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The Servant Crown: Ice Dragon Tales, #3

Page 7

by Hurri Cosmo


  “She betrayed us.”

  Black turned to look down at her lifeless sister, once again spectacular due to her cunning ways. Death did not diminish her beauty at all. “Yes. She betrayed us and took not only more essence from DinRau than she was supposed to but an entire vile of the Rabbit Rose, as well. She wasted it on herself without a care at all for you or me.” Black tamped back her rage. Anger would not do any good at this point. “And look what it got her.”

  “We must do something, Black, or we will also parish. Are you sure we have to find a descendant of DinRau?”

  “Yes. A blue-eyed male.”

  “Tell me, how will we find one in time, much less lure one to us without youth and beauty?”

  “Silver found one, Red, and planned to keep him all to herself.”

  “She found death, sister. Not power.”

  “The one who dealt her death is the secret lover of a direct decedent. His name is Mormir, Duke of Stone Mire.” She shook her head at the blood that had spilled from Silver’s body, continuing to cool on the floor, a knife still protruding from her chest. “Silver was more concerned with chasing beauty than in our being able to keep our power. I was wrong to trust her. Wrong to think she could overcome her weakness. That we needed to stick together this time and not let our emotions separate us. But at least her gluttony and selfishness have found us what we need.” Black turned to Red. “You will lure Mormir to your bed, now. Then, when he is taken up with your—” Black looked Red up and down. “—charms, or whatever you would call them. Bring him here. I will do the rest.”

  “Mmmm, yes. That does sound interesting. Will I have time to bed him properly?”

  Black frowned at Red. “You will weave a love spell, Red, nothing more.” Black forced down the sudden blinding jealousy that erupted inside her, chastising herself for feeling it in the first place.

  DinRau had been the only man she had been the least bit attracted to. Black had seen this Mormir. He was thin and ugly. Well, maybe not ugly. At least not from a distance. But, oh, to have a man in her bed again… She sighed. Red was the right one for the job. She had to prepare for when Mormir was here in the swamp and that was a big job. She could not do it all.

  “However, bedding him properly, as you put it, would be part of the spell.”

  Red smiled. “I will need youth.”

  Black sighed. There was so little of the Rabbit Rose nectar left. But Red was right. They needed to do this right or not at all. No cutting corners. “You will have it.”

  “But what of Silver? Do we not avenge her death?”

  “Oh yes. We will make Erora, that wretched Queen of Blade Rain, suffer greatly for what she has done. Killing our sister with only a knife. It wasn’t even enchanted or laced with poison. So shameful.” She shook her head. Water under the bridge. It was time to move forward. She turned and glared at her surviving sister. “But, be warned, Red. I will be watching. Do not betray me.”

  Red smirked. “Me? Betray you? Black, you insult me. Betraying you is betraying us both.”

  Black huffed. “Fine. Let us begin…”

  Chapter 5

  Present day, Ice Dragon Pass

  “Where does one go to inquire about an audience with the king?”

  Stomund raised an eyebrow. “Why would you need to know that? He is right there. Just wait until he awakes.”

  They had reached the entrance to the Ice Dragon Pass an hour ago. They set up camp a little off to the side, since there were so many in their entourage. It was early yet, most travelers still venturing into the pass, some taking refuge in the little village of Ghost Pines, just inside the entrance. But being this was a larger group of people, it would move far slower. Not to mention the fact they would be dragging a travois with a king on board. More care needed to be taken for such an undertaking. There had been some talk about taking up residence in one of the inns in Ghost Pines, but Stomund chose not to advertise their presence, not wanting to raise concerns about the health of their king. So Stomund commanded his soldiers to set up camp. They even shared a good serving of food that they had brought with them. Tama was not only grateful but amazed. Meats and breads and cheeses that he had never tasted before. He thanked them profusely. Never had his belly been so full.

  At the moment, he and Stomund stood close to the tree line, watching the camp from a distance. The king was sheltered in a tent near the fire that had been expertly built and maintained by one of the guard. Still sleeping soundly. Tama now believed he would sleep the night. But he had already decided he no longer wanted to be there when he woke up anyway.

  “No. You don’t understand. My father traveled ahead of me to the Castle Blade Rain intending to speak to the king. If I know what path he would take, how he would make such a meeting happen, I might be able to locate him.”

  “He wanted audience with King Diagus? Why?”

  “It’s… complicated. And a long story. Truly a matter only he can speak of. Knowing the king is not there, he must be waiting for him to return. Where might that be?”

  Stomund nodded slowly. “Yes. If he chooses to wait, there is a place for that. It is just outside the main doors of the throne room, but that’s only if the king is in residence and simply going to be delayed for a small amount of time. However, with the king not in the castle, I am unsure what they will do. Your father would be asked to state his business with the king first, discerning its possible importance, after which, the decision is made if he would be given that audience. With King Diagus’s father, Oxys, who was often gone, most people were turned away. Told to go home and come back in a few days. Those with issues needing discernment immediately were generally handled by the king’s council.” Stomund laughed. “However, the old King’s wife, Queen Erora, sometimes would offer to sit in his stead.”

  Stomund quickly sobered and shook his head. “Those were not good days.” He took a deep breath. “But since this king has rarely been absent, I have not witnessed what he would command to do. However, I still believe they would be told he is not in, when he would be expected to return, and then told to leave. Especially those from other kingdoms. If it were me, I would direct them to places to rest and take food.”

  “They wouldn’t be allowed to wait within the castle at all?”

  “No. They would not. It would become a security issue.”

  Tama sighed.

  “Don’t worry, Tama. I will help to locate your father when we reach the castle. For saving the king’s life, it is the least any of us can do.”

  “Thank you. You are very kind.” But Tama had no intention of waiting that long. In fact, his real goal now was getting through the pass before dark. One person could move far faster and have a chance of getting to the other side, even now, before dark. “But I think I’m going to go on ahead.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your king is out of danger and should sleep the night. I will give you some herbs for a tea that will help with pain and any residual fever, just in case.” The image of the king tossing down the contents of the cup he had been trying to give him earlier came to mind and he chuckled. “He probably won’t drink it again, but at least you will have it. I just need to keep moving after losing a day.”

  Stomund nodded. “I understand. However, I think it’s better if you wait until he wakes up. I still think he’s going to want to thank you.”

  No. The more Tama thought about it, he believed that would not be the case at all. And even if it was, Tama was not going to allow his heart to be trifled with as it would seem this king was capable of. Tama could already feel a closeness to the man that was very unsettling.

  “There’s no need for anything like that. I would have done it even if he was not a king. And in fact, I had no idea who he even was at the beginning.” He glanced at Stomund. “Even so, you would have done the same if the situation were reversed. That is thanks enough.”

  “Yes, you are right. I would have.” Stomund held out his hand to Tama who took it. “I a
m honored to have met you.” He held on when Tama tried to pull away. “That is why I will insist you take my horse.”

  “What? I can’t!”

  “You can and you will.” The big man finally let go of Tama’s hand. He motioned for his horse, and when her reins were in Stomund’s hand, he turned again to Tama. “Her name is Efrin. I trust you will treat her well.”

  “Stomund, sir, no. I can’t let you give me your horse.”

  “Make no mistake, Tama. I am not giving her to you. I am loaning her to you. On foot, you will never make it through the pass before sunset, and even if you did, we would only catch up to you by midday tomorrow anyway. There would be no reason for you to go ahead. If this is what you insist on doing, this way, you can cover far more ground.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course. Consider it partial payment for all you have done.” Addressing the soldier who brought him his horse, he told him to go pack some food for Tama to take with him as well. Then he turned back to Tama. “When you get to the castle, tell the stable master that this is Efrin and she belongs to me. But fear not, he’ll recognize her.”

  “Thank you. This will help so much. I can’t believe you’re trusting me with your very own horse.”

  “Nonsense. Besides, if you had said no to the horse, I was going to say no to you continuing. At least this way, you have a chance of making it to the other side—alive. Already I’m sure there are dark places that you must navigate through. So, if you insist on going ahead, you better get going now. Although I do wish you would reconsider.” He handed the reins to Tama along with a wrapping of food. Tama gratefully took both.

  “No. Thank you but no. I’ve made up my mind.”

  Stomund tipped his head once at Tama. “As I expected and I will accept that.” He turned to Efrin. “Take care of this one, my girl. He is a very good friend.” He rubbed her neck, and she snorted at him. Chuckling, Stomund motioned for Tama to lead the way to the entrance. “I will also come with you to the gate so you can go through unquestioned.”

  Tama looked up at the taller man. “Gate? Unquestioned?”

  “Of course. You must have some proof of who you are and where you belong in order to pass through, not to mention, payment. The pass belongs to Blade Rain, after all.”

  “Proof? Oh dear, payment? What would that be?”

  “In your case, proof that you are a citizen of Claymoor Doom. As far as payment, once you provide that proof, your passage would be free because your king has made that kind of deal with our king. But I am going to take a wild guess that you most likely do not have such proof, correct?”

  Tama shook his head. “No. I don’t. I don’t even know what that would be.”

  “Generally, a letter of citizenship. With your king’s seal.”

  “I have no idea what one would even look like, much less have one. Without one, what would happen?”

  “Nothing, really. Either the man at the gate would believe your story or he would demand payment.”

  “I have no currency!”

  “As I suspected. What of your father?”

  It never entered Tama’s mind he might need something to barter with. And in thinking about the fact his father had been practically frantic about selling as much of the milk and eggs as he could lately, it was now obvious to Tama that Beourn had been planning his departure for some time. Being the man took everything; food, the horse, blankets, Tama was certain the jar of coin he had kept hidden had accompanied him as well. Tama hadn’t even thought to look for it before he left. Somehow, his father had known about either having proof of citizenship or enough coin to pass. The old man had to know Tama would follow. But he also knew when Tama got to this gate, he would be able to go no farther.

  Tama shook his head at how cruel his father could be.

  “Yes. He would have had currency.”

  Stomund nodded. “Then it is a good thing I came along.”

  Tama sighed. “Yes. Oh, yes, it truly is. Thank you!”

  After Stomund cleared Tama at the gate, he held out his hand again. “It was nice to have met you, Tama. I hope we have the opportunity to meet again.”

  “Thank you, Stomund. I hope the same thing.” Actually, he didn’t, because if he did meet this man again, there was a strong possibility the king would be there, too. “You have no idea how grateful I am for this.” Tama squeezed Stomund’s hand one more time, then mounted the steed. He waved as he turned the horse and headed into the pass.

  Tama and his mount trudged off into the pass, his heart beating a little faster with each step. He had never done this, traveled the pass. He was unsure of what to expect, although he knew it would be a couple of hours, even on horseback. He looked up at the sky to judge how much time he had. It would be tight. But it hardly mattered. He intended on getting through the pass before sunset. He quickened his pace as he rounded the first turn.

  Thankfully, Ghost Pines village was small and easy to cross. Tama lost little time in getting to the other side and deep into the pass. The time passed quickly as he navigated the horse over the ups and downs and all the turns through the sheer, high rock walls. There were times when he needed to dismount and lead the horse through rocky and steep areas. It was clear this had been a natural pass, where one mountain cracked and moved away from the other. The high travel had widened and evened out the path, but it was still tricky in some areas and was slow going at best.

  The first set of bones he saw startled Tama. Another horseman was hurrying past him at the time, coming from the opposite direction, and Tama’s horse reared up and nearly threw him off. Somehow, he stayed in the saddle. When the horse was under control again, Tama once more turned her toward the south. That was when he saw them.

  What had been so strange was that Tama swore they hadn’t been there before. He had come around the bend and the ground was rocky as usual, but it had been clear. Completely. He knew that. But suddenly, there they were, looking as if they were human and not animal, either, which was another odd thing. If those bones belonged to someone, why were they still here, in the pass? Wouldn’t a family member or friend have come for them? But Tama had no time to investigate. He gently kicked the horse to a faster gait.

  The sun had not yet set thankfully, but because of the high walls and the twists and turns, there were dark spots, just as Stomund had predicted. Tama guessed some of these areas were dark even under full daylight. He stayed very aware of them, and up until a few minutes ago, they were simply deep shadows. He could still see the rock walls within them. The moment he noticed those walls seemed to have been swallowed up was when he imagined animal eyes staring out at him.

  “Trick of the light,” he muttered to himself.

  But when he saw another pair, this time actually moving alongside him, following in the shadow, he began to wonder what this curse of Ice Dragon truly was.

  Another man hurried by him, also going in the opposite direction. Why were they in such a hurry? Tama calculated how far he had already come, and it had been a good hour. Probably not much in the way of distance because of the nature of the trail, but it had been an hour.

  Conceivably, he was halfway through. The way had been fairly easy except for a few areas where it was uneven and hard to maintain firm footing. If it wasn’t any harder of a path from here on out, there was no problem getting to the other side before full-on dark.

  But the harried look of his fellow travelers had him thinking otherwise.

  Tama kicked the nervous horse into a faster gait.

  The way was uneventful for a time, Tama allowing the horse to set the pace. It seemed eerie to be all alone, the horse’s hoofbeat echoing off the canyon walls. But suddenly the horse reared again and this time Tama did fall off. Efrin, frightened, most likely, by the shifting shadows moving far more than a setting sun was responsible for, made to bolt Tama screamed her name and she obediently stopped, whinnied, and stomped her hooves, clearly not happy about having to stand there while Tama scrambled to his
feet and back into the saddle. As they once again took off, in Tama’s periphery, he could have sworn he saw a deep shadow separate itself from the darkness of the wall behind them and move as if to give chase.

  Tama didn’t look back. He didn’t even have to kick the horse into a gallop. She broke into that all on her own. Careening around corner after corner, meeting no one, Tama clearly had the path all to himself. That probably wasn’t a good sign.

  That was when he saw red glowing eyes directly in front of him as the shadow that held them wavered and grew, a low moan shaking the air. Tama pulled on the reins, forcing Efrin to hug the wall, opposite from the eyes, clattering over bones that also looked all too much like human ones. Tama was impressed that the horse didn’t spook completely, although he was shaking and breathing as if he were the one running. They pressed on around the next corner.

  Suddenly the ground gave way, and Efrin stumbled. Somehow, she remained upright, but once again Tama tumbled to the ground, rolling close to the shadowed walls.

  For a moment, all was still and silent as Tama regained his wits.

  Then something grabbed his legs and pulled.

  Screaming, Tama kicked out and was flipped to his back. Still pulling and now moaning, he watched as the shadow loomed over him, as if to envelope him. Tama had been told nothing of these nightmarish shadow people, beings that evidently consumed humans and only left their ghost bones, suddenly appearing only as dusk became night. A stark reminder to late travelers they might have made a grave mistake in thinking there was time to cross.

  It was clear the sun’s light somehow kept this evil at bay, stopping it from devouring travelers during the day. However, at night, these shadows looked to live and breathe and obviously consume.

  Except Tama did not want to become an evening meal.

  Tama kicked violently because if he let the shadow overtake him, he knew he would be the next set of bones a late traveler just might scatter. Somehow, he was able to break loose of whatever it was that had hold of him. It seemed to even scream at the final kick that freed him. But Tama had also witnessed the shadow shrink back when it touched the pocket that held Aydin’s stuffed rabbit. It was then he began to hear the hurried whispers of many voices in the boiling shadows.

 

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