Mercy's Prince (43 page)

She took a step backward. “I don’t believe you.
He wouldn’t order that.”

“He would, and he did. My men and I were sent
to do the deed. I could not kill your brother, however, and so I have taken
care of him since that terrible day.”

“Valerian would not have ordered that. I know
him too well. I know his mind and his heart.” She clenched her fists. “You’re
lying.”

Caelis grabbed her shoulders and forced her
back against the high bed.

“Your precious Valerian is not what you think
him to be. Either he has run away like the coward he’s always been, or he has
been killed by the great dragons, who hate all humans. King Orland has no other
heirs. If you, indeed, have royal blood, then it is your obligation, your duty
to bear an heir so the line of Alden, unbroken for three hundred years, is not
lost. If you want to see your brother again, you must marry me and produce that
child.”

“Are you mad? Do you really think I would agree
to marry you?” She struggled against him.

“Yes. Because if you do not, your brother’s
life is forfeit.”

“I will go to King Orland.”

“Go.” Caelis released her. “But while you are
speaking with the king, I will go and slit your brother’s throat.”

She gasped, swaying on her feet.

“No! How can you be such a monster?”

“I am no monster. But I am a ruthless man and
will take what I want. And you will not stand in my way, or you and your
brother will die.” Caelis stared at her. “Well? Are you going to tell the king?
Or will you do as I say and be reunited with Rafael?”

She clenched her fists.

“How do I know you really have my brother?”

Caelis pulled Rafael’s old shirt from inside
his tunic.

“He no longer needs this homespun. I have given
him finer clothing.”

Merry snatched the shirt from him and held it
to her chest.

“I would have to see Rafael before I would ever
agree to marry you.”

“Then you will have to wait.” Caelis sneered. “I
must return to the armory and prepare for siege. I intend to save Levathia with
weapons and tactics that will actually work, not following dreams of dragons. King
Orland will be glad to marry his royal cousin to such a hero.” He bowed to her
and exited through the secret door.

While Caelis made his way back through the passageway,
he felt a rush of exhilaration when he realized there was still a small chance
she would go to the king. He reveled in that danger almost as much as he looked
forward to the coming attack by the Horde.

Valerian
and Kieran urged their mountain ponies to go as fast they could, struggling to
keep up with the flight of the great dragons.

“It’s
no use,” Kieran shouted. “The ponies canna keep up this pace.”

Before
Valerian could form a question to ask Albinonix, the dragon leader spoke first.

Your
puny mounts can never match our speed
.

Yes,
my lord. Indeed, their hearts will burst if we push them like this
.

There
is a table of land ahead. We will meet you there
. With a burst of speed
Albinonix and the rest disappeared over the hill.

“Where
did the dragons go, Sire?”

“They’re
waiting for us.”

The
horses crested a hill. Below them lay a plateau, lightly dusted with snow. The
dragons had landed. Valerian directed his frightened pony toward Albinonix, but
he stopped before they got too close. The poor animal heaved from exertion and
rolled its eyes in terror at the nearness of the dragons.

Leave
your beasts of burden. They will find their way home. We will carry you
.

My
lord, do you mean my squire and I are to ride upon you?

Yes.
It has never been done, but we think it will be possible
.

Valerian
dismounted and turned to Kieran.

“My
friend, you and I are going to ride a dragon.”

“What?”
Kieran slid down, his eyes wide.

“Take
only what you must. Hopefully, the ponies will find their way back to the
garrison.”

“Aye,
they will.”

Valerian
took his sword and a flask of water, and Kieran did likewise.

We’re
ready, Lord Albinonix
.

My
prince, you shall ride on me, and your man on Tetratorix
. The dragon nodded at
a lesser beast beside him, who dipped its head.
We believe you can sit at
the base of our necks where the ridges are more widely spaced
.

Yes,
I see a likely place
.
“Kieran, you will ride on Tetratorix. Watch as I climb on Albinonix.”

“Aye,
Sire.”

Valerian
approached the greatest of the dragons, who crouched down, watching him with
his enormous eye. After bowing to Albinonix, Valerian carefully climbed upon
his foreleg. It was tricky to mount the dragon’s neck, but once seated where
the neck met the shoulders, Valerian hoped he would be able to hold on, unless the
dragon decided to fly upside down.

Kieran
took his place on the lesser dragon’s back and grinned at Valerian.

Hold
on, and we will go aloft. It will feel as if we are falling
.

Valerian
did not understand what Albinonix meant. The two dragons made their way to the
edge of the plateau. Huge muscles rippled beneath Valerian’s legs. Even with
the warning, he was unprepared for the power in the dragon’s loins as he sprang
from the edge of the drop-off and caught the air with his mighty wings. Valerian’s
head snapped back against the hard ridge behind him, and he instinctively
gripped with his knees as well as his hands.

In
no time, the dragon achieved an altitude higher than the Keep’s lookout tower. When
Valerian glanced below, his stomach leaped into his throat, and he had to
swallow convulsively to keep from retching. He turned his gaze outward until
the nausea calmed. Beyond the tiny specks of their ponies galloping across the
snowy plain, a river snaked along like a silvery ribbon and vanished beyond the
horizon. Then the view disappeared while the dragons flew up into the clouds,
but shortly they emerged above them. The great line of snow-covered mountain
peaks known as the Dragon’s Backbone came into view. Valerian now appreciated
that appropriate name.

Valerian’s
cloak whipped around his head, and even though it was colder aloft, he tugged it
off. Without its obstruction, Valerian could see for miles from this height. He
lifted his hands in exultation, laughing at the marvel of flying.

You
are magnificent
,
he told Albinonix.

A
rumble came from the dragon’s belly, vibrating through Valerian’s legs. Did the
dragon laugh?

In
all creation there is not our like,
Albinonix said.
We are made without fear
.

In
one hour, the dragons traveled the distance that he and Kieran and their sturdy
ponies had taken days to traverse. The rectangular shape of the Northern
Garrison was visible below, and Valerian cried out at the swarm of Mohorovians
approaching.

I
see them, my prince. Never fear, we can deal with those creatures
.

At
an unspoken signal, the dragons dove toward the massed Horde. Valerian’s eyes
teared in the cold wind. He blinked to see what was happening.

Beneath
him the dragon’s belly rumbled strong enough to shake Valerian’s teeth. Albinonix
descended so quickly, it appeared he would crash into the Horde’s army. A burst
of flame shot from the dragon’s mouth, incinerating a long swathe in the ranks.
Heat and sulfur fumes blew back in Valerian’s face, and he threw up his gloved
hands to protect his eyes. The dragon veered up and away, and Valerian had to
grab hold of the ridge to keep from falling off. His heart had never pounded so
strongly before, even during battle.

When
he could see again, Valerian marked the dragons’ strategy. Each knew the limit
of his flame, and so they flew in formation to inflict the most damage with
each pass. By the time Albinonix had made three passes, flaming hundreds of
Mohorovians each time, the dragons managed to destroy nearly all of this swarm.

My
lord
,
Valerian said,
did any of the Horde get inside the garrison?

I
do not believe so, my prince. I will fly closer so you can better see
. He veered down toward
the garrison walls.

Men
on the walls cheered. Albinonix flew close enough for Valerian to recognize individuals,
including Kieran’s brother. When Valerian waved his hands over his head, Angus
whooped loud enough for him to hear.

They
are all flamed, my prince. Shall we go now to the Keep?

Yes,
my lord. As quickly as you can
.

With
the cold air whistling past, Valerian held on as the great dragon lifted
higher, leading the others west.

***

Merry
could not sleep after Caelis left. She couldn’t stop trembling. She wanted to
call out to Gwendolyn, but what would she tell her? Caelis was just the sort of
person to do Rafael harm no matter what Merry did or didn’t do. Rafael was
alive! But how horrifying to know her brother was here in the Keep under the
control of that man, and she was powerless to do anything about it.

Valerian.
She
called out to him, knowing he couldn’t possibly hear her.
I know you could
not have written those words. Caelis must have used it to gain power over you
.
She gasped. If Caelis and his men had killed everyone except Rafael, then they
were in the south at the same time she and Valerian and Kieran were at Ruddy’s
house. Could Caelis have sent those men to kill Valerian? And what about
Gabriel’s braid? Another of Caelis’ men could have dropped it, for they must
have been the ones who’d scalped the Brethren.

She
wept then for all the horrors this one man had caused, all the needless pain
and suffering. If it weren’t for Rafael, she would go straight to the king and
ask him to arrest Caelis. But, how could she risk her brother’s life?

What
if she agreed to marry Caelis in order to buy time for Rafael, and then when
Valerian came he could help her sort things out? She grabbed his pillow and
hugged it close. And what if he never returned? What would happen then?

Tears
splashed the pillow. Had she lost faith in Valerian? Of course, he would return.
She need only wait until then and together they could deal with Caelis.

The
room grew brighter, and Merry walked to the window, opening the curtains to
admit the light of a new day. Merry shivered in her chemise and moved closer to
the fireplace where the dying embers still held some warmth. To still the
trembling of her hands, Merry braided her hair.

She
started when she heard a sound like the Brethren’s summoning bell. This,
however, was much louder and more urgent. She rushed to the door, but Gwendolyn
opened it first.

“My
lady, that is the call for an emergency.”

“The
Horde. It must be the Horde.” Merry covered her mouth, trying to hold back her
fear.

“Let
me help you dress so I can take you to the infirmary. Since you are a Healer,
you will be needed there.” Gwendolyn opened the trunk and pulled out a sensible
dress. Just as she finished lacing it, a knock sounded at the door to the
sitting room. They looked at one another, and Gwendolyn hurried to answer it.

“Drew?
What are you doing here?” She let him in.

Merry
was curious why Gwendolyn appeared so flustered about this young man until she
saw his obvious admiration. But Merry forgot all of that when she saw who had
come with Drew.

A
cry stuck in her throat as she met her brother’s gaze. Her heart pounded, and
his eyes grew wide.

“Sissy?”
He took a step toward her.

“Rafael.”
She knelt and held out her arms. He ran to her, and she held him, sobbing.

Merry
stroked his unbraided hair. He felt thin, and she pulled back to look at his
face. He had dark circles under his eyes. Merry sat in the nearest chair and
invited Rafael to sit in her lap. Shyly he sat with her, and she rocked him,
kissing his head. She glanced up at Drew.

“Thank
you for bringing him here.”

“It
was the right thing to do, my lady.” Drew bowed.

Merry
shivered. This young man had risked his life bringing Rafael here.

“Gwen,
bolt the door.” She did so. “Will you introduce us, please?”

“Drew,
this is Lady Merry, royal cousin of King Orland and future wife of Prince
Valerian.” Gwendolyn smiled at Drew’s surprise. “Lady Merry, this is Drew. He
was formerly squire to Prince Waryn and now to Sir Caelis.”

Merry
nodded. That explained how Drew was able to help Rafael escape from Caelis. Drew
went down on one knee and placed his fist over his heart.

“If
I survive the upcoming battle, I stand ready to go to the king and formally
charge Sir Caelis with treason.”

“I’ll
stand with you. I know the king will listen to me.” Merry frowned. “But can you
stay away from Caelis until then?”

“I
know what part of the wall he plans to defend and can make sure I’m nowhere
near there.” Drew cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, my lady. I protested when Sir
Caelis attacked your village and refused to participate, but I was not able to
stop him.”

Rafael
reached out a hand and touched Drew’s shoulder.

“You
saved me.”

Drew
grasped Rafael’s hand and smiled.

“I’m
glad you have your Sissy again.” He looked back at Merry. “How were you spared
from the massacre? And how did you come to find the prince? Or did he find you?”

“Do
you have time to hear the story?” Merry asked. “Or should you be somewhere now?”

Drew
sat on a nearby stool, and Gwendolyn stood beside him, holding his hand.

“The
bell means the lookout has seen something. It won’t become urgent until the
trumpet sounds for battle.” Drew grimaced. “Prince Valerian and I were squires
together for Prince Waryn. I would very much like to hear what happened.”

First
Merry explained how she had gone to the river before dawn on that fateful day. She
skipped the details of finding and burning the bodies and began with meeting
Kieran and Valerian. Even though Gwendolyn had heard much of the information,
she listened almost as eagerly as Drew.

“Thank
you, lady,” he said when she’d finished. “I pray the prince is able to find the
dragons.”

Rafael
stared up at her.

“Sissy,
are you really getting married?”

“Yes,
love. You’ll like Valerian.” She turned to Gwendolyn. “Let’s show him Sir
Edmund.”

Gwendolyn
ran to the bedchamber.

“Who
is Sir Edmund?” Drew asked.

“Valerian
and Kieran found him and brought him to me. I was able to Heal him, Rafael, so
the gift works on animals as well as people.”

Rafael
jumped up when Gwendolyn entered the room. She held a bird cage. Merry smiled
at her brother’s expression when he saw what was inside.

“A
dragon! May I touch him, Sissy?”

Merry
opened the door of the cage, and Sir Edmund scampered up her arm to her
shoulder. She coaxed him to her hand, and he sat watching Rafael, flicking out
his forked tongue. When he crawled onto Rafael’s forearm, the boy stood still,
grinning.