Quint shook his head again. “I have no idea,” he said, his voice a little tight. “But now that he knows about our alliance with the Children, I'm sure he's going to have even more to talk about.”
Ella cocked her head and looked at Quint. “What do you mean?”
Quint sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “There is a prohibition in our Charter against letting humans know we exist. We are to never reveal ourselves to you.”
“And the penalty for violating that prohibition,” Zarik said, “is either exile or death.”
“I don't think it will come to that,” Quint said. “I think he's – curious.”
“Curious about what?” Ella asked.
“About us,” he replied. “About this alliance between our two groups.”
I leaned against the wall, trying to focus more on what was being said than on my aching body parts. A moment later, the door to the conference room opened and two of the recruits came in bearing trays loaded with wine and other refreshments. They set them down in the middle of the table and scurried out again without a word like they wanted to be anywhere but there.
Even they could pick up on the undercurrent of tension permeating the room.
Just after the recruits had departed, the man of the hour stepped in. Everybody got to their feet and bowed their heads.
“Please sit, my friends,” the older man said.
Everybody took their seats and I moved over to the chair next to Zarik gingerly, dropping down into it and doing my best to not limp, wince, or give any sort of indication of the pain I was currently in. The last thing I wanted was to give them more fodder to rib me with later.
“Your Majesty,” Quint said as he poured a glass of wine and handed it to the man. “Apologies for the lack of formality and feast. If I'd known you were coming, I would have been better prepared.”
The man – King Shango of the Forest Clan – waved him off. “Formalities. Never cared much for them. Wine and cheese are good,” he said, a wide smile crossing his face. “It'd be even better if I could get some of those – donuts, you call them? With the chocolate on them?”
Quint's laughter was deep and rumbling. “It shall be done, my lord.”
Without being prompted, Zarik left the room – likely to track down a recruit to fetch some donuts for the King. He returned a few moments later and gave Quint a nod.
“They are on their way, Majesty,” Quint said.
“Excellent. Thank you,” Shango said. “I must admit that in the few times I've actually been to the world of man, I've developed quite the sweet tooth. Especially for those treats. I've been known to send a page through the Dragon Doors to retrieve me a couple of boxes from time to time.”
He wasn't anything like I expected a king to be. He seemed – normal. Like an everyday kind of guy. He seemed warm. Friendly. Even – kind. Most definitely not what I'd expected. I'd only been in the presence of a couple in my time, and both of them had been absolute authoritarian jerks. They seemed to get off on the power that came with their title and would wield it seemingly arbitrarily.
Shango seemed different.
The others made small talk for a little while, the King catching them up on the goings-on in Chondelai. It hadn't been all that long since I'd been back and if there was one thing I knew about life back home, it was that things never really seemed to change all that much. Or all that quickly, at any rate. A problem brewing between clans could take a century to come to a head.
Things were more – deliberate in Chondelai than they seemed to be in the world of man. Humans seemed so hurried and rushed, with decisions being made on the fly. They didn't stop to think things through. Consider all of the ramifications of their actions.
But then, given their agonizingly short life spans, perhaps that was to be expected. With so few years available to them, perhaps things did seem more – urgent.
Eventually, the recruit came in with three pink boxes of donuts. He set them down, opened them up to display them, and then left the room again quickly. King Shango's eyes practically lit up at the treats sitting before him. He reached out and took a long bar smothered in chocolate. He took a bite of it and his eyes practically rolled back into his head. The sounds coming out of his mouth as he chewed the donut were noises of extreme pleasure.
I looked around the table and most were suppressing smiles or looking openly amused. King Shango was a little eccentric, it seemed, but a pretty likeable guy, all things considered. His enjoyment of the donut also seemed to defuse some of the tension that had saturated the air in the room earlier. Everybody else seemed a little more at ease.
After all, who could enjoy a donut – that much – and then turn around and order somebody's execution?
Shango finished his donut and immediately reached out and grabbed another. He took a bite and savored it every bit as much as he savored the first. Setting the rest of the donut down on the plate in front of him, he wiped his hands on a napkin and then took a moment to look everybody in the room in the eye.
“I would guess that you are all wondering why I'm here?” he asked.
Quint grinned. “The question had crossed my mind, yes,” he said. “Although, of course, you are always welcome anytime.”
His smile was gentle and sincere. “I come to you, Warden Quint, for a few reasons,” he said. “The first was to commend you and your warriors. I've read your reports and you have all been doing an outstanding job. You are doing Chondelai proud.”
“Thank you, Majesty,” Quint said. “I'm thankful to have some of the finest, bravest warriors in my territory.”
Shango nodded as he chewed another bite of donut. He was right, he had an incredible sweet tooth.
“Although, I have to admit,” Shango said. “I am surprised to learn about this – arrangement – you have. Especially since it so very clearly violates your oath and your Charter. I've always known you to be a by the book kind of man, Warden Quint.”
Now, was when things were going to get a little dicey. I could see the tension in Quint's shoulders and the tightness in his face. He was nervous about how this was going to play out – and he had every right to be.
“The Children of the Dawn are a valuable ally, Majesty,” he said. “With a limited number of Rangers at my disposal, they fill our ranks. And they are more than capable fighters. They are formidable. As you saw for yourself a little earlier.”
Shango nodded and I winced at the reminder of my defeat. I tried to keep the color out of my face and did my best to keep my expression neutral.
“Indeed,” Shango said. “I have to say that I was quite impressed with – what's her name?”
“Alexis,” Ella chimed in. “Alexis Vargas.”
Shango turned his eyes to her and gave her a small smile. “And you are?”
“Ella Bourne,” she said. “Founding member of the Children of the Dawn.”
“It's an interesting name,” Shango remarked.
“Many of us left a group known as the Order of Midnight,” she said. “It was – is – a group of fanatics. Their intentions are good – they're the same as ours, really. They want to protect humanity from the monsters –”
“But their problem is that they do not differentiate between the real monsters,” Shango said. “And those who are not. Yes, I've heard the whispers about this Order of Midnight and I've forced myself to become very well versed with them. And what is so different about your group? This – Children of the Dawn?”
“The difference, Majesty, is that they do differentiate,” Quint said. “The Children recognize that their mission is the same as ours – to protect humanity. Given that our two groups complement one another in the field very well, an alliance seemed perfectly natural. And we are very lucky to have them by our side.”
He nodded. “What troubles me though, is that you took this undertaking upon yourself,” he said. “That you sought neither guidance nor approval from the Council of Kings.”
Quint nodded. “That is true,
” he replied. “And I mean no offense by this, Majesty, but I knew that approval form the Council would not be forthcoming. I've dealt with some of the other Kings before and let's just say that some of them are – very set in their ways. In their traditions.”
Shango laughed uproariously, clapping his hands together. “Well said. Indeed.”
I took a sip of the wine before me and realized that the aching in my body – most notably in my crotch – had more or less faded completely. My dragon blood was healing me even quicker than I expected – thankfully. Sitting there with aching balls was beyond uncomfortable.
“It is my position, Majesty, that these people have as much right to defend their world as we do. Probably even more, given that it's their world,” Quint said. “They have – and should have – a stake in keeping it safe for themselves.”
Shango seemed to think it over for a minute, stroking his white beard and then nodded. “You're not wrong, Warden,” he said. “And I'm not disagreeing with you. This is the human's world and if they want to defend it, that should be their right.”
“I do apologize for violating my oath and Charter, Majesty,” Quint said. “And if there are consequences to be paid, I will pay them. Alone. This was my decision. I entered into the alliance with the Children without consulting anybody else.”
A smile spread across Shango's face. “Relax, Warden,” he said. “I'm not here to demand your head. I actually think what you've done here is unexpected and unorthodox – but quite innovative. Progressive and forward thinking. I've walked around your training facilities and I've spoken with some of your trainers and recruits, and I've come away very impressed with what you've accomplished.”
“We've worked hard, Majesty,” he said. “All of us.”
“Indeed,” he said. “And it shows. As do the results you are getting.”
A moment of silence descended around the room as everybody – including me – seemed to be holding our breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surely, it had to be coming, right? We all knew that what we were doing – allying with the Children – violated the oaths we took. We knew it violated the Council's Charter. Quint had given us all the opportunity to opt-out and be reassigned to another territory, just to avoid any potential blowback.
But nobody took him up on that offer. Because deep down, we all believed in what we were doing. Believed that the Children could augment our forces and be an incredible help in our fight against the dark creatures of the night.
We just never really expected to be caught. Once we left Chondelai and entered the world of man, we were pretty much on our own. We were on an island. The Council funded us, of course. Supplied us with bodies, arms, and whatever else we needed. But visits by Council members were so rare, they were almost unheard of. Usually, it was in response to something catastrophic.
So, when King Shango strolled into the training house, it was like our entire world had been turned upside down.
“Just so you understand, I applaud what you've done here,” Shango said. “I am impressed by it. And do believe that your alliance with these Children is right. Understand that I am on your side in this. It would take some convincing to get the Council on board. As you say, many of them are set in their ways. But, I for one, would back this alliance. Would vote to make it permanent and help strengthen it.”
A look of absolute relief crossed Quint's face and he let out a long breath I wasn't sure he even knew he'd been holding. And suddenly, like the air from a balloon, all of the tension went out of the room.
“Thank you, Majesty,” Quint said. “You don't quite understand what that means to me.”
Shango smiled and nodded. “I think I do,” he said. “I wasn't always this old, you know. I was known to push the envelope in my day – from time to time, of course.”
Quint smiled and nodded. “I've heard some of the stories,” he said. “Some of them have passed into legend.”
Everybody seemed to relax and the wine started to flow. I picked up my glass and took a long swallow, only then realizing how dry my mouth had been as I watched the exchange between Shango and Quint.
“There is something I would like to speak with you about, Warden,” Shango said and looked around the table almost apologetically. “Privately.”
“Of course, Majesty.”
Almost in unison, we all got to our feet and headed out of the room. I cast a glance back at the King and saw a tension creeping into his face. Whatever he wanted to discuss with Quint – likely the actual reason he'd come – wasn't good news.
I closed the door behind me and had to wait with everybody else and wonder what was going on.
Chapter Seven
Alexis
I sat on the far wall of the gym, watching the door to the conference room, curious about what was happening in there. Curious about who the older man was. Given the deference the Dragonborn had showed him, I had to assume that he was somebody important. Some member of royalty, perhaps.
When the door opened and the others started to file out, I got to my feet. I ran over to Ella and cornered her.
“What's going on?” I asked. “Who is that guy?”
She looked back at the door and then guided me away, taking me across the gym and sitting me down on a bench. She took a seat beside me.
“He's one of the Dragonborn Kings,” she said. “Shango, of the Forest Clan. He's also a member of the Council of Kings – the body that oversees the Rangers and Wardens.”
I looked at her, expecting more. Expecting some sort of deeper explanation about why everybody was so tense and scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off.
“Is that it?” I asked. “Is that why everybody's freaking out?”
“No, by aligning with us, Quint violated his oath,” she said. “It could have been a very serious offense. I mean, I knew about the whole never revealing themselves to us thing – I went through it with Zarik. But for whatever reason, I didn't think it applied to us – to what we're doing here – or something.”
I gave her a long, level look. “How serious is it?” I asked. “Is he going –”
She put her hand on my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. “No, I think everything is going to be okay,” she said. “The King seemed impressed with what we're doing here, actually. Surprisingly.”
I looked to the closed door, realizing that Quint and the King had yet to come out. Knowing that Quint – and all of us – could be in trouble, worried me. It worried me a lot. If the Dragonborn shut this operation down, I had no idea what I was going to do. I had nowhere else to go.
When the Children – when Ella – found me seven years ago, I was a twenty-year old runaway. I was living in an alley, sleeping behind a dumpster covered in some ratty old blankets I'd found tossed out behind a store. I was fending off rapists, begging for change and eating whatever people threw away. Life was pretty miserable and I was sure that a day was going to come – and come soon – when I was going to die there in the dirt and shit in the alley.
As bad as it was though, it was nothing compared to how I grew up. Sleeping in the dirt was preferable to sleeping in a house with a father who abused me, who locked me in a room and pimped me out to his friends. It was preferable to going to a school where some of the staff knew about my upbringing and zeroed in on my weaknesses, on the things that froze me in terror – and took advantage of that.
There were more nights than I could count that I almost killed myself. I came so close so many times. Ultimately though, I decided that I wanted to live. But I knew that I couldn't live in that house anymore, so I packed up what little I had and ran away. Left it all behind.
I only wish that the past, that everything I'd endured, had been as easily discarded as that home and those people were.
But then Ella found me. I was standing in the doorway of a store, begging for change when she stopped. She told me that she could either give me some money and walk away forever – or she could give me an opportunity to clean up my life.
To make something of myself and serve a bigger, more noble purpose.
I was hesitant at first, but I took Ella up on her offer. And I never regretted it. Not for a minute. Not through all of the hard work, the blood, the sweat, and the tears. I loved what I did. And I was eternally thankful that Ella had given me that chance. She'd changed my world. She'd changed my life.
And the idea of having that life – a life I'd worked so hard to create – ripped away from me, stressed me out. I had nowhere else to go.
“So, if everything is okay,” I said, “then what's going on in there?”
Ella shrugged. “Dragon business,” she said. “The King had something to talk to Quint about.”
I felt my shoulders tighten with tension and a surge of nervous energy shoot through me. Not knowing what was happening in that room, what was being said – it was scaring me half to death. Ella put a hand on my arm and gave me a gentle squeeze. I looked up and she gave me smile, as if she were intuiting my thoughts.
“It's going to be okay, Alexis,” she said. “Whatever happens, everything is going to be okay.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Call it instinct,” she said. “Call me psychic. I just know that everything will be fine. Everything is going to work out.”
I looked at her and she gave me an encouraging smile. I wanted to believe her. Wanted to believe that everything was going to be fine. But life hadn't exactly taught me to be optimistic about things. If anything, it taught me to expect the worst. It was something I tried to overcome – and was doing a better job of it – but it was something I still struggled with from time to time. Especially when I was stressed out and my emotions were running hot.
“By the way,” Ella said, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips. “Great work out there today. You really took Deyro down a few pegs – a much needed few pegs. He was limping around like an old man who'd busted a hip. It was fantastic.”
I gave her a small smile, blushing beneath the weight of her compliments. “Thanks,” I said. “I don't know what happened. It was like seeing him smirking at me and dismissing me like he was – it was like he just flipped a switch inside of me or something. I was so mad and –”
Married to a Dragon (No Such Thing as Dragons Book 4) Page 5
