The King's Scrolls

by Jaye L. Knight

  But her smile widened. “Didn’t I tell you flying was fun?”

  A grin sparkled on Meredith’s face, and Kyrin helped her down.

  As the men worked to start a fire, so they could warm up while they ate their lunch, Leetra held up her medical bag. “Who’s first?”

  Kaden motioned to Kyrin, and Leetra turned to her. “We can work behind Ivoris.”

  They walked around the dragon to use her as a screen for privacy while Leetra examined Kyrin’s injuries. A long cut across her ribs had bled a fair amount but, like she’d told Jace, it wasn’t that deep. At least it wouldn’t need stitches. Still, it stung like fire when Leetra applied a clear ointment, and she sucked in her breath through her teeth. Though the force of Ivoris catching her had not broken any ribs, she had an even deeper sympathy for Jace now, as it did hurt some to breathe.

  After wrapping a bandage around the cut and concluding the examination, Leetra reported, “You have some bruising around your ribs, and your shoulder will soon turn black and blue, but that seems to be the extent of it. Aside from hurting for a few days and being pretty stiff tomorrow, you should heal quickly.”

  “Thanks,” Kyrin said through clenched teeth. By now, they were nearly chattering in the cold.

  She tugged on her clothes as Leetra gathered her supplies and hurried back to the fire, where her younger brothers talked animatedly about the fight as if it were something from an adventure story. If only it was, but she was just thankful they’d all survived it. Those beasts could have easily killed any of them.

  Her thoughts drew her gaze to Kaden as Leetra cleaned his burned arm. He groaned when she applied the same stinging ointment she’d used on Kyrin. Leetra raised a brow at him, and he sent her a peevish look.

  Hoping to distract him from the pain, Kyrin said, “Thank you for rescuing me from that black dragon.” Had he not intervened, Ivoris might have been burned so badly that they both would have fallen from the sky.

  Kaden shrugged. “What else could I do? He was about to roast you two. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

  Kyrin eyed him seriously. “You nearly got yourself roasted.”

  He just shrugged again.

  “That was some pretty impressive maneuvering you did, considering you were never trained in combat flight,” Talas told him. “You’re sure you’re not part crete?”

  Kaden chuckled. “I’d be the tallest crete to ever live, so I doubt it.”

  Laughter bubbled around the fire, and Kyrin soaked it in. When was the last time they had all laughed?

  “Seriously, though,” Talas continued. “You have the flight instincts of a crete. It’s impressive.”

  “Just doing what I had to do.”

  Kyrin smiled at her brother. That summed him up perfectly.

  The moment Leetra finished bandaging his shoulder, he pulled his charred coat back on, as if to avoid any more of her painful medical assistance and looked at Sam. “What happened to you guys last night?”

  “Well, everything was going according to plan. I left Aric and Collin unconscious in the study and didn’t expect them to be found for a while, but one of the servants must have come across them. I was barely to the gate when one of the guards sounded the alarm.” He shook his head. “They were right behind us for a good while. When we finally lost them and reached the gate, we found it closed.”

  “We made it out just before they started closing them,” Kyrin said. “We were worried, especially when it started getting so cold.”

  “It was cold all right,” Rayad replied, moving a little closer to the fire.

  “What did you do?”

  “We found shelter in an empty shed behind someone’s house. It wasn’t pleasant, but we managed,” Sam told them. “We knew you’d be looking for us so, once dawn broke, we tried to get somewhere you’d see us. That’s when the soldiers found us. Aaron climbed up one of the buildings to get your attention.” He looked over at the half-crete. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

  Aaron smiled and shrugged. “I’ve had a good bit of practice.”

  They sat quiet for a moment, thinking back, until Trask asked, “So what were those dragon things?”

  All eyes went to Darq. The crete captain straightened. “I don’t know.”

  A chill crept up Kyrin’s arms, despite the fire. The unknown just made the creatures all that much more disturbing.

  “They weren’t dragons; that’s for sure,” Talas said, and Leetra added, “Or cave drakes. They can’t fly that well or breathe fire.”

  Darq nodded thoughtfully. “They looked like a cross between the two.”

  Talas shook his head. “But that’s not possible . . . is it?”

  “You wouldn’t think so, but if there’s a way, you can bet the emperor’s found it.”

  Rayad cast a glance in the direction of Valcré. “I wonder how many he has?”

  “It could just be those few.” Darq grimaced. “Or he could have a lot more somewhere else.”

  They fell silent again. If Daican possessed such a powerful force, how could they stand against him? And what if he used the beasts to find their camp? Kyrin rubbed her arms and looked at Trask, but no doubt he had already thought of this. She thought back to the attack and remembered something equally disturbing.

  “I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but these other dragons had crete riders.”

  Very slowly, Darq nodded, his expression grim. “I noticed. More traitors like Falcor. We’ll have to look into this once we return to Dorland. There could be spies there right now and we’d never know it.”

  The cretes all grew very solemn at this prospect.

  But then, Sam rose, and all eyes lifted. “There’s much we have to figure out in the coming days, but let’s not forget it’s also a time for us to rejoice.”

  He pulled a satchel from his shoulder, and everyone’s faces lit up.

  “In this bag are all seven of the King’s Scrolls.”

  Grins broke out, erasing, for a time, the somber mood that had fallen.

  Sam turned to the young man near him. “You must be Timothy.”

  He rose with a wide smile. “I am.”

  “I’m very pleased to meet you, and even more pleased to give you these.” Sam placed the satchel into Timothy’s waiting hands, and a fulfilling satisfaction came to rest in Kyrin’s chest at the completion of the mission they’d endured and sacrificed so much to accomplish.

  A light jostling nudged Kyrin from her slumber. Her eyes squinted open. The loft was well lit from the windows below, where her mother and Lenae talked quietly. The sound lulled her, and she closed her eyes until the jostling came again. A small warm body snuggled against her back. Kyrin’s lips parted in a smile. She would never have a little sister, but Meredith was close enough. With a deep sigh, she let a light sleep reclaim her.

  Not too much later she woke again, this time to a sudden commotion and enthusiastic male voices as they came tromping into the cabin.

  “Shh!” It was her mother quickly rushing to quiet them. “Kyrin and Meredith are still asleep.”

  A moment of awkward silence followed, and Kyrin giggled to herself. Typical boys. But it was too late. Meredith wiggled around beside her and sat up. Kyrin rolled over to see her long, tousled tresses and blinking eyes.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

  Meredith grinned at her, but it was different from the smiles she used to give in Tarvin Hall. Behind those was a sad, scared little girl who had seen too much and deeply missed her parents and home. This grin was nothing but sparkling happiness, and it fueled Kyrin’s own joy.

  Reaching out, she parted the curtains enough to look down at her brothers, who were trying, not so successfully, to quietly find seats at the table. With a chuckle in her voice, she told them, “It’s all right. We’re up.”

  She was sure they all sighed in relief and immediately resumed chatting, as when they’d walked in. Shaking her head and laughing, she crawled out of bed, though her sore an
d stiff muscles slowed her down.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked Meredith.

  The little girl gave a hearty nod.

  “Which dress do you want to wear today?”

  They’d managed to borrow a couple of outfits from the other girls in camp, and Meredith chose a warm purple dress.

  “Good choice.” It would look much lovelier on her than the stark gold and black uniform of Tarvin Hall. Kyrin already had new ideas for dresses she could practice her sewing on. A girl like Meredith deserved to feel pretty.

  As soon as they were dressed, they joined the boys at the table. It really wasn’t big enough for all of them, but they made room. Lydia helped Lenae set food before them, and then joined her children. It had been quite a while since the cabin had been so full of excited chatter. Between eating and tale-telling, Michael and Ronny barely paused for a breath. They’d already informed their mother of most of the events in Valcré, but they hadn’t gone into great detail the evening before. Not like they could now. Most amusing to Kyrin was that her older brothers were nearly as animated as the younger.

  Their poor mother. The boys took great pleasure in recounting their harrowing escape from the city, completely missing her pursed lips and blanched expression. But she let them tell their story and revel in the adventure of it. After all, it was probably the most thrilling thing Michael and Ronny had ever experienced. Catching her mother’s eye, Kyrin gave her an understanding smile. What mattered now was that they were safe.

  Near the end of the meal, Kyrin left the table and walked over to Lenae, who worked on the dishes. Kyrin picked up a towel and a plate to dry. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Lenae looked over, her eyes inviting the discussion.

  “I was thinking about when we first met. You said you’d always wanted a daughter.” Kyrin glanced over at the table. “I was wondering, since Meredith is an orphan, if you might consider adopting her.”

  Lenae’s hands stilled in the wash water, and Kyrin was quite sure her eyes glittered with moisture. “Truly?”

  “Yes. You’ve taken such good care of me and taught me so much. You’re a wonderful mother. I think you’d be perfect for her. She’s been through a lot.”

  “Oh, Kyrin,” Lenae breathed, wiping her hands on her apron. “It would be a blessing beyond words to raise her as my daughter. My heart just melted at the first sight of her.”

  Kyrin smiled widely. “Seems meant to be.”

  “I wonder what this meeting is about.”

  Kyrin nodded in agreement with Kaden on their way to Trask’s cabin. Jace had come to get the two of them, saying Trask wanted to see the group, but he didn’t have any more information than they did.

  Almost four weeks ago, Kyrin had sat in Trask’s cabin and volunteered to join the rescue group heading for the Graylin Valley. She never could have imagined what would take place in those short weeks, and she wasn’t the same person walking into Trask’s cabin now. Too much had happened not to leave permanent scars, on everyone, but with it came growth as well.

  Inside the cabin, they found the rest of the group already gathered. She smiled at them. After what they’d faced together, she would always be connected to them, more so than others. They’d been there when part of her life had been ripped away—had seen her at her lowest.

  She, Kaden, and Jace took the seats saved for them at the table, and all fell quiet as Darq stood to speak.

  “I asked Trask to gather you here because I want to thank you for all you’ve done. Nothing turned out as any of us expected, and we couldn’t have succeeded without your aid. The reason I’m telling you this now is because I’ve talked to Glynn, and to Timothy and Aaron. We’ll be leaving for Dorland in the morning. We have much information to take back with us, and I want to look into the situation with the crete traitors as soon as possible. Talas and Leetra, however, have requested to remain here, if you have no objections.”

  Kyrin wasn’t the only one in the room to look at the cretes, particularly Leetra, in surprise. Had Kyrin been asked, she would have guessed Leetra would be anxious to return to her people as soon as possible.

  “After what happened with Falcor and the others, we feel it’s only right to stay and help you with whatever comes of it,” Talas explained.

  “If that’s what you wish, you’re more than welcome here,” Trask told him, and others nodded their agreement.

  Leetra might be difficult to get along with at times, but Kyrin looked forward to having Talas, with his upbeat presence, remain in camp. Kaden looked especially pleased by this. Kyrin could see a fast friendship forming between the two of them.

  “They can also help you train more dragon riders,” Darq said. “I plan to see about having more dragons delivered to you. Now that the emperor has Falcor and his drakes, you’ll need a larger airborne force to combat them, should they come looking for you.”

  “That’s very generous,” Trask replied. “It would certainly help us feel more secure.”

  “I have no doubt my people will supply them, once I’ve explained the situation. And, should you ever need to come to Dorland for any reason, I want you each to have one of these.” Darq pulled a leather pouch from his jerkin and emptied the contents on the table. Small, carved wooden pendants of a hawk spilled out, each attached to a braided cord Kyrin couldn’t even guess how one might duplicate. They passed them around the table.

  “These pendants identify you as trusted friends of the Hawk Clan and, therefore, friends of all cretes. We rarely give them away. They afford you trust that is not easily gained. Guard them well.”

  Each person nodded solemnly. Kyrin ran her fingers over the smooth hawk figure, and then slipped the cord over her neck, nestling it down next to her father’s necklace.

  The group gathered once more, early the next morning, this time to say goodbye. Kyrin would be very sad to see them go, especially Timothy and Aaron. She would’ve liked to have more time to get to know them and learn more from Timothy. She would miss the couple of times they had been able to study together.

  He came to her specifically, just after packing his things on Darq’s dragon. “I wanted to give you these before we left.”

  Kyrin looked down to see the parchments covered with the verses he’d written down, and her heart skipped.

  “I added as much as I could to them last night. I thought you’d like to finish reading through them and share them with everyone else, especially your family.”

  Kyrin took the precious copies and held them to her chest. “Thank you so much.” She gave him a small smile. “I do wish you were staying so you could teach us.”

  He smiled in return. “Aaron and I will be back, probably before spring.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “We want to get to know our grandfather and the crete culture, but we both feel this is where we’re supposed to be and where we’re needed.”

  “Well, I’m glad to hear it. I think you bring a lot to camp.” She’d never met anyone who so deeply inspired her faith, and she had a feeling they would all need such influence in the future.

  Timothy looked down shyly before raising his eyes again. “I was thinking on what we said about you having those verses memorized when you read them. Maybe, when I return, you might want to help me with copying the Scrolls. It would be incredible for you to memorize them all.”

  Her heart reacted again at the thought of knowing every word in the Scrolls—what an incredible blessing it would be. “I would be honored to help.”

  “Good. I’m sure there will be much work to do when I get back.” Slowly, the smile on his face faded to a more serious and thoughtful look. “Also, I wanted to say what your father did to help us won’t be forgotten. He may not have succeeded in getting the Scrolls himself, but it’s because of him that we have them now. I’ll always be grateful for what he was willing to do.”

  Moisture welled in Kyrin’s eyes from the ache building in her chest. She swallowed the hard lum
p in her throat and nodded. “Thank you. It’s good to know he’ll be remembered as a hero, despite the emperor’s claims.”

  “No one can take that away from him.”

  Kyrin smiled, despite the sting of tears. It was true. No one could ever take away what he’d done. Not while she, her brothers, and her friends lived to tell the truth.

  In another few minutes, they concluded their goodbyes as Darq, Glynn, Timothy, and Aaron mounted their dragons.

  “Elôm willing, we’ll see you soon,” Darq said. “Goodbye, my friends. May the King protect you.”

  With waves and called farewells, those on the ground watched the dragons take off. Once they were out of sight, Kyrin turned and took in the view. Her mother and brothers stood in a group, looking more content than she had ever seen them. A little to the side, Lenae stood, holding Meredith’s hand. The little girl had bonded immediately with the woman the moment she learned Lenae would be her adoptive mother. Kyrin was right. They would be perfect together.

  Her gaze sought the rest of her friends and met Jace’s where they held for a moment. A smile reached his face. Not a wide one, but something about it—she wasn’t sure what—sent a warm happiness deep into her heart. She smiled back, the warmth spreading through her. Everyone she loved was right here. As if to signify the blessed moment, beautiful, feathery snowflakes began falling around them to create a scene that almost took her breath away.

  Walking into the midst of her waiting family, Kyrin’s eyes settled on her mother. “Well, what do you think of your new home?”

  She looked around, taking in the sight Kyrin had just witnessed. Then, putting her arm around her daughter, she said, “I think it’s perfect.”

  ###

  Returning Characters

  Aertus (AYR - tuhs)—Arcacia’s male moon god.

  Altair (AL - tayr)—Kyrin’s family name.

  Anne—The daughter of Sir John Wyland.

  Aric (AHR - ick)—Emperor Daican’s head of security.