dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon (31 page)

“Can you give me a good reason why I should not go?” she said. He stared at her, and Anna felt an angry wave of heat roll over her. She narrowed her eyes. “I thought not,” she said. She looked at Garrick, who met her gaze with resignation.

Garrick turned back to Matilda. “My lady,” he said, “follow me.”

Still on horseback, Matilda and Anna followed Garrick as he led them in silence through a small grove of trees. Anna knew Max was following on foot, but she did not look around. Beyond the trees was a large open field, and in the distance she could see large, dark birds circling the sky. She followed Garrick and the queen across the grassland. It had been trampled down by the moving army, walked into dust and chaff.

As they grew closer, Anna could see the remains of soldiers fallen in battle, and the stench of death made her cover her nose. She glanced at Matilda, but the queen was riding with a straight back, her eyes unwavering as she took in the scene before her. Anna followed a few steps behind, pausing when the queen stopped to survey the bloody scene. Max had disappeared through the long grass, heading towards the corpse-strewn field. The bodies of three dozen fallen men lay on the ground, their blood staining the earth beneath them. Flies were already swarming around open wounds, their buzzing making Anna gag. The queen stared for a long moment, then with a nod turned and followed Garrick from the field. Anna turned her horse around, but she stopped when she saw Max standing in the shadow of a tree, his body tense as he took in the sight before him. Anna nudged her horse forward, then changing her mind, drew the horse to a halt. She slipped from her saddle and walked to where he stood.

“Max?”

He turned to look at her, his jaw set, and Anna could see the flames building within his eyes. “Not all the men are dead,” he said. “I can hear their heartbeats, stuttering as the agony of death is drawn out.” His upper lip curled slightly. “I can smell their blood in the air and taste it on my tongue.” He turned back to look at the dead and dying. “You should go,” he said, his voice low. “The smell of blood arouses my hunger. I’m not sure I want to test the limits of my control with you.”

Anna stared at him, but when he turned to look at her again, his eyes were blazing with flames, the whites completely swallowed in the burning inferno. His mouth was slightly open, his upper lip curled sardonically, and when his tongue traced his lower lip she could see the hint of teeth that no longer appeared flat and human. She took a step back, tripping over a large stick, as fear coiled through her stomach. Turning away, she hurried to her horse and pulled herself inelegantly into the saddle in her sudden haste to be away. Surely Max would never hurt her. But he was a dragon, and if he lost control … he was the world’s most dangerous predator, a fact it would behoove her to remember.

When Anna joined Garrick and the queen, she learned that a messenger from Alfred had sought out Her Majesty with a message from the king.

A loyal Roderick supporter, Cameleus Allen, lived only two miles hence, and had opened his home to Roderick, Alfred and Matilda. At long last, for the first time in weeks, Matilda and her ladies would sleep within four walls, with a roof over their heads.

Anna guessed Cameleus Allen to be in his fifties. He was of middling height, with a rotund belly and whiskers that stuck out from his chin. A friendly, jovial sort of man. He came outside as Matilda and her ladies reached the front door, his round face beaming with a smile of welcome. Anna wondered what he thought of the destruction of the towns and villages to the south.

“Matilda, my dear, how lovely to see you again after all these years,” he said, taking her hand and delivering a loud, smacking kiss.

“Thank you for the use of your lodgings, Cameleus,” she said. “My ladies and I have not been comfortable in many weeks.”

“My home is yours,” he said as he led the women into the hall. “The west wing has been closed since my wife passed, but the east wing is open, and chambers are being prepared for you.” Roderick and Alfred were already seated in the hall as the women entered behind Cameleus, still chatting to the woman who trailed behind him. “And its proximity to Terranton is certainly an advantage,” he added. Roderick glanced up.

“Terranton?” he said.

Lord Cameleus laughed. “That’s what the locals have taken to calling it,” he said. “Terran’s town, you understand?” He caught Roderick’s narrowed look, and cleared his throat. “Not that I call it that, of course. It’s just that Terran built a new palace there, and …” His voice trailed off as Roderick continued to glare at him. “Ah, well, yes, enough of that.” He turned to Matilda. “A maid will show you and your ladies to your chambers. Dinner will be served in an hour, if that suits you.”

“Thank you, Cameleus, that suits me quite well.” 

Cameleus smiled and glanced at the ladies standing beside Matilda, his gaze pausing on Anna as he took in the healing gash on her forehead. “Have you hurt yourself, my dear?”

“Syngen,” Matilda said, flatly, before Anna had a chance to respond. Cameleus’s gaze swung back to Matilda in surprise.

“Syngen?”

“He ambushed and abducted two of my ladies.”

Cameleus looked back at Anna. “And he did this to you?” he asked.

“No,” Anna said. “I fell down a ravine when I tried to escape.”

“Ah! I see.” He paused a moment. “But how did you escape?”

“We were rescued by, eh –”

“A dragon,” Kathleen finished. Cameleus’s eyebrows shot up.

“Indeed!”

They supped that night on a sumptuous meal of roasted meats, baked pies and sweetened figs. It was marvelous, and Anna could not help but feel a stab of guilt at the rations Garrick would be enjoying this evening.

“Tomorrow will decide our fate,” Roderick said as they ate. “We will face Terran’s men in battle and victory will be ours.”

“Most certainly it will,” Cameleus said.

“I would like to watch,” Matilda said. Anna’s heart sank – that was the last thing she wanted to do. She glanced at Kathleen and saw her expression mirrored her own, but Blanche just smiled.

“No!” Alfred’s voice was horrified, but it was drowned out by Roderick’s louder response.

“Of course, my dear,” Roderick said. “We will draw up a carriage to the sidelines so you can observe the proceedings.” He turned to Alfred. “She has an interest in seeing Terran defeated, and I, for one, am not concerned that she will be in any danger.”

“It’s ludicrous,” Alfred said, but Anna could hear the resignation in his tone, and when Cameleus offered the use of his carriage, he remained silent.

The next morning dawned overcast and cool, matching Anna’s dismal mood. Matilda wasted no time in rising from her bed, urging her ladies to do the same with as much haste as possible. The men had already left at the first light of day, and Matilda did not want to miss a single piece of the action. They left the chambers shortly before nine, to find Cameleus waiting in the hall.

“Ah, there you are.” He walked towards Matilda, hands outstretched to take hers. “Did you have a good night’s rest, my dear?”

“Thank you, Cameleus, I most certainly did.”

“Excellent!” He gestured towards the door. “A carriage has been placed at your disposal and awaits you outside the door. And a basket of food has been placed within.”

Matilda smiled. “You are too kind. Will you be joining us today?”

He waved his hand. “No, no, battle scenes are not my thing. I will stay here and await word of Roderick’s victory!”

They stepped outside, and in the distance Anna could see trails of smoke rising into the air. The early morning mist had cleared, revealing a clear, blue sky. There was a boom, distant and muffled but still clearly the sound of a cannon, and she saw Kathleen flinch slightly. She took her hand and squeezed gently.

“We’ll be perfectly safe,” she whispered.

“I know,” Kathleen whispered back, “But I don’t really want to watch men dying!”

Anna nodded. She was in complete sympathy with Kathleen’s sentiments.

As they drew close to the scene of the battle, Anna could see thousands of men ranging the field, arrayed in every direction, swinging swords, axes, maces and spears. Anna wondered where Garrick was, but knew it would be impossible to find him in the melee. The battle seemed to be fiercest on the east side of the battlefield, and towards the back, Anna saw Terran’s standard, held aloft on a tall pole. She looked for Roderick’s, and saw it at the base of a small hillock, to the west. On the top of the hill were two men on horseback – Roderick and Alfred, Anna supposed.

Matilda pointed out a small mound and the carriage pulled to a stop with one side facing the scene below. Frank and Tobias rode behind the carriage, and they dismounted as the carriage drew to a halt, a sword in each hand. Despite Roderick’s confidence that nothing would befall Matilda and her ladies as they observed the unfolding drama, Alfred had ordered the guards to be especially vigilant, wary of a scheming attack against the queen. They stalked around the carriage, swinging their swords through bushes and shrubs, before finally nodding that it was safe for Matilda to alight. The coachman hopped down from his perch, and going to the stowage at the back, pulled out four small stools and a large basket and placed them on the ground. Opening the door of the carriage, he helped Matilda onto a stool as her ladies stepped down beside her. Frank and Tobias stood on either side of the carriage, their bodies at attention as they held their swords at the ready.

A loud boom made Anna turn around in fright, her ears ringing as she saw the smoke rising from the other side of the plain. The thunderous cannon had shaken the ground they stood on, and the carriage rocked slightly. Men dropped to the ground where they stood, injured, or dead, although Anna couldn’t tell if they were Alfred’s or Terran’s. The men carried shields that distinguished the two sides, and brightly painted helmets, but from this distance, it was impossible to tell who was who.

Matilda settled herself on her stool, and patted the one beside her. “Join me, ladies,” she said with a smile, as though she were about to watch one of Denton’s plays. Blanche took a seat, but Anna stepped back.

“If you’ll excuse me, my lady,” she said, “I think I would prefer to take a little walk.”

There was a loud crack near them, and Matilda turned to seek out the source of the sound. “Do what you will,” she said with a wave of her hand. Frank turned to her in protest, but when another cannon boomed across the plain, making the carriage rock once more, he nodded.

“I have to see you at all times,” he warned Anna. She gave an exaggerated sigh.

“I’ll just be on the other side of the hill,” she said.

“I’ll come with you,” Kathleen said, linking her arm into Anna’s as she turned away from the battle and headed down the gentle slope of the little hill. The greenery here had been trampled down by marching feet, the little field flowers crushed and broken. A few small rocks had protected a little spray of blooms, and Anna knelt down to look at them.

“Everything is destroyed,” Kathleen said with a moan.

“No, look.” Anna beckoned Kathleen to where she knelt. “Not everything.” She looked at Kathleen with a smile. “There is always hope!”

There was a rustling behind her, and Anna scrambled to her feet, stumbling slightly, as she felt a wave of heat wash over her. She turned to see Max striding towards them.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. His eyebrows were gathered in a frown, and fear curled through Anna’s stomach as she remembered how he had looked at her the previous evening. Max’s nostrils flared slightly, and when he took a step towards her, his voice held a note of seductive challenge. “You aren’t scared of me, are you, darling?”

She lifted her chin and met his look. “Most certainly not!”

She shivered when he laughed. “Good girl! But I still want to know what you are doing here.”

“Matilda wanted to watch the battle. She hopes to see Terran defeated.”

“And she brought her ladies?”

Anna shrugged. “As you can see, Kathleen and I are not watching.” Max glanced at Kathleen, who was staring at him uneasily, and his expression softened slightly.

“Apologies for my rude interruption, my lady,” he said. He turned back to Anna. “Matilda underestimates Terran’s strength,” he said. “Roderick will not win today’s battle. Already he has lost hundreds of men.”

Anna felt the blood drain from her face. “Garrick?” she whispered.

Max quickly covered the remaining distance between them, and his hands wrapped gently around her arms, pulling her close. “He was fine the last time I saw him,” he said. “I will watch over him as much as I’m able, but,” he dropped his voice low, “I cannot take my natural form with so many men here.”

“I know,” she whispered. Max’s hands were warm on her arms. His eyes held hers for a moment, and then he stepped back.

“I’ll be back with news,” he said. He nodded at Kathleen, looked once more at Anna, then turned and walked away.

Chapter 40

The hours wore on, the clanging, booming and shouting becoming a deafening monotone that made Anna’s ears ache. Black powder burned through the air, and smoke made the air hazy.

Anna and Kathleen sat on the hill away from the fighting, blocking out the sounds behind them as much as they were able. They checked on Matilda once, but she was so engrossed in the battle below her, she barely noticed their presence. From time to time, Frank walked past, glaring at Anna as he did so, but not pausing to watch their actions.

A few hours after Max had been by, Anna saw another man striding up the hill. She turned to Kathleen. “Is that Lord Giles?” she asked her friend.

Kathleen looked up too, then quickly looked away with a blush, nervously pushing a strand of hair from her face. Lord Giles was of medium height and build, and Anna guessed he was in his early thirties. His face was red from exertion, and a sheen of sweat covered the bald patch that stretched from his forehead across his crown. He walked with a pronounced limp, but it did not appear to slow him down as he marched towards them.