Page 166 of The Dragon Queen Complete Series Collection

Chapter 165

I woke the next morning to find the bed empty. Well, empty but for Glimmer and me. She was curled up into my side, breathing evenly right up until the point I began to move.

Where—?

Obsidian’s and Darkspire’s riders are in a meeting with men planning the war. She replied. They are very bored and very upset all at the same time. Her brow ridges wrinkled. That is a strange combination of feelings.

And Ged? I asked.

Cloud Raker’s rider is fussing over carriages. Her head jerked up, and then she stared at me. Are they going to use my mate like a cart horse?

I don’t ? —

Wraith’s rider is with the younglings , she said. He is not happy, which is strange, because he seems to take great pride in helping young humans . Her head settled back on her claws. He will make a good father to your hatchlings when you have them.

When I…? I wanted to ask questions, many questions about this, but forged on. And Flynn?

But I knew where he was. Not just away from the palace, but out of the state altogether.

Glacier is very sad . Her colour seemed to dull slightly. His rider has been trying to distract himself with hot thoughts of vengeance and honour, but all fires burn down to embers at some point. He is full of the grey ash of his pain.

Then I must go to him.

I stopped perfectly still as a growing horror crept over me. I shivered, pulling the bedclothes closer, but they wouldn’t help. Gods, I’d been a terrible partner. I’d done little to comfort him, help him with his grief, too preoccupied with everything else that was going on. I had no idea how the queens of old managed their men, because I was failing utterly at it.

I must make amends . I stared down at Glimmer. We can call one of the dragons and set off for Skane, catch up with him if we fly fast enough. She listened carefully, but didn’t comment, and that felt like a recrimination of sorts. Glimmer, we must go.

Cloud Raker likes it when I rake my claws across his spines , she replied.

What?

He gets very itchy around the base of them, and if I am up there, I use my claws to ease that itch. I shook my head, unable to understand why this was relevant, but she forged on. But Glacier likes it when I sleep between his claws. That way he can rest his head against mine and know where I am when he rests.

I’m sure there’s a point to this story. Gods… I slapped a hand over my mouth, but there were no words I needed to shove back down my throat, retracted. I’m sorry, continue.

Wraith likes to curl around me, turning his tail into a nest, then spread his wing out to give me shelter. Obsidian just likes to watch me. She paused for a second, staring out the window. He seems reticent sometimes to push for anything more, and that is something I will need to address as I grow older. Darkspire? She cocked her head to one side. He’s just glad for the company, any company. Acid breathing dragons are often ostracised by others of our kind. His breath is one of the few weapons we can possess that can strip the meat from our bones. He had a bond with the wing due to his rider, but now he gets to sleep with them, eat with them, be a part of something.

I think I understood what she was telling me, but rather than shoot my mouth off again, I stayed quiet.

Every single one of them needs more than I can give them , she said. Cloudy’s spines are always itchy. Glacier always gets concerned when he can’t see me. Darkspire gets terribly lonely each time he’s forced to move away from our flight and attend to his rider’s business. If I let them, they would buffet my mind with all their wants, big or small. Her eyes were like coins of gold, though twice as bright. Every one is important, valid, and yet I am not able to fulfil them all, not even if I ignore my own needs.

So you’re telling me my situation is the same? I asked.

Isn’t it? Your mates will always need more than you have to give. They know it, you know it, and yet everyone still chooses to stay together. Should you seek to make them happy when you can? Of course. It’s what I do. At the very least, it creates cohesion between the members of the flight.

I shook my head, unable to stop myself from smiling at her imperious manner. Ever the queen, was Glimmer. That thought had the smile fading away. She knew she was a queen from the moment she was born, but I was still learning my role. That was what I needed to focus on. What could I do going forward to become more of a queen?

You might deal with the women clustered outside your door. Glimmer let out a huff. Their minds are very busy. Darkspire’s rider instructed them to come to your rooms and help instruct you on the ways of the human court, and so that’s what they are waiting to do. She sounded decidedly grumpy now. They are torn between knocking on your door and requesting your presence or letting you sleep in. She snuggled down into the bedding. I vote for the last thing.

But I apparently had duties I needed to attend to. I cleaned myself up and dressed quickly, marching over to the bedroom door dressed in my uniform.

“Oh…!” A finely dressed lady stood there, caught in the midst of knocking on the door. “Highness, I mean, Majesty.”

She dropped down into a deep bow and I searched my mind, trying to remember what I was supposed to do in turn, as all the other women did the same.

“Good morning to you all,” I said, gesturing for them to rise. “I believe you’ve been sent here to introduce me to the ways of court?”

“Ye-es.” The woman wore a flustered expression as she looked back at the other ladies. “I apologise, Majesty. This would normally be the duties of the Duchess of Skane and?—”

“She’s still to be confirmed in her position.” My welcoming smile faded. “And is otherwise occupied by the funeral of the former duke and his family. I am Pippa.” I held out my hand. “Pippin to my friends.”

“Lady Pippa…” The woman shook her head. “Queen Pippa… Majesty.”

“Perhaps just Pippa?” I suggested.

The woman let out a little sigh.

“Pippa, I am Lady Oxford. A very distant relative of the Duke of Tharfield.” Her cheeks flushed bright pink. “May the gods rest his soul. This is Lady Brimsley and Lady Flora…”

I was introduced to each one in turn, the names all blurring together. I knew I’d need prompting to remember them, but I made a show of nodding in greeting to each woman.

“Well, ladies, perhaps you could show me around the palace? I admit I haven’t had a chance to inspect much of it.”

“You’ve been helping with the war effort.” Lady Oxford had kind eyes, and perhaps that’s what led to her hand landing on my arm. She seemed to think better of it the minute she touched my sleeve, her eyes going wide.

“Unfortunately, yes,” I replied, giving her hand a squeeze before she pulled back. “I mean, I saw a little of it when I was first brought here and rejected by Queen Raina.”

“That was a terrible business.” Lady Flora’s voice was all concern, but I knew a gossip when I saw one. “To reject the rider of a queen dragon? Perhaps it was the gods themselves that put an end to her reign, for the sin of hubris.”

“Perhaps,” I said. “Now, the palace?”

It was a grand building, I knew that already. All white walls and gilt decorative features marking each wall panel, each light fitting. Our footsteps echoed off the black and white marble tiles as we walked down portrait galleries and through grand dining rooms. I made suitably impressed noises, because it was indeed grand, and yet… To call this place home, to build a life here? I didn’t feel like a pig herder anymore, but still. This place was so very different to my own estate I may as well have been a farm hand.

“Well, I’m parched,” Lady Brimsley said. “How about you ladies? A spot of tea would be just the thing. Perhaps we could take in the sunroom?”

Her hopeful tone made clear I was supposed to agree or disagree with that plan.

“The sunroom sounds delightful,” I replied, right before I walked over to the velvet rope hanging in the corner of this room. One pull and a footman appeared beside me moments later, ready to take my order.

It was delightful. The sunroom was an apt name for it because the front wall was all floor-to-ceiling windows. This allowed us a panoramic view of the capital and the sea beyond. Tea was brought in, along with platters of sandwiches and tiny cakes, reminding me I hadn’t bothered to have breakfast yet. But as my stomach growled disgracefully, I sat down with my cup and saucer and regarded the ladies.

“So what other secrets of the palace did you intend to show me?” I asked.

“Secrets?” Lady Oxford looked around the room. “Well, I think the tour is complete.”

“Unless you wish to see His Majesty’s dungeons.”

Lady Flora shared a conspiratorial smile, and while I knew she was just joking, I couldn’t help but shudder.

“No, thank you,” I replied, then took a sip of my tea.

“Then I thought we might spend the afternoon knitting.”

This was obviously something the ladies did often as bags were fished out from underneath pillows and from beside couches.

“Knitting…?” I asked.

“We all need to do something to help the men about to march out to war, and my maid tells me that boots, socks, and other sundries are becoming harder and harder to find.” Lady Oxford’s needles clacked as she knitted another neat row.

“It’s terrible,” Lady Brimsley said with a dismissive shake of her head. “Our boys are signing up to become soldiers and we can’t even send them off with a fresh pair of socks.”

But it wasn’t socks that would win the war. The infantry was important. They would come behind the dragons and take the territory we claimed, holding it until the Duke of Harlston surrendered, but they wouldn’t get a chance, not unless we won the day from the air.

“Can you knit, Majesty?”

“Yes,” I replied and then smiled at each one of the ladies, “but if you truly wish to help with the war effort, there is something else that you could be doing.”

“Dear gods…” the ladies gasped as we straggled down the road in Cheapside. Beautifully embroidered handkerchiefs were produced and pressed against their noses, but I knew myself that it wouldn’t be enough. There was no lavender water strong enough to drown out this stench.

Or to keep calm heads.

“You think you’re so smart,” Maggie snapped, her hands going to her hips, “pumping out those cogs, but they’re a mess, every single one of them. They need doing again.”

“Now, ladies—” Roland started to say.

“And yours might be perfect,” Nancy said, “but you’ve barely made three all day! At this rate, the dragons will have one bomb to drop. They’ll have to make sure that counts.”

“Alright—” Roland spluttered.

“We’re doing the best we can—” someone said.

“And we need to be faster!”

“Goodness me.” Lady Oxford’s hand went to her bosom as her eyes went everywhere at once, no doubt catching the way the women’s voices got shriller and shriller. “Where have you brought us, Majesty?”

“To the most important workshop in all of Nevermere.” I strode right into the midst of things, meeting every woman’s eyes as they fell back. I saw fear, anger, passion beating hot and true in each of their eyes. “Ladies.” Roland shot me a frantic look. “What seems to be the problem here?”

“She said?—”

“She keeps?—”

“That woman, she?—”

“The cogs?—”

I felt like everyone was talking at once and I couldn’t hear any one of them. Each woman demanded my attention. I remembered then what Glimmer had said this morning, then held up a hand.

Only for everyone to fall silent.

By the gods , I thought, that worked.

“I can see everyone is feeling heightened,” I said in my calmest voice. “This concerns me. I pulled you away from your work at the keep to help with the war effort. I bear responsibility for that. If there is a problem that needs fixing, I will do my level best to find a solution, when we are all feeling more centred.”

Maggie sat first, and when she backed down, so did some of the women around her. Nancy shook her head, let out a frustrated little hiss, and then did the same. Eventually everyone sat down, facing each other mulishly around the table, but still, silence reigned.

“Thank you for this,” I said. “Now, can someone tell me what’s wrong?”