Chapter 31 #3
Aleron and the thief turned and watched in astonishment as the dragon sat down on the ground in front of Tashama. Tashama waited in place as the dragon considered her.
“Found some!” the thief said, and Aleron hastened to join him. After they gathered as much as they could, they walked back to Tashama.
“Does she understand you?” Aleron asked.
“Like a pet dog. They can learn quite a lot of our vocabulary.”
“Can you tell her to give the male a chance?”
Tashama laughed. “That I cannot do.” She leaned over with some of the flowers and offered them to the dragon. At first, the dragon just sniffed the flowers, then a sense of recognition reflected in her gray-green eyes. She nuzzled Tashama’s cheek, then ate the offerings.
“She remembers me.” Tashama ran her hand over the dragon’s scaly skin, then reached up to rub her nose, just as though she were petting her horse’s. “We must coax her to the male’s lair. Find more buttercups, and I’ll try to lead her toward the male.”
Aleron and Jaran hurried to gather more buttercups as Tashama began to walk backward toward the cave.
“Come, Loralee.” The dragon clumsily followed her.
Tashama smiled. “I remember when you could barely fly and were very awkward at that. Now you can fly like an eagle, but you are clumsy at walking.”
When they reached the mouth of the cave, Loralee turned her head as the male dragon bellowed his displeasure, and Tashama smiled. “His heartache is winning her over.” Tashama waited until Loralee entered the cave. “If they make up, we can get a tooth.”
As soon as the female made her appearance in the male’s lair, Tashama pointed at a tooth glistening nearby. Jaran hurried to get it, while Tashama watched the female touch her nose to the male’s.
“Come, Tashama.” Aleron took her arm and nudged her away.
“She will be happy with him.” A tear rolled down her cheek and she hurried out of the cave with Aleron.
As more tears rolled down Tashama’s cheeks, Aleron pulled her close. “She will be fine.”
“Seeing her reminds me of all that I have lost.” Tashama squeezed Aleron.
“You have me now.” He hugged her with a firm grip. “You have me.”
Then she spied a bunch of chili peppers and had an idea.
With all the ingredients, but one, in Balthazar’s copper kettle, the thief stirred while Aleron read the directions.
Tashama nodded as she studied the rug, then sighed deeply. “We have to get the drop of sweat from Loran’s brow.”
The lieutenant walked into the room. “We’ve prepared this hot, chili dinner as you’ve described, but I cannot see what good this will do.”
“It will make Loran sweat and Valmor thirsty. Will Deloria aid us and wipe the perspiration from her uncle’s brow?”
“She is afraid, but she has agreed to do it.”
“Good, then the plan is all set. Nobody can resist good hot Texas-style chili…nobody.”
The lieutenant folded his arms. “The servants who are loyal to you are ready to serve it as soon as you say.”
“Good. And the colonel is ready to remove Valmor as he is incapacitated?”
“Yes, a ship awaits on our southern beaches.”
“Everything is falling into place then. Come, we will watch from the hallway. Deloria will bring us the sweaty cloth, and we’ll finish the potion. After that, you know the rest.”
Tashama knew that the best-laid plans nearly always had some glitch. She hoped and prayed this time there would be no problems. She dreaded the notion that Deloria might be stopped as she tried to wipe Loran’s brow.
She peered into the great hall as her puffy-cheeked cousin of the second royal house stuffed the chili into his greedy mouth.
Tashama smiled when Aleron’s breath touched her cheek while he observed the scene.
Taking a deep breath, she attempted to relax her tense body when Deloria walked up to wipe her uncle’s brow.
The pretty young blonde’s hand shook slightly, and Loran grabbed her wrist suddenly. “Watch what you are doing with the cloth! You nearly poked me in the eye with it!”
Tashama shuddered as Valmor turned his attention from his meal to Deloria. Would the terror Deloria showed in her movements give her away? Her eyes darted toward Tashama, and Tashama shrank back. Don’t look this way, Deloria. Whatever you do, don’t look this way.
The room grew quiet. Valmor stood. “I propose a toast!”
Everyone rose from their seats.
“To our ruler, will he rule over Maldovia soon!”
“Here, here!” the courtiers shouted. Conversations continued in a muffled roar again.
As everyone returned to their benches, Deloria leaned slightly over Loran and wiped his brow again. He brushed her away. “What is your problem? Leave me!”
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she tore out of the room in a mass of sobs. She ducked into the hall where Tashama stood and shoved the cloth into her hands.
Tashama quickly squeezed the cloth, but not a drop would emerge.
She closed her eyes briefly. I was never any good at potions.
After dumping the cloth into the mixture, she swirled it about, then pulled it out.
She squeezed the fabric as hard as she could.
A servant handed her a goblet, and she poured the mixture from the copper kettle into a cup of wine.
“Go,” she said, “but whatever you do, don’t let anyone but Valmor drink it. ”
The man nodded and hurried to the high table with the drink. Aleron and the colonel’s men all unsheathed their swords. Tashama gripped the wall with her fingertips. If he didn’t drink it or the potion wasn’t mixed right…she couldn’t think of what might happen. It just had to work.
Valmor ate another spoonful of his chili, then motioned for a refill of his wine. The servant obliged. Valmor lifted the goblet to his lips, but before he drank it, he shook his head. “Another!”
The servant hurried back to Tashama. She had him add more wine. He returned to Valmor. This time, the sorcerer tossed the wine down his throat. Tashama barely breathed. How long will it take, Balthazar? How long?
The sorcerer slapped Loran on the shoulder to his sovereign’s surprise. Deloria held her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, and the hall grew quiet again.
Valmor stood. “A toast!”
Tashama rubbed her forehead. “He’s becoming unruly.” She was afraid they hadn’t gotten enough of Loran’s sweat. Or she had mistaken what Balthazar had been trying to tell her.
Everyone rose, but Loran, who stared at his sorcerer, uncomprehending.
“To…”
Tashama turned to Aleron, who shrugged, his face hard and concerned as he held his sword at the ready.
Valmor pulled at his beard. “To…” He shook his head and guzzled his refilled goblet, then dropped to his seat.
“Hear, hear!” the confused courtiers said, then hurried to retake their seats.
Loran stared at his sorcerer. “What is the matter with you?”
Valmor grinned at him. “You know, I’ve never liked the way you snap your fingers to have me appear at your whim.”
“He’s not changing so that we can deal with him,” Tashama said under her breath. “But what was he supposed to transform into?
The sorcerer punched Loran in the shoulder. “And I never liked the way you made fun of me when I was of the second house.” He rose to his feet, then climbed onto his chair.
Tashama shook her head. “We have to do something.”
Valmor stepped onto the table and then did a little dance in the middle of the dishes. Chuckles filled the room.
Loran stood from his throne. “Guards! Remove this buffoon at once!”
The colonel and his men rushed forward to Loran’s surprise. Tashama took a deep breath. “They’re no match for Valmor and his dark sorcerer ways.”
“Look, Tashama.” Aleron pointed to Valmor. “He’s not doing anything about the colonel’s men.”
“Valmor!” Loran shouted as the men led him away.
“Maybe this was supposed to happen, my lady,” Jaran said.
Tashama frowned at him. “Next, you will say what Balthazar has said to me all along.”
“What is that, dear Tashama?”
Her lower jaw dropped as Balthazar limped toward her. “Balthazar!”
He groaned when she hugged him soundly. “Watch the ribs, my princess.” He kissed her cheek, then pointed at the walking cast covering his foot, hidden mainly by the gown he wore.
“Balthazar.” She tugged on the medallion dangling at his neck. “Valmor hasn’t transformed.”
“He has. Valmor is about four years old in your human years. If our men take him to the island now, he’ll return to his own ornery way in a couple of days, only he won’t be able to harm anyone further. He has no power over water…as I’ve found you’ve already learned.”
Tashama gave the orders, and the colonel had the childish Valmor removed from the room.
She folded her arms as she considered her sorcerer. “You sent me to Maldovia. I know it was a mistake, but…”
He shook his head. “You found your mate and led your people to victory…all without hardly any of my help.”
“You promised you would stay with me.”
“I couldn’t. Before I knew what had happened, I was lying in a hospital bed in traction. They said I had been drifting in and out of consciousness for several days. This was the first chance I had to break loose from my captors.”
“You sent me to Maldovia on purpose?”
Balthazar smiled at Aleron. “You found your mate, did you not? The one you dreamt of for so many months before departing for here.”
Tashama considered Aleron’s smile. She took his hand in hers. “He has met all the tests. He is the one.”
“To Tashama!” several of the courtiers shouted. “To the return of the first royal house!”
Tashama smiled as Aleron kissed her cheek. “You move men like no other…and me more than anyone else.”