City in Ruins (5 page)

Artair, the elderly blind mage from Sadeemia,
studied me, his empty blue gaze disconcerting. “You’ve an
interesting aura around you, child,” the man said.

Mothelamew, Cadeyrn’s teacher and the head mage
of Sadeemia, stood, a frown marring his features. “We’re at the
cusp of war with New Hope, and you suddenly question the rule of
the Sadeemian king? You are now a head scribe of Medeisia,
Drastona. Do you not realize what that means?”

I stood across from him, my lips pressed
together, my hands finding the table’s surface. Beside me, Lochlen
climbed to his feet, his palm covering my hand. My face heated, but
I didn’t pull away. Shocked gazes dropped to our joined fingers.
There was no heat in Lochlen’s touch, and I suddenly welcomed that,
as if his cool skin helped me keep my reasoning.

“Before we go further,” Lochlen announced, “for
the rest of this meeting, the dragons will defer to Drastona
Consta-Mayria, not only as a head scribe of Medeisia but as a
consort of the prince of dragons and the voice of our
race.”

Gasps were overridden by angry
exclamations.

“What?” Daegan cried. “Stone?”

My back went rigid, my head held high. “I
accept,” I replied, glancing sideways at Lochlen. He nodded,
squeezed my hand, and then released me. Though silent, he remained
standing, a strong presence at my side.

“You can’t be serious,” Gryphon roared, his
red-mottled face swinging from me to Cadeyrn. “My sister, a consort
of dragons?”

“Is that possible?” Catriona asked, more
gently. She glanced at me and then away, and I knew by the look she
gave me what kind of images flashed through her mind.

Shame reared its ugly head but I shoved it
away.

“Stone?” Maeve asked.

I glanced at her and Daegan. They peered at me,
their brows furrowed. There was something about their gazes, the
trust I glimpsed in their eyes touching me. They didn’t understand,
but they weren’t willing to turn against me even with their
confusion. The dragons had sheltered and fought with the rebels
during our uprising. They trusted the dragons and me more than they
did the Sadeemians.

“Are you not going to do anything?” Gryphon
growled at Cadeyrn.

The prince’s gaze found mine. “Let her
speak.”

I glanced at the faces before me, my gaze
meeting each of theirs. “The dragons and the gods of this country
do not trust Prince Arien. King Cadeyrn, they trust. Medeisia needs
a Medeisian ruler. If not, then it deserves a ruler who accepts the
Medeisian gods and the presence of the dragons. A ruler who accepts
the fact that the dragon rex will always hold as much power here as
the human king.”

“That’s treasonous!” Madden stood, his angry
gaze on Lochlen. “Are you suddenly looking to interfere with human
affairs after all the years you’ve spent in the
mountains?”

“Out of force,” I pointed out. Madden’s angry
eyes swung to my face, but I didn’t flinch. “In the time of Hedron,
the dragons were equal rulers of Medeisia. It wasn’t until the
country divided, the Ardus forming between what became Sadeemia and
Medeisia, that the dragons bowed out of human politics. Madness
does not make a good bed mate.”

“But dragons do?” Madden spat.

Daegan’s chair scraped the floor as he stood.
“Now, wait a minute—”

My hand found his arm, stopping him, my
flashing gaze on Madden’s. I wasn’t angry at the captain. He, like
the rest of the Sadeemians, didn’t understand why I was speaking
for the Dracon race, why I was rebelling against a peaceful rule.
In their eyes, it made no sense.

“Medesia is a country fueled by power,
knowledge, gods, and dragons. There is a rich history full of
ancient magic. The changes Prince Arien may bring could damage
that,” I said firmly.

“The gods,” Daegan breathed, his eyes finding
my face. He was a superstitious man. “Have they come to
you?”

Aware of the intense gazes focused on my
person, I inclined my head.

“Gods!” Mothelamew fumed. “You plan to
undermine Prince Arien’s rules based on your gods? What help have
your gods given you? You, the daughter of the Sadeemian gods as
well as Medeisian?”

Unblinking, I peered at the mage. “When faced
with war and bloodshed, my gods gave me power. What have your gods
given the people of Medeisia? What have they given me?”

The answering silence was deafening.

“Stone,” Gryphon finally said, his hoarse voice
breaking through the tension. “This is war, sister. Some countries
win, others lose. Those without leadership accept new rulers.
Sadeemia is a peaceful nation with just leaders. Medeisia will fare
well under its rule.” He stared at me. “You’re the daughter of our
minister of government.”

My eyes fell to the wolf at my side, my ears
catching the distant sound of a falcon. Trees whispered beyond the
castle walls.

“When humans failed you, the forest
nurtured and protected you. Where humans abandoned you, the forest
gave you a home.”

The trees’ words filled me, swirling
through my heart, and I let my gaze slide to Gryphon’s. “I was not
raised by man. Men disowned me. They abandoned me to circumstance.
They killed the people I loved. They forced me into exile. Still, I
fought. I fought because the forest asked me to, because the king
of dragons inspired me. Tell me,
brother
, would we have won our war
without the Medeisian gods, without the forest, and without the
dragons?”

“No,” Daegan murmured next to me, “we would not
have.”

His back went rigid, his palm meeting the table
next to mine.

Maeve’s palm followed his. “We sought Sadeemian
assistance,” she said, “but we didn’t seek Sadeemian
rule.”

Gryphon studied me, his eyes sad. “You lost
your prince. You lost the only blood claim your country had to the
Medeisian throne. You have a big fight ahead if you believe you can
convince your nation to accept a non-heir to the throne. Do you
really believe they’d choose your gods over peace?”

“By not accepting us, you weaken our stance
against New Hope,” Mothelamew added.

I glanced at Lochlen, and his yellow-green eyes
met mine. His gaze gave me strength “No,” I disagreed, my eyes
flicking to the mage. “By not respecting our wishes, you weaken
yourselves.”

“Infidels,” Eirick, a male scribe of Sadeemia,
muttered. “You seek to destroy the country we helped you
save.”

Anger surged in my blood, and I felt it call to
the gods, to the power I’d been working hard to learn to control.
Thanks to Cadeyrn, I understood it much better than I had
before.

My hand fisted. Through the arrow slit windows,
vines crawled, their movements sinister. Beyond the palace, wolves
howled. Thunder clapped. No rain fell, but the skies
darkened.

“Call me an infidel if you must, sir,” I
seethed, “but remember that power doesn’t come from the strong. It
comes from the forgotten, from those who need to be heard. It comes
from ancient roots, old texts, and nature.” My free hand fisted,
and the table suddenly glowed, an ancient word appearing in the
wood. The new power startled me, and I stared at the etched
text.

“By the gods,” Daegan gasped.

My palm opened against the table as smoke rose
from the word.

“What does it say?” Catriona
breathed.

The word was Medeisian, an ancient one that was
rarely used anymore.

“Fight?” Maeve guessed.

“Courage?” Daegan replied.

“No,” Cadeyrn interjected. “It means wisdom.”
The prince’s gaze moved down the table, his shoulders back, his
gaze ending on mine. “Continue this stance, and we have two wars
ahead of us. An imminent disagreement with New Hope and civil
war.”

“You’d weaken us so?” Gryphon asked
me.

My eyes locked with Cadeyrn’s. “Medeisia needs
a tolerant ruler, Your Majesty. It is not our goal to weaken. Give
us a ruler we can trust, and we will fight with you. We’ll die to
protect our nation and yours.”

We stared too long, his eyes studying my face.
To those surrounding us, I hoped it looked like a power struggle
and not what it really was; unresolved feelings and differing
responsibilities.

“I vote to remove the dragon and his consort
from the council,” Madden said suddenly.

“Aye!” Eirick agreed.

“Aye!” Lucrais intoned.

Cadeyrn’s gaze remained on me, his eyes full of
unspoken words. He’d warned me this would happen. I wasn’t going to
get Sadeemian support.

“Would you rather a war with New Hope without
the support of the Medeisians, or an internal war with the
dragons?” I asked. I was banking on their fear of the
Dracon.

“I vote to remove the dragon and his consort
from the council!” Madden repeated, his words full of
fury.

Cadeyrn continued to stare, his gaze finally
sliding from mine to Lochlen’s.

“They’ll remain,” he stated. “This council is
weak. With New Hope’s threat, we cannot afford the enmity. I’ll
keep your sentiments in mind, Prince Lochlen. Until the
disagreement with New Hope can be resolved, I’ll remain in power in
Medeisia. After that, we’ll put a vote to the people.” He glanced
at me. “What you do then will be upon you.”

I knew from his gaze that it was the best he
could do. He was doing more than he should, and I wasn’t the only
one to notice.

“You have the right to dissolve the council now
and make your own judgments,” Mothelamew fumed.

Cadeyrn’s gaze swung to his teacher. “And who
do you think the people of Medeisia would choose then?” he asked.
“Do you believe they’d be content swapping one dictator for
another? The council prevents civil war.”

“This is madness,” Catriona hissed. “I’ll be
expected to return to Henderonia before the baby’s
birth.”

Cadeyrn stiffened. “Which you shall. I’ll be
leading a delegation to New Hope to discuss Dragern’s betrayal with
my grandfather, King Brahn. We’ll make a landing in
Henderonia.”

“You’re leaving Medeisia?” I asked, the words
slipping free before I could stop them.

Cadeyrn didn’t look at me, and I knew I’d
spoken out of turn.

“In my absence, the dragon rex, Feras, will
send delegates in human form to sit upon this council, to rule in
my stead until such a time when a permanent ruler can be
decided.”

Lochlen nudged me with his shoulder, his words
strange when he spoke. He’d switched to the dragon tongue. I
couldn’t speak the draconic language, but I’d learned to translate
most of it.

“We can’t let them win this
disagreement with New Hope without us
,” he
whispered.

If Sadeemia gained the upper hand from New Hope
without dragon and rebel involvement, Medeisia would lose esteem on
the council.

“We request to join the delegation,” I called.
“There should be a Medeisian presence.”

“Aye!” Daegan cried.

“Aye!” Maeve agreed.

“No—” Madden began.

“You shall join us,” Cadeyrn interrupted. “We
leave in less than a week. The situation with New Hope must be
dealt with swiftly.”

Yes,
I
thought,
before the civil war in Medeisia
begins.

“I see a great puzzle,” the blind Artair said
suddenly. “Squares and men.” He frowned, his blank gaze on me.
“There are many surprises ahead.”

His eerie, prophetic words rang through the
room.

Cadeyrn was in a peculiar position, his
temporary leadership in Medeisia needed, his alliance with
Henderonia depending on Catriona’s safe return to Henderonia and a
healthy pregnancy, and his place in Sadeemia questionable while
Freemont remained comatose. Truth was, the prince needed to be in
several places dealing with more than one issue at a time which was
impossible.

A great puzzle … squares and
men.

A sudden thought struck me.
Remember our chess games
,
Cadeyrn told me. The king is the most important piece in chess, but
it is also the weakest. The queen, however, is the most powerful.
It can be moved in any one straight direction.

My gaze flicked to Catriona and then Cadeyrn.
The prince used to baffle me, but I was beginning to understand him
in ways I’d not understood him before. He knew politics, and he
knew war. I wasn’t sure what he intended yet, but he was going to
be using his queen. However, which queen? Was he planning to use
Catriona or me?

Chapter 6

The palace was thrown into chaos, the
preparations for sea travel to Henderonia and New Hope no simple
task. There was no easy way to board a ship in Medeisia. The waters
around the cliffs near the sea were too tumultuous, the waves
violent, the sprays painful. It was as if the country and the ocean
were angry at each other. Boarding a ship safely meant crossing the
bottom of the Ardus into Sadeemia where the coastline was smooth
and tranquil.