Feasts and Foreboding
“You all right?” Abbott asked as he reached down to pick me up.
“Fine, just wasn’t expecting that. Although, compared to the other times I broke a seal, that was fairly tame,” I answered, dusting myself off.
“Does this sort of thing happen around you often, Your Majesty?” Lawrence asked, sounding a little concerned.
Looking back, I found my guardians helping them to their feet, their robes in disarray, making them look rather flustered. “I wouldn’t say often, but surprisingly more than I expected.”
“We will keep that in mind the next time we decide to join you on an event like this,” Eleazar muttered, shaking out his red robe.
My gaze was caught by Gavin, whose eyes shimmered with laughter at the situation. I gave him a knowing smile before I turned back to the castle. Now that the protective shield was off, the abandoned-looking castle was gone, and in its place was something that looked like it was just built.
Unlike the castle in Norden, where it was spread out over vast amounts of land, this one went up almost like it was trying to blend into the surrounding mountains.
The spires got lost in the clouds hanging around the mountain peaks that the sun hadn’t quite chased away while its cream-colored stone stood out against the cold gray around it.
Passing through the gateway and into the courtyard, I felt like I was transported to the time when this castle was left.
The cobblestone under my feet showed no signs of aging whatsoever, and as I tilted my head back to see the main portion of the castle with its glass windows and red-painted wooden shutters, I was awestruck.
The castle was made out of some kind of cream-colored stone accented with a wrought-iron railing and art in the form of the mercenary crest of the dragon wrapped around a sword.
Besides the castle’s main structure, the outbuildings were closed up so I couldn’t tell what they were.
I was dying to explore them. I found the main entrance with its thick wooden doors reinforced with metal and a large crest set into the stone above it with an inscription written on the arch just below it—Though Disgraced, We Rise.
In those words, I could feel the true heart of the first king who created these people and had been chased out of his kingdom after saving them all.
They had been disgraced, looked down upon, and seen as a threat to be hunted.
Here in Sheca, they rose again to create a kingdom that has prospered without aid for five hundred years.
Now I was going to unlock all their secrets and make it even better than it was before.
In the center of the door, I could see the keyhole.
I stepped up the stairs and stood before the next stage in my life.
Once this was open, there was no returning to how things had been.
Slipping the key off my neck once again, I inserted it and turned, the lock moving smoothly like it hadn’t been left sitting all these years.
With a click, one part of the lock opened revealing another that I had to pull the key out and lay it flat to fit into the space and rotate in a clockwise manner.
Then a thunk sounded, and the door started to give.
It was a heavy door, and it took me putting my entire body weight behind it to push it open, revealing the entryway to the castle.
Darkness greeted me as I peered past the door since all the shutters were closed so only small shafts of light filtered in.
“Your Majesty, I’m sure you are eager to explore the castle, but I think it’s best if we leave it for tomorrow.
The sun is fading fast, and I, for one, would rather make it back down alive for the feast,” Eleazar spoke from behind me.
“We came to do what we needed. Now, let’s celebrate with the feast our people have been hard at work making. ”
As much as I didn’t want to leave the castle, I understood that once I stepped through this door, I wouldn’t be emerging for quite some time after.
Locking the door now that it wasn’t protected by the magical barrier, I followed the others back through the courtyard.
The guys insisted on the same procedure of crossing the drawbridge, muttering about needing to get it fixed soon.
Being the valiant men they are, they assisted the viceroys and Sal back into their wagon where Lawrence once again stood to address the people.
“You have now witnessed the Dragon Queen unlocking the Dragon Castle’s magical barrier. The exploration of the castle will begin another day because we have a feast to attend!”
The crowd sent up another roar of excitement as they turned to head back down to the village. Giving them a chance to get a head start, I stood next to Inali and stroked her neck as she relaxed after our journey.
“Are you doing all right?” Gavin asked, coming to stand next to me.
I answered with a shrug. I didn’t really know how I felt.
What I did know was that spending the night at a feast with people I didn’t know if I could trust wasn’t my idea of a good time.
I still didn’t get the chance to talk to my guardians about what Helena said yet, and it looked like this might be the best time.
Once we returned to the village, I would be surrounded by people who wanted my attention.
“Cassy, are you coming?” Sal called from his place in the wagon.
“You go on ahead. I just need a moment after using that much magic,” I offered as an excuse.
He narrowed his eyes at me, knowing what I did wouldn’t take it out of me, but he just nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself.
Once we got some distance from them, I turned to face all of my guardians and Gavin. “We need to talk.”
“That is never good,” Paxton groaned, causing the others to glare at him. “What? Trust me when a woman says, ‘we need to talk,’ nothing good comes out of her mouth.”
Becka just rolled her eyes and looked at me. “So, is he right?”
“Well, what I have to tell you isn’t great news…” I offered.
“See, what did I say… nothing good, ever?” Paxton grumbled.
“Love, I think it’s best if you just say what you need to say since some of us can’t handle the tension,” Gavin suggested, nudging me with his shoulder.
I let out a sigh. “Helena told me that the clan leaders are working with King Edward and Queen Mary to keep me from becoming queen and making an alliance among themselves.”
Clearly, this had not been what they were expecting me to say by the stunned expressions on their faces. Many of them quickly morphed into anger, especially Gavin, whose hands balled into fists and his jaw clenched.
“Are you positive?” Izel pressed.
Knowing that their fathers were the clan leaders, I could see why they wouldn’t want to believe this bit of information, but I knew Helena wouldn’t have brought it up if it wasn’t important.
“She couldn’t tell me much since they have been edging Ballard out of the conversations.
What she could tell me sounded pretty legitimate.
I had an altercation with them before we left the fortress, and they were not happy with me forcing their hand.
Garold wanted to stay behind with whoever didn’t want to leave, but he hadn’t thought that whole idea through. ”
“Can they do it? Could they keep you from becoming queen?” Abbott asked.
“No,” Zan interjected. “With everything that’s just happened, there is no way they will change the opinion of the viceroys or the majority of the people here in this village. If they tried, it could turn into a battle between both factions of our people.”
“Fucking hell,” Cole muttered, rubbing his hands over his head. “How did we jump from one fire into another?”
I turned back to face the castle, taking in its beauty in the setting sunlight. “I should have been prepared for this, especially after what I told them last night. It will have only made matters worse, calling them out like that.”
“Last night? What did you do last night?” Paxton asked.
“She told them they were losing their positions once she became queen,” Jade shared, crossing his arms, his face tight with anger.
“They were withholding information from the people to make them more wary of coming here to Sheca and hiding the fact they questioned Paxton. When our little bird learned about it, she spanked them like the children they are acting like, setting them straight.”
Paxton let out a long whistle in amazement. “Damn, spitfire, you sure have some balls on you to draw the line in the sand like that. I would have waited until I was queen, then told them to kick rocks.”
“Yes, well, sometimes my anger gets the best of me, and I lash out. Something you have personally experienced, I believe,” I stated.
“Got to be honest, I’m a little sad it’s fading so fast. I feel like I might need to piss you off again so I can keep it,” Paxton mused out loud as he stroked his cheek.
“Fucking idiot,” Cole muttered under his breath. “So what do we do now? How can we go and have a feast with everyone when anyone could come out of nowhere and stab you in the back?”
“Hence, the reason that I am bringing this up to all of you,” I pointed out.
“Ballard is against it. Porvan is no longer a clan leader, but I have a feeling Garold and Xio are driving this movement. Acton is the only one no one has a feeling about, so maybe I should see if I can get a chance to talk to him alone?”
“Huh,” Jade barked. “That pompous prick won’t support anything if it involves me, including you becoming queen, little bird. He has a large grudge against me for what happened to our father, but he doesn’t know the whole story. In fact, he refused to let me explain myself at all.”
“So what you’re saying is it would be best to have you elsewhere when I try?” I ventured.
The look he sent my way was a halfhearted glare at best. He knew I wasn’t trying to be mean. I needed to talk to Acton to get the information I needed on the situation since they were blocking Ballard out.
“Looks like we better get down to the feast then so we can get ahead of this problem,” Gavin suggested, moving toward the horse he’d been riding.
I reached out and grabbed his arm, turning him to face me.
“They are your parents, but they are not you. What they do doesn’t reflect on who you are to me or anyone else in this group.
You’ve made it very clear your intentions are in support of me and my people.
I’m also willing to bet so is Phillip. Don’t go looking for more in this matter unless you are ready to see that side of your parents because once you see it, you can’t unsee it. I should know.”
Gavin pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead. “You are more than I or this world deserve.”
“It’s because of people like you who believe in me. Without that, I wouldn’t have the chance to do anything to help these people,” I shared as I pulled back from him. “Let’s get this over with so we can get to bed and explore the castle tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a great plan to me, Your Majesty,” he said with a wink.
With the villagers already in full swing of the feast, it wasn’t hard for us to filter into the crowd, get some food, and find a place to eat.
Those I’d traveled here with didn’t really pay us any mind, but the people of Sheca were another story.
Person after person came up to our table bowing, sharing their names, who they were, what they did, and how honored they were to have the Dragon Queen back in Sheca Valley.
This meant that my plan to move through the crowds until I found Acton wasn’t going to work, but as I kept an eye out, I couldn’t spot any of the clan leaders or King Edward and Queen Mary.
Phillip had joined us earlier, saying we were far more interesting to spend time with than his parents but didn’t mention them leaving for the night.
“Vasin, are the king and queen’s dragons still here?” I asked, fearing they might have left while we were all distracted.
“They are not here, Cass, and I might mention that Naytan, along with a few others, have left as well.”
“Goddammit, could this be it? Are they planning our demise as we speak? Did the other clan leaders leave with them?”
“Now that you ask, yes, they did. I’ve been keeping an eye out around the border lands to make sure the Lost King didn’t send dragons to search for us. Give me a moment, and I will find them. It is easier for me to stay hidden than the others.”
I searched around me and found three of my guardians right away. “Jade, grab the others. We need to get out of this crowd and over to where the dragons can grab us.”
“What’s wrong?” he countered.
“No time, just grab the others and meet us at the edge of the village,” I ordered, shoving him on his way. “Izel, Zan, let’s go. We’ve got a problem to deal with.”