Stone Dragon (The First Realm) (23 page)

“I did just what you said, young master. I called for help and the Lord Governor teleported
all the way from Drystone
with a company of royal guard.”

“Damn,” I said. “That is major wizardry.” I looked at the women. “What happened to you two?”

“This skinny elf was stuck in a hole. I had to drag her out by the ankles.”

“It was a
tunnel
. The fools thought they could imprison an earth mage! I was escaping when this vulgar dwarf ruined it.”

“Hey, this
vulgar
dwarf saved your life!”

“Ladies, please,” I said. “Hello, Heronimo.”

“Hey, Angrod,” Heronimo said. “I’m getting out of the revenge business.”

“Satisfied your honor, did you?”

“At some cost,” he said, looking mournful. He raised his bandaged hands. “Just got them reattached. Can’t seem to move them. Will I ever hold a sword again?”

“Have I ever told you that your calves lack size and definition?”

“Hey, fuck you!” he said, and made a pair of rude gestures.

“Your middle fingers work, at least.”

“I—thanks.”

“You’ll never believe what I went through!” Mina said. Heronimo and I looked at each other.

“I just fought the greatest swordsman in Brandish. He cut off both my hands before I could kill him.”

“And I chewed off my own arm so I could regurgitate an entire dragon.”

I looked at my right arm, what was left of it. The stump ended just below the shoulder. “Looks like I won’t be getting it back, either. But anyway, you were saying, Mina?”

She stared. “I… you guys are horrible, you know that?”

“No, no, we’re totally interested in your story,” Heronimo said.

“That may have to wait.”

We turned and saw the Lord Governor of Drystone.

“Lord Elanesse,” I said. “Have you come to arrest me?”

Like his daughter, Findecano had his arms crossed. “I thought I was. Yet you rescued Meerwen and uncovered a dangerous conspiracy. What’s more, you don’t seem to be the dragon we’re looking for.”

Cruix stepped forward. He’d been sitting so quietly I hadn’t noticed, even though he was a full-grown dragon. “I take complete responsibility for any deaths I may have caused. I was disoriented after transforming for the first time, but that’s no excuse.” He bowed his great horned head. “I throw myself at the mercy of the court.”

Anything he threw himself at would be crushed, but never mind. It was time to do my part.

“Help me up, Heronimo,” I said, and climbed to my feet. “As bond-brother to the dragon Cruix, I hereby extend my protection and grant him full pardon.”

“A full pardon?” Findecano said. “On whose authority?”

“On
my
authority,” I said, raising my voice so it carried through the citadel. “I am the last living scion of House Lissesul. I am friend to dwarves and humans, and kin to dragons! I believe there was a prophecy?”

“Where are your manners?”
Cruix bellowed. He reared and spread his wings, framing me with his wings.
“You are in the presence of the crown prince—ANGROD VENEANAR!”

Five hundred elves were caught in the moment and crashed to their knees. Amid the sound, I turned to Cruix.

And winked.

Epilogue

I awakened slowly, luxuriating in the feather mattress. The light from the windows told me it was close to noon, which was fine. In the royal household, the day begins when
I
get up.

I slid out of the silk sheets and scratched. Stretched. I was yawning when someone behind me said, “Prince Angrod?”

“Yaaah!” I turned and channeled fire through my arm. Then I saw it was my personal assistant. “Dagonet, don’t
do
that!”

“Sorry, milord. I thought you’d be awake already.”

“How did you get in? Why didn’t I see you standing there?”

“It was quite a long yawn, milord. Tends to affect the hearing. And I see you’ll need another sleeve.”

I looked at Firescale, my silver arm. Modeled on my left arm, it felt the same and even weighed the same. Black cords of synthetic muscle tightened under the seams, everything working smoothly and soundlessly.

I flexed the fleshless fingers and grimaced. I still wasn’t used to it.

“Will you be wearing the blue sleeve or the green one?”

“You know what, let’s do without any sort of glove today. It’s strange enough having this thing without pretending it’s flesh and blood.”

The arm had been a gift from Mina’s father, the Chieftain of Ironore, partly for keeping his daughter safe and partly as a diplomatic gesture. I wasn’t king yet, but it looked to be in the making.

“Armor-grade silver alloy, runs off an internal crystal battery,” Mina had said, going over the manual. “Four-hundred-pound grip!”

“It’s not going to strangle me if I go against your father, will it?”

“Of course not! Daddy never delegates. If he wanted to strangle you he’d do it himself.”

Things had moved quickly from there. Valandil’s pro-royalist faction had offered their support and, in light of my bargain with Cruix, I had no choice but to accept. It had taken some legal footwork, but we both had our freedom.

Auntie Marilla bustled in with the brunch trolley. Heronimo followed close behind. He was bare-chest and had a towel over his shoulders.

“Good session?” I asked.

“Very good,” he said. “The fencing master says it’ll only take me fourteen years to become competent.”

“High praise,” I said. “He’s not still mad about the groin attack, is he?”

“He has forbidden it in sparring. Although I don’t see the problem. It’s a standard greeting among some of my people. The slower one buys the beer.”

Mina came in, and this time she wore a dress. “I’ve just been in a meeting with the Council of Governors. You were missed. When are you going to start getting up early?”

“Get off my case, woman,” I said, walking to the trolley. “It’s only been weeks since the Battle of the Citadel.”

“That doesn’t mean you can ignore your duties. After all, you claimed them only recently.”

I sighed. To keep Mina from having to return to her father I’d appointed her dwarven ambassador to my court, such as it was. She seemed to be taking it seriously.

“Here are my notes,” she said. “Catch up while you eat.”

I sat down on the bed and started on the bread. “I’m to officiate at a diplomatic summit, an arts festival, and a football game?”

“Several football games, actually.”

“What the hell is a constitutional monarchy?”

I thought back to my carefree days in Drystone, when all I had to worry about was ‘prentice work. I remembered Elrond and his fruit wines, the Merchant Quarter and its glittering nightlife. Corinthe was my home but it no longer felt like my playground.

And because everyone seemed to want to talk to me before I’d even washed my face, Cruix popped in. As an elf, he looked exactly like I did except for the hair. “Hey, bro!” he said.

“I’m not your bro. What do you want?”

“I have an excellent idea for a day trip!”

“Not now,” Mina said. “Angrod has things to attend to. He’s not going to have free time for a while.”

Dagonet leaned close. “Meerwen’s been calling. She has some things she wants to say to you.”

“You see, Cruix? It’s not like I don’t have options.”

“But this one is a group outing,” he said. “Fun for the whole party!”

Mina crossed her arms. “I don’t know which is more suspicious, the dragon’s invitation or the Elanesse’s. You can’t possibly think her father doesn’t know of this.”

“Nice-looking lady, though,” Heronimo said. “Probably fun in bed.”

“Did you say something, mister?” Mina said. “Are you
unhappy
with our current arrangement?”

“It was just an observation,” he said. “Nothing wrong with looking.”

“Ha! I
saw
the way you were looking—”

“A man’s got eyes—”

“It’d be good sport,” Cruix said, “and perfect for public relations—”

“Guys, SHUT UP!”

They looked at me. I sat on the bed, a bun half-buttered in my hand. “If you’re not going to let me have breakfast, at least have the decency to speak one at a time.”

I gestured at Cruix. “You first. The last time I went anywhere with you, I ended up without an arm. What could you
possibly
say to get me out of this castle?”

“Wyvern hunting.”

“I’ll get my stuff.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KLAY TESTAMARK is a man of many interests. He's sold luxury cars, created mobile apps, and exported designer clothing. Before that he was a bouncer, bodyguard, and bartender. Nowadays he's proud to be a husband and father--he and his family divide their time between Las Vegas and the Caribbean. Klay has recently returned to his first love, fantasy fiction, and Stone Dragon is the first of a nine-part series. Connect with him through @klaytestamark on Twitter and visit klaytime.com
.

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