The Last Dragon: Book Three

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Princess Elizabeth

All three of my staff entered my cabin on the Gallant. As Lady Grace genuflected, so did Soren and Timor. It was the first time they had all treated me with the full respect do a princess. I quickly reconsidered that last thought. They had always treated me like a princess like I expected. However, not one they respected. All were appointed to travel with me by my father, and all had treated me as the vapid little girl of the royal family.

Their attitudes had made a subtle change, even if they were not fully convinced that I intended to make the decisions about the treaty. At this point, they were wary, more than convinced.

I wished I could have heard the conversations about me that had gone on behind closed doors before the trip began, and yesterday. Then I contradicted myself again, which was becoming a habit. No, I didn’t wish that. It would unduly influence the future.

“Please sit and give me a verbal briefing.”

I sat in the only chair, but my indication was for the three of them to sit on the edge of my bed, side by side so I could watch them all at the same time. The meeting would have been easier on them in the cabin we’d had set up as an office and meeting room, but for me, this was better.

“Princess,” Soren began, speaking for all of them, “in light of the unknown information you provided about other mutual defense treaties Dire has, we have revised our input. Those treaties provide a much firmer foothold and advantage.”

He stopped there as if placing a toe in the water before diving in.

I simply gave him a slight nod to continue.

He glanced at Lady Grace for permission before continuing, “As you are no doubt aware, any negotiations are based on the relative power of each side. The stronger side dictates most of the agreement, be it in business, or government.”

He was going to present an outline stronger, but still weak, I suspected. Dire would suffer because the three of them believed my homeland weak. While true, one item I’d learned the hard way from Damon while sitting across from him in a game of blocks, was that what was presented for consideration didn’t have to be true. Damon and I had played countless games of blocks in the last ten years, and he won far too many by bluffing or misrepresenting the strength of his hand.

At first, we’d each won about the same number of games. Then, about five years ago, Damon started winning more and more. Not always but we went from even to him winning most. I accused him of cheating. He assured me he hadn’t. I then accused him of using his magic. Again, he denied it. In anger, I ordered him to explain why he won most games. Was he better at the game than me?

His answer was simple. “You believe that when I have a poor hand, I fold.”

“You don’t?”

I remember his amused laugh at my innocence. “You see five spots on a pair of shared blocks on the table. If I fold, you know I do not have another five-spot-block to go with them in my hand. But, if I raise, you assume I do have it, so you fold.”

“And you don’t have the better hand?”

“Sometimes.”

“Then, you lie.”

“We call it bluffing.”

“So, if I play out my hand I will win?”

“Sometimes. You won’t know until you put your pennies into the pot.” His smirk was so irritating I wanted to cross the table and slap him.

Over the next few years, the winners of our games had evened out again. He won, I won. He sometimes bluffed. Sometimes I did. That was the nature of the game—but there was one more lesson, perhaps the most important. Never, and I mean never, get caught bluffing. In doing so, you invariably lost not only the hand but the game because it usually left you too little to continue playing with.

If the three facing me didn’t believe my bluff, they would never convince their counterparts in Dagger. I repeated Soren’s words in my mind. The stronger side dictates most of the agreement, be it in business, or government.

He was almost correct. In truth, it was the side believed to be the stronger—and that was not always the same thing. It was the same as in bluffing in a game of blocks. If I believed that you held a better hand, I’d fold. At the same time, Dagger would attempt to convince me that they held power.

I said, “Give me a brief overview of what you will leave me to study.”

Soren looked at poor Timor, the youngest and least experienced. No doubt the other two had decided to appoint him a spokesman for them, and he would receive the brunt of my anger. I decided to go easy on him. Not the others.

He started to stand, as would be proper when addressing me, but we were on a ship with limited space in my cabin, and I didn’t want him looming over me as he spoke. I waved him to sit.

“Princess,” he fumbled even my title but gamely drew a breath and calmed himself, “we have brought the information about the treaties with the Kingdom of Angor and the Concordance of Palladium to the forefront and state that we cannot agree to anything which is in conflict with them and our long-term relationships. Further, we must have them ratify any defense agreement because that is a condition stated in our present treaties. They must agree and may even support Kondor by way of this treaty, or they may not. It is their right to know what kingdoms we hold treaties with as a protection for themselves and so they do not declare war on our ally.”

I nodded my approval. They had done far better than I anticipated—but since my father had appointed them, they were the best at what they did.

He went on, “We then defined the mutual support portions of the treaties as well as possible, since we do not have copies with us and were careless not to have researched them prior to sailing, although in our defense, we did depart in something of a rush.”

I allowed him the excuse, knowing he could have searched a lifetime for the nonexistent treaties. I kept my face interested, but not approving.

He said, “The next section of the treaty details the tariffs and extent of each, as well as the ban on the import of weapons made in Kondor. We provisionally added that we believe a tariff will soon be applied to all travelers from kingdoms we do not have treaties with. Those same foreigners will be detained in the Port of Mercia until such taxes are paid, and temporary permission is granted to remain, not to exceed thirty days.”

“There is more, I assume?” Although said with a slight scowl, I was impressed. The more we included taxes, tariffs, and travel restrictions to ships using our port, the more camouflaged the intent of self-protection issue became—the real reason for the treaty. Dire needed to forestall any invasion from Kondor until my father was fully recovered and we had time to prepare for war or an invasion.

“Unless you wish the verbiage changed to restrict all travel by those arriving from Kondor,” Lady Grace added.

I leaned forward, “And for all ships that have made a port of call in any Kondor port in the last year.”

Soren blurted out, “They won’t stand for that.”

I turned to him and in my coldest voice said. “Dire does not care.”

Soren shrank back as if struck by my fist. “Yes, Princess.”

“Also, I want more sanctions. Restrictions and limitations of goods shipped from Dire, as well as travel to Kondor by our citizens, for example.” They were incapable of speech at that moment. I decided to give them a positive stroke. “You will also add that any trade agreement may also open new markets for them in Angor and Palladium, as our existing treaties provide, but do not guarantee. However, being a friend of Dire is a valuable asset.”

They sat wordlessly.

I stood and held up the treaty they had worked so hard on and was now worthless. “I’ll take a good look at this, and in the meantime, you will modify it to meet those additional items we’ve discussed.”

They stood as one.

As they reached the door, I added, “In case you haven’t heard, the Gallant has turned south and is sailing to Vin and then on to Dagger. The storm has passed. We should be there in two days at most.”

It was clear the information was new to them since they’d been locked in their cabin of an office all day working on the treaty. It was also clear there was a new respect in their eyes and attitudes, at least it was new to me.

After they were gone, I thought about the meeting and tried to decide if I’d been fair, a bitch, or a strong woman with a tough mission. In the end, all three might have validity. I puffed my chest out like a baby bird after its first flight from the nest.

Later, while strolling the deck and watching the sea to the south to make sure the storms didn’t reappear, I missed Kendra terribly. Damon too, but not in the same way. Kendra and I were young women who could share experiences that a man wouldn’t understand—or if he did, I wouldn’t talk about them to him. It’s just life. He holds a separate place in my heart that Kendra will never share.

When I was finished walking, I went to the starboard railing near the stern of the ship, where the upper decks were supported by the wall with the door to the inside passage. There were at least three nearby places for someone to stand and be unobserved. As hoped, Will was at one of them, and I moved closer to him, but not too close. If anyone took notice, they would see two people on the same rail, but not standing together.

He looked out to sea, as I did. He spoke without turning his head, “I saw your three clerks leave your cabin. They were intent and didn’t seem too happy.”

“I think we came to an understanding and perhaps I gained a little respect.”

Will smiled, just the merest expression of approval and one I needed to confirm my actions. He continued to look off to the horizon. “No Wyverns in sight.”

That was odd. I’d expected to see many of them. The four mages had drawn their powers of magic from somewhere, and if there were no Wyverns, where did it come from? I didn’t know. We supposed that Essence is there in Wyverns, but in far smaller quantities than true-dragons. “Maybe they all flew away when the mages drowned, and the ships sank.”

“Maybe,” he said noncommittally.

The thing about Will was that while I thought I’d hired him, my father had first, and I didn’t know him well enough to tell when he knew the answers and when he didn’t. Not that I distrusted him. Just the opposite. However, he rarely shared more than the very basics of anything. He usually did when he had something important to say otherwise said nothing. “Okay, there are no Wyverns. What are you thinking?”

He ignored me for a time, as he gazed out to sea. Then, as if he’d gathered his thoughts about him, he faced me. “I’m an ‘appointed’ royal, not one by birth, as you know. I also live apart from the palaces and castles of Dire. I have my lands to oversee.”

“I know all that.” I was not rude but understanding. He was attempting to share something and prefaced it, so I’d understand.

“People talk to me, and around me, that won’t say anything if a royal is near. There is no need for proper speech or the rigid protocol. They understand I’m one of them, only elevated for my lifetime.”

“I assume that they’ve told you many things they wouldn’t share with a royal?”

“At times. I heard someone say that he once overheard mages talking. One said using Essence from Wyverns was like trying to chop down a hundred-year-old oak with a little knife intended to clean fingernails. It can be done but takes a while.”

“Then, how?”

“Essence in quantity only comes from true-dragons.” He made the statement with finality.

I gave him a moment to reconsider. When he didn’t, I added, “All this is new to me, but my information says there is only one true-dragon left in the world.”

Will said, “That would mean whoever controls that dragon controls the world of magic. All of it. From what I hear, that would be your servant, Kendra.”

That took me back, mostly because of what it inferred. It couldn’t be true because Kendra was my friend, my best friend, and I trusted her completely and without reservation. If what Will suggested held any truth, and it did, there must be a flaw in the other information. “It might be that there is another source for Essence.”

“If so, I haven’t even heard a rumor of it,” Will retorted as if he had heard all rumors and my suggestion was silly.

I fought down my temper and answered coolly, “Then consider this. If there is a secondary source of Essence or another manner of obtaining it that is controlled by the mages and sorceresses, do you think they might keep it a secret from the likes of us?”

He didn’t answer for a few beats, which made me believe he was considering my suggestions—even if not believing them. Finally, he said, “You know? There is something that has tickled at the back of my mind. I’ve always wondered why the mages are so public in their activities, but the sorceresses remain in the background, yet they are always nearby.”

“Meaning?”

“It just doesn’t fit with what I know of women. So, I’ll ask you. Does it appear that sorceresses intentionally downplay their powers? And if they do, why is that? Wouldn’t you think one here and there would stand out in her actions?”

Now it was my turn to consider his thoughts. After allowing it to meander around in the forefront of my convoluted thinking, I came to a few conclusions. “You have an interesting point to think about and may have put your finger on something important. However, any thoughts that Kendra may not be doing her best to support me are in error, if there are any. The idea of an alternate source of Essence is a possibility we should consider.”

“I appreciate your loyalty to your servant and want to assure you I had no such thoughts. We share a common problem. Neither of us knows enough about magic, the goals of the mages and sorceresses, or even dragons.”

He’d again singled out the items that stood out above all else. Worse, I saw no way to obtain that information, especially while on a ship. For certain, the mages were not talking, the dragon couldn’t, and the best we could do was to cobble together crude guesses. However, there was one more set of facts that we did know. “The mages are killing our kings and replacing them with appointed councils. That also must factor in our search for information.”

He smiled for the first time in days. “That could be the thread we can pick at to unravel this tapestry of lies, deceit, and betrayal.”

“Well put. Why the smile?”

“Until today, I doubted you. Underestimated you in every way. My perception of you was one of an insipid young princess who was only concerned with the curl of her hair and the color of the gown she wore. Forgive me. I was wrong.”

Again, I looked at his smile and found it genuine. “I resented my father for hiring you behind my back.”

“I resented following around and caring for a wealthy girl who was sent on a mission more suited for a seasoned politician. Instead, I find it concealed behind the innocent young face a clever, intelligent woman ready to defend her kingdom.”

Nice words, but not completely true. I lifted my chin to accept my failings gracefully. “That is not who stood before you two days ago.”

He turned back to the sea, as if something out there drew his eyes, as it did for all who travel by sea. He said softly, “Not to contradict my princess, but it was true two days ago. You just hadn’t freed the lion within you, yet.”