Vankara (Book 1) (26 page)

Lying beside the Queen
with its triangular head held high and proud was a dragon with shiny ruby red
scales.  From its broad forehead to the tip of its tail was a line of sharp
looking white horns with black tips.  Its blood red eyes studied us cautiously
as we made our way to stand in front of the Queen.

Kian dropped to
one knee in front of his Queen, resting his right arm across his bent knee
while bowing his head.

“Queen Nuala,” he
said raising his head to speak.  “I present to you Queen Emma Vankar and her
escort.”

Kian stood to his
feet and walked up the carved out stairs to the Queen’s dais only stopping once
he stood beside her chair.  He turned to look back at us.

A guarded closed
lip smile spread across Queen Nuala’s face as she studied us.

“I have to admit
you’ve caught us a bit off guard, Queen Emma,” she said in a softer voice than
I would have expected.  “Your visit is unprecedented.  We haven’t had a
Vankaran on our lands for quite sometime, at least not one who survived the
ferals living by the wall.”  Her eyes fell on Fallon’s torn jacket.  “You are
the first of your kind to survive a feral dragon’s attack, sir.  You are to be
congratulated.”

“Fallon is quite
adept with his sword,” I told her. 

“How is it that
you are still standing?”  She questioned Fallon directly.

“One of your
people helped heal my wounds.” As soon as the words left Fallon’s mouth, I
inwardly winced, not wanting Nuala to know of Lanai's help. 

Queen Nuala’s head
tilted slightly to the right as she considered Fallon's words.  “All of my
people were told to stay inside their homes,” her voice was strained as she
attempted to conceal her temper behind the guise of curiosity.  “Who helped you
so I can thank them properly?”

“The person didn’t
give us their name,” I replied, not wanting to bring Queen Nuala’s wrath down
upon Lanai because of her kindness.  “But we are eternally grateful your people
would extend their hospitality to us in our time of need.  I’m not sure Fallon
would have survived otherwise.”

The head of the
dragon lying beside the Queen’s throne turned to Nuala like a human would when
addressing someone else.  The Queen turned her head to the dragon and then
nodded as if she understood what the dragon wanted.

“Queen Emma, would
you mind revealing the dragonling you have hidden underneath your cloak?”

Until that moment,
I had forgotten all about the small dragon still sleeping on my shoulder.  I
saw no reason to not show it to Queen Nuala so I carefully folded the left side
of my cloak over my shoulder to reveal the still slumbering dragon.

Nuala stood from
her throne and walked down to me, never taking her eyes off of the dragonling.

“How did you come
to possess her?” She asked as she stood in front of me.

“Is it a girl?” I
asked.  The sex of the creature hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“Yes,” Nuala said,
flicking her eyes towards me for a second before returning them to the
dragonling.  “There are very few female dragons born each generation, probably
only two or three.”  Nuala’s eyes looked back at me with undisguised hostility
showing her displeasure in my having possession of one of her prized dragons. 
“What I don’t understand,” she said in a controlled voice, “is why it chose
you
to bond with.”

“I don’t
understand it either,” I said, deciding to not show how well I understood her
gentle gibe.  "Is it possible it would bind itself to you or someone here
in the capital?  I honestly don't see how I can take it back home with me.”

“You must,” Queen
Nuala’s eyes grew wide, horrified I would even consider such a thing.  “If you
refuse to take her with you, she will mourn your going and die of heartbreak
and starvation.  To leave a dragonling, much less a female one, in such a way
is blasphemous.  She is bound to you for life whether you like it or not, Queen
Emma.”

“I see,” I said,
not really seeing at all.  “Well, I guess I’ll have to figure something out.”

“You shouldn't
have let her bind with you in the first place,” Nuala said, as if what happened
was my fault.

“She didn’t give
me much choice,” I defended.  “Vankaran’s aren’t taught much about your ways. 
Perhaps if your people and my people knew more about one another, situations
such as this could be avoided.”

“That’s why we
have the wall,” Nuala’s tongue was as sharp as a whip.  “So we can live
separated from one another and not have to deal with each others customs.”

Without another
word, Nuala turned her back to us and returned to her throne.  After she sat
down, she looked back at me.

“So tell us, Queen
Emma, what exactly has brought you to our lands?  I’m sure you didn’t travel
all this way just out of idle curiosity.”

I took a deep
breath to steady my nerves.  Queen Nuala’s rebuff about the dragonling caught
me off guard and I needed to be careful about what I said to her concerning the
source of the plagues.  I had no intention of starting a war with the fae over
hearsay and unfounded conclusions.

“I have been told
your mages believe the plagues our lands have suffered through the past few
years are magical in nature.  I came to ask if you have any proof of this to be
true.”

Nuala’s eyes
narrowed on me suspiciously.  “Why would you need proof from me when it is your
mages who have caused the plagues?"

"Our mages
protest they are not the ones who have caused the plagues.  What makes you
believe otherwise?"

"I am not a
fool Emma Vankar.  Don't waste your lies on me."

"Now just
wait one damn minute..." Fallon said, taking a step forward as though he
might rush up the stairs to have it out with the Queen.

I placed a gentle
but steady hand on his chest, careful not to push too hard but firm enough to
make him stay where he was.

"If I thought
our mages were responsible for the plagues," I said, returning my
attention to Nuala, "I can assure you I would have the culprits arrested. 
We have lost people just as you have.  If you have proof the Vankaran mages are
responsible, please present it to me so I can confront them directly."

"And if I
give you proof," Nuala said guardedly, "what will you give us in
return?"

"Hopefully an
end to the plagues," I said.  "I refuse to believe any Vankaran mage
could be responsible much less the entire college.  But, if I can show the
Royal Sage proof the plagues are caused by magic, she might be more willing to
help me find out who or what is behind them."

“I want something
more than your rhetoric, Queen Emma.”

“What is it that
you want?”

“I want you to
promise me you will stop trying to send spies into my land.  I want your people
to leave mine alone and abide by the treaty which was signed by our ancestors. 
We want nothing to do with you or your people.  As far as we’re concerned,
you’re simply a poison on our lands leeching out what was once good and pure
here.”

“I can promise you
there will be no more spies sent to this side of the wall and we will try our
best not to intrude in your lives any more than is absolutely necessary.”

A cold silence
settled over the great chamber as Nuala seemed to weigh the truthfulness of my
words in her mind.  I wasn’t sure she would give us what we asked for but then
she turned her attention to Kian who still stood at her side.

“Ask Lorenna to
bring a vial please,” she requested.

Kian walked down
the stairs and disappeared down a hollowed out corridor which seemed to lead
deeper within the palace.  A few minutes later he returned with a young woman
dressed in a plain dark blue dress. The woman looked to be barely twenty years
old with short black hair cut bluntly at chin level.  She was petite in stature
and in features.  Her eyes held wariness which not only seemed for us but also for
her Queen.  In her hands, she held a small tear-drop shaped glass vial filled
with a liquid which shimmered a phosphorescent yellow.

“Give Queen Emma
the vial, Lorenna,” Nuala ordered.

Lorenna walked up
to me and only dared to meet my eyes as she lifted the vial towards me to
take.  The blue-green of her eyes startled me with their brightness.

After I took the
vial, the liquid stopped glowing and simply took on the form of water.  Lorenna
turned and walked quickly back the way she came.

I looked at the
vial in my hands but saw nothing particularly revealing about its contents.

“How does this
prove the Vankaran mages are responsible for the plagues?” I finally asked Queen
Nuala.

“Have one of your
mages touch it and it will glow just as it did in Lorenna’s hands.”

“I still don’t
understand what that proves.”

“Lorenna’s mother
was the one who sought an answer to the plagues.  She was able to cast a
revealing charm on the melted snow within the vial.  Anyone with magic can hold
the vial and call upon the magic which was used to bind the plague to the
water.”

“So this only
proves the plagues are magical in nature.  It doesn’t prove a vankaran is
responsible?”

One of Nuala’s
eyebrows arched imperiously.  “No, it doesn’t connect your people directly with
the plagues.  But, by a simple process of illumination, only your people have
the combined power to cast such a spell.  We have less than ten mages among the
fae.  How many do you have?  Over a hundred, possibly double that number?”

I had no idea how
many mages attended the college but saw no reason to confirm her suspicions.

“So all either one
of us knows for sure is that the plagues were caused by magic.  Without further
proof, I don’t believe we can place the blame on anyone yet.  But I do promise
you I will find out who is behind it.”

“Then I wish you
luck in your quest and hope you have the stomach for what needs to be done to
the culprits responsible for such an atrocity.”

“You have my word,
they will not go unpunished.”

Nuala inclined her
head as she accepted my promise. 

“Kian, would you
please show Queen Emma and her escort back the way they came.  I’m sure the Queen
will want to return to her people as soon as she can.”

The dismissal
wasn’t lost on me.  Now that we had been given what we came for, Nuala wanted
us to leave as soon as possible.

As Kian escorted
us back out of the great chamber, I glanced back at Nuala and saw her speaking
quietly with her dragon.  A beautiful smile lit her face.  It made me trust her
even less.

Chapter 17

Once we were well
out of the village, I practically had to beg a stubborn Fallon to stop so I
could tend to his wounds.  Even though he was far too pig headed to admit it, I
could tell he was forcing himself to hide how much pain he was actually
experiencing.  His show of machismo was unnecessary but his pride seemed to be
an unending source for it.

“I’m only doing
this to make you feel better,” Fallon begrudgingly said as he dismounted his
horse.  I saw a grimace of pain cross his face as his feet touched ground and
felt sure he was secretly thankful for my badgering.

“I appreciate your
concern for my mental well being,” I replied, getting off of my own horse and
grabbing a fresh set of bandages, the bottle of laudanum and jar of red pepper
paste from my saddle bag.

“Sit in front of
that tree,” I ordered, pointing to one of the ubiquitous redwoods lining the
pathway.

Fallon did as I
asked with only a slight intelligible grumble and slowly began to unbuttoned
his jacket.

The makeshift
bandages across his wounds were spotted with blood.  I delicately unwound the
cloth from around his torso, the action unintentionally bringing us into close
contact with one another.  As before in my office, I could smell the sweet
aroma of wintergreen surrounding Fallon.

“Why do I always
smell wintergreen when I’m around you?” I asked.

Fallon grinned. 
“I have a sweet tooth.”

He put his right
hand in the pocket of his jacket and brought out a small green drawstring bag. 
With one hand, he opened it and took out a piece of hard green candy holding it
out to me between his thumb and forefinger.

“Want to try a
piece?”

“Let me finish
wrapping this bandage first,” I said but Fallon was already lifting the piece
of candy to my lips since my hands were otherwise occupied.

Not wanting to
seem rude or ungrateful, I let him place the sweet confection on my tongue. 
The gesture was intimate; something two lovers might do for one another.  But,
considering the circumstances, I let the moment pass as though it meant nothing
at all.

I rolled the piece
of candy around with my tongue.

“I taste wintergreen,
cinnamon and honey,” I noted.

“The cooks in the
palace make batches of these all the time.  If you like it, I’m sure they
wouldn’t mind making some for the Queen.”

“I’ll keep that in
mind.  Thank you for the candy.”

After I took off
all the bandages, I sat back and looked at the raw talon marks across Fallon’s
chest.  They were slightly swollen now and I knew we needed to get back to the
palace as quickly as we could before they became inflamed with infection. 
Halfway through my ministrations of a new layer of pepper paste, I felt the
weight of Fallon’s stare on my face.

“Why are you
looking at me like that?” I asked, becoming completely self conscience of my
appearance.

“Did you know your
hair smells like lavender?”  He whispered.

“Is the smell
bothering you?”

“No,” he said,
resting his head back against the tree trunk and closing his eyes, “it’s nice.”

Fallon remained in
that position until after I was finished ministering to his wounds and had him
re-bandaged.  I then tried to hand him the vial of laudanum.