Chapter Four
Once everyone had left the Grandis sat down beside me.
“Grandis Dantriet arrives here within the next few days and I, for one, will be grateful for that. I don’t know how you get yourself and everyone around you into such trouble, Amel. I really don’t.”
What had I done now? The worst I’d done this week was sneak honey from the kitchens for Raolcan ... three times. He really enjoyed that treat.
She rubbed her forehead with her fingertips before putting a long-suffering expression on her face. “The Dark Prince has asked to speak to you, Amel. Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know.” I felt my face heating. He’d been very unflattering the last time I’d seen him. If he wanted to see me again, that couldn’t be a good thing. I could almost smell that island we’d been on and the white flowers we’d used to cure Leng. Perhaps he wanted to ensure my silence? It seemed to be the thing everyone wanted most from me.
“Foreign princes rarely ask to see Initiates by name. And by ‘rarely’ I mean ‘never.’”
I nodded.
“And now he has asked to see two.” Two? “First Starie Atrelan, and now you.”
“I haven’t seen Starie since the ball,” I volunteered. Maybe she would be less frustrated with me if she knew I hadn’t contacted her. Not that I hadn’t been trying.
“I am aware of that. The High Castelan has instructed us to keep her from the other Dragon Riders at this time.” So, someone else knew about her treachery! “She will replace Savette Leedris as our offered bride to the Baojang if Savette is not recovered.”
At least the Grandis had the good grace to look embarrassed at this admission. They’d lost one girl they’d offered to our enemy and now they couldn’t recover her and were going to offer another one. It was like the young Castelans were disposable to the Dominion.
“Another Dragon Rider?” Wasn’t it strange that all the girls being offered were also Dragon Riders?
Her expression became stony. Ah. I had hit on something significant. There was a reason that the girls being offered were Dragon Riders. Was it also significant that they were Initiates from my own wave, or was that coincidental? Maybe it was because I had just finished the exam, but my mind insisted that this was a puzzle to solve. Perhaps, if I solved this, I would be a step closer to finding Savette.
“I will take you to the Dark Prince for an interview. I promised you would be sent to his quarters at sixth bell. We have just enough time to get there, but before we leave I have something to say to you.” Her expression hardened and I felt a stirring of fear in my belly. I’d always thought of Grandis Elfar as a friend. It worried me that she would look at me like that. “I take the guardianship of my Initiates seriously. I do not want to see you fall to harm. Do not encourage this prince. Do not draw his notice further. Keep silent about all you know – you know far too much for an Initiate. You will be punished if it seems you have divulged our knowledge to him. Understood?”
“How will you know it was me and not Starie?” I asked. After all, knowing her, she’d be doing whatever it took to ingratiate herself to him and she knew more about these things than I did.
“Starie Atrelan is a High Castelan, loyal to the Dominion and of a family sworn to our nation. I wish you had not pushed me to this, Amel Leafbrought, but to be honest, we trust her much more than we trust a girl born of common blood with no ties to us or to our nation beyond the coincidence of birth. It is not good for you to continue to try to slander her or to improve your own situation by doing so. If I hear you say another word against her, you will be removed from Dragon School and your dragon will be taken from you. This time, do you understand?”
Cold washed over me, followed by a wave of heat. She would really do that. She trusted Starie’s lies over what I had told her. And now, she had made it impossible for me to find allies anywhere else.
“Yes, Grandis Elfar,” I whispered.
“I can’t hear you, child.”
“Yes, Grandis Elfar.”
“Follow me.” She bit the words off at the end like she was trying to control her temper and I clenched my jaw as I stood.
I felt like I was in a bucket being lowered by rope into a well. The walls were getting closer and closer, higher and higher, and any friends I might have had were further from me than ever. How was I going to get out of this mess?
You could do what they say.
Had Raolcan been listening the whole time?
I was just listening to your conversation with the Grandis. I think, more than ever, that you need to find that girl and bring her to me.
And then what?
And then I will show you a trick that dragons have.
I tiny flicker of hope sprang to life in my heart.
Oh, it should be more than a flicker. Haven’t you heard? We dragons can light anything ablaze.
Chapter Five
I liked the architecture of the Ruby Isles. It made me think of the little pastures spread out from hill to hill where I grew up. There would be a set of terraces and then a bridge over to another set, both bedecked with enough Ashavan poles that they looked forested. Some terraces overlooked the water with narrow rails surrounding them, while others were concentric circles rising higher and higher until at the very peak a small pagoda was built.
We were headed to a set of garden terraces within the Castel, Grandis Elfar leading the way. She seemed frustrated and didn’t have her usual tolerance for my slower pace. I was losing friends too quickly, whether by having them stolen or by having them give up on me. It was a terrible feeling.
Most of the people we passed in the Castel were servants or guards, hard at work dusting or polishing or standing guard at entrances. I caught sight of one or two nobles at the far end of a path, but the Grandis would quickly steer me down a different route so that we wouldn’t trouble them.
We saw only one other Dragon Rider, his hair in the braids-mixed-with-loose look of the Dragon Riders and the black leather suit tightened frequently with leather belts that proclaimed him a full dragon rider. The red scarves hanging around his neck and tied around one wrist declared him to be Red – the same color Savette would be one day if she survived that long.
Now that we had arrived in the gardens, the Grandis was a little less circumspect, marching us straight through the middle of them to the terrace at the center of the gardens. Waterfalls poured from tier to tier on this terrace and dragons - sculpted in black mica and gold - guarded every path to the top. A pair of Castel guards stood on either side of the path, alert and focused. We weren’t dealing with the bottom drawer here.
At the summit, the Dark Prince sat on a wide bench under two wide weeping willows, playing an instrument I’d never seen before. It looked a little like a lute. Only his own men were with him and I swallowed when I realized it was the two I’d seen on the island the day I’d met them. They must be bodyguards and their casual attitude must be for show.
The deadliest of creatures always seem the least likely to be deadly.
Raolcan always saw what others didn’t see. I watched the nearest one with care as Grandis Elfar led me past him. He appeared to be studying a feather that he turned back and forth in his hands, but his gaze was sharp as a dagger when it scanned us both as we passed.
When we reached Prince Rakturan, the Grandis surprised me by falling on her knees. Should I be bowing? To him? I didn’t really think he deserved that much respect, but it didn’t seem right that the Grandis would bow and not me, so I lowered myself carefully with my crutch, attempting as much of a bow as I could. My eyes caught on Leng’s initials carved into the crutch but I didn’t want to think about why he may have made it for me or why he’d carved them into his gift.
Rakturan’s sharp gaze took in everything and I saw a flicker of curiosity in his eye at my late bow. He still wore his strange, upside-down crown and stiff, segmented clothing like those I’d seen him in the night Savette was stolen away.
“Thank
you for bringing your charge to me, Grandis,” he said, his voice charming and deep like he was used to honoring others with nothing more than a word. “I have questions to ask her.”
“Whatever you ask is yours, Prince,” the Grandis said, her gaze still at the ground. Why would she act so meek? We were dragon riders! We rode the wind. We didn’t bow and scrape to arrogant princes ... did we?
I think that your Grandis will do whatever is necessary to prevent a war.
That must be it. Even so, I chewed on my lip. There was something nerve-wracking about Rakturan.
“Now that you have fulfilled your mission, please leave. I have things to discuss with your trainee.”
Grandis Elfar looked like she might swallow her own tongue, but after a moment she exhaled and said, “I’m afraid that won’t be appropriate. I will stay to oversee her and ensure that she answers you truthfully and favorably.”
“What did you say a moment ago? That anything I asked for was mine?”
Her jaw shut with a click. Ah. So now she would have to do as she had promised. And what would that mean for me? An Initiate was hardly on even ground with a prince. I was far below a Grandis.
“Of course, your gracious majesty,” she said, rising and pulling me to her feet beside her. She whispered in my ear before she left. “Ruin this and the deaths of thousands are on your head. Answer his questions if you must but without mentioning those things you have been warned not to say. Be respectful and humble and then meet me below.”
She was gone so quickly that I wondered for a moment if she had fled or if I had been too stunned to notice the passing of time. Diplomacy rested with me now? That couldn’t be right.
“Is she worried you will cause a war?” Prince Rakturan asked. I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Chapter Six
Rakturan grinned slowly but the sound of metal on metal drew my attention as each of his guards pulled swords from scabbards. I leaned into my crutch, raising my free hand in a defensive posture.
“You have nothing to fear from me,” I said hurriedly. My mouth felt suddenly dry.
Rakturan laughed. “None of us thought we did, Blighted. The men are just well-trained. It is time for drills and they can easily practice while we speak.”
What game were they playing at? The bald guard squatted low, sword out and low, and a fierce expression on his face while the other stood with arms flung outwards, his own blade stretched out stylishly, its tip an inch from touching the flagstones.
“Ha!” The bald man shouted before leaping from his crouch, spinning through the air like a top and stopping only inches from the other man, his blade slashing a neck height. The other man hadn’t seemed to move, but his own blade deflected the other almost indifferently.
“Have you seen the Dance of Blades before?” Rakturan had a glitter in his eye. Just a few weeks ago I would have been intimidated by that but I’d met High Castelans since then and I’d realized something important. They were the same as regular people. Some were kind. Some were cruel. Some intelligent and some foolish. This Prince and his Dance of Blades was no different. I gritted my teeth willing myself to be courageous and to remember that he was more than an intimidating prince – he was a man. And that meant that he shared the same fears and triumphs as anyone else.
“I’m afraid not, Prince Rakturan.”
“No bowing and scraping from you?” His eyes narrowed as he set his instrument aside and stood. Did he expect me to be different than the last time we had met? I only knew one way to be.
“Is there a question you want to ask me?”
His guards continued their leaps and spins, the occasional clash of steel reminding us that they used real blades for practice. Rakturan stood, walking between the whirling forms as easily as a Dragon flew through the air.
“I came here to wed a bride provided by the Dominion. I found their offered choice to my liking – a bit cold and distant perhaps, but noble and fair.” I shivered. That’s all he had to say about my friend? “And now they have a different choice in mind – a pretty enough girl, and intelligent – but the circumstances of the change bother me. The first was stolen away by Magikas and the second arrives at almost the same moment. What game do your people play at here, Dominion Sky Rider?”
I cleared my throat. “I’m only a Dragon Rider Initiate.”
“Who just so happened to be there that night, and to have seen me on that island. If I am not mistaken, you knew both my first and second intended bride.”
I stayed silent. Now we were getting close to the things I was told not to speak of. Rakturan circled me as he spoke, as though examining me from every side. He would be disappointed. There was nothing to see here that couldn’t be noticed in a single glance.
“The mighty conspire. One side to give me the silvery damsel, the other the red-headed minx. And which is better for Baojang? Which is better for me? Which will deliver my enemies into my hand and shore up my relationship with my allies?” He ended his sentence standing behind me so that he was practically whispering in my ear when he echoed his own words, “Which?”
I shivered. “How should I know, Prince Rakturan? I come from peasant stock. I’m hardly the one to tell you about politics in either of our lands.”
He laughed. “And yet, I suspect that you are at the heart of all of this. Like the axel on which the wheel turns. It seems plain and insignificant and yet...”
If only he knew how insignificant I really was, maybe he would stop pushing me for something I couldn’t give.
“Tomorrow,” he said, “they are throwing another party for me and my new betrothed – a Starie Atrelan. You know her, I think. Nod if you do.”
I nodded. The men with whirling blades were growing closer so that Prince Rakturan had to stand very close to me as their blades and flying forms whirled around us. They really were like dancers. I barely dared to breathe as a sword slashed inches from my nose. I clenched my jaw and stood frozen in place, trying not to show how terrified I was.
“And do you trust her?”
If I said anything and it got back to Grandis Elfar my time in Dragon School would be over. They would take Raolcan away and my future would be nothing. I didn’t dare speak.
“Do you trust her to help me rule an empire? To make decisions about what we will do about your Dominion and whether to pursue war or peace?”
I shivered. Of course I didn’t trust her! I wanted to scream it from the rooftops. I wanted everyone to know. But if I did... I bit my lip, tasting blood and refusing to speak.
“Do you think she may be responsible for the disappearance of my first would-be bride?”
Did he know?
“I think that you know. Or if you don’t, then I think that you can find these answers for me.”
The bodyguards swirling dance ended behind me and I breathed a sigh of relief. I heard them grow still a fraction of a second before I felt the pinpricks of each of their swords at the back of my neck. A wave of fear washed over me from head to foot, leaving my belly swirling and my legs weak and wobbly. I had relaxed too soon.
“You have three days to find them and return to me with an account of what happened to my first would-be bride and who I am to trust. Fail, and we will remove your head – and that of the purple beast you ride.” He circled to stand in front of me, his gaze boring into mine. “Tell anyone what I’ve told you and it will be the same fate. Do you understand?”
I nodded. The best thing for me right now would be to fall ill or be rendered mute. Everyone wanted my silence and all of them were happy to threaten me to get it.
“I understand,” I said, slowly.
“Three days. Watch your step on your way out.”
The pressure eased from my neck and my hand sprang back to slide across the skin. It came away red with blood. The sharp blades must have punctured the skin.
It was all I could do to turn and leave at a steady pace without rushing out in a panic. I’d attracted the notice of too many important
people and for a common girl that was a terrible thing to do. Was that a joke about watching my step? Or a threat?
Chapter Seven
Rushing down the tiers was difficult with a crutch to manage. Stairs aren’t my friends at the best of times. They are worse when I’m feeling panicky and light-headed and my face is hot and my belly roiling and I can’t seem to catch a full breath. I almost ran into someone ascending while I was still descending.
“Watch yourself, Blighted.”
Starie Atrelan! Now was my chance, if I could just think of the right thing to say. I looked into her eyes but she was faster, ducking in close so that our noses almost touched.
“I hear you told Grandis Elfar things about me. Lies.”
What should I say? What would convince her to come with me?
“We need to talk,” I said. Would it be enough to tempt her?
“Blackmail?” Her head tilted to the side like she was considering if I would be bold enough to do that. Is that what she would do? It was so mean-spirited!
“Just come to my dragon’s alcove at tenth bell and I’ll tell you everything,” I breathed.
She nodded, a hard look on her face. It felt unethical to even pretend that I was going to blackmail her, but here I was doing it anyway. I tried to suppress my sickened expression as she pushed past me and rushed up the steps to the next tier.
She must be off to tryst with her new betrothed. It was strange to me that he didn’t think he could get the information he needed from her directly. Why use me? Or was I just a backup plan in case he didn’t get what he needed on his own. If I’d planned to lie to him – which I hadn’t – I knew now that he had more ways to get to the information he wanted than through me. It would be wise to remember that he was a prince, used to intricate court maneuvering, not a peasant like me.
Grandis Elfar was waiting at the garden entrance.
“You answered the prince’s questions?” she asked.
Dragon School_The Ruby Isles Page 2
