by Nathan Roden
“You are forgetting one possibility,” Simon said.
“What?” Boone said.
“Sterling holds the position of regent until Lucien’s seventeenth name day,” Simon said.
“That is the law,” Lamont said.
“By the gods!” Helena said. “Could Sterling be so evil—?”
“What are you talking about?” Boone asked.
“If it would cross the mind of any man, it would be Lord Sterling,” Lamont said.
Boone shrugged. He was puzzled.
“If Lucien and Jaclyn have a boy child,” Helena said. “Sterling could remain Regent for seventeen more years.”
“That is not possible,” Boone said. “The only way that could happen is if—”
Realization came over Boone’s face.
“He wouldn’t! Murder Lucien? Simon? What hellish spirit does Sterling possess?”
“I will see this madness come to an end, if I have to raze the castle to the ground,” Simon said. “I would begin tonight, if I knew I could put an end to this terror.”
“Jaclyn is in even more danger than the King,” Lamont said. “I have just come from Morgenwraithe. Lady Lamont remains there. I have seen the faces of both Lucien and Sterling. They are sorely displeased with Jaclyn’s reaction to the child.”
Lord Lamont’s voice broke.
“Forgive me. Seeing her so unhappy was already hard to bear. To see her miserable at the thought of having her first child…it is not only painful for me to see. It is making the King and his Regent most angry. And there is nothing I or my wife can do.”
“If you will excuse me, Lord Lamont,” Simon said. “I need…a few moments.”
Lamont nodded. Simon stepped out of the cave. He took to the air. The others paused in the silence of their thoughts.
Their heads jerked up when they heard an awful roar echo against the mountains.
Lord Lamont, his lieutenant, Boone, and Helena studied each other’s faces.
“He is a passionate dragon,” Lamont said.
“He is also a passionate man,” Helena said.
“Aye,” Boone said.
“You have seen him, then—in his human form?” Lamont asked.
“Yes,” Helena said.
“Has the Queen—?”
“No,” Boone and Helena said together.
“This passion will be needed in the days to come—as well as his strength and fire—”
“He loves her, Lord Lamont,” Helena said. “And she loves him.”
The lieutenant looked clearly uncomfortable. He stepped outside of the cave.
Lamont stroked his beard. He flexed his hands and stared at the wall.
“I feared as much,” he whispered.
“Nothing. Nothing in my life could have prepared me for what we face.”
“I have not lived many years, My Lord,” Boone said. “But I have lived long enough to see good, and to know evil. We may all perish in the fight. But we must fight. Or evil will consume us all.”
“It is that simple, is it not?” Lamont smiled. “Who would have thought such wisdom could come from such a young mind? We must ensure you and your friends have a proper world in which to grow old.”
“We will need an army,” Helena said.
“And an army we shall have!” Lamont said.
There was a rustling in the trees as Simon made his way back to the cave entrance.
“I must be off,” Lamont said. “I hate leaving my wife and daughter alone in that place. Concerning the Southlands—,”
“We must move soon, Lord Lamont,” Simon said. “Sterling and his spies will be on full alert now. It is dangerous for us to remain so close to Islemar—and dangerous for you.”
“But what about plans for the Southlands?” Helena asked. “How much time do we have left to act? Do we wait for Sterling to force our hands?”
“It will take weeks to raise support in the south, at best. And if Lord Lamont and his officers are not known to be either in Islemar or Morgenwraithe, it will arouse Sterling’s suspicion,” Simon said. “There is one thing of immediate importance to our cause,” Simon said.
“What is that?” Lamont asked.
“We must convince the queen to alter her behavior. To put forth a convincing act.”
Lamont dropped his chin to his chest.
“Have you not heard me, Simon?” Lamont asked. “You ask the impossible. She has no hope—”
“Then we must give her hope!” Simon said.
“How do we accomplish that?” Boone asked.
“I have given this more thought. We should inform her of our plans,” Simon said. “And tell her that Helena is alive and well.”
“You’ve done quite a turnabout on that fact,” Boone said.
“Yes, I have,” Simon said. “But our cause grows more desperate. If the queen continues in misery and sorrow, the castle will be full of whispers. This will not escape Sterling’s attention. And should the queen deliver an heir—
“Then many lives are in danger.”
“This is true,” Lamont said. “I will go to Morgenwraithe immediately. I will secure a private audience with Jaclyn—”
“No,” Simon said.
“No?” Lamont, Boone, and Helena said together.
“If I know Lord Sterling at all,” Simon said, “there will be nowhere inside of the castle you or Lady Lamont can exchange a private word. This will be especially true, now.”
“Then what do you propose?” Lamont asked.
“The full moon will be upon us in one week.”
“What?” Boone exclaimed. “What are you thinking, Simon? Or are you thinking at all!”
Helena tugged at Boone’s sleeve.
“Boone. You are yelling at the King!”
Boone yanked his arm away.
“I am aware of that, my Lady! And I am duty-bound to see that the king remains alive! But it sounds as if he seeks to throw his life down a privy-hole!”
“What I propose is less dangerous than asking Lord Lamont to risk himself, his wife, his daughter, and his entire village!”
“What you propose—is foolish!” Boone yelled.
“It is not foolish!” Simon said.
Boone waved his hands and paced.
“Ain’t love just grand, Your Grace? Winks and giggles! Hearts all a-flutter! Flowery words sung by minstrels—”
“Hold your tongue!” the dragon roared. Helena and Lamont stepped back.
Boone stomped across the floor and stood in front of Simon. He clenched his fists.
“I will not hold my tongue! You are not the first man—the first dragon—to be in love! But I will be damned if I will be silent while it kills you!”
Several moments of silence passed.
“I know you speak from a place of friendship, and from passion,” Simon said. ”And for that, I am grateful.”
“Lord Lamont.”
“Yes?” Lamont said.
“Can you be at Morgenwraithe on the day of the full moon?”
“I can.”
“Press a note into Jaclyn’s hand. Make it say, ‘Light a candle at midnight where you last met a friend’. “
Forty-Two
Jaclyn sat in her chair, staring out of the window at an afternoon dark with rain.
She was startled when she heard a voice. She heard no one enter the room.
“Ah, another lovely day at Morgenwraithe. It matches the mood, as always, wouldn’t you say?”
Jaclyn turned and glared at Lady Magdalena with swollen, bloodshot eyes.
“Have you come to the King’s chamber to make sport of me, Sorceress?” Jaclyn said. “It must be quite thrilling to know that in any other Kingdom you would be put to death for your words.”
“Perhaps you have not noticed, but I am your visitor, and you have not offered me a seat. Has your foul demeanor destroyed your manners? Or had you ever acquired any?”
“What?” Jaclyn gripped the arms of her chair.
“Wh
at did you—how dare you—!”
Magdalena laughed. She leaned against the windowsill.
“Oh, my! I have poked the Queen with a stick, and it turns out she is still alive!”
Jaclyn pushed herself to her feet.
“I will have you—!”
Magdalena lifted her hand and flipped her fingers. Jaclyn was thrown back into her chair.
“No, my Queen. What you will do, is listen to what I have to say.”
“Mother!” Jaclyn said. She looked around the room.
“Where is my mother?”
Magdalena sighed.
“She may be touring the dungeon—or perhaps watching the kitchen staff butcher a boar for tonight’s dinner. Either of these would be less depressing than staying another minute in this room.”
“What do you want?” Jaclyn snapped.
“I want you to stop acting like a spoiled child—”
“Why do you care what I—?”
Magdalena grabbed the arms of Jaclyn’s chair and leaned close to her face. She ground her teeth.
“I want you to stay alive!”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jaclyn asked.
Magdalena pushed away from the chair.
“Do you think your behavior is endearing you to the king? Or Lord Sterling?”
“What right do you have to question my behavior?” Jaclyn asked. “You are the one to blame for this! You and your stupid curse!”
“That stupid curse put you at the right hand of the King.”
“And where did it leave you, WITCH?” Jaclyn screamed.
A voice came from the hallway.
“Are you all right, My Queen?”
“Leave us!” Magdalena said sharply.
She raised her hand, and the door slammed shut.
Jaclyn gripped the chair. She breathed heavily.
“You remain untouched. You have no need to fear anyone in the Kingdom. Sterling cannot harm you. And Lucien does not dare.”
Jaclyn sneered.
“You have no one to fear but the dragon.”
Magdalena dragged her fingers along the windowsill.
“Of course,” she purred. “I hold the only key that locks him inside of that beast, and you think I fear him? Such is the power of the dragon, my Queen! Their legend has so filled the minds of the people that death by dragon-fire is a fate worse than death itself! But, you see, this dragon has a mind—”
Jaclyn laughed.
“Yes! Yes, Sorceress. Keep telling yourself that you are dealing with a rational mind! Tell that to yourself as you burn! My handmaid—whatever her motivation was—threw her life away to save the dragon—
“What did it get her? What did her sacrifice attain? The most horrible of deaths!”
“They will assign you a new handmaid soon,” Magdalena said. “Do not fool yourself, my Queen. They were well-aware that you were close to Helena. You must not trust—”
Helena laughed again.
“Trust? Do you really expect me to listen to you when it comes to the issue of trust?”
Magdalena stepped toward Jaclyn.
“Have you given up?”
Jaclyn was perplexed.
“What…what type of question is that?”
“Have you given up? Have you no hope—that this life will ever be more than it is?”
Jaclyn scowled.
“Why should I stand here and listen to a lecture from the Witch who cheated the realm? The Witch who chose to twist the fate of the entire kingdom?”
Magdalena grabbed Jaclyn’s hand. Jaclyn tried to get away, but there was magic at work.
“Be still!” Magdalena said. Magdalena raised her other hand.
Jaclyn continued to struggle.
“What are you doing?”
Magdalena placed her hand on Jaclyn’s belly. And then she let go.
Magdalena sighed.
“I find it difficult to imagine that even a brief moment of passion brought this about.”
“There has never been a single moment of passion—for either of us!” Jaclyn said. “Only the fulfillment of duty! Of expectation! And the fear of—!”
“The fear of Lord Sterling’s wrath!” Magdalena finished.
Jaclyn’s silence confirmed the truth.
Magdalena pointed at Jaclyn’s belly.
“We have precious little time,” Magdalena said quietly. “Our fate will be sealed when the child comes.”
“What are you talking about?” Jaclyn asked.
“Climb out of your selfishness long enough to think, my Queen. The moment that Lucien has an heir, Sterling’s existence as King’s Regent gains new breath.”
“He has but two years—” Jaclyn said.
“He has but two years if Lucien is alive!”
“You think that Sterling would kill—?”
“Lower your voice!” Magdalena whispered.
“A newborn King would afford Sterling another generation of rule—likely more ruthless than what we have already seen. And your life—”
“He will kill me, as well,” Jaclyn said.
“Yes,” Magdalena said. “And me.”
Jaclyn looked up.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“This could all be for naught,” Jaclyn said. “The baby could be a girl, and—”
Magdalena shook her head.
“No.”
Jaclyn put her hand to her mouth. She stared out of the window. Her shoulders fell.
Magdalena stepped beside her.
“With the birth of Lucien’s heir, Simon’s claim to the throne will become unclear, even if the curse was broken.”
“Do you think I care?” Jaclyn asked. “If you thought to put an end to your madness, you have waited too long! He killed the girl that saved him! Whatever mind he once possessed—it is gone! He is no longer a man! The dragon has consumed him!”
Magdalena leaned close to Jaclyn’s ear.
“What if I told you that your handmaid is alive?”
“You heartless, lying bit—!” Jaclyn growled as she pushed Magdalena away from her. She drew back her fist and swung at Magdalena’s chin.
Magdalena leaned back at the last second. Jaclyn twirled herself around and fell to the floor. Magdalena grabbed Jaclyn’s arms and pulled her to her feet with an inhuman strength.
“Liar! You are a lying witch!” Jaclyn struggled. “I saw her with my own—!”
Magdalena covered Jaclyn’s mouth with her hand.
“What you saw, was not intended for your eyes. What you saw, was what was intended for Sterling to see.”
Jaclyn slumped into her chair. She sobbed as she chewed at her finger.
“Why did you come here?” Jaclyn asked. “Why did you not just let me die? You expect me to have hope—hope based on your words? I would not only have to believe Helena was alive—but that a noble heart still beats inside of that beast.”
“What if I told you the dragon was dead?”
Jaclyn leaped to her feet.
“No! You are lying! Again!”
“Not a lie, my Queen,” Magdalena said. “A test.”
Magdalena narrowed her eyes.
“The dragon lives—somewhere within the realm. Just as he lives in your heart!”
Jaclyn glared.
“I should have you killed this instant.”
“But you will not. Because I speak the truth. I am leaving now. If we are to survive, we will need for you to stop incurring the wrath and the attention of Lord Sterling. We will also need the power and fire of the one who holds the Queen’s heart.”
“You are truly mad—” Jaclyn said.
Magdalena dismissed herself with a wave of her hand.
“From the lips of the one in love with the dragon-King.”
Forty-Three
Simon flew them to the sight of the cave that would become their newest temporary home. Boone slid down and helped Helena off of Simon’s back.
“This cave is closer to the villa
ge than any of the others,” Boone shook his head. “Is this the wisest course of action?’
“It is the last thing they would expect after my escape,” Simon said.
Boone walked into the cave, looked around, and walked back out.
“They’ve found it, Simon!” Boone exclaimed. “The cave is stripped clean! They know we were here!”
“Just as I said before,” Simon said. “They will never expect us to remain here.”
“You are not thinking clearly, Simon,” Boone said. “They have enough resources to investigate every possibility. They may think we would abandon this location, but that does not prevent sending someone—anyone—to have a look. It wouldn’t have to be a soldier—it could be a child! What does Sterling care if you burn a child alive?”
“Your thoughts frighten me at times, Boone.”
“Someone has to remain grounded in reality, Your Grace,” Boone said. “Of late, I believe that responsibility has fallen to me.”
“I will not argue with you.”
“I will gather our beds,” Helena said. “I could sleep for days.”
“It will be dawn soon,” Boone said. “I know this area. There should be game nearby. I will see that we have meat before I sleep.”
“I will go with you,” Helena said.
Boone shook his head.
“We should be extra careful while we are here. Plenty of game means a greater possibility that someone else may hunt nearby. There’s a greater risk of being seen.”
“Maybe you’re just getting tired of having me along,” Helena said.
“Don’t start in with your games,” Boone snapped. “We’re all tired. I wish to stay alive long enough to eat and then sleep for three days.”
Boone turned and started into the woods. Helena stomped her foot and snatched up her bow.
