After the gear was packed up, they continued the chase on horseback, going back down the mountain. Magnus still wasn’t wearing his armor. His skin had cooled a bit from the dip in the cool water but it was still sensitive, aggravated, making wearing his heavy armor very uncomfortable. He didn’t, however, part with his trusty sword.
Theo and Damien took the lead with others following closely behind. Charlie had been quiet since the whole event and her eyes were still wide with wonder, awe and fear. Even Reed throwing hungry glances at her hadn’t fazed her. Cassiel, the dark-skinned knight, was the only stoic one among them. He never seemed disturbed by anything, and no one ever quite knew what he was thinking. The rest of the knights were distraught and apprehensive as they followed their prince to their unknown, but possibly deadly fate.
Every once in a while, Theo would get off his horse and climb a tree to check their course. He made adjustments regarding the direction they were heading when necessary and they successfully followed the dragon’s flight from below.
As they drew closer, Magnus’ fury began to turn inward, channeled into acute concentration, and his scowl froze into an eerie mask of determination. However, the menace never left his eyes. He didn’t care about anything or anyone around him, but remained focused solely upon his goal.
With the last rays of the setting sun shining down on them, Theo climbed a tree for the final time and memorized the direction they would need to adhere to.
“This is where they turned right,” he said once his feet touched the ground. “We’ll need to follow the stars from now on.”
“I do not care how you do it, just get us there. It is what I am paying you for,” Magnus said. His horse stomped beneath him, neighing its consent.
Theo nodded. He swung up onto his horse and neared Damien. They quietly consulted about which stars they would need to follow once the night had fallen, trusting the sky to show them the way.
“Is there a problem?” Magnus approached the pair from behind. He just wanted to move. The closer they got to the dragon, the longer the remaining distance felt.
“No problem at all, Your Highness,” Theo spoke up. Damien hadn’t ever spoken much in front of the others, except to Theo of course, and Charlie. “I was just consulting with Damien how to proceed further, seeing as the night will fall soon. And not to worry…” he added quickly, “we have it all figured out once the stars are up.”
“Good, now get going again,” Magnus barked out and cracked his neck to the side as he waited for his guides to take the lead again.
Theo and Damien exchanged a look, reassuring each other and silently agreeing to a future private conversation.
“Yes, Your Highness.” They both bowed their heads. Theo rolled his eyes before looking back up. They turned their horses in the right direction.
The other knights, wearing heavier armor than Theo and Damien, were reaching the point of exhaustion, and their horses as well. Magnus, though, wasn’t paying attention to them. He wasn’t wearing his armor, so he didn’t feel as tired as they did, and saw no point in stopping for a break.
As the night fell, Charlie barely stayed upright. She struggled to keep her eyes open while comfortably settled on the back of her trusty grey mare Raine. Chin dropping to her chest, she jerked upright. Her eyes drifted shut again.
“Lady Charlotte?” A deep voice brought her back from the losing battle against the comfort of slumber. She looked up and focused on Cassiel’s concerned face. She could barely make out his features in the darkness, but they were by now used to traveling during the night, lighting up their torches only if necessary.
“I told you not to call me that, Cass. I ain’t no lady and you know it.” She gave him a small smile that never reached her eyes.
“All women are ladies to me.” He bowed his head a tad. “And thus must be treated accordingly.”
Cassiel was the only one, besides Theo and Damien, who hadn’t used her services. He would come to her, but mostly to talk about nonessential topics or just to enjoy her company quietly. He had always been a gentleman, proper and very kind to her. He kept himself chaste, waiting for the right woman, for his future wife. He was a real knight in every sense of the word. In her opinion, he only had one fault: doing Magnus’ bidding. Loyalty, at the same time a virtue and a flaw.
Earlier that day, Charlie had found out that Cassiel was one of the knights not on the prince’s own payroll. He was one of the king’s guardsmen, just like Reed, Cathal, Galor, Lance and Colin. He had sworn his oaths of allegiance to Magnus’ father. The king had assigned him to Magnus as one of the prince’s personal bodyguards, same as Reed. Charlie got the impression that the king did not approve of Reed’s influence over the prince, but he was too good a fighter to leave out of the prince’s party. Perhaps the king had hoped Cassiel would be a balancing force, but Cassiel seemed to believe the prince was responsible for his own destiny, and the king had underestimated Reed. Charlie suspected the king also underestimated the malicious nature of his own son. Or was it inherited?
“Now tell me, my lady, how are you faring?” Cassiel’s voice was filled with concern for her, the gentle tone the same one he used when giving alms to beggars or tending the wounded. He saw her as just another poor unfortunate soul, but one worthy of respect.
“I’m alright Cass, just exhausted.” Charlie yawned. “Very tired and scared. Did you see its fire? Its size!”
“Yes, my lady. Quite a dangerous beast.”
“And we’re going after it. Is Magnus crazy?”
Cassiel grimaced and threw a glance in the prince’s direction. Glad for not being overheard, he chuckled. “You should mind what you say around him.”
“Sorry…” Charlie whispered.
“I was raised not to speak against my prince, but… but if I were not sworn to his duty, if I were just another common man, I would probably have shared your opinion.”
Charlie grinned. She reached for her water skin. She tipped it up but nothing came out. She groaned.
“Here.” Cassiel pulled out his own from a side saddlebag. “You can have mine.” He shifted his horse closer, extending the container to Charlie. “And do not worry,” he added as she took it from his hand, “you can have whatever is left in it. I had enough before we departed, and I can always ask someone else to share theirs.”
“Thank you.” Charlie took a few humble sips, enough to moisten her lips and subdue the thirst. She would save the rest for later. “Tell me,” she tucked away the water-skin. “If you don’t mind sharing, how’d you come to be in the service of the royal family?” Pulling out her cloak from a saddlebag, she wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Ah. My family has been in the service of the royals for generations. I inherited the cloak from my father, who was in King Magnar’s service, until I came of age and swore an oath to the King, and then, as I said before, to Magnus himself.” Cassiel spoke in a hushed voice, leaning sideways, closer to Charlie. He didn’t want to be overheard. “It is a family tradition to serve the king or the prince, and I was very proud when my father deemed me ready to take up the duty. He was teaching me and training me since I was barely ten seasons old. And I wish to hold up to our family name.”
“Oh, so you’ve been with Magnus for a long time?” Charlie whispered back.
“Yes.”
“Has he always been so mean?”
Cassiel glanced forward. No one took any interest in their conversation at the moment, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before Magnus noticed, even from where he rode up ahead, right behind Theo and Damien.
“He has always been … difficult. Very…” Cassiel shook his head, “Ah, I should not be talking about him, my lady. But I can only tell you that he has gotten worse during this journey.”
Charlie nodded in understanding. Hand covering her mouth, she yawned again.
“Rest on that mare of yours. She is a good horse and I will make sure you do not fall off.”
Charlie graced him
with a small smile of gratitude as she let herself fall asleep on her horse. It wasn’t the first time she had done so during the long journey. With some practice and the occasional fall on her butt, she had managed to handle it. Having someone keep an eye on her helped her relax and ease into the swaying gait of the horse, lulling her to sleep.
Late into the night, Magnus and his men reached the end of the forest. In front of them spread an abandoned field. They could only discern the overgrown grass, reaching past the horses’ knees, stretching as far as they could see under the cover of darkness.
Magnus sat up straighter in his saddle as he looked around. “Is this it?”
“It should be. That is my best guess, though they were far away and barely visible.” Theo halted his horse and the others followed his lead. “They might have flown further.”
“Torches,” Magnus ordered as he got off his weary horse.
Everyone followed suit, grateful for the break in their trek. It had been nine hours since they had last stopped and they had gone over twenty-five miles through the forest. All of them were tired, apart from Magnus who was high on adrenalin and determination.
“Look around for any signs of them.” Magnus took a torch of his own and started the search.
They left the horses near the forest and the only person not participating in the search was Charlie. She untacked her horse, used the saddle as a pillow and fell asleep on the ground as soon as she lay down. Damien covered her with his cloak as well, providing extra warmth, before he joined Theo in the search.
The knights spread out and dragged their exhausted forms through the field. All they wanted to do was take their armor off, eat and sleep like they never had to wake up again. Much to their misfortune, Magnus was having none of that. His perseverance was taking a toll on Reed as well, causing the prince’s right-hand man to surreptitiously take sips from his waterskin, filled with rum.
An unnatural silence surrounded them. The forest held its breath, waiting to see what they would find and do, watching over them as a godly spectator. The tension was almost palpable, amplifying with each step they took.
After about fifteen minutes of stumbling half-blindly through the field, Galor called out, “I think I found something.”
Magnus was the first one to reach him. Holding his torch over his knight’s findings, he could see where the overgrown grass was completely flattened, as if a big creature had rested there. “Damien!”
“Yes, Your Highness?” Damien swiftly appeared next to Magnus, who pointed with his torch at the grass.
Damien knelt and studied the flattened area as best as he could under the light of the torch. The other knights joined in, surrounding them with their own torches. Damien circled the disturbed area of the field while Magnus waited, jaw clenched, a fist balled at his side. The prince knew that Damien was the best hunter he could find and that he was an expert at reading tracks.
The disturbance in the field seemed fresh. There were no tracks leading to it, though. Damien could barely make out human footprints, too. It would all be so much easier to figure out in the daylight, but he knew he had no choice about the timing. When he felt around with his palms, the squashed grass underneath still had some lingering heat to it and on the next sweep of his hand something sticky and wet stuck to his skin. Bringing his fingers to his face, he studied the substance, smelled it and even brought a tiny bit to his tongue.
“Someone was here,” the hunter said as he stood up and walked over to Magnus, who was now surrounded by the rest of his men. “They obviously rested here. There are no approaching tracks, only in this area. Some big creature was lying over there. A person was with it, too. I noticed a few tracks but it’s too dark to be sure. Also, there is some blood.” He raised his bloodied fingers to prove his point. “Which would correspond with the dragon being hurt.” Damien took a deep breath, bracing himself for Magnus’ reaction to his next words. “Obviously, whoever it was, they are not here now. They left, most likely flew away, not long before we arrived.” Damien was being objective as usual, not admitting to it being a dragon, but instead just saying it was a big creature, letting Magnus draw his own conclusions.
The prince shut his eyes, gnashing his teeth. Oh, this dragon is smart… It will make my victory so much sweeter.
He opened his eyes and stared at the spot where the dragon had lain. He had been so close, twice today. Tomorrow he was going to have its head. Slowly exhaling the held breath, Magnus turned to his men.
“If it is as smart as I have a feeling it might be, the dragon just misled us here. We will go back to the stream and search for tracks there. We might find hers if they walked to the water –” he gave Damien a questioning look and the knight nodded his head in return. “And we can follow her tracks back to wherever they were hiding. We may or may not find them there, but we will stay and camp for a few days if necessary. I do not want to take my chances in case they do return there. If not… well… we just better find them.”
Magnus studied his men and only now noticed the exhaustion on their faces. He had really pushed them too far today, but none had complained. He was proud of them, and proud of himself for having that power over them. The adrenalin running through his veins slowed as the events of the day took their toll on his body as well. “We will rest here for the remainder of the night and morning.” With nothing else to say, Magnus marched away from his men and back towards their horses.
They set up their camp at the edge of the forest, near to where Charlie had fallen sleep. The men didn’t go to sleep yet, since their stomachs were growling for attention.
Magnus ate his meal in solitude. His silence unnerving. His narrowed gaze and flexing fists kept everyone at a distance and silent. It was quite an uncomfortable dinner compared to their usual rowdy ones.
After he finished eating, the prince spent some time whetting his sword while the rest cleaned up. The whet stone stroked up and down the edge of the blade, the sword issuing a soft, rhythmic, metallic scream. Magnus was so engrossed in his ministrations that he didn’t notice Theo and Damien sneaking out of the camp together, nor did he notice Reed approaching Charlie’s sleeping form with a slightly drunken stumble to his step. Lost in his own world, he imagined hundreds of ways to kill and skin a dragon, chopping off its head. He fantasized about mounting it on the wall, decorating the great hall of his home.
When Reed approached Charlie, he nudged her with his foot. “Wake up, whore,” he slurred.
Charlie mumbled and turned to her other side. The nudge was replaced by a slight kick, almost missing her completely when he lost his balance. “C’mon, ‘tis time to earn your keep.”
Charlie winced at the kick and roused. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she searched for the person who had disturbed her slumber. “What do you want Reed? Go to sleep!” She rolled but Reed’s foot stopped her from turning away. He stepped over her, a foot on each side of her body.
“Oh, no you don’t. Not tonight.” He swayed. “Got some tension I need to get rid of before I can sleep… if you know what I mean.” He wagged his eyebrows and licked his lips, smacking them for effect.
Charlie knew better than to argue with him; she had learned her lesson. It would only make him violent and she didn’t need that, not after the exhausting day she had. If she handled him smartly, she might get off easy tonight.
“Alright, lover, let’s see whatcha got for me tonight,” she said as she looked up at him, the light of the fire dancing across her features, the golden glow complementing her fiery red curls.
“You’re fucking beautiful.” Reed was unbuttoning his pants while he kept his eyes trained on her face.
“Lay down, big guy, and let me take care of you,” Charlie said, patting a spot next to her. She threw Damien’s cloak out of the way, not wanting to taint it.
Reed took off his own cloak and laid it down next to her before he sprawled his drunken self over it. He reached forward, wanting to grope her breast. Those hands could be quite c
ruel, she recalled.
“Nuh-uh,” Charlie scolded, waving her finger, a seductive tilt to her lips. All the while, she gagged on the inside. But it was a job that had to be done. Her job and she would bear through. “It’s my time to play and yours to enjoy.” She removed his hands from her body, hoping he wouldn’t grab for her again and she rewarded him with an honest smile when she succeeded.
Charlie reached for his drink that she knew he hid from Magnus and offered it to him from her lips. If she could get him even more drunk than he already was, it would all be over sooner, maybe even before she began. Only if he fell asleep. In the morning, he wouldn’t remember anything anyway and she would praise him as usual, making him think he got what he wanted the night before.
She took her time unbuttoning his shirt, kissing the trail her fingers made. His hard, athletic body didn’t disgust her. She wondered if it were a curse: pretty face, ugly soul. That was her experience so far, with both Magnus and Reed. She shook the thought away; Damien, Theo, and Cassiel proved otherwise. Reed’s sloppy, alcohol-laced kisses were the worst to bear, and when he took her roughly, whether she was complicit or not, was the most horrible. She had learned to play along for her own sake.
When she reached his pants, she rubbed his manhood over the fabric in slow, taunting strokes. She hoped he would fall asleep soon, but looking up into his face, she knew he would not leave her alone unless he had some sort of release. After she took his manhood out of its restraints, she rose to her feet, never breaking eye contact as she slowly pulled down her undergarments from under her skirt and threw them at his face with a fake giggle. He wouldn’t know the difference anyway.
Reed caught them and brought them to his nose, inhaling her scent deeply before putting them in his pockets, just as she had hoped; it would be his morning reminder of a night he wouldn’t remember.
Next, she reached into her saddlebag for her secret weapon: a scented massage oil slightly laced with mint. All the men loved it when she used it. She put a few drops into her palm and knelt next to him.
Dragon's Treasure (Dragons Awaken Book 1) Page 14
