Heir of the Dragon Read online

  “As long as you take all the trouble with you.” She gave Tarol’s shoulder—the only other part of him visible—a poke.

  “Hey now, that’s—” but Haeric had already dragged him back outside.

  Talea mentally counted down the seconds, until they were at fifteen. “Alright guys, line up!”

  All eight of them lined up according to their number—Talea, Wylan, Terindi, Ki, Kae, Rikky, Skyve, Ami. She scanned them over with a smile. “Remember your oh-so-simple job, I’ll do the rest, Ki and Rikky, no whooping this time.” Ten seconds. Five. “Aaaaand let’s go.” Talea opened the door and walked out onto the stage. The crowd, previously buzzing with conversation and activity, was almost perfectly silent. In contrast, the sky was no longer peaceful—it was preparing, dark clouds stirring above them.

  The Wardens stood in order at the back of the stage, all in an identical pose with their hands behind their backs, heads slightly down, hoods, masks and weapons all donned. All part of the performance—there was no need for mystery or weaponry in Calcaria. It just made an impressive display as the backdrop for the wards’ performance. Jaylee, as usual in those situations, looked dwarfed—surrounded by tall, broad-shouldered, muscular men, Haeric the only one close to her height—but not out of place. Somehow, her feisty, feminine spunk fit in even if her size didn’t.

  Talea took the very middle of the stage. As always. Aysa, Captain of Calcaria, leader of the Eight, Eun...the most famous person in the entire region. Sometimes it made her laugh, thinking how different things were from when she’d been a lower class girl in a laborer’s village, the lowliest of the inferior throngs that scrounged for scraps in Zentyre.

  On her right, Wylan. As always. The Marshal of Calcaria—her marshal. Yhkon had said at the beginning that Wylan would be her “right hand man” and now it was true, figuratively and literally.

  On her left, Terindi. The Supporter, and her supporter. One of her best friends. They all were.

  After Wylan, Ki, Rikky, and Ami. After Terindi, Kae and Skyve. Talea knew that the fact that they were even-numbered and not able to split on either side of her equally irked Skyve’s great desire for order and symmetry. Once when Ki was teasing him to no end, he had remarked that perhaps Ki could be dispensed with to solve the problem.

  The crowd waited, eager. There were few in Calcaria who hadn’t managed to come to one of their last two birthday performances, so most had already seen it...that didn’t seem to diminish their anticipation to see it again. Ten seconds. Without even meaning to, Talea could feel energy gathering in her fingertips, ready for the coming show. Five seconds.

  Eight o’clock.

  The swirling clouds unleashed their pent up energy with a thunderclap. Lightning spilled like milk from a pitcher, flowing in a solid pillar until, near the base, it split into eight streams that each went to one of the wards. Heat hit Talea’s hands and sent a jolt through her body as it made contact. Warmth on the inside, a tingling chill on her skin...a smile stretched her lips at the invigorating, inspiring, power. She could feel the connection with the other wards. Their power combined and strengthened by one another.

  Time to perform.

  With energy from the pillar and her friends as well as from her core, Talea could manipulate and control the electricity far better than usual, without any fatigue. She started by dividing the single pillar into eight sections all the way up, and set them rotating. Maintaining the spinning, she varied the brightness and size of beams, one after another. To continue building to the climax of the show, at the same time she started an additional flare of energy at the bottom of each beam in turn, pushing it up, up, and letting it explode into sparks at the top. Over the crackling and humming of the lightning it was difficult to hear, but she knew the crowd was enthralled. 8:01 was no doubt drawing near. Time for the finale.

  Talea bit her lip in concentration, continuing the spinning, the varying of the size and light, and the upward-traveling bursts of each beam, all at the same time. No fatigue, but not easy. She began pulling more energy, leaving enough for the current spectacle, taking everything else into her core. There it simmered, strength and courage and inspiration all tangible in the electrical power that was flooding every muscle of her body with heat. Her breath snagged, senses overwhelmed with the elation of it. When she had enough, she gathered all that raw energy...and let it out. A ring of dazzling light sprang from the base of the pillar. It hovered there only yards above their heads, changing from hues of white to aqua to blue as she influenced its potency. When Wylan, tasked to count down the seconds until 8:01, gave her the signal of a nudge with his foot, she started counting down from five.

  Four.

  Three.

  Two.

  One.

  At the exact second as the pillar disappeared back into the sky, Talea replaced it with one of her own that looked identical, so that no one knew anything had changed. The ring above their heads had only grown. Alive and spinning all the while, she made it climb upwards, absorbing the energy of her pillar as it went. Growing, growing, spiraling higher and higher, burning so bright it was almost blinding. By the time it neared the top, it was a quarter of a mile wide. When the ring had finished its ascent to where the pillar had first poured from the sky, Talea closed her fists. It burst into an explosion of sparks like blue stars. They fell like a gentle rain, slowly diminishing, entirely gone before they reached the awed crowd below.

  Talea and the other wards scurried back into the room, smothering giggles. The wild applause of the Calcarians made smothering unnecessary—it was impossible to hear anything else until the door was shut behind them, and even then it was loud.

  “That was amazing.” Rikky was first to say it with a grin, quickly echoed by the rest. Except Wylan, who in his usual fashion, only smiled and gave her an approving nod.

  Yhkon came in with Jaylee on his arm, with a proud smile for Talea. “Nicely done. They’re all going into the palace, go be friendly.”

  Groans from Talea, Terindi, and Skyve. The rest were either indifferent or enthusiastic or, in Wylan’s case, silent. They navigated a couple hallways to a set of double doors that would put them atop a veranda overlooking the spacious ballroom where the San Quawr gathered. Talea stopped and waited until everyone was in line. Wylan offered her his arm, she took it, and he opened the door.

  The throngs below started clapping instantly. She paused long enough for one of the modest waves Enisham had schooled her on, before descending the stairs at a leisurely pace, still on Wylan’s arm. That was how they almost always did these ceremonies: arm in arm. The other wards usually dispersed, but she and Wylan stayed together, at least for now. Wandering the room, greeting acquaintances and friends, satisfying the curiosity of children with small demonstrations, shaking hands, meeting anyone that approached or was presented to them. They visited with Wylan’s sister Nakelsie, listened to Jed Zalders, one of Yhkon’s old trainers and the retired captain of the Elikwai, complain about the weather, and laughed with recently-married Brenly and Naylen.

  And after awhile, it was Grrake and Shanteya, holding hands, that they met. Talea had seen Yhkon—with a failed attempt at informality and enthusiasm—approach them again toward the end of the wedding, apologize for leaving, make small talk, and suggest a more substantial visit later. Otherwise, as far as she knew there had been no further interaction between him or either of his parents for the rest of the day.

  Sure enough, Grrake approached them with that blissfully happy smile, Shanteya by his side...but also that fatherly look of concern. “Have you talked to Yhkon any?” It was directed at Talea. “He’s not...upset, is he?”

  “Not a lot, but no,” she shook her head firmly for their benefit, “he’s far too happy to be upset. Your timing is excellent.” She smiled at Shanteya. “This is the best he’s ever been.” How he would glare if he could hear her. His poor parents didn’t look convinced. “I really do think he’ll warm up to you. He might need...space, at first.”

&nb
sp; Shanteya nodded. As with before, there was the steady resolve in her face. Emotion would not be getting the better of her...even if the resolve waivered, as she caught sight of Yhkon and Jaylee across the room, laughing with Gustor and Terindi.

  Perhaps a distraction. “So...I’ve been wondering...how did you guys get together?” The type of question Seles would have scolded her for, if she were still a lower class girl in Vissler Village. Aysa perk—no scolding from Mom. “I mean…if you were a princess, and you were—” She cocked her head at Grrake. “What were you, in Sanonyn?”

  A distraction was probably wise—his frown had lifted. “Military commander.”

  “Oh, duh. Should have guessed.” “Duh.” Another scolding from Mom. One from Yhkon, too, if he were here. You are talking to the retired queen of Sanonyn, you know. “Okay so, you were apparently not high enough in rank to be, um, suitable, to the king…” She trailed off awkwardly, realizing she was about to get into the part of the story where Shanteya’s father tried to kill her son and husband. Maybe the distraction hadn’t been a good idea.

  Shanteya rescued her by answering before the question had been concluded. “Long story short, I was a restless, bored twenty-year-old who wanted to get away from the palace life and wanted nothing to do with royalty. I was causing enough problems that my parents reluctantly agreed to let me go out into the world, so to speak, to try some of the things normal people did. I loved children, and they knew that Grrake was a widower looking for a governess. They allowed me to take the job. Since we suspected he would never be comfortable with it if he knew who I was, I pretended to be just any other girl, and went by Teya.”

  Wylan hadn’t said a word but suddenly joined the conversation. “You, theoretically, could have run away with Grrake and the kids, but chose to stay, right?”

  Well I’m inclined to think I have thus far not screwed up that badly...Not that Wylan was never insensitive, yet it seemed harsh, even from him.

  Shanteya’s brow knit. “Yes, it wasn’t that simple and he would have been in more danger if I had gone, but yes. I had an obligation to my region.”

  Wylan nodded. “Then don’t try to soften the blow. Yhkon will understand. But if you try to tell him it was only to protect him, he’ll see through it. The truth will earn his respect and acceptance far quicker.”

  Typical. I go for conversational distraction and try to avoid the problem...Sir Secrecy takes the dragon by the wings and doesn’t play around corners. “That’s true,” she said softly.

  Shanteya at first appeared surprised, but soon nodded slowly, giving Wylan a new look. “I appreciate you telling me that. Grrake has said that you and Yhkon perhaps think somewhat alike.”

  “Wylan is far less temperamental.” Jay had appeared, offering a smile to the group. “I assume you’re talking about that stubborn man I married. You’re not stubborn,” she said to Grrake, “so I’d been wondering where he got it from.”

  “That would be me.” Shanteya smiled some too.

  Talea scanned the room for him. “What’s he being stubborn about?” Joining this conversation?

  “Letting me paint those hideously dull quarters of his. I’m going to do it anyway, of course, if he doesn’t come around.”

  Grrake chuckled, then looked around for him too. “Where is he?”

  “Inwardly fuming at me because I left him alone with my mother and Enisham.”

  Talea choked on a laugh, Wylan smirked. Shanteya was confused. “That name sounds familiar...who is Enisham?”

  “My step-father.” Jaylee grinned. “He and Yhkon have hated each other’s guts for a decade. So I was thinking,” her grin became conspiratorial, “now would be a perfect opportunity for you two to save his sanity on the grounds of meeting my parents. Come on.” She beckoned them after her. “He’ll be indebted to you forever, this way.”

  That left Talea and Wylan, as the trio walked away. “So.” She elbowed him playfully. “Who should we—”

  “Aysa?”

  They turned to face the voice, finding a scout bowing to them, still in his uniform and gear, weary and dirty as if he’d come straight from Zentyre. “I’ve just been in Zentyre—” That answers that... “—and there’s been a development, I came quick as I could to give you the news myself. Kaydor has instigated the Eradication again.”

  Talea, confused, just stared at him. What did he mean?

  Wylan, however, responded immediately. “How long ago?”

  “Three weeks. I couldn’t get back any faster.”

  “Is he actively hunting them?”

  “Seems to be.”

  It finally clicked. Eradication. In Zentyre...which meant…

  They were watching her. Waiting for her to be Aysa, to take command of the situation. “Okay…” She swallowed. “Thank you. Let’s go tell Yhkon.” The Eradication in Zentyre. Didn’t that mean...it was time?

  Dismissing the scout, she and Wylan cut their way through the crowd in the direction Jay, Grrake, and Shanteya had gone. Not until they got there did she realize she was holding Wylan’s arm tighter. “Yhkon?”

  Yhkon looked relieved to have his visit with his parents and parents-in-law interrupted, instantly stepping aside to speak to them. “What is it?”

  “A scout came…” She hesitated, not knowing how he would react. The old Yhkon would be likely to fly into a rage. “Kaydor has started the Eradication in Zentyre again.”

  A moment of his silent stare. Then his jaw clenching over a mumbled curse, mumbled with enough vehemence that the others approached. Jay wrapped her arm around his waist. “What’s wrong?”

  His reply came out a stuttered mess, so Talea told them. Jaylee sucked in her breath, Grrake let his out slowly. Shanteya grimaced. “That means you’re all going back, doesn’t it? That it’s time for your war.”

  It took several minutes to find and extricate all the wards, Wardens, and councilmen from the assembly. Talea led them all to the council room, avoiding their questions with a simple, “I’ll tell you in a minute.” Shanteya stayed at Grrake’s side and no one objected to her presence in a meeting that otherwise was exclusive to their usual group. Yhkon found an extra chair for her. After that, he seemed to forget she was there, despite the way she watched his every move.

  Talea sat down near the middle of the table, where it would be easiest to address everyone. When everyone else was situated, Wylan on her right, Yhkon on her left, Talea relayed the message from the scout.

  No one was surprised, really. Unexpecting. Caught off guard. But it was only a reminder of the truth they’d all known, and been gradually forgetting with time and peace: Kaydor was still hunting San Quawr in Zentyre. The last three years had been training—for this. After they’d left Zentyre three years ago after having gathered all the wards, Kaydor had been forced to stop the Eradication. Between the trouble they’d caused him, and some tension within his own ranks and with the Canadise, his army had been spread too thin. So he’d pulled back, leaving the San Quawr in a perilous sort of peace, while he gathered his strength. They had done the same—training, building their army.

  Rikky was the first to voice the question. “So...when do we go back?

  Yhkon raked both hands through his hair. “I was hoping you would have another ea-year, or two, before this. But…”

  Talea swallowed. Be Aysa. “But the Eradication is what we’ve been training to stop, and now it’s here. I’m guessing that,” she looked to Yhkon and Grrake for confirmation, lowering her voice instinctively, “we leave as soon as we’re able to develop a plan, get the celiths shipped, and the other necessary preparation.”

  Yhkon wasn’t saying anything in his angry scrutiny of the tabletop, which she knew was agreement. Grrake nodded slowly.

  Enisham answered verbally. “Agreed. I’m surprised Kaydor gave us this long.”

  Yhkon ruined any positive effect with his mutter. “Only because he’s been preparing too.”

  On that happy note… “Okay. Well. What now?” She sca
nned the faces around her for anyone with something to say. “Do we...do we tell everyone now, do we learn more...? Exactly how long before we leave?” she directed the final question to Yhkon. That sort of knowledge and decision-making was his department, however much he should try to impart it to her.

  He was still glowering at the innocent tabletop.

  “That would be you,” Jaylee whispered to him with a faint smile.

  A deep breath, and he abandoned the staring-contest. “I’ll need to think th-through everything, determine what all needs to be done. Give me tonight, we’ll meet again tomorrow at noon.”

  ~♦~

  Talea lay in bed, tracing her finger over the embroidered pattern of the quilt. A second morning of not having to be to the arena for training by seven o’clock. She would have been there, would have been back to normal routine...except the news about the Eradication changed everything. If they were leaving soon, better to rest their bodies and recover from any strain before they went into the field.

  The question was...how soon?

  There wouldn’t be an answer until the meeting at noon. She could chase Yhkon down now and ask him beforehand—he probably had figured it out, and would tell her. But, she couldn’t just go to his quarters and expect to find him there alone, as she previously had in the mornings. Jaylee would be there.

  Lying in bed any longer, however, was out of the question.

  A chill snaked up her spine the moment her bare feet hit the floor. She’d been meaning to ask Mirea if she could get a rug put by her bed. Dressing comfortably, Talea fled the room. She realized as she left the palace and was blasted by a classic Calcarian wind that she hadn’t braided her hair, and it would certainly be a nuisance, but she didn’t bother going back inside to fix it. The frigid air burned her lungs—good. She breathed deeper. Her bare fingers were beginning to ache from the cold—so what.

  It wouldn’t be for much longer. None of it would.

  As she entered the city, she pulled up her hood and shrugged as far into her collar as she could, hoping to avoid recognition. Yet she hadn’t gotten far when someone stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.