Lord Haelgrund bowed his head, suitably chastened. Anasi shifted her gaze to Count Mirgrouff.
“These are extremely serious charges you make against His Grace, the Duke de Bourlet, my lord, and the memory of the late Captain Jeantrou. Can you prove them?”
“I know what I damn well saw,” said the count sullenly.
“You are saying, then, for the record, Count Mirgrouff, that you have no proof.”
Count Mirgrouff snorted and refused to answer.
Countess Anasi flicked her tail in displeasure and turned her head to the subaltern. “The count’s testimony will be stricken from the record.”
Count Mirgrouff lifted his wings, bared his fangs, and hissed. “Sniveling snakes, the lot of you! I would accuse you of licking the boots of this human king were it not for the fact that you are licking other portions of his anatomy!”
Sophia rose in anger. “How dare you, sir!”
The other dragons hooted in outrage. The Duke of Talwin rustled his wings and thumped the ground with his tail. Lord Haelgrund forgot himself and belched fiery disapproval.
Countess Anasi was furious. Her words came out wreathed in flame and smoke.
“You have insulted Her Highness, this court, and all those who are in attendance, Count Mirgrouff. I order you to leave Grayhollow and not return.”
Count Mirgrouff shook his mane and stamped his forefeet. He was angry in turn and appeared prepared to defy the order. Mirgrouff was a large dragon. If Anasi had risen to her full height, mane and all, she would have come only up to his jaw.
She fixed him with a look, her eyes narrowed to glittering slits, and her head slightly lowered.
“I warn you, Count Mirgrouff, that if you do not leave voluntarily, I will have you removed by force.”
Mirgrouff spat a gob of fiery goo onto the stones of Grayhollow, lashed his tail on the ground, lifted his wings, and flapped away. After he was gone, Lord Haelgrund walked into the center and cleaned away the defilement with a contemptive swipe of his tail.
Anasi gave dragons and humans a moment to recover from the shock. She shook herself all over, as though shaking off filth, and briskly returned to the business at hand.
“The accused will now be given a chance to speak in his own defense. Lord Dalgren, we have heard from the reading of the log and the testimony of your rider that you fought with valor and served with distinction. The court is interested in hearing your account of what happened during the Battle of the Royal Sail.”
Anasi had softened her tone and was regarding him with compassion. The other dragons smiled and appeared to be trying to give him encouragement. Kate held her breath.
Dalgren lifted his head, faced the court, and spoke clearly, without a tremor.
“I am guilty of the charge of desertion. I have brought dishonor to my family and to all of dragonkind. I broke my oath. I deserve to be punished.”
Anasi frowned. The human officers exchanged grim glances.
Kate forgot her fear and, with that, Stephano’s warning that she should not speak until she was summoned. Jumping to her feet, she impatiently kicked aside the folds of her skirt that threatened to trip her and turned to face the court.
“I am here to speak in Lord Dalgren’s defense.”
TWENTY-THREE
The silence in Grayhollow was like the unending silence of the Deep Breath. The noise of life stopped and her words seemed to fall into a pit.
Dragons and humans faded into a blur so that all Kate could see were eyes and all the eyes were on her.
She looked at Dalgren and remembered Stephano’s advice. Dalgren’s eyes were the only eyes Kate saw, the only eyes she cared about.
“I beg the court’s pardon for talking out of turn, my lady,” Kate said. “Someone has to speak in Lord Dalgren’s defense, especially after the lies his father told this court. I am Lord Dalgren’s friend. I have known him for many years. I have asked to be allowed to say what he will not.”
Countess Anasi was gracious.
“Your interruption is most irregular, Mistress Katherine. His Grace has granted you leave to appear as a witness, however, and we grant you permission. Next time, however,” the countess added more severely, “you must wait until you are called upon.”
“Yes, my lady,” said Kate. “Thank you, my lady.”
When she spoke, she spoke to her friend.
“Lord Dalgren was very young,” Kate said. “He was fighting in his first battle. Those he trusted betrayed him when Captain Hastind ordered his forces to fire on their own comrades. Lord Dalgren bravely stood his ground, to defend his honor and that of the Dragon Brigade. Even when the muzzles of the cannons were aimed directly at him, he did not flee. He was wounded, struck by a cannonball. His rider was hit. He watched his best friend and mentor, Lady Cam, die a terrible death.”
Dalgren was watching her in silence, his mane quivering. She continued to look at him. Her words were for him.
“Lord Dalgren was surrounded by death and fire and blood, and in that moment, he took an oath that was more important to him than the oath he had taken when he had joined the Brigade. Lord Dalgren vowed that he would never again take a life.”
Kate drew in a shivering breath. Her voice trembled.
“Dalgren is a deserter. I admit that, as did he. But I want all of you to know that he did not leave because he was afraid he would be killed. He left because he was afraid that he might be ordered to kill others.”
Kate stopped talking. The silence returned, flowing over her. She had no idea what the silence meant, if she had touched hearts, changed minds, or she had angered them all. She cared only for Dalgren. What did he think?
He looked at her, his eyes dimmed. His wings quivered. He lowered his head to hide his emotion.
“Thank you, Mistress Katherine,” said Anasi.
Kate was shaking with relief. She was glad the bench was nearby, for she wasn’t sure how far she could walk. She sank down on the cold stone and huddled beneath her fur coat to wait.
She did not have to wait long. Anasi brought the trial to a speedy conclusion. The judges withdrew to consider the evidence, the four dragons and three human officers walking into a nearby field to confer. Lord Haelgrund escorted Dalgren back to his cave.
Sophia was talking with the Countess de Marjolaine and the two Trundler women. Catching sight of Kate, the princess gestured to her, inviting her to come join them.
Kate was sick to her stomach. Her head ached. She didn’t want to have to make polite conversation, talk about the trial or receive their sympathy. She pretended she didn’t see Sophia and left Grayhollow, walking toward a grove of pine trees not far from the cave where Dalgren was being held.
She guessed there was no chance she would be able to talk to him, but she thought that she might be able to speak to Lord Haelgrund, get some sense of where he thought the trial might be headed. When she heard a dragon call her by name, she turned, hoping it might be Lord Haelgrund.
“Mistress Katherine, could I speak with you a moment?”
Kate looked around, but could not see him or any dragon, for that matter. The pine trees shimmered in her vision and then slowly disappeared, revealing a stony patch of ground occupied by a female dragon.
“Forgive the illusion, Mistress Katherine,” said the dragon. “I did not mean to frighten you. I had to use my magic to conceal myself. I am not supposed to be here.”
“I wasn’t frightened, my lady, only surprised,” said Kate. “I am familiar with dragon magic.”
Dragons had the ability to magically alter their physical surroundings; an old survival technique dating back to the days when dragons warred with each other and were fair game for human hunters.
Kate could tell the dragon was not a member of the Brigade, for she did not wear the insignia. She was, however, a noble dragon, judging by the sparkling blue-gray color of her scales and her long, graceful neck. When Kate saw the dragon had a twisted horn on her crest, she guessed her identity.
“You are Dalgren’s mother,” said Kate.
“Countess Faltihure,” said the dragon, inclining her head. “I was glad to see you walk this way. I want to convey to you how much I appreciate your defense of my son.”
“I was glad to defend him,” said Kate, adding with a frown, “Dalgren needs the support of his friends and his family. Are you so ashamed of your own son that you choose to hide rather than be seen at his trial?”
Countess Faltihure winced. “I deserve your scorn. I hope that you will give me a chance to explain. Perhaps you will explain to my son.”
“Very well,” said Kate. “I am listening.”
“You know that Dalgren visited Travia not long ago,” said the countess.
“He went to visit his uncle,” said Kate. “But I don’t understand what that has to do with anything.”
“Dalgren does have an uncle who lives in Travia,” said the countess. “He did visit him, so he did not lie. But my son also came to Travia to visit me.”
Kate shook her head. “Dalgren would have told me.”
“He wanted to, but I begged him to keep my secret,” said Countess Faltihure. “You see, no one in Rosia knows I am living in Travia.”
“I don’t understand,” said Kate.
“You have met my mate, Count Mirgrouff,” said the countess. “You heard his cruel accusations against our son. When the count threatened to disown Dalgren, I told him that if he did, I would leave him. The count had lost all reason by then and flew into a rage. When he denounced our son as a coward I was as good as my word. I left him. I flew to Travia to live with my clutch mate, Dalgren’s uncle.”
“I am sorry, my lady,” said Kate. “I did not know. But why keep your departure a secret?”
“The count and I are forced to maintain the pretense that we are still together,” said Countess Faltihure. “Dragons mate for life, as you know. Our population is small. We are meant to breed and continue our species. If our separation became general knowledge, the Duke of Talwin would be within his rights to bring the matter before the Gathering. Count Mirgrouff feared that the disgrace would ruin his military career and I feared it would harm Dalgren. I suppose that doesn’t matter now,” she added with a sigh. “Nothing matters now.”
“Your testimony would matter a great deal to Dalgren, my lady,” said Kate.
The dragon shook her head. “The count would hear I had testified and he would be furious. I have family who still reside in Rosia. The count has threatened to do harm to them if I interfere.”
“Do you mean physical harm?” Kate asked, shocked.
“Nothing like that,” said the countess. “But he could set fire to their forests, drive off their human workers, spread terrible rumors that would blacken their honor.”
Countess Faltihure shrugged, saying grimly, “He is quite insane.”
“But after the trial is over you can visit Dalgren,” said Kate. “I will take you to him.”
“I do not plan to stay for the end of the trial,” said Countess Faltihure. “They will find Dalgren guilty and I cannot bear to see what follows. Farewell, Mistress Katherine. I am glad to know that my son has one friend in this world. Give Dalgren my love and tell him that his mother’s thoughts are always with him.”
The dragon made a low bow, touching her head to the ground in a show of respect before soaring into the clear sky. Kate watched the dragon until she was lost among the mountain peaks. Then she realized she had been standing still so long her feet were freezing.
She walked back and forth in the warm sunshine, afraid for Dalgren and the outcome of the trial. His mother had spoken of his punishment with horror, as a human might speak of the executioner and his bloody axe. She paced until she heard Countess Anasi raise her voice in a trumpeting call.
The sound chilled Kate’s blood. The judges had reached a verdict.
TWENTY-FOUR
Kate searched the faces of Captain Porcelli and the other two human officers as they entered Grayhollow, hoping to see some indication of their decision. She wanted to believe that her testimony might have swayed them, that they had taken Dalgren’s youth and inexperience into account. The officers were grim and stern as they stood at attention in front of the court.
The four dragons who wore the insignia of the Brigade returned to Grayhollow. They moved slowly, with studied formality, as they took their places around the circle. They, too, appeared grave and somber, their heads held high, wings swept back, as though they knew they had done their duty, no matter how distasteful.
None of them looked at Dalgren.
Amelia had told Kate once that a jury never looked at the defendant they have just convicted. She sank down onto the bench, sick and despairing.
“You should not be alone, Mistress Katherine,” Countess Anasi said to her gently. “The court grants you leave to join your friends.”
Kate looked across Grayhollow at Stephano and his mother, Miri and Gythe, and Sophia on her throne. The Trundlers and Stephano spoke together, not paying attention. Cecile was watching the proceedings with seeming fatigue. Sophia was fidgeting with her cloak, absently smoothing the fur. She seemed remote, abstracted.
None of them care anything for Dalgren, Kate thought resentfully. She wanted to sit here, alone, until she could be with him.
“Mistress Katherine,” said Countess Anasi.
She was watching her expectantly. Kate realized that the suggestion had not been a suggestion. It was an order.
The human officers were seating themselves, shifting the ceremonial swords that hung at their sides, clanking and rattling. Kate remembered at the last moment to loop up her train. She rose to her feet with the feeling everyone was staring at her, and hurried across Grayhollow, hoping to escape notice, and not paying attention to where she was going. A shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see the Duke of Talwin looking down.
His eyes were opaque, yet his gaze followed her. Kate slid past the duke and came to stand several feet from Stephano and his friends, keeping the stone bench between them.
She hoped to make it clear she did not want their company, but apparently she failed, because Stephano walked over to speak to her.
“We have room if you would like to sit down, Mistress Katherine,” he said.
Kate stared straight ahead, her arms folded across her chest. “Thank you, Your Grace, but I prefer to stand.”
She was being deliberately rude, hoping he would walk off, offended. He looked grave, but he remained standing at her side.
The dragons crouched on their haunches, wings at their sides, tails curled around their feet. The humans stood with their hands on the hilts of their swords.
“Bring forth the accused,” Anasi called.
Lord Haelgrund escorted Dalgren from his cave. He took his place in front of the court and waited, unmoving, to hear his fate.
“Have the officers selected to sit in judgment on the accused reached a verdict, Captain?” Anasi asked.
Captain Porcelli stood up. “We have, my lady.”
“Is the verdict unanimous among men and dragons, Captain?”
“It is, my lady.”
“What is the verdict, Captain?”
Dalgren stood rigid, staring straight ahead at the distant mountains. Perhaps in his mind he was flying free among the snow-capped peaks. Kate stopped breathing.
“We find Lord Dalgren guilty, my lady.”
Kate clenched her fists and blinked back stinging tears. Stephano stirred, as though he would say something to comfort her. Kate turned away, not wanting to hear his empty platitudes.
The countess asked each judge in turn, first the humans and then the dragons. “Guilty,” said one and “guilty” said another. When the final “guilty” echoed off the sides of the mountains and died away, Countess Anasi waited a moment in solemn, respectful silence, then addressed the assembly.
Dalgren had to walk only a few paces to reach the outer edge of Grayhollow. He maintained his courage, holding his head high, clenching his jaw.
“Lord Dalgren, you are sentenced to undergo the Banishing. Your name will never again be spoken by man or dragon. Henceforth, you will have no name. You are exiled from the Dragon Duchies. You are stripped of your lands and title. No dragon, on pain of suffering the same fate, will have any contact with you. You will go forth from here and never return.”
Her words might well have been a barrage of cannon fire. Dalgren shuddered as each word slammed into him. His head sagged, his shoulders slumped, his body sank lower and lower to the ground.
“Stop it!” Kate shouted, choking on her rage and her tears. “Stop it! You are killing him!”
Countess Anasi fixed Kate with glittering eyes.
“Mistress, be silent—”
“Dalgren!” Kate cried, defiantly using his name. “Dalgren, I speak your name with pride! Come with me! You and I don’t need these fools!”
Dalgren refused to even look at her.
Kate wanted to leave, to go talk to him, to be with him, to proudly stand at his side. Stephano placed a restraining hand on her arm and took firm hold of her.
“Sit down, Captain Kate,” he said. “You are drawing unwanted attention to yourself.”
Kate was about to angrily shake free of his grip when she realized that he was no longer calling her “Mistress Kate.” He had called her “Captain.” She stared at him, astonished.
“How did you know?” she asked in a low voice.
“I am not the only one with the ability to connect the name ‘Katherine’ with the sobriquet ‘Kate.’”
He cast a significant glance at Captain Porcelli, who was staring at Kate with unusual intensity and frowning thoughtfulness.
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