by LeRoy Clary
Kendra ignored the giggles from the girls. “I was thinking of telling her that you would make a good evening snack.”
“Momma Beast,” Emma shouted.
“Big Momma,” Anna added gleefully.
I didn’t dare suggest another name of my own or laugh at theirs. Ahead of Kendra, where she couldn’t see because she was turned and glaring my way, Flier’s shoulders were shaking with laughter, but he didn’t make a sound. Smart man.
Kendra had sat in the shade all morning as she directed the dragon to attack the ships, and I shouldn’t have teased when the subject was so serious. Or, perhaps that’s exactly what she needed. Stewing about a hard task for too long never helps. Effective planning for the future is one thing. Dwelling on the past is another. In the first, you cannot make changes. It has already happened, and you can hope never to make the same mistakes again—but you cannot change them. Planning on using those mistakes to decide what to do next was the best option.
Sure, I know all the answers to Kendra’s problems as most brothers think about their sisters. When I knew the same answers for mine, I’d celebrate. Two ships and four mages were at the bottom of the sea, and probably more people, many of them innocent. No, that was not true. If they sailed those ships, they knew what they were doing so I couldn’t say they were innocent—at least not completely innocent.
The inactivity all morning while she directed the dragon had worn on all of us. We needed relief, exercise, and maybe a little humor to smooth our way. The walking was loosening the kinks from my body. My legs no longer hurt.
I allowed my mind to wander, just enough to locate a bit of humor to share, even if it was only to introduce a new name for the smelly dragon. The sluggish river was on our right, the heaviest of the trees on our left, we walked at the edge of both. Beyond the trees was featureless desert and far beyond lay mountains.
*People ahead,* the thought from Anna came to me like a blacksmith’s hammer striking steel.
My first reaction was to shout a warning, but to any watching, that would be the signal for attack. I wore my sword, but my longbow had been lost or taken by the slavers on top of the pass. Kendra had her spinning knives. Flier used a stick as a cane, as his leg was still not completely healed. He’d deny that, but as the day wore on, he moved slower and used the cane more.
*How many,* I asked, then added quickly, *Don’t look at them or tell the others about them, yet.*
*I’m not stupid. There are four.*
*How far away?* I asked.
*Up near that big tree where the river bends.*
*Can you tell if they are friendly?*
She made a mental snort directed at me, worse than Kendra or Elizabeth rolling their eyes at me when I said something stupid. I didn’t want to tip off the enemies that we knew of them, but each step carried us closer and our time might be better spent running away. The tree Anna had indicated stood a few hundred steps ahead, far enough to provide a measure of safety unless we kept walking. I felt the unseen eyes waiting for us to get nearer before springing their trap.
I tripped. At least, I hoped it appeared that I had. I placed one foot behind my other and fell forward, where the soft river sand broke my fall. The others stopped and rushed to my side, all but Anna. She stood and grinned, facing away from the tree and the dangers.
“Are you all right?” Kendra asked, kneeling at my side.
“Do not turn and look because there is nothing to see right now, but there are four enemies ahead. They are hiding behind the biggest tree near the bend in the river. Flier, use your cane to swing while you shout. Kendra free your knives. I’ll have my hand on my sword. Emma and Anna, at the first sign of them, you are to run into the river and cross it to the other side.”
“I can help fight,” Anna said.
One glance her way found a determined girl who was set to argue. I changed my mind, slightly. “Of course, you can. Okay, when they appear, run to the river bank and be ready to run into the river, if you need to. I want you and Emma to throw rocks at them. It might distract them enough to give us an edge. But if they have arrows or rush you, take to the river.”
I got a knee under me and gingerly stood. When I noticed both Flier and Kendra believed my act, the smile returned.
“Limp,” Flier suggested.
We continued, slower than before. It was hard to look anywhere but at the tree, and around it. I warned the others three times but still found my eyes centered on where the attack would come from if it came at all.
*Their excitement is growing.*
Anna’s warning justified my increasing fears. I couldn’t use my magic to sense them and assumed Anna must have a power similar to Kendra’s, where she could not only know where people were but their feelings.
If we were attacked by warriors, meaning ex-soldiers or slavers used to fighting, we were in trouble. Other than that, we stood a chance. I believed my training and my sword would quickly end two from fighting, especially if we allowed them to get close enough to be surprised by my skill. Two slashes of steel at the same time a crack of lightning sounds, and two would be down.
Kendra’s spinning knives would take down another. That was the plan. And as the King’s Weapons-Master at Crestfallen had repeatedly told us, the plan was good until the first arrow flew or the first blow struck.
They rushed at us far too soon. Their element of surprise evaporated with the first shouts.
We were still more than a hundred steps away when four men broke from cover and charged. One held a sword, two of them held crude clubs, and the last a knife as long as my forearm so it might as well have been a second sword. All screamed war cries of their own. Three were normal sized men, all from Kondor from the brief look. The last was a giant of a man, a full head taller and he brandished one of the clubs, a huge trimmed limb of a tree.
All were dressed in rags and ran slowly because of the soft sand beside the river. As the younger girls ran to the edge of the river, the three of us spread out to meet them. Their pace slowed well before they reached us. The sand took its toll, as did their lack of physical training, and each of the men was thin as yearling trees.
The giant and the man with the large knife were coming at me, and I stepped forward to meet them, my sword moving in intricate warmups, the blade flashed in the sun. Kendra held a throwing knife pulled from her sleeves in each hand and Flier had raised his cane like a club he would swing. The younger girls both held rocks, looking ready to throw. The odds were with us, overwhelmingly so. My reaction was sympathy for the men. I felt I could defeat all four tired, out-of-shape and starving attackers without help.
The smaller man with a club stumbled at Kendra and fell face first into the sand. He did so without even throwing his arms out in front to protect himself. He lay still. The other three turned to look at him in confusion, but then came warily on. Another fell.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Emma rearing back to let another rock fly—and I understood. She was using her magic to both guides her rocks and to increase their speed. The attackers were still twenty paces from us, unaware of what had happened to their leader, but knowing he had fallen and was not getting up.
The giant stumbled to a halt, turning to look at the pair of prone bodies lying in the sand. His club was held loosely at his side as he looked. The knife wielder ignored them and charged at me. In a display of skill and bravado, my arm and wrist went to work without thought. My blade flashed in the sun again as I performed a well-practiced warmup designed to utilize a dozen flamboyant moves only a master swordsman could accomplish.
My obvious skill drew him to an abrupt stop. I said evenly, “Drop your weapons, and you will live today.”
He turned the knife to grip it by the blade as if he intended to throw it.
Kendra said, as she held up her left hand to display the deadly two-bladed knife in that hand, as she drew her other arm back to throw. “Don’t do it. Your knife will never leave your hand.”
The knife slipp
ed from his fingers as if it had sat in the sun and became too hot to hold. Only the giant still held a weapon—his club. My experience with large men, especially large fighting men, was that they seldom had to use their power and size. Their opponents assumed the giant would win and quickly surrendered. Therefore, they seldom actually fight.
However, the smaller men who have to work for respect or to stand an equal chance in battle, even mock fights on the practice fields, is far better trained and more dangerous. Even though he’d dropped his massive knife, I watched him.
The giant held his club as if trying to decide what to do. Finally, he let it slip from his fingers to fall at his feet. The smaller man rushed at Kendra in a move so fast it caught us by surprise, even as a very small knife appeared in his other hand. He intended to grab Kendra and use her as his hostage, probably with his knife held at her throat.
He was too close to throw her knives, so she held up both of her knives in front to defend herself. He leaped at her; his knife held high. However, Kendra was better trained in close combat than most soldiers. She instantly dropped to her knee while raising the knife in her right hand. The attacker flew over her, Kendra’s knife drew a streak of blood as he did.
Her cut was not deep, and he landed on a shoulder and rolled to his feet, spun and charged her again. Then, as I almost reached him, a hollow sound, like that of a dull drum sounded once. I saw the rock bounce off his head and fall to the sand at his feet. The attacker crumpled as if struck by a blow from the giant’s club.
The giant looked from us to the little girls. Emma held another rock, ready to let it fly. The giant figured out what had happened to his three companions and raised his hands to protect his head while shouting, “No.”
Flier strode to the giant after picking up the knife from the small man near Kendra. He used it to cut the lower portion of tunic the giant wore, then tore it into strips. Before the giant could object, his hands tied behind him. Flier moved back to the smaller man and tied him with the last of the strips, and far fewer.
He went to the other two and cut more strips and tied them, also, then came to my side and said, “Take the big one and women and get out of the sun. I’ll bring the others.”
His voice sounded like an officer for the first time since we’d met, and I wondered if he would become an officer in his king’s army again when we reached Vin. But the crack of authority was unmistakable.
“To that big tree,” I pointed. Then to Emma and Anna, “You too.”
The giant walked ahead. Kendra said, “Take us to your camp.”
I had my sword prepared to prod him, but there was no need. We had a lot to talk about. A look over my shoulder found the girls rushing to catch up, and Flier kneeling at the side of one of our attackers. Overall, I was glad to have the giant with us. He seemed the most reasonable, and there was a lot we needed to know. If he was reluctant to speak, the appearance of the dragon at dusk might loosen his tongue.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Princess Elizabeth
My position as the Princess of Dire had prepared me for many eventualities, and my father had used me many times to resolve issues in Crestfallen Palace. Some were important. Others were for my education. He often had me investigate minor corruption where he suspected it, from the armorer who sold us inferior weapons to the supplier of tainted meat for our kitchens. He also gave me the tasks of arranging the details of royal balls, as well as attending with him as my escort. In short, I performed the duties of a queen since my mother was long gone.
However, those obligations were also overseen by experienced and trusted servants, and whenever things didn’t go as planned, I had help for the asking—and sometimes before. A bevy of well-trained and qualified servants always leaped to contribute, even though I was fifth in succession and hopefully would never be crowned queen.
In contrast to that sometimes-excessive support I was used to, I now traveled almost alone on a ship to a foreign land. A land the ship couldn’t reach because of an endless mage-storm, so we were returning for the third time to the safety of the Bay of Trager. Once there, I had a vague set of plans, all of which included reaching Dagger in some way and completing the assignments given to me by my father.
One of my staff knocked on my partially open cabin door. It was Lady Grace, my too-polite and soft-spoken servant. Her intellect was above both Soren and Timor, but her presentation was as weak as mine. She asked timidly, “May I come in, Princess?”
I nodded curtly, careful to hold my face stoic. It was an opportunity to follow Will’s instructions. I would not be satisfied with whatever Lady Grace brought before me. It didn’t seem fair to treat such a sweet person like that but becoming a princess bitch was not an easy task for me, and I required practice.
“We have done as you asked, Princess. Two new suggested treaties are drafted, one for a king and one for a Council of Nine. Of course, without knowing their needs and wishes, they are vague.”
“I asked for specifics.” My tone was intentionally even, the statement left open for her to respond.
“You have to understand. We can’t do any better until we know what Kondor wants and perhaps what they will give up.”
Her answer guaranteed that if I entered a bargaining table with what she had written on the papers in her hand, I would fail. Will was right. I not only needed to be tougher at the table, but I also needed to begin acting like a royal representative now. Again, I kept my voice even, but insistent, “Go get Soren and Timor. Bring them here.”
I reached for the papers she’d tried to hand me earlier. When she closed the door behind her, I started to read. My anger swelled as fast as the waves when we turned south. I was on page three when another knock sounded. This time, I didn’t bother keeping my tone civil, “Enter.”
All three of my staff eased inside the room, all looking contrite and ready to defend their work. Obviously, Lady Grace had briefed the others. I held up the papers in my hand and shook them for emphasis. “This treaty you want me to fight for is being bought and paid for by Dire agreeing up front to limit our taxes on imported goods from Kondor? For this, we will receive a promise they do not invade our kingdom? These are the two points you wish me to fight for? I ask you as a group, would you agree to this if you were Kondor? It admits we are weak and willing to pay if we’re left alone. Is that what you believe?”
They had the humbleness to blush and avoid making eye contact, all of them.
“Not good enough. No, this is far too generous to agree to, let alone beginning with. Go back, outline a single treaty intended for no matter who I sit across from, and I will adjust it to fit my needs. It will favor Dire. Understand?”
They stood in stunned silence at the fury in my voice. Soren edged a small step ahead of the other two, but he’d always been outspoken, and in truth, I didn’t like him. “Princess, if I may explain. We are not in a position to request anything of value or demand Kondor give us much. Our purpose is to elicit a promise to keep them from invading Dire, and if the cost is a tariff on goods, that is a small price to pay.”
Timor, the youngest, almost relaxed as his mentor spoke. Lady Grace was more reserved, but she’d already seen a small portion of the anger inside me and remained uneasy.
I kept my voice soft and addressed all three, “If you were at the table with me, representing Kondor, would you see Dire as weak? An easy kingdom to invade and defeat with little effort, if this treaty was placed in front of you for your consideration?”
Soren had the intelligence to nod once.
I continued, “As I said, the three of you will outline a new treaty. In it, you will demand high tariffs and stiff fees for anyone or any goods entering Dire from Kondor. All sales in Dire of any products shipped from Kondor will have to pass through the new office of taxation. We will not permit foreign products to put our local craftsmen out of work so we will tax them heavily. We will restrict all weapons shipped from Dire to Kondor, and in return, we will prevent all weapons from Kond
or to enter. Those foreigners will not carry weapons in our kingdom.”
Their faces turned ashen. My demands were as if Dire maintained a huge army, navy, and trade surplus. In truth, our army was small. We had no navy, our trade with other kingdoms was minimal. Dire was all but isolated by the geography of our land.
“You will express in bold writing at the beginning, that this treaty in no way contradicts the existing mutual defense treaties we have with the Kingdom of Angor and the Concordance of Palladium. However, if Kondor wishes our support to protect her borders as she protects ours, we will consider it at a later time. As a mutually defensible treaty, Kondor will consider any aggression on Dire as one on her soil, and of course, the reverse is true.”
They were stunned.
Soren said with a raspy voice, “That changes it all. The existence of those treaties was unknown to us. I have never even heard of Angor or Palladium.”
“They are across the sea and beyond the mountains that surround Dire.”
“I-I thought the mountains were impassible.” His voice trembled.
“You’ve lived in Dire your entire life and are not sure of that? And you have never heard of either, yet you are a chief scribe?”
“No, my Princess.”
I snapped, “What about you two?”
They shook their heads. They did not know of those kingdoms, yet, neither denied the existence of the mythical kingdoms or the treaties I’d lied about. No such places or treaties existed. I was both elated and disappointed.
Soren said, “May we see copies of the other treaties so that we can align this with them?”
“Do you suppose I brought them with me packed among my undergarments? That was one of your tasks, to bring relevant documentation and it seems you’ve failed. My father appointed the three of you to provide me with the outline of a new treaty, and yet you didn’t bother to research the existing treaties we already have in place? Very disappointing.” My tone was still level, but arms were crossed over my chest as I stared them down.
