The Dragon Rises Page 22

  “What happened?” He pulled away from her. There was a shout and the sound of guards approaching, but his gaze never wavered from searching hers. “Why did they abduct you?”

  “They were taking us to Stefan,” Reva explained. “There were rumours that he would drink blood. I think he believes that if he kills all the other dragons and drinks our blood, he will gain our powers.”

  “That is ridiculous,” Sam scoffed.

  “It is. But he has a following.” Reva shook her head. “I have to tell Luca. Stefan is pretending to be a god, Sam, and people believe him.”

  “Reva.” Luca’s voice cut between them, and she turned.

  He was standing nearby, staring at her with his chest heaving. It was clear from his red face that he had run all the way through the keep. He gazed at her as if he, too, had never expected to see her again.

  “Luca.” Reva saw Sam look away as she went to Luca. His feelings about Luca were obvious, but Reva was not sure what she felt any longer. No matter what Sam thought, Luca had been very dear to Reva once. What she did know was that she meant to be his advisor. She would sort it all out, she thought. Somehow.

  She did not have to decide yet, surely.

  “I thought you were dead,” Luca said. He stepped close to Reva and spoke quietly. “I thought you were dead and I would never have the chance to make things right with you.”

  “What do you mean?” Reva looked up at him. Hope stirred in her chest.

  “You were right,” Luca told her. “I have been a fool. The Gardens must be shut down. I cannot be a king who uses people. I have never wanted to be that sort of man.” To her surprise, he shot an angry look at Serena, but then he looked back at Reva. “The people on my council are jaded. They speak of these matters as if there are no human lives at stake. But you, Reva, were honest with me. I could not stop thinking about the look on your face when you learned what I had done. You were right. Stay here. Advise me.”

  “Of course I will advise you,” Reva said with a laugh. “Luca, we shared so much when we were children. I know you never wanted any of this, but you will make a good king, and I will be glad to help you in any way I can.”

  “Any way?” he asked her.

  “Yes. Luca—”

  “Reva.” He clasped her hands. “It has been many years since we were betrothed, but do you think you might still care for me?”

  “Of course I care for you.” The words were automatic. “Luca, I will always care for you. You are….”

  Her words trailed off as he knelt in the dust of the courtyard.

  No. But she could not seem to move, and his face was shining when he looked up at her.

  “Lady Reva Avalon,” he said. “We were betrothed once, and we were happiest then. We have always been destined to be together, Reva. I truly believe that. Marry me, Reva. Be my queen.”

  The blood drained from her face as she saw her childhood friend kneeling before her. He was a man now, and she no longer knew what kind of man. He was a king, or soon to be, and she did not yet know what kind of king. When she thought of her future with him, she imagined chains.

  But he was her king, and they were surrounded by other people. She could not refuse a king. Could she?

  And then there was Reyalon, the plague, Stefan, the Gardens, and Estala. All a mess, all requiring sacrifice and bravery to fix. She thought of Daniel and his mother and the men who had protected them at Holt’s Hill. No king had done right by those people. If she married Luca, she could advise him. She could push him in the right direction when he was falling short. She could help the people of Estala.

  There was only one answer. She knew that.

  “Yes,” Reva stammered. She did not look over at Sam. She could not bear to. But her gaze came to rest on Tania, and she saw the sudden hurt on the woman’s face.

  Reva forced a smile as Luca laughed and spun her around, then held up her hand in front of the people gathered there.

  It was wrong, all wrong, but she did not know how to make it right.

  Serena

  Serena made her way quickly down the hallway toward one of the council chambers. After the previous day’s excitement, no council meeting had been held today, but she was eager to make strides in the business of the realm. She had gone to find Brother Raphael, but he had already left the infirmary. She smiled slightly at the thought. He never rested, even when he really should. She intended to tease him for that when she saw him next.

  To her surprise, when she entered the room, it was not only Lord Rokkan who was waiting for her, but also Reva and the man Serena recognised as Geraldo. Geraldo was glowering and Rokkan looked uncertain, but Reva stood with a smile to kiss Serena’s cheek.

  Serena smiled back. She was glad to see Reva looking well. When Luca had proposed marriage the day before, Serena had seen shock and uncertainty on Reva’s face, and she did not want a royal marriage to be entered into without both parties being enthusiastic. She had always liked Reva, though, and she would be glad to have the woman as a sister-in-law. Reva had returned from her travels stronger and wiser by far than her seventeen years.

  “I hope you do not mind,” Reva said, “but after coming from the countryside, I simply could not sit and wait for business to resume. I heard you were meeting with Lord Rokkan, and I thought Geraldo and I might lend our aid.”

  Geraldo grunted, halfway between assent and a grumble.

  “Forgive me for asking,” Lord Rokkan said curiously, “but why do you think you can help with military matters?”

  Serena tried not to wince. The bluntness that served Rokkan well in leading soldiers was hardly conducive to the smooth running of the court.

  But Reva did not take offense. “I do not know much of military matters, it is true, but Geraldo does. He leads the Menti who trained Luca, and the two of you can coordinate to use Menti to best augment the troops Luca already has. Meanwhile, I can tell you about the conditions in many regions of Estala.”

  Rokkan’s heavy brows rose. “Well enough, then.” He gave them a businesslike nod. “Where do we start?”

  Serena poured out a velvet pouch of metal markers and began setting them in place. “The most important thing is that we now know Stefan is in the countryside, gathering converts not as himself, but under the pseudonym ‘the Lord.’ We knew of this person but did not realise who he was. He must have recovered quite quickly from his illness.”

  “How does he propose to take the throne without telling them who he is?” Rokkan asked.

  “He claims to be Anios reborn.” Serena could not keep the derision out of her voice. “He always was inclined to tell dramatic stories. If you want the truth, I think Brother Mikkel has encouraged him too much. Perhaps Mikkel is even behind this farce. He was always a bit of a fanatic. I thought it was simply a political tactic.”

  Geraldo stirred at that. “Power goes to a person’s head,” he said gruffly. “It may have started as a lie, and then he began to believe it.”

  Serena looked at him with new respect. Based on one or two brief meetings, Geraldo seemed ill-tempered as a general rule, but apparently he was not unaware of human nature.

  “Either way, the man is bad news.” Geraldo shook his head. “It doesn’t matter whether he’s just a politician or a lunatic. He’s still making things worse for the Menti. They’ll be burning suspected Menti in all the villages soon if he doesn’t stop. Horseshit like this is why I hid the others away.”

  Serena and Rokkan exchanged a look. She could tell from Rokkan’s expression that he had never considered such a thing. Neither of them had. The Menti had once been an enemy, and now they apparently were not—but to Menti, the world was still a dangerous place full of enemies.

  “I have to agree,” Reva said quietly. “We would not have dared tell anyone what we were. Luckily, no one expected us to know why the Ulezi had captured us, but if they had pressed for an explanation, we would have lied. It would be the only safe way. Anytime I see people in robes, I am worried it is t
he sisters coming for me again.” She paused and cleared her throat. “Out there, people are desperate. They are doing things they would never otherwise consider. When the harvest is bad and there is a plague and your family is dying, you might think there is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained by following someone like Stefan. He claims that his followers will cleanse the earth, and that when Anios is appeased, the plague will stop. It does not matter if people hated Menti before this or not. They will sacrifice them for the chance to save their own families.”

  “That is hardly a military matter,” Rokkan objected.

  “No?” Reva looked at him clear-eyed. “Stefan is winning the whole countryside to his cause, Lord Rokkan. If he succeeds, Luca might win the war but face insurrection at every turn. We need more than a military plan. We need goodwill and good information.”

  Serena chewed her lip. “I know Tinian’s generals were advising that Luca send the soldiers to help in the fields until there was a confirmed army to fight against. They would bring food and medicine with them, and then help with the harvest.”

  “That is not a bad idea.” Reva nodded. “The people in the villages were very kind to me when they knew I was a lady of the court, but it was clear they did not expect us to do anything to help them. They said kings are concerned with grand conquests, not small matters like making sure they have enough to eat.”

  “That is not true!” Serena was horrified.

  “I did not think it was true, either,” Reva said quietly. “When I was a child, my family had a good relationship with our tenants. They could come to speak to us. When I came to Nesra’s Keep, I thought it was the same here. But the people out in the rural areas do not feel that way, and it cannot simply have been because of Stefan. I think your father’s wars against the Menti seemed to them like the matters of kings instead of common folk. The sort of event they had to pay for in taxes and send men to fight for, but that did not change their lives at all for the better.” She saw Serena’s anger and met her eyes. “I am sorry for saying so, Serena, but it is true.”

  “I know.” Serena turned away and dropped her head into her hands. “I know. You were never one to say things simply to shock. But, Reva, we have fought so hard to give the people a good life. Even my father. He truly believed the Menti were a threat. Can you not see that?”

  Reva pressed her mouth into a thin line. “What he did was terrible,” she said, “whether or not he believed it. I could excuse him for the war or the Gardens of Anios, but not both. He was what the people believed him to be. He killed the Menti for a grand gesture, and then let them live because they brought in coin. We cannot repeat mistakes like that if we want to have the support of the people. We will not deserve it.”

  Lord Rokkan broke the tension in the air. He stood and began to shift markers into place with a practiced eye.

  “We will use priests for the aid,” he said dismissively. “They are always going on about service and vows of poverty. Let them work in the fields and offer comfort—true comfort, not wild promises—and take medicines to the sick. Now that we know where Stefan is, we do not need to wait him out with our forces dispersed.”

  Their fight forgotten, the rest clustered around the table.

  “What we need,” Rokkan explained, “is a good way to lure Stefan out without sacrificing our army or the city. Luca pointed out at the start that a dragon could wreak havoc on infantry. Any large gathering will be vulnerable.”

  “That is not a bad way to lure him into a trap, though,” Geraldo pointed out. “I’ve a water wielder you could use, and Joss can turn air. Buffet the dragon about, and we could neutralise his flame and hold him in place for crossbows.”

  “Now, there is a thought.” Rokkan nodded decisively. Serena had the idea that he was enjoying this. To him, Menti were not good or bad as a general rule, simply another weapon he could use. He liked figuring out the puzzle of how to place them.

  “Have Luca ride out to meet him,” Geraldo suggested. “Don’t let Stefan get to the gates. He’ll have to come to us immediately, but the longer he waits and gathers support, the worse for us. Instead of letting him into the castle, we ride out over the next few days without him knowing, coalesce quickly, and force him into an encounter.”

  “Leaving Nesra’s Keep undefended,” Rokkan argued.

  Geraldo hesitated.

  “You have never defended a castle, have you?” Rokkan asked. There was no particular dislike there, only facts. “Stefan might be desperate. He might be gathering the goodwill of the people in the hope that he can force Luca to step down by turning the country against him. Perhaps this is his plan, but I am not certain. I do not like it. If I had to guess, I would say he is planning something more. Maybe it is mercenaries. Maybe it is something else. He had supporters in the army. Where did they go?”

  Serena swallowed as she stared down at the map. Somewhere, hidden out there, was an army. An army in the hands of one man who might well be a lunatic and another who was a power-hungry murderer.

  “What about this?” Geraldo said after a moment. “We station some of your finest soldiers in the throne room and Luca’s chambers—the places Stefan would go if he came to the keep. Give them iron in abundance. Sew it into nets, put it on their armour. If he takes the keep, they will kill him. The Menti will be outside the gates with the troops. They’ll sweep down like this, and the Xanti ships will spread along the coast to keep them pinned with cannon fire.”

  “I like that,” Rokkan said. He was smiling.

  “Do not forget, you have three dragons.” Reva looked between them. “I do not know much about tactics, but if you can give us a clear shot, we can mob Stefan.”

  Working quickly, the four of them drew up the plans to present to Luca the next day. Notes were taken and diagrams were drawn. For the first time in a few days, Serena felt her chest unknot. They could do this. With Reva back, they had a steadying influence on Luca, and even if Rokkan did not lead the troops, he could still lend his expertise.

  When Stefan attacked, they would be ready.

  Reva

  Reva walked slowly along the edge of the garden. To anyone watching her, she was a graceful, noble young lady of the court wearing a beautiful dress. Her skirts swirled around her feet elegantly, and she made sure not to hurry. She smiled at the guards as she went past, and they tipped their heads to her in response.

  Luca had said the guards were glad that Reva had returned and would be their queen. In response to that, Reva had said nothing. She was doing that a lot now.

  Since her return two days ago, she had avoided Luca as much as possible. For now, she was able to do so. She did not know how much longer that would last, however, and he was eager for her advice on all matters. He had spoken to her of Serena’s meddling, which to Reva sounded like nothing more than good sense, the sort of thing Luca should have welcomed. The betrothal of Oriana and Alberto was a good move, in her opinion. Luca had also spoken to her of Stefan and the army, hoping that Reva would agree with him that he should face Stefan alone.

  She was hesitant to advise him now. She was afraid that if she spoke to him too often, she would let slip the fact that she was not sure that their betrothal was a good idea. In that moment in the courtyard, she had seen herself helping bring Estala back to its former glory, but now that she had had time to think about the betrothal, she was not so certain. Did kings listen to their queens? Could she spend her life in servitude to him?

  Reva was no longer sure she wanted to be a queen. She had spent so much time as a nobody that she had found she liked being able to speak her mind and go where she willed. Being shut up in Nesra’s Keep, knowing that the people were suffering, did not seem like a good life to her anymore.

  But what could she say to Luca? His pride was so fragile these days, and she knew he would be a kind husband. He would not beat her if she spoke back to him, like Francis had. He would not beat her if she failed to produce sons. She was very sure that, unlike King Davead, Luca wo
uld not take many queens in order to beget as many heirs as possible.

  She had enjoyed being out in the world on her own, but the truth was, she also knew how lucky she would be to marry Luca. A kind man at home and food on the table was worth a great deal to many people. She should not be selfish.

  Sam…

  Reva stopped and pressed her head into her hands.

  “My lady?” One of the guards sounded worried. “Are you well?”

  Reva looked up with a forced smile. “I am, thank you. I fear I have a headache, is all.”

  She should go back to her rooms and be sensible about this, but now that she had allowed herself to think of Sam, she could think of nothing else. She nodded to the guards and made for the end of the garden, where a gate and a shallow flight of stairs led to a walkway around the edge of the main courtyard. The ambassadors’ quarters were nearby. Sam and Carlia had been spending most of their time there with the other Menti.

  When she reached the courtyard, Reva stopped dead. Sam and Carlia were standing amidst a flurry of activity. Packs heavy with food and water were being loaded onto horses. Bedrolls lay atop them, and waxed cloth Reva recognised as a tent.

  “Sam!” She ran across the courtyard, heedless of anyone watching her. “Sam, what is going on? What are you doing?”

  He swallowed as he looked at her. He had been growing more confident over the past few weeks, to the point that she could see the man he would be. Right now, he looked as young as he truly was.

  “We are leaving,” he said shortly.

  “Sam.”

  Something in her tone made him smile sadly. He gave the reins of his horse to Carlia and came to draw Reva away.

  “I told you I would not be my father,” he said to Reva. “And then I tried to hide us away and the Ulezi found us anyway.”

  “It is still safer here,” Reva began.

  Sam shook his head. “For us, maybe. But what about the newest dragon? Mount Zean has erupted. Your line knew what it was, as did mine, but I have never heard any whispers of dragon shifters in the royal house of Estala. My parents would have mentioned it if they knew, too. And with Zean erupting, I think another line has come to power, one that was dormant for many years. Whoever it is, they do not understand their powers, and they do not understand the danger they are in. We have to help them.”