I fell asleep promptly that evening, but woke up early from a nightmare. Those fights and the men I’d killed were playing over and over in my mind. I gave up and went up on the roof of the Dwarven Hall to try to find something else to think about.
Some time later, Arndrir joined me.
“Trouble sleeping?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s... yesterday was... overwhelming, if that’s the right word.”
He nodded. “I understand. It was for me, too. I didn’t expect it to turn into a large-scale battle.” He glanced sideways at me. “You came out of it alive, though.”
“I did, yes,” I sighed.
“Ah,” he said. “Is that the problem?”
I looked down on my hands. I remembered how it had felt, that force when the sword struck a human body.
“Part of it, at least.”
“It always is,” he said. “Killing never gets easy. It shouldn’t. It gets easier, but the first few times are worst.”
“I told you I’m not from.... around here,” I said slowly. “From this, this world.” I gestured out over the square and the palace. It looked like something out of a fantasy movie.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll admit it sounded, and sounds, far-fetched, but there are many strange things in the world, and the moon goddess seems to be mentioned along with many of them.” He looked out over the square again. “On the other hand, it explains a lot. You did seem very unprepared for joining our party. Whatever Tiriel said.” I heard the smile in his voice, and chuckled.
“Yeah, Tiriel... But you’re right, I was completely clueless. I still am. What I wanted to say was that I never killed anyone before.” I almost said that we didn’t do that where I came from, but I managed to stop myself in time. There was lot of killing going on there as well, for sure. “It feels very wrong.”
“Good,” he said. “Keep hold of that feeling.”
We were silent for a time, looking out over the square in the slowly brightening dawn.
“About the killing,” he said. “I would suggest talking to Serah about it. She’s a priestess of the moon goddess and a healer. She’s also a killer, as you’ve seen. I can’t promise she’ll comfort you, but she will tell you about it from her perspective. I find it comforting, at least.”
“Oh,” I said. That was probably a good idea. I recalled her saying something along those lines, back in the monster valley. “I will. Thanks. And... another thing.”
“Yes?”
“I want to learn how to fight. For real. I just barely survived yesterday, and it was almost pure luck. And what you had taught me.”
“Not only luck,” he protested. “You fought yesterday, for real. I was very surprised when I saw you, with your blade and face red with blood.”
“Yes,” I allowed, “but it wasn’t exactly skill that did it. I want to learn more. I haven’t been a great student, but I would have been dead without the things I managed to pick up. I need more. Much more. Can you help me with that?”
He turned to face me and looked at me severely. “It will mean more killings.”
“I know. I don’t... like that. But if I stay with the party, that seems to be unavoidable.”
“Probably,” he sighed. “Although yesterday wasn’t normal. We would never have gone into the palace if they hadn’t captured Caveria.”
“Why did they do that? I didn’t understand that when she told us yesterday.”
“She was too exhausted last night,” he said. “I imagine we will hear it more clearly today. Let us go down and see if the others are awake. Then it will be time to discuss where we are and our plans.”
The others were waking up and we met in the dining hall for breakfast. Porridge, bread and cheese. I suddenly missed corn flakes. I never had that for breakfast at home, but right now I wanted it. No such luck, it seemed, I hadn’t seen any corn anywhere in the fields or markets. Did they even grow corn here?
We didn’t talk much over breakfast. Thord told us we would have access to a private room later, and we could talk there. So for now, we just ate and watched as dwarves came and went.
One of them suddenly stopped were we were sitting.
“Be hailed,” he said as he bowed. “The Cave Master sends his greetings, and requests your presence at the entrance. The King has sent a messenger for you.”
Tiriel thanked the dwarf and told him we were coming. We’d mostly finished our breakfast, luckily. I’d been ravenous and so were the others, it seemed.
The messenger looked resplendent in red and purple, and it wasn’t until I got closer I saw that he had a black eye. He looked at us curiously, then bowed.
“Greetings, adventurers, and greetings, High Princess of the Splendorous Kingdom. His Majesty King Orcander of Dimra wishes to thank you for your actions yesterday and invites you to a private breakfast in the Royal Gardens.”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Greetings, messenger of the King,” Tiriel replied, bowing almost imperceptibly. “We are honored to accept.”
“If you will follow me, please.”
The tall man led us out across the square, which was now busy with soldiers and what looked like cleanup crews, and down along a wide street towards the back of the palace. It was a big place, with multiple tall buildings behind the main Royal Palace, and a high stone wall running between them. The messenger showed us to a door in the wall, some distance away from the last building. He motioned us through it.
We were met by another man in royal livery, who took us to a small terrace at the end of a walkway from the building. A set of black metal furniture with red and purple cushion stood in the center, surrounded by colorful plants in tall pots. The round table was set with what looked like an ornate coffee pot and a cake-dish with small, dainty cakes. The man asked us to sit down and wait.
We didn’t have to wait for very long until the king strode down the walkway to meet us. He looked like he’d done when I’d seen him in the cage, except he certainly didn’t look like he belonged in a cage. He was athletic and energetic, and I got the impression that he wasn’t all that troubled by what had happened. He seemed invigorated rather than depressed.
The king didn’t sit down, but remained a few steps away while he talked to us. The servants brought him three cups of coffee and three of the small cakes. We were left to serve ourselves.
King Orcander of Dimra wasn’t big on courtesies and formalities, it seemed. He greeted us almost perfunctorily, which seemed to amuse Tiriel a lot. I got the impression the king was intensely uncomfortable with the fact that we had played such a big role in stopping the coup, but that he reluctantly admitted he had to acknowledge it. Thus this very spartan audience.
“I must thank you,” he said, after the pleasantries were over with. “My forces would certainly have prevailed in the end, but it would have become more difficult if the Kamarians had gotten closer.”
“Have they halted their advance?” Tiriel asked. The king clearly disliked dealing with her, but he disliked dealing with the rest of us even more.
“Yes,” he replied. “Once news of the Duke’s downfall spread, they stopped. They are not willing to invade us openly, without the cover of confusion.” He grinned wolfishly at us.
“My men have established most of the relevant facts around the Duke and mage Lecander’s treason, but there is one inconsistency. Perhaps you can resolve it for me. According to all the evidence, they were not supposed to launch their coup yesterday. The Kamarian army was supposed to have crossed the border so that my forces were forced to respond. Instead they moved two days early, seemingly in panic. Do you know why?”
“It was my fault,” Caveria said. “My Lord,” she added after a brief pause. The king frowned at her. “I went to the mage’s guild when we arrived in Ambor, and Lecander was holed up there with his henchmen. All hidden and shielded, but I can recognize his magic in my sleep. I was immediately suspicious, but everyone pretended they didn’t know what I was talking about. So I poked around, and accidentally walked in on him when he was strengthening the enchantment on the sword. Well, the fireball that blew out the door was an accident. Sort of.”
The king looked like he wanted to scowl at her and laugh at the same time.
“Unfortunately,” she went on, “they were prepared. Two other battle mages jumped me, and threw me in a magic net faster than I could react.” She shook her head. “I guessed what he was doing immediately and had time to alert the Guild-master. That’s why they launched their coup even if they weren’t ready. I think the plan was for him to enchant the sword so it would be wrapped in flames and the Duke could launch fireballs with it, and that would be enough to convince everyone it was the Dragonblade. As it was, the enchantment wasn’t strong enough and so Lecander had to tag along with the Duke. That limited them, badly.”
“I didn’t know swords could be enchanted like that,” Thord said.
“I’ve heard about it,” Caveria said, “but never seen it done. I’m not much of an enchanter. I prefer to blow things up rather than enchanting them.”
“I see,” the king said. “I saw them with the sword. It did look convincing.”
“If I may, Your Majesty,” Tiriel said, and went on after the king’s nod, ”it looked convincing to the eye, but it lacked the sense of dragon magic I would have expected from the real sword. It felt very much like human fire magic.”
The king didn’t meet her eyes. “Thank you, Your Highness,” he said, but didn’t sound the least thankful. He sounded as if he’d just bitten into a lemon.
“Your Majesty,” she said, “I have a question which you may not wish to answer.”
He eyed her with distaste. “Your Highness,” he said, “I am in debt to you and your party. If you will allow me to repay that debt by answering your question, I shall do so. If not, rest assured I will remember the debt.”
Tiriel grinned at him. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I will ask the question then, and then there will be no debt between us.” The king nodded very, very slightly. “This is my question. Have you seen the Dragonblade in Ambor, or do you know its fate?”
“I have not,” the king said, “and I do not know its fate beyond the following. It was found in the mines at Ruula, and stolen from there by brigands. I sent agents after it, and they recovered it just as the brigands were attacked by a dragon.” Beside me, Caveria sat up abruptly.
The king glanced at her but continued. “My agents escaped and set out to bring the sword here. They did not get far before they were attacked by a dragon too. All were slain, and the sword disappeared.”
“Did the dragon take it, then? Was it the same dragon?”
The king sighed. “That we do not know, Your Highness. There was but one witness who saw both attacks, and he claims the first dragon was large, but the second dragon was huge.”
“Dragons may trick the eye,” Thord said. “Your pardon, Majesty.” The king waved it off.
“It was not just the dragon that attacked. Just as it struck, no less than two parties of adventurers attacked my agents. They may have gotten the sword.” He paused, and smiled at Tiriel. Faintly. “That was your one question, Your Highness.”
The audience ended soon after, and we were led back to the Dwarven Hall where the Cave Master had prepared the same room we’d had last night.
“What options do we have then, if the sword isn't here?” Thord said. Serah had just told us she’d sensed nothing that indicated the sword had been in Ambor. “Do we go looking for those other adventurers?”
Tiriel shook her head. “That sounds like a fool’s errand.” She paused. “I do not believe whoever has the sword will simply stay hidden. At least not for very long.”
“They may be hiding to let the trail cool,” Arndrir said.
“Or the dragon took it,” Caveria said with a chuckle.
“Or the dragon took it,” Tiriel said. “We must discuss your plan as well, Caveria.”
Arndrir groaned. “That is a fool’s errand, if anything.”
“It’s not!” Caveria’s eyes flashed. “I have done it once. I can do it again.”
“There is no guarantee you can!” he shot back.
“Come up with another plan then, if you can!” She stared at him. Challenging.
“What is your plan?” I said cautiously.
She turned her gaze to me, but grinned. “The Dragonblade is made of dragon bones. Dragons can sense other dragons, halfway across the world. If we have a dragon heart we can make a talisman that will lead us straight to the Blade. Isn’t that right, Serah? You can make it?”
“Yes,” Serah said with a deep sigh. “Yes.”
“A dragon heart? That’s not something we can buy in the market, I guess?” I looked at Serah who muffled a laugh but shook her head. “Then... how do we get it?” I looked back at Caveria.
“Easy,” she said. “We find a dragon. I kill it.”