Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III

“It is all right, Melicard! I-” The queen had no chance to say more, for the tall form of her husband suddenly enveloped her.

“I just spoke with the guards protecting Lynnette! Curse those drakes! I’ll have the whole bunch of them slaughtered, with that snake who would sit on the throne beheaded before the entire city!”

“Melicard!” Erini’s eyes were wide with fear, but fear for her husband and her people, not for herself. “You will do no such thing! Think what that would mean! The rest of the Dragon Kings would see no choice but to fall upon Talak with their full combined might!”

“I do not care!”

“But it was a mistake! The drake did nothing! He was lost and happened to wander too near. The sentries saw him and mistook his presence for a threat, but he was only trying to find his way back to the others. If anyone was in danger, it was him! Just ask Cabe or Gwendolyn.”

Melicard turned his unsettling gaze toward Cabe, who was forced to steel himself when the unseeing, elfwood orb fixed on him. “What is she saying?”

“The truth,” the warlock responded. He did not allow the king any time to argue. “It was a servitor drake. They’re more inclined to work than assassinate. This one was scared out of his wits. Your guards did their duty,” he added, not wanting to sound too recriminating, “but in this case they had nothing to fear.”

“Where is this . . . lizard?”

“Darkhorse led him back to the others. Both my wife and I will vouch for the drake, Melicard.”

“As will I, husband.” The queen forced the hesitant ruler to look at her again. “It was nothing. Perhaps the guards still worry because they are not used to even the presence of a drake in the city, but they were wrong if they told you that I was attacked.”

The king stilled, but the tension had by no means left him. Why did this have to happen now? wondered Cabe.

Baron Vergoth dared speak. “Shall we locate this drake, my lord? Question him ourselves?”

Melicard stared at his bride. Erini gave him a look of defiance. “No, Baron. Not this time. It seems we were mistaken.”

The aristocrat looked rather disappointed, but he nodded.

“Thank you,” whispered Erini. She hugged her husband, then gave him a light kiss. “And thank you for your concern.”

“I would give up all of Talak if it meant your safety.”

“Let’s hope it will never come to that, then, shall we? I think the people deserve better.”

With some effort, the king turned to the Bedlams. “I thank you two for your assistance in this matter. I also apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you.”

The sorcerer would have liked to have said something concerning the fact that the one who had suffered the most inconvenience was the drake Osseuss, but such a bald statement would not have sat well with the king. Instead, he replied, “I hope that this doesn’t make Kyl more reluctant.”

Beside him, Gwen gasped. For once, he had thought of the ramifications before she had.

Melicard, too, saw the possible consequences. “I will have a most sincere message relayed to the Lord Kyl. You also might inform him of my regrets, should you see him before the messenger does.”

“As you wish.” Cabe was too relieved about Melicard’s acquiescence to point out that he was hardly at the beck and call of Talak’s master. “I’m glad that everything is back to normal.”

“Nothing will be back to normal until those drakes are gone,” the lord of the mountain kingdom snapped. “Even after that happens, I doubt if we will ever be able to relax! For the sake of my family and my people, I hope that I am wrong, but the history of the drakes, at least during my lifetime, has been fraught with nothing but troubles.”

“Hopefully,” interjected the Lady Bedlam, “this visit will alter that.”

“Yes . . .” Melicard squeezed his wife hard, but his eyes never left the mages. “I hope it will, but you would all be wise to remember what I said earlier: if I find any proof, any at all, of a threat to either my family or my kingdom, I will take the drakes, no matter what the cost, and execute each and every one of them . . . beginning, I think, with Lord Kyl.” Melicard released Erini and began to turn toward Baron Vergoth and the guardsmen. “Now if you will excuse me, I have a reception to prepare for.”

The king, trailed by his men, stalked away, leaving in his wake three silent, thoughtful figures.

VIII

Throughout the day and into the evening, various folk in the kingdom of Talak were greeted with an unsettling sight. Before them they would suddenly find the dread legend known as Darkhorse. The demon steed appeared in the alleys of the dankest parts of the city, the open fields of the surrounding countryside, and even among the silent ancestors of the king laid to rest in the royal necropolis. Those who stayed around long enough to observe the shadowy form might have noticed how the glittering, blue eyes of Darkhorse took in everything, as if the legendary creature was seeking something. Yet, whatever it was, Darkhorse did not appear to find it. Through the day and into the evening the shadow steed searched, reluctantly foregoing his quest only when light finally gave in to darkness.

There was, after all, a reception he had been requested to attend.

If things are going so well, then why does it seem as if everyone in the room is about to burst from tension?

Cabe sipped his drink and watched the proceedings. Kyl, flanked by Erini and Melicard, was being introduced to various members of the kingdom’s aristocracy and civilian leadership. The king knew the importance of maintaining a balance between the two groups. In Talak, the divisions between the aristocracy and the upper-class merchants were less strict than they were in some kingdoms. Living under the continual shadow of the Dragon Emperors had a way of drawing people together. That, however, did not mean that the two groups did not constantly attempt to gain some advantage over one another.

Kyl was not a lone drake among humans, however. Next to the monarchs were both Grath and the Green Dragon. Grath followed every introduction with avid interest, while the Dragon King kept a wary eye on everyone. Farther back, an honor guard consisting of a dozen drake warriors, Faras and Ssgayn first and foremost among them, stood at attention, willing to take on the entire palace if need be. While outnumbered by the Talakian guardsmen, Cabe had no doubt that the drakes, if given the opportunity, would be able to wreak great carnage in defense of their lords.

As a sorcerer of renown, Cabe had not needed to dress for this occasion, but Gwendolyn had insisted on it. Therefore, the mage now wore a dark, dignified outfit akin to those once worn in the courts of Mito Pica. Cabe considered himself a survivor of that kingdom, his foster father having raised him in the wooded lands surrounding the city. The outfit consisted of dark blue pants and coat and a high-collared shirt of gray. Black, shin-length boots completed the conservative suit. In truth, the suit would have been considered conservative even in Mito Pica, for the sorcerer had decided to forego the more decorative aspects of his former kingdom’s tastes. Even doing that, however, did not make the suit anything a proper mage should wear.

The Lady Bedlam, however, was by no means so reserved. She was clad in a dazzling gown of emerald and pink that had many of the elite of Talak looking a bit on the shabby side. Cabe could not think of another woman in the ballroom who was more beautiful, more resplendent, than his wife, an opinion he suspected was shared by many of the male merchants and aristocrats, for some of them seemed almost as attentive to her as they were to either their monarchs or the drake heir.

Yes, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, but now and then Cabe would catch a frown or a surreptitious glare among those gathered. Just enough to keep him tense.

The last of the introductions were made. After a short conversation with the king and queen, Kyl turned to Lord Green and said something. The Dragon King shook his head, but Kyl was adamant. At last, the Green Dragon nodded.