The hours of the night slipped by as they practiced. Gersius made some progress growing in ability to Thayle's amazement. He could now hold an aura for about thirty seconds and could block them out altogether for a little longer.
While she congratulated him on his progress, he was still angry at how little control he had. The road ahead required a man who could lead. Not one who had to run and hide from everyone he saw.
With but a touch of Thayle's hand, he could focus the aura sight to a crisp ring of light around the body. Somehow being in contact with her made it possible to draw on her level of control. When he did, he was able to see any aura, no matter how bright it was. He could look at Lilly as easily as he could look at a cloud in the sky.
However, the sun was rising, and the time to meet this king was rapidly approaching. He hadn't mastered any level of control that would allow him to look the man in the eyes long enough to make his point. Thayle tried to comfort him and assure him she would be right at his side. He could take her hand any time he needed it and draw on her strength. He would have to in order to make it through this day.
He stood in the private wing of the tent dressing in his armor as Lilly led the acolytes in a worship service. Thayle was dressed and out speaking to Mingfe about what was going to happen. She was also checking on Shadros and testing him. Mingfe offered to try and break through his curse by loving him. It seemed silly to Gersius that a woman could simply choose to love somebody. Thayle joked that were it not so most men would never have a loving wife.
He thought about the love he and Lilly shared. Hadn't that been falling in love? Or did Lilly choose to love him? Thayle said Lilly had chosen. Once the bind was broken, she was angry and free to think for herself. In all that anger, Lilly still wanted to love him. She overlooked every reason why she should not and chose to do so anyway. It was a magical moment that changer their lives forever.
Would such a moment occur between Mingfe and Shadros? Could Mingfe choose to love a dragon that raged with anger and hatred? He hoped she would, if for better reason that to free Thayle from carrying his bind. The hatred Shadros poured out was so strong it made them all sick.
He buckled his arm plates on as he set his mind to the task ahead. He had to stand before this land’s king and assure him the kingdom was safe. Gersius had to stand as an emperor and make clear what he was doing. He needed to explain why he had a noble of the king's court put to death. He also needed to explain why he was stripping his kingdom of priests and priestesses. The loss of their healing and blessings would surely be felt. Then he needed to address why he was marching them on a much larger rival and potentially provoking a response. If this king were seen as supporting his campaign and Gersius lost, his kingdom might suffer.
Gersius knew this was a war between faiths, not kingdoms, but that line blurred when he declared himself emperor. Now he was seen as a ruler in exile returning to claim his throne. To many, this war was political, and the king had to pick a side.
Gersius let out a sigh as he stood up. There was only one way to make this work, and that was to impress on this man that Gersius could not fail. That the reward greatly outweighed the risk.
He heard Lilly dismiss the acolytes and begin clearing the tent. He could feel Thayle approaching and knew Lengwin would be here soon. With any luck, they would be before the king just afternoon and on the way back by nightfall.
“Can I come in?” Lilly called from the doorway to the room.
Gersius looked down at his feet before responding to her.
“I am ready, come in,” he said.
He heard the flap open as Lilly entered the room. She ran her hands around his neck to touch the only skin he had exposed.
“I can feel your apprehension,” she whispered. “You will do fine, you always do.”
“I will do my best, but sometimes my best isn’t enough. It would be easier if I could see properly.”
Lilly rubbed at his neck with gentle fingers. “When you were at the end of your rope and ready to give up, you captured a dragon and won her heart. This is hardly a stumbling stone to your feet.”
He smiled at the gentle encouragement and took a quiet moment to enjoy her touch. He could see the glow of her aura intruding into his vision, and his eyes started to sting. He closed them to end the strain and waited for Thayle to arrive.
She arrived a minute later with Lengwin, and Lilly left him in the meeting tent to change into her dragon form. While they waited, Lengwin paced like a caged animal muttering about the importance of this meeting.
“I should have sent emissaries of my own,” Lengwin said. “Approached the king in good faith and assured him this was not his fight.”
“It is his fight,” Gersius said. “We are stripping his land of his priests and priestesses. His peacekeepers will be gone, and no woman will come to bless his crops. His land will suffer for our passing, whether we mean him harm or not.”
“We need to consider what the Father Abbot might already have told the man,” Thayle said. “For all, we know he is being pressured all the way from Calathen.”
Gersius shook his head while keeping his eyes down.
“All we know is the Father Abbot considers his lack of response to be aiding us. We deal with that and make assurances that we will cause him no harm. Remember, we have not been summoned or threatened in any way. We are doing this as a sign of respect to his authority and answering any questions he has.”
He couldn't see them, but he knew they were nodding. He wanted to curse his misfortune over the aura sight. He knew that being able to look this king in the eyes and give him a firm vow of peace would go a long way. If that didn't move the man, then perhaps promises of trade and alliance with the new empire would.
“I'm ready,” Lilly said over the bind, and he led the way into the yard. Here they had to wrap his eyes with a cloth as Lengwin worried about what people would think.
“It's only till I get in the saddle with him,” Thayle said. “He can hold my hand and borrow my strength.”
“No,” Gersius replied. “Let us not tap into your strength unless we have to. I do not wish to risk your aura if we do not need to.”
“You are holding my hand the entire time we are there, and that's final,” Thayle said. “If you won't draw on my power, at least you can look through my eyes.’
“The king will likely not allow us both to approach him,” Gersius said.
“We are both Dragon knights,” Thayle insisted. “We go together!”
He could feel the pointlessness in arguing and nodded his silent agreement. It was difficult to get into the saddle without his sight, but soon they were settled. Lilly took to the sky and headed off to find the distant city and hopefully lay their worries to rest.
Gersius did look around as they flew. He held on to Thayle's hand and looked through her thoughts to see what she saw. He could also read every thought on her mind, and that included her worries.
“I can see all your concerns,” he said to make her aware he was watching.
She sighed, and he saw himself through her eyes as she glanced back at him.
“I can't help but worry. Look at the damage Rachel did with poisonous words. What power might his duke have had, and what damage could his son be doing?”
“We will know soon enough,” Gersius replied.
Thayle blinked and looked down at Lilly's long neck that reached out ahead of them. He was amused to feel her desire to reach out and feel the smoothness of her scales.
“You really do find her dragon form beautiful,” he whispered.
Thayle smiled, and he could feel her feelings surge. “This being constantly connected to you is strange. You're like my subconscious suddenly talking to me.”
He squeezed her waist with his other arm, the flexible scales of her armor bending so she could feel it.
“I think she is beautiful too,” he whispered. “When I first saw the color of her scales, I was speechless. I felt bad naming her Lilly because the flower did not do her beauty justice.”
Thayle laughed. “You are a silver-tongued charmer. I am telling her you said that.”
“Said what?” Lilly called back as she turned her head to look at them with one eye.
“I will let you know when we get back,” Thayle said. “You will want to kiss your husband.”
“Is this what you do when I am not around?” Lengwin asked.
Gersius started to laugh as he felt Thayle’s embarrassment over the bind.
“I forgot he was there!” Thayle said over the binding link.
“I regret High Priest Lengwin that my relationship with my wives is often full of tender moments. I will refrain from forcing you to endure them in the future,” Gersius said.
Lengwin shook his head from the rear of the saddle where he sat. “You are free to love your wives, and I am glad to know you do. You deserve such love, Gersius. You deserve it and more.”
“I wouldn’t mind more,” Thayle said with a smile.
“Two is enough,” Gersius replied.
“He just said you deserve more,” Thayle argued.
“You're not going to give up on this, are you?” he asked.
Thayle smiled and leaned back into him. “What kind of a man won't let his wives bring other women to his bed?”
“I do not want other women.”
“So, you would never consider another?” Thayle asked.
He played with the fingers of her hand and knew he couldn't lie to her. He would tell the truth, but he would make it clear how he felt.
“If there was a woman of special quality who I knew we all loved and deeply desired, I would not deny it. She would have to a treasure among treasures though and measure up to the wives I have now. Some girl from the camp or a pampered noblewoman will find no place in our house. She must be special and unique.”
Thayle smiled at the requirements. “So, Lilly and I are special and unique?”
“I can’t imagine any other woman like either of you,” he replied. “You are as unique and hard to find as the sword you wear at your hip.”
He could feel Thayle’s thoughts go to the one of a kind sword that hung at her waist. He could feel the warm sense of happiness that filled her to be compared to something so rare.
“And here I thought it was the gruff muscled appearance that snared them,” Lengwin said. “I had no idea he was a poet as well.”
Thayle laughed. “Gersius is a man of many talents.”
The trip lasted hours as they talked and joked to alleviate their worry. They even used the time to look through Lilly's eyes as she focused on things on the ground. Thayle and Gersius were amazed at what she could see and wondered if maybe they would gain such sight. Eventually, the towers of a distant city appeared, and their minds focused on the task ahead.
The City of Harlorin was a sprawling mass of buildings divided into districts by a river. They could see a massive park down one side and a series of walled estates on the other. The north end of the city went up a large hill until at its summit was a castle. It was made of the local gray stone and had spires that soared into the air. Lilly flew overhead, trying to stay above any arrows while they looked down to find a place to land.
“There,” Lengwin said, pointing to a tall block tower in the north wall. It had a large white banner trimmed in gold with a red star of Astikar. “Land in the yard behind that tower. We will use the priests there to help our entry into the city.”
Gersius gave his consent over the bind, and Lilly began to spiral down. Already masses of people began to fill the streets, pointing up as a dragon flew through their skies. Lilly pulled up, flapping her wings as she dropped the last twenty feet into a yard used for training behind the temple of Astikar.
In moments priests of the temple assembled as if preparing to attack.
“You men do nothing to threaten me, and I will not harm you,” Lilly said to their shock and awe.
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“Why are you assembling as if to attack?” Lengwin shouted as he stood up in the saddle. He Quickly dropped down and walked across the yard. He made sure his robes of red and white displayed his rank in the order. Heads turned and whispered among the guards as Lengwin marched up to the line of men.
“Stand down!” he ordered. “These are the dragon knights, and the dragon who has come to save the empire.”
The men lowered weapons slowly as Lengwin glared at them. “Where is your high priest?”
“High Priest Thador is in the castle, my Lord,” one of the men said.
“Why is he in the castle and not here?” Lengwin asked.
The gathered men looked down the line as the speaker as he looked down at his own feet.
“The king summoned him for counsel on what to do about them,” the man said, pointing to Lilly and the others.
Lengwin nodded. “Do you know who I am?”
The man nodded in reply.
“Do you know what I plan to do?”
Again the man nodded. “We received your letter a week ago.”
Lengwin nodded. “I expected your temple to be on the march to join us. Why are you still here?”
The man twisted unwilling to respond, so another spoke up.
“High Priest Thador ordered us to remain at our posts. He says you are not justified in your claims.”
“This could get worse,” Thayle said as she helped Gersius down. They were all listening to the exchange, and every word made the tension grow.
“This city has its own high priest,” Gersius said. “This man has no responsibility to obey Lengwin.”
“But isn’t Lengwin the regional high priest,” Thayle asked.
“We are outside his region,” Gersius said. “He warned us about the other high priest to the south as well.”
Thayle felt nervous as she took his hand so he could look through his eyes.
“What do you want me to do?” Lilly asked. “I can’t get out of this yard unless I fly out.”
“Look around for me,” Gersius said to Thayle. She did as instructed, and he observed the yard in every detail.
“She will have to fly over the walls,” Thayle said. “Maybe we can clear a courtyard in the city.”
“No,” he replied. “That will only cause a panic. You and I will have to meet this king while Lilly stays here.”
“You can’t leave me behind!” Lilly bellowed. “You promised you would never wander off without me!”
“I promised to take a guard with me,” Gersius said. “I will have Thayle Lengwin and these men.”
“But what if something happens to you?” Lilly asked with concern in her voice.
“We will be heavily guarded,” he replied.
Lilly huffed and lowered her head to look at them both directly. Gersius saw her gaze through Thayle's eyes as her aura burned with annoyance.
“If this city attacks you, I will cover it in ice! It will be a hundred years before it melts enough to be used again.”
Gersius reached up and fumbled for her chin. He stroked her gently as she watched him.
“We have to do this. We have to put the king's mind at ease to prevent a war here. If you want to make sure we are safe, fly up and circle overhead. You can use your sight to watch us and spy out any danger. If anything goes wrong, you have my permission to attack.”
Lilly laughed. “If any goes wrong, I wasn't going to wait for your permission.”
Gersius nodded as Lilly stretched out her wings. She took to the sky, as Lengwin shouted to the assembled men.
“You will form a bodyguard and take us to the castle,” Lengwin shouted.
“We have orders to remain in the temple,” a man said back.
Gersius found it awkward to walk while looking through Thayle's eyes, but he wanted to appear confident. He walked to the line of men as Lengwin continued to argue with them.
“How many of you know who I am?” Gersius asked.
Lengwin turned around to see Gersius scowling a the line of men.
“We all know who you are,” the man Lengwin was speaking with said.
“Then you know I am an enemy of your order, and you are to kill me sight. Why have you not done so?”
The men didn't respond, and Gersius nodded firmly.
“So you are saying you don't believe the stories about me?” he paused and looked up and down the line straining to keep his sight focused. “But you also do not believe what I say about the Father Abbot. You are calling us both liars. You cannot stand here and claim both sides to be false. One of us is lying. One of us is tearing down the order you have pledged your hearts to. One of us must be stopped, or you will lose all you have worked for.”
He gripped Thayle’s hand tightly as he looked up and down the row as he switched to looking through her eyes.
“So choose now. You stand with me and take us to the castle, or you stand with the Father Abbot and attack.”
“Is this wise?” Thayle asked silently over the bind.
“They will not attack,” Gersius said.
“How can you be so sure?”
“They are trained soldiers. If they meant to attack, they would have done so before we got off Lilly's back. She would already be chewing on the side of their tower.”
Thayle nodded and hoped he was right as the men twisted before them.
“Well?” Lengwin demanded. “Make your choice!”
The speaking man let out a sigh and turned to the others. “Two columns in the yard. We will bring them to the castle.”
“A wise decision,” Gersius said.
They were led through the temple and out into the streets. People gathered to see the formation with Lengwin, Gersius, and Thayle at its center. Overhead, Lilly circled high in the sky, watching with hawk-like vision. Gersius silently prayed that nobody would do anything foolish. The damage Lilly would do before he could stop her would plunge him into an open war with King Evidor.
As they marched down the streets, throngs of people gathered and had to be pressed aside. They made good progress, but long before they reached the castle, they were stopped. The street was blocked by nearly five hundred men in full armor and holding pikes. The priests of Astikar stopped, and the man leading them stepped forward.
“Let us pass. The Dragon Knights wish to speak with King Evidor.”
The pikemen didn't move, and Gersius could see hands tightening on the shafts of weapons. These men were under terrible strain and fearful for their lives. Gersius was grateful when a man with a decorated helm and shield stepped forward to speak.
“The dragon knights are not welcome here. The king will not see them. His Majesty has graciously sent us to block the street and allow you the chance to leave peacefully.”
“Not the reception we were expecting,” Thayle said.
“Something is amiss,” Lengwin said. “I know the high priest here. He is a good man with a strong heart for Astikar. I was sure he would be quick to lend us aid.”
“He is in the castle, not here to support us,” Gersius reminded him.
“Which means he should be encouraging the king to speak to us.”
Gersius understood the point once Lengwin laid it out. A man who should be their ally was also speaking in the king's ear. Surely the king would give Gersius a chance to speak and reassure him.”
“They have come in peace and sent their dragon away,” the priest of Astikar said. “They only wish to speak with the king.”
“You will take them beyond the city so they can leave in peace,” the captain of the watch replied. “The king has been duly warned about their true nature.”
“What does that mean?” Lengwin asked.
“It has to be that noble family,” Thayle said. “There is no telling what the man has said about Gersius.”
“I am not leaving here empty-handed,” Gersius said. He stepped forward with Thayle in hand and made his way to stand before the pikemen. All eyes watched as men grew even more tense, and the Captain put his hand to his sword.
“I have come here only to explain myself to your king. I have not come to make any demands or threats. I wish to explain an incident with a noble family and assure your king that I mean him no harm.”
“I have no orders to bargain with you,” the man replied. “My orders are to stop you at all costs from reaching the castle.”
“Why would the king want to stop us?” Thayle asked.
The Captain stood resolute with a hand on his sword. He seemed to be studying Thayle with a careful eye as his brow twitched.
“Our orders do not come from the king. They come from his chief adviser. She has been put in charge of dealing with you and those who travel with you.”
“Maybe we should go,” Lengwin said. “If the king plans to let us walk free, he must not be planning to attack.”
Gersius understood the logic, but something about this entire situation was wrong. Something was festering here, and it had to do with him, or… He reached out silently and asked Thayle to approach the man.
“What good will that do?” she asked.
“I want you to see his aura,” Gersius replied. “I need to know.”
Thayle nodded and took her sword belt off and handed it to Gersius. He was forced to let her hand go so she could approach the man. He glanced at the assembled men immediately, feeling the strain of so many auras. He lifted his sight high looking up just enough that they were below his vision.
Thayle approached unarmed with her hands up as the Captain drew his sword.
“Stay back!” he shouted and pointed the blade her way.
“I only want to talk to you about why you would prevent us from putting your king's mind at ease.”
“We have been ordered to stay well clear of you!” the man shouted.
Gersius was expecting that answer, and it made his suspicions grow.
Thayle tried to get into range, but the man raised a hand. “If you take one step further, I will order the attack!”
She froze on the spot just short of the range she needed.
“I can’t get close enough unless you want Lilly down here rampaging,” Thayle replied. “What are you trying to learn?”
“I have a concern, but I need to know what his aura looks like.”
“We are one panicked man away from an open battle,” Thayle replied.
Overhead a thunderous roar split the air as Lilly reminded everybody she was there.
“You will not threaten us with your dragon!” the Captain said as he turned to his men. “Formations!”
“I didn’t do that!” Thayle insisted as she fell back slowly.
The sweat on the captain's head beaded up as he locked eyes with Thayle. His hand began to tremble as he held his sword, ready to give the order to attack. Around Gersius, the priests of Astikar formed into a shield wall. Twelve men preparing to take on five hundred.
“This will be a blood bath,” Lengwin said in a croak.
“We have no chance of fighting so many,” A priest of Astikar said nervously.
Lengwin chuckled. “You have never seen that dragon fight. I assure you the streets will be littered with the bodies of those men.”
Gersius wasn't so sure. Lilly was a savage fighter, but she was just that, savage. Against trained men with long pikes, she would likely charge in recklessly and take many of the weapons in return. No doubt she would kill many, but how many spears through the body could she absorb?
“Stop!” a man cried from somewhere behind. They all looked back to see the familiar face of the king's emissary. He ran through the assembled men to the Captain with a letter in his hands.
“By order of the king, these people are to be brought to the summer gates,” the man said as he handed the letter to the Captain. “He will address them there.”
The Captain lowered his arm, and visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He took the letter to check the orders and then nodded. “Form up, we march for the summer gate!” he shouted before walking through his men to lead them.
Gersius felt a deep sense of relief and was even more grateful when Thayle took his hand again. The priests of Astikar formed back into columns and resumed escorting the three. As Gersius arrived at the dignified man with the red beard, he paused to address him.
“I do not believe I got your name?” Gersius said.
“Count Sevrindahl,” the man replied with a bow.
“I came here to put your king’s mind at ease,” Gersius said. “Yet I find he would rather I went away.”
“The king is deeply worried about issues in the south,” the count said. “And this woman he has appointed as his chief advisor hates the Lady Thayle.”
“May I know the name of the woman who hates me?” Thayle asked.
The count nodded as he fell in line to walk with them.
“Her name is Lady Vellilah of Lottingvale. She has been here many times to aid the king in the formation of treaties and for other purposes.
“Why is she after me?” Thayle asked.
Count Sevrindahl shook his head. “I do not know. I only know she comes to visit the king often, and he favors her greatly.”
“Do you know this woman?” Gersius asked.
Thayle thought about it but couldn’t place the name.
“I have no idea who she is.”
Gersius felt Thayle's grip on his hand tighten as her apprehension grew. They were so sure this was related to the noble family at the estate, yet now they find a woman none of them know is behind it? He tried to piece it together and understand what they were walking into. Perhaps this was the boy's mother. Maybe she was the true power in the family, and she had inappropriate links to the king.
They followed the men through the streets of the city as their concern grew. Slowly they wound their way to the hill that led up into the higher wards of the city. As they did, the people of the city followed in their wake.
“What is this woman to the king?” Gersius asked.
The count glanced over to him and let out a sigh.
“A strong supporter of his rule, and undeniable aid to his reign. She has negotiated many a trade agreement and treaty for his lordship.”
Gersius nodded as she considered that reply. “So she is a noblewoman of some accomplishment.”
“She has been a tremendous aid to our king for nearly forty years. She was there when he took the throne and has always come to his side when he needed her. She ran into the city with a personal guard over a week ago and has been in the castle ever since.”
“What are you trying to work out?” Thayle asked.
Gersius had a suspicion but needed more evidence to come to a conclusive decision.
“Thayle, I need you to remain calm when we reach the gate.”
She looked at him with concern as he ran his thumb across the back of her hand.
“Why would you warn me to remain calm?”
“This could be the wife or lover of the man we killed on the road.”
“Oh, I hadn't thought of that,” Thayle said. “She must have a lot of influence with the king.”
Gersius nodded, but he continued.
“Or it could be someone else,” he said, preparing her for the encounter he suspected was coming.
“Who else could it be?” she asked.
They turned a corner, and the streets opened up, revealing the gate of an inner wall. Twelve steps went up to the gate that towered overhead. The men marching before them split into two groups and lined the steps on either side.
The wall above was covered with archers who stood at attention in neat rows.
“If a battle starts here, we will be dead before Lilly can reach us,” Lengwin said.
“Just stay calm,” Gersius said. “Something bigger is going on here.”
The group stopped at the bottom of the steps as count Sevrindahl hastily went up the steps and through the gate. There was an awkward moment where they stood surrounded on all sides by masses of armed soldiers before the count returned to the gate.
“His Royal Majesty king Evidor the third.”
They looked up as a man in blue, and black coats stepped out from the gate. He was an aged man well into his years, but he stood strong with a healthy frame. He wore a simple crown of gold on his head and carried a short decorative staff. Beside him, a woman stepped out in a resplendent golden dress fancy lace and tassels. She smiled down at them as Thayle’s jaw fell open.
“And her Ladyship Vellilah of Lottingvale.”
“Rachel!” Thayle growled.