Page 21

Chapter 21

Tahlia

T ahlia found Fara wielding an eating knife and threatening an elderly male. “I told you I was saving this seat. Now, back off. I don’t care what kind of military background you have, you old cod! I’ll cut it right out of you!”

Lowering her friend’s weapon, Tahlia eased Fara away from the table. “Eh, I need to tell you something.”

Once she had, Fara’s purple skin turned nearly gray. “I knew this would happen. I can have Daffodil ready in fifteen minutes. Meet me by the outer bailey gate.”

“I’m not running, Fara.”

“Of course you are.”

“Am I a fearful sort?”

“No, but this is no time for your brand of courage, which I deem madness even at the best of times and this isn’t that.”

“What?”

“Nothing. You are leaving. We are leaving. We will keep our flesh unsinged and call this a grand adventure. I hear the human settlement of Deigs is an open-minded city where two Fae could find a way to live.”

“I’m not leaving. You go. I want you to go and be safe. I’m facing this. I would rather die than flee. I am meant for this. I am a Mist Knight.”

Fara twisted her hands and spoke close to Tahlia’s face, so close that she could smell her friend’s wine on her breath. “You have the heart of one, but sadly, you don’t have the blood. We can’t change their minds. It’s a rule and Mist Knights are more obsessed with rules than they are their dragons.”

“Go. Please,” Tahlia said. The echo of Marius’s warning gripped her heart, a trembling hold that threatened to shake her into pieces.

Not waiting for Fara to argue, Tahlia pivoted and strode to the front of the hall where the other competitors were lining up for the announcement.

Commander Gaius walked in from a side door with Ophelia. The commander raised his arms to quiet the hall.

“I’ve asked Queen Revna to announce the winner since our High Captain is not in attendance. Please stand.”

The queen broke away from her dragon and the king. They had been talking closely with a group of liveried stewards. She walked slowly to the center of the line of competitors, her gaze measuring each of them.

Did she know already?

Tahlia’s stomach rolled and she breathed through her nose to keep from being sick all over the queen’s fantastic scarlet high-top boots.

“The winner is…”

The queen’s gaze traveled over each of the competitors. Number one scratched the scar where his ear had once been. Two and three held as still as statues. Four glanced at Tahlia and nodded—whatever that meant. The rest shuffled their feet or pursed their lips.

“Our new Mist Knight of the Shrouded Mountains, noble protector of the Realm of Lights and the northern coast, is Lady Tahlia of Northwoods!”

Tahlia’s heart soared. She felt like she could take flight like a dragon, spreading wings and breathing flame into the clouds. The Bloodworkers hadn’t come forward. All was gold and happiness.

I did it. I am a dragon-riding knight. Even if it doesn’t last, I did it.

The hall erupted in cheers and most of the competitors gave Tahlia encouraging smiles while a few grimaced, their disappointment understandable.

Commander Gaius and Ophelia stepped forward, and King Lysanael whispered something in Queen Revna’s ear. She whispered back and they seemed to have a nearly silent argument, complete with hand-waving and scowls and a growl or two.

“I’m afraid there has been a mistake,” the commander said. “Tell us what you found, Head Bloodworker.”

Tahlia swallowed. This was it. The end. A sheen of sweat covered her forehead and she fisted her hands to keep her fingers from shaking.

An ashen-faced Marius came through a side door and stared at her. His hair was mussed and his eyes had a feral glaze to them.

A male in Mist Knight livery cleared his throat and read from a parchment. “Competitor five’s blood has less than point four percent Mistgold?—”

The crowd gasped, but they hadn’t even heard the worst of it. Sweat rolled down Tahlia’s back, but she remained standing, holding her head high. She was a Mist Knight, even if her blood wasn’t what they wanted it to be.

The Head Bloodworker held up the parchment and the room quieted once more. “Her blood also shows that she is half-human.”

Angry shouts burst from several Mist Knights as well as competitors two, three, nine, and seven.

“Mist Knights must be Fae and Fae alone!”

“Mountain dragons don’t bond with humans. It’s a simple fact!”

“Aye. It would never work.”

“A disgrace!”

“Must humans stick their greedy hands into all of our traditions?”

This last bit was whispered by a squire close to Tahlia. The coward would never say such a thing loud enough for the queen and king to hear.

Ophelia locked eyes with Tahlia and grinned.

Tahlia’s not-good-enough blood boiled in her veins. She clenched her fists and longed to become the dragon she had felt she was only a few moments ago.

Commander Gaius’s eyebrows bunched and his lips turned down at the edges. He motioned at two guards standing at the main doors of the hall. “Based on the evidence, sadly, competitor five is sentenced to death by dragon fire.”

A chill swept down Tahlia’s body and she fought a shiver. She hoped Fara was long gone, safely away from here.

After more shouting and calls for proof and bumping and shoving, the guards had Tahlia and were roughly escorting her out of the great hall.

The competitors, knights, and some of the squires and servants trailed them out of the keep, across the courtyard, and beyond the wall where Marius had kissed her. The manicured grass of the area leading to the cliff’s edge was too lovely to be a place where people died. Faeberries grew along the border of the arena wall and mistblooms with their delicate white petals nodded their heads in the breeze.

Suddenly, Fara was beside Tahlia. “You’re looking at the flowers, aren’t you? You truly are mad.” Tears gleamed in Fara’s eyes.

Panic sewed Tahlia’s throat shut. She coughed and the guards gripped her arms more tightly, shoving Fara out of the way.

“What are you doing here?” Tahlia whispered. “You must go.”

The guards rotated Tahlia around to face those filtering into the grassy area to watch her death. The taller of the two guards began to tie her wrists.

“I’m not leaving you, my lady,” Fara said.

Tahlia memorized the slant of Fara’s nose and the intense love in her gaze. “You must. I love you, my friend. Go. Now.”

Fara wiped a tear with the back of her hand and growled. “No. I won’t.”

The guard wrapping the rope around Tahlia’s wrists paused. “You’ll go or you’ll be burned alive too, squire.”

“I…” Fara sniffed loudly and took a deep breath. “My lady is a true knight and I pledge my loyalty to her.”

“No, Fara. Please.” Tahlia’s heart snapped and pain spread like a crack through her chest. Fara couldn’t die. Not yet. Not now.

Marius walked up and clapped the guard on the shoulder. “You’re dismissed.” He took up the job of tying Tahlia, gently knotting the rope. Then he stood beside her.

Now, Fara and Marius flanked her on either side.

“What are you doing?” Tahlia asked him.

“I, too, believe you are a true knight.”

Tahlia’s mouth fell open, and though her heart pained her, joy suffused the agony.

Marius’s gaze cut to her face, then back to the rope. “Even though you used that half-human tongue of yours to lie to me, I am likewise loyal to you. As a fellow Knight of the Shrouded Mountains.”

“Marius, I…” She met his gaze as her mind tried to find the words to explain her absolute satisfaction at earning his loyalty and the horror at him standing by her side in this terrible moment.

“Marius?” Ophelia’s voice cracked. “Why?” She stared, her gaze wide and unsure. She looked younger.

He glanced at her, eyes as steely as ever. “I’m no longer your concern.”

“But…”

“I won’t let a knight suffer this punishment without a show of defiance.”

Commander Gaius walked around the crowd to join Ophelia. “A show that will leave you dead. Give this up, High Captain. You’ve lost your head over this half-human.”

The king and queen stood atop a rise of earth at the back of the crowd. An aspen’s leaves fluttered over their crowned heads. They were deep in discussion again.

“Marius,” Tahlia whispered. “Thank you for believing in me, but please take Fara and go.”

“Stand strong, Lady Tahlia,” Marius said.

Fara put her hand over Tahlia’s forearm. Her fingers were like icicles. “We are with you. No matter what comes.”

“Fire is what’s coming, Fara.” Tahlia’s resolve trembled under the weight of these two standing beside her.

A stable hand brought out a dark green Terror. The dragon looked as old as the mountain itself, his scales the dark green of shaded leaves and his eyes like rain-darkened stones. There was no spark of connection in that dragon’s gaze as there was in most dragons’. This one had been born deadly and had been bridled to do the worst tasks the Mist Knights required. Trying not to tremble, Tahlia stood her ground. This dragon wouldn’t hesitate.

“Go, please. Both of you. Marius, you just met me three days ago. You can’t possibly care that much.”

“When you face death in the skies together, an hour is enough to feel the bond between knights and I know you are already aware of that fact. Your mercy and courage continue to amaze me and I won’t let you die alone. This is wrong, and hopefully, by your actions, your squire’s, and my own, the commander will see that before it’s too late.”

“And I doubt he’ll fry his daughter’s intended mate,” Fara said.

“I am no longer that person.”

“You broke it off?” Fara asked.

Tahlia shut her eyes and prayed to the Old Ones. Her heart thundered and cracked. “You have to go. I can’t let you die for me.” She opened her eyes and bit her lip, wishing with everything inside her that this had all gone differently.

“I ended a relationship that was started for the wrong reasons. I’ll explain everything either here if we are spared or in the afterlife if we are so lucky as to be given it.”

“Tahlia of Northwoods,” Commander Gaius said, his voice monotone, “you are stripped of your false title and deemed a lying human traitor, a blemish on the mountain, undeserving of your time in our ranks.” He came closer and rubbed his hand over his face. “Marius,” he whispered, “stop this nonsense.”

Marius raised his chin and all the emotion left his features. He could have been carved of marble.

A whispering sifted through those gathered to witness Tahlia’s death, and then Queen Revna stood beside Ophelia. King Lysanael nodded to Titus and Ophelia and joined his mate.

The stable hand holding the Terror looked to Commander Gaius, who nodded and stepped back, his shoulder brushing his daughter’s and his eyes squinted as if he barely wanted to watch.

The stable hand set a fist on the Green-flanked Terror’s left foreleg and bumped the scales twice. Blinking and focusing on Tahlia, the Terror raised his head and opened its great maw.

Tahlia held her breath. Fara and Marius took her hands in theirs. Tears pricked at her eyes and her pulse beat the rhythm of a funeral march.

I’m sorry I couldn’t send you gold or help you eat like kings, she prayed silently, thinking of her mother and even her less-than-fantastic father. Old Ones, please bless the souls of these two who stand with me…

A roaring sounded and the Seabreak Tahlia had ridden flew over the courtyard wall, a stable hand calling out behind her. The cyan-scaled beauty pushed her way past the Terror, who growled low in his throat. The Seabreak put herself between the Terror and Tahlia.

“Stop!” Queen Revna’s strong and accented human voice echoed across the courtyard. Why was the king nodding at his mate?

The Terror’s stable hand set an open palm on the dragon’s shoulder and the beast lowered his head.

“The Seabreak has bonded to her, hasn’t she?” The queen gestured toward Tahlia and the female dragon. “You can’t deny that. Why would a mountain dragon choose a lesser rider? Mountain dragons are known to be quite particular about their bonds, aren’t they?”

“A mountain dragon wouldn’t bond with anyone they didn’t consider the finest rider,” King Lysanael said from where he stood. The cadence of his words said he would brook no argument.

The queen nodded. “And as it turns out, we are privy to information about Lady Tahlia’s bloodline that none else here knows. Our informants have discovered that Lady Tahlia’s blood comes from a previously unknown Mistgold line.”

The ground seemed to shake under Tahlia’s boots. What was the queen talking about? That wasn’t true. What was she doing? Why was she lying?

Fara glanced at Tahlia. Fara mouthed keep on praying . Tahlia did exactly that as the Seabreak leaned over to bump Tahlia’s shoulder with her snout.

The Head Bloodworker raised a finger. “Forgive me, Your Majesties, but the testing performed during Healer Albus’s work clearly showed there is very little Mistgold in her blood. We do not simply eye the blood and guess.”

King Lysanael let out a low growl. “Watch your tone with my mate.”

The Head Bloodworker lowered his head and stepped back.

“As I was saying,” the queen continued, “the Mistgold in her blood reacts differently than most dragon rider blood. It remains subtle and sometimes mimics that of human blood. They were a line of spies for the royal house. My mate and I, king and queen of this realm, decree this as truth.”

They were rescuing her.

Tahlia, despite always being the penultimate optimist, couldn’t believe it.

“Your Majesty?” she asked, her voice cracking. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to ask.

Fara grinned wildly, and Marius squeezed Tahlia’s fingers, his steely gaze betraying nothing.

The queen smiled at Tahlia. “Release this knight and honor her as the newest member of your order. This is a command, just in case you weren’t certain.” Queen Revna was human. Was that why she’d saved Tahlia?

Tahlia released a long breath, let go of Fara and Marius, and went to one knee. “Thank you. I will endeavor to make this order and Your Majesty proud.”

Queen Revna set a hand on Tahlia’s head, and just like that, the moment was over.

The Green-flanked Terror and the Seabreak were taken away and Tahlia was left, wide-eyed and unbelieving, as Marius, Fara, and most of the other knights surrounded her with cheers and well wishes. Marius had disappeared in the crowd, but his voice rumbled through the noise here and there.

Commander Gaius shook her hand, a grim smile on his face. Did he know that Marius had broken off the engagement with Ophelia? It wasn’t really her fault, but somehow she felt that it was.

“Welcome to the order, Lady Tahlia,” the commander said. “I’m glad your bloodline was found to be suitable.” His tone said he knew very well his human queen had been lying through her pretty teeth. “I won’t take it easy on you though. Know that.”

“Of course not, Commander.”

“The king and queen will be gone tomorrow and then I will be fully in charge once more. I do not tolerate deceit or give mercy to those who fall behind in training.”

“I understand. There will be no deceit from this day forward.”

The commander chewed the inside of his cheek and glanced over her shoulder like he was thinking something through. He seemed less happy by the moment. If pressed, she’d have guessed he was glad such a good rider was in the order but infuriated that she was human. And a liar.

“I’ll have to learn to trust your word,” he said. “It will take a long while, I imagine.”

Tahlia didn’t know what to say, so she just gave him a winning smile. He shook his head, seemingly as shocked as she was at the turn of events, then he nodded and walked toward the lights of the great hall.

Fara hugged her tightly as the grumblers who didn’t appreciate the queen’s interference wandered back into the hall to commence the feasting.

“You did it, Tahlia. You actually changed your fate.”

Tahlia squeezed her back. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” She gazed into her friend’s face and Fara’s smile echoed her own happiness. “I’ll be saying thank you for the rest of my life.”

“Seeing as how you like to play with dangerous creatures and their masters, I doubt that you’ll be around for very long, but I’ll take what I can get.”

Tahlia scowled jokingly and hugged Fara again.

Marius strode past a cluster of Bloodworkers speaking to the commander. He held out a hand.

“May I speak to you, Lady Tahlia?”

His tone was cold as usual, but his voice was just like that. It didn’t mean he was angry or unfeeling. He was simply…a storm cloud made into a male Fae.

But he had just finished a quiet chat with Commander Gaius, so perhaps he was upset about something aside from the other terrifying events of the day. Ophelia must have left because Tahlia didn’t see her anywhere. She had to be livid. Perhaps he had his former intended on his mind?

Despite the shock of how close Tahlia had come to shaking hands with Death, she couldn’t help but admire the lovely night. Stars glittered like dragon eyes above them and the wind held the promise of summer. They walked away from the stragglers still in the grassy area, leaving the last of the noise as they entered the empty arena.

“I want to apologize for kissing you.”

She shook her head. “It was just the crystals.”

“Yes, they were quite powerful at that moment and we both must be susceptible to such magic.” He swallowed and looked away.

“I was definitely susceptible.” Still was. But it had nothing to do with crystals.

Clearing his throat, he kept himself a step away from her. “Regardless, I will be certain to refrain from any such behavior in the future.”

Tahlia leaned on the wooden fence surrounding the area where she’d fought with her sword.

“Unless I ask for that behavior?” She raised an eyebrow.

A gentle blush covered his sharp cheekbones. “I… Yes, yes. That would be fine.”

“So you’d be all right with kissing me right now if I asked you to?”

His gaze cut across her mouth and her breath caught at the ferocious look in his stormy eyes.

“I was just pardoned by the queen and king. That’s a pretty good trick, right?” she whispered. “I think I deserve a kiss.”

Dimples appeared in his cheeks and he chuckled softly. His hand swept from her shoulder up the back of her neck, giving her wonderful chills. He gripped her head and looked down into her eyes.

“You need to understand what behavior is and is not permitted when interacting with your High Captain, Lady Tahlia.”

“Is this not allowed?” She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips over the corner of his jaw.

His throat bobbed in a swallow. “Not at all permitted,” he whispered huskily.

Her body warmed. Undoing this stern male was absolutely delightful.

“How about this?”

She slid her hands down his muscular chest and across his flat stomach. His tunic did little to hide the fine lines of his body.

His stomach pulled in as he gasped quietly. “You will be punished for that.”

The heat inside her pooled low. “Oh, will I?” Her pulse kicked up, her blood racing.

He slammed her against the fence and kissed her hard, tongue tangling with hers and his fingers in her hair. Tahlia’s blood caught fire. She gripped his hips and tugged him close, kissing him back, tasting the honey and clove taste of his mouth and thrilling in every sensation. He pressed into her and she could feel every bit of him. The stars behind his silhouette appeared to spin as he nibbled his way down her neck. She was more than ready for him to toss her down to the arena’s sandy ground. Maybe his mouth would find her breasts as she threw a leg over his back…

Someone cleared their throat.

Marius broke away quickly and wiped his mouth. “Yes?” His color was high, but she had no doubt her face was redder.

It was Fara. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but the knights are asking for you, my lady. The king is looking for you, High Captain.”

Tahlia inhaled slowly, trying to stop wanting to throw herself at Marius again despite Fara’s presence and the fact that there was a room full of people waiting on them. “Thank you, Fara. We will be in shortly.”

Marius gave Fara a nod of thanks and Fara returned to the great hall’s pink and golden light.

Tahlia touched Marius’s arm and he turned to face her. “Let’s enjoy the festivities. We can delight in our own pastimes later this evening.”

His eyes glittered dangerously, but the ghost of a grin passed over his mouth. “Agreed.”

He looked like a dream she’d had come to life.

“Thank you for believing in me. It’s not enough to say thank you , but it’s all I have.”

Taking her hand, he kissed each knuckle. “I’m honored to have aided you, my lady.”

Under the blazing stars, Tahlia walked with him into the Mist Knights’ great hall. True, she had yet to find out who had poisoned her and there would be hurdles to leap between today and tomorrow, but finally, at long last, she had a home in the place where she truly belonged.