Chapter 1 #4
“I dye them to make myself as plain as possible. It’s not good to make a queen jealous.”
He looked at her for a moment longer then rolled off of her. “I didn’t mean to startle you, but I had to cover your scent
with mine.”
Aradella sat up. Her whole body was vibrating. “You couldn’t just talk to him?”
“I doubt it. That boy is half bear. His father is a full bear, which is dominant. I don’t know how he’d react to finding humans
out here alone and I don’t want to risk it.” Mekos sighed. “There are more Lelys here than I’ve ever seen before.”
“Women are here with no men, so I guess they get lonely.”
Mekos made a swipe at his hair, exposing a pointed ear. “I know about being lonely.”
“I don’t,” Aradella said. “My life as a princess is a joy. Utterly without problems.”
He laughed. “Let’s see more of this place. I think there are houses and people this way.”
“Then let’s go that way.” She pointed in the opposite direction.
“You are speaking to my heart. There are ducks not far way. And more fruit.”
“I’m with you!” she said.
He looked at her. “You are, aren’t you?” he said softly. He seemed reluctant to turn away, but he did.
They reached a wide pond, formed by the stream, and floating in it were ducks with green and purple iridescent feathers. “Would
you like to go swimming?” he asked. “We can go under and I’ll show you their feet.”
Aradella took a step back. The way she was dressed was a hindrance to swimming. “I—” She said no more because Mekos gave a look of alarm.
“No!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him behind a stand of reeds. When he parted the stalks, they saw Tanek and Kaley
coming up from under the water. “Starken-el!” Mekos muttered.
This time, they didn’t stay to watch. Mekos quickly stepped away, Aradella close behind him. But then he stopped so abruptly
that she almost ran into him. He didn’t look back at the water, but pointed upward. He’d heard something.
She looked up, over the reeds, just in time to see Kaley and Tanek rising into the air. They were nude and kissing.
Aradella quickly turned her back to them. “Do they ever wear clothes?” He started rapidly walking away, Aradella struggling
to keep up with him. “Do they not stop for meals? Or sleep?”
“It doesn’t seem so,” Mekos said tightly, then he halted and looked at her. “My guess is they’ve been told that you and I
are with the guide, seeing the town, and we know this area is off-limits, so they believe they’re alone. My father is soaring
to move from one place to another so quickly.”
Aradella shrugged. “It’s their wedding trip and obviously, they are creative people. And perhaps they have repressed themselves
for a while.”
The tension seemed to leave Mekos. “Yes, they have.” He smiled at her. “You are a good peacemaker.” Abruptly, he tilted his
head in a way that was becoming familiar to her.
“What do you hear?” she asked.
“Swans just landed. The western variety.”
Aradella suppressed a laugh. “I guess we know where they are going.”
Mekos looked at her, then he too laughed. “I think I’ll tell Grandpapá about this. My father acting like this when he’s a
guest isn’t right.”
“Is it fair to tell on him?”
“He’s ruining my day with a beautiful girl so he deserves it. Let’s find that fruit.”
Aradella stood still as she watched him go down the narrow trail. Beautiful?
“Come on!” he said impatiently. “I’m hungry.” He led them to a papaya tree. He gathered and she peeled.
“It’s odd that rambutan and papaya are ripe at the same time,” she said.
“Everything about this place is strange.” He looked around. “It’s getting dark. We should go back.”
Neither of them moved. Aradella did not want the day to end.
Mekos seemed to understand. “We have tomorrow. I don’t think my father will notice that you and I are missing.”
“Surely, they’ll want to sleep tomorrow.”
They looked at each other and laughed.
He stood up, then held out his hand to pull her up. The light was quickly growing dimmer.
“Do you know the way?” she asked.
“We’re very close to the house that the kind and generous Valona is lending us. See?”
Through the trees was a pale yellow light. “We can meet in the morning and go—” He broke off, then gave a sound of exasperation.
“She is there! I can smell her. That woman is waiting for us.” He pulled back a shrub and there, right in front of their end
of the house, sat the guide—and her face showed her fury.
Mekos let the shrub go back in place.
“We can go in through the other side and tiptoe past her.”
He grimaced. “There’s someone else there. A guard, maybe. They’d hear you.”
“But not you?” she snapped.
“No.” He looked thoughtful. “I can stay out here all night, but you need to go inside.”
“Because I’m a princess? I’m too delicate to stay?” He didn’t seem to hear her and she knew he was thinking about what to do with her. Aradella thought how she’d had a lifetime of people wondering what to do with her. “I’m going to stay here,” she said firmly.
“You can’t do that,” he said, but then he looked into her eyes. “All right, but it’s going to get cold. I’ll get some covers.”
She was pleased that he wasn’t sending her away, and also excited and a little frightened at spending the night outside. “Are
you going to sneak through a window?”
He smiled. “I’m a fox, remember? I’ll walk right past her.”
“Ha! I’d like to see that.”
“Then sit here and watch.” He cleared a small area among the shrubs. “Look through there.”
She could see the open area of the house and the guide sitting there, arms crossed. “Yes, I can—” She cut off because Mekos
was gone. She looked back at the house, straining to see in the growing darkness. There was a shadow but it could have been
a night bird flying past. She tried hard to hear but it was only night sounds.
As she waited, she began to grow concerned. What if he didn’t return? She told herself it would be fine. She’d just walk to
the house and—
When she felt something touch her she made a squeak.
Mekos sat down beside her. In silence, they watched as the guide looked around. She’d heard the sound.
After a few minutes, he stood, held his hand out to her, then led her through the forest. It was too dark for her to see but
she trusted him.
When he stopped at the foot of a big tree, she saw a pile of bedding. He’d not only been to the house and retrieved the things,
but had put them by a tree. He picked up a blanket and wrapped it about her. She knew it was made of swan cloth, that fabric
that the Order of Swans had been making for centuries.
“You move in silence,” she said.
“I can. I brought food. Sorry we can’t have a fire.”
She sat down on one blanket, her back against the tree, and he spread a second one over her.
He opened a bag. “I brought bread and cheese and a jug of some kind of juice. Do you mind?” He meant that he would get under
the blanket beside her.
In answer, she lifted the cover, he sat beside her, and they began to eat.
“We’ve talked too much about me today. Tell me about you.”
“My life has been simple. My parents were king and queen. It was lovely, but then my uncle married Olina. Not long after the
wedding, my parents died. It was said to be an accident.”
“And you were locked away,” he said.
“I have my cousins,” she said solemnly. “They are a delight.”
He laughed. “Sojee’s daughters are not like him. They stand there and stare at me. Try this bread. It has some spice that
I’ve not tasted before.”
Smiling, she ate the buttered bread he held out to her. For a while, they sat together, not speaking, just listening to the
sounds around them.
“Papá told me that Kaley read Nessa a story to get him to go to sleep.”
She knew he was hinting. “I know that we’ve been told a lot of good about Valona, but there’s another story that goes around
the island. It’s very secret and Hale wasn’t supposed to tell me, but she did. I asked my cousins about it, but they knew
nothing—as usual. Anyway, it’s said that Valona is very, very old. Ancient even. But to keep her youth and beauty, every year,
she must sacrifice a beautiful young woman.”
He waited, but she said no more. “That’s it? No blood and horror?”
“Sorry. That’s all I was told.” She gave a little snort. “I remember what my cousin Shay said. I’d just bested her on a test,
and she said, ‘If it’s beauty Valona wants, then you’re safe.’”
“What did you say?”
“That if brains were wanted, then she was safe.”
Mekos laughed. “I think it’s easier to be male. I would hit anyone who said something like that to me.”
“You?” She was astonished, disbelieving. “Why would anyone say something derogatory to you?”
“Did you forget my ears?”
“Your ears are quite useful and I think they’re pretty.”
“That’s what my mother tells me.”
“And what did your beautiful father say about them?” she asked.
“He has big ridges on his back so he can’t say anything about me. Besides, it’s his fault that I have them.”
They laughed together and Mekos handed her the jug of juice.
They were quiet for a while, both of them drowsy, then Mekos said, “I’m sorry that you have to marry Nessa. I’ve known him
all my life and he is a vile, selfish person.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ve been on the receiving end of his venom since the day I met him.”
“Do you know that he has a dragon?”
“I’ve heard that but I’ve never seen it.”
“Neither has he. At least not for a while. Would it help if I tell you that I know where his dragon is? It’s with my grandfather
Roal. That big green dragon has swans crawling all over him and he’s very happy.”
“When I’m married to Nessa, it’ll be good that he doesn’t have a fire-breathing dragon that he can command.”
“Then I shall keep him hidden forever.”
“Thank you,” she said and closed her eyes. Mekos had now revealed two secrets to her, that he was the Reaver and that he held
a lost dragon. That he’d confided in her made Aradella feel good, but at the same time she was aware that she’d revealed very
little about herself.