The Last Dragon: Book Three

by LeRoy Clary

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “To all. Even the other servants. They laugh at how he manipulates you. Only Damon earns respect in that manner because he fights back, but all agree Avery is far better at the game. Damon makes his points, but Avery always wins. You must become Avery. Think of him and how he would act or react in a given situation and you will have a guideline. Exaggerate it, and you may bring home the treaty your father wants.”

  “How did you get to be so smart in the last few days?” I asked.

  He chuckled and stood. On his way past my chair, his hand brushed across my shoulder, his fingers seeming to linger for a scant moment as if to encourage me to be strong. The action filled me with energy and resolve.

  And gave me plenty to think about. He was right. Instead of thinking of myself as a royal princess that was owed respect, I needed to become a leader who demanded it. I normally wore my hair down and loose. Pulling it back and tying it would provide a sterner look. As a rule, I wore little jewelry, but instead of my normal simple clothing, I should at least wear a scarf until we reached port and I could purchase better.

  The things Lady Grace had brought for me sprang to mind. Earrings. And broaches. The gold stored in the carved box in my cabin would dress me as well as any royal—and there were gold coins to buy more if I had a place to spend it. Perhaps she had also brought a selection of formal clothing.

  But the persona I needed to project didn’t only depend on jewels and clothing. It was the person inside. I tried to stand taller as I rose from the table, attempting to add height and squaring my body by shifting my shoulders back. As Will suggested, I raised my chin. Another passenger, a wealthy man who had nodded my way more than once, reached for the door and pushed it open as quickly as any servant.

  Instead of lingering and allowing him to pass first, I wore a haughty expression and stepped ahead as if that was my right—and his place was to allow me to. Somewhat to my surprise, he relented and stood aside, accepting my position.

  I felt like apologizing for my rudeness. Instead, I strode out onto the deck and angled my stride to walk directly at another passenger, a younger man who had a superior way of treating others. I held my chin high, as Will suggested, refused to make eye contact, and if he didn’t move aside, I was prepared to meet him chest to chest, nose to nose.

  He moved aside with a muttered insincere sounding greeting. I grunted in return and continued walking and thinking. Rudeness was not the same as demanding respect, but there were aspects of it that were similar. People were willing to treat others as they demanded, much of which seemed to be physical as much as mental.

  A strong leader didn’t have to identify himself or herself by a title or position. Avery often did it with a smirk. That twitch of his lips said he was superior in every way. No matter what mountain you’d climbed, what battle you’d been in, or how beautiful the girl you’d danced with, he had done more.

  He seldom said it aloud. Avery didn’t brag. Instead, he raised his eyebrows, or smirked, or even smiled—but not in humor. It was as if he had called you a liar without words. I’d once baked peach pastries and proudly offered one to him. We were maybe thirteen or fourteen years old. He had said to me as he rolled his eyes as if I’d made a mistake, “I like cherry or apple. Not that this isn’t good, but cherry or apple is better.”

  Not that this isn’t good, but it isn’t as good as cherry or apple was the point. If he had baked them, he wouldn’t have used peaches. His would have been superior, even though he’d never baked in his life. Even if he had liked peaches the best, he wouldn’t have said so. As Will had told me, criticize everything.

  The purser approached again. “Princess, the captain has requested me to inform you that our arrival in Trager is to be late tomorrow afternoon.”

  Never be satisfied. “Is that the best we can do?”

  He stiffened. “I will ask the captain if we can put on more sail.”

  I nodded but said nothing. That was something my father had taught me. Combined with Will’s instructions to act and sound imperial, the purser had nearly shaken in fear when I asked for more. That sort of power was not only unlike me but didn’t suit me. It made me cringe inside, and I did so as the purser withdrew. But, I also found a glimmer of hope in the exchange. Previously, the pompous purser had almost acted superior to me. Now, I demanded his respect.

  I walked to my favorite place to stand on the rail and noticed the old man who had come to my cabin with the information about the Blue Lady. He might have been thinking about his brother who was taken by the mages. He was watching the flickering lightning in the dark clouds to the south. I went to stand at his side but said nothing after nodding my greeting.

  “You look worried, Princess,” he finally said as he turned to me.

  “I am. There are things to figure out. How to best help Dire and my father, which is to say that I need to help the people of my kingdom.”

  He looked off into the distance again before speaking again. While old, his eyes remained young and clear. “It must be hard for you.”

  “What?”

  “Being a princess and always thinking about others before yourself. For me, it would be a curse. You have very little of your own life.”

  A curse. He was right. I glanced around to make sure we were still alone. There were too many ears on any ship, many of them not in sight, but still listening. My voice became softer, and I leaned closer, “Has your brother come to visit you again?”

  “He has. I think he understands your message to him expressing your thanks and debt.” He paused, then continued, “But how would I know for sure since I cannot speak to him as he does to me?” He shrugged off his response with a sly smile.

  “Of course,” I quickly agreed so as not to embarrass him or expose his obvious lie. He had passed on my message without a doubt. I suspected that the mages had taken only half the children with magic in his family because he shared the gift. “My offer was sincere, you know. If he, or you, ever need my help, know that all you must do is contact me. I pay my debts.”

  He bowed deeply. “You are a true princess.”

  I watched him depart feeling we’d somehow become friends. It was a much nicer situation than when the purser had departed my side. Which of them was the real me? Could I separate the two?

  I could and would. To fail at taking home a treaty would be to fail my father and the people of Dire. How could I return and face them with that news on my lips? I would do what was required. I reconsidered what little information I’d gathered.

  Beyond the obvious, was the expansion of the mage’s rule far beyond what we had suspected. Rumor said they already ruled Kondor, I’d seen an example of their rule in Trager, and knew they’d tried to murder my family to take Dire under their control. I pictured the map in the passenger lounge and realized there were only two places on it that were not mage-controlled. Kaon to the north, and the empty Brownlands to the east.

  There were no people, or very few of them, in the Brownlands to the east, which left Kaon, an unknown land the north and west, separated from Dire by impassable mountains and reachable only by sea or across the northern deserts of Kondor.

  While Kaon existed along a technically shared border, little was known about them. Since there was no way to reach them except via Kondor or a sea voyage, and since the Kaon had long ago closed their only seaport to foreign ships, only old texts and rumor gave clues to them.

  That same mental map told me more. If Dire, Vin, and Kondor were brought under the rule of the mages, how could Kaon stand against the three? Once all three were consolidated under a single rule, Kaon could not stand against them—which would give rule of the entire region to the mages.

  That implied Dire had an ally, even if we didn’t realize it. Even if the Kaon didn’t realize it.

  A smile crept across my lips as I became aware that for the first time, I’d acted and thought as a ruler and warrior. I’d taken the facts of the situation that placed my kingdom
in danger and found a possible ally to join in standing against Kondor and Vin if it came to war.

  A mission to Kaon would have to follow the one in Kondor. A message could be sent explaining that to my father, but assuming the upcoming treaty was less than we wished, Kaon was my next venture, closed ports or not.

  Without arousing suspicion, I needed to acquire information about Kaon, the ruling class, the type of government, why the ports were closed, and how to impress upon them their need to join with Dire in a mutual defense league.

  I might not be such a bad ambassador for Dire, after all.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Damon

  Kendra had said to me, “I’m ready to send the dragon to sink the mage ships, Damon. This won’t be easy and will tax my abilities, so I’ll need quiet and safety while I concentrate. I want you beside me the entire time for support, and in case I need anything. You also have to protect me because of the concentration required. Even a bee or snake can attack without me defending myself.”

  “Of course.”

  She continued without pause as if I hadn’t spoken, “Before you say anything else, understand that neither you nor I know what we’re doing. Magic is new to me. The idea of controlling a Dragon is still unbelievable. Knowing what to do and what not to is beyond what little I’ve learned. It might go well. It might not, but I’m going to ask her to attack the ships.”

  That had all been discussed earlier in the morning when the air was still cool and fresh. Now, I sat in the heat and watched my sister lying beside me, both of us on the bank of the river in a patch of shade with her closed eyes as she communicated with the dragon. She had been at it all morning.

  What she said to it, or how she said it without speaking out loud was beyond me. No, that was not totally true, and I knew it as soon as the thought entered my head. What she did with the unseen dragon was only a little different than what Anna and I did when we communicated without words. The only real difference was that she did it with a dragon instead of a little girl.

  Not only was she communicating with a true-dragon, but she was also telling it to attack a pair of ships at sea, both with mages aboard. People would probably die. However, people had already died at the hands of the mages, more than a few—and we knew there would be many more to follow. We were trying to prevent future deaths—but that wasn’t the heart of my problem.

  Right in the center of my thoughts was the one fact that only twenty days ago Kendra and I were mere personal servants for Princess Elizabeth. Our concerns of those days had been to argue about what to wear, who to speak with to learn of new rumors, and what the three of us should we eat for dinner. There were always parties and balls to plan, and who to invite. Occasionally, the king gave Elizabeth tasks suitable for her position, ones usually quickly and efficiently handled. That was the extent of our lives.

  That idea of our past childish freedom brought to the forefront of my mind how things had changed. Emma and Anna were now only a portion of our new responsibilities that we’d inherited if that was the right word.

  The new responsibilities could be handled. However, there were more considerations. While Anna and I could mind-speak, I knew Emma was more like Kendra, Like a dragon-tamer. She was probably far more powerful than either Anna or me and possibly even Kendra. I suspected Emma was mage-strong but too young to know how to use her powers, or even what they were. Of course, after she had knocked me out with a blast from her mind for an afternoon after I’d attempted entering her head unbidden, what else was there to think? I’d never heard of such power.

  Tears still seeped from the corners of Kendra’s eyes now and then, but she hadn’t moved or spoken in so long it started to worry me. Flier had taken the girls into the shallows of the river where they splashed and played and otherwise allowed the two of us uninterrupted time.

  Finally, Kendra opened her eyes and looked at me. Now the tears ran like small torrents, but she refused to sob. “It’s done.”

  With those two words, she confirmed that the ships with the mages who held the Gallant back had been sunk. There may have been another solution to allow Princess Elizabeth to travel to Vin and then on to Dagger, but if so, I couldn’t see it.

  I said, trying to deflect the conversation I knew was coming, “We need to go on our way. No food, dirty river water to drink and the day will grow hotter.”

  “And our legs are sore and stiff from walking yesterday,” she said as she slowly stood and stretched. “Why in the names of any three gods would anyone wish to live in such a disagreeable place?”

  That was a good question. It was also possibly part of our problem I realized. What sane person, if given a choice, would choose to live in the intense heat and burning sand of Kondor instead of the pleasant wooded hills and mountains of Dire? No ready answer came. I said, “My legs don’t hurt so much as the skin on my neck, and even my ears are sunburned.”

  She scowled at me and smirked as she said. “Didn’t you make fun of Flier and his reed hats?”

  “Of course, I did. They look silly, and if we encounter anybody out here, mine is coming off my head.”

  “If we don’t meet anybody?”

  “I’ll fight to wear mine. When are you going to tell me about the ships?”

  She pursed her lips as she thought about it, then seemed to relent. “I can’t see through the dragon’s eyes or anything. I just directed it to the two little blips that told me where the mages were and suggested the dragon doesn’t like them.”

  “The blips are the four mages, two on each ship?”

  “Not anymore. Two winked out of existence, then a short while later, two more. I also think the dragon was in a terrible fight with Wyverns. Several of them.”

  “The dragon cannot talk to you?”

  “Of course, not. That would be silly because dragons can’t talk and anyway, they are not very smart. It sends me emotions more than anything else, and I interpret them to fit the circumstance. Happiness, fear, anger, and the like. It likes you, you know, although I can’t understand why.”

  “Me?”

  “It has an attachment for me, but when it sees you, it always floods my mind with affection, and maybe even love.”

  “I don’t get that,” I said. “We’ve never talked, and I’ve never even touched the nasty thing. Even if I could get past the stink, I wouldn’t.”

  “Who can explain love?” The evil and snarky sisterly smirk appeared on Kendra’s face as we walked to join the others at the edge of the river. She said, “I don’t know why it likes you either. I’ve tried to correct it, but the beast has a mind of her own.”

  “Seriously?” I said. “That’s your best answer?”

  “Seriously, I think it is because she understands you try to protect her and me. That gives me two protectors.”

  Flier stumbled in the shallows in our direction. From the soaking of his clothing, it appeared the girls had won the water fight. A big smile, the widest I’d seen on Flier since we’d offered to return him home, was plastered on his face. He said, “We need to go. We should have left while the day was cool, but you seemed occupied.”

  I accepted the rebuke better than Kendra. For a moment I thought she was going into the river and starting another water fight, or worse. I glanced at Anna. She flicked her eyes in Emma’s direction. I turned to Emma.

  “I’m sorry,” she said just loud enough to be heard over the whisper of the river.

  That made no difference. If I’d ever heard a sincere apology before, hers bested it. I didn’t know what she was apologizing for. Before we could clear that up, Kendra grabbed her pointed reed hat from the sand and shook it to remove the sand. Once on her head, it rose to a point in the center and spread outward, a lopsided cone. A chinstrap kept it in place.

  In another time and place, I would have laughed. She looked goofy and awkward, but before making fun of Kendra, I took note of the shade the hat provided on her neck, face, and shoulders. My exposed skin felt hotter. It was my imaginati
on but no less real. I reached for my hat, the most carelessly made. Anna pointed to it and laughed as it went on. I ignored her. She was a child, and I knew that I looked good in the oblong hat. Sort of.

  We followed the river east. The bank on our side was high, the ground was firm, and brown water was there to drink whenever we were thirsty enough to take a drink. Complaining about the dirt or taste wasn’t in my vocabulary, not after our experience the day before.

  Flier said, “All of you, keep watch on the desert, the trees, and especially any ridges or hills.”

  “What are we looking for?” Anna asked.

  “People. Any people. We want to see them long before they see us.” Flier didn’t explain further, nor did he have to. Most strangers would be enemies. That is the way of any wilderness, and especially Kondor in times of political strife.

  We remained near the river because the banks contained good footing, free of the hardness and sharp rocks of the desert floor. It held shade from the sun provided by the tops of trees, and partial protection from any who were watching. Flier explained to me as we walked, “It isn’t a case of if anyone is watching, it is who. A person traveling this land will be near the river for the same reasons as us, so that is where they watch.”

  “Who?”

  “Thieves, criminals who’ve escaped custody, refugees from Trager, slavers from Kaon, rogues or hermits, and soldiers who’ve deserted their armies, to name a few. Out here, all are enemies until we’re sure they’re our friends.”

  He had echoed my thoughts as if he could read my mind. I looked at Kendra and found she was listening to his every word. I said, “When will your dragon return?”

  “Quit calling it my dragon. She will be here around first-dark.”

  “I wish you’d give it a name, so we didn’t have to keep calling it your dragon. A good choice might be if you consider calling her Smelly.” My attempt at humor didn’t fall on deaf ears.