“Ah, ah, a demon!” her mother cried out.
“Shut her up, Father, or I’ll not be held back,” Brianna warned. “You will speak only when spoken to, Mother,” she said the last word with such bitterness that the flames on her body flared brightly. “I will not hear another word of your lies. You do not know me. You do not know Zollin.”
“Estry, save us,” Priam cried.
Brianna’s father got to his feet, his voice shaking as much as the hands he held up before Brianna.
“Control yourself, Brianna,” he said. “Please, before someone gets hurt.”
Brianna tamped down the rage that she felt and stormed out of the suite, ignoring the fact that her dress was burned to the shoulders and singed down each side. She went out to the pen where the dragons were kept. They howled and growled, but they didn’t move.
“I can’t do this,” she said. “My mother is such a haughty, arrogant, witch.”
Selix growled and an image of Gwendolyn flashed in Brianna’s mind.
“No, she isn’t a real witch, she’s just mean.”
“Who is mean?”
Prince Willam had come up silently behind her. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned into his embrace.
“It’s my mother,” Brianna said. “She’s awful.”
“At least you have one,” he said.
“I know it’s hard for you to understand,” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. “But my mother is hateful and cruel. She cares only about herself, and she thinks I’m her prize cow to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.”
“I somehow doubt that it is as bad as all that.”
“She is,” Brianna cried. “I swear she is.”
“Well, I want to make sure you are at dinner tonight and looking your best. The entire court will be there, and I want to ask you something,” he said.
She pulled back, looking at him through her tears. He was handsome, dressed in the finest silk and wearing a gleaming sword. His hair was curly and thick, a neatly trimmed beard framed his square jaw, and his eyes were like gemstones. She felt weak whenever she looked at him. He was more handsome than she had imagined as a child, and she felt awkward and plain next to him. It was hard to believe he wanted to be with her, but the fact that he did made her feel incredibly special.
“You are too good to me,” she said. “I don’t deserve your attention.”
“That’s not true,” he said. “I love you Brianna. I know you are promised to another, and I owe Zollin my life. But I need you here with me. I can do anything if you stay at my side.”
“Oh, Willam,” she said, starting to cry again.
“Please,” he said. “You will be the greatest Queen Yelsia has ever known. Don’t let your mother ruin this night. I promise I can make you happy.”
Selix growled, menacingly, but Gyia growled back.
“Clean yourself up,” he told her. “Make things right with your family. I will see that they have a good place in the city. They won’t bother you after tonight. Just...” he let his thought trail off. “Well, I hope that you will make me the happiest man in Yelsia this night.”
He kissed her cheek. It was their custom. He never pressed himself on her; no matter how much being close to one another made the two of them burn with passion. His kisses always seemed to calm her down.
He squeezed her shoulders and then he left her. It was late in the afternoon, and she wasn’t sure what to do. She knew that if she went to dinner with her family, the pressure to say yes to Prince Willam’s wedding proposal would be so great she would have to say yes. She wanted to say yes, but she was afraid. She still loved Zollin, but he felt so far away. She didn’t want to break her promise, but she also wanted to be a Queen. She wanted to live in the castle with Willam and have children and see them have bright futures.
Selix growled and an image of her flying on his back, jubilant with the pride of dragons all around her, flashed into her mind. She smiled and reached out for Selix.
“I could never leave you,” she told them.
She patted Selix on the huge dragon’s golden snout, rubbing softly between the smoking nostrils.
“If Willam were King you would be the pride of Yelsia,” she said. “You would always be safe here, no matter what.”
Tig growled menacingly, and Brianna felt the emotional pull of the little dragon. She knew that being safe wasn’t what the dragons wanted. They wanted to be fierce and free, not pets to a king.
“Willam is an honorable man,” Gyia hissed.
“He is. More than that, he is a good man and my feelings for him run deep.”
An image flashed in Brianna’s mind of sitting alone, looking lonely with a golden crown on her head.
“I won’t be lonely,” she told Selix. “I could help a lot of people as Queen.”
Then an image came of the pride leaving, flying up into the sky, as Brianna watched from the ground, waving.
“You wouldn’t have to leave,” she said. “You won’t have to stay pinned up here much longer. I promise.”
A servant hurried up to Brianna, but was careful not to get too close to the dragon pen. He made sure Brianna stayed between himself and the dragons.
“Lady Brianna,” he said. “The King requests your presence in his private chambers.”
“Now?” Brianna asked, conscious for the first time at the state of her clothes.
“Yes, my lady. It is urgent.”
“Alright,” Brianna said.
She bade her dragons’ goodbye and followed the servant up to the suite where the King stayed. She had been in the room with Zollin before. She remembered that clearly, but Zollin seemed to be fading from her memory.
“Your family has arrived,” King Felix said, not getting up from the padded chair he sat in near the fire.
“Yes,” Brianna said.
“Good,” the King said. “Willam will ask for your hand in marriage this evening. What will your answer be?”
“I’m not sure, your Highness.”
“Of course you are,” King Felix snapped. “You know your own heart. Now tell me.”
“I..., I’m not sure what to do,” she said, looking fearful. “I need more time.”
“There is no more time,” King Felix said. “As you have said yourself many times, the enemy from Osla will be upon us soon. We must move quickly if we are to be ready.”
“It would be better if we waited until the conflict is over,” Brianna said. “Then I could give my answer.”
The King’s eyes narrowed. “That is unacceptable,” he said. “We have given you every courtesy. I will not bandy words with you, Brianna. Accept Prince Willam, or the consequences will be dire.”
“Are you threatening me?” she asked in surprise.
It was the one thing she had not expected, and it made her angry. She knew that King Felix had been holding back his plans from Prince Willam, which she thought was foolish, but she had no idea he could be so cruel and arrogant as to threaten her. It hardened her resolve and while she managed to keep her anger under control, she made up her mind in that instant.
“The answer is no. I’m promised to Zollin.”
“That is unfortunate,” Felix said. “I’m afraid your refusal has forced my hand. Our forces will not march to Falxis.”
“What? You can’t mean that?”
“But I do,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension. “If you want the army of Yelsia to help your wizard, then you must marry Prince Willam.”
“He would never agree to this.”
“He will never know.”
“I’ll tell him.”
“If you do I’ll have your family killed,” King Felix said matter-of-factly. “I really won’t take no for an answer.”
“I’ll kill you,” she said angrily, the flames appearing on her hands.
Royal Guards appeared, all armed with crossbows which were loaded and ready to fire. They appeared from every room, too many to stop.
“You may,” King Fel
ix said. “And you may even be able to kill some of my guards, but not all of them. Can you survive multiple shots from a crossbow at close range? I really doubt that. I’m not a cruel man, Brianna, but I will do anything for Yelsia. You should know as well as I that this threat from Osla must be dealt with. I cannot afford to take chances. Your dragons give us an edge we wouldn’t have otherwise. I really must insist on controlling them.”
“Forcing me to marry Willam won’t give you control of the pride.”
“I never leave things to chance, my dear,” he said. “Surely you should know that by now. But I won’t have you interfering with my plans. Marry my son, or live with the consequences of your actions.”
“I cannot.”
“You can and you will. You will never speak of this moment. You will never tell Willam anything other than your undying love. You will bring your dragons under my control, and you will not put yourself in danger. Those are my conditions.”
“Fine,” Brianna said, tears stinging her eyes again. “You leave me no choice.”
“I know,” he said, and began to laugh.
Brianna ran from the room. She started to run down to the dragon pen but then she realized that if she did she couldn’t keep her thoughts from the dragons. She couldn’t take that chance. The dragons would tear the castle to pieces, and her family would be killed. Willam’s words came back to her mind. A true leader puts the welfare of his people first, he had said. Brianna realized that she really had no choice. It wasn’t about her, or her family, it was about the people of Yelsia and about Zollin. They needed her to do the hard thing.
She ran up to the top of one of the watch towers. She couldn’t stop the sobs that wracked her body. She cried for nearly an hour, and then she calmly went down to her rooms and got dressed for the feast. Her father was there, and he helped her into the finest gown. They didn’t speak, but he could see the unhappiness in her eyes. He did his best to comfort her but he, too, was on the verge of breaking down.
She waited in her room until the others had gone down to the feast. Then, realizing that this was probably the last time she would truly have to herself, she walked slowly down to the great hall. She spent those precious few moments remembering Zollin. She wondered what he would think of her. She knew if he were there he could rescue her from the craziness of King Felix, but he wasn’t there. He was far away in the north, and she was all alone.
Chapter 19
Meeting with the dwarves of the Southern Range was much different from the conclave in the north. They met in a small cavern near an underground lake. There was no time for festivities. The dwarves had heard of the Anacrids attack on the Molar clan, although no one knew where the giant spiders had come from. The dwarves of the Molar clan shamed any of the dwarves who didn’t support Zollin, and after an hour of debate, the issue was settled.
Jute had kept his distance from Zollin until after the conclave. Once the meeting broke up, Jute ambled over and gazed at the Wizard intently.
“It’s no surprise to me that you’re back, Wizard,” Jute said. “You tall folk aren’t hardy enough to win a fight on your own.”
“I’m glad to have you as an ally,” Zollin said.
“Did you bring more ale?”
“Not this trip,” Zollin said. “But I’ll see that you are well supplied once we head south.”
“Well, I can’t stay and visit. With all the clans passing through the Yel Clan cavern, I need to get back and prepare.”
“I’ll see you soon,” Zollin said.
“Aye, I suppose that can’t be helped,” Jute said playfully.
The next day, Zollin and his entourage made their way to the home of the Yel Clan. Zollin was amazed at how quickly they could travel under the mountains. The tunnels certainly didn’t seem straight, yet what took three or four days through the mountain passes above ground, could be accomplished in one or two days in the tunnels underneath.
The Yel Clan cavern was a hive of activity. Food and drink were being prepared to feed the other clans as they gathered. Most of the dwarves carried war hammers, with heavy steel heads, but some carried battle axes and others knives. There were grinding wheels setting edges on blades and forges roaring as last minute weapons were crafted. Zollin was respectful, but he hurried to the surface as quickly as possible.
His heart raced as he climbed up the tunnel that led to the little clearing where he’d first met Jute and where Mansel had arm wrestled the stout dwarf. He felt as though he couldn’t catch his breath until he was finally out of the cave. He stood, his face pointed up toward the sky, sucking in great breaths of fresh air. It was nearing winter, and the air was cold, but Zollin didn’t mind. He felt a huge relief to be out of the caves, even if it was just for a little while.
“Well, don’t act so relieved, Southlander,” Jute said.
“I’m sorry,” Zollin said. “I was starting to get claustrophobic.”
“We get the opposite feeling after being away from the caverns too long. We weren’t meant to walk around on the skin of the world.”
“Well, I’m glad you will, even if the cause isn’t pleasant,” Zollin said. “I am in your debt.”
“No more than we are in yours,” Jute said. “You repaired the Stepping Stones in the north. You saved the Molar clan. This witch you will fight would come after us in the end. Stopping her now only makes sense, but you are right, it is not pleasant.”
“You’ve been a good friend, Jute,” Zollin said. “You have helped me, and I am very grateful. But I must try to find the dragons.”
“Dwarves and dragons fighting together, it is truly a wondrous time, Southlander. We are both born of the mountain, but the dwarves rule under the mountains, the dragons above them. I cannot remember a time when we were allies.”
“You are now,” Zollin said. “Dwarves and Dragons, Giants and Men, all fighting together. And, if we are successful, perhaps it will be the beginning of a new era of peace and trade among our races.”
“Perhaps, but I will wait and see. We dwarves are patient people, we will wait and see.”
Jute turned and went back down into the caves. Zollin turned and made his way out of the forest. Telford Pass was nearby, and the road running south toward Felson. The area opened up and Zollin stood in the weak, autumn sunshine for several minutes, just letting the light bathe his body. Then he sent his magic out. The heat of his magic blew through him, long, hot blasts as he called out to Ferno. There was no reply. Zollin gathered firewood and built a small campfire. He sat down on the soft turf, watching the crackling flames and occasionally sending out another magical call to the north.
Zollin could only hope that given time, Ferno or one of the other dragons would hear his magical plea. Ferno knew that Zollin was headed south; eventually the green dragon would come for him.
It wasn’t long before Bloc appeared. He was thin for a dwarf, but that only made the powerful muscles in his arms and shoulders more prominent. He settled in beside Zollin, his feet near the fire, face turned up to gaze at the sky. For a long time, neither man nor dwarf spoke. They were comfortable with each other, and to Zollin’s surprise, Bloc seemed comfortable outside of the caves.
“The sky is a wonder to me,” Bloc said at last.
“You aren’t afraid of it?” Zollin asked.
“I don’t suppose we dwarves are afraid of anything. But we are small folk and being outdoors makes us feel even smaller I suppose.”
“I can understand that,” Zollin said. “I felt much the same way on the sea.”
“You’ve been to sea?” Bloc asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“And you survived?”
“Of course,” Zollin said.
“But wizards can’t go to sea. Everyone knows that.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“The knowledge of men is no reflection of their stature. We dwarves may be smaller than humans, but at least we know a thing or two. You really went to sea, as in a ship out on the wa
ter?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t without disaster,” Zollin said. “I accidentally summoned a huge sea creature that destroyed my first ship. And I was attacked by Mermen another time.”
“It’s a wonder that you have lived this long, Zollin,” Bloc said with a chuckle.
Zollin laughed too, but he knew that what Bloc said was true. He only hoped that his luck would hold.
Two days later, the dwarves were all assembled. They marched out of Peddinggar Forest and down the southern road. They were a sight to see, row after row of grey bearded dwarves, both men and women, it was impossible to tell them apart. Zollin walked at the head of their host, with Bloc, Jute, and Hammert. Babaz remained with his clan and the survivors of the Molar clan took on the role of Zollin’s servants. They took care of his every need on the march, even when he insisted on doing things himself.
The dwarves carried their own rations and gleaned food from abandoned fields along the way. The north was still mostly abandoned; the towns empty and the farms deserted. Zollin didn’t mind. He had planned to fly ahead with Ferno and prepare the way for the dwarfish army, but he still hadn’t made contact with Ferno. It was worrisome and part of Zollin wanted to turn back and find the green dragon, but he knew he didn’t have the time. Ferno and the other dragons would have to catch up on their own time.
The dwarves’ short legs made their progress slow, but they had great endurance. They marched from first light until well after dark, with no breaks. Zollin was exhausted after just three days. And he guessed that another week would bring them to Felson. Occasionally, they met people along the road. No human had seen a dwarf other than Zollin and Brianna in over three centuries. Some people simply stood and stared, but others cheered, even if they had no idea where the dwarves were headed or why they were marching.
Zollin heard rumors of the King conscripting soldiers. No one was surprised by the military buildup, given that the armies of Osla and Falxis had recently invaded. The fact that those armies had been beaten back filled most of the people Zollin met with a sense of pride in their king and kingdom. Zollin guessed that the buildup meant that Brianna was having success in convincing King Felix to mobilize the army. His heart ached when he thought of Brianna. He missed her so terribly and while he knew that they had done the right thing by splitting up, he still felt the ache of her absence, like a part of his soul was missing.
Five Kingdoms: Book 06 - Evil Tide Page 18
