Page 98 of The Dragon Queen

“I brought the early replies with me, Father,” Rhiannon said as she swept back into the room. Each man stood at her arrival, leaving me to do the same or sit there like an odd duck. She nodded in acknowledgement and then handed the sealed letters over, standing by his side as he opened them.

“Kersford,” the baron said, scanning the letter before setting it aside. “Hearthstead, Lindale, Eagle’s Rest…” He looked down the table. “It appears the duke had very little luck appealing to people’s greed and resorted to blackmail and hostages to get what he wanted.”

“Too right,” the bluff lord of Deepgorge said, then nodded at us. “Going against our king for the vague promise of some additional lands in gods’ know where. Ridiculous.”

“The resulting chaos a civil war would cause seemed to be completely overlooked.” The lord of Hearthstead was a thin, ascetic looking man and his mouth thinned down to a line. “Bad for business that is.” His eyes met Draven’s steadily. “Stealing my wife away? Well, that made it personal. I may not have a huge numberof soldiers to add to your force, Majesty, but they are skilled and well-armed and yours for the taking.”

“My thanks to you, milord,” Draven replied, holding up his wineglass in recognition. “I believe your lady wife will be waiting for you when you get home if the schedule we created this morning is adhered to.”

“We could centralise the reports of missing loved ones here,” the baron suggested. “If you could spare a few of your riders, Majesty, they could form a strike team that retrieves and rescues all hostages and brings them back here before returning them home.”

“Perhaps a force led by Rider Soren?” Rhiannon suggested. “His Wraith was particularly forceful when I was rescued.”

“The suggestion is a good one.” Draven nodded to the baron. “But I fear it will be a different wing stationed here. Men I trust with my life, but my wing…” He reached out, tracing his finger along the ragged line of the river. The estate of each lord who had been threatened had been added to the map and we could see that most were clustered around the banks of the River Ondine. “They must come with me.”

I caught Rhiannon’s disappointed look, but she masked it quickly by going to retrieve an ewer of wine, moving around the table to fill people’s glasses.

“You’re going to Holdfast Bay,” the lord of Hearthstead said. “That’s where you think your uncle’s men have gone.”

“That’s what the map is telling us.” Draven stared at the markings, the tiny flags used to identify each person which had been wronged. “The duke is obviously using a sea route to transport ballista to shoot down my dragons and I need to put a stop to that, but more than that.” His eyes narrowed. “Why hasn’t he pushed further inland? Do the central lords even know what is happening?” Draven’s head jerked up as he stared at everyone gathered here. “I need more information before I can plan this campaign sufficiently, and I mean to get it in Holdfast.”

“I heardtales that dragonriders have… women they access at the royal keep,” Rhiannon asked me as we walked down the hall to the chambers we would use tonight.

It was evening now and we were all exhausted. Dragons had flown in, bringing more hostages that needed to be reunited with their families and more lords loyal to the baron. An impromptu banquet was held, and while the food was lovely, I tasted little of it. The skirmish at Castle Fast, it was a shock and then brutal, over quickly, but that was a fight.

We were now preparing for war.

I couldn’t stop seeing those bodies lined up on the newly churned soil, wondering how many would be added to them due to one man’s greed. It meant I just stared at Rhiannon when she drew me aside, blinking as I tried to process what she was saying.

“Um… yes, there are a lot of serving women at the keep,” I replied. “Some do… enjoy the favours of the dragonriders.” I couldn’t help but think of Maggie and Hallin, not when I caught them rutting in the showers, but her pain as she considered the possibility of losing him in battle. “No permanent connections are made,” I replied. “No long-term relationships. A rider’s duty is?—”

“To the crown?” She smiled as one eyebrow rose, making clear she knew the saying well. “I would never try to compete with a rider’s loyalty, but…”

The lady stopped abruptly, looking like she was about to swallow her tongue when Soren appeared beside me.

“Highness.” He bowed and then offered me his arm. “The king has asked me to see you to your chambers. He fears that he must talk to the lords gathered for some time, perhaps late into the night. He wanted to make sure you got some rest before we fly out tomorrow.”

“I can show you to the queen’s chambers,” Rhiannon said brightly. “Then I could show you your own. Father wanted to put the wing up in the guardhouse, but I made sure some of our best rooms were available.”

“Next to the royal suite?” Soren was being very careful with the girl, but she flushed anyway. “I’m sorry, milady, but the wing mustbe housed beside the king at all times. If that interferes with your plans, we can bring up our bedrolls and sleep on the floor. We’re well used to doing that.”

“The royal chamber…”

Rhiannon’s brows creased as she stared at me, and I was beginning to wonder what she was thinking. Too much, that was clear.

“The former crown prince was assassinated by his own mother,” I replied, trying to head her off at the path. “The general has made clear we are to be protected at all times by the king’s wing.”

“Of course.” The lady nodded sharply and then turned on her heel. “It will take a little reshuffling, but I know exactly what to do. There’s a room adjoining to the royal chamber. I’ll move Lord Deepgorge out of that room and then bump everyone else down to make that room available to you and your…” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Riders.”

“We appreciate you accommodating this request,” I replied.

The rest of the walk to the room happened in complete silence, the noise of the dining room dying away, until Rhiannon stopped at a stout wooden door.

“I appreciate everything you did to rescue us, Highness, Rider Soren. If you hadn’t come…” Her smile faltered but she reapplied it quickly enough, maintaining that ladylike poise. “Well, I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened.”

“Don’t, lass.” Soren used the same pet name with me, but it sounded completely different. “Don’t think on it at all if you can help it. Rest well in the knowledge that the Royal Riders will do everything they can to ensure the safety of our citizens.”

The door was opened and we stepped inside, Rhiannon stepping back belatedly as Soren went to shut it behind him. If we opened it again, I bet she was still staring at it, trying to put two and two together.

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