by Nathan Roden
“Then it was witchcraft!” Lucien said. “But who would free a squire and leave the queen behind?”
Sterling’s eyes narrowed.
“She claims she was asleep and knows nothing.”
Sterling turned to Dathien.
“I am charging you to see that the queen remains in her cell. It seems that when the king is left in charge of the kingdom, security becomes less than a primary concern.”
“I had nothing to do with—” Lucien growled.
“I am not one of your puny soldiers, Sterling!” Dathien boomed. “And I am not a jailer! Do not think that I sit here watching your cells rust for nothing!”
Sterling scowled. He did not care for being spoken down to, even by a giant wizard.
“You will be paid—!”
“I should be on my way to this border camp this instant! Every day this dragon-boy avoids me he grows bolder—he gets stronger! I am ready for this farce to end!”
“I have no time for this now,” Sterling dismissed Lucien with a wave of his hand. “I have more pressing concerns. But I will return to determine who is at fault for this latest act of treason. I will question everyone in the village. No one will be exempt.”
Sterling glared at Lucien.
“No one.”
Lucien’s face turned red as he balled his fists.
Sterling turned to Raynard.
“Assemble two companies. We leave in one hour.”
Thirty-One
Noah Lamont rocked back and forth. His hands were folded, and his fingers were steepled against his chin. He sat on the bench seat of his family’s coach outside the Inn at the edge of Morgenwraithe Village. Sara Brewer sat beside him. Sara’s little brother, Ezekiel, sat across from them next to Oliver, the king’s squire.
Noah had just heard Oliver recount the events of the last days.
Noah rubbed his eyes.
“What in blue blazes do we do now?”
Oliver said nothing.
“Why didn’t she come with—?” Noah said. He slapped the side of the coach in frustration. He tapped his fists against his head.
“Jaclyn, Jaclyn, Jaclyn,” he muttered to no one. “What are you doing?”
“The queen always thinks of others first, My Lord,” Oliver said. “She knew her escape could bring harm to her family. She feared for you.”
Noah struggled with his thoughts.
“I do not understand the king’s actions at all. Why would he let you go?”
“There is much in the kingdom that does not make sense, My Lord,” Oliver said. “King Lucien is not an evil soul. But he is trapped by Lord Sterling.”
“Jaclyn will deliver their child soon. And that will change everything. Jaclyn will have no more value to Sterling. She will be disposable.”
“I do not think Sterling hates the queen,” Oliver said. “But he does despise her father. I believe Lord Lamont is the only man that Sterling fears in the entire kingdom.”
“We are left with nothing to do,” Noah said. “Worse than that—they will be looking for you. We cannot stay here. We have to get help, but I don’t know where to go.”
Noah stared hard into Oliver’s eyes.
“I have to trust you far too much for being a total stranger. But I have little choice. My mother told me my father is raising an army. Do you know anything about this?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“Do you know where he is?”
Oliver swallowed.
“I believe he’s in the Southlands.”
“The Southlands,” Noah repeated. “An unlikely place to raise a resistance. And he would have to deal with Border Guard. Did my father go alone?”
“Oh, no, My Lord. He should have been joined by a captain and a lieutenant. They helped the queen escape the village.”
“Do you know their names?”
“Captain Finn and Lieutenant Winston.”
“Anyone else?”
Oliver looked away.
“Yes, though you may think me mad if I say.”
“Out with it.”
“Do you know the story of the dragon king?”
Noah blew out a long breath. His face relaxed into a tired smile.
“Well, now I know I can trust you.” Noah rubbed his forehead. “The Southlands is too far a journey to think about. I have little coin left, and no way past the Border Guard should we even make it that far. The road back to Islemar is the first place they will look for you.”
Sara and Zeke had fallen asleep, leaning against each other.
“It is not far to Evenshire,” Oliver said. “The woods are thick there, and the sheriff is a good man.”
“We’ll do best to stay away from everyone, including a sheriff,” Noah said. “Right now our definition of a good man is Sterling’s definition of a traitor.”
Oliver patted the seat of the coach.
“I would consider this a luxury, sleeping in here. I’ve just come from a dungeon.”
“It will have to do for now,” Noah said. “It would help if you’re a praying man. We could use a miracle.”
Oliver smiled. He pointed at the children.
“We have two already. Their brother makes three.”
“I want to get them far away from the danger,” Noah said, “not put them in the thick of it.”
Thirty-Two
Brock glared at Simon’s back. He spat on the ground.
“Do you have a problem, young man?” Captain Finn asked.
“You brought us here from Marcelo, and now we’re going back there? What purpose does that serve—other than to show that we are now your slaves?”
“You’re no one’s slave,” Finn replied.
“A man who’s not free to go where he wants is a slave.”
“A man stupid enough to take advantage of helpless strangers should consider himself lucky to be alive,” Finn said.
Brock opened his mouth.
“Shut it, boy,” Finn said. “Unless you want me to have a word with King Simon.”
Brock closed his mouth.
“Now,” Finn said. “We will be traveling with the men who joined us from the Border Guard—”
“Did they volunteer the same as we did?” Brock’s friend asked.
“They saw the wisdom in joining in our cause—after watching their Captain’s head roll across their feet.”
“And we’re supposed to believe that a new king will make the kingdom a better place,” Brock said.
Finn pointed to the north.
“You are here because Edmund Braun would not allow you to hinder our efforts. If you wish to leave now, the border is that way. I wish you a long and healthy life.”
The four young men eyed the road to the north. None of them were sure what to do.
Screeches filled the air as Nigel, Alice and eight more of their young friends dove into the trees. They came out with four young deer, which they devoured on the side of the road.
“The border camp,” one of the men said. “Did dragons do that?”
“We’re fairly certain it was the work of one dragon,” Finn said. “He almost lost his mate and his child to the Border Guard.”
“How did the dragon know the Border Guard was to blame?”
“They came south carrying their banners—the same ones that once flew over the camp. They may be beasts, but they are not stupid.”
“The King is flying to Islemar. How are we supposed to convince others that the dragons stand with us?”
Finn pointed at Nigel and Alice and their friends.
“These ten are coming with us.”
“They’re not very big.”
“Tell that to those deer.”
“The members of the Border Guard who have joined you are not men. They are boys.”
“They have skills. They trained daily as members of the guard.”
“How can you be assured those dragons are coming with us?”
“Caleb spoke to them.”
“The blind boy
?”
“The blind boy—who can speak to dragons. The dragons are large enough to carry one passenger apiece.”
“We get—we get to ride on them?” a young man asked.
Finn nodded.
The men looked to Brock.
“When do we leave?” Brock asked.
“In an hour.”
The dragons landed south of Marcelo. They waited four hours for Finn, Winston, and the others to arrive on horseback.
“We don’t have time to spread out far,” Finn said. “We need to track northeast and meet up with Sheriff Jacobs tomorrow night. We will continue a limited recruitment campaign on our way to Islemar. Remember, our story is to remain the same. Those who will join us will have to come with us immediately or make arrangements to join us on the road to Islemar. The dragons have been told to hold their fire unless they are assaulted. For those who cannot or will not join us, we warn them that it is possible that the entire kingdom will soon be subject to fire. And fire does not know friend from foe.”
“What of the old ones—and the women and children?” a soldier asked.
“We offer sanctuary in the Southlands,” Finn said. “Anyone not posing a threat or wearing the uniform or banners of the north will be welcome to cross the border. When we move north of Evenshire, the women and children may travel with us to be evacuated by ship.”
“To cross the sea?” another soldier asked. “How can we know our people will be received in distant kingdoms?”
“If these other kingdoms wish to continue having markets for their goods, they will cooperate.”
Finn and the others enlisted twenty men and boys on their way through Marcelo. Twelve others promised to take care of other business and catch up to them later. Others were unable to hear the words spoken to them because they could not take their eyes off of the dragons.
The group reached the edge of the village and traveled for another uneventful two hours. Most of the men dozed in their saddles. Caleb had taught Finn and Winston the basic language to communicate with the dragons. The dragons had been confined to the ground since they landed south of Marcelo, to avoid being seen.
An odd sound alerted Finn. He pulled his horse alongside Lieutenant Winston.
“Do you hear that?”
“What?”
Finn stopped and stared to the south.
“A squeaking sound. Like the wheels of a cannon.”
Thirty-Three
Captain Finn called the scouts from the Border Guard to his side.
“I want you to search the south road. There may be troops there, on their way to the border.”
“What if they find soldiers?” Lieutenant Winston asked. “Do we dare engage them? Our numbers are paltry.”
“They will not be expecting an assault from the rear,” Finn said. “And their attention will be focused away from us when they discover the Border Camp.”
Winston sighed.
“I had hoped we could reach Islemar without exposing our weakness.”
“Remember the first rules of war, lieutenant?” Finn asked.
“You would slap me if I didn’t,” Winston said. “Make your plans. Study your plans. And when you realize that your plan is rubbish, try to hold your water while you charge ahead in blind faith.”
“Exactly.”
****
Sterling smelled the stench of burning wood and burning flesh before he saw the smoke coming from the Border Camp.
“Raynard,” he called out loud.
“Yes, My Lord?”
“Tell the men to remain here. You and I will ride forward.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Sterling and Raynard rode into the ruins of the camp. They steered their horses around the skeletal remains, and toward the mouth of the canyon. Sterling saw the red ribbons tied along the western wall of the canyon’s entrance.
“Stay behind me,” Sterling said to Raynard.
Sterling steered his horse along the path marked by the ribbons. He encountered the remains of boys in the uniforms of the Border Guard—skewered with the snares of their own defenses.
Sterling lifted his hand. Raynard reined his horse to a stop.
A flaming arrow sliced through the sky. It struck the ground only a few feet away from Sterling’s horse. The oil from the arrow spread, lighting the path in front of Sterling
Sterling pulled back on the reins. The horse backed up. Raynard pulled up as well. Sterling glared up at the face of the cliff.
“You’re no longer operating in secret, Lamont!” Sterling cried. “I’ve known you were a traitor to the crown for years! Your daughter is held in the dungeon of Morgenwraithe under the charge of treason! Your wife will soon follow. Throw yourself on the mercy of the crown and you and your family may live to see tomorrow!”
****
Boone’s hands shook. He had loosed the first flaming arrow against the King’s Army at Lord Lamont’s order. There was no turning back now if there had ever been.
“What do we do now?” Helena asked.
“If they march their troops through the canyon, we do our best to kill them all,” Lamont said.
“Is that what Sterling will do?” Ben asked.
“If he knows the history of the border, he will withdraw,” Lamont said. “There is no defense against our position.”
“We will have to move past them eventually,” Boone said.
“Sterling will leave some men here, but he will not stay,” Lamont said. “Once he finds out that our soldiers are moving toward Islemar, he will move north.”
Lamont and the others fell silent at the sound of a cannon blast. The canyon wall shook although the impact was far short of the summit. Lamont and his men kept their bows aimed at the entrance to the canyon.
****
“That was cannon fire,” Captain Finn said to Winston. “Without a doubt.”
“What do we do, Captain?”
“Our war begins today, Lieutenant. Send the scouts to establish a position behind Morgenwraithe’s Army. Have our first team of archers prepared to launch an attack at the army’s rear.”
“Aye, My Lord.”
The men reached their designated positions.
Finn rode behind the archers.
“Nock! Draw! Loose!”
Men at the rear of the King’s Army screamed and fell to the flurry of arrows. The dragons remained grounded, behind the troops. The rebel army drew more arrows from their quivers as Morgenwraithe’s army charged toward the archers. A flurry of kingdom arrows took down six of Finn’s men. Finn squinted across the field.
No, he thought. He could not believe his eyes.
Brock and one of his friends had abandoned their allegiance. They joined the army and charged forward with them. They were closing in on Finn and his reduced line of archers. Finn’s eyes met Lieutenant Winston’s. Winston nodded.
They faced the dragons and barked out the commands Caleb taught them. The dragons screeched and took to the air, led by Nigel and Alice.
The young dragons lay down a barrage of fire, cutting off the advance of soldiers. The soldiers stopped and loosed a flurry of arrows at the dragons.
Two dragons fell hard to the ground, crying out with pitiful screams. Finn watched as Brock notched an arrow and aimed it toward Alice.
“You traitorous dung-heap!” Finn screamed.
Brock grinned and lowered his bow. His arrow was now leveled at the captain.
“Take your dragons and go to hell!” Brock screamed. Finn stomped across the field directly at Brock. Brock loosed his arrow.
Finn raised his left hand. The arrow clanged off of his artificial arm. He did not waver as he continued marching toward Brock. Brock notched another arrow and loosed it. Again, Finn blocked the arrow with his left arm.
Before Brock could notch another arrow, Finn was upon him. As Brock’s friend looked on in horror, Finn closed his left hand around Brock’s neck. Blood ran from the man’s mouth and nose. Finn opened his hand and the dead ma
n fell to the ground. Brock’s friend fell sobbing to his knees.
Winston stepped to Finn’s side, his loaded crossbow aimed at Brock’s friend.
“How much more mercy do we have to spare, My Lord?” Winston asked.
“None.”
Brock’s friend joined him in death.
Boom!
The cannon blast rocked the earth. The ball struck the wing of a dragon. The dragon cried out and fell to the earth, its wing destroyed.
“What do we do, Finn?” Winston asked.
“We pull back and march on to Evenshire. We must trust Lamont to engage the army at the border. If we’re lucky, they will divide their forces and follow us. But I doubt Sterling and Raynard are that foolish.”
Winston looked toward the crippled dragon.
“What do we do about the wounded dragon?”
“Load it onto a wagon,” Finn said. “Hopefully, he and the others will understand what we are doing.”
“It could get ugly if they don’t. I don’t suppose Caleb taught you how to explain that we take our wounded with us.”
“No. But we don’t have any choice. We leave no one behind. Ever.”
“He’ll never fly again, Finn. The wing is nearly severed.”
Finn smiled. He held up his left hand.
“Much of what I used to believe has been shot in the backside, Winston. Maybe there is more magic to be found in Islemar.”
A rider from the rear flank of the army’s forces rode breathlessly to Sterling’s side.
“We were fired upon at the rear, My Lord.”
“We are the King’s Army,“ Sterling growled. “Tell me that the threat has been neutralized.”
The soldier scanned the faces of Raynard and others. He swallowed.
“They have dragons, My Lord.”
Thirty-Four
The King’s Guard that remained in Morgenwraithe soon learned of King Lucien’s new training regimen. The idea of a king training for hand-to-hand combat was unheard of. The soldiers hovered around the training area more often than ever before, taking part in archery practice and sword play.
