by Nathan Roden
Helena tried to get away from Sterling’s grip, but he squeezed harder. Helena cried out in pain.
“I’ll tell you who should be breeding,” Sterling spat. “The King and Queen of this realm are responsible for the continuation of the Royal bloodline. And nothing is being done about it!”
Sterling threw Helena at Lucien. Lucien threw his arms out and caught her.
“You’ve spent years practicing to slay a dragon, Your Grace,” Sterling said as he stared at Viceroy Lamont.
“Perhaps you need to practice producing an heir! Put a baby in the belly of the handmaid if that is the best you can do!”
Nicolas Lamont pushed his wife behind him. His lieutenant, Finn, put a hand on the hilt of his sword. Lamont shook his head at Finn and stepped forward.
“You have disrespected the Queen of the Realm, Lord Sterling. Your behavior is—”
Lamont stopped when the swords of Sterling, Raynard, and the First Knight swung in front of his neck.
Sterling cleared his throat.
“My behavior is….what?”
“Your behavior is quite clear,” Viceroy Lamont said. He took a step backward.
“As is the knowledge of where the real power of the realm abides.”
Sterling smiled. He leaned forward.
“A very astute observation, Viceroy Lamont. It is a very good thing that we have an understanding. Let us keep this between friends, shall we?”
Twenty-Four
Boone lowered the spyglass. He breathed heavily.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“It’s a dragon, all right,” Simon said. “What are they doing with it? That is the important question.”
“Where did it come from?” Boone asked. “That is yet another question.”
“It must have been hiding in the Southlands,” Simon said. “Else it is likely that we would have crossed paths. If I was a real dragon that is where I would hide—far away from the King’s Guard and his army.”
“What do they mean to do?” Boone asked.
“They mean to slaughter it—in front of an arena full of people!”
“On the King’s name day? But why?” Boone asked.
“This is Sterling’s doing,” Simon said. “I am certain of it. He means to stoke the fires of hatred. The poor beast will be made to suffer—because of me!”
“That is not necessarily true, Simon. Dragons were killing and laying waste to men long before you were born. The curse inflicted upon you is yours alone! You are not required to shoulder the weight of every dragon’s evil deed.”
“Perhaps that was all true—long ago,” Simon said. “But you have seen it yourself. They live and they die—alone. They will never mate. The few that are left will be the last. They have to hide to survive at all.”
Simon pointed a talon.
“Look at that pathetic creature. I’ll wager that he has not eaten for days.”
“Aye, that may be,” Boone said. “But there is nothing we can do about it. If there are five, or ten, or twenty or more of them, we cannot save them—just as we cannot save this one.”
Simon said no more. He continued to stare up the King’s Road, and the spectacle of the dragon in chains being driven forward at the point of a whip.
“We should go, Simon,” Boone said. “There is nothing we can—”
“Soon,” Simon said. “Very soon, my friend.”
Boone sighed and sat down with his back against the wall.
“There is nothing we can do,” he whispered to himself.
The men and the dragon disappeared behind the walls of the arena. The sounds of the crowd within the arena rose. Boone stood and stepped next to Simon.
“I know this troubles you, my King. Why do you torture yourself? Why don’t we leave this place?”
Simon continued to stare at the arena walls though he could see nothing. Boone stepped away and waited.
Movement on the King’s Road caught Boone’s attention. He raised the spyglass.
“Simon! Look!”
Simon climbed down from the wall.
“There! On the King’s Road!” Boone said. “Riding away at full gallop—and…and clad only in her under—”
“That is Jaclyn.”
“Now, do not allow your eyes to deceive you, Your Grace,” Boone said. “It is most unlikely that the Queen is riding away from the arena in her undergarments—”
“I am not deceived,” Simon said. “I would know her anywhere.”
“Well, it is definitely time for us to go,” Boone said.
“Yes, it is,” Simon said.
“Climb on. I will take you to the cave, and then I am going to her.”
“Going to her?” Boone said. “Have you lost your—?”
“Get on.”
“Let us discuss this, Si—”
Simon glared at Boone. His eyes blazed with orange flame. He turned his head aside.
“NOW!” Simon barked. Flame shot from his mouth and struck the wall.
Boone climbed on.
Simon flew at such a speed that Boone could barely breathe. He held on so tightly his entire body became numb. Just when he reached the point he thought he would fall, Simon dove. He slowed and hovered over the ground. Boone slipped off. Without a word, Simon flapped his wings and shot into the sky. Boone fell from a distance of several feet, landing on his back. He groaned, rolled over, and climbed to his feet. He looked up and watched the dragon disappear into the clouds.
“Your mother, the sorceress, and now your brother’s wife—the Queen. What a way you have with the ladies, my friend!” Boone said aloud. He stretched his arms and pushed a fist against the small of his back.
“We are going to die in such spectacular fashion!”
Twenty-Five
Jaclyn buried her face in the horse’s mane. Her eyes burned from the force of the wind—and her tears. She refused to allow the horse to slow down as they sped up the King’s Road.
Jaclyn did not know where she was going, but she longed to be far away from Lucien and his evil, evil uncle—
And the dead dragon, who reminded her of the friend she had missed for five unbelievably long years.
The horse reared and whinnied. It came to an abrupt halt, forcing Jaclyn to throw her arms around the horse’s neck.
Two large trees lay across the road—extending from one side of the forest to the other.
“This is my fault, I’m afraid.”
Jaclyn jumped and shrieked when she heard the voice.
A long-forgotten, yet hauntingly familiar voice. The voice came from the forest.
“I wanted you to stop—but I did not want the horse to rear and fall on you. That would be bad manners.”
Jaclyn slid from the horse’s back. She took one cautious step toward the trees. She leaned forward.
“It is YOU, is it not?”
“Your scaly old friend with the big teeth. Yes.”
“And the…the wings?”
“Let me look…yes, I still have them,” said the voice.
“Simon,” Jaclyn whispered. “Are you going to come out where I can see you?”
“You should tie-off your horse. He will not like me.”
Simon stepped onto the road.
“I have missed you,” Jaclyn said.
“Aw, I wager that you say that to all the dragons.”
Jaclyn giggled.
“And that is what I have missed most of all!”
Simon braced himself when he saw Jaclyn running at him. She threw her arms around him as best she could.
“Get away from her, foul creature!”
Nicolas Lamont and his lieutenant, Finn stood with bows taut—with arrows aimed at Simon’s head.
“Father! No!” Jaclyn cried.
“Get away from it, Jaclyn,” Lamont said. “Our arrows are aimed at the beast’s eyes. At this distance, we cannot miss.”
Jaclyn turned. She backed against the dragon’s body and spread her arms to protect him.
“You will do no such thing!” she shouted. “I am the Queen! You will do as I say! Put down your bows!”
Finn kept his arrow aimed at the dragon’s head as he shifted his weight between his feet. He was confused and conflicted, and looked toward Lamont for guidance.
“Jaclyn,” Lamont said quietly. His bow remained steady. “I know what happened in the arena upset you, but—”
“He is my friend, Father!” Jaclyn cried. “My truest friend! If you want to kill him—you will have to kill me first!”
“Viceroy Lamont—I would die a thousand deaths before I harmed a hair on your daughter’s head,” the dragon said.
Finn’s knees buckled, and he dropped his bow.
“Great Vehallion’s ghost!” Nicolas Lamont whispered. He lowered his bow.
“You can speak!”
“Of course, he can speak, Father,” Jaclyn said. “He was meant to be King! And he speaks the language of a King!”
“But you must understand, Jaclyn. It is cursed—and hunted by every swordsman in the realm—!”
“That does not make it right!” Jaclyn said. “Simon bears no responsibility for the curse—as he bears no responsibility for those that rule in his stead! The Kingdom has fallen to the wicked—Lord Sterling may as well declare himself to be King and Queen!”
There was a rustling in the trees. Lamont caught Finn’s eye and nodded toward where the sound had come. Finn drew his sword and circled around. He disappeared into the forest.
“You speak the truth, my daughter—and my Queen,” Lamont said. “But the truth changes nothing. The Morgenwraithes have beaten the people down and destroyed any hope that the state of tyranny can be overthrown. This has gone on now for four generations, and it is Lord Sterling’s every intention to keep it that way. Your husband is King in name only. He is but a boy! A frightened boy.”
“And that boy now knows that a dragon will bleed—and die,” Simon said. “While his subjects cheer and chant his name.”
“If you make it a practice to attend these ceremonies, you will not be long for this world,” Lamont said. “What is it you hope to achieve? Did you learn nothing the night that my men tried to kill you at Islemar? Do you plan more of your little midnight chats with the Queen—until you are caught and both of your heads end up displayed on the castle walls?”
“I have stayed away for five years, My Lord—”
“And you should stay away for five more!” Lamont snapped.
“I told you that Simon is my friend, Father,” Jaclyn said. “Does that mean nothing to you?”
Lamont breathed heavily and his shoulders slumped.
“I truly wish it could be that simple, my love. But I am thinking only of your safety—and the safety of our people. You may not yet realize it, but your status as Queen is important to so many. Our family, the people of Islemar—they all sleep well at night because you sit at the right hand of the King.
“Jaclyn, if it was ever discovered…
“Do you have you any idea how difficult it was to keep word from getting out that this….this….thing was visiting our home—”
Jaclyn began to cry.
“He is not a Thing!” she croaked. “He is a boy who had his birthright stolen from him! A boy who would have put an end to the murderous and evil ways of his ancestors!”
“And should you be caught with him,” Lamont said, “his family will take your head. And his. Soon after, they will take mine, and your mother’s. And our homeland—our home, Jaclyn, will become just another abomination.”
More rustling came from the trees.
A young man, dressed in dark work clothes, stumbled onto the road. Finn walked behind him, holding a handful of the young man’s hair. The point of Finn’s sword was at the man’s back.
“Well, look what I have found, My Lord,” Finn said. “The forest has eyes and ears.”
Finn marched the young man closer to the dragon. The man tried to break free and run, but he found Nicolas Lamont’s sword at his throat.
Lamont glared at the young man.
“Who is he?”
“A Royal stable boy, so he says,” Finn said.
“How did he get here so quickly?”
“He is either about the King’s business, or he has stolen a Royal horse,” Finn said.
“I am going to lower my sword,” Lamont said to the young man.
“Do not move. This has been a very, very bad day.”
Lamont turned to Jaclyn.
“Do you recognize this man?”
“Yes,” Jaclyn said.
“What do you know about him—other than he possesses knowledge of horses?”
Jaclyn stared at the ground.
Nicolas Lamont put his finger under his daughter’s chin and lifted her head.
“This is most important, my Queen.”
“He whispers to Lord Sterling,” Jaclyn said.
“No!” the young man cried.
Lamont lifted his sword again.
“Lord Sterling asks after my sisters—and my cousins!”
“Liar!” Jaclyn screamed. “Sterling does not ask after girls! He takes them! And he does with them whatever he wishes!”
“Boy,” Lamont said. “Do you know the penalty for lying to the Queen, and to a Kingdom’s Viceroy?”
“I am not lying, My Lord! I will say nothing to anyone! Your secrets will go with me to my grave!”
“So, you admit that you followed the Queen on the order of Lord Sterling in order to report back to him?”
“Yes….well, no—I mean…”
“Turn aside, Jaclyn,” Lamont said softly.
“What?” Jaclyn said. “No. What do you mean to—? I will not turn away and hide from the ugliness of this world. This is my Kingdom!”
“Please, Jaclyn,” Lamont whispered.
“No, Father, I will—”
Everyone jumped when the dragon unfurled his wings. He carefully wrapped them around Jaclyn.
“No, Simon!” Jaclyn said weakly.
She stretched her arms around the dragon and laid her head against his belly.
“I swear on my blessed mother,” the stable boy moaned. “I would never—!”
Those were the stable boy’s last words. Nicolas Lamont shoved his knife blade into the young man’s throat.
“Let us get him onto your horse,” Lamont said to Finn. “Do away with the body where it will not be found. Return to Morgenwraithe. Tell Lady Lamont that I ordered you back to attend to her before we caught up with Jaclyn.”
“What about his horse?” Finn asked.
“Untie it,” Lamont said. “It will find its way home.”
Twenty-Six
Finn disappeared down the King’s Road.
Simon unfurled his wings. Jaclyn lowered her arms.
“Jaclyn,” Lamont said. May I have a private word with your friend?”
Jaclyn nodded and stepped away.
Lamont took three steps toward the dragon. He looked up.
“Thank you,” he said.
Simon nodded.
“I will not let her be hurt—in her body, her heart, or her mind.”
“How did you form such a strong bond with my daughter? You could not have met with her more than a few times.”
“Did you never ask her?” Simon asked.
Lamont turned and looked at Jaclyn. She had her back turned.
“She would not speak to me for quite some time,” Lamont said. “So many times, I found her crying. I tried to comfort her, but she would only look at me and ask ‘why?’ ‘Why did you kill my friend?’ It broke my heart.”
“What do you wish me to say?” Simon asked.
“You choose a difficult path,” Lamont said. “If you care deeply for both the queen and the king.”
“I only know of my brother as a baby,” Simon said. “Thus far, his reign as king speaks for itself.”
“He has had no chance to do anything other than obey Lord Sterling,” Lamont said.
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br /> “It is my hope to one day—” Simon began.
“You hope to one day do what? To break this curse, somehow? Is this your plan?”
“Yes, it is, My Lord,” Simon said. “Perhaps it seems hopeless to you and to everyone else—but it is all that I think about. What else do I have? Every long day and every endless night. Yes. It is my plan. And I will see it come to pass, or I will die in its pursuit.”
Lamont nodded.
“I admire your dedication. And your will. But how would we be assured that your reign would be any different from what we have now? You are still a Morgenwraithe. The blood of ruthless tyrants runs in your veins.”
“That is true, Viceroy. My first order of business would be to return to the surname that belonged to my family since the dawn of time.”
Lamont narrowed his eyes.
“Sterling would kill you for even speaking such a thing.”
Simon laughed.
“Sterling needs no more incentive to kill me!”
“Any man in the Realm would be put to death for even mentioning the former surname of the Morgenwraithes,” Lamont said.
“You know the name, then?” Simon asked.
“Smyth,” Lamont said.
“Very good,” Simon said. “The name says so much about our past, does it not? Ten years of building weapons to outfit an army strong enough to overthrow a King’s Guard, a King’s Army, and turn away a weak group of allies. My family has a glorious heritage, don’t you think?”
“Many in my family were slaughtered in those wars,” Lamont said.
“And good people they were, I am most certain,” Simon said. “You must see why breaking this curse is my obsession, Lord Lamont. I care nothing about tournaments and parades, robes and thrones. I care about the Kingdom being ravaged by wicked men while I hide from swords and arrows.”
