The Book of Deacon Anthology

by Joseph R. Lallo

  His words were wild, passionate. They flew forth, propelled by pain and frustration and by the pressure of being held back for so long. Once spoken, though, the intensity quickly began to drain from his eyes and his mind began to wrap itself tightly about the pain again.

  “Keep going. You have a better way? You would do it differently if you were king?”

  “I . . . I . . . of course!” he said, grasping her hand in his. “Kingdoms don't go to war for no reason. They need things! Tressor has plenty of food, but barely any mines and very few forests. Vulcrest straddles the Rachis Mountains. We . . . everything you pull out of a mountain, we have to spare! But we have so little farmland.”

  “And?”

  “We should give them copper, iron, coal. In return . . . they give us grain. Now . . . we need them. They need us. We don't need to try to match their army, because they can't afford to attack us and lose the trade!”

  “That's . . . that's brilliant. Keep going! What else?”

  For hours, through the worst of the pain, Terrilius spoke of the woes of his land and the solutions he envisioned. Some were flawed, others were inspired. Many were sweeping, revolutionary changes. They surely would require the full power of the throne to apply--but, in light of the troubles he described, they seemed nothing short of necessary. Widespread hunger, devastating disease outbreaks . . . all manner of problems plagued his people.

  Jade had lived in this paradise for so long, and with her skills had helped to ease the suffering of the town of Rook so much, that she had forgotten the sorry state of the world that she had left behind. She'd managed to convince herself that things could not be as bad as she remembered. But to hear him speak of it, they were far worse.

  Finally the pain crested and began to recede. Jade sat beside him and continued to hold his hand for more than an hour after exhaustion finally claimed him. He spoke with such dedication, such drive. It was unlike anyone she'd met, except perhaps Halfax. There was a spirit, a life to him when he spoke of those things he truly cared about. It made her care, too. For the first time since had she begged Halfax to take her to this place, Jade cared about the world outside of the niche she'd carved for herself. She wished he was awake again, so that he could hear him speak more of his kingdom and beyond . . . or simply just to hear him speak . . .

  Throughout the night, Halfax had watched. Just because the boy was of a protected bloodline did not mean that the dragon trusted him. The prince had been planning to kill her, after all. His change of heart upon learning the truth could be an act. It was for this reason, the beast told himself, that he must watch. Deep inside though, far closer to his heart than he would ever allow himself to admit, there was another reason. He'd watched many generations of humans from afar. He knew the signs, the patterns. The way that she was looking at him, and he at her even through the pain, was familiar. He had seen many families begin with the same look. It was something that had been a long time coming. Something well past due. It was a sign that Jade would soon be ready to return to her own kind, to live the life that she deserved. It should have been what he was waiting for, what he wanted . . .

  But he didn't want it now. Not now. In his heart, he wasn't ready.

  For a dragon, everything is fleeting. Decades of memories blur together in the same way that days blur into each other for humans. Anything that takes less than a hundred years may as well be a blink of the eye. These twelve years . . . twelve short years . . . He never would have chosen this life for himself. He'd resisted it, planned constantly for the time when it would mercifully come to an end. But it had become comfortable. He had felt things he had never expected. Pride at watching her grow and learn. Fulfillment in teaching and protecting her. Happiness . . .

  He dug his claws deeper into the ground. No. This was right. This was good. She would move on, as she should have years ago. It was as it should be. The rest didn't matter.

  #

  Terrilius woke the next afternoon to a ravenous hunger, a dull ache over his entire body, and the desire to sleep for another day. In a chair beside the cot was Jade. She was fast asleep, a book open upon her chest. He rose from the cot slowly, every joint in his body clicking and popping from lack of use. He managed to make it to his feet, but dizziness forced him to the cot again. Beside him was a pitcher of cool water and some coarse bread and dry meat. Hardly the courtly breakfast he was accustomed to, but at the moment his stomach assured him that it would do. He was stuffing his mouth in a distinctly unregal manner when his host awoke.

  “Oh, oh, you're awake,” she said, the residue of sleep slurring her words somewhat.

  She closed the book and placed it on the table before standing and leaning over him. Rather than interrupting him, or even asking him, she began to test this part of his body and that, nodding thoughtfully as she did. A poke at the ribs, a squeeze at a shoulder and knee, and various gentle tests later, she spoke.

  “No more bleeding, that's good. Still a bit swollen. Still a bit bruised. The breaks are almost finished knitting. That rapid healing treatment is really something, isn't it? How do you feel?” she asked. "Besides hungry."

  “Tired. And sore.”

  “Your fingers look to be working just fine. I was a bit worried about your jaw, but if you can chew that stuff, you're fine. Move your feet a bit, would you? Yes. Yes, it looks like the potions did their work. A few aches when the weather is bad will be your only reminder of this little adventure.”

  Terrilius swallowed the last of the meat and water.

  “I thank you for your aid, and, again, I apologize for my foolishness. If you can lend me a horse, I will be on my way to the castle.”

  “I don't have a horse. When I need to go somewhere, I ride Hal.”

  “Well, then I . . .”

  He paused at the sound of rapidly retreating footsteps on the snow. Outside the window, he caught the merest glimpse of Halfax disappearing among the trees.

  “Where is he off to?”

  “Probably to find you a horse. I rather think Halfax is eager to be rid of you.”

  “He tried to kill me.”

  “You and your men tried to kill him, and planned to kill me. You can't fault Halfax for doing a better job. Besides, he brought you to me to fix you up, so that should set things right.”

  “I hardly think that it does . . . but it doesn't matter. It probably would have been better for my kingdom if he had killed me. This fiasco only proves how worthless I really am.”

  “Now, Terry, that's not true.”

  “It is! The very fact that I am still in this place is proof enough that my own men despise me. In the past, wars have been fought to secure the land where a royal had fallen. For me, they are unwilling to face a single dragon. But I do not blame them. What reason have I given them to respect me?”

  “Precisely!” Jade snapped angrily, “What reason have you given them to respect you? For heaven's sake, Terry, you are a prince! Have some self-worth! I've only known you for two days, but in that time I've learned an awful lot about you. I've learned that you have ideas, good ones. I've learned that you've got more drive than a dozen men when you find something you care about. And yet somehow you think that none of that is enough to be a leader. How can you expect people to respect you if you don't respect yourself!?”

  “I have done nothing of any worth in my life.”

  “Nothing? For three years, your father thought there was a terrible sorceress and her terrible dragon in this very tower. Who was the first one in all of that time to try to do something about it? You! You were doing it to prove you were a man worthy to lead, but anyone willing to risk it all for something they believe in is already worthy to lead. And you faced a dragon and lived to tell about it! I was going to fix up your scars, but--”

  She smashed a vial on the floor, filling the room with a sharp scent.

  “--to hell with it! You want people to respect you? You wear those scars like a trophy! And if that doesn't work, you come back here and you drag t
he head of that black dragon thing from the ground and give them a real trophy! You can lie and tell them you killed it with your bare hands and they will never know, but it won't matter, because they will never truly believe in you until you stand up straight and give them someone to believe in!”

  Jade was out of breath, eyes wide and mind slowly catching up with what it had allowed to slip from her lips.

  “Do you really--” he began.

  His thought was cut short by approaching hoofbeats. A horse burst into the clearing. Not just any horse, but the very one that the prince had been knocked from when he first encountered the dragon. Halfax stalked in the shadows, his very presence enough to keep the frightened steed within the clearing that so few animals would venture into.

  “Go! Get on your horse, go back to your people, and be the man you know you can be!” she demanded, pointing out the door.

  The prince looked her in the eye, then looked to his horse. When his gaze returned to her, there was a look of resolve in his eyes. Without another word, he left the tower and climbed atop the horse. Halfax was nowhere to be found, vanished in order to permit the prince to leave. And so he rode off.

  The dragon appeared again when the sound of hooves faded into the distance. He watched as Jade stood in the doorway, her eyes straining to watch the strange visitor leave. He knew from the look in her eye that her heart and mind went with him.

  #

  If there had been any doubt that the young man had made an impression upon her, the days that followed put it to rest. She spoke only of "Terry." She told of the ideas he'd had, of the remarkably swift recovery. Sometimes she spoke of things that irritated her, other times of things she had admired, but always she spoke of him.

  Halfax weathered the constant conversation with his usual stoicism, but beneath the surface, his emotions churned. Anger, resentment, and acceptance clashed within him at the mention of the prince's name. Those tossed about upon a sea of emotion often become adept at concealing them. The dragon, his feelings usually so subdued, was unaccustomed to such things. It was weeks later. as he and Jade strolled leisurely side by side, returning from one of their frequent trips to forage for herbs, that the young woman finally spoke up.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, stooping to pluck a sprig from between two stones.

  “No.”

  “You seem distant. More so than usual.”

  “There is nothing wrong,” he rumbled.

  “Clearly. Well, you are certainly acting differently. Ever since you brought Terry.”

  The dragon released a brief, involuntary growl at the sound of the name.

  “I thought so. Are you still angry at him? You and I both know it was a simple misunderstanding when he wanted to kill me.”

  “It doesn't matter.”

  “You don't feel bad about hurting him, do you? He made a full recovery, and he did everything to deserve it. There is nothing to feel guilty about.”

  “I do not feel guilty.”

  “Then why act this way? It isn't as though . . . Hal?”

  The dragon had stopped, eyes suddenly locked on the tower between the trees in the distance.

  “What is it, Hal?”

  “He is here.”

  “Terry?” she asked, a heavy dose of excitement in her voice tempered with a dash of confusion.

  “He is in the tower.”

  Jade squinted into the distance and could just make out the form of a horse standing uneasily outside the ring of good weather. She took a few dozen steps toward the tower, fairly giddy with the prospect of another visit, but stopped when she realized that Halfax was not following.

  “Well? Aren't you coming?”

  “It would be best if I kept my distance.”

  “Humph. Suit yourself,” she said, quickly continuing on her way.

  At the sound of her approach, Terrilius appeared at the doorway.

  “Terry!” She said with a wide smile.

  “Hello, Miss Jade, I . . .” he began, holding out a hand to take hers in a courtly greeting.

  She pushed the gesture aside in favor of a hug that seemed to make the prince every bit as uncomfortable as it did the dragon.

  “What brings you back to the tower?” she asked, bringing him inside and sitting him down.

  “I wished to thank you.”

  “Oh, no thanks needed, Terry. You were in bad shape when you came here last. I couldn't very well leave you to die . . . though I was tempted, looking at what your men did to Hal.”

  “Er, yes. Of course, I am quite grateful for that, but you did more for me that day than repair my body.”

  “I don't think I did . . .” she said doubtfully.

  “I encountered some of my own men as I left the tower. It was a small search party that was afraid to venture near to where your dragon was encountered. The sight of me alive, and with the scars, after what the others had told of the beast's attack . . .”

  “Defense, you mean.”

  “Yes, defense. Well, my survival did wonders for my reputation. When I returned to castle, I began to think of what you'd said. About my ideas. About confidence. You lit a fire in me that day. I said my piece, and my father . . . listened. Already I can sense a difference in the way I am treated, in the way that I am seen. It is thanks to you and your advice.”

  “No, no, no. I didn't do anything but tell you what you should have already known.”

  “So you say, but how could you have known? You and I had met only a day prior, and you revealed to me things about myself that even I didn't know.”

  “Well, I've spent more than a few nights by the bedside. Pain, disease. They strip away a few layers. Let you see what's underneath. There is a lot to see.”

  “Well, in light of your help in saving my life and my future, I wish to reward you,” he said, pulling open a large sack.

  “Entirely unnecessar--is that a full moon herb? And a telra root?”

  She reached into the bag and rummaged around.

  “Powdered lapis! Dried cutleaf!” She exclaimed as she pulled each from the bag.

  “We haven't a single scholar who knows a thing about potions and magics as you do, but these were a few rare substances my advisers tell me were valued by the mystics of the past.”

  “You have no idea the good I can do with some of this. Do you have a source for these ingredients? Can you give me a name? With a ready supply, I could--”

  “If they are useful to you, I shall see that you have more than you shall ever need. But I did not come here only to give you gifts.”

  “I imagine you'll want your armor back, too.”

  “Well, yes, but I had hoped, perhaps, you might share with me some more of your insight.”

  “About what?”

  “My father has agreed to attempt to open trade with Tressor, but there is much to consider. I could think of no one whose thoughts I would value more highly than yours.”

  “Of course I'll help, Terry!”

  #

  And so it began. He stayed for two days, and in that time, they discussed everything from royal diplomacy to the methods Jade used to keep her garden so healthy. Not a month later, he had returned again, with bags of gifts and a head full of questions. The visits became a regular occurrence, which Jade eagerly looked forward to.

  With each appearance, and with each discussion, the tone of their interactions subtly changed. Jade asked questions of the prince now. She asked about the places she'd read of in her books. She asked of other lands, of great festivals. Tales of life in the castle fascinated her. As they spoke they smiled and laughed. And all the while, Halfax watched from afar.

  Again, the dragon was no stranger to the ways of humans. His duty in protecting generation after generation of humans had seen him bear witness to dozens of flowering relationships. She had feelings for him, and he for her. It was in their eyes, in the tone of their voice, in their posture, even their scent. Each time they spoke, Jade seemed more interested in his tales of the c
apital, and Terrilius more insistent that she become an official adviser.

  Thus, when the prince approached one day not upon a horse but inexpertly leading a carriage, Halfax knew precisely the reason why.

  Chapter 11

  There was no true road to Jade's tower. It hadn't been a problem when the prince had come by horseback, but navigating even the small carriage between the trees and over the rough ground was no small task. Terrilius struggled with the reins and quietly cursed his inability to find a willing driver. Despite his many trips to the tower and back, none of his soldiers or his servants were ever willing to accompany him, so great was their fear of Halfax and so stubborn their distaste for the man he had been. It was fortunate in that it provided the prince with a measure of privacy for his meetings with Jade, but it meant that he was left to guide the carriage with his own hand.

  Suddenly, the horse, increasingly hesitant as they traveled, faltered and refused to go any further. There was little doubt as to why.

  “You know that I mean her no harm, dragon,” he spoke aloud, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

  The prince's eyes were wide, sweeping the shadows that suddenly seemed so dark and numerous.

  “You have kept your distance since that day, dragon. A wise decision. Why stop me now?”

  “Because until now, you brought things with you. Today you mean to take something away,” the beast replied.

  His voice was a rattling growl, deep and resounding, and powerful enough to shake little cascades of snow from the trees. It was the first time the young man had heard Halfax speak, and it chilled him to the bone. Terrilius drew his weapon, a well-made and pristine short sword, and tried to steady himself once more.

  “Jade is coming with me,” the prince stated, sword held low but ready.

  “Yes. She is,” Halfax rumbled.

  Like lightning, his tail lashed forward, striking the sword and whipping it away. When it was well out of reach, he slid from the shadows, eyes locked on the young man.