King's Warrior (The Minstrel's Song Book 1)

by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

  Kamarie whirled around, an angry flush rising in her cheeks. “I was told that dragons have long memories,” she said loudly and clearly, “but perhaps now you only remember what you want to remember. I did not think that I would have to remind you of your promise but I see you now for what you are.”

  Kamarie felt a sudden, passionate fury rising up within her, and the sting of tears pushed at her eyes, but she forced it back. She wanted to beat her fists against the unfeeling creature, but she refused to allow herself to make a scene. She would not permit her emotions to show in front of these lizards; she was Princess of the realm, and as such she would act with dignity.

  Rhendak’s head came back and his golden eyes widened in disbelief as she spoke. When she had finished, he opened his mouth a bit, showing his teeth. Yole wanted to jump behind Kamarie in panic. Though he put up a brave front, these dragons filled him with an icy terror. The fear of these huge, dazzling creatures welled up within him as if to choke him, but then a sound came from deep within the King of the dragons; it was a rumble that grew into a full-fledged roar. Rhendak was laughing!

  “I like your spirit,” he said when he had stopped laughing, “not many people in your position, standing in our Hall, miles underground, outnumbered and surrounded by creatures that you have probably only seen in unflattering pictures and who could easily rip you into shreds without thinking about it, would have the audacity to yell at us. And yet, you are right as well. The dragons did make a promise, years ago, to King Llian. We promised that we would not hesitate to help if the Dark Country ever threatened again.

  “However, that promise was made in Graldon’s time, not ours. And it was made over six hundred years ago. Things have changed drastically since then, things that my predecessor could not have foreseen. Therefore, I cannot say at this moment whether or not we will or can help. This is a matter for the Council of Elders.”

  Kamarie slumped a little, dejected and disappointed.

  “You will be given a room to stay in while we hold council,” Rhendak said in his booming voice as he nodded to Iarrdek.

  The tone of his voice clearly said that he was done, and that they should leave. Iarrdek approached and motioned for them to follow. Leaving the Great Hall was a little anticlimactic, Kamarie thought to herself. She had gone before Rhendak full of hopes and dreams of the dragons rallying behind her and the others, all ready to go charging up into the light of day to turn away the evils of the Dark Country; but now she was leaving without even a glimmer of hope. She had seen the looks of distrust, she had heard the whispers of the sentries, and she knew that all the creatures down here hated her and all that she stood for. She felt even more deeply than ever that she and her friends did not belong down here. This maze was for non-humans only, it was off limits, a place they had trespassed upon from sheer desperation; and now they were being turned away.

  “This whole trip was a waste of time,” Oraeyn muttered under his breath, and Kamarie heard her own thoughts echoed in his words.

  Iarrdek led them to a decent-sized room. There were some large couches and chairs that looked like they would have been the right size for a gryphon in the room. There were also large bowls of water and some enormous plates of fruit and vegetables.

  “Iarrdek,” Dylanna said before the gryphon could leave, “what did Rhendak mean when he said that things have changed?”

  Iarrdek hesitated for a moment, and then he replied, choosing his words carefully, “At first, when the dragons and the other creatures such as myself retreated down here to the tunnels, it seemed like a good idea. We were no longer hunted, and we lived in harmony. It seemed as though we had found the perfect solution. But as the years passed, something has been happening that we have no control over.”

  He paused as if debating with himself, then continued, “Our numbers grow smaller each year. Not just the dragons, but all of us. Our elders are sickly and dying, and not many younglings are born to any species. Even the younger dragons have been dying. We do not know why this is or how to stop it. But there are very few of us now.” Iarrdek stopped suddenly. “I do not know if I ought to be telling you this….” He bobbed his head in uncertainty, and then quickly exited the room.

  Oraeyn looked to Brant and Dylanna. “They are dying? Why?”

  Brant had a dark look on his face, and Dylanna shrugged.

  “Brant?” Kamarie asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”

  He looked at Kamarie; she was so young, too young to be bearing all the weight that she took upon herself. Oraeyn too, and yet they had each borne their share of the load willingly, uncomplaining. They had come all this way to save their country, they had come knowing that the quest was all but hopeless, and yet they had come anyway. Brant shivered inside, I was that young once, and I was also too young for the load that I bore, too young for the burden that I have carried for so long. Some memories surfaced and he tried to push them down, realizing that the others were waiting for an answer.

  “Nothing is wrong,” he said in the same gentle, reassuring voice that he had always used when his daughter Kali had picked up on one of his darker moods, “I was just trying to figure out what has been responsible for all the deaths that Iarrdek spoke of.”

  They pondered this question in silence for a while, but none of them was able to think very clearly. Without realizing it, they had been traveling for two days straight without rest. Now, as their weariness caught up to them, one by one they drifted into a deep and dreamless sleep.

  ❖ ❖ ❖

  As the restriction ship sent by Arnaud drew closer, the foreign ship threw up the white flag almost immediately. With a certain wary caution, the Knights of Aom-igh boarded the ship from Iolanver. What they found was definitely not what they had been expecting.

  The ship had very obviously seen its better days. The mast was crooked, the sails were tattered, and the hold was leaking. The deck was covered in trash and there was an air of death about the ship.

  The crew of the vessel was unexpected. Instead of grim, fearsome warriors, the crew was a motley bunch. They were not all from Iolanver. They were men, women, and children from all islands in the chain, with the exception of Roalthae. They were ragged and had not eaten in over a week. Their clothes hung from them in tatters, and not one of them looked clean. They stared at the soldiers in fear, but there was a glimmer of hope in their wide, staring, hungry eyes as the soldiers began to attend to their needs.

  The vessel was guided in to shore and arrangements were made to care for these newly arrived refugees. Fear permeated all movement, but there was that constant light of hope within each of their eyes.

  chapter

  NINE

  King Arnaud paced back and forth across the room. Pacing was something that he had never used to do. He found now that it helped him think more clearly, and so he continued pacing. He was thinking about the message he had received regarding the vessel from Iolanver. The meaning was unclear, and that disturbed him.

  The ship boasted no crew, but only a full passenger list of exhausted, starving families. Arnaud did not know what he was going to do. He could not trust anyone, could not allow foreigners, potential enemies, to roam freely in his kingdom. He decided that he could do nothing more than wait for these people to be brought before him, no decisions could be made before he at least listened to their story.

  The group before him was a larger one than he had expected, perhaps five hundred men and as many as twice that in women and children. They looked as described, which could be remedied with food and rest. They were worn, but not beaten.

  A young man stepped forward and tried to spread his arms in a gesture that said they did not mean any harm. Unfortunately, he was not able to do so because his arms were still tied behind his back. He grinned ruefully and dropped to his knees before Arnaud. He looked up meekly and Arnaud was struck by the hope that was in the man’s eyes.

  “What is your story?” King Arnaud asked.

  “You
r Majesty, as you can tell, we are not all from Iolanver. However, we all believe the same thing. The families with me are loyal to Aom-igh. We have seen what is happening in Roalthae and we are against it. Prince Elroy has broken his alliance with Aom-igh and is prepared to commit great treachery against those who would call him friend. He will not stop with Aom-igh, but will continue until all the Barrier Islands are under his rule. We would see him stopped, and we pledge our swords to you, Sire, in order to safeguard freedom for our own lands.”

  “How can I trust you?” King Arnaud asked.

  The man kneeling before him shook his head. “We have nothing to gain, and everything to lose by bringing our families to your shores, were treachery our purpose.”

  Arnaud pondered. He took in the looks of hope on the faces of the women and the older children. He took in the words of the man kneeling on the hard stone floor. He took in the desperation in the eyes of the other men. At length, he nodded.

  “No, I can see that. Garen, see to their needs and receive their bond of allegiance. Their valor now and loyalty beyond is a most welcome gift, one we can ill-affored to refuse. Safeguard these families and equip the men for the battle to come.”

  One of the women gasped in relief and burst into tears, obviously frightening the small child she held in her arms. The baby began to wail and the mother choked back her tears, a tiny smile on her face as she comforted the child. The man kneeling on the floor bowed his head and tears of gratitude fell from his eyes, splashing a little on the stones beneath him.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty. It will be our honor to fight alongside such a man of compassion as yourself.”

  Arnaud reached down and helped the soldier to his feet. “The honor and responsibility is mine, young man, to command the devotion and loyalty you have laid before me. My fear of the battle ahead has been diminished by your gift this day. Garen, proceed quickly.” Arnaud left the room and for the first time in many weeks, he was reminded that, occasionally, it was good to be the king.

  ❖ ❖ ❖

  The travelers slept for a long time, much longer than they intended. There was something about the air in the underground realm of Krayghentaliss, maybe it was the smell of old magic, or perhaps it was because they had not really slept in over two days, but for whatever reason, they slept long and soundly. Later, they all agreed that they had never had a better night’s sleep than the night they spent in the realm of the myth-folk.

  Brant was the first to wake; he rubbed his eyes and wondered what had woken him. Then he froze. He suddenly realized how deeply he had slept, that his guard had been completely down. Anyone could have come in and killed them all, and he would not have woken to stop it. He quickly glanced around, taking in his surroundings and making sure that Kamarie, Oraeyn, Yole, and Dylanna were all still there. They were, and he relaxed, or, at least, he relaxed as much as he could. Brant was a coiled spring at all times. He was very disconcerted at having slept so well and so long. He wondered about the food that they had been given right before they fell asleep, perhaps something had been added to it to make them sleep longer so as to give the Dragon Council more time to discuss what was to be done about the above-worlders’ request.

  Slowly, the others woke, stretching and yawning. As most people did not keep an internal clock as accurately as Brant did, no one else realized just how long they had slept. Brant did not care to alert them to it either; he realized it would do no good since they could not change what had happened now, and he also realized it would only serve to upset Kamarie.

  A few minutes after they were all awake, a creature stuck its head in through the door. Seeing that they were alert, it entered the room.

  “Good, you are awake,” the creature said. “I am here to serve you breakfast.”

  Brant studied it warily. “Is there anything magical in our food?”

  The creature looked hurt. “Of course not.”

  Kamarie had been staring, quite unabashedly at the figure before them. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was a horse, but such a horse! The creature was silvery black, almost blue-black, and it had wide, intelligent eyes. The creature appeared powerful and delicate all at the same time. But the most amazing part was that she had wings protruding from her back: great, large, glossy black wings like an eagle’s with very fine and intricate feathers. They were folded along her back, but Kamarie could envision that when those wings were spread it would make the horse look very fierce indeed.

  “What are you?” Yole breathed in wonder.

  “I am a pegasus,” the creature laughed a little at the boy’s wide-eyed gaze of astonishment.

  “What is your name?” Oraeyn asked.

  “Rhynellewhyn,” the pegasus answered, “but now is not the time for talking, now is the time for eating, and as soon as you are finished with your breakfast, I have been instructed to bring you before King Rhendak and the Elders.” As the travelers started to rush through their meal, Rhynellewhyn said, “There is no need to rush. Dragons are a patient race. They made their decision two days ago.”

  “Two days ago!” Kamarie raised her voice in disbelief. “How long did we sleep?”

  “You slept through three nights and two days, it is the third day since you first appeared before King Rhendak.”

  “But, anything could be happening up in Aom-igh!” Kamarie exclaimed. “We’ve been down here for far too long!”

  “You needed the rest,” Rhynellewhyn replied, “and Rhendak sent a scout up to see what was happening above-realm.”

  “What is happening? Has the Dark Country come?” Dylanna asked in concern.

  “Well, perhaps not in the way that you mean. But there are many, smaller groups of, as you say, Dark Warriors, throughout Aom-igh. From all sides, they are approaching the capital city, except from the side they are expected. It will be many days before a concerted attack could occur, but the war is indeed underway.”

  “We have to leave as soon as possible,” Kamarie said.

  “Eat first,” Rhynellewhyn ordered.

  When they had finished their breakfast, which would have been delicious had they not been so distressed, Rhynellewhyn led them back to the Great Hall where Rhendak and the Elders awaited. The Hall was different from the way any of them remembered. There was no intimidating line of sentries this time, just a few dragons before them. Oraeyn guessed that they were the Elders. The fires were still burning, but not quite as brightly as they had been before. As they approached, Rhendak beckoned with a huge claw and the travelers edged forward.

  “We have decided,” Rhendak’s voice was again startling, it was so loud.

  Just then, the Dragon King shook his head in surprise and he looked directly at Yole; his eyes darkened. “Come here, youngling Yole.”

  Yole stared back and forth from Kamarie to Oraeyn, his amber eyes wide with fear and confusion. Then his face took on a resigned look, he took a deep breath, and he stepped forward to confront the King of the dragons.

  “Yes, Y-your Majesty?” Yole said, his voice only trembling once.

  Rhendak looked at the boy who was trying so hard not to tremble in fear. He leaned forward until his snout was only inches from Yole’s. Yole flinched slightly and closed his eyes tightly, screwing his face up, but other than that he did not move or back away. Kamarie and Oraeyn both watched in admiration of Yole’s courage.

  Rhendak lifted his head up and let out a short laugh. “I am not going to eat you, boy.”

  Yole opened his eyes one at a time and allowed his face to relax from its scrunched up position. “You’re not?” His voice said that he did not believe the dragon’s words.

  The King of the dragons shook his head. “No, I merely noticed something about you that somehow escaped my attention the first time you and your friends came before me, although I do not know how.” The dragon’s voice lowered and he sounded puzzled.

  “You noticed something about me?” Yole asked timidly, then, choosing his
next words cautiously, he asked suspiciously, “What did you notice?”

  “You, young Yole, are one of our Lost.”

  Dylanna’s head shot up in surprise at these words. Kamarie and Oraeyn exchanged questioning looks, completely confused by Rhendak’s words. Only Brant remained unfazed by what Rhendak had revealed. He stood as silent and as still as the cavern walls. Anyone looking closely would have seen the ghost of a smile flit through his stormy dark eyes; no one, however, was watching Brant.

  “Lost what?” Yole’s voice was quiet and more than a little afraid.

  Rhendak’s head came up, and the other dragons began muttering in surprise.

  “Hhhee doessn’t know!” The whispered voices hissed, echoing around the room.

  “You don’t know?” Rhendak asked in what appeared to be utter shock.

  “Should I?” Yole asked, shaking his head in bewildered confusion, his eyes were worried and upset.

  “You are one of us, a lost dragon,” Rhendak said kindly.

  Yole stared in uncomprehending silence; he suddenly found that he could not speak. His mouth was dry and he had a burning sensation at the back of his throat. He made a gasping sound and managed to choke out a mangled, “What?” before he started to sway. As the meaning in Rhendak’s words began to sink in, Yole’s face turned paler than the sand in Pearl Cove and he stumbled backwards. Brant stepped forward and reached out a hand to steady the boy before he tripped or fell to the ground.

  “No, he really did not know that he is a dragon,” Brant confirmed it. “I did not realize he was unaware.”

  “You knew?” Dylanna asked.

  Brant nodded, offering no further explanation.

  “How…?” Kamarie began, but then she stopped as she began to connect conversations and events, she continued, thinking out loud, “Every time he got kicked out of places and did not know why… but… he looks human enough.”

  “It is called shape-shifting,” Rhendak offered. Kamarie jumped, she had almost forgotten that he was there.