by Nathan Roden
Simon sat up when he heard the squeaking of wagon wheels from the King’s Road. Caleb sat up as well. Simon put a finger to his lips and jostled Godwin awake. Godwin made the rounds, imploring the others to keep silent.
Simon crept to the forest edge. By the torch lights, he could see the wagons and their loads, along with as many as seventy men wearing scarlet and gold.
Simon’s eyes narrowed. He ground his teeth together.
At the head of the procession, surrounded by four men sworn to protect him at all cost, was Simon’s true enemy. His own uncle. His father’s brother. The King’s Regent.
Sterling Morgenwraithe.
Simon smiled at the bandage on Sterling’s head. He remembered how good it had felt to hear Sterling’s cries of pain.
Simon crept back to the camp. He whispered to Magdalena.
“Can you carry Caleb? As the wolf, I mean.”
“Easily,” Magdalena said. “Though Tanner is much faster.”
“We may need Tanner here,” Simon said. “For intimidation if nothing else.”
Magdalena stared at Simon.
“You saw Sterling, didn’t you.”
Simon nodded.
“I need for you to take Caleb to join Lamont and his soldiers.”
“I heard that,” Caleb said. “You may need my help here.”
“No,” Simon said. “Your magic will not help against Sterling. It is vital that Lamont knows we have reinforcements behind enemy lines. And if you won’t return to Islemar to be with your brother and sister, then help Lamont any way you can.”
Caleb stared at Simon. He ran and threw his arms around him.
“I will see you again,” Caleb said.
“Of course,” Simon said.
Caleb’s eyes glowed, as if he was from another world.
“Kill the monster,” he said in a deep voice.
“I will try,” Simon said.
“No,” Caleb said. He placed his hand on Simon’s heart. “You must do more than try.”
Simon was weak at the knees. He grabbed Caleb’s arm with both hands but he could not move it. A vibrant charge ran through every fiber of Simon’s body, but it did not leave him weak. It left him energized, like he had not felt in a long time.
“You must rid the world of this evil,” Caleb said.
Magdalena transformed into the wolf. Caleb stepped toward her. He turned and spoke one last time to Simon.
“It is your destiny.”
Thirty-Nine
They stood nervously, their eyes constantly scanning both the King’s Road and the forest.
“You shouldn’t be here, Jaclyn,” Helena said.
“Ha!” Jaclyn said. “So you pick this moment to start using my name!”
Helena lowered her head.
“What will it do to the men’s morale if they have to watch you die?” Helena said.
“And what would it do for their morale if they thought I was sitting inside of Castle Islemar, sipping tea and eating a tart?”
“At least they wouldn’t have to see you flopping like a fish on the ground with blood gushing out yer belly.”
Jaclyn winced.
“Ew, Helena. Where do you get such thoughts?”
“From my dreams,” Helena said. “Nothing can prepare you for seeing your father’s head staring down at you from the castle wall. And it’s something I’ll never forget.”
Jaclyn pressed next to Helena. They stood shoulder to shoulder. Jaclyn raised her dagger for Helena to see.
“There will be no more heads on that wall, Helena. I swear it.”
“Still, you should be with your baby,” Helena said.
“I’ll be with him soon enough,” Jaclyn said. “And he has a wet nurse.”
“You have an answer for everything,” Helena said.
Jaclyn laughed.
“That’s a nice way of saying I talk too much.”
Helena smiled.
“Maybe it is. Just promise me you won’t do something foolish. Look around you. We have a good many men now, with those new arrivals. I believe we will have even more join us from Morgenwraithe.”
Jaclyn sighed.
“Well, Caleb made it safely to Evenshire. We can only hope that Simon made it safely to his destination.”
“Don’t forget about Boone and Lucien.”
“Of course not.”
“I wouldn’t worry about them,” Helena said. “Think of all Simon has been through already. He escaped from the castle—and over two hundred men. I was there, you know.”
“Ha!” Jaclyn said. “How could I ever forget that day? It should have been me.”
“And what if it had been you?” Helena said. “You wouldn’t have your beautiful baby, unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Nothing. Do you promise?”
“I forgot the question,” Jaclyn said.
“Promise me you won’t do something foolish. Certainly, you are brave. You may have loosed arrows at a target and practiced with wooden swords, but you are not a warrior. You may indeed inspire people with your presence, but your death would leech their hope.”
“Very well,” Jaclyn said. “I promise not to be foolish—if you promise the same.”
“It is not the same, my—Jaclyn. My parents are gone. I have no family. My life means nothing to this war.”
“What about Boone?” Jaclyn said.
“I love him,” Helena said. “I also learned from him. I am as gifted with my bow as he is. And we will live or die, side by side. But we are not yet family.”
“But you do have a family,” Jaclyn said. “You are my sister.”
“That is nice of you to say,” Helena said. “But it is not true.”
“I am the queen,” Jaclyn said. “I can make it true if I want. And I do.”
Ben and Oliver joined them. Brendan and Reese stopped several feet away. They shuffled their feet, nervously surveying the perimeter of the camp.
“When do you think they’ll be back?” Ben asked. “I have no idea how long it takes dragons to make that journey.”
“They should be here by now,” Helena said.
“Hey!” Jaclyn shouted.
Brendan and Reese looked at her.
“We are in this together, now,” Jaclyn said. “Join us.”
Brendan and Reese walked over and leaned against a wagon.
“Thank you, my queen,” Reese said.
“Where is Lucien?”
“Asleep. He is exhausted.”
“Until this war is over, I am only a soldier in my father’s army,” Jaclyn said. “As my husband is. I know that Sterling shoved a board of obedience up your backsides, but that does not matter here. Here, you are among friends.”
“You are very kind, my queen,” Brendan said.
“No, I am not kind,” Jaclyn said. “I am a woman who has a child along with my husband. And you are my husband’s truest friends. Thus, you are our friends, and you are more than welcome at our side.”
“They should have returned by now,” Helena repeated.
“We have no way of knowing what they might have encountered,” Jaclyn said. “They may have been forced to travel far to the south.”
“I don’t know,” Helena said. “Dragons cover a great deal of ground very quickly.”
Jaclyn didn’t hear what Helena said. Something in the night sky captured her attention.
The full moon.
Forty
Sara woke to the sad sounds coming from Ezekiel’s bed. She got up and touched his shoulder.
“Zeke? Let’s get a cup of water.”
Zeke sniffed and wiped his eyes. He took Sara’s hand. They walked out the door and down the long, quiet hallway. Shadows from the lamps danced on the walls. Sara pushed open the door to the parlor.
Sara and Zeke froze. Twenty-four people filled the parlor, eight more than the number of chairs. Those who were seated jumped to their feet.
“Do you know something, child?” a fat man
in formal attire stepped forward.
A woman ran to Sara and took her hand. Sara tried to pull away, but the woman held on.
“Have you had a vision? What can you tell us?”
Sara looked at Lady Robinette Lamont in desperation. Robinette pulled at the woman’s arms.
“For the god’s sake, Wilhelmina! They are only children!”
The woman stepped back, straightening her sleeves.
“They are not just children, Robin. They know things.”
Robinette stood between the children and the others.
“Do you need something, Sara?”
“I’m thirsty,” Sara said.
“Oh, honey,” Robinette said. “I’ll get you some—”
Zeke pulled on his hand. It slipped from Sara’s grasp. Zeke plopped to the floor on his bottom. He began to cry.
“Caba!” he moaned.
Robinette looked at Sara.
“What is he saying, Sara?”
“He misses Caleb. And…and the Lady.”
“The Lady?” Lilly Lamont asked. “Is that their mother?”
“She is talking about Magdalena,” Belinda Jacobs said. “She and the children have become quite close.”
“She is the…?” Lilly asked.
“Yes,” Belinda said. “The sorceress.”
“Our mother is dead,” Sara said. “The giant killed her.”
Lilly covered her mouth. Others in the room crept forward. Lilly whipped around to face them. Her eyes burned with an intense fire.
“Leave them be.”
Robinette, Belinda, and Lilly knelt in front of the children.
“Caleb is with the best soldiers in the realm,” Robinette said. “Including the man who will become our king. You will be together again soon. I swear this on my life.”
“We have never been apart,” Sara said. “We only have each other.”
“No,” Belinda said. “We are all your family, Sara. You will never be alone. Never.”
Sara stared wide-eyed at the other people in the room. They had withdrawn, but watched the children with nervous faces.
“Don’t mind them, darling,” Robinette said. “All of us are worried and desperate to learn what is happening outside our walls.”
Sara’s lip quivered.
“I don’t know anything, my lady. I promise.”
“Oh, honey! You needn’t apologize. People just have hope—”
“I would help if I could,” Sara said. “But I am just a little…g-girl.”
Robinette pulled Sara and Zeke to her chest.
“You are a very special girl, Sara. And your brothers are special boys. We love you all very much.”
Zeke rubbed his eyes. He shook his head.
“Zeke bad.”
“Oh, no, no, no!” Robinette said, along with Belinda and Lilly.
“Zeke is a good boy. We love you, Zeke.”
Zeke wrapped his arms around Robinette’s leg.
“Wub you.”
Robinette gave the children a final hug and got to her feet.
“Let’s get you some water.”
Sara took Zeke’s hand. Their hands glowed yellow and crackled with energy. The aura spread to encircle their bodies.
Everyone in the room gasped and held their breath.
“Great Vehaillion’s Ghost!”
“By the gods!”
Wilhelmina fainted. Her husband tried to catch her but failed.
“Sara,” Belinda Jacobs said calmly. “Exactly what is happening?”
Zeke held his hands to his sides.
“Puppy.”
Belinda, Lilly, and Robinette looked at each other.
“Uh…”
“We need to go to Alice,” Sara said.
“Alice?”
“Mother’s baby.”
“Ohhh,” Robinette said. “The dragon. Come then. I’ll take you.”
Forty-One
Lucien Morgenwraithe’s eyelids fluttered.
For a moment, he didn’t know where he was, or what time of day it might be.
The full moon stared down at him from the black sky. He pushed himself up, surprised at the soreness in his joints and his muscles. He was far too young to feel this way, he thought.
There was no one around, yet he felt like he needed to step into the trees before relieving himself. It should have been easy.
Lucien saw a flash of movement before his eyes. He was unarmed and could do nothing. He froze and kept his eyes on the dark shape that moved along the forest’s edge toward the clearing where the soldiers of the resistance lay in wait.
If this was an ambush, he could do little to stop it. His only hope would be to alert the others. It would likely cost him his life
But Lucien Morgenwraithe had already resigned himself to the thought that he would gladly trade his life for the death of his evil uncle. He did not hesitate. He ran toward the threat, ready to use his hands, feet, or even his teeth to stop any threat to Islemar’s army.
Lucien hit the flank of an animal. Something, man or beast, was perched on its back. It toppled to the ground with a cry of surprise. Lucien landed on top of it. He raised his fist, prepared to drive his hand through the intruder’s teeth.
“Stop! Stop!” Caleb cried. “It’s Caleb! Don’t kill me!”
Lucien felt hot breath in his left ear. The low growl reverberated down his spine. His eyes moved left and all he saw was teeth, fangs, and the quivering of a hairy black jaw. He froze. A second later, he heard a quiet voice.
“I’m sorry, Lucien, but I couldn’t very well let you break Caleb’s nose.”
Lucien looked to his left and saw Lady Magdalena standing at his side. Lucien pushed himself to his feet.
“I was asleep. I had just stepped into the trees—”
Caleb stood.
“We have reinforcements to the west of Sterling’s current position; over a hundred good men.”
“Excellent,” Lucien said. “We added three hundred from Evenshire.”
Lucien stared at Caleb and sighed.
“Why are you no longer a dragon?”
“I’m guessing because the moon is full,” Caleb said.
“So, Simon—”
“Yes,” Caleb said. “He’s no longer a dragon either.”
“So, we have no advantage in the air,” Lucien said.
“Until the next moon, our advantage lies where it always has,” Caleb said. “In the hearts of our people.”
“Who goes there?”
Jaclyn, Helena, Boone, Ben, Oliver, Brendan, and Reece stood with weapons ready.
“Lower your weapons,” Lucien said. “Magdalena and Caleb have returned.”
Jaclyn ran forward and threw her arms around Caleb.
“What happened?” she asked. “You’re a—”
“A boy,” Caleb said.
“Oh,” Jaclyn said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you…”
“I can still see, my queen,” Caleb said.
Jaclyn blew out a breath.
“Oh, that’s…that’s wonderful, Caleb!”
Magdalena pointed into the sky.
“The full moon. It has the same effect it always had.”
“So, Simon—”
“Correct,” Magdalena said.
“But—!”
“Don’t worry yourself,” Magdalena said. “He’s with over a hundred men from Morgenwraithe who now wear your coats.”
Jaclyn could not speak.
“That was a wonderful idea, Queen Jaclyn,” Magdalena said. “Sheer brilliance.”
“Thank you,” Jaclyn said.
“So, we wait for the next moon?” Boone said.
Magdalena looked at Caleb.
“Simon does not intend to wait,” she said. “He means to kill Sterling and end this war once and for all.”
“As a boy?” Jaclyn shrieked.
“As a man,” Magdalena said.
Brendan and Reece stepped forward.
“He has no chance agains
t Sterling,” Reece said. “His strength is…his strength is not of this world.”
“Do not underestimate Simon,” Magdalena said.
“You do not understand, my lady,” Brendan said. “We have seen Sterling kill men who towered over him—men with every physical advantage.”
They stopped their argument when they heard hoof-beats. Jaclyn had taken a horse. The echoes faded as horse and rider disappeared into the darkness.
“This is madness,” Lucien said. He looked at Brendan and Reece.
“Come on. Let’s find horses.”
Boone, Ben, and Oliver looked at Helena. She raised her hands.
“Do you have to ask? Yes, we’re going after her.”
They ran to find horses.
Forty-Two
Simon slept only because he was overtaken by exhaustion. Dawn was already peeking through the trees when Godwin shook him.
“You don’t want to miss the end of the world, Your Grace.”
Simon’s eyes opened. He jumped to his feet. It took him a moment to remember that Caleb and Magdalena were gone. He walked into the woods, relieved himself, and returned to the camp. He found Tanner.
“Well, now,” Tanner said. “You’ve become a man at the full moon, while I continue to grow. I don’t understand this at all. I must stand close to twelve feet.”
“The sorcerer who taught Magdalena is dead, so I don’t know who we’d complain to,” Simon said.
“It’s not all a bad thing,” Tanner said, “but I had hoped to fall in love with a woman one day. A normal woman. Maybe even a short woman.”
“Look at it this way, Tanner,” Simon said. “If we are victorious, we have the rest of our lives to figure out the spell. If we lose, we’ll all be dead anyway.”
“Ah,” Tanner said. “You’re a smart young man. That’s why you should be king.”
Simon looked up into the sun that was just peeking above the trees.
“It is a splendid day to die, my friend—even a better day to live.”
