dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon (37 page)

“Well … it happened this morning. We were just about to leave. The queen was finally ready, and she and her ladies were mounting their horses when Rupert rode up.”

Max held up his hand. “And who was riding with her?”

“The king’s men. And Lord Giles.”

“Lord Giles?” Anna said in surprise.

“Yes. Do you know him? He walks with a limp.” Anna nodded. “He heard that the queen was leaving this morning, and insisted on accompanying us.”

“How did he hear that?” Max asked.

“His cousin is one of the king’s guard.”

“His cousin needs to have his tongue checked,” Max said wryly. “Do they know Rupert killed Alfred?”

Frank shook his head. “No. I told Tobias, but we decided that the queen’s safety was our first priority, and didn’t want the men seeking revenge. We told the king’s guards that since the king was dead, the queen needed to get back to Civitas and to her son as soon as possible. They agreed to ride with us to ensure her safety through hostile enemy lands.” Frank glanced at Syngen as he spoke.

“Good thinking,” he said with a grin.

Max nodded. “Very well. So you and Tobias were outside in the courtyard with the king’s men when Rupert arrived. What happened next?”

“Rupert wanted to know where we were going. We told him that the queen was returning home.”

“And he was happy with that?”

“No. He ordered the queen to return to the house and await his instruction.” A ghost of a smile crossed his face as he looked at Anna. “You know the queen. She will not be ordered around. She told the prince that he had no authority to order her about, and then started riding. We all turned to follow her, but I was at the back, and Rupert stopped me.”

“But she got away?” Max said. Frank turned his gaze back to him.

“I think so. He ordered his guards to give chase, but there were only three of them.”

“Very well. And then what?”

“Rupert wanted to know what had happened to Mistress Anna.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him that she was safely locked away. He wanted to see you for himself,” Frank said, glancing at Anna.

“What happened?”

“I took him to the room, but when he saw you weren’t there, he rounded on me with his fists. He thought I had been lax in my duties. I didn’t resist too much at first, but when he pulled out his dagger, I knew he was beyond reason. He managed to get the first swipe and drew blood on my arm.” Frank pushed up the sleeve of his tunic and showed them where the dagger had sliced through his skin above the elbow. “That’s when I drew my own knife. I knew then that I had to kill him. It was not an easy fight, but I told him I had seen him kill his brother. That’s when he made a careless mistake which left his belly exposed.”

“An advantage you made use of,” Max said.

“I did. I stabbed him in the stomach, and as the dagger ripped open his belly, I knocked him to the ground. The dagger was buried to the hilt, so I twisted it and wrenched it down to his groin. I watched him die a slow and agonizing death.” Anna felt her stomach heave, and she turned away, steadying herself against the wall. “But I was still there when his guards came looking for him,” Frank continued. “I jumped out the window to escape them.”

Anna turned around. “You jumped out the window?” she exclaimed. “You could have been hurt. Or killed!”

“I didn’t stop to think. I knew I was a dead man if the guards found me, so I jumped and ran. My horse was still in the courtyard, so I threw myself over him and spurred him to motion. And I figured this was the only place I could come where the guards could not follow me.”

Syngen snorted. “They could have tried, but they would not have gotten very far.” He gave Frank a scrutinizing look. “So you have brought our war to an end.”

Frank’s eyes narrowed as he returned the look. “Who are you, exactly?”

“Syngen Gail, advisor to King Terran.”

“And the man who kidnapped me,” Anna added. She frowned when Syngen grinned.

Frank glanced at Anna, then looked back at Syngen. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You will allow the queen to return home without hindrance.”

“Why should I do that?”

“Because I have twice been the instrument of you receiving news that helps you in your cause.”

“And this is your price?”

“Yes.”

Syngen laughed. “You do know it is a little late to start negotiating?”

“I do. But I believe your king is an honorable man who will do what is right.”

Syngen nodded thoughtfully. “Very well. I will see what I can do to persuade the king. But I can give no assurances for Alfred’s men.”

Frank looked down at the floor. “I know,” he said. “Just give them a few hours before you begin the chase.”

“I will relay your request to the king,” Syngen said. “And now, you will come with me to bring news of Rupert to the king yourself.”

“You will guarantee my safety?”

“I will. And I will also ensure your freedom to remain here, should you so choose.” Syngen turned to Max. “What about you? Do you leave?”

“We will leave immediately,” Max said. “This is no longer our affair.” He glanced at Anna as he spoke.

“But …” Anna began, before falling silent. In fact, she was quite happy to leave all this behind her. She nodded. “Yes,” she said.

Chapter 47

Anna and Max left shortly afterwards, with Max spreading his wings and turning his long neck and huge body towards the mountains, and Storbrook.

“What did Syngen mean when he said he could give no assurances about Alfred’s men?” Anna asked as she lay against Max’s neck. Max glanced back at her for a moment.

“They will be rounded up and brought back to Terranton as prisoners of war,” he said. “Those from wealthy families will be ransomed, while the rest …” Max lifted a claw. “They will be put to work.”

“But they are needed back home!”

“Those are the fortunes of war, Anna,” Max said. “Men join an army in the hopes of winning women and plunder. But there can only be one victor.”

“But some of the men were forced to join the army by their lords and landowners.”

“True.”

“But that’s not fair!”

Max snorted. “War is never fair. And Terran was invaded by Alfred without provocation. He needs labor to rebuild.”

Anna was silent for a moment. “So what was it all for?” she finally said.

“Alfred preferred the idea of Roderick on the throne rather than Terran, and was willing to gamble with the lives of his subjects to try and gain it. Such is the nature of war.”

“And Roderick?”

“Roderick is probably already aboard a ship, fleeing with the few men still loyal to him.”

“Do you think he will return?”

“He may be foolish enough to try again, but I trust that Alfred’s son and his advisors will show a little more wisdom than Alfred did when he agreed to support Roderick.”

Anna was silent until the turrets of Storbrook came into view, like sentinels against the dusky sky. Max flew around the castle once, before landing in one of the huge chambers on the top floor.

“How do you know which room to land in?” Anna said.

“This is always my chamber when I stay at Storbrook,” Max replied. “And Aaron told me to come straight here.”

“He did? When?”

Max looked at her in amusement. “Two minutes ago.”

Anna did not have time to reply. The door flew open, and Keira hurried into the room, Aaron striding in behind her. “Anna!”

Anna turned to Keira with a smile. “Home at last!” Keira said. Anna was engulfed in her sister’s warm embrace as Aaron stood behind his wife, smiling at them.

“Welcome home, Anna,” he said. “I didn’t expect to see you here so soon.”

“Alfred is dead,” Max said, “and so is Rupert.” Aaron looked at Max in surprise.

“What happened?”

“It is a long story.”

“Does Terran know?”

Max glanced at Anna. “Your sister-in-law insisted we tell him about Alfred. We were there last night. We learned about Rupert before we left.”

“Anything else?”

“Syngen sends his regards.”

Aaron grunted. “Syngen? You spoke to him then?”

“Yes. Briefly.”

“Come,” Keira said, pulling Anna from the room, “let’s leave these men to their discussions of war. The children are longing to see you. And your chambers are exactly as you left them.” She led Anna down the stairs.

“Is Peggy still here?” Anna asked.

“She is, but Corbin, the tutor, spends most of the day with them. You will meet him tomorrow – he likes to come and go.”

Keira pushed open the door, and Anna stepped into the nursery. The children were seated at the table, a plate of sliced fruit before them, while Peggy hovered nearby. For a moment, it seemed to Anna that she had stepped back in time, but as she looked at the twins she could see that they had grown, their faces a little leaner than they were a year before. Lydia looked up from her plate, her eyes growing wide as she took in the visage of her aunt.

“Antana!” She pushed herself to her feet, then paused; but when Anna dropped to her knees and held out her arms, the little girl rushed into them. Zach looked up, then he too was scrambling over to his aunt, knocking her to the ground as she wrapped her arms around them both.

It had been dusk when Max and Anna arrived at Storbrook, and the children were soon sent to bed as the adults made their way to the parlor. The evening passed comfortably as they talked of things at Storbrook. Max had already given Aaron a brief outline of what had happened, but for now, they pushed concerns of kings and kingdoms from their minds. Anna sat with Keira, listening to her talk about her children, before asking about their parents.

“Father is fine, but Mother lingers on. She will be very happy to see you.”

Anna nodded. “I will visit her soon,” she promised.

Anna’s chambers were exactly as she left them, as Keira had said, and when she stepped into the room later that night, she breathed out a long sigh. Except for the few nights at Cameleus’s, she had not had a chamber to herself for more than a year. She buried her toes in the fur rug in front of the fire, before heading over to the bed and sitting down. Someone had been in and opened the shutters, allowing the air to flow in from three different directions. She leaned against the wall and stared out the window, remembering how many times she had gazed at this same view. Somewhere, out there, was a pair of dragons, one of whom had bound himself to her forevermore. She shrugged her gown off her shoulders and lay down on the bed, leaving the shutters open to let in the night air. There was the screech of an owl in the distance, but she had already fallen asleep.

She was still in her bed the next morning when the sound of her name being called broke through her dreams. She rose to her feet and went to the window, staring at the huge dragon hovering just a few feet away, his huge wings barely moving as he held himself aloft. The morning light glimmered against the smooth surface, making it sparkle, while the sun caught his horns and made them shine, as deadly as a pair of swords. The dragon smiled. “Good morning, my darling.”

She smiled, and reaching out a hand, stroked his snout. “Good morning,” she said. He rubbed himself against the palm of her hand, then drew back.

“Come for a ride with me,” he said. She nodded, quickly dragging on a gown before lifting her feet over the edge of the window. Max wrapped his tail around her and lifted her onto his back. He was silent as he flew through the air, the peaks of mountains still covered with snow drifting past below them. A large clearing opened up below them, and Max headed towards it, landing on a patch of a grass. A fallen log lay over the ground, and Max’s tail draped over it, the sharp spikes rising upwards as they marched along the tail’s length. Max made a motion with his head, and Anna turned around as the light filled the air. When she turned back, he reached out a hand and pulled her closer. He wrapped his hands around her face and stared into her eyes.

“I have to return to Civitas,” he said. “I wanted to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” Anna pulled free from his clasp and stepped away.

“Just for a short time.” He reached for her hands. “We are bound together, you and I, my darling, even though you haven’t yet tasted my blood. I could never leave if I didn’t know I would be returning.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

Max pushed his hands through her hair, allowing the strands to run over his fingers. “Aaron needs me to take care of a few things in the city, and I need to tie up my own loose ends.”

“But you will be back?”

“I will not be able to stay away,” he whispered. “I will be back before the first snowfall.”

Three months. His mouth was just above hers, and she could feel his breath against her lips. She leaned forward as his arms slid down her back, coming to rest on her hips. He lowered his head, his gaze holding hers as he searched her eyes, and then he was kissing her. His lips were soft and gentle, and she felt the flick of his tongue, teasing her. She slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. He had donned a pair of breeches when he changed his form, but his back was bare and she felt the ridges along the length of his spine, pulsing with heat. His breath filled her mouth, and she moaned as something clenched deep within her. She opened her mouth to him, tasting him and wanting more. He growled, a deep sound that reverberated in his chest, and his kiss became more demanding. His wings spread open, straining against his back as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt as through every nerve ending pulsed with life as his heat covered her, wrapping around her. She wanted to drown in him, and feel him drowning in her, too.

He pulled away, and stared into her eyes. His were blazing, open flames, and as she stared back, she felt as though she were being burned alive.

“Snowfall is too long. Look for me when the leaves start turning,” he said. His mouth descended to hers once more, and she smiled. He pulled away a moment later. “Let’s walk through the woods,” he said, “before I take you right here and now.”

“I don’t mind,” she said with an impish smile, and for a moment the blaze burned even brighter, before he tempered the flames.