaited their turn.

  “Faster.” Bron called as he helped a man to shore. “We must cross faster.”

  As Danika stood on the last rock, Bron realized the water would flow over her head. Valorian stood beside her, offering his hand to lower her into the sea.

  “Princess, wait!” Bron waded in toward the ledge. “The water is too deep.”

  Danika’s head shot up and she froze. Bron positioned himself in the water below her. The waves now rose to the tip of his nose, and he struggled to keep his head afloat high enough to breath. “Jump to me.”

  Valorian’s lips pursed as though he did not favor the idea.

  Bron ignored him and beckoned Danika. This was no time for jealousy. “The tide is coming in. We must hurry!”

  The princess nodded and lowered herself into Bron’s arms, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. Blood rushed to his face and his heart quickened. The solider who didn’t balk at war trembled. Why did holding her feel so right? “Hold on.”

  Danika’s green eyes flashed in the moonlight. She whispered, “I will.”

  He carried her to shore. Soldiers jumped into the sea around them, racing the tide, but Bron focused on Danika. “How are you faring, Princess?”

  She looked away toward the island looming above them. “Fair enough.”

  Her answer didn’t satisfy him. “You cast your gaze beyond me to the island. What do you fear?”

  “I fear my own resolve wavering. Hope is difficult to hold in such a barren, unforgiving land. Valorian has seen many futures. In one of them a dried, barren earth plagues the land if we don’t succeed.”

  Bron’s chest tightened. “Valorian thinks too much with his head and not with his heart.” Water dripped from their armor as he reached the shore and placed her gently on her feet. In Danika’s presence, all of his worries had disappeared. He’d found the strength to believe. “We have found a path across the channel and our army is healthy and our weapons sharp. We have armor that will withstand our enemies’ fire. There is still much reason to hope.”

  “Such a brave man you are.” Danika’s hand trailed along his armor as she re
leased her hold. “You have always taught me to hope in the darkest of times.”

  “And I will continue to.” Bron wanted to reach to her and pull her near. He did nothing, remembering they stood at the end of their known world, battling a foe who threatened all they held dear. Plus, she was not his.

  “I see you have found your way to shore safely, my lady.” Valorian’s voice echoed behind him, reminding Bron to return to his post.

  He nodded to Valorian. “We make camp here, by the water’s edge in the mountain’s shadow.”

  “Go back to your men, Chief.” Valorian gestured to the shore, where soldiers sat and emptied sea water from their boots. “They need you.”

  Valorian dismissed him with a nod. “I’ll tend to the princess’ needs from here on out.”

  Bron’s fists tightened as he swallowed his retort. The minstrel prince was right. His men did need him, and by staying with Danika when she was in no harm, he’d deserted his duty as Chief of Arms. “Yes, Your Highness.”

  It took all of his determination to walk away.

  Chapter 30

  Leap of Faith

  Danika awoke to gray morning dawn with an arm stretched across her breastplate. Valorian slept beside her. He must have moved closer during the night.

  No wonder she’d dreamed of leviathan tentacles.

  Danika slowly removed his arm and sat up. Her legs ached from yesterday’s trek, and a muscle in her back twitched from lying on the hard lava rock. She smelled like seaweed and smoke, and her hair stuck to the side of her face with sweat.

  No one told her battle was glamorous.

  Yet, she wouldn’t wish herself anywhere else but here, at the end of the world or the beginning of a new chapter in Ebonvale’s history, depending on who she asked. The question was: who did she believe?

  Talking with Bron last night gave sustenance to her undernourished soul. He’d summoned the courage to believe in their triumph and given some to her in return. But was he an optimistic fool?