Mistress of Dragons (9 page)

“I
hear there’s to be no naked dancing,” added Edward. His smile was warm and
generous, immediately making the stranger a friend, yet, at the same time,
maintaining a cool reserve, reminding one always that he was in the presence of
a king.

“Since
this seems to be a source of major disappointment, I could arrange it,” said
Draconas.

Edward
grinned. He had a grin like his young son’s, a mischievous smile that lit the
hazel eyes, charged them with flecks of greenish-gold.

“I
fear the naked dancing would have no effect on the dragon,” said Edward.

It
might, Draconas thought, but not the effect he’s looking for. The image of the
plump, dimpled, and well-endowed Ermintrude dancing naked with wild abandon in
the moonlight was not without its attractions.

Draconas
was honest, however. “I fear not.”

 “Ah,
well,” said the king with a feigned sigh of regret. “Another time, perhaps.”

The
smile in his eyes did not last long. The hazel darkened to brown. The handsome
face was drawn, careworn, plainly revealing his anxiety and worry. Another man
might have tried to hide such feelings. Edward’s feelings and thoughts would
always be plain upon his face, out in the open for all the world to see and
judge.

“I
believe that my wife explained the situation to you,” said Edward. He gestured
toward where the clerk had been sitting. “Those letters you saw me dictating.
One was a dispatch from a baron who has holdings on the border of our land and
that of Weinmauer. He warns me that Weinmauer’s castles along the border are
being reinforced. My father-in-law is preparing to ride to my rescue and, in
doing so, will swallow me whole. I would almost rather,” he added with a glint
in the hazel, “be swallowed by the dragon.”

“I
understand,” Draconas replied.

“And
you have a solution for this?” Edward asked, regarding Draconas intently. “You
can dispose of this threat? Kill this monster or drive it away?”

“Before
I answer that, I must teach you something of the nature of dragons,” said
Draconas. “ ‘Know your enemy,’ is a common dictum among military men, or so I
am led to believe.”

He
cast a glance at Gunderson at this, careful to include the soldier in their
conversation, guessing—rightly—that in the absence of his father, Edward would
look to the older man for advice and counsel.

“I
am eager to learn,” said Edward. “Let us sit by the fire. I’ll send for wine.”

“Tell
me exactly what depredations this dragon has committed,” said Draconas, once
the servants had been dismissed. “That may seem irrelevant, but it tells me
something of the nature of the beast.”

Edward
took a moment to organize his thoughts. “The dragon began by attacking the
village of Apfield in the western part of the kingdom.”

“Excuse
me,” said Draconas. “But I believe that we can label the dragon a male. Female
dragons rarely commit these sorts of wanton acts of destruction. Female dragons
tend to be more subtle and cunning.”

“Women
are the same the world over, I guess,” said Edward, the smile returning briefly
to his eyes.

Draconas
did not comment. “I like to be precise in the details. Please go on.”

Gunderson
took over. “After the attack at Apfield, we began receiving reports from almost
every part of the kingdom: cattle slaughtered, sheep stolen, people terrorized,
homes destroyed. Despite rumors to the contrary, no one has been killed yet,”
he stated, “but it’s only a matter of time.”

“I
see. And what measures have you taken against the dragon?”

“We
summoned His Majesty’s knights and waited for the monster to appear. When it
did, we set out in pursuit. Our horses are no match for a beast who can fly
with the speed of the winter wind.”

“Wherever
we were, the dragon wasn’t,” Edward said with fine irony. “The beast seemed to
take delight in striking places either just before we arrived or just after we
left, making us look like fools.”

“The
dragon can keep track of your movements from the air,” Draconas said, agreeing.
“A large mounted force is easy for him to spot and, as you say, he can move
much more swiftly than you can. You will never catch him that way.”

“Then
how?” Edward demanded, slamming his hands on the arms of the chair. “What
can
be done? This dragon must be stopped!” He jumped to his feet, began pacing
the room restlessly.

Draconas
affected to give the matter serious thought. “I would say that you have a very
serious problem. A male dragon—undoubtedly a young one—has taken up residence
in your kingdom. Probably in a cave somewhere along the river.”

“Residence!”
Edward’s jaw dropped. “You mean, he plans to
live
here?”

“I
am afraid so. Dragons are not that much different from humans in how they think
and act. Young men are young men, the world over. You yourself undoubtedly
engaged in rash or reckless actions from time to time in your youth.”

Edward
exchanged rueful smiles with Gunderson, both barkening back to some fond
memory. “I may have done so.”

Returning
to his chair, he flopped down, thrust out his long legs, and stared moodily at
his boots.

“I
take your point, Master Draconas. This dragon is young and reckless and
foolish.”

“Precisely.
He has no idea of the hardship he is causing, nor would he care if he did. He
cares only for his own pleasure and to draw the attention of young females.”

“How
long will this go on?” Edward demanded.

“Dragons
live a very long time, Your Majesty. A dragon’s youth may span hundreds of
years—”

“God’s
breath! Something must be done, sir! We must find his cave. Strike him while he
sleeps. You shake your head, but—”

“Impossible.
First, you might search the rest of your lifetime and never find his lair.
Dragons are quite cunning in the manner in which they hide their dwellings.
Second, an immense force would be required to battle him. A thousand knights
would not be too many.”

“A
thousand.” Edward groaned. “I had trouble enough scraping up twenty.”

“Even
if you had a thousand, the dragon would hear you and see you from miles away
and have time to either prepare his defense or make good his escape. However,”
Draconas added, seeing the king sinking into despair, “there is a way to rid
yourself of this menace.”

“Yes?”
said Edward, hope propelling him forward in his chair.

“It
will require courage on your part, courage and commitment and sacrifice.”

“I
am prepared to do anything to save my kingdom,” said Edward resolutely.

“And
you must put your faith and trust in me,” said Draconas.

Edward
glanced sidelong at Gunderson at this, then looked back to Draconas.

“I
do not know you, sir,” said the king. “What I have seen of you I like, but as
to trust...” He shook his head. “I am not prepared to give that now. Perhaps
when I have heard your plan—”

“Fair
enough,” said Draconas. Rising to his feet, he gestured to the window. “If you
would be so good as to accompany me, Your Majesty, there is something I would
show you.”

Mystified,
the king did as Draconas asked, with Gunderson ranging closely alongside.

“Do
you see those mountains? Those far away, with the snowcapped peaks?”

“Yes.
That is the Ardvale mountain range.”

“Have
you ever traveled there, Your Majesty?”

“Merciful
heavens, no,” returned Edward, amazed at the question. “The Ardvale mountains
are outside the boundaries of the realm. Our border ends at their foothills.”

“So
you do not know what lies beyond?”

The
king shrugged, uninterested. “The mountains are said to be impassable. Nothing
but snow and rock. I fail to see—”

“There
is something beyond those mountains—a kingdom. The kingdom of Seth.”

Edward
struggled to be polite. “I had no idea. A kingdom there, you say.” With a
rolling-eyed glance at Gunderson, the king turned away. “Now, Master Draconas,
we were discussing this dragon ...”

“The
kingdom of Seth was once attacked by a force of dragons,” Draconas continued
imperturbably. “More than twenty dragons laid siege to the city.”

Edward
halted, turned to stare, appalled.

“The
dragons were repulsed. Three were slain. I tell you this, Your Majesty, because
the kingdom of Seth is the one place in the world feared by dragons. It is the
one place in the world that dragons avoid.”

Draconas
pointed back at the mist-shrouded mountains. “There, in that realm, you will
find the person you need. The person who can drive away the dragon and keep him
and his kind away from your kingdom forever.”

“How?”
Edward demanded. “Who is this person?”

“A
woman who is gifted with powerful magicks. You must travel to that kingdom and
persuade this woman to come back to Idlyswylde with you. Only her magic can
drive away the dragon.”

“Magic
. . .” Edward exchanged amused glances with Gunderson, who smiled tolerantly. “Are
we back to naked dancing, then, sir?”

Draconas
cast a significant look at the astrolabe. “Has science helped you so far?”

Edward
appeared nettled. “We haven’t tried. I was thinking of importing several
cannons. We could place them on the battlements—”

“What
do you expect the dragon to do, Sire? Wallow in the fields while you pummel it
with cannonballs? Or perhaps you propose to knock it out of the skies?”

Edward
flushed in anger. He wasn’t accustomed to being ridiculed. “I think it would
work as well as shaking a chicken’s foot at the dragon and chanting
abracadabra.”

“You
do not believe in magic,” said Draconas. “No,” said Edward, but then he added
with a sudden flicker of gold in the hazel, “but then, I didn’t believe in
dragons, either.” He walked over to the balcony, gazed out at the mountains,
and took a squint at them through the telescope.

“I
am willing to try anything at this point,” he added, turning. “I will dispatch
a delegation to fetch this woman. Gunderson, you will go as my personal
representative. We will send gifts. Jewels. Fine silks. Women like that.” He
halted, regarding Draconas with some impatience. “What is wrong now, sir? Again
you shake your head. Are jewels the wrong sort of present?”

“There
is a reason that you have never heard of the kingdom of Seth,” Draconas said in
reply. “I am one of the few people in the world who has heard of it and that
only after years of searching for clues to its existence. The kingdom is held
in thrall, its borders enchanted by this very woman. Thus she keeps out the
dragons and all others who might do her people harm. Your delegation could
spend years searching those mountains and they would never be able to penetrate
the magic that hides the entrance to its borders. And even if, by some miracle,
they did happen to stumble across it, they would not live long enough to profit
by their discovery. Warriors guard the borders, with orders to slay all who
attempt to enter.”

Edward
stared, amazed. “I seem to have fallen into some sort of fairy tale! Enchanted
kingdom. People held in thrall. Borders hidden by magic.”

“The
man is mad,” said Gunderson, frowning. “This nursery tale has gone on long
enough, Your Majesty. I am sorry I wasted your time with such nonsense. Let me
toss the fellow out on his ear,”

Edward
waved him to silence. “I find this hard to believe, Draconas.”

“Then
let me ask you a question, Sire. Has science been able to prove the existence
of God?”

“Of
course not,” said Edward shortly. “Yet you believe in God?”

“I
am a man of faith. And, yes, I understand what you’re saying.” The hazel eyes
were quite dark, with glinting flecks of green. “You hand water to a man dying
of thirst and then dash the cup from his lips. You tell me in one breath that
in that far-off kingdom lies my only hope and in another that my hope must rest
on the supernatural. And what does it matter anyhow,” he added, with an
impatient gesture, “for it can’t ever be attained?”

“I
did not say that,” said Draconas. “A delegation would not be able to enter that
kingdom. They would all be killed. But one person might, provided he is armed
with the proper magic. One person to plead his cause.”

Edward
gazed long at Draconas. “Armed with magic. Merciful mother of God. If I sent
Gunderson—”

Draconas
was again shaking his head. “The Mistress of Dragons is exalted by her people.
High and puissant, she is worshipped as a god. Only you, a king in your own
right, would have any chance of obtaining an audience with her.”

“You’re
not seriously considering this, Sire,” said Gunderson, eyeing his king.

He
drew Edward aside. They spoke in low tones, but Draconas had quite good hearing.
Turning his back, he gazed out the window, pretended to be absorbed by the
view.

“I
don’t like this, Your Majesty,” Gunderson told him. “What do we know of this
fellow? Nothing! And he proposes that you go with him on some wild-goose chase
of a journey. Magic!” He snorted. “It is likely a trick of Weinmauer to lure
you away.”

“Whatever
it is, I don’t believe it is that,” said Edward dryly. “My father-in-law could
never have made up such a tale—a priestess with magical powers hidden away in
some enchanted kingdom.” He sighed softly. “If it is true, what an adventure,
Gunderson! Think of it!”

“
If
it is true.” Gunderson laid heavy emphasis on the “if.”

“First
there is this business of the magic. Your Majesty knows, as do all educated
people, that it is not possible for humans to possesses supernatural powers.
That what these charlatans who call themselves warlocks and witches pass off as
‘magic’ is really nothing more than trickery—sleight of hand, illusion,
gimmicks.”

“True,”
Edward admitted.