Heir of the Dragon Read online

  “Only during training, right.” She sucked in her breath.

  “Right. I’m just buttering your toast, as you put it.”

  It made her laugh, which hurt more, but it was worth it.

  He worked for a few seconds, before speaking again. “Jay could help you take a bath after you eat, if you wanted.”

  “Are you saying I need one?”

  She could practically hear him roll his eyes. “Why are women so eager to find an insert in everything?”

  Laughing again, she nodded a little against the pillows she was propped up on. “Insult. And yeah, I would like to at least wash my hair, if she doesn’t mind.”

  “Alright, then I’ll leave the rest of this to do after.” He came back to where she could see him, until a knock came at the door. It was a servant with a tray of food. Yhkon brought it to her, sitting down on the bed with it. “Don’t even give me that look. It’s soup, hardly even food. You’re going to eat it and like it.”

  “Fine then.” She feigned offense. He picked up the bowl and put a spoonful to her mouth. It tasted amazing, and went down her tight throat easier than she’d expected. To Yhkon’s satisfaction, she got through the whole bowl and agreed to eat more in a couple hours.

  He left, and soon a couple servants came in to pour hot water into her bathtub. Yhkon returned shortly with Jaylee, who rushed in and hugged Talea, careful not to hurt her. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

  “She refuses to answer such questions, as of now,” Yhkon said, to Talea’s relief. When she started to try and get out of bed, he stopped her. “You can’t even hold a spoon, let’s avoid you falling and breaking your neck.” He carefully picked her up and carried her to the privy. “Now I’ll leave you two be, and come back in twenty minutes unless told otherwise.”

  Jaylee was giving him a strange look. “You’re more chipper than when I last saw you.”

  Shrugging, he escaped out the door before his wife could press the inquiry.

  Despite how much she probably wanted to, Jay refrained from pressing her inquiry of Talea, too. She still kept up a conversation that was easy to enjoy and relax to, only asking questions that didn’t have to do with the battles in Zentyre. Jay always made it easy to relax. And she usually knew when to pursue a topic, and when not to.

  When Talea was clean and dressed again, they simply sat on the floor while they waited for Yhkon. She probably could have gotten to her bed if she’d tried, even with her body as weak as it was. It was easier to wait. Until a chill brought goosebumps to her skin and she began shivering uncontrollably. Just before she was determined to make it back to bed on her own, Yhkon came in. He got her back into the bed, where she curled up as best she could under all the blankets, still shivering.

  “You’re still cold?” Yhkon was finishing bandaging her back. His fingers felt like icicles when they touched her skin.

  “Freezing.”

  Jaylee brought in more blankets and piled them on. It helped, some.

  There was a knock at the door. Jay went to answer it. She greeted whoever it was warmly, without saying a name or getting a reply that would allow Talea to identify the guest.

  A moment later, and there was Wylan.

  All the pressure that had eased from her throat came back. She started to get up without even thinking, but he had already crossed the room and put his arms around her, keeping them above the burns and cut on her back. He was warm, steady. Feeling her shivering, he held her tighter, and some of her chill dissipated. She wanted to stay there in his embrace forever. And she wanted him to kiss her, except Yhkon and Jay were watching.

  As if on cue, Jaylee spoke cheerfully. “We’ll give you two some time to catch up…” She and Yhkon crept out of the room smiling.

  Wylan pulled back as they left, still holding her hand, and gave her that intense, searching gaze of his. “How are you?”

  “Okay.” She bit her lip, worried it would begin quivering with the sudden urge to cry. “You?”

  “Glad to be back.” He smiled a little.

  “You’re not hurt or anything?”

  “No, I’m fine. I’m worried about you.”

  He wasn’t talking about injuries. Talea used the trembling hand that he wasn’t holding to push her hair out of her face—someone had trimmed off the singed ends, it was only a little past her shoulders now. “I don’t want to go back.” Her voice cracked. What did it matter. “I just don’t want to go back. I know that’s wrong, I know why we’re fighting and how important it is, I just…”

  “It’s not wrong.” Wylan shook his head.

  “Whether it’s wrong or not...” She wiped her eyes, even though no tears had escaped. Yet. “We still have to go back.”

  Now he nodded.

  Another knock at the door. “Lea?”

  The rock settled in her stomach again. Rikky. And Wylan. Whatever had gone on between her and Rikky, in those nightmarish twenty-four hours in Zentyre...she didn’t understand it, and she didn’t know how to interact with him now that it was past.

  Especially with Wylan there.

  Wylan didn’t move at first, then got up and let Rikky in. Rikky must not have known that he was back—he looked startled. “Hey,” was all he said, before he was at Talea’s side. He hugged her carefully. That alone would have been fine. But then he took one of her hands. “Are you okay?”

  Her cheeks were hot. “Yeah, I mean...yeah, I’m okay. Um, you?”

  Wylan, to his credit, stood at the foot of the bed and acted normal. “Grrake said you had a concussion.”

  “Oh,” Rikky waved his hand dismissively, “just a headache, really.” He looked at Talea, and then Wylan, as if it were just occurring to him that before he’d come in the two of them had been alone, and that maybe that meant something. “So um...when did you get back?”

  “Just ten minutes ago.”

  “Okay,” was all Rikky said.

  Wylan cleared his throat. “I’m going to go check on Skyve and Terindi, I haven’t seen them yet.” He looked to Talea. She couldn’t read his dark eyes. “Do you need anything?”

  I need you to stay. She tried to think of a way to get Rikky to leave and Wylan to stay...there wasn’t one. “I’m okay.”

  Just like that, he was gone. And Rikky was there.

  “Did I interrupt something?” he asked.

  Apparently not. “No.”

  Rikky rubbed his thumb over her hand. “And...is there...something like...between you guys?”

  “No.” She bit her tongue as soon as the word was out. She should have thought it through...she hadn’t meant to answer so quickly. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to take it back. Not that there wasn’t something...but there just...there didn’t seem to be something, either. Not on Wylan’s end.

  He smiled. Then his brow crinkled with concern. “You must be tired. Does your back hurt?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well,” he sat down on the side of the bed, “you don’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. Do you want to sleep, or should I keep you company, or…?”

  She didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t want to be alone…but she wanted Wylan, who apparently didn’t care to be there. Rikky did, at least, and he was sweet and caring. But she could barely keep her eyes open. “Um, I might sleep, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course.” He got back up, giving her hand a squeeze before he let go. “Get some rest. I’ll see you later, okay?” He left with a smile.

  She fell asleep with wet cheeks.

  ~♦~

  The dragon swooped from its perch atop the mountain. Talea kicked Ember to a gallop, but the mare’s hooves sank into thick, sticky mud that held her fast. Pouring down the mountain after the dragon were thousands of iron-clad soldiers, like silver ants swarming from their hill. The dragon roared as it neared. A hot orange glow was simmering in its throat as it opened massive jaws...angry flames turned the whole world red as pain erupted in her back.

  Talea gasped, trying to
sit up, only to find that her back really was excruciating. She choked back a cry. Her whole body was damp with sweat, the multitude of blankets suffocating her.

  Wylan appeared from the other room. He pulled off the extra blankets and brought a glass of water from the dresser. Seeing it made her realize how dry her mouth was. After she’d taken several gulps, he disappeared behind her again, this time coming back with a wet cloth. Sitting on the bed, he set it against her forehead. It offered cool relief to her fevered skin. It did nothing for the pain in her back, however.

  At her grimace, Wylan frowned. “Another hour before you can take more painkiller.”

  An hour was an eternity. She focused on her breathing, inhale, exhale, to ease the muscle tension that made it worse. When she was able to speak, tightly, she looked at him. “You came back.”

  “Of course I did.”

  Inhale, exhale. “You seemed pretty eager to leave earlier.”

  Once again, she couldn’t read his expression. That was often the case with Wylan, though she usually had more success than most. Not today. He didn’t answer for a while, and when he did, it was impassively, like he’d accepted the situation and moved on. “Things change. I understand that.”

  “Wylan…” Talea had to exhale between gritted teeth, both from frustration and pain. “Just because Rikky is…” she searched for the right word, “interested, doesn’t mean I...I mean, we didn’t…I never…”

  All she could find in Wylan’s eyes was reserve. “I’m not going to compete with him.”

  She flinched. No answer would come. At first it didn’t sink in, what he was saying. Maybe he meant that he didn’t want to cause a conflict, or...or that it shouldn’t be a competition in the first place.

  Or he was saying that she wasn’t worth the effort. “Okay.” Her voice finally came, feeble. Hopefully he would think it was because of the physical pain. “Would you um...would you send Yhkon in here, next time you see him?”

  Wylan pulled back, as if her reaction surprised him. “I didn’t mean to…” He pursed his lips, then dropped his perplexed gaze and stood. “Yes, I’ll send him up.” Walking away, he paused in the doorway. “This doesn’t change anything else. I’ll always have your back, and be here as your friend.”

  Yes, Wylan had always been those things, and she already knew that he always would. He never really changed. He just thought that she did, apparently. She nodded hastily and managed, “I know.”

  After he left, she lay there as motionless as she could, knowing squirming wouldn’t do her back any favors. Still she ended up fidgeting. Flexing and curling her toes, tracing her fingers over the pattern of the quilt, shifting her weight every so often.

  Minutes ticked by. Everything was utterly still. There wasn’t even a tree outside the window to sway in the wind. At this angle, all she could see was gray sky. She knew she was in one of fifty rooms in a spacious palace, where upward of three dozen people dwelt at any given moment, yet she felt isolated—like she could walk out of her apartment and find herself in the woods. Like she was the only soul for miles. It was strangely peaceful. And a little lonely. Maybe the loneliness and the silence were only so peaceful after two months of combat and travel.

  Yhkon came in. “Wylan said you asked for me.”

  “Yeah. I was just...a little lonely, I guess. If you’re busy though, that’s fine.”

  “Of course not.” He pulled her desk chair to the side of the bed and sat. “But I thought Wylan was here with you?”

  Talea nodded, slowly. “He’s...well, we aren’t...seeing eye to eye.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Since when do you and Wylan not see eye to eye?”

  “We just…” She mustered a smile. “Well, maybe I just preferred your company for today.”

  A pause, then he shrugged. If it had been Jaylee, or Terindi, or even Ami or Kae, they never would be thrown off the scent so easily. That was why she hadn’t asked for any of them. “Alright. Then do you feel like talking, yet?”

  “No...because there isn’t really anything to talk about.” He started to object, so she continued. “I just don’t like fighting. And you can’t have a war without it...so naturally it’s...hard.”

  His eyes narrowed and he gave a contemplative hum, telling her he wasn’t convinced by the simple answer. “Well. Here’s what I think.” He gestured emphatically, something he only did when trying to cheer her. “I think that’s only a small part of the whole truth. And maybe it’s all you’ll tell me because,” he opened his palm as if conceding a point, “I technically can’t relate to you feeling that way. About fighting. Not that that means I won’t listen if you want to tell me about it. But if you don’t,” Yhkon gave her a gentle smile, “I think you should talk to Mahzin, instead.”

  Talea wrinkled her nose. “You hate Mahzin.”

  “I do not hate him.” He rolled his eyes. “I just...don’t like the feeling that he’s peering into my soul, finding shadows and cobwebs.”

  That made her laugh. “Aw, come on, we’ve all got some shadows and cobwebs. Even Mahzin. His are just rose-colored and full of sunshine.” Mahzin was an enthusiastic, friendly, socially awkward man, not much older than Yhkon. He was one of the two that Narone had told about the Eight, supposedly through a dream, Grrake being the other.

  Yhkon gave her a good-natured glare. “My point exactly. Anyway, he might be able to offer some...shall we say, wisdom that I can’t. Or perspective. Or something.” He waved his hand inconclusively.

  “Well now I’m sold. As long as he can offer me that something, I’m sure—”

  “You really are impossible.”

  She smiled. “Okay, I’ll talk to him. Can it be some other time, though?”

  “On one condition.” He paused for dramatic effect. “You eat more food.”

  That was easy. “Deal.”

  ~♦~

  The stretching and bending to get her feet into a pair of boots almost outweighed Talea’s motivation to get out of her room. Three days of bed rest, and she was itching to move—even if her back did still hurt. And moreover, she was sick of being confined to the same four walls.

  Finally, the boots were on. She took a moment to let the pain fade, then got up and put a shawl around her shoulders. Ready, she kept herself to a measured pace as she left her apartment, and started down the first set of stairs. Skyve happened to walk by and came up to help her. “Where you headed?”

  “I don’t know, anywhere but my room. The library?”

  With silent acknowledgement, he gave her his arm and escorted her. She was wincing by the time they arrived, and he made her sit down. “Don’t go pulling out those stitches, or we’ll have to do them again when you’re awake and able to feel it.”

  She shuddered. “Got it. Thanks, Skyve.”

  He left her to retrieve a book from the shelves along the wall, then sat down on the other side of the same couch to read it. Coming from Skyve, that was companionship.

  The library served as the main hub of the palace, where everyone gathered when they were bored or wanted to spend leisurely time together. Aside from the hundreds of books, there were games and desks. Rikky and Ki were playing chess. They both looked entirely bored with the game, simply playing for lack of something better to do. Haeric was flipping through a children’s book with his six-year-old son on his lap. Ami and Kae were chatting, they looked to Talea to see if she wanted to join, but she waved her hand to say she was okay. Everyone had come to visit her at least once in the last three days, so there had been plenty of catching up.

  Upon finishing the chess match, Rikky came to sit between her and Skyve. “You two are lively,” he said after a few seconds of silence. He smiled at Talea. “Glad to see you up though. Not hurting too bad?”

  “Not bad. How’s your noggin?”

  He grinned. “Still noddin’.”

  “Which doesn’t say much. You could have the mental capabilities of a barbsit and still be able to nod your head.” Skyve didn’t so much as loo
k up from his book as he said it.

  Rikky pretended to mull the concept. “Well, I think I’d rate myself at least a little above a barbsit.”

  “I wouldn’t.” Tarol strutted in and looped an arm around Rikky’s neck. “Well look who’s up and about!” He flashed Talea a grin. “Sort of, anyway. Up long enough to sit down somewhere new.”

  “Ha, ha,” she smirked back, “you try getting roasted by a dragon.”

  “Well as a matter of fact,” he raised both hands, entering his storytelling mode, “there was this time—”

  “Don’t listen to a word of it!” Ki called across the room.

  “Hey now! I’ve been around the world, I’ve battled armies, wrestled with dragons, I’ve—”

  “Made up more stories than the rest of the world’s population combined.” She laughed. “How’s Pear, and the little tomato?”

  The mention of his son widened Tarol’s grin. Since the one-year-old already had hair even more shockingly red than Tarol’s, everyone affectionately called him a variety of related nicknames. “Doing just fine. My tomato can already walk, did ya know.”

  “Yo!” Ki swaggered over and punched Tarol’s shoulder. “How long’d it take you to walk, back when ya were a wee thing? The way ya ran into that door the other day—”

  “Ha! I popped out already runnin’ and jumpin’ and—”

  Skyve muttered something and closed his book. “You two make more noise than a flock of crows.”

  Eventually Tarol and Ki drifted off with plans for some grand adventure. Skyve went back to reading. Rikky looked to Talea. “I’m going to go upstairs. Anything you need first?”

  Stifling a yawn, she nodded. “Actually I’ll come with. I think that’s enough up-and-around time for me.”

  Skyve gave them a sort of farewell salute without taking his eyes from his book.

  Rikky took her arm for the trip, shortening his long strides and not running up the stairs like he usually did. He commented on Tarol’s alleged, untold tale with a dragon and made her laugh...just as they came to the wards’ hallway at the same time as Wylan was leaving his room.