The Return of the Dragon Queen

by Farah Oomerbhoy

  Three sides of the courtyard had big stone arches leading out into similar courtyards, and Varian hurried along the cobbled courtyard to the farthest arch and disappeared into another space. Marcus and I followed him, winding our way between the stalls and bustle of shady-looking people, all of whom had their hoods up and preferred to remain anonymous.

  I paused to stare at one of the stalls, which was selling enchanted amulets for protection against demons.

  “Enchanted by druids, supposedly.” Marcus pointed to the amulets. “But unreliable. I wouldn’t want to face a demon wearing only that.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “There are druids in Avalonia?”

  “Not anymore.” Marcus gave me a quick look as he pulled me away from the stall.

  “I’ve never heard anyone mention them before.”

  “That’s because the druids haven’t been seen in Avalonia for decades now.”

  In the next stall was a squat, balding man selling a variety of colored gemstones. “Portal witchstones,” said Marcus. “They are enchanted to work only once and only to the place they are enchanted to take you. But they are very expensive and difficult to get hold of. I doubt those are real at all. There are not many witches powerful enough to make those anymore. That man is probably a fraud. Be careful here, and don’t touch anything.”

  I could feel the magic in the air, pulsating like a beating heart. All the courtyards were warded by magic and so were many of the stalls, preventing anyone from stealing. I spotted Varian moving toward a large black tent in the corner of the courtyard, and we followed.

  I extended my magic to glamour both of us, enclosing us within a cocoon of air that rendered us invisible. Just as we were about to follow him in, another man entered and left his two guards outside.

  “That’s Darius Detori,” whispered Marcus.

  My eyes widened. “But he’s not expected for a few more days.”

  Marcus nodded.

  I followed Marcus, staying close to the wall and making sure our glamour was intact, before we slipped into the tent, carefully brushing past the guards who stood at the entrance. We hid ourselves inside the tent behind a cloth-covered table, still protected by my powerful glamour. I infused more magic into it to make sure it was secure.

  The tent looked much bigger from the inside than it did on the outside, like the tents at the fae market in Pixie Bush. Varian sat across the table from the infamous Darius Detori.

  The Detori emir adjusted his robe, an exquisite crimson fabric embroidered with gold thread. He had an air about him that screamed nobility. Dark lashes framed his amber eyes, and his chiseled cheekbones were partially covered by a trimmed beard. “A new shipment of slaves was captured by pirates on its way to Mist Falls.” Darius regarded Varian with a cruel scowl. “I thought you were going to take care of the problem, Varian. You are supposed to be the biggest slave trader this side of Brandor. You should have more soldiers on your ships. Or are you just too cheap to hire good ones?”

  The Chancellor of Sanria tried to say something, but Darius Detori held up his hand to silence him. “Have you found out who is behind this?”

  Varian looked down, wringing his hands. “It’s Santino’s men, Lord Detori, I am sure of it. His pirates are a sneaky bunch. If I can prove it, the emir will stop trusting Santino and listen only to me.”

  “I can’t wait until you find your proof,” said Darius Detori. “There is no more time. We need more slaves to finish the mining.”

  Varian cleared his throat. “There is something else you should know.”

  Darius Detori sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Tell me.”

  “Emir Valasis knows about the mines and plans to have them shut down.”

  Darius Detori stroked his clipped beard. “I wouldn’t worry too much about Roderigo Valasis. You just make sure I get my slaves to finish the work. Once we give Morgana what she wants, she will make me Sultan of Brandor. It’s time we had a real king. The council is weak, and Emir Valasis has ruled it long enough. Santino has been a thorn in our side ever since he replaced his elder brother. Get rid of him.”

  I suppressed a gasp. Marcus shot me a warning look. They were plotting to murder Santino. And Darius Detori was without a doubt working for Morgana.

  “Once the pirate prince is gone there will be no one who can oppose us. Roderigo Valasis is nothing without Santino and his army of pirates and mercenaries.”

  “But—” Varian cleared his throat, his beady eyes darting around the tent. A thin trickle of sweat dripped down his fat cheek. “But my lord, Santino is not an easy man to get rid of. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until the mining is finished? The Firedrake princess is here in Sanria, along with her fae prince, and they are staying at the citadel. She and Santino are friends. If I—” He paused, rephrasing. “If we try anything while she is here, I fear there will be retaliation.”

  Lord Detori banged his hand on the table. “I’m not afraid of some upstart princess. If she gets in the way, get rid of her too. The new archmage has assured me as long as we keep providing him with blackened iron, I have Morgana’s blessing to take over Brandor and become sultan of all its territories.”

  “What about the fae army?” said Varian. “If the Firedrake princess calls them, we will be destroyed.”

  Darius Detori shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “Varian, Varian, haven’t you heard the latest news? The Drakaar have taken the dwarven fortress at Greygate. The dwarves have already started forging weapons from blackened iron from our earliest shipments and mining efforts. Those weapons will equip Morgana’s army and our own. We have no need to fear the fae anymore.”

  Varian’s eyes narrowed. “Greygate is still only one fortress. There are not enough dwarven smiths or forges to make the required weapons. We will need the forges at Stonegate. And Stonegate is impenetrable. King Ranthor will never surrender to the Drakaar. He has always been allied with Silverthorne.”

  Darius Detori leaned forward, his voice soft but laced with steel. “Silverthorne is dead,” he spat. “Morgana will make his supporters see the folly in their resistance. Once the fae are defeated, there will be no one to stand in our way. The Detoris will rule the east without fear of Izadora and her army. Soon all kingdoms will be under Morgana’s rule. It is useless to fight her, and the other emirs must be made to see it is a useless proposition to support the Firedrake girl instead of a real queen.”

  He pushed back his chair and got up, his jeweled fingers, long and slender, resting lightly on the rough wooden table. “You just make sure I have enough slaves to finish the work, Varian. Remember who you really work for. Once we get rid of that bastard Santino and his father, the Detori family will rule Brandor once more.”

  Marcus gestured for us to move. They would be leaving soon, and it was best we were far away when they did. We slipped out the way we came, barely slipping past the guards who stood at the entrance to the tent.

  “We have to warn Santino,” I whispered as we headed out of the Black Bazaar through the magical wall and hurried through the brightly colored stalls of the main market square.

  “We will,” said Marcus, turning down an alleyway leading back to the citadel.

  “Do you think it’s true? That Morgana has attacked the dwarven cities, and Greygate has fallen?”

  Marcus shook his head. “I don’t know, but I have a bad feeling about this. Greygate is the southernmost fortress of the dwarves, guarding entrances to their mines and forges. But Stonegate is the capital, where the king resides, with over a hundred forges. If Greygate is already in Morgana’s hands, it is only a matter of time before they go after Stonegate as well. If they get access to those forges, they will be able to create enough weapons to equip their whole army.”

  We hurried back to the citadel, entering through the barracks. “Go to Penelope’s room and stay there. Tell her what has happened. We have no idea how many people Varian has working for him in the palace. I will find Santino and let him know.”
>
  “Come,” Penelope said to me after I recounted everything that had just happened. “We must speak with Santino at once.”

  I followed Penelope through the mosaic corridors to Santino’s private rooms.

  The suite was massive, light, and airy, done up in the Brandorian style with carved ceilings and beautiful mosaic and marble flooring. The reception room contained huge marble pillars creating arches that led out to a private courtyard through white muslin curtains, which fluttered in the summer breeze. A large lotus pond and a marble fountain adorned the center and dispensed water in graceful arcs. Marcus was already there, speaking to Santino in hushed tones.

  “Find Tristan and bring him here,” Penelope ordered Marcus.

  He nodded and was out the door before she finished.

  “You need to take charge of the situation in your kingdom, Santino,” Penelope said, turning to face the pirate prince. “It is imperative you convince your father to close the mines and support Aurora. You cannot let the Detoris come to power.”

  Aunt Serena came out of her room. She studied our faces and her eyebrows shot up. “What’s going on here? What is she talking about, Santino?”

  “Varian suspects Santino is involved in the recent attacks on his ships,” I elaborated, “and Darius Detori wants him killed.”

  Santino’s amber eyes blazed with fury. “Yes, Marcus has informed me of the threat.”

  Aunt Serena’s hand went to her throat. “They want to kill Santino?” She moved closer to her husband.

  Santino’s anger waned as he beheld his wife and put his arm around her. “I’m glad to see you are feeling better, my love,” he spoke softly.

  “You need to strike before they do,” Penelope stated.

  Santino started pacing the floor. “The Detoris have been trying to kill my family for decades. It’s nothing new.”

  “But they succeeded with your brother, Santino,” said Serena. Fear for her husband’s life showed clearly in her eyes. Santino had told me himself about the bloody civil war that plagued Brandor for decades, and the assassination of his brother Alfonso that caused Santino to return and take up the mantle of his father’s heir, uniting the Brandorian council.

  Marcus and Tristan entered with Cade. “The problem is much worse than we thought,” said Marcus as Tristan swiftly shut the door behind him.

  Santino’s eyes darkened. “Has there been more news?”

  “It is too dangerous to talk here,” said Marcus, looking around. “Varian’s spies are everywhere. And we still have to ascertain who we can trust. For now, that is only the people in this room.”

  “I can create a barrier so no one can hear us.” Penelope gathered her magic and hardened the air around the room and courtyard. The sounds from the palace stopped as we were cocooned in a bubble of air.

  Marcus wrung his hands. “We have another problem.” He turned to look at me. “I have just received word from Eldoren.”

  Aunt Serena got up. “Is Erien all right?”

  Marcus glanced at her and nodded. “For now.” He looked like he wanted to say something more but didn’t.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “After Silverthorne’s execution . . .” said Marcus.

  Aunt Serena made a small distressed sound.

  Marcus hesitated a moment and looked at Santino, who nodded. “Go on.” He put his arm around his wife.

  “The archmage has moved the whole court to Caeleron Castle because it is better fortified, and the children are now being held in the castle dungeons.”

  I started to pace in front of him. “There must be something we can do for those children. We can’t let them remain there. What if they’re hurt?”

  “There is nothing we can do for them from here,” said Penelope.

  “There is more,” Marcus said.

  I stopped pacing.

  “Brandon Delacourt has already married Calisto in a private ceremony, and now he intends to have a coronation and crown himself king.”

  My eyes widened. “Already?”

  “And the best place to do it is Caeleron Castle,” Penelope interrupted. “Eldoren’s true seat of power. Every King of Eldoren has been crowned there.”

  Marcus nodded. “Exactly.”

  “Clever bastard,” said Santino, his face hard as stone.

  “Yes, he is even more diabolical than we thought,” said Marcus, his face grim. “Delacourt has given Prince Rafael an ultimatum: surrender himself before the coronation and voluntarily give up his crown, or the archmage will have the children executed. One every day, from the day of the coronation until Rafael gives in.”

  I paled, dread pooling in my stomach. “When is the coronation?”

  “Three days from now,” Marcus answered.

  “We have to do something. We must help them. Help Rafe. We can’t let Delacourt take his crown, and we cannot stand idly by and let him hurt innocent children.”

  “You will never get there in time,” said Marcus, defeated. “If Prince Rafael gives up his crown voluntarily, no one can dispute Brandon’s claim to the throne.”

  Penelope strode over to me and put her hand on my arm. “There is nothing you can do, Aurora. Rafe will not let anything happen to those children. He will have no choice but to surrender.”

  “That is hardly reassuring,” I snapped.

  “Delacourt has promised to let the children go back to their families once Rafael is in custody,” Marcus offered.

  “How do you know Delacourt will keep to the bargain?” I inquired, my hands on my hips. “He will have Rafe killed once he gets his hands on him. Delacourt is never going to let him live.”

  “Your grandmother has forbidden you from interfering in the affairs of Eldoren, Aurora,” said Tristan pointedly. “Our first priority has to be finding Andromeda, getting the book out of her clutches, and retrieving the Dagger.”

  I glared at Tristan. “I don’t care what my grandmother said. I have to do something.” My mind was made up, and I would not let them sway me to the road of caution again. Sometimes the only answer was to take a risk. I could not turn my back on those children. I might not be able to help the slaves in Brandor, but I knew I could help the children of Eldoren if I could find a way into the castle without getting caught.

  It was easier said than done, but I had to try. I gathered my courage and pushed my shoulders back as I faced Tristan, staring him down. “I can’t go with you to find Andromeda.”

  Tristan’s sapphire eyes narrowed, swirling with silver sparks. “What do you mean?”

  I held his gaze and hoped he understood why I had to do this. “Cade, Penelope, and you are far more capable of tracking and finding Andromeda and the book. But who is going to help the poor children that have been taken hostage by Delacourt? I cannot allow Rafe to lose his crown. I owe it to him to make things right. I’m sorry, Tristan. I have to go to Eldoren first.”

  “Of course you do,” Tristan sneered, his lips curling up in a snarl I hadn’t seen in a long time. “You need to help your precious Prince Rafael.”

  “That’s not why I am doing this.” My hands balled into fists. I wasn’t entirely sure he was wrong. I hated being in this position, and I didn’t like what it was doing to our friendship, but there was nothing I could do about it right now.

  Tristan crossed his arms. “And how do you plan on getting there? The skies around Eldoren will be swarming with gorgoths. Your pegasus might be able to outrun them, but she isn’t even here. It takes just one to catch you off guard, and you will be dead.”

  “Better dead than a coward,” I said tartly.

  Tristan stalked up to me, so close that our noses were almost touching. “You think I’m a coward?” he growled softly.

  My heartbeat sped up, but my voice was a whisper. “I never said that.”

  Penelope held up her hand and stepped between us. “Stop it, you two.” Her eyes flashed dangerously as she looked from Tristan to me, and he moved away.

  “Izadora has for
bidden any of us to help Rafael. But I agree with you, Aurora. Delacourt has gone too far—he must be stopped. I think we should speak to Izadora together and see what we can do to rescue the children,” Penelope suggested to my surprise. She turned to Serena. “Do you have a mirror I can use?”

  Serena led us to her room, where a large gilded mirror lay along one wall.

  Penelope warded Serena’s room with magic as well, so we couldn’t be overheard, and opened a mirror portal. My grandmother came into view.

  “So,” said the fae queen. Her eyebrows rose. “We have an audience.”

  Santino bowed. “You honor us, Your Majesty.”

  Izadora’s eyes flashed, flickering like golden flames as she surveyed the group. Her gaze settled on Penelope. “Do we have a problem, sister?”

  Penelope nodded and quickly recounted what we had learned so far.

  Izadora listened patiently until Penelope finished. “And of course my dear granddaughter wants to run off to Eldoren to rescue the children.”

  Penelope gave me a slash of a smile.

  “A fine sentiment,” said the fae queen. “But not why I am giving my consent.”

  My eyes widened. “You are?”

  I had expected my grandmother to forbid me again and even threaten me. I was ready with a retinue of arguments which I apparently didn’t need.

  “Circumstances have changed,” said the fae queen. “If the new archmage becomes King of Eldoren, that will be one more kingdom joining Morgana’s growing army. He must be stopped, and Prince Rafael put back on the throne where he belongs.” She turned her gaze on Santino. “I assume the pirate prince can handle the Detori problem?”

  Santino gave the fae queen a wary, considering look and nodded once.

  “Good,” said Izadora, turning her golden eyes on me. “Because until the mines are shut down, the Elder Council has refused to give their consent to send the fae army to your aid.”

  I clenched my hands into fists and tried to keep calm. “But you said—”

  “I know what I said,” my grandmother snapped, cutting me off.

  “What about the alliance? Without the fae army we will be completely outnumbered.”