When we were about halfway home, I noticed my headache had receded. The pain in my ankle diminished to a dull throb. Several minutes later all that was left of my suffering was but a memory. Except that I felt a bit fatigued, it was almost like it had never happened. I was baffled. Eshshah could offer no justification for my sudden recovery.
I turned around to Ansel and announced, “My pain is gone. I’m starting to feel much better.”
He looked at me with pity, like he thought my fever gave me hallucinations.
“Truly, Ansel, it’s hard to believe, but I feel like I was never in any pain at all. I’m sorry I made you leave the Gathering before you saw everything. I’ll be happy to go back with you, if you want.”
“I’m relieved to hear it, but how could you feel fine already? And, no, I don’t need to see any more of the Gathering. Remember, your friend was kind enough to show me around.” There was a good amount of sarcasm in his voice as well as mock irritation.
“She’s not my friend.”
We rode into the Healer’s courtyard and dismounted. Ansel stared at me, observing my every move. I think he was unwilling to believe my illness had disappeared. Less than an hour before, he had felt my fever and seen the pain in my face. I was at a loss for an explanation. Rather than draw any more concern from Ansel, I turned away and dismissed any further discussion with a wave of my hand.
I greeted Eshshah with a hug, “Eshshah, please let the Healer know that I’m fine. I don’t want her to worry.”
After a pause, Eshshah relayed, “She was hard to convince, but I finally assured her that you are well. As if she didn’t know a dragon cannot lie.”
I was famished, not having eaten since earlier that morning. Stopping at the laver, I washed off the sweat and dust from my miserable morning. My beautiful silk gown would need some attention, but for now all I could think about was making my way into the kitchen. After cutting a wedge of cheese from the wheel, I grabbed a small loaf of bread and a piece of smoked fish. I snuck a bite of the bread as I set everything on the table, along with ale for Ansel and tea for me.
Ansel came in from taking care of the horse. He sat across from me.
“I’m so sorry I ruined the first half of your day.” I said.
“You didn’t ruin my day.” Our eyes met, and I could see that he meant it. He looked as if he may have had more to say, but left it at that.
Still feeling guilty, I wanted to try to make it up to him. “What would you like to do for the rest of the day?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes.
Then he lit up and said, “I know what we can do — first, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I feel perfectly fine — truly, I do.”
“Do you remember our deal when you challenged me at the Dorsal Outpost?”
I thought for a moment, “I do remember! It feels like so long ago. I taunted you that I could wield a blade better than you. And, that as soon as my ankle healed, I’d be happy to take you on. What a great idea! I almost forgot about that.”
A thrill went through me at getting a chance to try my skills against his. Aside from fighting the lazy guards at the castle, since linking with Eshshah, I’d never practiced with a regular human — all my training had been against dragon riders.
I don’t think he expected such enthusiasm. My confidence might have made him doubt if he should even have brought it up. But he did — and I answered the challenge.
After we finished our meal, I found some clothing for Ansel to change into. Gallen wouldn’t mind me lending them. Rushing to my chambers, I changed out of my gown and into my usual boys’ clothing — a tunic and tights.
I examined the linking mark on my ankle from the black lizard. Its likeness staring up at me brought a wave of revulsion, as it always did. But it looked the same as it had since it healed. The mark was no longer swollen or hot, or anything other than the hideous reminder it would always be.
Was I truly linked to that vile creature from the dungeons of the castle? What did that mean? Why did it give me so much pain just a short while ago?
Ansel and I met in the courtyard. Eshshah accompanied us to the area in front of the barn. She settled herself in a comfortable position, eyeing us with interest and amusement.
We elected to fight with partial armor and unsharpened metal practice swords. Instead of my dragon-scale-lined breastplate and my own equipment, I decided to choose from the same supplies Ansel had to use. Of course, he wouldn’t have his personal armor here, and I wanted to make our fight more even. He protested, saying I took the challenge too seriously. I don’t think he understood the unfair advantage I had with Eshshah’s venom running in my veins.
We helped each other with our armor. Each selected a sword. We chose to use bucklers instead of the full-size shields.
“Okay, I have a quick rule,” I said.
“Oh, now you have rules for us to follow?”
“Only that you should know I won’t call upon Eshshah for help. The fight is just you and me.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
And so we launched into our contest. At first he hesitated. Gentleman that he was, he wouldn’t strike first — probably afraid of hurting me. He obviously didn’t understand that I was used to sparring with dragon riders, and even though they held back some, they weren’t afraid to throw a hard blow.
If he wasn’t going to make the first move, I would. I lunged. He parried but didn’t have time to counter because I rushed him again with a series of strikes that kept him busy parrying. Ansel had skill and strength. He moved fast, but I was faster and more agile. I didn’t push myself very hard, but decided that he not discover that fact. We settled into our practice as our swords clashed and the dust rose — sweat ran down my face.
Facing each other for a yet another bout, Ansel lunged first. Seeing an opportunity, I swept my leg around to take advantage of his exposed knee. He went down backwards. As he fell, he managed to hook his buckler under mine. I was pulled down on top of him, both of our lungs emptying in a loud huff. He caught his breath as our eyes met. Neither of us having face shields on our helmets, we found our lips just inches apart.
He broke into a smile. His eyes danced as he said, “I’ll take the extra point for this round.”
The heat rose in my face. I made an effort to escape my awkward position. He laughed at my difficulty as we realized that in the collision my pauldron — shoulder protector — had cracked and had caught on his. The more I struggled, the more the metal from the overused armor would not release me. To my mortification, he had to roll us both over before I was finally freed from the humiliating equipment disaster.
He took his time getting up — still smiling as I seethed under him.
“Get off of me!” I yelled. Not too kindly, I shoved him off, rolled to my hands and knees and rose to my feet. The practice armor, much heavier than my dragon-scale gear, kept me from moving as fast as I wanted. I stood over him and glared as he utterly enjoyed my embarrassing predicament. Unable to hide his laughter, it took a few minutes before he finally gained control of himself. He stood up, still snickering.
I should have been ashamed of myself for my lack of etiquette when I raised my blade and advanced on him before I should have. He wasn’t really ready ... but oh well, ... at least I waited until he picked up his sword.
He recovered and made a valiant effort to defend himself, but I gave him a small taste of my true skills. It took only seconds to disarm him. I shot him a smoldering look so he understood I hadn’t found my armor dysfunction humorous in the least. He didn’t seem affected by my intended lesson — the smirk still on his face.
Irritated, I called an end to the practice, and took my helmet off. I spun around and headed off to the barn. He hurried up to me, “So, you were holding back all this time, Amáne. I thought as much.”
To my surprise, my aggravation receded. I felt a bit of remorse that he had discovered my self-r
estraint. Another black mark against my hot temper.
I stopped and turned to him, “I think I’d like you to help me with the long bow.”
I knew he was skilled in this discipline. Archery took more skill than speed or strength.
He eyed me with suspicion and pursed his lips, surely aware I’d changed the subject. I wondered how he recognized I wasn’t fighting to my fullest abilities — how he had read me so well. He had an uncanny way of being able to figure me out.
From the start Ansel and I had a connection that I could only attribute to my linking with Eshshah. Her line intertwined in a complicated tapestry with the Royal House of Drekinn — Ansel’s family. It remained the source of our bond.
We helped each other remove our armor. As he unbuckled the sides of my breastplate, he said, “Well done, Amáne. I apologize for frustrating you.” He shrugged his shoulders, “I can’t help it that I enjoyed that round — or at least the conclusion of it. I’ll concede to the fact that I was beaten by a girl. But my pride is not harmed, taking into consideration, the girl. You’re amazing.”
“No, Ansel, you are. Your skill is remarkable. I just have an unfair advantage, and it’s connected with this.” I pointed at my linking mark from Eshshah.
“Yes, but even without that mark, I’m sure I would still be impressed with your abilities.”
I smiled tipping my head.
“So, you want to work on your bow skills?” he asked.
“Yes, I heard you’re good with the long bow and I think maybe you can show me a few things. But that’s okay, if you’d rather do something else. I’ve already taken advantage of you, I’m sorry. You’re here for such a short period of time. I’d hate for you to think I was a poor hostess. What would you like to do? It’s your decision.”
He turned to me with a devious smile — our eyes locked. Stepping closer, he pushed an errant strand of hair behind my ear and then glanced at my lips before he returned to my eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to move.
“Well, since you ask, I feel I must tell you the truth. What I would really like to do is kiss you. But, I don’t feel like being slammed on my back, staring at the sky, wondering what hit me. I’ll go with your suggestion and we’ll empty some quivers.”
My heart leaped out of my chest as the heat rose in my face. “Uh ... er ... let’s see if we can find a bow that suits you.” I turned quickly to seek one out.
When the Healer and Gallen rode into the courtyard, Ansel and I were washing up at the laver. He had outshot me with the long bow. I found his teaching skills to be exceptional as he shared his knowledge with such patience.
They brought home some roasted turkey legs and Dorsal’s native dish of potatoes with chili peppers already prepared from one of the booths at the Gathering. Ravenous, we made short work of it.
Afterwards, we sat at the table and talked about the upcoming Dragon Rider Council, which was to take place the day after Ansel’s eighteenth birthday ball at his manor in two weeks.
I was excited for the council. Eshshah and I would be officially sworn in as dragon and rider for the Royal House of Drekinn. The ball, on the other hand, scared me speechless. I’d never dreamed of attending a high social event. The thought of mixing company with the aristocracy terrified me. I voiced my fear.
“You have nothing to worry about, Amáne.” Ansel assured, with a warm smile. “Trust me, you’ll be the envy of all. And, you forget your position as dragon rider. You need to understand that Eshshah is of the royal dragon line. There is no dragon that ranks higher. Being her rider ranks you above all but a few of the riders. My aunt and Gallen both rode dragons of her line. Dorjan’s Unule, who I’m sure was beautiful, was a common dragon in service to the king. Your station is above Dorjan. Unless King Tynan graces us with his presence, which is not likely, very few guests will outrank you.”
“That might be fine, if it was publicized that I’m a rider. I’m a commoner as far as anyone there will know.” I protested.
“No matter. The fact still remains.” Ansel responded. “I don’t care what the other guests say or think.”
“But —”
Gallen broke in and changed the subject, “So, Lord Ansel, tell us, have you had the chance to speak with King Tynan and get an idea on his position? Will he join forces with us, you think?”
“I haven’t had the opportunity yet to have an audience with him. My father and he were allies. I have no doubt that when the time is right and I reveal myself to him, he will lend us the help we need to overthrow Galtero.”
Further discussion of petitioning King Tynan ensued. Ansel then told us about his involvement in the silk-growing business. Serislan is famous for their excellent quality of silk — a significant source of trade. The wealth of Serislan was largely built on textiles, mostly silk. King Tynan allowed Ansel his manor in exchange for overseeing the monarch’s silk production business at that location. He’d done such a fine job that he drew the notice of the king. No doubt he would be summoned by him and could then disclose his true identity.
The conversation shifted once again, and to my dismay, I became the subject of our discussion. Gallen proudly informed Ansel, “You’ll be happy to know that Amáne has been putting a lot of time and effort into her practice. Her skills have improved remarkably since you last saw her.”
“I found that out first-hand today. She truly has mastered the defensive arts.” He looked over at me and winked. I felt the heat rise in my face.
Before I could stop him, Gallen went on, “You don’t know how much she’s looking forward to procuring a dragon egg. She’s been studying the maps of the castle every day with Dorjan. I think she knows that place as well as he does.” I couldn’t catch his eye in time, and I didn’t feel it was good manners to kick him under the table, as I so wanted to do.
Ansel’s face hardened; my chest constricted.
Gallen had no idea of Ansel’s strong opposition to putting me into danger on such a quest. Sending me back into Castle Teravinea, after we barely escaped the last time, became a heated subject between us. I had done my best to avoid this topic today. Ansel’s stay was so brief, I didn’t want any item of contention to mar his visit — I planned to take it up with him during my visit to Trivingar.
Plans were already being formulated to get me back inside the castle. The Healer needed a dragon egg from the hatching grounds, and Eshshah and I were the only ones who could procure one for her. She had to determine what was preventing the eggs from hatching. The Healer, Gallen, Dorjan and Bern, another rider who lived near the City of Teravinea, were working with me. We had the start of a workable plan but we were not going to reveal it until the Council. I certainly would not even hint of our plans to Ansel before that time
Poor Gallen was quite uncomfortable when he noticed the expressions on Ansel’s and my face. He realized he had moved to an unpleasant topic. The Healer quickly jumped in, “How are the plans for the festivities going for your upcoming birthday ball?”
It took a moment for Ansel to gather himself — I was still struggling to breathe.
With remarkable control in his voice, he answered, “My staff has been working on the final arrangements. I get the feeling they want very little input from me, which is the way I prefer. Festivities and balls are not activities I enjoy planning. I told them to just tell me what to wear and when to show up, and I’d be happy with whatever they came up with.”
“Well,” said the Healer, “I’m sure it will be magnificent. We’re all very excited to come and celebrate with you, and to see your new home.” Then standing up and taking the plates off the table, she said, “It will be dark soon. You should probably be preparing for your trip, Amáne. Is Eshshah going to hunt before you leave?”
“Yes, she said she’ll fish and eat light before we go. She’s leaving soon.”
Gallen leapt up to help her clear the table. I shot him an angry glare as that left me sitting alone with Ansel. It was an awkward moment. I stole a glance at him. My heart me
lted as I caught him staring at his hands, brooding.
I put my hand gently on his arm. “Ansel, I’m sorry Gallen brought that subject up. Please don’t worry. Everything is going to work out fine. I promise.”
He turned to me and our eyes met. Managing a small smile, he put his hand on top of mine. It felt so warm and strong, like that’s where it belonged.
I swallowed hard and willed my heart to be still as I eased my hand out from under his. “You’d better gather your things. We’ll be leaving as soon as Eshshah comes back.”
Rising from the table, I retreated to my chambers to change into warm clothing — we would be flying high in the frigid air. Two riders are no problem for Eshshah, but with the distance, it’s easier for her to fly where the air is thinner. This time I wanted to be prepared for the cold. I had experienced more than one trip where my teeth chattered so badly, I was afraid they would break.
Pulling out the cloak that Ansel had found at the Dorsal Outpost, I smiled, recalling how regal he had looked in it. I closed my eyes, and held it to my face — his scent still lingered — a warmth rose in my chest as I remembered how he had shared it with me on our last flight, when I was numb from the freezing temperature. The heat from his body remained very alive in my memory. But, what was I thinking bringing that event back to mind? It weakened my resolve and reminded me that the walls around my heart were not nearly strong enough. I needed to make more of an effort to stand strong.
I wanted Ansel as a friend — I needed him as a friend, but the kingdom of Teravinea held me to my duty. Getting Ansel to the throne came first — before my happiness — even if it meant sacrificing our friendship.
I still had to consider my vow that I uttered in front of Dorjan and Gallen — that I would never fall in love. I must not give my heart to anyone, even to Ansel. Gallen told me at the time to keep an open mind, because trying to control my heart would be more difficult even than trying to control my temper — but I had to try. I couldn’t jeopardize our quest. If Eshshah and I are successful and return with a dragon egg, then just maybe I’ll rethink my vow. Until then, my feelings would stay in check.
Amáne of Teravinea - The Prophecy (The Teravinea Series Book 2) Page 3
