“That depends on too many factors for me to say. If possible, I will call upon allies and enemies alike to overwhelm the forest. If only a few can answer such a call, then I’ll do with what I have.”
“Please, Mercer, no matter what, don’t fight the Advent alone.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Since I’ll be staying here tomorrow to train with you, do you mind telling Clarissa and Ghevont I’m here? I don’t want to go the lighthouse if I’m coming back here later, anyway.”
“It’ll be done.”
Walking past us, Beatrice said, “That will be all, Mercer. We’ll talk more when time permits.”
When her sisters left, Odet asked, “What did she want to speak to you about?”
“She only wished to know whether her potential husband did not mind taking things slow. Knowing your father is alive and on his way has slackened her impulse to rush things.”
“Good. There’s no reason to go diving in headfirst right now. I need to attend a war meeting. Care to join me?”
“No thanks. Just give me the important bits later.”
“Ah, one of the perks of being a dragon knight—just getting to the important bits.”
“One of the downsides as well.”
Chapter Four
Clarissa and Ghevont were in my third story guest room by early evening. The scholar wore a fresh, cider colored robe over his dark green tunic. New red suede boots covered his feet and ankles. Clarissa’s main choice for a new look came with a large gray cloak and hood that better hid her face when around suspicious humans. Gloves of gray also disguised her cold hands from anyone who touched them. Lastly, new brown leather boots that fit snugger than those before rose a few inches above her ankles.
Wanting to get it out of the way, I broke the news to the vampire that I planned on only bringing Ghevont with me to Gremly.
She sat at the foot of my bed with a huff. “And why not?”
“You know why.”
“But Ghevont’s spell can counteract Gremly’s magic.”
“His spell won’t be strong enough deeper in.”
“Can’t we just tie a rope around each other like the first time?”
I shook my head. “Ghevont will still have to waste energy keeping your head straight, and a rope restricts movement in a fight.” I sighed. “Clarissa, there will still be fifty forests and jungles to explore together. Besides, staying here means staying a couple of weeks longer with Ethan, doesn’t it?”
Her shoulders perked up. “I guess it does.”
“And the magic in Gremly is not the same as what the Advent use, so I doubt we find them there.”
“But you’ll probably find something interesting.”
“Or we may not. Aranath doesn’t like to admit it, but Gremly’s magic is powerful, more powerful than a single dragon. Even Ghevont’s father couldn’t get too deep. It’s likely the best we can do is fly over it, not do any real exploring. So then, are we still friends?”
Eyes rolling, she said, “Ugh, yes, we’re still friends. You better not use that against me very often.”
“I’ll limit myself to whenever I feel like it.”
The three of us talked for a few more minutes before the vampire left for her room.
With her gone, I asked Ghevont, “Why does everyone I meet need to be convinced to do the sensible thing?”
Ghevont, after taking a moment to think it over on his chair by the desk, said, “I’m not certain I follow you. From what I can tell, what is sensible to one person is not always sensible to another.”
“So you think it’s sensible for Clarissa to join us in a forest of confusion?”
“In her eyes, you’re the one taking a risk by bringing less allies into a potentially dangerous situation. Does that sound sensible?”
“I regret asking the question.”
“Have you accepted the queen’s proposal yet? Saying ‘yes’ sounds sensible, no?”
“Ah, so Clarissa told you, then?”
“Yes, soon after you left to catch Odet’s fleet.”
“Well, scholar, I’ll admit accepting the offer sounds like an opportunity few can pass up, but no, I’ve decided to wait and see how things work out with the Advent.”
“Ah, also sensible.”
“Go to your room, Ghevont.”
“Very well. In any case, Marcela should have brought the literature I requested by now.”
“You brought Marcela to the palace?”
“Yes. She wanted a break from her training and, um, invited herself. Do you want me to send her back?”
“No, it’s fine. How’s her training going?”
“Well, I believe. She appears fitter, at least. We haven’t discussed her training.”
“Have you asked about it?”
“No.”
“You should.”
“I should?”
“Yes. It’s one of those normal human things you can do. She’s training so that she could someday assist you, after all.”
“I see…”
“Ghevont, think it over in your room.”
Once he left, the most sensible thing to do was quiet the chatter inside my mind with a long sleep.
My dreamless slumber persisted well into the next morning. I knew it had been a restful one thanks to the dried drool on my pillow. I dressed and went downstairs to eat whatever breakfast remained. Any leftover drowsiness absconded at the sight of a still full dining hall occupied by nobles and soldiers apparently waiting to get a glimpse of me. If I didn’t recognize Clarissa and Bell sitting nearby, I would have skipped eating altogether. After telling a scullion girl I wanted to eat whatever they had on hand, I sat by Clarissa, using her body as a buffer against the strangers at the table.
“Odet is ready to train whenever you are,” said Bell, who opposite me.
“As soon as I get some food in me.”
“Bell was just telling me how she became Odet’s bodyguard.”
“I told you, I’m not officially her bodyguard. Gerard carries that distinction.”
“But you never leave her side.”
“Aye, but it’s only the High Guard who are ‘allowed’ to protect Alslana’s royalty. I’m more of a friend who just so happens to be capable with a spear.”
“Why aren’t you in the High Guard?” I asked.
“Tradition says only children of noble blood can join, though plenty of exceptions have been made in the last century. I’m certain I can request Odet for such an exception, but I’ve never sought the title.”
“If you’re not of noble blood, how did you come to befriend a princess?” inquired the vampire.
“My mother was one of the apprentices to the royal blacksmith, so my brother and I often played near the forge between the palace walls. One morning we ended up running into a muddied blonde girl calling herself Garnet. She joined in our fun for an entire day. We only learned her real name when the king himself came to pick her up. Odet later asked me to help her train. I wasn’t much of a fighter back then, but I wanted to be with her, so I learned. I learned a lot. Our sparring soon turned to friendship.”
“Your parents must be proud that you get to protect royalty.”
“I assume they would be. My mother died of a weak heart years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. Well, not really, but it’s something everyone says, right?”
A plate of scrambled eggs mixed with chopped onions, tomatoes, diced sausages, and three slices of crisped pork was set down in front of me. “And your father?” I asked.
“I do not know my father. Or perhaps I do and don’t realize it.”
“What does that mean?” asked Clarissa.
“I mean what it sounds like. My mother never told me who my father is, but I always had a sense it was someone within the palace walls. Could be a guardsman, a cook, or the new royal blacksmith. I doubt the father knows he has a daughter, however.”
“Why do you say that?”
“If my father discovered my close association with royalty, I imagine he would have attempted to contact me.”
“Then it’s just you and your brother?”
“As far as living family is concerned, yes, it’s just him. He works in the shipyards north of here.”
“Does he, um, have the same father as you?”
“Presumably. As I said, my mother never cared to go into much detail. I have wondered if Luleck only shares half my blood, but I suppose it doesn’t make a difference.”
“What’s he-”
Her words were hindered by a passing trio of nobles coming up to my side of the table. An adolescent girl in an orange and yellow gown stood between two men in their mid-twenties.
The freckled faced girl bowed and said, “Forgive my intrusion, dragon knight. I understand this is audacious and rude of me, but I will not be in the palace long and I do not want to miss my chance at-”
“Ellen!” said a half-running woman with hushed exasperation. The older version of the girl also wore an orange and yellow dress, though with a more layered flair to it. “Boys! Take your sister away, now!”
“Mom! I’m only-”
“I know what you’re doing. You’re interrupting a lord’s meal and a conversation with his companions. Go.” As the girl sulked away with her brothers, their plum mother said, “I apologize for my impetuous children, Lord Dragon Knight. Please, do not judge us Bulters too harshly.”
I might have pretended to be disrespected by the disruption to dissuade future cases, but with Clarissa and Bell there, I merely said, “Nonsense, Lady Bulter. As far as I can tell, saying ‘impetuous children’ is a redundancy. It’s no reason to judge an entire family, harshly or otherwise.”
“Thank you, you are too kind. I’ll leave you be now.”
As soon as she turned around I stuffed whatever food I could fit into my mouth. After swallowing a couple of mouthfuls, I said, “Let’s go.”
Bell led us to the western barracks between the palace’s two walls. Odet, outfitted in much the same clothing as those she wore while riding Aranath, stood next to Gerard. She spoke with an older knight overlooking a group of sparring warriors dressed in varying amounts of gear. Gerard noticed us first and tapped Odet to get her attention. This started a chain reaction of sparring knights stopping to look at the arriving dragon knight.
“Good morning, Mercer,” said Odet. “This is Julian Hoff, head training instructor of the High Guard Knights.”
The steel encased knight bowed, letting his long white hair cascade over his wrinkled brow like a snowy avalanche. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance, Lord Dragon Knight.”
“The honor is mine, I’m sure. Did you train Master Safrix? His swordsmanship is superior to my own.”
“As any good swordsman should, he learned from many people.”
“But your advice remains most prominent among them all,” said Gerard.
“Then don’t fear correcting me, Master Hoff,” I said. “For now, the princess and I will work with our spells.” I turned to said princess. “How do you wish to proceed?”
“There’s no reason to dally, is there? Your best technique against my best technique, that’s it. No weapons or other spells. First one to land a punch or kick loses.”
“Sounds good to me.”
I removed my cloak and handed it to Clarissa. The princess and I circled each other as the others backed off from our expanding ring. Everyone else in the area paused in their sparring or work and spoke in mumbles on noticing their holy princess sizing up a dragon knight. We were given a wide berth as a long line of bystanders formed behind the head instructor.
“There are only two methods for besting a Veknu Milaris in one-on-one combat,” said Aranath. “Catch them in their sleep or outlast them. She will attempt the latter.”
On gaining a gap of ten feet, I said, “I don’t want to burn any of your hair off, so I won’t aim for your face.”
“Well, be sure you like black eyes, because I will aim for yours.”
“Fair enough.”
I reached in my pocket and tossed a dragon stone at her. A crystalline shield formed in the air between us. It rushed for my stone, but a flame burst forth right on contact. Smithereens of magical crystal caught fire and vaporized. A broader ward-wave closer to the ground charged for my legs, but I sent my first flame downward to destroy it. The third shield glinted in the sunlight as it propelled toward my head. There was no time to counter it with the same flame. I instead threw the second stone I had in my right fist and triggered the flame inches from that same hand.
The defense turned offense got a hole torn through it, as did the next incoming surge. She must have predicted that using dragon flame so regularly would tire me out sooner than her shield fatigued her, but at this early a stage, all she did was get me into the rhythm of things. As a result, my latest flame found a balance between consuming a good lump of my prana while not burning out too quickly. She couldn’t form another shield fast enough.
She jumped out of the way from my inbound flame, but that was a brief farewell, so she jumped and rolled the instant she landed on her feet. Her next defensive spell broke apart the weakening fire, but I had already moved on to the next phase. I put a hand to the ground and summoned a host of dragon stones around me.
“Hey! No outside help!”
“All of my flames are outside help!”
“Fine, you want to bend the rules?” She outstretched her arms and the ground where many of my stones rested on rumbled. Several disappeared under the dirt as the ground sucked them up. “Crystal is related to earth, so earth spells are only an extension of my shield, really.”
“That so? Then an explosion is an extension of my flame.”
I triggered my explosive dragon stones. A haze of dirt blew upward, wholly shrouding our detailed forms for half a moment. The other half of that moment had the dust cloud being cleared away by her main technique. I knitted dragon embers to create a flame shield a few feet in front of me before the unburned part of her thin tsunami hurried past me.
Another round of one power negating the other sapped our reserves, but not enough to diminish casting times or slow our footwork just yet. Still, the force of our spells lessened to the point of being noticeable. Her charging shields lost distance and my flames became less steady, meaning we had to close the distance little by little to keep an aggressive stance.
My primary goal was to get her to the spot I summoned the stones, for this was where I crudely hid a stone under the topsoil, but she clearly had her own goal in mind. She sometimes turned her head and body to a vulnerable angle for a split second before returning to a regular stance. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out the princess’ scheme. Her turns didn’t last long enough to be feints, but she must have been gaining something from it, right?
A foot closer and she would be exactly where I wanted her to be. Rather than taking that step forward, she lifted her eyes and tilted her chin in one of those odd little motions. I regathered what was left of my last salvo as she took the time to cast a stronger shield. When I released my draconic discharge, Odet chose to roll out of the way, not use the concentrated shield in front of her.
On getting to a knee, the princess spread her arms to expand her shield into a thin mirror sheet. At the same time, she angled it upward, which reflected a razor-sharp beam of sunlight into the back of my eyes. That explained what she had been looking for. She needed to find the perfect angle and site to cast her reflective ward. If she had done it too slowly, then I would have seen it coming and have learned of the ploy’s existence.
It was far too late to diminish the glare by squinting or raising a hand. She grunted, so I reacted by using my hidden stone to bring up an emergency wall of flame to block whatever attack she chose. She must have sent an intensified version of her power as well, for a pulse of ringing pressure fused with her yelp and plucked my eardrums.
My bleary eyes recovered in time to see O
det running up to me, ready to send out another solid beat of crystallized air. I couldn’t conjure another flame quick enough, so I relied on brute strength when I hurled my prana-enforced fist forward. The shield breaking on contact with my fist popped my knuckles and upended my expectation that I was going to lose the battle with her ward. Either I was stronger than I thought or it served as proof of her tiring state. Maybe both. I pressed my advantage.
I leapt forward to close the distance. She stepped back, but her labored breathing made it difficult to get much separation. Odet had no choice but to deflect my blows with half-assed shields she continually cast over her forearms. As she realized my sweeping left fist was going to connect to her unshielded right ribs, she opened her left palm and pulled it into her body. My blow struck her first. At the start of her fall, the little shield spell she cast knocked into my right knee from behind, forcing that leg to the ground. I recovered my full height when she looked up at me from her stomach.
“Best two out of three?” she asked.
“I was thinking out of five.”
She rose to her feet with the help of my hand. “I doubt you’ll last that long.”
“If spread out over a decade, I’ll have a good chance.”
She brushed herself off. “I hope you don’t mean that. You promised to help me train, and this only counts as a warm-up for me.”
“I only promised to go all-out, nothing more. But fear not, I will not use technicalities to wiggle out of this.”
“Good, but I’ll first need to wiggle out the stones still hidden underground. We start every round with a clean slate.”
Without mentioning it aloud, we deemed the few minutes unearthing the stones as our break, so we started our next training session right after.
I won the second round, if barely. The bout lasted only a third as long, since I came out pounding away with a fireball in each hand. She caught a second wind in the middle of it, but my vestiges of prana invigorated my last assaults to the point they overwhelmed her shields and let me land a kick on her thigh. I was glad I got her when I did, for her shields were still keeping their permanence, especially relative to my flames. Training years against her father plainly promoted a hardened endurance.
The Dragon Knight's Soul Page 4
