by Nathan Roden
“You are all that remains to protect this village from the enemy while we wipe the traitors from the face of the earth. I will remember your faces. I expect to see you either standing or dead when I return—or I will see that every member of your families pays the price for your failure.”
Sterling turned and left the building.
He walked toward his quarters, fuming. And then he stopped. Something was wrong.
There were few people in the streets.
And no horses.
Sterling stomped toward the stables. They were empty.
“Boy!” he called out. There was no answer. Sterling hurried toward the market.
Only a few shops were open. Sterling turned toward a man and wife.
“Where are the others?”
The man and woman trembled.
“We don’t know, my lord.”
Sterling growled under his breath and stormed away. He walked to the nearest gate.
“Guards of the southern gate!” he yelled toward the tower. Something dripped to the ground before his eyes. There was no answer. Sterling climbed the steps. He found only one man there. His throat had been cut.
Sterling descended the tower. He pushed open the gate. The soft ground was covered with hoof-prints. Fresh hoof-prints.
Sterling returned to the bonfire, which was beginning to die out. He kept walking. Minutes later, he spotted something in the field next to the road. He walked toward it. A large span of cloth was spread on the ground. A single, torn, blue and white coat lay not far away. There was a note pinned to the cloth. Sterling ripped it free and read it.
Good people of Morgenwraithe,
You have a choice. The people of Morgenwraithe have lived in fear long enough. The village of Islemar has allied with people throughout the kingdom, and even people of the Southlands. As you may be aware, we have also allied with a powerful clan of dragons. What you may not know, is this clan is led by none other than Simon Morgenwraithe, the true and rightful king!
Take up the cloaks of the rebellion and join with us! Send your women, children, and elderly to the Southlands. They will be given shelter without question.
What do you gain by serving Lord Sterling? Are you willing to live the rest of your lives subject to fear and intimidation?
Today, you must choose. We offer you a chance at the life we were intended to live—a life devoid of fear.
Stand with us. Choose life! Choose freedom!
Your friend forever,
Queen Jaclyn Lamont Morgenwraithe
Sterling crushed the parchment in his fist. He leaned backward and screamed into the darkening sky.
“I will rip your heart from your chest and shove it down your throat, you traitorous bitch!”
Sterling returned to the Guard’s barracks.
“You have new orders. We ride to the east in ten minutes. Every last one of you.”
The senior officer stammered.
“But…but my lord. The village…the castle…there will be no one to protect—”
The look on Sterling’s face made every man’s knees shake.
“We will kill every last man, woman, and child that joins with Lamont or this village means nothing! The King’s Road will flow red with traitor’s blood by dawn!”
Thirty-Seven
Simon flew over the forest edge, partially hidden by the smoke of the fires that continued to burn. He reached the leading edge of the kingdom army. Simon was relieved to see they were holding their position. He could faintly make out their shouts, but other than a few arrows that flew short of him, they did not seem concerned by the presence of a single dragon.
Simon heard a screech behind him. He made a brief glance over his shoulder. He was sure it was Mother. He thought that a good sign, meaning that Alice was not in danger.
The dragon gained ground quickly. Soon, Caleb was at Simon’s side.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” Caleb asked.
“Because I am tired of having you ignore what I tell you,” Simon said.
“Look!” Caleb said.
Captain Raynard screamed at his men to turn a cannon.
“You should go back and prepare with the others,” Simon said.
“Where are you going?” Caleb asked.
“We have only one chance now, Caleb. I have to kill Sterling.”
“We have to kill Sterling.”
Simon did not intend to argue. He focused his eyes on the King’s Road, where four horses kicked up dust as they rode toward Morgenwraithe. Simon flew lower to get a better look.
He felt a jolt at the base of his wings. He looked to both sides. He saw nothing. He felt another jolt. This time when he looked to his left, he noticed something.
His wing was shrinking.
He looked to the other side. The same thing.
Oh, no.
The sun touched the horizon to the west. Simon circled around and looked into the eastern sky. The moon peeked over the trees.
The full moon.
It took a few moments for Simon to understand what was happening. Unlike every full moon for the past twelve years his body was changing from dragon to human without pain.
Simon frantically searched the sky for Caleb. He finally spotted him spiraling downward. Simon raced toward Caleb.
“Caleb we have to land! Now!”
“What’s happening?” Caleb cried.
“The moon! The spell is—”
The rushing wind in their ears covered their cries. Simon flapped his wings until it was no use. He hit the ground and rolled to a stop.
Simon groaned and pushed up with his hands.
“Caleb…”
The points of five swords whipped before Simon’s face. Simon shivered, seated in the cold grass.
He was surrounded by over a hundred men, all carrying weapons and prepared to use them. The men’s faces showed their fear and desperation, making them even more dangerous. Two men held onto a struggling boy. One man had a hand clasped over the boy’s mouth.
The boy was naked.
“Make a sound and you both die right here,” a large, bearded man said quietly.
“What in the bloody hell are two boys doing out here?” another man said. “Running around naked as the day they were born?”
“I told him not to talk, ya idiot!”
“They’re mad,” another man said. He narrowed his eyes.
“Or they’re full of demon magic.”
“Great Vehaillion’s ghost,” another said. “Cover them up!”
Simon was hit in the head by a bundle of cloth.
“Put this on. And don’t try any funny business.”
Simon looked at the ground. He saw a pair of britches.
And a blue and white coat.
Simon pointed at Caleb.
“Let him go. He’s not going anywhere. He’s blind.”
Caleb’s eyes were wide. He shook his head.
“Simon…”
“Shh!” the men said. “We told you to be quiet!”
“Your coats,” Simon said. “I dropped them. Outside of the village.”
“I told you they were mad,” a man said.
“There was a note inside. From Queen Jaclyn,” Simon said.
The men looked at each other, confused.
“Who the bloody hell are you?”
“Simon Morgenwraithe.”
“Ha, ha!” the great bearded man laughed.
“Where’s your wings, Dragon-boy?”
“I suggest you listen to what the young man has to say.”
The men in blue and white coats whipped around. They saw a woman in a black dress standing beside a man.
Many of the men dropped their weapons. The man who had spoken was ten feet tall.
“Pick up your weapons!” the bearded man ordered.
No one did so, because before their eyes, the man and woman transformed into wolves. Tanner was the size of a mammoth.
Simon cleared his throat.
> “I am Simon Morgenwraithe, heir to the throne, son of Bailin, brother of Lucien.”
Magdalena stepped beside Simon. Simon patted her head.
“I was cursed into the body of a dragon by this lady. We have since become allies…and, dare I say, friends. I trust that you men sent your families to sanctuary in the Southlands?”
The men nodded. None were yet able to speak again.
“Good,” Simon said. “The kingdom army has killed many of the dragons who fought at our side—”
“What?” the bearded man said. “The dragons are gone?”
“All but a precious few,” Simon said.
“What about you? Where are your wings? And your big scary teeth?”
Others shook their heads.
“The queen said you had dragons.”
“Bloody hell! We’re all going to die!”
“What do we got? One bloody giant wolf—against Sterling, his cannons, and two thousand men?”
“We still have four dragons,” Simon said. “Maybe five.”
“And two more at tomorrow’s moon,” Caleb said.
“The moon spits out dragons now, does it?” the bearded man asked. “What is this nonsense, boy?”
“It’s not nonsense,” Caleb said. “The rightful king and I share the spell. We’re human only until the next moon.”
The bearded man pressed his palm against his forehead.
“So if we manage to stay alive for another full day, we get one boy dragon and one baby.”
Caleb frowned. He had tied a coat around his thin waist. Magdalena loosed a low growl.
“What are you doing boy?” The bearded man asked. He looked at the men nearest Caleb.
“Grab the boy before he pisses himself.”
Two men latched onto Caleb’s wrists. Caleb opened his fingers and the men were blown backward off of their feet. The bearded man snarled and stomped toward Caleb. Caleb pointed to the trees as his side. He whipped his arms across his chest. Two giant trees fell, missing the man’s head by inches.
The bearded man spat on the ground.
“Great. Bloody witches.”
“You have no choice,” Simon said. “Your families are gone. You can’t go home and you can’t join Sterling’s army—unless you want to explain your naked chests. The armies of Islemar, Evenshire, and the Southlands are preparing to engage the army of Morgenwraithe just east of the river.”
“Then where were you off to?”
Simon took a deep breath.
“To strike at the evil heart of what this kingdom has become. I am going to kill Lord Sterling.”
The bearded man shook his head.
“Look at you. Sterling strikes fear in the hearts of men by the hundreds. He’s strong as a team of oxen and meaner than a pit full of vipers.”
The man pointed at Caleb.
“And your lad’s parlor tricks won’t work on him. With Lucien gone, Sterling has the protection of the throne. You’re too late. As a dragon, you might have had a fightin’ chance. As a boy—”
“I’m no boy,” Simon said. “I’m almost nineteen.”
“Nineteen,” the man said. “I hope you weren’t planning to see twenty.”
Simon pointed at Caleb.
“Do you have britches for my friend?”
A man stepped forward. He pulled a small pair of britches from his pouch.
“These belong to my boy. I was gonna use them for a pillow, if I ever get to sleep again.”
Caleb pulled them on. They were too big. Another man gave Caleb a length of rope to use for a belt.
“We’re going to join Lord Lamont and our army,” Simon said. “You men do as your conscience guides you. I hope you join us.”
The bearded man looked around. Tanner and Magdalena had returned to human form. The man bowed his head toward Magdalena.
“My name is Godwin, my lady.”
“I remember you,” Magdalena said. “You are a leader of men, yet you belong to neither guard nor army.”
“I am a builder,” Godwin said. “Not a destroyer. My father, brothers, and I rebuilt every tower in Morgenwraithe village. I know the stories about you.”
Godwin looked at Tanner.
“I’ve never met this…gentleman.”
“This is my brother,” Magdalena said. “Tanner Raven.”
“Didn’t know you had any kin,” Godwin said.
“That makes two of us,” Magdalena said.
“Aye, but you are a curious bunch,” Godwin said.
“He’s a might big,” Godwin whispered.
“It’s a long story,” Magdalena said.
Godwin sighed and faced the others.
“We follow young Mister Morgenwraithe—and his friends.”
“His name is King Simon,” Caleb said.
The man raised his hands.
“Whatever you say, boy.”
Simon stepped next to Caleb.
“Do you need help?”
“I don’t understand it, Simon. I can…I can still see.”
Thirty-Eight
Nicholas Lamont and Noah stood in the middle of the King’s Road. They watched the last of the wagons that carried the wounded disappear around a bend to the east.
Nicholas did not turn his head.
“Do you still love it, son?”
“What’s that, Father?”
“The ships. Building them. Sailing them.”
“Aye. I’ve always loved them.”
Nicholas turned and smiled at his son.
“Do you think you could teach me?”
“Teach you?” Noah said with a laugh. “You’re one of the most powerful men in all of Morgenwraithe!”
“And I’ve made quite a mess of things, son. I promised my only daughter into a marriage that has brought us to this place.”
“You did what you thought was right—for Islemar and for the entire kingdom.”
Nicholas clapped Noah on the shoulder.
“And yet who is happiest among us? You. You found the love of your life; you work with your hands at a craft you love. And you’ve started a beautiful family.”
Noah sighed.
“But yet, we may all still die together.”
“I hold out hope that the gods are paying attention,” Nicholas said. “We stand for peace. Fairness. A better life for all.”
“I felt much better about it when we had fifty dragons on our side,” Noah said.
Nicholas shook his head.
“Can’t either of my children ever just agree with me?”
Noah smiled.
“Probably not. We’ve inherited stubbornness from our mother and our father.”
Nicholas and Noah turned when they heard a soldier cry,
“Archers! Prepare to volley!”
Father and son ran forward.
Nicholas saw a flash of cloth flying high beyond the tree-line.
A flash of blue and white.
“Hold those arrows!” Lamont yelled.
Men stepped out from the forest. First, a few. Then a dozen. And then as many as three hundred.
Wearing blue and white coats.
Nicholas walked toward them.
“Father—” Noah said, cautiously.
A man stepped to meet Nicholas Lamont. He put out his hand.
“My name is Seth Walden, my lord. We’ve come from Evenshire and farms and villages along the way to take up arms against the tyrant, Sterling.”
Lamont took Walden’s hand in both of his.
“Welcome, Lord Walden. We are very glad to have you.”
****
Tanner and Magdalena walked next to Simon and Caleb.
“We’ll go ahead and scout a safe path to reach Lamont,” Magdalena said.
“Be careful,” Simon said. “We will need you.”
Magdalena nodded and dropped back. Simon grabbed her arm. Magdalena looked confused.
“We don’t just need you,” Simon said. “We want our friends together when this is all
over.”
Magdalena bit her lip and nodded again. She and Tanner became wolves and raced away through the forest.
They marched in silence, the only noise coming from the creaking of leather and the crunching of leaves and twigs. Twice, Magdalena returned to divert them to the south, away from the kingdom army’s position. When it was too dark to see, the men made a makeshift camp, arranged in a circle. No fires were permitted. The men passed a limited amount of dried meat between them.
Godwin sat on the ground next to Simon and Caleb. A man passed a piece of meat to Godwin. He tore it into thirds and offered it to Simon and Caleb.
“No, thank you, my lord,” Simon said.
“The offer is appreciated, Lord Godwin,” Caleb said. “But I have eaten recently.”
“Ha!” Godwin said. “You ate what? A handful of berries?”
“A cow, my lord,” Caleb said.
Godwin’s jaw worked, but he made no sound. He nodded toward Simon.
“And you?”
“Roasted fish,” Simon said. “Two, perhaps three hundred.”
“I should be writing all this down,” Godwin said. “If by chance we actually live.”
****
Sterling turned his horse east onto the King’s Road. He was flanked by four guards, whose sole purpose was to shield him from swords or arrows. They also knew they were subject to dragon-fire.
Less than an hour later, they came upon the wagons filled with boulders, cannon balls, and black powder. There were no men.
Sterling said nothing. He knew what had happened, and it would serve no purpose for him to have another fit of rage. The men behind him were deeply entrenched in fear.
He ordered men to man the wagons and move them forward. As the sun began to set, the men looked forward to making camp for the night. Their hearts sank moments later.
“Light your torches!” Sterling ordered. “We do not stop!”
****
Some of the men slept soundly from nervous exhaustion. Others lay awake staring at the night sky.
