by Eric Vall
“Of course, princess,” I answered and lifted her chin up to my face. “Anything I can do for you, I’ll do it. If that means chasing down some dark magic spell so we can fix it, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“Thank you, Evan!” Alyona threw her arms around my neck and nuzzled her face into me. “You’re the only person who’s always believed in me.”
“And I always will,” I murmured and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Now, is there any purification we can do to give us the time we need to find the curse?”
“Ravi had some ideas about that,” Alyona said as she leaned back over to another stack of books. “I shouldn’t have dismissed her idea, but I just wanted to solve the whole thing at once. She’s probably right to try some purification for now, at least to try to protect the jungle animals.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod. “I’ll tell her to come down here, so you two can get that part done. I don’t want you two going to the river alone, though. Take Laika with you.”
“Of course, my lord,” Alyona agreed and dipped her head. “She and Ravi would never let anything happen to me.”
“I know.” I smiled. “Speaking of Laika, where is she? She’s normally with you.”
“I told her that her time would be better spent helping Lord Nikolaus with the bazaar preparations,” Alyona answered as she turned back to her book. “I promised I wouldn’t leave the library without letting her know.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” I hadn’t really talked with Nike much about the bazaar day since he’d started working on it while I made my way through the Houses. “I think I’ll go check on them, too. It seems like it’s been days since I’ve talked with him about the plans.”
“Okay,” Alyona mumbled, but I could tell her attention was already back on the spell book.
I hoped I was doing the right thing in letting her research the solution she wanted instead of Ravi’s, but I knew if anyone ever tried to hurt her, they would suffer at the claws of my dragon body.
No fucking doubt about that.
I stood up and walked toward the door. I figured Ravi had followed the dryads to their room, but I almost bowled the phoenix over when I stepped out into the hall.
“Oh, sorry!” Ravi squeaked as she backpedaled away from the library door. “I wasn’t eavesdropping, I just--”
“It’s okay,” I chuckled. “I agreed to let her look for the dark magic, but she also agreed that your purification idea would be a good plan for now. I’m going to find Laika, so she can go with you two down to the river.”
“Ahh,” Ravi breathed out a sigh of relief. “If you believe she can undo the curse, then I will stop worrying so much. I’ll go meet her now so we can find the right purification! Thank you, Lord Evan!”
Ravi bounced up onto her toes and pecked my lips. Then she slipped past me and into the library without another word.
Well, that was easy enough.
I closed my eyes and listened to the whole palace to find Laika and Nike. I hadn’t seen them since the jungle attack, so I wasn’t sure where they would be.
I finally tuned in to Nike murmuring and writing on something. The sound came from one of the sitting rooms off the great hall, so I marched back down to that area and strolled into the room.
“Good afternoon, Lord Evan,” Nike greeted me with a quick glance before returning his focus to his paper.
“You’ve had a good afternoon indeed, my lord.” Laika smirked and tapped her nose.
These damn Demi-Humans had such a good sense of smell, so I knew she smelled Aaliyah’s musk on me from earlier.
Which meant Kinba probably had, too.
Oh, well.
“I have,” I answered with a grin. “Now, I’m trying to make sure everything is on track for the bazaar day, and I have a job for you, little wolf.”
“Oh?” Laika raised a brow and crossed her arms playfully over her chest. “What can I do for you?”
“Provide some protection,” I said as I gestured with my thumb to the library. “Alyona and Ravi are going to do some purification on the river to try and reduce the curse’s effects until we can find a full reversal, but I don’t want them down there alone. Who better to send than my favorite Blue Tree Guild warrior?”
“Of course,” Laika responded with a serious nod. “I’ll go right now.”
“I don’t think they’re leaving right this second, but they’ll want to go as soon as they find the right ritual,” I advised her as she headed for the door.
“Okay, I’ll check in with you when we return,” Laika called out from past the doorway.
I knew she was the perfect guard for Alyona. She loved Alyona almost as much as I did, and she would never let anything happen to the princess.
When the wolf was gone, I turned my attention back to Nike, who had not looked up again since I came into the room.
“How is the planning going?” I asked as I glanced over his scribbles.
“Good, good,” Nike mumbled without looking at me. “Just trying to figure out what everyone will be bringing, how many tables we need, where to set them up, and all the schematics for the sale.”
“Good thinking,” I agreed. “How much longer do you think you’ll need to have everything ready?”
“Hmm.” He finally glanced up and rubbed his chin. “I’d say probably two or three more days. I can have the plans done before then, but we need to give the Houses time to finish getting their crops and trade items ready to go.”
“Perfect,” I responded. “Let’s just plan on three days. That gives me time to go check on all the Houses beforehand anyway.”
“Sounds good, my lord,” Nike said as he returned to his work.
“Okay, let me see who else I need to check in with,” I declared and headed for the door.
“Oh, and Evan?” Nike looked up.
“Yeah?” I turned back around to face my fellow noble.
“Don’t worry too much about Princess Alyona,” he said with a half-smile. “She is a strong priestess. And she has a lot of people who care about her.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I’ve just seen the way the darkness can take, and I don’t want it to take anything else from her.”
“I understand.” Nike stood up and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “We will all bear a burden while we rebuild Rahma. Yours might be the greatest as the guardian, but just know we are all here to help however we can.”
“Thank you, brother.” I put my hand out to Nike, and we clasped forearms. “You are truly the best friend I could have found here in Inati.”
“And I am eternally grateful the gods sent you to us,” Nike responded sincerely.
Damn, he was about to make me choke up.
Just then, I heard the palace doors open, and several sets of clawed feet walked into the great hall.
“Well,” I cleared my throat, “I guess I better go check in with Jai and make sure all went well at House Oel.”
Nike nodded and returned to his papers.
I walked out of the sitting room and headed into the great hall, where I found Jai as he directed the four Demi-Humans to the kitchen with their loads of water.
“Lord Evan!” Jai bellowed, and his face broke into a broad grin. “I don’t know what you said to that old lion, but it seems like things could be looking up!”
“Oh?” I raised a brow. “I take it things went well.”
“Yes!” Jai laughed. “After we enjoyed the drinks and fruit with the lions, they showed us the wells you built--great job, by the way--and we got several loads of water to get us through today. We also planned the timing for us to come get more water over the next few days until the river is cleansed. We will send four of our people in the morning and in the afternoon to get the same amount we got today, unless this isn’t enough. Then Kinba said if it’s not enough, we were welcome to get more!”
“Ahh.” I was impressed. This was further confirmation the lion was really trying to change his ways. “Good, I’m glad we could get everything settled an
d work together.”
“Me too,” Jai agreed, and it seemed he couldn’t stop smiling.
A moment later, Raed and Jamir, Jai’s Demi-Human advisors, walked into the great hall with us. The two jaguars almost looked like twins. They walked in perfect step to each other with long thin legs and tails that swayed to the same rhythm. They wore matching green cloth cut like kilts, which I had noticed pretty much all the jaguars wore, and their golden eyes darted around the room before they settled on Jai and me. Then the two jaguars made their way over.
“Lord Jai,” Raed began with a deep bow.
“We come bearing the update you requested,” Jamir continued and bowed as well.
“Well, what is it?” I asked. Sometimes, the fancy, formal talk just got on my nerves.
Both of the advisors looked at me from their bowed positions with narrowed eyes. Apparently, they liked the fancy, formal talk.
“No jaguars have reported illness since you banned the jungle water, my lord,” Raed declared.
“That’s great news,” Jai approved. “And it confirms the sickness came from there.”
“Indeed, a brilliant deduction, sir,” Jamir praised.
“Oh, gods.” I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, so no one else has gotten sick since we said to stay out of the polluted water. Anything else?”
“Also, the hunters are asking when you’d like them to begin collecting meat and skins for the bazaar.” Jamir directed his gaze to Jai and ignored me.
“Ahh,” Jai hummed as he rubbed his chin and turned to me. “What do you think, Lord Evan?”
“Well, let’s see.” I smirked at the advisors. “Nike has determined it will take about three days to have everything ready for the bazaar. Alyona and Ravi will be purifying as much of the river as they can today, so I would say as long as that works, you could send some hunters out tomorrow and the next day.”
“There you have it,” Jai said as he turned back to the advisors. “They can start tomorrow.”
“Yes, my lord,” Raed muttered with another bow. “We will go inform them immediately.”
The odd pair of jaguars turned in unison and walked out the front doors.
“They don’t seem to like you much,” Jai said in a curious tone. “I can’t figure out why.”
“It’s a great mystery,” I muttered back. “Normally, everyone loves me.”
Jai looked at me in surprise and then threw his head back and laughed. It was a loud, cackling sound that echoed around the hall, and even the staff turned to look at him.
“I’m so sorry,” Jai gasped and wiped at his eyes. “I haven’t laughed that hard in ages. They’re probably shocked to hear it.”
“Well, I’m glad we can lighten your load, brother,” I said with a smile.
“I know I doubted you and your ability to keep your word.” Jai frowned. “I’m sorry I was so wary. And, ah, defensive.”
“Understandable.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “The past is behind us. Let’s just move forward. And I don’t know about many other dragons, but I know I keep my word.”
“I’m learning,” Jai answered with a nod.
“Fair enough.” I grinned. “I think I’ll grab the dryads and see what we can do for House Jubatus before the bazaar day as well.”
“That is a great idea,” Jai confirmed. “I’ll be working with Lord Nikolaus to see how much game we need to prepare for the bazaar.”
We shook forearms, and I turned to the dormitory hall again. Then I walked up the stairs that would take me to the dryad sisters. They had already helped at House Oel to get some crops organized and growing, and it seemed likely they could make a difference for House Jubatus as well. Plus, it was the only one of the Houses I hadn’t made it back to since our little meeting, so it would be better for everyone if I checked in.
“Ladies?” I rapped lightly on the door to the sisters’ room.
“Oh, Lord Evan!” Marina cried from behind the door.
“Hello!” Trina sang as she swung the door open to reveal the dryads as they finished slipping their feet into their shoes.
A few minutes earlier, and I may have gotten to see more than just shoes getting put on. Damn.
“Come in, come in!” Polina called out.
“Would you all like to join me and check out some cheetahs?” I asked the sisters.
“Oh, of course!” Polina cheered.
“Can we fix their farms, too?” Marina gasped hopefully.
“Yes,” I laughed. “That is the goal today. You aren’t too tired, are you?”
“No!” the girls squealed.
“Good deal,” I chuckled. “Let’s go, then.”
I led the dryads back downstairs and out the front door. Then I took a deep breath and shifted into my dragon form as soon as I made it down the steps. The dryads jumped back with squeals of excitement, waited until I had finished transforming, and then jumped onto my back for the ride to the grasslands.
When they were on me and hanging on, I lifted into the air and headed to House Jubatus. We flew over the grasslands, and I was reminded of how poorly the cheetahs lived in comparison to the lions. Their grass and mud huts were simple with barely any room between them, and the Demi-Humans and humans who lived in the cheetah faction wore animal skin cloths to cover the essentials and nothing else, not even shoes. It was a far cry from the jewelry and accessories that often adorned the lion Demi-Humans.
We landed in front of the House Jubatus palace with its plain face that blended into the rest of the grasslands. The dryads hopped off my back and waltzed to the palace stairs while I shifted back into human form. Then I walked over to join them, and we climbed the stairs to the palace doors.
The cheetah guards opened the doors without a word, and we stepped inside. I guided the sisters to the sitting area in the great hall, and we sat down, since I knew one of the guards would let Chax or Imani know we’d arrived.
Sure enough, the doors at the back of the great hall were thrown open a few minutes later as Chax and Chidi strode into the room. Chax looked younger today, as though some of his stress had been lifted. He wore his signature loincloth, but he’d added an open robe that gave him a more royal air. Chidi, on the other hand, looked annoyed as always with his black robe and slitted eyes.
“Lord Evan,” Chax greeted me with a warm smile. “And the dryads, what a pleasure. I heard about your dreadful morning. I’m so sorry. How can we help you?”
“Thank you.” I nodded. “We’re actually here to help you. The dryads worked on the fields over at House Oel, and they are already seeing some crop growth. We wanted to come over here and do the same for House Jubatus.”
“How kind,” Chidi sneered, with his nose in the air. “We came second to the lions, of course.”
“Come now, Chidi,” Imani scolded him as she breezed through the door behind the other two cheetahs. “I’m sure Lord Evan had his own reasons for starting where he did. And we should be grateful that he and the dryads are here now.”
Chax nodded in agreement.
“Of course, my lady,” Chidi acknowledged with a dip of his head, but he shot me a cold look. “My apologies, Lord Evan.”
“Anyway,” I ignored him and directed my reply to Chax and Imani, “if you would show us to your fields, we will be happy to help.”
“Right this way.” Chax bowed his head, and we followed him down the hallway to a door leading out to the farm, although Chidi stayed behind.
As soon as we walked out the door, the dryads gasped.
“These fields are so--”
“Worn out?”
“Dying?”
“In severe need of our magic touch,” Polina finished.
The sisters weren’t kidding. The grasslands were barely grassy, the land was covered in yellow and brown plant remnants, and the couple of trees that had once grown were now like skeletons without their leaves or fruits. I was glad to have the dryads here to fix things, since I doubted any of my magic would be able to do a thing to h
elp this disaster.
Imani and I chuckled, while Chax looked appalled.
“Where should we begin, ladies?” I asked the dryads.
“We have to start with some basic ground healing,” Trina murmured.
The sisters began to mutter to each other as they walked further into the field and suddenly dropped to their knees. Then they buried their hands into the soil and started chanting softly. Within a few minutes, Chax, Imani, and I could see the dead grass around them perk up with life.
“By the gods!” Chax exclaimed, and his eyes widened. “They did it.”
“Of course, they did,” I replied with a smirk. “I only brought the best.”
“Apparently,” Imani murmured, and she was clearly in as much awe as her brother.
The green of the growing grass spread in a circle around the dryads as it flowed to the other plants in the farming area. The other grasses lifted from their dead and wilting stances to blow in the light breeze. Two trees that had looked completely rotten suddenly blossomed out, and I noticed one of them was actually a cottonwood tree, since a few bursts of white fuzz floated away on the breeze.
“The cottonwood is even alive again,” Imani whispered as her mouth fell open.
“We should let the healers know right away,” Chax laughed in disbelief. “They can begin to work with their balms and such once more!”
“That would be a great addition to the bazaar,” I coaxed the cheetahs. “I know we had discussed bringing other items to trade besides food and water.”
“Great idea!” Chax praised. “Oh, let me go get Chidi!”
Lord Chax hustled back into the palace to get his advisor.
“This is already a great help to us, Lord Evan,” Imani declared as she turned to me with a grin. “I’ll also introduce the sisters to our gardening team. They can show us where we went wrong before, so we don’t require magical intervention again in the future.”
Imani glided over to a small grass hut on the edge of the farms near the palace and knocked on the door. The door opened, she said a few words, and I watched as five cheetah Demi-Humans and two humans filed out after her, with excitement clear on their faces.
Lady Imani returned with the gardening team at the same time that Chax arrived with Chidi in tow.
