“So, you’re a prisoner here?” Zollin asked.
“As good as a prisoner,” Quinn said. “The King,” he added with a nod of his head in Zorlan’s direction, keeping his voice low, “is desperate. He thinks I’ll have some sway with King Felix.”
Zollin snorted.
“He snubbed Brianna,” Zollin explained. “I’m sure the King is still angry with me.”
“Well, perhaps now that you’re here we can get out of this inn and actually help.”
“We need to make contact with King Zorlan’s forces along the coast.”
“That won’t be easy,” Quinn said. “The King’s soldiers have taken all the horses, even the draft horses and farm animals. Those that can’t be ridden have been butchered for their meat.”
“Are things really that dire?” Zollin asked. “Didn’t King Zorlan bring supplies?”
“No,” Quinn said. “I think he came running up here just as fast as he could and left a trail of bodies behind him. Anyone who can’t take care of themselves won’t make it here.”
“Okay,” Zollin said. “I can get to the coast with one of the dragons. What about the defenses?”
“There are none to speak of,” Quinn said. “Zorlan’s forces are spread thin. He has about two hundred men here in the valley, the rest are scouting along the line of mountains. And to be honest, I’m not sure how many trained soldiers. I think Zorlan has put a sword in the hand of every man he could.”
“I’m not sure that’s a bad idea,” Zollin said. “We need everyone we can find to hold the line.”
“What do you know of this army that is coming against us?”
“Very little, actually.”
“Will it be more of the flying horse people?”
“They’re called Leffers and no, they won’t be part of her army, at least not the army she is building. The Leffers carried innocents to her realm in the underworld, and she used dark magic to transform them into her minions.”
“But we don’t know what we’re facing? There’s no way to prepare then.”
“We’ll send scouts,” Zollin said. “The dragons can scout from the air and cover long distances much faster than we can.”
“Good,” Quinn said. “I’d hate to face anyone now, as we’re simply unprepared.”
“Shouldn’t King Zorlan be working on that?” Zollin asked.
“The good King sits moping day and night. I don’t know whether he mourns for the people he has lost or his own ambitions that were dashed. Either way, he hasn’t been much good around here.”
“We’ll have to change that,” Zollin said.
“You can’t change the mind of a king,” Quinn said bitterly. “I’ve reasoned with the man until I was blue in the face. He’s afraid of King Felix.”
“I suppose he should be,” Zollin said. “He did invade Yelsia and now his army is lost while Felix moves his army south. He really is at the mercy of the King.”
“Well, you can’t let that happen,” Quinn said. “As much as I’d like to see Zorlan dethroned and made to do something useful, we can’t have the kings fighting each other if they’re going to stop an invasion.”
“I don’t see how I can stop them,” Zollin said.
“You’re a wizard,” Quinn said. “I’ve seen you do the impossible over and over again. You’ve led armies to this valley. Not just the King’s Army, but dwarves and dragons. Everyone will be looking to you, son. We have to make sure that no one person or one group, is taken advantage of.”
“You’re right,” Zollin said. “I hadn’t really thought of that before.”
“You need to set up your own base of operations, and impose your will on the kings.”
They spent the rest of the evening discussing what needed to be done. Zollin slept on the floor in his father’s room, insisting that Quinn take the narrow bed. Zollin could hardly sleep anyway; his mind was buzzing with things that needed to be done. He was up before dawn and he made his way to the teamster Jorgyn’s home. He found Mansel standing watch outside the big barn.
“Ho there, Mansel,” Zollin called out. “You look as fit as ever.”
Mansel stood with his massive sword propped on one shoulder. His hair was shaggy, and his clothes worn, but his thick chest and round shoulders were unmistakable.
“Zollin,” Mansel said, his face splitting into a smile. “You old trickster, how are you?”
“I am well,” Zollin said. “I hear Nycoll has sick patients.”
“She does, she’s busy night and day inside. It’s all I can do to get her to stop long enough to eat a few bites.”
“I’ll see what I can do to help if you’ll do me a favor.”
“Name it,” Mansel said.
“Brianna is camped on the top of that mountain,” Zollin said, pointing to a nearby summit. “She has a pride of dragons with her. Can you go and have her meet me at noon?”
“Sure,” Mansel said. “It will be a pleasant change to get out of the stench of this valley.”
“Great. Have her meet us here. I’m going to take charge of this rabble. I’ll need you by my side. Can I count on you?”
“Always,” Mansel said, slapping Zollin on the back. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too. We’ll get Quinn out of Zorlan’s custody today and be setting up our own camp a short ways south of here.”
“That will suit me,” Mansel said, “but Nycoll won’t leave her patients.”
“She won’t have to,” Zollin said with a smile. “I think we can fix them up and send them back to their places in the camp soon.”
Mansel showed Zollin inside. Nycoll looked exhausted. Zollin was tempted to use his magic to put her to sleep, but he realized that using his magic in such a way was wrong. He couldn’t force his powers on people without their knowing it. Nycoll smiled, but she wasn’t sure how Zollin could help her.
“Most of them are sick,” she explained. “The water here is getting contaminated and making people ill, especially the children. I do have a few wounded though.”
“Take me to the worst ones first,” he said. “Do you have helpers?”
“No, it’s just me, really. Mansel tried to help, but he didn’t have the patience.”
“I understand.”
She led Zollin to a small girl who lay sleeping. Her skin was pale, with a bluish cast to it. Her bedclothes were soiled with sweat and sickness. She looked to be little more than skin and bones to Zollin and her breathing was ragged. He let his magic flow into the girl and found the cause of the sickness rather quickly. It didn’t take him long to get the girl’s body to fight the sickness, but that did little to help her at that moment. Her lungs were slowly filling with mucus, and her heart was weak.
Zollin first used his magic to remove the fluid from her lungs, and then he massaged the girl’s heart. Soon, her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. Zollin heard a quiet gasp from Nycoll, who was watching from behind him.
“I’m hungry,” the girl said.
“Good,” Zollin said with a smile. “We’ll get you some food.”
He stood up and turned to see Nycoll with tears in her eyes.
“What did you do?”
“I can heal people with magic,” Zollin said. “In a few hours, your patients will all be well. I imagine we’ll need some food, though, and wine if we can find any.”
“We don’t have any food,” Nycoll said. “Mansel always finds enough for us, but never more than a day at a time.”
“I’ll get food here,” Zollin said. “Stay with her, and give her some water until I get back. It will take a few hours for her body to be strong enough to fight the sickness on its own, but the worst is over.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” Nycoll said.
“You don’t have to thank me,” Zollin said, realizing that he’d talked more to Nycoll in the last hour than he had in all the time he’d known her.
He left the barn and went back to the Inn. There were still soldiers surrounding the
small building, although who or what they were guarding was a mystery to Zollin. Perhaps they were there to keep the refugees from taking the choice foods from the King’s larder, but that was exactly what Zollin planned to do.
“I need food for the sick,” Zollin announced as soon as he walked inside.
King Zorlan barely stirred in his seat by the fire.
“Who is in charge here?” Zollin shouted.
“I am,” said the innkeeper, scurrying out of the back room. “I am, sir. What can I do for you?”
“I need food for the sick,” Zollin said, “Wine, bread, broth, and fresh water.”
“I have all of that, sir, but the King’s orders were that no food or supplies were to be taken from the inn.”
“I don’t care what the King said!” Zollin said loudly. “Get me that food.”
“You don’t care what I say,” said King Zorlan with a sneer. He was slowly getting to his feet. “I am the sovereign ruler of this kingdom, wizard. Tread lightly or I’ll have your head on a pike.”
“Is that so,” Zollin said, turning to face Zorlan.
“Zollin, stay calm,” Quinn said, appearing from the small room he occupied.
“I’m very calm,” Zollin said.
“Your father stays here at my command,” King Zorlan said.
“Not anymore,” Zollin said. “Quinn leaves here with me now. And you will see that the food is sent to the hospital. It’s about time you got up and made yourself useful around here.”
“How dare you speak to me like that,” King Zorlan sputtered.
“How dare you do nothing while the people around you suffer,” Zollin said. “I have been here less than a day, and yet I’ve seen people starving. There is a barn full of sick children just down the street. Where are the defenses you should have put in place? Why aren’t these people preparing for war? Why do you do nothing when it is in your power to help?”
“Guards!” screamed the King. He was in a rage now, fumbling with his own weapons.
“Wait, calm down, both of you,” Quinn said.
“I’ll not sit idly by and be insulted,” the King shouted.
“But you’ll sit idly by and watch your people die?”
“How dare you,” the King said.
“How dare you? You are a spineless, selfish, cruel man.”
“Guards!” King Zorlan shouted. “Take this man and throw him into the stocks!”
“Don’t!” Quinn said, throwing up his hands to stop the soldiers who had rushed into the common room with weapons drawn.
“It’s too late,” King Zorlan said with wicked glee. “Your son shall be tried and executed, if it’s the last thing I do.”
Chapter 28
Brianna enjoyed her time alone, even though she knew it was the calm before the storm. She would have to tell Zollin the truth very soon, at least part of the truth. He couldn’t know the whole the truth, no one could. She had gotten herself into a mess, and only she could get herself out of it. And there was no way to keep the people she loved from being hurt.
She had been completely unprepared for how painful it was to see Zollin again. Just being near him made her feel weak. She had no doubts about her feelings, not after seeing Zollin again. She knew only the crisis at hand had kept him from pushing her on what was holding her back, and she also knew that sooner or later she wouldn’t be able to hide the truth any longer.
The night had passed quickly. She had set her clothes aside and transformed herself into a living bonfire, reveling in the freedom of her power and the heat of living flames. When the dragons returned from their hunting, they gathered around her and curled up on the ground. Eventually, she let the flames die down. She dressed and found a place among the dragons. They slept until almost noon, and then Brianna got up and went looking for fresh water. She heard Mansel huffing and puffing as he made his way up the mountain, long before she saw him. She sat by a stream and waited on the big warrior to make his way to her.
“Finally,” he said panting.
“You’re out of shape,” Brianna said with a smile.
“It’s been hard to get enough to eat around here.”
“I’m not surprised. The dragons were gone most of the night hunting.”
“I hope they had more luck than I have lately.”
“They ate well, but they had to hunt far a field. What brings you up onto the mountain?”
“Zollin,” Mansel said with a smile. “He wants you to meet him at noon.”
“Where?”
“In the teamster’s barn. Nycoll has turned it into a place for the sick.”
“I don’t know where that is,” she said. “You’ll have to come with us.”
“I can’t,” he said. “There’s no way I can make that trek again and be there by noon.”
“So, you’ll have to fly with us.”
“I prefer to keep my feet on the ground,” he said frowning.
“There really isn’t any other way,” she said, smiling broadly at his discomfort.
“I remember you being nicer,” he said.
“I remember you being braver.”
She led him up the mountainside where the dragons lay basking in the early winter sunlight. The temperature on the mountaintop was cold, but the sun gave a little warmth. Mansel swallowed nervously. He had gotten used to Brianna’s pride when he had traveled with her in Osla, but the dragons were intimidating just the same. Even the smallest of the dragons was larger than a horse; their eyes were intense and their forked tongues slipping in and out of their mouths reminded Mansel of snakes. There were even more dragons now than before, many staring at Mansel so intently that he felt uncomfortable.
“Ferno,” Brianna said. “Would you mind to carry Mansel back down to the valley? We need to meet Zollin soon.”
Ferno roared and shook its great, green head. It moved forward and puffed black smoke from the huge nostrils above the rows of razor sharp teeth.
“Great,” Brianna said. “That’s settled.”
She patted Mansel on the shoulder and gave him a wicked smile. He gave her a withering look and moved to Ferno’s side. He could see the scars that the gargoyles had left on the dragon’s scaly skin, and he wondered briefly what kind of creature could harm a dragon. Then he focused on the task of getting up onto the green dragon’s back. Zollin could just magically levitate up and settle into place. Mansel, on the other hand, would have to climb up.
“Can you squat any lower?” he asked the dragon.
Ferno’s head whipped around and glared at Mansel with a hiss, but the green body lowered onto the ground. The dragon’s elbow joint on its front leg was as high as Mansel’s waist, but he put his hands on the wide leg and levered himself up. Mansel had to stand on the leg and reach up to grasp the horns that ran down the dragon’s neck and ended at the bony intersection between the dragon’s wings. The scales were hard, but rough, and Mansel was able to get enough traction to pull himself up and used his knees and feet to clamor into place.
“Are we ready?” Brianna called out from the back of the golden dragon.
Mansel grasped the small horns at the base of Ferno’s neck before nodding.
“Alright then,” Brianna sang out. “Let’s fly!”
The dragons all took to the air except for Ferno. The downdraft from the pride of dragons beat down on Mansel like a storm’s winds. He felt a moment of panic, wondering if he needed to do something to make Ferno fly like the rest of the dragons, but the big beast growled and slowly stretched its wings out.
“Don’t let me fall,” Mansel said quietly.
Ferno shook its head and growled again, and then it reared onto its hind legs slowly. Mansel squeezed the dragon with his knees, wishing he had a saddle or at least a strap to tie himself on with. Then Ferno jumped, but it wasn’t the dragon’s normal leap into the air. It was more of a hop, combined with a mighty flap of the huge wings. The result was that the dragon flew up slowly, just above the height of the surrounding trees, and th
en, with wings extended, Ferno shifted its weight so that the dragon glided down the mountain, just above the treetops. Mansel held on tight, the cold wind stinging his face and making his eyes water. He realized that the dragon could have flown up high into the air like the other dragons, but instead, Ferno seemed content to stay as close to the ground as possible.
They glided down toward the valley with Ferno doing as little as possible, as they flew so that the ride was as smooth as it could be. Mansel was afraid, but he was also thrilled. He had never moved so fast in all his life. The trip back down to the valley that would have taken him so long on foot was now completed in less than a minute. He felt a shout of joy and exhilaration building up inside him and finally he let it out. Ferno replied with a roar that shook the trees and got the attention of the entire valley. Ferno flew over the campsites straight toward the center of the little village.
“There,” Mansel shouted. He was pointing toward the teamster’s barn. “Land over there; next to the big barn.”
Ferno had to turn its long neck so that the dragon could see where its rider was pointing. Most of the homes and shops in the village were small, so finding the teamster’s barn was easy enough. Finding a clearing large enough for the massive dragon to land was another matter entirely. Ferno circled once, and then settled onto the ground. Mansel was a little disappointed that the flight was over so quickly. He slid to the ground and turned to the massive beast.
“I’m sorry I was afraid,” he said. “I misjudged you.”
Ferno growled and bobbed its mighty head. Then it hissed a word that sounded like friends.
“Yes, I would like that,” Mansel said, holding his hand out to the dragon.
Ferno nuzzled the hand and then turned as Nycoll came rushing out of the barn.
“Mansel!” she said, clearly shocked to see him with Ferno.
“It’s okay,” he said. “This is Ferno, remember?”
“I, I, think so,” she said.
“Where’s Zollin.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “He went for food and water, but that was over an hour ago and he hasn’t returned.”
Just then Brianna dropped down lightly beside Mansel, causing Nycoll to jump in fright.
Five Kingdoms: Book 06 - Evil Tide Page 26
