Page 182 of The Dragon Queen Complete Series Collection
Chapter 181
The barony of Easebrook was a major centre along the border of Harlston. Situated on a river, it was the main port between the coast, bringing important goods to the inland. The next day we saw the River Ondine from the air as we flew towards Rhiannon’s father’s estate.
Just not too close.
Those were the orders everyone was given at the briefing that morning to try to ensure what happened to Obsidian didn’t happen to anyone else. We would bring the women to their homes, land well outside the castle or city gates, and then use the dragons’ presence to alert the people within of our arrival. As we circled down, aiming to land beside the major bridge that led into the baron’s estates, we hoped to talk to his men and explain that this was not an attack but us returning Rhiannon home.
We certainly had no problem getting people’s attention. People started chattering excitedly as soon as we landed, some struggling to restrain their horses or cattle at our presence.
“I’ll alert the guards,” Rhiannon said as soon as she slipped from Wraith’s saddle.
“Just wait for a moment, milady.” Soren bowed formally, but I caught the way the girl’s eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed a very pretty pink in response, which was strange. As a noblewoman, she had to have had people bowing to her most of her life. “We don’t want to have rescued you from the duke’s men and then brought you home, only to be met by an attack by your father’s guards.”
“My father would never order an attack on dragonriders,” she said, sounding very confident, but the ominous crunch of many steel-mailed boots coming running towards us made clear that she might have been a little optimistic.
“Behind me, lass.”
I’m not sure if Rhiannon knew that this was just what Soren did. He pushed forward, ensuring his body was between hers and the approaching guards, then drew his sword in readiness. The rest of the wing did the same, our dragons not resting for a second. We hoped to reason with them, make clear our mission, but if they wouldn’t listen… We’d need to use force until they understood. Rhiannon’s eyes went wide, her hands rising as if she would put them on Soren’s back. I couldn’t help but feel satisfaction when she snatched them back, but whatever I was worried about was shoved to one side as the leader of the soldiers stepped forward.
“Who are you and what business do you have with the Baron of Easebrook?” he demanded.
“For goodness sake.” Rhiannon darted around Soren, something that had my love cursing under his breath. “Julian, it’s me and that’s King Draven.”
“Majesty?” Julian looked appalled and when he sank down on one knee, so did the other soldiers with him. “May I offer my sincerest apologies?—”
“You may not.” Julian didn’t see Draven’s smirk, but I did. He stepped forward and raised the man up. “For there is nothing to apologise for. You’ve had the Duke of Harlston at your gate on dragon back, I’m assuming?”
“We thought it was a wing of the Royal Riders come to see the baron,” Julian stammered out, all of his former aggression melting away. “We had no idea the duke had wrested some of the Riders away from the throne.” He spat on the ground. “Filthy traitors.” His focus shifted quickly to Rhiannon. “But milady, you are well? We tried to stop?—”
“Don’t, Julian, really.” She shot him a sad smile. “It was just awful, but there was nothing we could do at the time. Who could’ve anticipated the duke gaining control of several dragons and using them against his own people? I was rescued by these brave riders…” She turned back to glance at us, special focus paid to Soren. Ged snickered, nudging the sergeant, earning him an elbow to the ribs. “Before anything terrible could happen, but I don’t think I’ve got the energy to tell the story twice. Can we see my father?”
“Gods, of course, milady.” He stepped aside, then turned to some of his fellows. “Have meat brought for the dragons.”
“No need, they’ve eaten recently,” Draven replied, but Darkspire let out a rattling growl, then nudged his rider in the back. “Well, perhaps some if you can spare it.”
“Spare it?” Julian beamed. “I’m fairly sure the baron will kill a fatted calf himself in honour of her ladyship’s return.”
“Might need to make that five,” Ged muttered, earning him a dark look from us. “What? Cloudy could eat five calves all on his own.” His dragon nudged his side. “All right, six.”
“Perhaps the dragonriders could discuss their noble beasts’ needs with Father directly?” Rhiannon suggested.
“Gods, yes, let us escort you to him, milady,” Julian said, turning and leading the way.
“And now we find out exactly what my uncle has been doing,” Draven said under his breath as he took my arm.
Quite a lot, it appeared.
“Gods above, is that my little Rhi-Rhi…?” The baron rose from his chair and then stepped closer, eyes everywhere, as if struggling to believe what he saw.
“Daddy!”
Rhiannon rushed forward and, for just a moment, I felt the most terrible wrench of envy. I knew exactly how she must feel. Her father wrapped her in his arms, held her close, showering her hair with kisses, then holding her at arm’s length before turning to us.
“But how…? Is that… Draven, lad. No.” The baron was beyond flustered. “My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“None needed,” Draven replied, stopping the man from bowing. “I’m just glad we could return Rhiannon to you in one piece.”
“It was just awful, Daddy,” the girl added. “Those brutes were just about to do something truly awful to us when the king and queen arrived and saved us.” She looked over her shoulder. “As well as the dashing sergeant.”
“Dashing?” Flynn whispered. “Dashing? Glacier was the one that carried her to Castle Fast, and she wouldn’t stop talking the entire way.”
“But you’re all right?” the baron asked, searching her for signs of harm. “You weren’t hurt. That bloody bastard…”
“I’m fine, just…” Rhiannon looked down at her dress. “Filthy. Would you mind awfully if I went to the washrooms and got cleaned up before seeing to our guests? I’ve been in the same dress for days.”
“Get yourself cleaned up,” the baron said with an avuncular smile. “And perhaps rest a while.” All the warmth went out of his eyes as he turned back to us. “We men need to talk about how we’re going to deal with this situation. I know the duke is your uncle, Majesty?—”
“He’s no family of mine.” Draven’s reply seemed to echo around the massive room. “I deny any blood bond and wish to all the gods Zafira had chosen another woman other than my mother to become queen.”
But she had. I had seen it in the queen dragon’s memories. A young girl, though she mustn’t look like that now, beautiful and golden in the sunlight. Zafira had never forgotten the woman she claimed as bondmate, and the moment her mind was free, the dragon had gone to find her.
“One doesn’t get to choose your family, because I would never have chosen mine, but I have decided to do everything I can to ensure the Duke of Harlston does not succeed in his endeavours. How widespread is the hostage situation? Have you heard reports of other women being taken, milord, or do some support my uncle openly?”
When he raked his hand through his hair, my hand went out and clasped his.
“Do I need to wage war against some of Harlston and not others? That’s the question.”
“Only one way to find out,” the baron said, then clicked his fingers. “Mountjoy, a quill and some parchment.” The man’s secretary came rushing over with just that. “I’ll send birds to all my bannermen, find out which ones are missing daughters and wives and which ones have turned traitor for the duke’s coin.”
So hours later, we ended up seated around the duke’s grand tables. The bannermen whose land was situated closest to the baron’s estates had already arrived with more to be brought in by dragon once they sent back a reply.
“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 number of 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 heard tales 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 must be 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.
“Soren, we can’t,” I whispered as he took me in his arms. “Rhiannon?—”
“Don’t want to hear another woman’s name on your lips, not while we’re alone,” he said. “It was hard enough keeping my distance while everyone else talked about war.”
His head dropped down and mine lifted to meet it.
“Rhiannon was asking about you, about your women,” I replied, my voice little more than a breath. “I think she wanted to become one of them for the night.”
“She’s a pretty girl.” I stiffened in his grip and he smiled down at me. “But that’s not enough to move me. I was never one to tarry with the lasses at the keep. Treating a woman like a hole to empty yourself into, that was never the way for me.” His hand slid along my jaw. “I need a connection with a woman to be stirred, and that’s only ever been you.”
Kissing him was madness, doubly mad when a highborn lady was probably still standing outside our door, but Draven had sent Soren to me. I reached up and sank my hand into Soren’s hair and claimed that gift wholeheartedly.