Tears of War Page 11

  Lenya looked down at the road and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Will he go away now?”

  “Only for a little while. We have to go to Marden so that other people can know there are good dragons. You do not want other people being afraid do you?” She shook her head. “And you want other people to know they are not facing the bad dragons alone, right?”

  She nodded and looked back up at him. “Will he come see me again?”

  “Absolutely. Our horses are here, remember. Besides, he says he likes you.”

  “Do you ride on him when he goes up into the sky?”

  He smiled again. “Yes, I do. It is very exciting.”

  “Can I do it?”

  Vaddoc glanced at her mother’s face and her alarm. He winked at her and turned back to the little girl. “Yes, someday. You see, there are special straps that hold you in the saddle and you are not big enough yet. They would not fit on you and you would be in danger of falling off.”

  Lenya pouted and hugged the tip of Namir’s snout. “Momma, can I go see Sykynn before they go?”

  Her mother looked at Vaddoc, Namir, Kirynn, Syrakynn, and finally back at her daughter. “Y…” she cleared her throat, though her voice still came out thready, “Yes.”

  With a squeal of delight, Lenya ran across the street to the big red. Syrakynn happily lowered her nose to the girl. Vaddoc stood up and watched her with one hand laid against Namir’s neck.

  Kirynn knelt down so she was level with the girl, while Lenya plied her with questions about the red.

  “Vaddoc, would you please assure the mother that I would never hurt her or her little ones? Fear is still rolling off her.”

  Vaddoc turned to the woman and offered her a hand. “My name is Vaddoc. My dragon, Namir, would like me to relay a message.”

  She glanced at the dragon, slowly took the offered hand and Vaddoc helped her back to her feet. She stared at the great golden dragon. “What message?”

  “He would like to reassure you that he would never hurt you or your children, or anyone else in the village. He asks that you please not fear him.”

  The woman gave a shaky laugh. “My name is Anly and I will do my best, but I am afraid it is not so easy to turn off.”

  The older girl who had been holding Lenya stepped forward. She was probably a year or two older than Loki. “My name is Tenyi. Can I meet your dragon too?”

  Vaddoc nodded. “Of course, he will be very happy to meet more people.”

  A boy, a little older than Tenyi, edged out into the street. “I want to meet them.”

  Slowly, more children stepped forward. The adults, although more hesitant, eventually followed the lead of their more adaptable offspring. A touch on Vaddoc’s arm made him turn.

  The innkeeper stood smoothing his thin hair. “I must apologize. I never knew there could be dragons like this. When those black dragons and their riders came, all I saw was confirmation of the tales.”

  Vaddoc laid a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Medar, there is no reason to apologize. How would you have known?”

  Medar nodded. “Can I…can I meet your dragons?”

  Vaddoc dropped his hand. “Of course. I think Namir would like that.”

  Kellinar glanced up as they reached the castle gate. The wall, topped with flags bearing the standard of Haraban, rose high above them. Beside him, Taela still rode with the cowl of her cloak pulled forward. How she could stand it was beyond him. The heat of the late afternoon, combined with the heavy humidity, created an oppressive blanket over the area. Sweat dampened his face. As soon as he wiped it off, it was back.

  Ten uniformed men, five on either side of the steps leading up to the open heavy doors, stood guard. Three of the guards stepped into their path.

  The oldest of the three, his hard face creased with experience, glanced at them. He barely registered Kellinar or Serena, but his eyes hardened with suspicion as he took in Taela with the hood of her cloak pulled forward. Backlit by the sun, the shadow of her hood effectively hid her face. “What is your business here?”

  “We seek audience with King Bahar of Haraban,” Taela said softly, her voice belying the anxiety Kellinar sensed underneath. She wanted to get in without being recognized. None of them knew her status in Haraban. Was she a desperately searched for daughter, or the shamed female member of the household wanted for the crime of using magic?

  “The king is not accepting audience today. Leave your name and if possible, he will see you when he can.”

  Taela reached up and hesitated. A mixture of fear and irritation flowed through their bond. He sensed her inner struggle. With resignation, she lowered her hood and lifted her chin. “Then inform him that his daughter is the one who seeks audience with him.”

  All of the guards dropped to one knee. The older man glanced up briefly. “Princess Taela! Please, accept our apologies.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Apology accepted. Stop kissing the paving stones, it’s annoying.”

  They stood as a group. The older man stepped forward and offered his hand. “Allow me to assist you off your horse. Your father will be most anxious to see you.”

  Kellinar leaped down from his saddle and pushed between the guard and Taela. “I will help her down.” He reached for her but paused when he heard the whisper of steel against leather. Turning slowly, he eyed the guard who stood with his sword drawn.

  “The princess is not to be touched by those not of the king’s house without permission from the king himself.”

  Kellinar chuckled. “I assure you, I have done more than merely touch her.”

  He watched as the guard turned a fascinating shade of reddish purple. The others behind him scowled. Taela grumbled under her breath and Kellinar sensed her exasperation. She leveled a look at the guard. “He is the only one allowed to touch me. The king’s permission no longer applies.”

  “But, Princess—”

  “It is not your place to question me. Now put your weapon away.”

  With a glower at Kellinar, the guard complied. Kellinar flashed him a smile and reached up to help Taela down, not that she really needed it, but it would needle the guard. As Taela straightened her divided riding skirts, she looked up at him with narrowed eyes. “You don’t have to antagonize them.”

  He grinned. “I know I don’t have to.”

  Serena dismounted and walked over to them. “You will likely never break him of it, Taela. Old habits die hard.”

  Kellinar ignored her comment and held his arm out for Taela. “My lady.”

  The sweet smile she gave him held a hint of poison. He was testing her temper and he knew it. “Try to behave,” she whispered.

  The guard’s eyes flicked between them but he voiced none of the questions that seemed to lurk behind the look. Without a word, he turned and led them up the stairs.

  Once inside, they followed him down a column lined hall. The polished stone floor reflected the fading light pouring through the tall glass windows on both walls. Kellinar glanced at the large, manicured gardens visible through the windows. Beyond, the inner walls of the castle threw deep shadows over the flowerbeds and bushes. More tall windows lined the inner castle walls. Occasionally, a light breeze brought the mixed scents of blooming roses, wisteria, magnolias, and honeysuckle into the hall.

  They stopped at a set of ornate doors. While the guard rapped on the door, Kellinar looked at the designs of fish and flowers carved into it. Although beautiful, the carvings didn’t compare to those in Galdrilene. Once these would have seemed exquisite, but over two years spent seeing wood and stone carved by mages had educated him on the true beauty of such things.

  The doors swung open and the guard walked forward. “Your majesty…”

  Taela walked past the guard, her eyes sharp on his. Without a word the guard turned and left. Kellinar glanced at his bondmate. What had she done to the poor man?

  She brushed past the other guards inside the doors and strode across the massive room. An angular man, dressed in
fine clothing, turned from a conversation with two other men. A neatly trimmed, silver-white beard and mustache covered his face below dark brown slanted eyes. That must be Bahar.

  Bahar’s eyes widened as he left the other two men standing there and walked toward Taela with long strides. “Taela,” he breathed. “Thank the Fates.”

  She smiled and ran the last few steps into her father’s welcoming hug. Kellinar hung back. Being this close, his shield should help protect her from the discomfort of touching, although he still monitored the bond to be sure. He kept an eye on the few other occupants of the room, watchful for any who might not welcome her return.

  Her father kissed her forehead and then stepped back, holding her hands. “What happened to you? Where have you been?”

  “There is a great deal to tell, much of it needs to be discussed privately.” She squeezed his hands and glanced back at Kellinar. “I also have some introductions to make, but again, we need to talk in private.”

  Bahar looked over Taela’s shoulder, settling first on Serena and then on Kellinar. His eyes narrowed. Kellinar didn’t smile in greeting. The man was obviously intuitive enough to suspect there would be more to the introductions than he would probably like. Kellinar tried to set aside his instinctive distrust of royalty; he was bondmated to a princess after all. In his heart, he knew his bond with Taela was what allowed him to love and trust her explicitly. Her father might be a good man, honorable and honest to an extent, but royalty rarely did anything that didn’t stand to gain them something.

  Bahar cleared his throat. “Yes, of course.” He turned and started across the massive room. Kellinar followed with Serena beside him. Kellinar eyed Taela’s right hand, still clutched in her father’s, feeling the bond to ensure the shield kept her from discomfort. Bahar glanced back and Kellinar sensed a challenge in their depths. This time he flashed the king a smile. Bahar was seriously mistaken if he thought he could separate him from Taela.

  The vast ceiling soared over their heads, swallowing the slight echo of their footsteps off the polished floor. Kellinar swept he gaze over the other people in the room. All of them seemed frozen. None had made a move or a sound since Taela’s entrance. Only their eyes followed the small procession across the room. As they stepped into an antechamber, he looked back and saw the first signs of thaw beginning. No doubt the second the door closed, they would thaw completely and within the hour the entire city would be buzzing with the news of Taela’s return.

  He put them out of his mind as the heavy ornate door swung shut. The king took a seat behind a large, wooden desk and leaned his elbows on its polished surface. “Please, sit. A servant will bring refreshments.”

  “Father, before we all sit down, I believe introductions are in order.” She held a hand out toward Serena. “Please welcome Serena, a… senior member of the Tower of Healing.”

  Her father nodded at Serena as she sat on the edge of one of the chairs.

  Taela paused and took a deep breath and raised her chin slightly. Kellinar sensed determination and suppressed fear as she lay her hand on his arm. “This is Kellinar. A senior member of the Tower of Wind and Air, and my bondmate.”

  Bahar’s eyes flicked between them. His voice was calm and level when he asked, “What do you mean, ‘bondmate’?”

  Taela shook her head. “You may not understand the exact words but you know the basic meaning. I can read it in your mind.”

  Bahar jerked slightly and sat back in his chair. “Taela, I told you not to speak of that; it’s too close to magic. These two,” he indicated Kellinar and Serena, “do not seem surprised, so I assume you have spoken of such things to them. It does not change the fact that such admissions might bring you harm.”

  He shifted back, trying to look more relaxed, but Kellinar saw the flush at Bahar’s neck and the sheen of sweat on his upper brow. Bahar glanced again at Kellinar before leveling a stern look at Taela. “As far as this ‘bondmate’ thing you spoke of. I hope you are not alluding that it is a type of marriage. Without my permission, you have no marriage. I do not know this young man’s history, his family ties, nothing.”

  Kellinar sat in one of the chairs facing the desk. Leaning back, he propped his ankle on the opposite knee. He’d read the challenge in Bahar’s eyes correctly. “I’m afraid getting to know my birth family would be impossible since they all died of fever in the Mallay District of Trilene when I was boy. However, there are many in the Thieves’ Caves that are pretty close to family. They’ve never met a member of royalty. Well,” he chuckled, “at least not when the member of royalty was awake. Much easier to remove valuables from a sleeping person than one who is awake, don’t you think?”

  “Kellinar.” Taela growled his name through gritted teeth.

  He would pay for this later, but right at that moment watching Bahar’s face fill with red was worth the price.

  “Are you mad, Taela?” Bahar roared, rising from his seat so fast he sent the chair crashing to the floor. “A thief from the Mallay of Trilene?” He slammed his fist on the desk. “I will not have it!” He glared at Kellinar, his brows drawn down. “Whatever you think you have with my daughter, you do not. You will leave Haraban, not just the city, but the nation.”

  Kellinar smiled pleasantly. “I will go nowhere. Nothing short of death will break a bondmating; it goes far beyond a marriage. And though I’m sure you would like nothing better than to see me dead, you won’t get the pleasure of killing me. Not only would an attempt on my life bring down a wrath on your palace such as you have never witnessed, if you somehow succeeded in your attempt, you would bring unimaginable grief upon your daughter.”

  Taela glared at Kellinar with fire in her dark blue eyes. “Don’t be so sure I won’t kill you myself when this is over.” Oh yes, he was going to pay. Maybe he could hide behind Shryden.

  Dragon laughter filled his mind. “You wish to place me in front of her anger? I will of course protect you if she actually tries to kill you, but beyond that, this is a forest you have set fire to all by yourself. I think I will stay out of the way while you put it out.”

  “Thanks a lot. See if I scratch that spot above your wing ever again.”

  “You love me. Of course you will scratch it.”

  Kellinar chuckled. Of course he would scratch it. He would give his life for Shryden. Fate-forsaken dragon just had to call his bluff. Shryden’s rough version of a chuckle echoed through his mind.

  He glanced at Taela’s face again. At least he ran faster than she did. How long until Latia could Slide reliably? Anevay was always able to dispel Taela’s anger.

  “Now you are threatening my kingdom?” Bahar’s shout brought him back to the conversation.

  Kellinar shook his head and leaned forward. He leveled a hard look at Taela’s father. “No Bahar, the innocent people in your kingdom are perfectly safe. I’m not threatening them, just you. There will be no separating my bondmate from me.”

  “Alright, that is enough.” Serena stood and moved to stand between Kellinar and Bahar. “This male posturing is ridiculous. Black dragons ride the dawn and there are Shadow Riders again for the first time in over five hundred years. There is much to talk about.”

  She pointed a finger at Bahar. “Taela and Kellinar are bonded for life. It cannot be broken or revoked, so you might as well come to terms with it. It is done, you cannot undo it.”

  She turned to Kellinar, her blue eyes flashing. “And you, I know it is hard for you to trust those in a wealthy, ruling position, but you are going to have to set that aside. You are no longer the Thief Lord of Trilene. You are Di’shan Kellinar Doryne, bonded to the Blue dragon Shryden. Your station is above this pettiness. You are a Guardian of Galdrilene. Act like it.”

  Kellinar stared at her, chagrined. She was right. He couldn’t go into every situation with the mindset he had lived within Trilene. He needed to get this man on his side, not alienate him. His natural inclinations were to buck authority and push people in power to find out where their limit
s were, and he was a fool to give into those inclinations.

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Kellinar. It is natural to fall back on old behaviors when confronted with things like this.” Shryden’s soothing voice filled his mind.

  “You are too forgiving of my faults.”

  “You sensed the challenge to your bond with Taela. I understand , after all, if he separated you from Taela, then I would be separated from Paki and that will never happen. Your reaction to such a threat was natural.”

  “Natural or not, Serena is right. I may have blundered beyond repair here,” Kellinar sent.

  Amusement shadowed Shryden’s return sending, “If Bahar proves too much of a problem, I can always eat him.”

  Kellinar couldn’t help the soft chuckle that welled up. In the midst of his sudden feelings of failure, Shryden had lifted Kellinar’s mood. Love from the blue flowed along the bond and he returned it with every fiber of his being.

  Serena narrowed her eyes at him. “What is so funny?”

  He smiled at her. “Just Shryden, offering me his wisdom.” Kellinar let his smile fade and turned to Bahar. His face was drained of color as he fumbled for his chair. Taela rushed around the desk to help, a worried look on her face as her father sank slowly into it. His gaze flicked across the three of them and he swallowed.

  “Dragons?” His voice was quiet and shaky.

  Taela walked back around the desk and took one of the chairs. “Yes, Father, dragons. What I do isn’t too close to magic, it is magic. Magic users that make it to Galdrilene to train usually become mages. But I hatched a silver dragon. Her name is Paki.”

  He stared at her with wide eyes and his mouth worked a couple of times before sound came out. “Is…is that where you went when you left?”

  She sighed. “Not exactly. I was in the garden, trying to find a way to make Sehlas change his mind. I thought I could use my gift to do it, but it didn’t quit work out that way. I thought Sulwyna, Sehlas’ youngest wife, had seen me and made the connection between me hiding in the bushes and her husband’s condition. I ran for my rooms.”