by Shae Ford
“You’ll understand, then, that Fate wishes you to help convince the others that Devin should be King. Since your choices led them here, they are your responsibility — and Fate will hold you accountable for their actions,” Argon added with a weighted look.
More than anything, Kael didn’t want to spend the rest of his days running Fate’s errands. But when he remembered how she’d threatened Kyleigh, he knew he had little choice. “All right, I’ll convince the others.”
“Very good. This is your final task,” Argon promised. “Fate won’t trouble you again.”
Kael wanted to believe him … but for some reason, he doubted it.
They stood in silence for a moment. Just before them, their companions were locked in a heated argument over whether or not Jonathan should be allowed to play his fiddle at the wedding. But here, the world was cold.
“Did you really make Kyleigh forget my name?” he wondered aloud.
“In a way, I suppose. Though all I really did was hide it from her. Just a simple muddling spell.”
“Because Fate wanted us apart?” he guessed.
Argon shook his head. “No, Fate wanted you to stay trapped atop those cursed mountains, where you could never interfere with her plans. A man with all the powers of a Wright, completely freed of her will? She was terrified of you, child. She was afraid to set you loose.
“But I thought the Kingdom needed its Wright — and hiding your name from Kyleigh was my one great defiance. Though you were only an infant at the time, she spoke as if she’d known you for ages. I suspected then that she might have a dragon’s love for you. A fascinating bond,” he added with a slight smile. “I thought you might find her peculiar healing abilities to be rather useful.”
He had. She’d pulled him from the edge on more than one occasion. But there was still something he didn’t understand. “If you wanted us to find each other, why did you make her forget my name?”
“Timing is everything, when you intend to change the future. Yes, I wanted you together — but only once you’d grown strong enough to contend against her will. Had she found you when you were an infant …”
“She would’ve stashed me away somewhere,” Kael whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. “She would’ve sacrificed the whole blasted realm, just to keep me safe.”
Argon smiled slightly. “Yes, and you would’ve been happy in the glow of her love — unaware that the Kingdom suffered beneath the chaos of another one of Fate’s wars. It was a terrible gamble, letting a Wright with no future loose upon the realm. And one way or another, the Kingdom would’ve been set free. Perhaps, in the end, my defiance didn’t make much of a difference.”
Argon turned to smile at their companions: Jonathan screeched across his fiddle, Eveningwing danced an odd jig with the mots — Nadine laughed at them from within the gentle hold of Declan’s arms.
“But though they’re never sewn with the grandest strokes, small things can make a difference. If there are enough of them, the whole tapestry can be changed — and in the end, when you step back to see it, you find that all of those little threads matter very much.”
CHAPTER 58
A New King
They didn’t make it far beyond the shattered room. No sooner had they gone down the next hall than Argon and Kael ran smack into the pirates.
They’d filled the passage from its edges to its end, staring with wide eyes at Kyleigh and Devin. More than a few of them had their cutlasses drawn.
Captain Lysander paced at their head. His wavy hair was a mad tangle of sweat and gore. His white tunic was stained beyond repair. Still, he barked as if he stood aboard his ship: “No, I’ve seen what’s he’s capable of, and I can’t in good conscience allow him to —”
“He isn’t dangerous anymore. The King’s curse is broken. So there’s no need to get your skirts in a bunch, Sandy,” Kyleigh added, earning herself a rather potent glare.
But before Lysander could retort, Kael stepped in. “Yes, and that’s no way to speak to your new King.”
Lysander’s chin nearly touched his chest.
Devin whirled around like he’d taken a shock. “A King?”
“I’ll explain it to you later, child,” Argon assured him. “For now, we must simply —”
“No, no!” Thelred shoved his way to the front of the crowd and fixed his burning scowl directly onto Kael. “There’s no way you’re going to make him King. In a long list of ridiculous things you’ve done, this is by far the most ridiculous. We won’t let it happen.”
“Then you’re welcome to fight him for it. One quick blast of flame, and I think you’ll all know who the King is,” Kael said. He struggled not to laugh when Thelred took a step back.
Lysander, who’d been quietly watching Devin for a long moment, waved his cousin aside. “There’s no need to get all testy about this, Red. We haven’t even given the boy a chance.”
The pirates leaned forward when Lysander marched up to Devin. It was clear that they didn’t want him to get any closer — but it was also clear that none of them were eager to follow.
Devin bent nearly double at Lysander’s gesture, until they stood face to face. The Captain regarded him with a stony-eyed look. “Before we agree to make you King, there’s something I need to know.”
“What is it?”
“How will you handle the taxes?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what a taxes is.”
“They’re horrible, nasty little rules used to chain decent men beneath an unjust burden of gold.”
Devin’s dark brows snapped low at this. “Then the taxes will be destroyed. I don’t want anyone in chains.”
“Well, he’s got my vote,” Lysander said with a grin.
Thelred dragged his hands down either side of his face. “You don’t vote for a King,” he grumbled.
But the pirates’ cheers quickly drowned out his protests.
Once they’d picked their way through the crowded hall, they got a few moments’ peace. Then they found the giants.
“Ho there, you scrawny wee mountain rat! Don’t think you’re getting by without giving the Prince a proper greeting.”
Kael didn’t have much of a choice. The moment he turned the corner, the damp stains of Brend’s tunic were right at his eyes’ level — and the giant pressed him tightly against their reeking folds.
“And who’s this? Not the great black terror who was chasing us around the forest, eh?” Brend glanced at the streaks of iron that crusted across Devin’s chest before he reached over and ruffled him on the top of his spiny head. “Giants don’t like to be chased. We’re likely to trip, if you force us to move our legs like that.”
“I won’t chase you again,” Devin swore.
At Argon’s sharp nudge, Kael gave the giants the news. He was expecting Brend to snort and say never. But surprisingly, he only shrugged.
“What you manfolk decide to do with Midlan’s throne is your own business. The giants already have their Prince,” he said, to a collective grunt from the soldiers behind him. “As long as your King stays away from our crops and out of our lands, you’ll have no trouble from us.”
“That seems fair enough.” Kyleigh looked up at Devin. “What do you say?”
The boy frowned at Brend. “What are crops?”
His question brought on a roar of laughter from the giants — while Brend looked as if he’d just been slapped. “What are …? Crops are the lifeblood of your clodded Kingdom, I’ll have you know. If it weren’t for the giants growing all of your food, you’d have not a thing to eat.”
“I have a garden,” Devin offered. “Would you like to see it?”
“Oh, a garden, he says.” Brend snorted and rolled his eyes. But after a moment, his scowl softened a bit. “I hope you’ve got some barley growing in there. Well, it’s a shame if you haven’t — the soil’s perfect for it!” he said when Devin shook his head.
“Have you at least got some rosemary, or sage?” one of the giants calle
d.
“I have a lemon tree,” Devin replied — and drew such a round of indignant cries from the giants that Kael expected the floors to start shaking.
Brend threw an arm around Devin’s shoulders, careful of the short spines that sprouted from their tops. “You’d better show us that garden, wee dragon — quickly, now. The giants will do whatever we can to save it.”
Devin led them down another branch of hallway, smiling at their grunts and the occasional burst of rowdy laughter. The last thing Kael heard before they thumped out of earshot was Brend loudly declaring what a mightily grand thing it was to have a King who stood at a proper height.
“Let’s go this way, shall we?” Argon said, nudging Kael down the opposite hall.
It was absolutely littered with the ruins of the giants’ march: gold-tinged bodies hewed by their great scythes and crammed against either wall. Kyleigh walked a little ways ahead of them. She opened every door they passed and glanced inside the chambers.
There were several doors she left ajar, and Kael looked inside to find the chambers empty. But there was one door she shut with a grimace. “Blazes, I almost feel sorry for them.”
The way she wrinkled her nose would’ve made Kael smile, had there not been such a weight upon his heart. Kyleigh’s hand trailed softly across the wall as she neared the next corner. A large chunk of armor was missing at her waist, torn away by Dorcha’s claws. It left her pale skin exposed — a gap of smooth and perfect flesh. But even though she was healed, Kael’s heart still twisted to think of how she’d been wounded. He could feel the agonized tremors of her body when he clenched his hands.
As she reached the end of the wall, Kyleigh grinned at him from over her shoulder — as if she’d been able to sense him watching. Her eyes burned furiously onto his, holding his gaze until she’d disappeared around the corner.
“This had better be it, Argon,” Kael said hoarsely. “I don’t want Fate to come within a thousand miles of her again.”
The mage closed his eyes for a moment. “She swears she won’t trouble Kyleigh. There’s no sport in it — you care far too much for her life.”
Kael wasn’t sure that was even possible. But before he could say as much, they rounded the next corner — and had their ears accosted by a familiar, high-pitched squeal.
Aerilyn already had her arms wrapped about Kyleigh. Behind her, Jake and a smiling forest woman walked hand in hand. It took several moments of staring for Kael to realize that the forest woman was Elena. He swore he’d never seen her smile, let alone beam as if the sun wouldn’t stop shining.
Kael was still gaping at her when Aerilyn smacked against his chest. “Oh, Kael! I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve had it up to my ears with these two. They’re wounded — and they won’t do anything at all about it!” She passed a glare between Elena and Jake. “They’ve done nothing but smile since the moment I found them, and neither one will tell me what’s so blasted funny.”
Kyleigh fixed them with a wicked grin. “I have a guess.”
“And you’ll keep it to yourself,” Elena warned.
“It really isn’t all that serious,” Jake insisted, his voice thickened beneath the swollen hump of his nose.
Aerilyn made a frustrated sound. “You have a hand in your pocket — and it’s not attached to your wrist!”
“Well, I’m sure it’s nothing the Wright can’t fix.”
“Oh, for mercy’s sake,” Kael grumbled, when Jake held up his blue-capped nub. “Bring it here.”
He’d never sealed a hand back onto its wrist before. But luckily for Jake, the cut was so clean that none of the pieces were missing. It only took him a few tries to get it attached correctly. When Jake was able to move all of his fingers, they considered it a success.
“Remarkable,” he said, grinning as he twisted his hand about. “Absolutely remarkable.”
The gash in Elena’s leg was much easier to seal. Once he had it closed, Kael told them about Devin.
Jake looked immediately to Argon. “Your ward? Really? Well, he’s a bit simple, but I’m sure most of the Kingdom will be all right with that.”
“Lysander’s already thrilled about the fact that there won’t be any taxes,” Kyleigh said with a nod.
Aerilyn rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he is. And I suppose as long as this Devin doesn’t try to enslave or starve anybody, he’ll already be three steps ahead of Midlan’s last King.” After a moment, she raised her brows. “He wouldn’t happen to need a cook, would he? I know of a rather good one — an entire household, really. They’ll be happy to help him manage things.”
Argon inclined his head. “I’m sure Devin would be most appreciative.”
Aerilyn let out an excited squeal. “Wonderful! I’ll go tell Horatio straight away.” She spun and took off down the hall, her quiver clattering with her jog.
“And what do you think about all this, Elena?” Kyleigh said.
“I couldn’t care less. In fact, I doubt if I’ll ever set foot in Midlan again. Jake and I have decided to live peacefully.”
“Our fighting days are over,” he agreed, smiling as he took her hand. “We’ll travel around a bit until we find a nice, quiet place to settle. Our journey begins first thing tomorrow.”
“There could be trouble along the way, though. The Kingdom’s still crawling with thieves and bandits.” Elena’s dark eyes roved thoughtfully. “I mean, we ought to at least be prepared to fight, if need be.”
Jake nodded. “Absolutely. It seems as if one can hardly step outside one’s door without running into some sort of trouble. But we’ll only fight to defend ourselves.”
“Of course.”
“And if a few bandits happen to get their throats cut —”
“Or their legs blasted out from under them.”
“— so be it.”
They grinned at each other as they wandered down the hall, chattering about all the many ways they were determined to be peaceful. Kael was still shaking his head at them when Argon prodded him in the side.
“We’re nearly there. The last step is always the most difficult.”
And he wasn’t wrong.
They found the wildmen inside the western courtyard. Mud matted their furs and there were dark red spatters across many of their painted faces. The craftsmen were drenched up to their elbows in gore. But it looked as if they’d fought well.
The warriors hefted gold-tinged bodies across their shoulders and moved in a steady line. Silas waited at the gates’ edge, waving them towards a towering mound of soldiers.
“Pile them up outside the walls. We’ll set fire to them later,” Gwen barked. She snapped her fingers at a group of craftsman standing beside her. “Drain the southern wall, let the bodies wash into the forest. Then start digging a grave. We’ll have to bury that lot — it’ll be ages before they dry enough to burn, and I don’t care to wait.”
“Yes, Warchief!”
“Warchief?” Kyleigh said as the craftsmen scattered off. “Has your brother finally kicked you off the frozen throne, then?”
“It was always my father’s wish to have Griffith rule. He’s patient. He sees things that I do not. Now that he’s grown into his wisdom, I’ve stepped aside.” Gwen half-turned to scowl at Kyleigh. There were scrapes across her face and bits of debris lodged in her wild tangle of hair. Her armor was coated in a thick layer of grit.
Kael had to wonder just how many times Devin had thrown her through the walls. But before he could ask, she saw him. And she stomped over immediately.
“I’ve got a lot to say to you, mutt.”
Kael braced himself against her snarl. “Well, it’d better start with an apology —”
“It will. You were right: I am a fool,” she said through her teeth. As she spoke, a film of glass coated her eyes … and it made Kael nervous. “I was so blinded by my pride that I nearly got my people destroyed. They would’ve all been killed, had it not been for the bard.”
Kael’s nerves grew sharper, stretche
d into a cold worry. “What happened?”
Gwen glared up at the sky, as if it was all she could do to keep the glass from breaking. “He got a whisperer’s headache, and he’s fallen into a deathly sleep. Griffith sent me to find you. He told me to do whatever it took to bring you back. Baird needs healing.” Her glare fell onto his, but it wasn’t entirely sharp: there was a pain behind the glass that softened her anger. “Please help him.”
She didn’t have to ask. Kael had already taken a step towards Kyleigh when Argon snatched him around the shoulder — reminding him of his task.
Kael thought quickly. “If I do this for you, you’ll have to promise me something,” he said, fighting not to let his worry show through.
Gwen dashed the wet from her eyes. “Yes, I expected as much. Griffith’s allowed me to grant you any favor in return. Name it.”
“We’re going to make Devin the next King of Midlan — the black dragon,” he said at her confused look.
Gwen bared her teeth, and her face turned a furious red. “The dragon?”
“Yes. And I need you to swear on all of your ancestors that you’ll leave him alone —”
“I can’t serve a dragon! I won’t do it!”
“Think of Baird,” Kyleigh reminded her with a growl.
A rather tense moment passed — one in which Kael thought she would either punch him in the throat, or burst into flame. But finally, Gwen gave him the stiffest, slightest of nods.
“No, I’m afraid I’m going to need to hear you say it.”
“Fine. I’ll never bow to him, but I swear I won’t lop off the dragon’s head and hang it on my walls. I swear it for all the wildmen. That’s the most I can promise.” Then she grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him away. “Now go, mutt!”
*******
“I knew you’d come back for me, young man,” Baird whispered the moment he woke.
It’d been a trying number of hours: there was a knot inside Baird’s skull, an inflamed patch of gray that Kael had to figure out some way to soothe. He’d never worked on that part of the body before, and it frightened him to see how complex all of its many little ridges were.
