Setting Things in Motion
Thankfully, Dayson didn’t say a word about the fact that Jade had just kissed me as he carried me over to the table where the rest of my guardians were eating breakfast. Zan sat next to Abbott with Ezzu perched on his shoulder while Cole sat across from him, watching his every move with an assessing eye.
When Dayson set me down, May came walking up with a tray full of food for us.
“Thanks, May.” I smiled, grabbing a bowl and some fresh bread.
“Oh, Becka said you left this in your room, and you have to finish it,” May said, setting the mug of brown liquid beside my bowl of porridge.
Taking the mug, I gulped down the brew, expecting it to taste horrid, but once the flavor registered in my brain, I slowed down. It had a nutty taste to it that was actually quite delightful.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” Payson asked, leaning his head on his hand and peering at me. “More meetings with the clan leaders trapped in the cave?”
“Nope, Vasin and I are going to meet up with the dragon riders we called for yesterday. I’ll need two of you guys to come with me.” Resigning myself to the fact that Jade was right, I leaned forward so I could see down the table. “Zan, do you think Ifra would mind if you had another rider?”
Cole exploded from his seat, turning his glare toward me. “You have got to be fucking kidding me! You don’t even know him, and you’re already going to take him to an extremely important meeting? Have you lost it?”
Izel grabbed Cole’s arm and yanked him back down to his seat. “You are the one who has lost your mind. How dare you yell at the queen in such a public place. She ought to slap you for such a display.”
“Are you telling me that you’re okay with this?” Cole demanded.
“It’s not my place to disagree with her, nor is it yours,” Izel hissed. “We should talk about this elsewhere without so many eyes watching.”
Cole growled and stormed off, leaving me to doubt the choice I’d just made.
Gavin, who was to my left, gently placed his hand on my leg and leaned in.
“Trust your choice, Cassarah. Not everyone will always agree with you, but you have to know when to stick to your decisions. If you believe this is the best course of action, then follow it through and prove to them that they need to trust in your judgment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen my parents argue with the council they have over matters.
You are their queen and you must worry about the big picture.
Cole isn’t worried about the clans… he’s worried about you.
I’m not saying it's a bad thing, but taking that into account with a situation like this is important.”
Gavin was right. I knew he was. Jade had been worried about me too, but he also wasn’t going to stop me from attending this meeting and wanted the best backup I could have without him there. Cole was more concerned about the threat that Zan posed over the fact I needed more people at my back.
“In answer to your question, My Queen, Ifra would be happy to be of help and is more than able to carry an extra person along with me,” Zan spoke up.
“If you can give me time to fly back home, I would like to gather a few things and let people know I will be gone for a while. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours if you give your leave? ”
I felt awful it hadn’t even crossed my mind he was leaving everything behind back in Sheca. Of course, he would want to let people know he would be gone. Who wouldn’t want to pack their belongings when they moved? I had no idea when or if I would ever make it to this mythical land he’s from.
“Of course. I know things happened rather suddenly last night. Did you find a room?” I asked, looking at Abbott, who nodded.
“Yes, it would seem I have now completed filling the space meant for the guardians,” Zan shared. “Let’s hope you don’t pick up any more along the way, or we might have a problem on our hands.”
Everyone quickly gaped at him before the table fell into laughter at his words.
“That or I get kicked out on account I’m not truly a guardian,” Gavin added, a grin on his lips. “I’m still waiting for her to realize that, but so far, so good.”
“Didn’t you know hiding in plain sight is the best strategy? If you blend in and act like you’re supposed to be there, no one questions it,” Payson teased, giving me a wink.
We all chuckled as the others got in on the razzing, giving their best stealth strategy. Much to my surprise, Zan blended in with the others fairly seamlessly. He might not have been born into one of the clans, but he knew the mercenary way of life, and it would seem that’s all you needed.
“If I can take my leave, Your Majesty,” Zan asked as he stood from the table.
I nodded my agreement. “Yes, you are free to do what you need to settle here more comfortably.”
“You have to admit it’s impressive that he’s a soldier and dragon rider all while being blind,” May acknowledged, watching Zan navigate the tables with Ezzu’s help.
I felt uneasy with myself at how everyone else was being far more welcoming to Zan than I had. Mind you, they didn’t know he almost killed me… at least, I don’t think he shared that detail.
“Who else are you going to bring along to this meeting?” Payson asked.
“I thought it would be best to bring Dayson since they will mostly be Bronze Reapers, and it will help them believe I am who I say I am. As for the third, well, that would be you, Payson, since you have the best knowledge of Errit and Utros being close to their borders,” I shared.
“If only we had another dragon, I would have liked to take you as well, Gavin, but that will have to wait for another time.”
“I don’t see how I would be much help in this situation,” Gavin argued. “Truly, I don’t see how I’m much help to you at all other than a show of good faith to the kingdom and wanting to help you accomplish the peace between our people.”
I snorted. “Yeah, that’s nothing at all. The fact you are willing to be here and be involved after how my people treated you means everything.”
“Cassarah, you saved my life. This is the least I can do for a life debt,” Gavin countered.
“On that topic, we will just have to agree to disagree. It was the right thing to do. I couldn’t just leave you there,” I said, pushing myself up from the table. “While we are waiting for Zan to return, I’m going to work on a few things I didn’t get to finish yesterday.”
Izel stood and walked over to me. “I’ll join you this time, if I may.”
“I welcome it.” I smiled, wrapping my arm around his neck as he scooped me up.
“Could I be of any help?” Gavin asked as he followed us. “I feel like there’s more I could be doing to help. I’m quite knowledgeable about the kingdom and Royal City.”
“Actually, that will be very helpful. I was going to try and work out what strategy the Lost King might use to take the city. Even if we don’t have an answer yet, I think having a plan in place would be wise.”
Gavin opened the door to the strategy room, giving me an odd look. “What?”
“For someone who never knew they were supposed to be a queen, you’re rather brilliant at it.” Gavin smirked as I rolled my eyes at him. “I should know. I was trained since birth to rule, and I suck at it.”
“I doubt that!”
“You should see my little brother… he’s the brain of the family. The two of you would get along amazingly well.”
Izel set me down near the middle of the table, where everything I’d left last night was still sitting. “Since I don’t have your brother here, I guess I’ll just have to make do with you.”
Gavin and I worked together, going over the ins and outs of the castle—where it was weak and what might give us an edge to know. A whole hidden pathway was dug under the castle that no one knew about. It was a guarded royal family secret, but in times of war like this, it was invaluable.
“Are you sure you won’t get killed for sharing this with us?” I questioned as he drew the entrances and exits on a spare map of the castle.
“If Mother joins forces with us, then it won’t matter. If they don’t, I guess you’re just stuck with me. Can’t get killed if I don’t ever return to the castle,” Gavin stated, looking up from his work. “You did say I could stay as long as I wanted, right? That I’m under your protection?”
I blinked at him a few times, surprised he would even consider never going back. “Why would you want to stay here? What about your family?”
“Trust me, I wasn’t much use to them other than who I would marry. I told you my little brother is the one who should be ruling the kingdom, not me.” Gavin shrugged. “I feel more useful here, not to mention the fact I get to be around real people who don’t see me as anything other than Gavin.”
That was something I could relate to on so many levels.
It was the first thing I noticed as I lived with the mercenaries—everyone was equal.
Each person had a job and provided for the clan in one way or another.
Sure, the clan leader had more say in matters, but they still worked side by side with the other people around them.
“Gavin, if you wish to stay here, I will make sure we find something meaningful for you to do.” I smiled.
The door to the strategy room opened, and I peered over my shoulder to see Cole walking in with a tray of mugs. From his body language, I could tell he’d calmed down from his outburst earlier that morning.
“Zan is back and putting his things away,” Cole shared as he set a mug in front of me and handed the other to Gavin. “Since you’ll be heading out soon, Becka thought you should have another dose of the pain medicine before flying out.”
“That much time has passed already?” I asked, sipping my drink.
This time, it was as bitter and earthy as I thought it would have been the first time. Whatever the nutty-tasting stuff was clearly made all the difference in the taste. Stealing myself, I gulped down the rest of the liquid. Thankfully, it was cool enough for me to do.
“It’s amazing to me how lost you can get when you start to study stuff,” Cole teases, ruffling my hair.
Batting his hand away, I glared at him. “I could say the same about you when you start learning how to crack into a new type of lock. We all have our passions.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” Cole sighed and sat next to me. “About earlier, I’m sorry I lost my temper and started causing a scene in front of everyone. Izel was right to chew me out about it. I didn’t handle it well.”
“I understand why you’re concerned, and in some ways, I agree with you, but I also know that I’m going to have to give him a shot,” I explained.
“We didn’t meet on the best of terms, and I wasn’t expecting the whole guardian thing to happen, either.
All I did was touch his shoulder, my powers freaked out, and he ended up with a mark. ”
Cole huffed and leaned back in his chair.
“That man is the toughest thing I’ve ever tried to crack.
He didn’t say one word about what went down last night.
All we got was his name, found out he was blind, and his Birthright allows him to see through Ezzu’s eyes, which I have to admit is kind of cool. ”
“Give me a little more time with him, and I promise I’ll tell you guys the whole story,” I requested.
“Little mouse, you don’t owe any of us an explanation if you don’t want to give one.
That’s the privilege of being queen… no one can demand stuff like that from you.
Tell us or don’t. I trust you will if it’s important for us to know,” Cole announced, giving me a half-smile.
“Now, are you ready to head off, or do you need to return to your room for anything?”
“Nope, I’m ready to go. I can’t wait to get back out into the world for a bit. This underground living messes with your brain. I never know what time it is.” I laughed, letting Cole pull me to my feet and lift me into his arms.
“Good thing you have all of us looking out for you, right, Prince?”
Gavin, clearly not expecting to be included in the conversation, took a moment to answer. “Ah… yeah, nothing to worry about with us around.”
“Right, we’re gonna need to work on that, make it more believable.” Cole laughed as we headed outside.