by Nathan Roden
“I can believe it,” Jaclyn said.
The girl looked hurt.
“Come now, Lucinda,” Jaclyn said. “I am only teasing. I know you were taught that there is no beauty without torture. But this little one is pushing around my insides without your help.”
King Lucien threw open the door and stormed into the parlor. He wore his full battle garb, but he had yet to leave the castle. Lucien appeared out of breath and clenched his hands into fists. He made an obvious attempt to control his emotions.
“Is something wrong, Lucien?” Jaclyn asked.
Lucien stared at the floor.
“I need a word.”
Lucinda needed to hear nothing more. She jumped to her feet and ran from the room.
“Do you know anything about this? What Sterling has done?” Lucien asked.
The baby in Jaclyn’s belly made a sudden move. She put her hand over her mouth. The sensation passed.
“I do not know anything! What has Sterling done?”
“What Sterling has done, is put us all in great danger!” Lucien spat. He began to pace.
“He has brought a wizard to our shores—from a distant land full of…a land of freaks! A man so big that he makes Raynard look like a child!”
Jaclyn interrupted.
“But why—?”
“The giant stands ten feet tall!” Lucien exclaimed. “Not a hair on his head—even over his eyes! And his eyes are like no other mortal creature I have ever seen. At this instant, he lights candles in my throne room—and chants to whatever dark gods he serves!”
“This does not sound like Lord Sterling at all,” Jaclyn said.
She stepped closer to Lucien.
“Is Sterling protected, Lucien? Is it a certainty that his position of Regent affords him protection from the curse?”
“It is a spell,” Lucien snapped. “A spell of protection. Not a curse! Do you ever think before you speak?”
“Forgive me, your Grace,” Jaclyn said.
Lucien ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It is just that…” his voice trailed away.
Jaclyn took his hand.
“What troubles you, my king? You should have someone you can talk to. You can talk to me.”
Lucien squeezed her hand for a moment, and then he pulled away. He stepped in front of the window and stared out of it. Jaclyn heard him sniff.
“Two more years,” Lucien said quietly. “Two more long years I remain under Sterling’s thumb. And then what happens? I do not believe that he will be content to step aside and leave the rule of the Kingdom in my hands.”
Lucien lowered his voice.
“He has held onto the reins of power for twelve years. He lives for it. It is his meat, and his water. He lusts after it—knowing that every soul in the realm is his for the taking.”
Lucien turned and looked at Jaclyn. His eyes were wet.
“My uncle cursed my soul on the day you and I met. I will never be allowed to serve as King—as long as Sterling lives.”
Jaclyn wept silently. The baby inside of her moved. Jaclyn held her hands over her stomach.
“Why has Sterling brought this strange wizard among us?” Jaclyn asked. “He has stripped the Kingdom of almost all wizards and sorcerers. The old ones have all died. How can Sterling trust—?”
“Sterling trusts no one,” Lucien said. “He has promised this…this thing—a bounty of riches. The wizard will carry out his task and take his reward back to his homeland; or Sterling will have him killed.”
“What task?” Jaclyn asked.
“He is here to kill my brother.”
Seven
Ben Blankenship walked with Liam to the front of his house.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Ben asked.
Liam shook his head.
“That will not help either of us. She begged us not to go with you. She said over and over that we would get ourselves killed. And one of us did.”
Ben nodded. He offered his hand and Liam shook it.
“I am truly sorry,” Ben said.
“Something needed to be done,” Liam said. “Though a small group of boys was not enough. We should have had hundreds—even thousands, to march on the border. Perhaps it was a worthy sacrifice. Maybe the people will stop hiding from the truth and realize that the north is ruled by vicious and ruthless men.”
“I am proud to count you as a friend,” Ben said. “I must go now and see to my daughter.”
Ben took the long way home, bypassing the populated areas of the village.
He was tired, weary, and sore. His shoulder ached and his feet hurt. He had landed hard on a stone, and the heel of his left boot broke off. He reached his home at twilight.
Something is not right, he thought.
The windows were dark. Ben passed his house by and walked the short distance to his in-law’s house. He knocked on the door. There was no answer.
Ben was afraid.
He lowered his good shoulder and slammed it into the door.
There was no one there. Ben swallowed hard and opened the door to a wardrobe. It was empty. He checked the second wardrobe. It was empty as well.
Ben ignored his weariness and his pain. He ran back to his house and tore open the door. His clothes and the clothes that belonged to his dead wife still hung in the wardrobe.
Everything that belonged to his baby daughter
Was gone.
It was almost dark.
Ben looked out of the front window. He saw lights on the horizon—growing brighter with each passing second.
A voice in the back of his mind spoke to him.
Get out of here. Now.
Ben ran out of the door. He stopped and shut it.
He ran to the edge of the woods and climbed a tree that afforded him a view of his house.
A crowd topped the hill and marched toward his house—dozens of people. Men, women, and children came—most of them carried torches.
Many shouted angry and cruel things. They threw their torches onto his roof and through the door and windows.
The blazing inferno that was once his happy home revealed the faces of the heart-broken and the anguished.
Behind them stood a solitary boy.
The boy walked forward and pulled at a woman’s arm. She shook him away and screamed her hatred along with the crowd.
Liam turned around, his head to the ground, and walked away.
Eight
Simon circled above the cave. He barked a roar and blew a quick burst of fire against the darkening sky.
When you belong to the most feared species ever known to man, it’s a good idea to announce yourself to your human friends, Simon thought.
Simon landed in the nearest clearing and walked up the steep mountainside to the mouth of the cave. Boone and Helena walked down the narrow path, holding hands.
Simon smiled at this.
He smiled, in spite of his deep sadness.
His oldest friend and his newest. He wished them every moment of happiness in the world.
Helena dropped Boone’s hand and ran ahead. She threw her arms around the dragon’s middle. Boone laughed, but he joined right in.
They reminisced for an hour, and then stared out into the star-filled sky.
“Our time is short,” Boone said. “We raise support in the south, or it’s all over.”
“This is how it should be,” Helena said. “All the minstrels’ songs, all the tales told by candle and torch-light—they are all tales of desperate people. People backed into a corner—who have no choice but to fight for their lives!”
“Many heroes lose their lives in those battles,” Boone said.
“Aye,” Helena said. “Some heroes fall in the quest. It is the responsibility of the people to keep their names alive.”
“Your father taught you well, Helena,” Simon said.
“And my uncles,” Helena said. “I am determined to live, to make certain that their memories
live on!”
Simon wrapped his wing around Helena’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Hold on to her, Boone Blankenship. This lady has the kind of noble spirit that a nation should be built upon.”
Boone took Helena’s hand.
“I’m way ahead of you, Simon.”
Boone had saved some deer and boar meat for Simon. Simon carried the meal away from the others and devoured it in three bites.
Simon returned, and they relaxed by a small fire.
Boone stared into the flames and spoke softly to Simon.
“What happened to the King’s men at Magdalena’s house?”
Simon hesitated.
“They had to be…dealt with.”
Helena stared silently into the fire. Boone nodded.
“I know it bothers you, Simon. But we’ll witness death many more times before we see peace.”
“I was forced to stop one of them. The Lady took care of the other.”
Boone looked up at that remark.
“Magdalena?”
“The wolf,” Simon said. “I must warn you. Stay away from her teeth.”
“I will remember that,” Boone said.
Simon awakened an hour after sunrise to a familiar voice.
“All hail the true king!”
Simon, Boone, and Helena welcomed Viceroy Nicolas Lamont and his first lieutenant into their company.
Boone extended his hand to Lamont, who shocked him by pulling both him and Helena into a hug.
Lamont looked at Simon and sighed.
“That was nearly the end of us.”
“Yes,” Simon said. “In the aftermath, I see how right Boone was. It was foolish of me to…to want to see her. That could have ended badly. For all of us.”
“If those guards had not intervened, it would have been a great moment,” Lamont said. “If you could have heard Jaclyn speak of how much it meant to her—”
“Two men are dead because of my selfishness!” Simon spat. “Their bodies will rot in the depths of a bottomless pit! They may have left wives, and children—!”
Lamont stepped forward and scowled. He shook his finger at Simon.
“Listen to me, Simon! You have yet to see war. I do not care what books you’ve read or what tales you have heard. War is not the stuff of minstrel songs. War…is ugly. Our Kingdom is lorded over by an evil man—a man with evil allies. But this is not so of every man whose sword is sworn to him. “
“Wars are fought between the innocent. Men who could be the best of friends will kill each other in the name of their chosen cause.”
Lamont looked around him—into the eyes of the others.
“Make no mistake. If we are to be victorious, there will be no time to consider those who stand against us. You must see every enemy as just that. An enemy. There will be a time for grief over those who fall. But until then, every time that you hesitate, people will die. Our people.”
The group was somber.
“Now,” Lamont said. “We must act quickly. Tell me how to reach this cave. I will come as soon as I can. I must devise reasons for my absence in case Sterling becomes suspicious.”
“Do not think for a moment that I am staying behind,” the first lieutenant said.
“Ah, Finn,” Lamont sighed. “If you were not such a value to me and to Islemar, I would have to find you insubordinate!”
“Your excuses will not work for long,” Simon said.
“There is nothing else to do,” Lamont said. “The arrival of my grandchild gives us limited time.”
“I thought to make our rendezvous at a cave near the Southland border,” Simon said. “But it is dangerously close to the army’s camp. Sterling has strengthened the Border Guard. It is possible they have searched the area and located this cave. We have no other options. The western approach provides no protection.”
“And the eastern approach is limited by the forbidden mountain,” Lamont said.
“Is it indeed impassable—even to you?” Finn asked Simon.
“I did pass its summit once,” Simon said. “But it leads nowhere, as far as I can tell. The snow and the ceaseless wind make for an utterly miserable journey. Legend says men once dared to explore it—”
“And none of them were ever seen again,” Lamont finished.
“There is another cave just to the north, above the river,” Simon said. “Let’s plan to meet there. Hopefully, our time on the mountain will be short. From there, I can carry small groups to the border.”
“That will leave us only the problem of scaling the canyon wall,” Finn said.
Lamont nodded.
“I have been to the border many times. It would be impossible to enter the mouth of the canyon without engaging the Border guard. Thankfully, we maintain a trained group of scouts who specialize in scaling high walls. That will be the easy part of our task. The more difficult, will be explaining to the others that they will be traveling on the back of a dragon.”
Finn laughed.
“Lamont speaks the truth. We have men who can scale a sheer mountain face as easily as most walk the King’s Road!”
“Finn exaggerates, but not by a great deal,” Lamont laughed. And then his face turned to stone.
“There has been little trust between the sovereign people of Islemar and the Kingdom. This has been true for at least two generations. We do not leave the responsibility of our defense to the purview of the King’s Army, or the King’s Guard.”
Lamont looked into Simon’s eyes.
“We will serve a King who truly cares for our people. In the absence of such a king, we will care for our own.”
“Lord Lamont, I have known little but exile and hate,” Simon said. “I admit that there have been times that I wallowed in self-pity.”
“In my youth, I lay at death’s door. Only the good heart of my friend saved me to fight another day. My life is no longer my own. I owe an immense debt.”
“The people of this kingdom deserve more than the rule of a vicious tyrant. They deserve a king who provides them safety and protection. To ally with me is to ally with the way things should be. This virtue is not only mine—it lives in the hearts of those I call my friends.”
Lamont and Finn knelt.
“If I risk my life,” Lamont said. “I will do so fighting at your side, Simon of Morgenwraithe—the true King!”
“I pledge my life, and my sword,” Finn said. “And I would follow you into Valhalla, even without My Lord’s order!”
Lamont grabbed Finn by the shoulder.
Nine
A large cloud covered the sun. Nicolas Lamont looked into the sky.
“We should be getting home,” he said. “We will meet again, in a matter of—”
Lamont was interrupted when someone—or something—sneezed. The noise came from directly behind Simon. Lamont drew his sword. Finn grabbed his bow and reached for an arrow. Boone jumped for his bow, but Helena beat him to it. She notched an arrow and drew down alongside Finn and Lamont.
Simon spread his wings, protecting them all.
“Let’s not be hasty,” he whispered.
He spoke into the forest.
“Show yourself, at once! Or you will die like a dog!”
His assessment was accurate.
The wolf stepped slowly out of the trees. She sneezed again.
Helena’s eyes bulged. She lowered her bow until she noticed Boone shaking his head slightly.
“Stand aside, My King,” Finn said. “The beast is ill, and likely to attack. I will put him down.”
“It is a ‘her’”, Boone said without thinking.
Lamont and Finn stared at him.
“It’s…it is too small to be a male,” Boone stammered.
“It does not matter,” Finn said. “A sick animal is a sick animal. The gods know that we have enough illness among us without allowing beasts to bring more.”
Simon turned around. He spread his wings, protecting the wolf.
“Please, lower you
r weapons, Lord Lamont,” Simon said quietly.
Lamont shifted on his feet.
“I do not understand.”
“I have to ask you to trust me,” Simon said. “I have lived many more days as a dragon than as a man. Most other beasts fear me. I cherish the few who do not.”
Lamont nodded at Finn. They put away their weapons.
“Please, promise me one thing, Simon Smyth of Morgenwraithe,” Lamont said.
“Whatever you wish, My Lord,” Simon said.
“When we enter the Southlands, let us not mention this episode to anyone.”
Lamont and Finn turned to go.
Lamont turned back around.
“I trust you, Simon. But you have not told me everything yet, have you?”
Simon said nothing.
Lamont smiled.
“I did not think so.”
Boone snickered. Helena punched him in the side.
“Godspeed, Lord Lamont,” Simon said.
“We will leave you to your preparations,” Lamont said. He bowed his head.
“Until we meet again, in seven days’ time.”
“Seven days?” Helena asked. “Why must you wait so long?”
Lamont sighed.
“There is no other way. It is three days until Jaclyn’s name day celebration. It would be much too—”
Simon opened his mouth to speak.
Boone jumped forward. He shook his finger.
“No!” he barked. “Do not even think about it! Do not say another word!”
Simon closed his mouth and looked away.
Lamont cleared his throat.
“Very well, then. We meet in seven days. From that day forward, we will concentrate our efforts to the south. Good day.”
