The Last Dragon: Book Three

CHAPTER TWENTY

Princess Elizabeth

As if by accident, Will brushed past me on the Gallant’s deck as I prepared to step on the gangplank. “Excuse me, Princess Elizabeth, I stumbled.”

He didn’t slow but departed the ship as if on a mission. Timor threw him a nasty look for pushing ahead, but I noticed Lady Grace’s eyes twinkled. That tiny incident told me Timor knew nothing of Will, but she did. She had also been appointed to accompany me by my father. Lady Grace was more than a scribe.

I now knew where her loyalties stood. My father was first, as was right and correct. I was second. With Timor, at least for the trip we were on, that may be reversed.

Will careened his way down the gangplank as if a little drunk and entered the crowd by shoving and pushing his way through. I was amused at first and surprised at his actions. My first thought was that he’d imbibed too much wine after killing two people on the ship the night before, then reconsidered. That didn’t fit what little I knew of him.

Will was making sure the crowd was friendly. He was placing himself in danger while clearing the way for me.

The sun glinted off an object that fell on the heavy planks of the pier. It was a knife that slipped from the hand of a man who turned and sprinted away as the knife fell. Somehow, Will had made his way to the man and forced the knife from him—all without being noticed. Will picked up the knife as if he’d dropped it and slipped it onto his tunic.

Lady Grace leaned close to my ear. “How did he know?”

I didn’t bother responding because I didn’t know the answer, either. However, there was a larger issue to think about. Yes, Will had disarmed a man, but if that man was waiting for me, why? Had he been there to kill me? If so, how had he known I’d be on the ship?

Will and I were going to have an intense conversation. Soon. Right after my hands stopped shaking and my knees were not threatening to buckle.

Timor said, “Princess, I will return as quickly as possible.”

He strolled down the gangplank almost innocently, the dispatch I’d drafted securely inside his vest. He would carry it to the palace and request a meeting with whatever person greeted visiting royalty. The dispatch would probably pass through several hands before someone arrived at the ship if things were done as in most kingdoms.

Vin was a very small principality of Kondor, the city on the coast constituting almost the entire population. It had been independent only a few years ago, but the larger Kondor had been expanding and without bloodshed brought Vin under its rule. The compromise had been good for both. Vin paid taxes to Kondor in return for protection from pirates and kingdoms that might find the tiny principality an easy target.

Instead of retreating to my cabin, I stood outside with Lady Grace and said, “Watch for any other unusual things. I had expected to arrive here by surprise and wonder how that man knew about me.”

“I’ve heard mages can talk over long distances.”

A glance from the corner of my eye revealed she was serious. If that was true, as I believed, how did she know?

“They say many things. Most are not true.”

Lady Grace said, “When I was young, there was a woman in Crestfallen who was rumored to be a sorceress.”

“And?” I demanded.

“My mother had me befriend her. She broke a leg, and we cared for her. While healing, I watched over her, and she talked to me. My mother watched over her daily. During that time, she had a fever and talked about it, the mages traveling, I mean. My mother went to the king with the information because he was interested in anything concerning mages.”

Loyalties often run deep and cover generations. The revelation provided me with insights into palace intrigue I’d never known existed. I guessed that my father had wanted to know more about mages and probably sorceresses, as well. He might have sniffed out the beginnings of the plan to eliminate him, or he may have simply realized things behind the scenes were occurring over which he had no knowledge or power.

“Did you find anything else of interest?”

“Small things. Often half-heard or whispered while the fever held her. Twice, there were mentions of messages sent or received over long distances. We also heard that once a mage arrived at the gates of Crestfallen from a far land. It happened the king had army posts along the River Road all the way to Mercia and the sea looking for a man who killed a cousin of ours, so all travelers were stopped and questioned. The king had each officer posted on the road come to Crestfallen to meet with him. I heard none had seen the mage arrive on any ship and none had traveled the many days on the River Road to reach the palace.”

“Then how?” I asked.

“It was as if he arrived out of thin air along the road less than a half-day’s walk from Crestfallen. Several people were there when questioned. He insisted he’d traveled from Dagger, but was unable to explain why nobody on the road saw him. Later, he was asked how he enjoyed the white city of Mercia.”

“Mercia was never white,” I corrected her.

“You and I know that. He didn’t. You father can be very sneaky, especially when learning about magic.”

Less than a half-day’s walk from Crestfallen. I pictured the road in my mind. That would be near the Waystone. A place said to be magic. Lady Grace was coy. She knew that as well as me. For the first time, she was willingly sharing information that was not in common knowledge. “Magic?”

“Perhaps something else. Who knows? But to arrive in Dire and not be seen traveling from the only port all the way to Crestfallen implies one of two things. The first is that a person would have to be very good at concealing himself for the long journey, and for what reasons? The second is something else—which includes magic.”

“What else do you know?”

She said as she shifted her eyes to show me where, “If you look into the crowd on the pier near that food vendor selling the wonderful smelling meat-on-sticks, there is a man in the same brown robes as others, but he manages always to be concealed behind another person. A shift of his hip, a turn of his shoulder. Accidental? Maybe. But I don’t think so.”

I glanced to where she indicated and found nothing unusual. Then, a man moved, and as if another’s shadow, one behind also moved, the same direction, the same amount. “This has been going on a while?”

“I noticed him earlier but wasn’t sure he was hiding until recently.”

Again, why would someone hide as he obviously was doing, unless he was watching something or someone on the Gallant? And perhaps I was paranoid. But the knife that had fallen to the pier as Will passed by had not been a manifestation of my paranoia. Will had spotted the other man and probably made the knife fall.

That made two men on the pier who either watched or waited for me.

I turned my attention from the small crowd on the pier still assembled, even though the passengers who were going ashore had done so. They had departed to the city. It was clean and smelled different, but all towns and cities have their own scents. The streets were paved with brown slabs of rock, the walls of the buildings the same.

Most buildings beyond the cavernous warehouses near the docks, were two-story, with shops, barns, stores, or workplaces on the bottom floor. Stairs on the sides took residents up to their homes. The roofs were uniformly made of gray slate, split and overlapped. A single small chimney for cooking testified to the warm climate, and many of the ovens were outside on porches.

While the women wore long robes of various colors, the men almost all wore brown, the same color as the desert sand. Many seemed to have a splash of color in the form of a scarf. I wondered at wearing the scarfs in the heat until I noticed they were used to wipe sweat from the brow and face. They covered the neck to prevent sunburn, and I saw more than one wrap them around their heads and cover their mouths, a useful item in blowing sand. Without looking closer, I’d bet the material was thin enough to see through while protecting the eyes.

The robes made everyone look alike.

They also made visitors instantly stand out.

I felt conspicuous and was. However, I put aside my immediate idea of sending Lady Grace to purchase similar clothing to the natives. I was a princess from a foreign kingdom and should stand out. It was part of my identity, now. My chin needed to be held high, and I should have brought along rings, necklaces, and bracelets to indicate my position.

“They all look alike,” Lady Grace said as if reading my mind.

I turned to her and found the trace of a smile on her lips. “Did my father send anything with you for me to wear?”

“He did. Gowns and jewelry. I think he may have also sent a tiara your mother wore to official engagements.”

“You think?”

“Okay, I opened the chest and peeked. He said to keep it until, and if, you needed it. Instead of blending in with the locals, I think you should consider standing out. It will give you a little more distinction and maybe draw respect.”

She was right, of course. I didn’t like my father or his appointees doing my thinking for me, but in this case, all of them had been right. In addition to my new, stronger attitude, a few baubles wouldn’t hurt.

My friend, Frisian who had eaten dinner with me approached. He nodded, glanced at Lady Grace as if he needed her permission to come closer, and then when I nodded for him to continue, he said, “Are you going ashore?”

“I hope to,” I said.

“Hope? I can escort you if there is a problem. I know Vin well.”

“It’s not that. I’ve asked for a meeting with the city leaders and hope to hear from them.”

“Official business?” he asked.

I nodded. We were facing the pier again, my eyes on the sneaky man who still had not fully shown himself.

Frisian said, “The political climate here has changed in the last few years. You may not be welcome.”

“Then, I will not go ashore. However, a time may come when Vin might want the support of Dire, and this would be the time to discuss a mutual treaty. In the future, Dire may demand more than a fair share—or even refuse to help.”

He considered my words and seemed to appreciate the implied threat within them. “I know a few people of influence here. If the city leaders refuse to deal with you, perhaps some of those friends of mine may wish to meet.”

That was an interesting idea. Could an agreement of sorts be made with them? There might be benefits for both, but then I thought that if the situation were reversed, what would my father’s reaction be? I didn’t think he would approve of a foreign dignitary arriving on our shores and making formal agreements with the citizens of Dire.

“Anything official would offend the local rulers.”

“Would an unofficial meeting offend?” he asked.

I liked Frisian and had enjoyed our conversation and meal together. However, his insistence in meeting friends of his was putting me off and raising suspicions about our innocent meeting. Below the surface lurked an objective I hadn’t detected before. While it might benefit Dire, it might not.

What troubled me most, was that he had effectively concealed his intentions during our earlier meeting. I might feel slighted or insulted on a personal level, but this felt like more. An air of deception had crept into our brief relationship. Paranoia again? Perhaps.

A glance at Lady Grace found she wore a disapproving expression and kept her eyes averted. She might do the same with any man I met with, but I doubted it. I’d ask her when Frisian departed, which I suddenly wanted him to do.

I said as I turned my back to him, “Thank you for the invitation. I’ll consider it and get word to you if interested.”

His heels pounding the wooden deck of the ship were loud and crisp. A slight disturbance in the distance near the buildings drew our attention. A carriage pulled by twin mares with coats so shiny they may well have been polished drew near. Timor sat in it, his arm waving a greeting and a smile on his face.

The crowd on the pier parted, and I noticed the lurker slinking off to enter a small alley between two buildings. Timor leaped to the ground, spoke briefly to the driver, and hurried up the gangplank to us.

He said with a wide grin, “Three of the council have agreed to meet with you after the noon meal. An informal meeting, to get to know each other.”

I exchanged a disagreeable look with Lady Grace and stepped a half-step behind her, so she could answer. She said imperiously, “After the noon meal? Princess Elizabeth is invited to meet with three of them after they enjoy their meal? She is not invited to dine with them?”

His smile dissolved with the acid dripping from each of her words. His gaze lowered, and he offered as an excuse, “Only three are available.”

Lady Grace placed a calming hand on Timor’s forearm and continued in a friendlier voice, “Princess Elizabeth would have to be trussed and carried to the carriage for the meeting after this insult. It is a slight not only to her but to the entire kingdom of Dire. The Gallant sails with the morning tide and Vin will be the lesser for this diplomatic outrage. Go tell them that—after the noon meal.”

“And then what?” Timor asked.

“Our princess may consent to receive them here at the ship, where there will be no meal or refreshments since they have already eaten, however meeting with three of the nine is a trivial attempt she will not endure. A minimum of a majority of five will attend, or she will be too busy preparing for a meeting with the Council of Nine for Dagger, the capital of Kondor and not a tiny outpost like Vin, where I’m sure there will be all nine in attendance.”

“Do you expect me to say all that?” Timor exploded, his face red.

Lady Grace said coolly, “Expect? No, Timor, my princess demands it of you. While it may be difficult, remember she is empowered to take your head. I suggest that you do not forget a single word.”

He looked at me, eyes wide.

“You have heard my decision, and Lady Grace has stated my position perfectly. Please come to my cabin when you return to tell me of their response.”