Return of the Crown (8 page)

Picking her way up the crumbly rock, she
sighed in relief as she spied the summit. Scrambling over the last
few boulders, she reached the peak. A turn full circle showed her
everything.

“No, no, no,” she cried in dismay, her
fingers locked in her thick black hair. Everywhere she looked water
sparkled in the afternoon sun. Frustration threatening to consume
her, she nearly fell to her knees. The raft would need repairing.
It also needed new oars. Nothing was ever easy.

Looking toward the island’s far side revealed
a peak that she hadn’t noticed at first. Caves sprinkled the cliff
face. Thoughts of exploration died as quickly as they were born.
Past the southern tip of the island, she could just make out
another land mass: Aigerach. So close, and yet so far away
.
It felt as though the weight of the mountains sat on her shoulders
as she headed back down. Blade wouldn’t be saving her; she would
have to save herself.

As day faded into evening, she trudged into
her makeshift camp. She sat on a rock and picked up a long branch.
She peeled off the leaves and twigs, sharpening it into a spear. In
the waning light she waded into the surf to catch the fish darting
about the rocks. Rowan taught her how to fish using a spear. She
smiled at memories of her first clumsy attempts and his patient
guidance. Thinking of him brought tears to her eyes. She sniffled,
brushing away the tears on her dirty sleeve. Time to focus. In the
blink of an eye two fat fish wriggled on her spear.

She then gathered fallen branches for
kindling and retrieved her flint. She squatted down, striking flint
to steel, until small sparks started the twigs to smoldering. She
blew gently on the kindling until she felt sure the fire was hungry
and alive. She fed it more fuel. After cooking her fish, she added
more logs, letting the fire burn wild and hot as the sky deepened
into night.

Nibbling at her fish, she leaned back against
a large palm tree, listening to the soft rustlings in the dark
jungle around her. She had not seen any predatory animals during
the day. If any inhabited the island, a fire might keep them at
bay. She had seen several small mammals skittering about the
jungle, and a variety of multi-colored birds filled the trees,
chittering and chattering to each other. Sunning lizards raced away
as she approached them during her hike.

As she cataloged the fauna of the island, it
became increasingly difficult to watch the dancing flames. Pulling
her cloak tight about her shoulders, she lay down on the palm
fronds that were her makeshift bed.

Something interrupted her rest, niggling and
buzzing about her. She brushed at her face, shooing away the
unwanted intrusion. Green gold color flooded her mind. Connor! She
sat bolt upright. She’d forgotten to contact him.

‘
Blade
,’ she blurted, ‘
is he with
you?
’

‘
Well, he was. As we speak, he is heading
north to meet up with you. I myself am heading further inland.
Zelera is getting an inkling of my presence; I couldn’t expect to
stay right under her nose the whole time, I suppose. Her power
strengthens at an extraordinary rate. Dark times befall Aigerach.’
He paused a moment, ‘And that shark was not natural. What a
perversion of nature
.’

‘
You saw what happened?
’

‘
Yes, I was scrying to tell you Blade had
arrived. I saw that monster speeding toward your raft. I noticed
the dolphin pod following you; they’re quite fond of you. I told
them the danger you were in, and they were eager to
assist.’

‘
You talked to them?’ she asked in
awe.

‘
Of course. I’m a Master of the
Light.’

‘
Could I do that too?’

‘
You are not supposed to be working magic,
young lady. But in due time, I’ll teach you how.’

‘
Blade can’t meet me, Connor. I’m not on
Aigerach. I’m on another island, but surely you already know
that.’

‘
Unfortunately, I did not make myself
clear when speaking with the dolphins. I asked them to get you to
land, and now you’re on an island. Zelera was watching as well; I
sensed her evil rot polluting the aural field. She is not pleased.
My magical intervention drew Zelera’s attention to me. I am
relocating shortly
.’

‘
I can repair the raft to get me to
Aigerach. I need to make new oars, and it will take me a few days
to make the vessel seaworthy. How is Blade? Is he safe? Where will
he meet me? When will he meet me?
’

Connor smiled. ‘
Blade is perfectly fine.
I’ll guide him to you. I’m not sure where you’ll meet, for our
plans are fluid and ever changing. First, we must get you off that
island. We must assume Zelera knows your location, since she sent
that beast. You must still be judicious practicing with the Light.
She got a trace off the book you took from the library; your magic
left a scent. That’s how she was able to sic that creature on you.
I know you want to try your hand at working with the Light, but
that would be extremely dangerous right now. Every time you use the
arts, you leave a trail to follow, like magical breadcrumbs. If you
stop, the trail fades. Then she can scry for your image only,
making you a needle in a haystack.

Oh, by the way, be extremely careful right
now. You are on Draconis Island
.’

Ravyn’s blue eyes closed, distant memories
springing to mind. When they were little, she and Blade dreamt of
coming to Draconis Island to study the dragons.
‘I’m on the
dragons’ homeland? I’ve always dreamed of seeing a dragon.’

Connor scowled,
‘Ravyn, now is not the
time to be searching out dragons. They are territorial. They would
just as soon tear you to pieces as look at you. Promise me you will
not go near them.’

She sighed, ‘
I promise. I saw their caves
from the mountaintop today; they’re on the other side of the
island. I’ll be collecting provisions and repairing the raft. I
have no time to go looking for dragons. With luck I’ll be off the
island in a day or two. They’ll never know I was here.’

‘
Most times in this life, we have to make
our own luck. Ravyn, when you cross the channel to the mainland,
the area where you will beach your raft is very hot and dry. You
need plenty of water to survive Desolation. Desolation runs the
entire length of the island on that end, so you cannot skirt its
edges. The best solution is to walk straight across. It will be
neither easy nor fun.’

‘
Where will I be after I cross?’

‘
After Desolation you’ll reach the
Grasslands. When you hit the road, head west. That should lead you
to Land’s End, a little town where you should be able to get a
horse. Blade will likely meet you there as well. I have an old
acquaintance living near there. You may be able to stay with her
for a night or two while you gather supplies. You look tired. I’ll
let you get some rest so you can start repairing that raft in the
morning.’

‘
Take good care of yourself, Connor, and
thank you for everything. I don’t feel so alone knowing you are out
there watching and sending what help you may,’
she said through
a yawn as she lay back once more. Connor gently disengaged his
aural thread, scanning the land below as he returned to his meager
hut nestled in the woods. After filling his travel satchel, he
hurried into the dense woods behind his cottage. He heard wood
splintering as Zelera’s men crashed through the little front door.
The back door slammed open, and torchlight flooded the yard.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw one of Zelera’s soldiers
scanning the trees from the door. A slight flick of the wrist bid
the colors of the forest to wrap about him, camouflaging him.
Deeper into the darkening woods he trudged, the sounds of
shattering pottery and crashing furniture breaking the forest’s
calm.

Ravyn lay on her back, watching the stars
glittering above her through palm fronds. She was exhausted but
couldn’t sleep. She was on the dragons’ island. She couldn’t wait
to see the jealousy written on Blade’s face when she told him she
had been here. If only she could see one before she drifted away on
the sea. Images of the majestic creatures filled her mind as she
slipped into slumber.

Night had fallen in Veris. Zelera stood in
her chambers talking to the gilt framed mirror again. It had become
a habit over the years; she related to Lareina and Bryant all the
changes she was enacting. They could not respond to anything she
said, they could not hear any of her malicious anecdotes, but she
enjoyed imagining their righteous anger. She laughed at their
impotence. It always boosted her morale.

“I just had a lovely idea. Would you like me
to share it with you?” Zelera questioned the frozen figures staring
blankly at her from the polished glass surface. “I am going to
steal a dragon’s egg tonight from Draconis Island. I located their
dens, and I have garnered enough power to snatch an egg without
draining away all my strength. I would never have been able to do
this through the Light Arts. There is so much more power in the
Darkness.” She paused running a bony finger along Lareina’s
image.

“That’s why you are looking at me from inside
a glass cage. The power of the Light is just a toy, really.” She
giggled like a little girl.

“Oh now, sister, don’t look at me like that.
It isn't very loving of you to be angry with me for being stronger
than you.” She paused, waiting and put a hand to her ear.

“What’s that you say? What am I going to do
with this egg? I am so glad you asked. Originally, I thought to
take it to anger the dragons. They find your daughter hiding on
their island, and kill her. An angry mother dragon will not stop to
ascertain facts; she’ll be looking for blood. I heard dragons have
an appetite for virgin princesses.”

She leaned into the mirror, gloating. “Oh
pooh, don’t act so shocked. You knew it was only a matter of time
before I rid myself and this world of your little brat.” She
cackled gleefully, twisting the cording of her robe into a knotted
mass. She paced before the mirror, hands still twiddling with the
robe’s ties.

Zelera stopped pacing and let the silken rope
slip from her fingers. “You know, Lareina, I realized if I set up a
room in the dungeons with a fire pit, I can hatch the little lizard
myself. I will have the most fearsome pet. Think of it, sister. I
will fly over Aigerach on a dragon. The most ferocious and wild of
all the beasts. All will look to the skies with fear in their
hearts. Too bad, you will never see it,” she sighed, contented. “It
is a two-fold win for me: Ravyn will end up in the belly of a
beast, and I will rule one.”

She turned her back on the mirror, crossing
the room to an ebony altar. She focused on the scrying bowl filled
with fresh blood. Her aural self sped out over the land of Veris
and across the sea to Draconis Island. She hovered over the
sleeping Ravyn, nestled under an elven cloak, still protected by
her mother’s energies. She snarled at Ravyn before racing to the
peaks where the dragons’ caves laid. She flitted from den to den,
noting which dragons had eggs. Curling her aural self up on a
ledge, she waited for opportunity to come knocking. After a few
moments, a large scarlet dragon poked her head out of her cave. She
unfurled her wings, pounding the air and lifting off gracefully.
She left her nest unguarded. Zelera released a carefully controlled
amount of the Darkness, snatching an egg from the cavern and
blanketing it in a warming spell. Scarcely breathing, she mumbled
incantations guiding it through space to deposit it in her
dungeons. Once safely home, she released the spell.

She cried out as the Darkness exacted its
toll on her flesh. Hunger gnawed at her aching belly, and her
parched throat burned with need for moisture. The nerves in her
body felt afire, every muscle knotting as she doubled over in
pain.

As the pain slowly diminished, she was able
to stand up once more. The Darkness drained her with every spell,
and it seemed food and wine could not replenish her strength. She
never slept well, finding it difficult to get the sleep she
desperately needed. Self-pity snaked through her withering soul,
but she shrugged it off before it found a permanent home. Supreme
power required a supreme sacrifice.

She yanked a cord, sounding a deep hollow
chime. Within moments her maid skittered into the room. Zelera
glared at the nervous wench, “Fetch me a meal. I’m famished. That
blasted cook had better do a damn good job. The last meal he served
wasn’t fit for pigs!”

“Yes, your highness. I’ll m-m-make sure it’s
s-s-satisfactory,” stuttered the maid.

A wicked smile curled Zelera’s lips. “I’m
sure you will. Your dear husband is my current cook, is he not? You
will both find yourselves in the dungeons if you fail me again,”
Zelera purred.

“Y-y-yes, your highness. I’ll make sure it is
as you d-d-desire,” she dropped into a low curtsy.

“What are you waiting around here for, you
sloth? I said I was starving.” A tendril of Darkness zipped from
her fingers, jolting the maid with sharp pain.

The young maid cried out as she scurried out
the door. Her mousy brown hair flew out behind her as she rushed
down the dark halls. Her soft slippers slapped the cold stone
floors, and she stammered a prayer that her husband had a meal
ready that would impress Empress Zelera.

Ena glided lazily to her cave, with a full
belly. Her flight had taken her across the channel separating
Draconis Island from the land of Aigerach. She had flown across the
wasteland known as Desolation, finding several fat sheep in Land’s
End that hadn’t been tucked away safely for the night. She chuckled
to herself; some poor shepherd lad would get a boxing about his
ears come morning. The flight had taken her away from her eggs for
several hours, far longer than she intended, but she’d certainly
glutted herself. She wouldn’t need to eat again for days.