Chapter 15
T anis was impressed by Tova’s palace. Like her father’s, it was set into the mountainside for protection. But that was where the similarities ended. Blue and gold, it appeared more like a jewel box than a place where someone lived. Spires twisted upward, toward the sky. She half expected to see dragons circling it, yet it was more majestic than their homes.
The road up to it was narrow for defense and there were slits all along the mountain where archers could site victims or others could pour flaming oil on an invading army.
Smart.
Huge battle gryphons lined the drawbridge that led to an outer bailey where there were a group of homes she assumed were for the palace servants and their families.
The gryphons were a surprise for her as she hadn’t realized that they lived anywhere other than Indara. Because they had such a large population of gryphons and wyverns in their kingdom, she’d assumed that they were like dragons and didn’t intermingle with other species.
But they seemed happy in their guardian roles. “Are there many gryphons here?” she asked Dash.
“A fair amount. Why?”
“I just had no idea any lived here.”
“Don’t worry. They’re not prisoners. The elves use them in battle against us... or they used to. We have our own small population of them, too.”
“Do you?”
“We do, but ours are strictly civilian. Since we fly, we don’t need them in our military.”
That seemed odd to her, given that Indara was a neighboring kingdom with a large gryphon population. “Then why do they choose to live in Licordia?”
“Like the elves, they’re paid better to live among us than they are in Indara. And the humans and other species in our lands use them to fly between the kingdoms.”
“Why not use a unicorn?”
He paused to pass an annoyed look at her over his shoulder. “We’re not passenger unicorns.”
“Really?” she asked sarcastically, holding her hands up to remind him that she was his passenger.
“You’re an exception. We normally only allow riders for battle.”
Smiling, she patted him on the neck. “Glad to know I’m an exception.”
The very thought warmed her all the way through. And she had an odd feeling that it embarrassed him as he immediately started forward and didn’t speak anymore.
She was still smiling when they went through another set of bridges that led to an inner bailey and finally to the courtyard for the palace.
Intricate and scary, yet beautiful.
And speaking of beautiful...
An exceptionally tall man waited at the steps with a large crow perched on his muscular shoulder. He leaned against a long, twisted staff that held a crystal at one end and wore the red garb of an alchemist or shaman. His long black hair was pulled back from his face with a leather cord.
Tanis couldn’t take her gaze off him. Like Dash, he held an air of authority and danger. Of raw power that dared someone to challenge him.
Indeed, there was something about his features that reminded her of Dash. Except his eyes were a chilling blue.
Her heart sped up at the sight of him.
Dash stopped.
Tanis took a moment before she dismounted. The moment she did, Dash changed into his human form.
Only then did the stranger move. Tsking, he eyed her coldly.
“Do I even want to know what you’ve gone and done now, Majesty?”
Dash glanced to her, and she saw the irritation in his eyes. “I assume Halla’s already told you, otherwise you wouldn’t be standing there, looking like that.”
“But why, Dash? Why? And I’m not talking about turning her into a human. You know better.”
The crow cawed.
Dash let out a tired sigh. “Tanis, this is Ryper and Chrysis. Ryper is the annoying man. Feel free to ignore him. I do most of the time.” Then he met Ryper’s gaze. “And why are you here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be in Licordia, guarding my throne? Annoying anyone else?”
Ryper snorted in response. “We need to talk. Alone.”
“Five words that always make my sphincter clench whenever you say them.”
Marthen clapped Dash on the back as he joined them. “You’re really not going to like what he has to say.” He stepped past Dash toward Tanis. “Come, my lady. Let them have their counsel. You and I can go explore the elfin palace. It’s even more spectacular inside.”
She really wanted to hear what was going on, but knew it wasn’t her place. So, taking Marthen’s arm, she allowed him to lead her away.
Dash watched Tanis leave before he closed the distance between him and Ryper. By Ryper’s stance, he knew this was going to be bad. But there was no need in delaying it. “What happened?”
Ryper held out a folded piece of vellum to him. “I sent Ronan, Cadoc and Mischief on to Licordia with Chrys while I came here to fetch Dove.”
“I’m assuming Chrys brought the note to you after she dropped them off?”
“Of course I did,” she said, ruffling her feathers.
Dreading what was inside, Dash opened it and read Ronan’s report. As he’d already expected, Keryna was behind his sister’s death.
What he hadn’t known was the fact that his kingdom had been invaded. “So, Meara has officially taken my throne and army.”
Ryper screwed his face up. “At least she thinks that. But I’m sure Aderyn and Kronnel still have control of your forces. While I don’t trust Kronnel anymore than you do, Aderyn is one of us. Her troops will be standing by to fight to the death at your command.”
Awesome. “How is Meara still alive? She shouldn’t be able to invade my kingdom without the ataswere attacking her.”
Ryper wrinkled his nose. “Technicality. Her brother received an invitation from you to bring his army in.”
“I never issued an invitation to a centaur.”
“It was a good forgery. One that passed the scrutiny of the ataswere . As such, Meara accepted the invitation on behalf of her brother.”
That infuriated him. The whole point of writing a contract on the flesh of an ataswere was to ensure it was always kept. Whoever broke the contract would be hunted down and killed by one of their agents.
The only way to break the contract was to kill the ataswere who wore it, which was next to impossible, or to find a loophole like the one Ryper had just explained.
Dash wanted to beat someone over this. “Where’s Dove?” he asked.
“Behind you.”
Dash tensed at that deep, gruff tone that no one ever expected to come out of the elfin bastard nobleman. Not because he wasn’t tall and rugged as hell, but because he normally didn’t speak. To anyone. Getting a single word out of him often took a royal proclamation.
Two was a miracle.
Dubhdara hadn’t just been screwed over by Meara and her court, he’d been shafted first by his mother and the elfin race. Mostly because his royal elfin mother had refused to name his father. That refusal had cost her everything, and her son almost as much. Both in reputation and standing as she’d been executed for her treasonous affair, and her bastard son had been relegated to being raised by his disgraced relatives who’d hated the sight of him, as they blamed him for their penury and stripped titles.
It was why Baldur had sent him to Meara as a hostage when Dash had been handed over. Dove had never forgiven his mother’s husband for that, and Dash didn’t blame him.
But it was good to see his old friend. Holding his arm out to Dove, he offered him a smile.
Dove took his hand and pulled him in for a brotherly hug. He pounded him so hard on the back that it took Dash’s breath.
“We were getting ready to head back when Marthen told me you were here,” Ryper said. “Good timing.”
“I don’t know about that.” Dash stepped away from Dove. “I feel like I’m chasing my tail.”
Ryper shook his head. “I’m thinking we were intentionally sent out to chase geese.”
Dash frowned. “Meaning?”
“He thinks the wand is still in Licordia.” Chrys flew to Dash’s shoulder. “Ryper wants me to go and see if I can find it.”
Those words hit him almost as hard as Dove’s greeting. “I don’t understand.”
Ryper inclined his head to the parchment. “Think about it. If you wanted to buy yourself time and stay hidden until it was time to cast a deadly spell, what better way than to send your enemy off in search of something you still have?”
Dash cursed. “It was all a setup.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. Why else pick Pagos of all places?”
Ryper was right. “I should have thought of that.”
“Your mind is on other matters, and we understand. Easy to miss things when your emotionally compromised.”
Dove cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about Renata.”
Dash didn’t respond. There wasn’t anything to say. The pain was still too raw to deal with.
It just wasn’t right, and he didn’t know how to cope with the loss of her, so he refused to.
For now.
“I appreciate it.” It was all he could think of to say. It was so paltry, especially given everything they’d been through.
He glanced around the yard and noticed the curious onlookers who were keeping their distance while trying to figure out why the three of them were friends.
“How are you doing?” Dash asked Dove.
Dove shrugged. “Haven’t killed anyone today. But there’s always tomorrow.”
That was probably the best he could do, and Dash was amazed at his restraint. Just as he was amazed that Dove had returned home. None of them were still sure why he’d come back, given everything the elves had done to him and his mother.
But that was the thing about Dove. He didn’t share his feelings or his thoughts very often.
Chrys stretched her wings. “Anything you want me to tell the others, Sire?”
“Be careful. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Until we join them, stay low.”
“And tell Aderyn to stay out of my room,” Ryper said petulantly.
Dash scowled. “Something I need to know?”
“Not really.”
Why didn’t he believe that?
Maybe because it was an unwarranted comment. There was definitely something odd between them, but he was too tired to delve into it right now, and knowing Ryper, he wouldn’t elaborate even if he beat the shite out of him.
So, Dash let it go. He carefully stroked her head. “You be careful, too, Chrys.”
She inclined her head to him. “And you.” With that, she launched herself from his shoulder and took flight.
Dash watched her vanish into the darkness.
As soon as she was gone, Ryper draped an arm around his shoulders. “So... what about the dragon?”
“Don’t you even.”
Ryper tsked at him. “I thought you’d sworn to never jeopardize your wizard powers.”
Dove laughed.
Dash ground his teeth over their teasing. “Both of you stop before I forget what I owe you, and I gut you where you stand.”
Ryper moved away and held his hand up. “I’ll say no more, Dash. But you know how hard won the truce between the dragons and unicorns has been.”
Yes, he did. And they already had a war brewing with the centaurs. Last thing he needed was for another one to start with Tanis’s father.
Which made him curious about something. “I have one question for you?”
Ryper arched a brow. “That is?”
“Are we sure the wanted poster is false? Or are there seven kingdoms actually rebelling against me and coming together to offer a bounty for my head? And if there are seven, which ones are they?”
Dove and Ryper exchanged a thoughtful grimace before Ryper answered. “Thirteen kingdoms. We can strike out Licordia, Tenmaru, Alarium, Pagos and Indara. That leaves eight kingdoms, with the centaurs currently sitting on your throne.”
“So, what I’m hearing from you, Ryp, is that I should have been a kinder, gentler monarch.”
Ryper snorted. “Not from me. What I’m thinking is we missed a few heads we should have mounted on pikes.”
“Starting with Meara’s.”
They both turned to stare at Dove over that harsh comment.
Dove didn’t even flinch. “Don’t look at me like that. If the two of you had listened to me and killed the bitch when I told you to, we wouldn’t have to march an army into Licordia and kill her now, would we?” He met Dash’s gaze and the hatred there went all the way to Dove’s soul. “This time, can I have her throat?”
Dash wanted to be reasonable. He wanted to be the king Marthen had trained him to be and not the blood son of his ruthless mother and cold hearted father. But honestly... he craved her throat as much as Dove did. “I can’t promise you that, Dove.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I get to her first, I’m going to kill her.”