Chapter 16
Reynard
We stayed in the village, tense with anticipation, waiting for another attack, but thankfully, nothing happened. Our mages recovered quickly and helped the soldiers with mundane tasks, as if feeling guilty for their absence during the town’s defence.
After leaving our temporary shelter, the men marched the entire day without complaint, their spirits high. I smiled, hearing the impromptu songs, the ribald banter.
‘Ivar,’ I called quietly, and the Lord Marshal approached, accompanied by my squire.
‘Sire?’
‘If there’s no attack tonight, we’ll push harder tomorrow. I want to be close enough to Wiosna’s mountain to scout the area. Send sentinels and trackers out just before dawn. We can’t afford another surprise.’
He nodded, awaiting further instructions. When I remained silent, he shifted his stance ‘When do you plan to attack, sire?’
‘We’ll see once we get there.’ I looked at him with a smile. ‘I’ve never attacked a mine, so I need more information. We’ll let the men rest while we develop our strategy.’
‘My lord…’ The squire broke into our conversation, his cheeks turning crimson under my scrutiny. I nodded, encouraging him to speak, and he pointed to the sky. ‘I think… the clouds are building up; maybe it means the mist is returning?’
I turned, eyes following his finger. The moon was still bright in the sky, but the stars were slowly disappearing, swallowed by enormous shadows. The squire’s cheek reddened even more at my lack of concern until I took mercy on his embarrassment and patted his shoulder.
‘Impressive observation skills, lad, but no, that’s a different kind of magic.’ I turned to Ivar. ‘Tell the men to stand down. I don’t want our reinforcements accidentally shot.’
The squire’s eyes grew bigger before he looked back at the sky. ‘Dragons.’ His whisper was so wistful that I felt the old, familiar wonder wash over me.
I shielded my eyes just in time as the enormous beasts began landing.
Dull thumps and muffled roars shook the ground while the wind and snow buffeted my men’s bodies to the rhythm of the dragons’ wings.
My laughter broke free. Even being pelted by ice and dirt couldn’t take this feeling away, and I couldn’t help myself, ruffling the squire’s hair as he stood there, mouth agape.
A familiar shape descended from the sky, cutting cleanly through the gaps to land before me.
Only one beast had such precision. Vahin, my brother’s dragon, shook his massive head, sending a scorching stream of fire into the sky.
Orm leapt off his back, hitting the ground running as he came to greet me. I wasn’t far behind.
We crashed into each other. I couldn’t put my feelings into words in that moment. I hadn’t seen him in months, and the happiness was almost painful when I finally embraced my little brother. I stepped back and looked around at the slush and mud, unable to hold back my laughter.
‘You bloody bastard. You could have told me you were coming,’ I said, clasping his shoulder before we hugged again.
‘Should I tell our mother what you just called her?’ Orm’s laughter was infectious. ‘I couldn’t warn you. Vahin dragged me from Annika’s side and refused to say why…’ Orm trailed off, his expression turning thunderous. ‘What the fuck, Rey? I heard you got hurt, but that is fu– deeply unsettling.’
I forced a smile. The story behind my scar was too complex to explain calf-deep in the mud. Instead, I clasped his shoulder and set off for my tent.
‘King Reynard!’ The deep rumble shook my body, and I turned mid-step to face Vahin’s towering form. The dragon’s head lowered, his cobalt blue eyes focused on me. ‘Cinared…’ he rumbled with a wistfulness that confused me. ‘You’ve finally chosen.’
Something washed over me, a consciousness as old as time, recognition. The sense of completion as my soul expanded and forced me to my knees, my vision suddenly blurring. Whatever was happening, the moment it became familiar, it vanished, leaving me dizzy.
‘What did you do?’ I asked, stumbling up and falling against the dragon. My brother caught me, pulling me away. Vahin took to the skies with an ear-splitting roar and a few beats of his powerful wings.
‘Orm?’ I asked, but my brother shrugged.
‘I don’t know. Vahin’s being… It can’t be…’
‘What can’t be?’ The sensation of recognition was gone, but my vision was still blurred.
‘Later.’ Orm kept dragging me along, heading for the tent with my personal crest fluttering beside it. ‘Come on. We have things to discuss, and I want to see what’s hiding under that eyepatch.’
I called for my squire, ordering food and, feeling evil, a jug of soldiers’ rotgut. Orm sat next to the burning brazier, studying my face. It was strange to be so openly scrutinised, but I endured, appreciating that he didn’t wince at the mangled scars.
‘She made a right old mess of you, didn’t she? I never thought my invincible philanderer of a brother would be bested by a woman.’ Orm raised his tankard the moment it left the squire’s hand. ‘So, you finally met your match.’
My fists tightened. Orm’s assessing gaze didn’t falter at the fury burning through my veins.
‘Do not test me, brother. I know you too well to allow it.’ Calm strength supported me as I stared Orm down.
‘Sana was fighting for her life and misunderstood my intentions. She… I don’t blame her, and you will show her the respect she deserves.
’ I finished leaning forward, my fists flexing, daring him to challenge me.
Instead, a slow smile tugged at his lips, before Orm fell back, laughing his arse off.
That cheeky little… I thought with a sigh. Orm was the last man to believe any woman evil, and I’d taken his teasing to heart, reacting like a hot-headed youth.
‘It seems your mysterious Sana bested you in more ways than one. You lost your composure like a pimpled rookie… Spill it, Rey. When’s the wedding, and how soon can I meet this marvel of a woman who stabbed her way into your heart?
’ Orm relaxed in his chair, observing me with a smug, knowing smile.
I had to remind myself that my brother was often too blunt for comfort.
‘We haven’t exchanged any vows,’ I said begrudgingly, nursing my tankard.
‘First, it’s complicated; second, I’m not sure she wants that.
’ When my brother looked at me sharply, I shrugged.
‘Sana thinks the Dagome nobles won’t accept her, and I don’t want to pressure her. Some women are worth waiting for.’
‘It’s only as complicated as you make it. You’re the king, Rey. One thing I learned after taking the throne in Ozar is that as long as the country prospers under your rule, no one cares who you sleep with… or how many.’ His smile made me sigh.
‘Since when did you become the oracle of wisdom and matchmaking?’ I said with a huff, still remembering the man who’d come to me, shattered by the knowledge he’d have to share the woman he loved with his best friend.
‘I can force those obstinate bastards to kneel before her, but that’s not the point.
It’s what she wants that matters, and Sana isn’t ready.
She knows how they see her – a commoner who tried to kill the king – and even if she didn’t say it aloud, this stubborn woman wants to prove she’s worthy. ’
‘Worthy? Go on, I’m going to love this one,’ he said, mischief flashing in his eyes.
‘Will you? Well, she named herself the king’s shadow, which, as my regent mentioned in his letters, means she’s helping him to keep my kingdom together.’ Orm grinned, and the honest happiness on his face broke the last barrier. ‘Then there’s her magic. She’s a vivamancer.’
My brother gasped. His pupils widened as his hand grasped the edge of the brazier.
I winced, readying myself for the stench of burnt flesh, forgetting that as a rider, he was immune to heat and fire.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked shortly, while his rapid eye movement told me he was talking to his dragon. ‘Vahin asks what race of being she is.’
‘Human?’ I said, uncertainty growing as pity entered my brother’s eyes. ‘Not that it matters, but Sana would have told me if she wasn’t.’
‘Vahin says vivamancers aren’t fully human. One of her parents must have been Elderkin, and some races… This might cause issues.’ He placed a hand on my shoulder with a heavy sigh. ‘I’m sorry, Rey. You shouldn’t have learned that from me.’
‘I’ll discuss it with her after this mess is done with.
Sana only just discovered she had this magic.
She probably doesn’t know,’ I said, forcing a smile before changing the subject.
‘How many dragons will you leave? We encountered a threat their fire could’ve easily removed.
With enough dragons on regular patrols, the void cubes won’t be a problem. ’
‘Rey… you need to talk to her. Vahin can take you to Truso and back in one night. I’ll stay here in your stead. Fly home and talk with your woman. My treat. Tell her I’d love to meet her,’ he said, ignoring my question, but I shook my head.
‘I can’t drop everything when my soldiers haven’t seen their loved ones in weeks. What kind of man would I be?’ I said, fighting with the desire to see her, even momentarily.
‘One night won’t make any difference,’ Orm said, leaning over the fire. ‘You can’t lead an army with your heart at war with itself. Clear your head so your men have your undivided attention. Go, Rey. Consider it a favour to me. It’ll be nice to be a soldier again, even for one night. I miss it.’
I didn’t like that he’d seen how distracted I was, or how eagerly I embraced this excuse. Orm was a gifted commander and wouldn’t give me poor advice. And if I’d be back by the morning, nothing should be amiss.
‘Fine, you win. Call Vahin, and don’t break my army. Ivar will brief you on everything you need to know, and… thank you, brother.’ I reached out to clasp his arm. We shared more than blood, and his understanding and acceptance made it much easier to convince myself I wasn’t abandoning my duty.
We walked outside, I briefly checked on the status, and Ivar reassured me there had been no sightings of the enemy. The place was as peaceful as any military camp could be during wartime. He also took Orm’s taking command in his stride, dispelling the last reason to stay.
Vahin’s flight was swift, the land below a blurry sea of black.
Occasional patches of white, where the moonlight caught the snow, highlighted the hills, and isolated flickering torches exposed the homes of the people below.
The further we flew, the more towns and villages appeared, but they disappeared swiftly, victims of the unmatched speed of the dragon.
After an hour, all I could taste were the icicles clinging to my beard and the sharp winter wind that burned my lungs.
I was dressed for the weather, but even sitting on the dragon’s warm scales, the frigid air still left me shivering violently. In the end, I gave up and asked the dragon to fly lower, hoping it would be warmer. It didn’t seem to help.
Even worse than the cold was the unease that once I faced Sana, I wouldn’t know what to say, or that my inner turmoil might twist my words into something hurtful.
Deep down, I didn’t care about her Elderkin bloodline or lack thereof; it was the secrecy that my mind focused on.
That she’d hidden it affected me more than I was willing to admit.
By the time we finally landed, I was an icicle, shaking equally from the cold and my doubts. I turned to thank Vahin, surprised at the amusement in his vivid blue eyes.
‘Return here before dawn, King Reynard. I’ll take you back, and I promise to fly lower this time,’ he said, his deep, rumbling voice reverberating against my chest even after he leapt back into the sky, leaving me with thoughts darker than the starless night.