The Last Dragon: Book Three

CHAPTER TWO

Princess Elizabeth

“Please excuse the interruption, Princess Elizabeth,” the ship’s purser said in a mannerly way. “The captain sends his regards and asks if you have any requests of him or the ship?” I’d been musing over our situation and sorely missing the company of Damon and Kendra who had departed to take the overland route to Dagger.

The normally arrogant purser on the Gallant had quietly approached as I stood at the rail overlooking the still burning city of Trager in the distance across the wide bay. His manner was respectful, as always, his eyes tired from remaining awake and on guard against citizens of Trager hoping to flee by boarding our ship during the fiery night. Panic had erupted as the city burned, with residents fleeing in all directions.

The captain sending the purser to ask me the question was not as outrageous as it might at first appear. The ship ran a regular route from Trager to Vin, to Dagger which was the capital of the Kondor Kingdom, and then returned to the Port of Mercia located in the kingdom my father ruled. If the captain intended to continue the lucrative circular trade route, he would please me—and thus my father.

“I wish to continue sailing to Vin if we can sail past that damned unmoving storm that has prevented us from going there.” I didn’t mention that Kendra had determined it was a mage-storm, created by mages located on ships located at sea behind the storm, to prevent me from reaching Dagger.

He nodded curtly. “I’ll tell him.”

That was unfair. I was also tired from staying up all night, as had the entire crew and all the passengers on the ship. We were out in the bay, where the ship sat lightly anchored so that it could be quickly pulled, and the ship could take to sail to safety if needed. In the distance lay the smoking ruins of what had been the port of Trager, only yesterday. Much of the city had burned this time, those portions not already blackened, and from the safety of the ship in deeper water, we’d all watched a city die. For our safety, the captain had moved the ship out into the bay during the night when the fires had first erupted—a wise and prudent move.

There were three things to be scared of during those dark hours. Foremost, were the approaching flames that could have burned and sunk the ship, followed closely by the rampaging dragon that knocked over buildings and could have just as easily stepped on, and broken our ship. Candles and lanterns had ignited the dry wooden buildings as the enraged beast trampled its way through the city. The last item was the most dangerous of all. It was escaping from the panicked residents of a city on fire, people who were looking to survive the night in any manner. While most had fled to the safety of upper Trager through the closed city gates intended to keep them down in their squalid lower part of the city. Many had appeared as frightened mobs at the harbor piers, and the hoped-for safety near the water, and possibly boarding a ship that could move to deeper water. The Gallant was the only one in port.

“Sir,” I called to his retreating back. The purser spun and hurried to my side again. I gave him no time to speak. “I apologize. I too have been up all night, and my temper is short. Tell our good captain that my wish is to sail out of the bay and into the open sea, again sailing south to Vin. If that endless storm is still there, we’ll decide what is best to do at that time.”

He bowed slightly and turned on a heel, as only well-trained people did when they faced my father at court. Two items stood out about the purser. First, he was always polite and exceedingly good at his job. Second, he was well-trained in courtly manners, unusual for a sailor. His history would make an interesting story.

The wind shifted, and the air that had smelled faintly of smoke changed to a choking mass of gray that burned my eyes and throat equally. I held my scarf to my nose and mouth, to filter the acrid smoke, for what little good it did.

Shouts from the old Bos’n drew my attention as he ordered men aloft as if the smoke never entered his lungs. Other sailors manned their stations near the rigging, as four mounted their spokes at the anchor windlass. A young crewman who regularly dealt with the passengers held his arms wide as he moved us to the stern like herding polite sheep, where he roped off the deck for the working crew.

The clatter of the anchor chain sounded as the topmast sail dropped into position. The Gallant had been unleashed, and the motion of the deck changed. Nearby, I heard a muffled cough. The personal guard that my father had assigned to protect me tried to conceal himself and his tasks at every opportunity. Now he wanted my attention.

Will, was his name. Short for William, or Captain Pershing, late of my father’s Royal Army. I did not personally know him but knew of him. He’d served my father well, earning a lifetime title that would only expire with his passing, however, while Will was alive he was treated as if royalty, given lands to farm, and servants to help. Sometimes appointments like his are bestowed to commoners for extraordinary service. None dared question his service to my father, the king. The wrath of my father would descend as quickly as the blade of an executioner.

“I see you hiding over there,” my voice was soft, intended for his ears alone.

“You heard me cough but didn’t see me. Damn this smoke.”

I faced the direction of the voice, and even though my eyes could not see him well, I spoke as if I could, thinking that might confuse him slightly. Toying with one so skilled at deception and blending into the background had its rewards on a boring sea voyage. “You have two masters, Will. What orders did my father give to you after I hired your services? And do you think me such a fool that I didn’t realize he thrust you at me as if it was my choice to hire you?”

“Damon, Kendra, the cripple, and both little girls left the ship before the dragon attacked Trager.” He ignored my question as he filled me in on what my friends had done.

“Before?” I heard my confused voice.

“Yes. I saw them safely off, in a large rowboat. The dragon didn’t attack until sometime after they were gone.”

Pausing to consider the strange tales concerning my friends, I said, “Do you think the incidents connected?”

“Why would I think that?” he asked, seeming genuinely confused at why I would ask the question.

To cover my slip of the tongue about Kendra and the dragon, I said, “The two things happened the same night.”

He said, after a slight delay, “The dragon looked like the same one that killed the Wyvern in the afternoon. It is more reasonable to think the true-dragon is demented, hungry, or angry. Maybe it believed more Wyvern roosted in the city and it hates them. How could the escape of your servants and the city burning be connected, if I may ask?”

“They couldn’t,” I snapped too quickly for my ears. Then I quickly added, “Is the smoke clearing?”

“Not over the city, I think. But the ship is pulling away from the shore. I think we will see and breathe easier in a short time.”

I fixed him with what I hoped was a stern and officious glare. “You evaded my question. What orders from my father that I do not know about are you following?”

A momentary breeze cleared the smoke between us. He was not smiling. “I am to ensure your safety above all else, even my own. If required, in my opinion, I have his orders to bind you, throw you over my shoulder, and carry you on foot all the way back to Dire.”

At last, the truth. Will would carry me across the sea on his shoulder if required. The words sounded like the king, my father. He’d also given me instructions to locate and speak with the king of Kondor, if possible. If not, perhaps I could get a message to the king without the knowledge of the Council of Nine. He’d given me other tasks as well, and I had managed to get Damon and Kendra aboard the ship, too. He would be proud.

“I hardly think that will be necessary,” I said with a snigger.

He said, “We both hope so, but I gave my sworn word.”

“You will do as I order?”

His answer was immediate. “With my life . . . as long as it does not conflict with your father’s orders.”

I faced away from him to hide my smile. My father had his servants. I had mine. Kendra and Damon were going to try to reach Kondor by going on foot, taking a land route around the storm at sea. Perhaps from there, they could provide help for me, or even disperse the mages who were preventing the advancement of the Gallant. That the mages were so intent on preventing me from reaching the King of Kondor was becoming more evident with everything we learned, but not why.

A council had replaced the king, all the rumors said, but they didn’t say if the king was dead or alive. My father had nearly fallen into the same trap, and he sent me to offer the help of Dire in defeating the mages, should the rightful king still be alive. He was a distant cousin I’d never met, but no matter. My job was diplomacy until more information became available.

However, until reaching the capital of Kondor, the fabled city of Dagger, I could do nothing. As the ship moved deeper into the bay of Trager away from land, the smoke dissipated, and Will disappeared, as well. The sailors set more sails in the light breeze, the ship leaned to port, and the bow pointed at the opening that would carry us out of the bay and into the open sea.

I went to my cabin, a generous term for a space barely large enough for a bed, and smaller than my shoe closet at Crestfallen. I stored my clothing and personal items in the adjoining cabin. The people sent with me by my father on the mission included a scribe called Soren who thought well of himself and rumor said he deserved that credit.

Lady Grace was too polite, and barely royal, but the title was inherited even though she worked in the castle library as an administrator. I’d known her since childhood and trusted her with my life. The last was Soren, a minor scribe, but said to be more proficient than those twice his age. They were assigned as if I couldn’t tender a deal on my own or write it down. Each of them brought cases of scrolls, empty sheets of paper, pens, ink, and even bound books to refer to.

And of course, there was Will in the shadows. My personal and secret protector. I’d expected him to travel with Damon and Kendra. I had hinted he should, and look after them also, but he had one job above all others, which was to protect me. So, he refused to leave my side, or my door, or my back where he might be concealed at any moment. It made me self-conscious. If my butt needed scratching, Will would be there to see it.

He would also defend me with his life and what more could I ask? That all sounded optimistic. All of us had an important job to do in the strange land across the sea. After trying to nap in my cabin and failing, I returned to the deck and found it clear of smoke, more sails up, the deck again open for passengers to stroll and stretch their legs after being cramped in their tiny cabins. I walked outside and faced the wind, letting it blow my hair back from my face. Then I looked ahead to clear blue skies.

I turned to my right, to look off the starboard side of the ship and my eyes found the line of dark gray clouds sitting on the far horizon to the south, flashes of lightning like tiny lightning bugs in summer. I glanced up and found a single Wyvern circling high above. I had no doubt the mages controlled it. It was watching me, or so I believed since the eyes were far too weak and the Wyvern too high to tell—but it was my impression.

From the circles it flew, it was watching the ship, but that also meant me. That the creatures were being controlled in some unknown manner was becoming more obvious. I believed they provided the power for the mage’s magic to work like the true-dragon provided Damon his small-magic abilities, only it took far more of them to provide the same amount of Essence.

The thought of Damon and his small-magic always made me smile. I remembered the cocky young royal who bored me with his childish tales of how he would someday defeat all the enemies of Dire by commanding the great generals. At my signal, Damon had drawn the moisture from the outside of a bottle of wine and concentrated it on the material of the boy’s satin pants, at the groin, so it looked like he’d peed himself. As quickly as he noticed, the dull meeting was over.

Once, Damon had made a young royal, one who believed himself a great dancer, trip at a ball to the delight of every observer in Crestfallen. There had also been a girl my age who had tried to move in a boy I liked, and Damon had forced her to spill wine down her front. He’d performed such acts to protect and help me since our first meeting, often with hilarious outcomes. I felt the grin growing and tried to restrain it.

I missed him! And his sister, my best friend.

I felt as if the circumstances of becoming an adult were closing in and the fingers of them were tightening around my neck. They started to squeeze. I felt faint. And then, as if I was a child that sat again on my father’s knee as he instructed me in how to properly behave like a princess, I drew a deep breath, steeled my mind, and prepared to meet whatever challenges came my way.