I was drawn because you fed me delicious smoked salmon and read poems to me while I ate.Even from far below, Agrevlari was apparently following the conversation. One sometimes wondered how keen dragon ears were.
They were the lyrics of a manly ballad I was composing, not poems.You know we’re an oral people, and songs are how we pass down history and lessons.
It was a ballad about the might and magnificence of dragons. I approved.
Of course you did.
You remarked on my grace in the sky and the speed with which I can swiftly descend to annihilate my enemies.
I didn’t realize you’d memorized the lyrics.
Impressive, yes? You don’t sing it to me nearly often enough. Your human voice lacks the appealing screech of a dragon vocalization, but I’ve over the years grown to find it less distasteful than the voices of many of your kind.
What expression Vorik wore, he didn’t know, but his brother raised his eyebrows. “Is your dragon being snarky with you?”
“Usually, yes. Though that may have been a compliment. What exactly do you want me to do with the Moonmark princess?” Vorik already had an inkling and had conflicted feelings about it. “Seduce her?”
It was hard to imagine seducing a woman when he’d just partaken in an attack on her people. No, not only herpeople. They’d been targeting the princess’s mother and siblings specifically. If she’d been at the castle, she would be as dead as her kin. Knowing that, how could Vorik make a pass at her?
Oh, he was sure he could manage the sexual interest—the glimpse he’d caught of her had included appealing curves, lush auburn hair, and a cute face, but after what he and his people had done, he couldn’t imagine luring her under his furs.
“Find the princess and win her trust,” Jhiton said, oblivious to Vorik’s contemplations. “Tell her you’re one of the Freeborn Faction.” He sneered at the mention of the former stormers who’d left the tribes to supposedly find a peaceful future with the Garden Kingdom. “Promise to protect her from dragon-riderassassins. After you’ve gained her trust, get the information about the other shielders from her. I want their locations.Allof them.”
“I’m sure her deepest family secrets will come up during our first post-coital chat.”
Jhiton’s eyelids drooped, no humor on his face. “As the sole remaining member of the royal family, she should feel obligated to protect her people. I suspect she’ll realize they should remove one of the shielders guarding a less populated island—nearby Harvest Island, perhaps—and bring it back to the capital to restore a barrier on Castle Island.”
“Will that work?”
“It might. All that matters is that she thinks it will and takes action. In the process, she can lead you to another shielder. If she doesn’tcome up with the idea on her own… perhaps you can encourage it.”
“Perhapsshe will know exactly who I am and not trust me in the least.”
“Your face isn’t as well-known as mine.”
Vorik thought of his brief view of the princess—and the sturdy old warrior who’d stood beside her. “I’m certain the bodyguard recognized me. He’ll have told her.”
“Even trusted officers can leave and join that faction.” Another sneer promised that Jhiton hadn’t forgiven the lieutenant who’d done exactly that the winter before. “And perhaps, we…” Jhiton gripped Vorik’s shoulder. “Perhaps we have recently had a falling out.”
“It’s against the stormer code to fall out with the brother who raised you after your father died.”
Jhiton smiled sadly and turned the grip into a friendly pat before releasing Vorik. “Had he not been weakened from a lack of food during the famine year, he wouldn’t have fallen so easily to disease. Even the dragons suffered that winter.”
“I well remember being hungry.”
“Our people areoftenhungry. Think of gardener root cellars stuffed with apples and carrots as you befriend the princess and win her trust.”
Vorik couldn’t manage a faithful smile at the thought. He wished farms and orchards were easier to start and maintain elsewhere in the world, but even in the areas where the soil was hospitable enough, deadly predators sprang at anyone who attempted to set up agriculture, and pest animals and insects razed the crops, as hungry as humans for food on the harsh continents. Only the Garden Kingdom’s islands were protected enough and in a suitable enough climate to foster lush farms and orchards. It didn’t hurt that the earth god had supposedly added enriching magic to the soil before leaving the mortal world, a reparation to humanity for letting the mad storm god unleash his deadly creations.
“It is through shared struggles and overcoming adversity that bonds are forged.” Jhiton nodded to himself. “I’ll help convince her that you and I have had a falling out.”
“How?”
“Keep your sword and bow at the ready.”
Vorik sighed, imagining his brother sending fake assassins—or mayberealassassins—after the princess. After both of them. Might he even tell Captain Lesva that Vorik had joined the Freeborn Faction and was to be dealt with? The notion was troubling, but the thought of battles didn’t bother Vorik as much as something else.
“I don’t care to lie even to enemies,” Vorik said, aware of his brother’s intent gaze upon him.
