Realm Of Blood And Fire (Book 3) (13 page)

“So,” said Warrimonious once they found a partially shaded spot to sit, “what in the Third Realm happened?”

Everyone looked at Astra. She gripped her hands together in her lap. “Well, it wasn’t quite the homecoming I was hoping for.”

“Can you blame them? We introduced ourselves by burning their doors down.” Agmunsten raised one brow.

Astra huffed. “I know, but that was the plan.”

Zim patted her back. “There was no other way we could have done it. At least they know we’re not easy pickings. It could have gone all right, but you said you had something to tell us.”

“Other than High Chancellor Calinsar being in charge, there’s a kill-on-sight order for dragons. Apparently there’s an island off the coast, to the north, that has disappeared, a whirlpool in its place. Two fishing boats were swallowed up, and the whirlpool is getting bigger. Everyone’s afraid it will eventually consume Zamahl. The chancellor had a dream showing him that it was the fault of the dragons and King Edmund.”

Agmunsten slapped the top of his leg. “But that’s ridiculous! We’ve been set up. We’re going to have a
Third Realm of a time trying to convince them to help now.”

“But who would sabotage us?” asked Arie.

Squashing a bug on her arm, Astra answered, “The only way to find out is to go and see the high chancellor and ask him ourselves. We need to get to the bottom of this quickly.”

“Where does he live?” Zim asked.

“The chancellor, whoever that is at the time, lives in the city. When they acquire the position, they get the use of a three-story mansion—not quite as big as one of your castles, but close. We could check it out tonight.” Astra tapped her chin with her forefinger. “But what if he’s not there? He could have traveled to one of the other cities. When I used to live here, there were constant tax-collecting missions, and I doubt anything’s changed. The chancellor doesn’t have to go, but it helps reinforce the idea that he’s always watching. Plus, I think the chancellor enjoys counting the money on the way back.” She laughed.

“We’ll go tonight,” said Agmunsten. “Warrimonious and Arie can stay here.”

Arie jumped to his feet. “Why am I always left out of everything? I can channel too, you know.”

“This isn’t a game, boy. We have no idea what we’re getting ourselves in
to.” Agmunsten scowled. “I have enough to worry about without worrying about you.”

“I can look after myself.” He folded his lanky arms in front of his chest.

“Next time—I promise. Leave this one to us, okay?”

Arie sniffed and sat down.

“I could sure use a creatura about now,” said Astra. “A bird would have been good—just send it to fly in and check out the residence.”

“Why didn’t you ever get one?” Arie asked.

“I didn’t want to risk forming a close attachment to anyone again. Leaving my family was the most upsetting thing I’ve ever done. If I lost someone else I loved, I don’t think I’d want to go on.”

Warrimonious stood. “Well, no one has a creatura that can help us right now, so l
et’s move on. Wait until dark; then you go. Question the first person you find—read their mind if you have to. Before you look at me like I just ate your creatura, remember what’s at stake.”

Zim nodded. “If he’s home, we question him, and if he’s not, we come back here, grab you and Arie
, and we fly to wherever he is. Easy. Now that that’s settled, I’m hungry. What’s say you and I go hunting for some sheep, Warrimonious?”

The other dragon grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

“But someone will see you.”

“Don’t worry, Arie,” said Zim. “It will be good to create a few rumors of our whereabouts. We’ll hunt somewhere far from here until dark. By the time we return, no one will have any idea where we are.”

“Be careful,” Astra warned. “Remember there’s a price on your heads.”

“We will.” Warrimonious smiled before making his way to the western side of the hilltop. “Bye,” he said as he spread his wings and jumped off the edge.

The humans watched as Zim and Warrimonious flew to the west—two frightening, yet majestic, figures, black against the blue horizon. “I hope they scare a few Zamahlans.” Arie laughed.

“Me too, Arie. Me too.” Agmunsten clapped him on the shoulder and smiled.

Astra didn’t smile; in fact, she didn’t hear what they said—she was too busy worrying about the coming night. Her sixth sense told her that something was off, and it had never been wrong before. She tried to distract herself by picking through her pack. “Who wants something to eat?” she asked as she held out an apple. Agmunsten shook his head, but Arie grabbed it. Reaching into her pack again, she found another for herself. Biting into it, she thought:
Enjoy it
,
Astra
.
It could be your last.

Chapter 12

It was after midnight, and the clouds obscured the moon. A group of horses and riders stood in shadow next to the towering stone wall that surrounded Bayerlon, readying to leave. Edmund kept his voice low. “Chisholm, I’m trusting you to keep them safe. Guard them with your life.”

“Yes,
sir.” The young soldier stood at attention and held the king’s gaze.

“If you need to send King Valdorryn or I a message, Fendill
the realmist can do it. We’ll keep you updated through him, too. Make good time, and may the gods be with you.”

Chisholm turned and mounted his black gelding. With a swift kick of his heels, he led his charges to the south, toward Vellonia.

Verity and Queen Gabrielle both looked over their shoulders at Edmund until he was an unidentifiable shape in the dark. The princess shivered, although the night was not cold. She had avoided riding since she had returned from Inkra. The last time she had ridden out here, she had been with Boy. They had been attacked, and Verity had been kidnapped by men working for her uncle. With the traumatic memories filling her mind, she strained her eyes in looking to the left, to the right, to the left again, seeking danger in the pools of darkness that lived under the trees, behind the thickets and on the road behind them. The presence of her father’s soldiers did little to placate her fear.

Unable to seek comfort in conversation until they were far from Bayerlon, Verity tried to calm herself by thinking of her dead friend. Boy had risked his life to save her. Died to save her. He had been so young. And she would bet that if he were here, he would ride alongside her without fear in his heart.
Lend me strength, my friend,
she thought and forced her hands to loosen their stranglehold on the reins.

Ahead of her, Chisholm nudged his horse into a trot, and the others followed. When they had passed a large village about an hour south of Bayerlon, the soldier slowed his horse to a walk and gave them leave to talk. Karin rode next to him, while Queen Gabrielle and Fendill chatted. Sarah joined Verity. “Are you all right, Verity?”

“Is it that obvious?”

Sarah smiled. “Only because I know you so well. This isn’t like the time you went riding with Boy. We have Fendill, who’s a realmist, and all these soldiers. And we know our enemy is out there.”

“I know you’re right. It’s hard to explain. I jump at noises in the castle day and night. The nightmares still come. The dreams with Leon are the worst. His monstrous form, that thing he turned into, talks to me, and it keeps calling me ‘daughter’.”

Gabrielle, riding behind with Fendill, looked at Verity and swallowed her gasp.

“Is anything the matter, my queen?” asked the realmist.

“Ah, no. I just hate hearing that Verity is still having nightmares.” She turned to look him in the eyes, her hand going to her throat. “You know, there is nothing worse than seeing your child suffer, especially when there is nothing you can do to stop it.”

“I’ve heard. Having no children of my own, I cannot truly understand.”

“Do you think you ever will have children?”

“I don’t think so. To tell you the truth, I haven’t thought much about it. All my energy was on working for Leon, and now with the war . . . who would want to bring up a child in those conditions? The point might be irrelevant in a few weeks, anyway.”

Gabrielle frowned. “Have confidence, Fendill. Did you ever think you’d escape Inkra and Leon? From what you and Pernus have told us, escape was almost impossible, yet you managed to reach Bayerlon, and you saved two others in the process. We will reach Vellonia, and Edmund will join us soon. Talia will rise to the challenge, and the gormons will be defeated. I won’t hear
any more talk of losing. Do you understand?”

“Yes,
Your Highness.”

“Good.”

He looked at her as if he wanted to ask a question, but the moment passed in silence. “I’d better go and check in with Chisholm.” He bowed and left.

Gabrielle wondered if Fendill knew her secret. Had Leon told him? Worry lines marred her brow as she imagined Edmund’s reaction to the news that Verity might not be his daughter. And what if he found out at the wrong moment
—a moment when he needed to be strong? It could give the gormons the upper hand, and she had no doubt Leon would play that card if it helped him crush his brother. And then she remembered her dead twins and bowed her head, a tear sliding down her cheek. She could hardly remember them anymore. What would they have looked like, been like? Maybe it was good that they were not here for her to worry about. Instead, she would focus on the ones who were here, the ones she could do something to protect.

Please know I love you, Edmund. Whatever you do, don’t believe that evil, gormon-loving traitor.
Looking at her daughter, riding just ahead, she feared the worst and wished they were already at Vellonia, Edmund at their side. If only wishes always came true.

***

His wife and daughter had left almost twenty-four hours ago, but Edmund had had little time to think about them. With so many holes to fill, Perculus still missing, and the gormons on their way, there was more than enough to occupy every second of his day. Gathered in an inner courtyard, so that Arcese was more comfortable, the king, Fernis, Alaine and Elphus ate a late dinner of lamb stew and mashed potatoes—one of the king’s favorites.

Elphus swallowed his mouthful. “I risked a quick check before dinner, and the gormons are on course to reach here tomorrow night.”

Everyone looked at each other, faces grim. King Edmund put his fork down. “Alaine, have your troops returned from warning the surrounding villages?”

“Mostly. Three mounted parties are yet to return. We sent out extra horses with them to help those who might be too slow.”

“And do we have an update on the filling of the access tunnels?”

Fernis nodded. “Yes, Edmund. There are about a quarter left to fill. We should be finished by dawn, midmorning at the latest.”

“Good. Pernus is making sure
our defenses are ready, and Elphus has made some special missiles to hinder the gormons’ air attack. Before Fendill left, he warded some of the houses in the city so that the gormons will get a nasty surprise if they break in.”

Arcese rubbed her belly. “I can’t help but think we should be turning people away from the city. It’s like we’re collecting people so the gormons will have easy pickings. You know that we can’t stop much of the air attack. I think we’ll be lucky to kill twenty percent of the gormons who fly in.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Elphus looked at Arcese, “I’ve spoken to your father, and he’s sending reinforcements. But if they don’t like how it’s going, they’re prepared to take us back to Vellonia.”

Edmund slapped his hands on the table. “What? Abandon my city to those monsters? Are you crazy? There is no way I will leave my people to be murdered. No way.”

“No need to raise your voice, Edmund.” Alaine patted his hand. “I would feel the same as you, had it been my city—and who’s to say it won’t be my city next week? In any case, Leon wants to destroy you, and we will not give him that satisfaction. We’ve instructed the people of the city on what to do, and many have basements they can lock themselves in. The gormons will soon tire of difficult prey. If you leave, there is no doubt in my mind that Leon will go after you. You will be the mouse that draws the cat to Vellonia.”

The king shook his head. “But I can’t leave my people. My whole life has been dedicated to my city
and country, and now I have to walk away knowing I’ve condemned thousands to death?”

“You’ll condemn many more to death if you die here. And think of Verity and Gabrielle. Would you die not knowing their fate?” Alaine held his gaze.

Arcese stretched out her wings and accidentally knocked a life-size statue of a woman carrying a baby. The stone sculpture teetered back and forth before settling back on its plinth. “Oops. Anyway, Alaine’s right, Edmund. We all have sacrifices to make. Any wrong decisions now will result in every person and dragon in every city being consumed by those oversized bugs.”

“I know.” Edmund pushed his plate
toward the middle of the table and stood. “I’ve lost my appetite. I think I’ll go and give the soldiers an inspirational talk. They’ll need some sane words to remember when they see a gormon for the first time.” He shuddered and left.

Arcese turned to Elphus. “Those dragons will only just get here in time
. . . if that. That’s a large distance to cover in two days.”

“Your father said four of them were patrolling
halfway between here and Vellonia, so he’s sending new dragons to replace them, and they’re coming here.”

“Four dragons
are not a lot compared to what we’re facing.” Arcese rose. “There’s a lot I need to see to as well. Stay safe.”

“And you, dragon princess,” Elphus and
Fernis bowed as she left.

“So that leaves us, gentlemen. I know we’ve all got much to do.” Alaine got up and embraced each man in turn. “May the gods be with
us. If we can’t beat those gormons, let’s take out as many as we can before we go.” She smiled, rolled her shoulders back and tipped her chin up.

“Wiser words have never been spoken, Queen Alaine. I shall heed them on the morrow.”
Fernis bowed, and Elphus, too large to bend at the waist, dipped his head.

Leaving the courtyard, they were each painfully aware of Talia’s destiny racing to meet them.