by LeRoy Clary
I counted seven arrows had reached their marks before the column broke and the soldiers dived for cover. Despite their training in effective and precision marching, when the arrows flew, they wanted the protection of hillocks, boulders, bushes, or even a fallen comrade.
The officer rallied his men, and a few arrows flew in our directions, although none came near my end of the line. I let a few more arrows of mine loose and knew all had missed. My magic could veer an arrow to one side, but it couldn’t make them go around corners or boulders the soldiers hid behind. Then, they darted forward, a few at a time. If they got close enough, our retreat was endangered.
Slacker shouted, “Fall back.”
We turned and ran for the ramp that took us up to the top of the head-high ridge. Emma and Anna were watching from there, just as I’d told them not to do. Slacker reached the top first and counted his men and us until he was satisfied we were all safely up there. Two men removed the blocks under the boulders poised at the ramp, and they rumbled into place, blocking it. He indicated with a wave of his arm where each should go to mount our second defense.
I still had eight arrows.
They advanced slowly and spread out. Until we revealed ourselves, they had no idea of where we were. As they moved from the bright sun to the dense shade under the trees, their eyes were temporarily blinded. Slacker called softly, keep your voices down and only fire when you have a clear shot. No misses.”
To my left, a rebel that had been kneeling stood up and drew his bow. In the same motion, he released the arrow he held ready, then dropped out of sight again, but not fast enough. I heard the grunt of the man as an arrow from our side struck his shoulder. Another stood, and a pair of our arrows took him. That made nine of them wounded or dead. Almost twenty-five percent of their force. A good officer would retreat and continue to battle another day.
Not this one. His young voice sounded strong as he urged his men closer. Two more were hit. The officer rallied them for a charge to overwhelm us. Slacker waved his arm for attention and motioned for us to fall back again, quietly. The attackers wouldn’t follow for a while because they didn’t know we were leaving, and their charge might not happen right away. All that gave us time to disappear into the desert.
We followed the others out into the emptiness and vastness of soft sand and spread out to confuse any pursuit. The sand prevented anything faster than a walk, and before we reached the first low hill, my thighs burned, and my breath came in short pants. Suddenly, a squad of Vin soldiers stood ahead of us. They had been hiding behind the sand hill we’d just climbed, waiting to trap us.
The young officer must have split his forces, and the men ahead were there to prevent us from retreating, thwarting our plan. They were close to us, a sword in the hand of each as they charged the few steps between us. There was no time for bows, so I pulled my blade and stepped ahead of Anna and Emma.
As always when working with magic, I whirled a little wind and made sure it lifted sand. Not that I always made mini-tornadoes, but in case I wanted to use magic, I had to make sure it was available—especially since Kendra had freed the dragon. Thinking of her dragon made me realize it couldn’t help us in close hand-to-hand fighting like what we faced.
Two uniformed men ran at me side-by-side. Confident of my skills, I used small-magic to tangle the feet of the one to my left, so I didn’t have to fight a pair at the same time. The other rushed ahead, and as his blade slashed in my direction, a deft twist of my wrist deflected it. It was a move I’d used in practice a thousand times and one that didn’t require any thought. Just reflex.
Ordinarily, I’d have then turned my wrist after the initial parry and use the other’s momentum to help me as I flicked my blade, not a full swing, but enough to make a wide slice of his upper body that couldn’t be avoided. The sharpness of my sword would cut an arm or chest, and it would cut deeply.
Not this time. As my blade touched his, a high-pitched keening sounded, loud and piercing. My sword vibrated in my hand. Not shaking, but a small movement so slight it was not seen but felt. The noise was so unexpected, the vibration to unusual, I paused, confused.
The soldier I’d crossed swords with did the same.
We wore the same confused expressions to anyone looking our way. We were stunned at the sensation, the sound, and each other. Instead of attempting to slash my blade across his body, I waited defensively but made no move to attack. He did the same.
The rest of the fighting took place off to my right, far enough away to ignore it. There were too many questions swirling around in my mind to kill this man because he might have the answers to some of them. I considered tripping him with magic, having a bee attack and fly inside his tunic, or temporarily blind him with a flash of light.
I declined all use of magic for the moment. In the placement of his feet, the way he clutched the sword, and his clumsy movements, I knew all I needed about his lack of skill. In contrast, I’d spend part of almost every day in Crestfallen under the watchful eye of the King’s Weapon-Master or one of his stern assistants. Since the sword was the weapon of choice among gentlemen, officers, and most soldiers, at least half my time had been under their instruction.
A flick of my wrist would probably flip the sword from the hand of my opponent, and in the space of a single breath, I could strike him three times with slashes of my blade. However, I didn’t want to harm or kill the man. I wanted to speak to him.
He stood as limp as a wilted daisy in the heat of summer. His shoulders slumped, his face was slack, his blade held low as he studied me as I studied him.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Princess Elizabeth
As a princess, I had always set myself apart from most daily interactions with commoners, a bane to all royalty. Their gossiping, friendliness, companionship, and bickering was missing from our dull lives. As such, others on the ship who knew their place in society tended to avoid me, so I didn’t hear rumors circulating on the Gallant unless one of my few acquaintances shared them. The other method of communication was with the ship’s purser, who again cautiously approached from my side as if trying to decide how to proceed.
I turned and presented a welcoming smile as he stood taller at my table in the dining room, obviously nervous.
“Princess, I’m sorry to disturb you, but the captain has asked me to assure you of the safety of our ship and that he will perform a thorough investigation of the incident before reaching port.”
“I have no complaints about safety,” I said, confused and ignoring the heads turned to listen to my every word as if I had something important to say. “I also have no idea what you’re speaking about.”
He swallowed and lowered his voice as he leaned closer. “Haven’t you heard? Two more of our passengers are missing from the ship.”
“Missing?” I asked far too loudly; then recollection rushed back to me. I’d forgotten about Will and his discovery of Soren, the traitor on my staff, and the man who had paid him. Innocently, I’d reacted as if I knew nothing. Nobody watching me, and my surprised reaction could believe otherwise.
He finally decided to get directly to the hard part and spat the words, “One of them is a member of your entourage, Princess. It is the man named Soren.”
“What?” I demanded so harshly all eyes were now on me. “Where is he?”
“We do not know, Princess.”
“Speculate.”
“We’ve searched the entire ship, and he is not aboard.” The purser’s expression and sweat flowing down his forehead said more than words.
“Search again.” I stood and marched, not walked, out of the dining room and out into the brisk morning air. I had a role to play for the crew and passengers. I also felt like the food I’d eaten was going to be spilled over the side. My head felt light, my legs unsteady. A hand took mine. It was Lady Grace.
“Have you heard?” she asked. Her face was flushed, her hand shook in mine. “Two people are missing from the ship, one of them Soren. What�
��s happening? People keep falling overboard.”
“I need to go to my cabin.”
She clung to my hand as if to protect herself from being thrown overboard. There was no way to tell her of Soren’s nefarious actions without implicating myself. I felt the need to reassure her. As she settled me on my bed, I said, “Give me a while, then I want you and Timor to meet with me.”
“As you wish,” she said as the door closed.
My head spun with wild thoughts, some of which were probably true, I squeezed my eyes shut until they hurt, and my mind couldn’t track one subject without being quickly distracted to another. I vaguely heard the orders shouted by seamen on the deck above as the ship prepared to enter the port of Vin.
Vin was the northern part of Kondor, a smallish city with self-rule. I’d planned for it to be the first test of my new official actions, a trial of how to act in Dagger when dealing with the rulers there. I wanted to search the ship for Will and verify what he’d done.
The truth was, I knew what he’d done. He’d told me already and seeking him out was not only stupid, careless, and endangering our relationship, but it jeopardized my mission. I needed to act like an adult. A princess of the Kingdom of Dire, one who was self-centered, confident, and who had the trust of her king.
A few deep breaths later, my eyes were still shut tightly, but I concentrated on slowing my racing heart. The shaking in my hands diminished. I slowly stood and forced myself to relax. What would one of my station do next?
The immediate answer was obvious. Instead of huddling in my cabin, I’d be stalking the ship in search of the missing member of my support team.
A gentle tap on my door alerted me. I’d told Lady Grace and Timor to give me a few moments, so I swung the door wide. Instead, the man who had passed me the message from his brother, the mage, stood outside.
“May I speak?”
I curtly nodded and instantly regretted my rudeness.
“Princess, my brother is scared and asked me to pass on more information you may find useful. The one he spoke of in my dreams is restless and angry. The release of the dragon at Mercia upset him greatly, and he has heard the dragon has made its way to the Bay of Trager, at the very edge of Kondor.”
“Why would that scare him? And how does it concern me where the dragon has gone?”
“The young one we discussed also became agitated when two mage-ships were sunk. He may be making plans to travel to Kondor.”
I considered the import of the words before answering. “I had the impression he was already in Kondor.”
The man glanced down at his feet, then as if drawing strength from deep inside, he said, “Kaon. He is in Kaon.”
At the sound of another cabin door opening, he turned away to shield his face from being recognized and walked in the opposite direction of Lady Grace and Timor as they came to meet with me. Instead of explaining the presence of the man, I went directly to the subject I should have earlier. “Soren is missing. The Gallant is entering the port of Vin. Before we arrive, I want the three of us to speak to every passenger and crewman we can find. Ask if any saw Soren, who he was with, and when was the last time they saw him.”
Timor said, “We will reach port with the morning tide.”
“Then you’d better hurry. I will begin with the dining room, then move to the passenger lounge, should you find anything of interest.” I started to move past them.
Lady Grace touched my arm to stop me. “Do you think he’s dead?”
“I intend to find out all I can. He was one of us.”
We split up at the door to the outside and went in three directions. I confess, the task was distasteful. Especially so, when I knew the answer before asking the questions. When we gathered in my cabin with the docks of Vin in sight, we had nothing more to share. Nobody had seen the two men fall overboard, none had seen Soren speaking with anyone last night, and everyone on the ship was more than a little scared at the disappearance of two more men.
During the search, I never saw Will. Not once, and I briefly wondered if he too, had fallen overboard. Then, after a brief consideration, realized that the crew must have done a full count of everyone on board to determine that two were missing.
The next question that came to mind was to ask myself why the count of passengers had been made in the first place? Was the crew now looking for missing passengers every morning? Had someone seen something? If they had seen someone pushed over the side of the ship, the captain would have turned the Gallant and searched. That hadn’t happened, but something else must have informed him two passengers were missing and that bothered me. I’d hoped we would arrive in port without the mystery missing people discovered.
I firmly closed the door and faced the remaining two of my entourage. They deserved more than another mystery, but not from me. Not now. “We have no option but to assume Soren is dead. We will progress as before, with Lady Grace elevated to my council. Timor, you will do as she asks, which is what you would have done for Soren.”
Their faces were pale. Neither spoke. Lady Grace had been about to decline the leadership role, but Timor was far too young.
I went on. “Our mission has not changed. I have reviewed the revised treaty and will have more changes, but there is another subject I wish to speak of, and that is me. No doubt the three of you had conversations about me and my changes in attitude.”
Their faces reddened.
“No matter. I expected it. Please understand, I am a princess and have a role to play, as do the two of you. If those we deal with think I am weak they will take advantage of us. That means the people of Dire will suffer because of my inadequacies. For the remainder of this diplomatic mission, you will find me a stern, strong, demanding person. After we return to Dire, that may change.”
Timor said, “There is a rumor on the lips of everyone that mages are making people fall overboard.”
His abrupt change of subjects told me where his fears lay. Magic. Anyone not understanding how it functions is scared of it, no matter if they admit it or not.
“A lot is blamed on them. Not all of it is true. Why don’t we go on deck and watch the Gallant tie up? It will be our first look at Kondor.”
The three of us crowded together with the other passengers. The city of Vin was far different than Trager or Mercia. It was built on lowlands and marsh, where a river split and entered the sea in at least three places. The largest of the rivers flowed sluggishly at high tide, but even so, the bottom could be seen at times. The ship held to the right side of the river where a deeper channel provided ships enough water to float.
The city, however, was mostly on the left side of the river, as were the docks, each extending out into the water like the fingers of a giant hand. They were well maintained, the piers strong and many of the timbers recently replaced.
Two longboats, each with eight men rowing and one directing their actions, met our ship and accepted large ropes from the bow. Our sails came down, and the two boats pulled us to the upriver side of a dock where a small crowd waited.
Vendors already displayed their goods, and the scents of hot food drew my attention since none was served on the ship. A few military types stood in a tight group, much as in any port. Idlers, loafers, the curious, and businessmen watched.
I watched their faces. In appearance, they all resembled Damon and Kendra, but I searched for smiles and found few. Not as many as might be in a similar group in Dire, but far more than in Trager. I said, “I’m scared.”
Timor stepped up to my side. “If anyone can succeed, it is you. Of all the royals in Crestfallen, you are the most respected. I thought you should know that.”
Turning to him, I noticed Lady Grace nodding her agreement. I said, “Thank you.”
“It’s true,” he said. “Your brother will become king one day, but it is you that seeks out problems and resolves them. The servants and freemen all look to you as the one who truly wields power.”
“What about the king?” I asked
.
He chuckled. “They say that he is there when large problems are to be solved, and you take care of all the small ones, so he is not bothered with them. They also say, he has not had to solve any large ones, yet.”
I found myself chuckling for the first time in two days. Even so, I searched almost frantically for sight of either Damon or Kendra and found neither among the hundred faces on the dock. Instead, I found a crowd of strangers, intent on taking from me what they could.
It was not a good way to look at the world.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Damon
I looked at the soldier holding a sword similar to mine, standing a few steps from me, his posture limp. His eyes flicked to his sword and back to me. The battle continued all around us. His sword was held slackly at his side, as was mine. I saw the familiar curve of his blade, the wavy reflections of metals folded by master bladesmiths, and the simple, functional hilt.
He held the twin to my blade.
I glanced at mine and still felt the stinging vibration as if a tuning fork had been struck. A movement to one side drew my attention. Only two Vin attackers remained on their feet, and as I turned to look, one of Slacker’s men finished one of them with a slash of his heavy sword.
Another of Slacker’s men charged my attacker, his sword waving wildly around his head. My attacker kept his attention on me and didn’t attempt to defend himself.
“No!” I shouted as I leaped forward. The ringing in my ears and the feel of the sword in my hands intensified as the distance closed. I managed to hold off Slacker’s man. “He’s mine,” I snapped.
Kendra rushed to my side.
*Kill him.* Anna told me in my mind.
“Truce?” I requested from the soldier.
He looked at the hand holding the twin of my sword and back at his. With a flip of his wrist, he inserted his sword back into the scabbard and waited. He said, “Truce.”
