Page 46 of The Dragon Queen #3
We were going to try James in an impromptu military court session in the ruins of Castle Fast, apparently.
Rex suggested I work with the women when he got the news. Jade had helped us transport the hostages back to the castle, but each dragon was forced to take several passengers to get everyone away from the awful camp. Lady Fast and Ravenna had leapt into action, organising for runners to be sent to nearby villages to get more supplies and healers to converge on the ruins, but that wasn’t before they spent a moment mourning the loss of their father, her husband, their home. Georgia’s sobs were like a gut punch and yet somehow easier to bear than Lady Fast’s impassivity. She took everything in, every brick that had fallen, every person that had been hurt, and I couldn’t help but take that as a silent rebuke, even though that wasn’t her intention. No, attending the trial of the dragon rider would be a welcome distraction from their pain.
“You stand accused of desertion,” Rex said, standing in front of the mass of riders who had converged to see justice done. “Stealing crown property.” Was that the dragon eggs or Jade himself? “Kidnapping.” James flinched at that one. “And last of all, treason. What do you have to say in your defence? ”
“I…” The man swallowed, shook his head, and then as he looked out at the crowd saw that he had no allies here. His jaw muscle flexed as he straightened up and faced Rex down. “I have nothing to say in my defence.”
“Defence?” Draven stepped forward. “No, but an explanation? I think you owe me that.” James’ throat worked, trying to obey our king’s order, but he was cut off before he could respond. “Why?” That was the question we all wanted answered, and so every eye focussed on James. He went even paler under all that attention. “Why would you betray your country, your king?” He looked at Jade. “Your own dragon.”
That was what broke James. His whole body sagged as he dared a sidelong look at his dragon.
“The duke offered me everything I wanted.” We had to be perfectly quiet to hear his confession. “I could keep Jade…” His hand rose and then fell again. “But be freed of the keep. Free to… find a wife, own land.” James snorted at that. “Promised us plots all across Skane, the other duchies, if he got into power. I didn’t need to live like a fucking monk in the keep surrounded by men. I could live a life like any other man, raise a family, and all I needed to do was come to the duke’s aid if he needed it.”
I heard his words, but struggled to process them. Part of me had been asking why since the moment we discovered this treachery, but none of the possible explanations I’d come up with included this. Such a small thing to lure a man away from his sworn duty, and yet… Wasn’t what he described what everyone wanted? I scanned the other riders then, catching the tension in some of their stances, the way they shifted restlessly, and I wondered how many others had been tempted by the same offer.
“Well, if there is no defence to consider, we can move straight to sentencing,” Rex said.
“And I know how that will be decided.” James looked at Draven wide eyed, growing paler by the second. There was none of my lover in the king right now. He was the crown incarnate, distant, disapproving, and about to deliver justice. “Jade.” The green dragon moved forward then, riders parting to let him through. “You are your rider’s first victim. He used a dragonstone amulet to coerce you into doing these terrible things, assaulting your mind, using the bond between you as a leash to force you to obey.”
Draven marched over to the accused, tearing the insignias from his tunic, both from the corp and his uncle, and throwing them into the dirt. Next, the man’s jacket was stripped from his body, leaving him standing there in just a shirt and pants.
“You will decide the fate of this traitor, this abuser.”
And with that, he stepped backwards.
James turned then to face his victim, his executioner. His hands rose, fluttering like moths through a breeze, but he never managed to touch the dragon. Jade jerked his muzzle out of the man’s reach, rejecting this overture entirely.
I’d been here before, watching on as criminals faced dragon justice, but for some reason, I couldn’t find the same rage I had when my stepfamily faced down the dragons. Perhaps because James’ motivations were so much smaller. He just wanted a life, one with his dragon, where the two of them could settle down and be happy somewhere. For that, he was willing to do something so desperate as commit treason. There was a lesson here, I was sure of it, but the true nature of it was still to be revealed.
I watched James drop to his knees, head bent. All the fight was gone from him as he faced down his bondmate.
Not a bondmate anymore . I looked across at Glimmer and she stared back. He broke that bond the moment he used dragonstone against Jade.
Is that why the corp doesn’t use dragonstone? I asked. Surely one of the kings or queens must’ve thought to use it to ensure dragon compliance?
Dragonstone is like a diamond, she said, turning to watch the proceedings. Some of it can be cut and it will have perfect shine, perfect clarity. Others remain terribly hard, yet are grey and muddy looking. Some dragonstone is good for little other than helping develop people’s empathy. Some is good for storing memories. I looked down to find one of the eggs in my hand. The very pure stones, they amplify a person’s natural psychic ability, sometimes to the point that they can be used to coerce another. We have always disposed of or hidden those stones .
And humans had made use of them. I nodded slowly before turning back to Jade and James.
The accused whispered something furiously as Jade’s head rose back. Apologies, I realised, frantic apologies. Perhaps one of them touched a chord with Jade, because I heard him when the dragon finally spoke.
Go. There was so much pain and anguish in that one word. Go and live that life you wanted so much, but… I know little of what human women want in a mate, but a dragon queen? She would never accept a male as pathetic as you as her mate.
“Jade, I’m sorry.”
GO.
Dragon’s justice was always final. James’ legs moved before he could think otherwise, his steps stumbling as he lurched towards the trees. When he had his feet under him, he broke into a run, disappearing into the forest. He wasn’t the only one.
My queen , Jade said, dropping his head down in recognition of Glimmer. I will come at your command, but… I must go now.
Rex went to protest, but what could he say to such a massive beast? Jade turned with a flick of his tail and then took to the air seconds later.
“My king, we need to go after that dragon. One that’s unbonded? Perhaps he could be persuaded to bond with another lad or even one of our enlisted soldiers?”
“You’re welcome to pursue Jade yourself, General,” Draven replied drily. “You can take Herald and try to fly him down. My queen and I, however, will begin to interview the hostages, working out where they’ve been taken from. All riders should expect to receive orders within an hour or so to return these women to their families.”
He didn’t wait for a reply, or our acknowledgement, just turning and marching away, gloves slapping against his thigh. I took one last look at Rex, catching the barely suppressed frustration there, before hurrying after Draven. Any sense of self-congratulation was quickly pushed to one side when we began to talk to the women .
Parchment and ink had been found as well as an intact table that had been brought out into the remains of a courtyard and set up, so we might speak to each woman in turn. Every member of the wing was involved to try to speed the process up.
“Who’s next?” I asked with a smile as a young woman stepped up. Her beautiful gown, even if it was now stained and torn at the shoulder, declared her rank, but she gave me the details anyway. “Hello, I’m Pippin.”
I offered her my hand, and she shook it, sketching a quick curtsey.
“You’re the queen-in-waiting,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Highness, though the gods know I would’ve rather have done so under more pleasant conditions.” I dipped my quill into the ink pot and wiped off the excess. “I’m Lady Rhiannon, Highness.” Draven’s eyes jerked up at that, his attention diverted from the woman he was interviewing. “My father is the Baron of Easebrook.”