Esterpine
Koldis shut his book when he saw the foggy shadows of movement outside the crystal door to the suite's sitting room. "Thank the gods," he growled as Claire emerged. "If I have to read another—what is she doing here?" He was immediately on his feet, eying the Sprite princess who'd swept in like the tide. She was a force that could not be ignored.
"She is here to explain that I'm going away into the forest the day after tomorrow," Claire said, crossing her arms and stepping aside for Taylynn. Damn this queen of his, standing there like that, daring him to protest.
"Is that so?" His eyes narrowed, turning to the Sprite princess. Taylynn met his gaze unflinchingly. There were few who had the gall. Most would have withered beneath the stare he paid her.
"Lord Koldis," she said by way of greeting. He almost shuddered at the sound of her musical voice. "Claire needs a way to explain the number of marks increasingly present on her skin. She will accompany me on a week-long journey. Everyone here will believe she is merely taking a routine solo trip into the forest, as is expected for learning our magic. She cannot hide from the task forever."
A whole week? His chest tightened. He wasn't sure what emotion it was, exactly. Likely worry and concern. He glanced between the two women before him, driven to argue Taylynn's point. But...her theory was valid. And as much as he wanted to protect his queen, he couldn't stifle her growth.
Yet...
"There is something you aren't telling us," he said.
"That is between myself and Lady Claire."
He clenched his jaw and glanced at Claire. "I don't trust her." There were so many useful reasons he appreciated Claire's ability to use her mind. He was certain—knowing Taylynn—that Claire had no idea why Taylynn was dragging her into the forest.
Claire—gods be cursed—answered him out loud, "I trust her, Koldis. I assume she has a good—"
"I have good reason. One I shall explain once we set out."
"I see. So...this isn't a typical pilgrimage where she will learn new magic."
"Correct," Taylynn confirmed.
"Excellent." A smile curved his lips. "Then you will have no qualms about my accompaniment—to make sure things do not get out of hand."
Taylynn opened her mouth—
"I think that'll be fine," said Claire, looking between them, "since this isn't a solo venture." Claire's expression—he recognized it immediately. The slight curve of her lips and the sparkle in her eyes. She was up to something.
Yet, he couldn't help the smug satisfaction at hearing her words, nor the satisfaction that came with watching Taylynn's face dart through several emotions before she nodded. "Very well. But do not slow us down, Drengr."
He held up his hands. "Wouldn't dream of it, Sprite."
Taylynn didn't linger. In fact, she dismissed herself almost immediately. He caught himself gazing at the door through which she'd disappeared and averted his eyes.
"Is there a reason you insist on being so aggressive when she's around?" Claire snapped, drawing his gaze straight to hers.
"I don't know what you speak of."
Claire tutted. "Riiiight. I could feel the heat sizzling off you. Off both of you. Just so you know, the only reason I'm allowing you to come is to fulfill my own curiosity."
He frowned then, turning to her. "Curiosity, my que—?"
"Curiosity to see what's going on between you and her. I want to see it unfold."
He arched an eyebrow. "And here I thought you agreed because I am your guar—"
"Get real, Koldis."
He huffed. "Nothing is unfolding, Claire. Hate to disappoint you."
But he couldn't help the wary feeling budding in his chest. Was Claire right? Was there something more than the age-old-animosity between them. Claire crossed her arms and glared at him, as if reading his mind. "Cut that out," he snapped before turning on his heel and retreating to his room.
Once inside, he began pacing. Were he normal, he would have simply disappeared into the city to be alone. But he knew exactly what that meant. He'd have to subject himself to the thoughts and emotions of the animals he crossed paths with. He didn't need to know how much fear an insignificant squirrel felt upon smelling him. He didn't need the reminder of his predatory nature. He rejoiced in his dragon, but the animals he encountered made sure to remind him that they didn't.
"Koldis?" Claire knocked at his door. "I'm coming in." He opened his mouth to protest but she waltzed in. Her eyes swept over him, calculating. He knew he should have told her. He should have explained why he was so irritable. It was ridiculous that he didn't. But part of him wasn't ready to hear her tell him he was overreacting, that he was making a bigger deal about this than he should have. He was her guard. He didn't need her thinking he was weak.
"You know, I'm here if you want to talk about it."
He swallowed, taking a deep breath. "I know," he said at last. "I think...I just need a walk and some fresh air." No, that was absolutely not what he needed.
She looked as if she wanted to say more, but stopped herself, nodding instead.
So he swept past her and out of the room.
***
The city was bustling. The hour leading up to the evening meal was always the busiest. Sprites rushed about as they finished their final tasks before retiring for the day.
After glancing around, he set out on a path that would take him to the edge of the city, but not too far that he couldn't find his way back. It was only as the dwellings thinned that he realized this was the same path that had led to the sick stag.
A frightened squeak jolted him from his brooding. Hunter. Beast. Flee! A rustle followed as a rabbit darted across his path and into the undergrowth on the opposite side. He snorted. As if he'd ever want something as insignificant as a rabbit. More frightened thoughts followed this one. Animal thoughts weren't as coherent as some might think. They were often jumbled and ruled by emotion more than words, yet, somehow his mind managed to put into words the feelings encompassed in each of their desperate inklings. Smaller creatures often didn't have much in the way of words, simply broadcasting pure emotion. Larger animals were more coherent.
He continued onward, well aware of every creature and the disdain they regarded him with. Most chose to stay hidden, hoping to wait out his passing. He pushed their fear away, trying to clear his mind. It was an effort, one easier said than done.
Pets, yes. Itch there. So goooood. The next thoughts he encountered were refreshing. They weren't filled with fright, but rather, joy and love. He hesitated, knowing that if he continued on this path he'd find a blessing of unicorns milling about.
Love you. Safe with you. Their overflowing emotion hit him square in the chest, pushing deep. It was different from the way his chest often felt when encountering large animals. Still, he rubbed his hand over his sternum. He should have stopped, turned around and gone back. But instead, he continued until the blessing came into view.
Six of them, circled around a lone figure in a flowing Spriten gown. She was laughing, her head thrown back, delicate fingers rubbing muzzles and scratching ears. The smile on her lips left his heart thudding. He stood, transfixed as Princess Taylynn leaned forward and kissed one of the creatures on the nose, rubbing her own against it in a gentle caress. The gesture was so...open, so vulnerable.
A flush washed over him. This felt like a private moment, like something he shouldn't be allowed to witness. Overly aware of his intrusion, knowing that were he to back away, she'd spot him anyway, he cleared his throat.
"Yes, yes," she said, not bothering to glance in his direction. He expected exasperation in those words, but her happiness was fixed. "I know you're there, Lord Koldis. Come. Come and greet them."
New pets? Several of the unicorns glanced in his direction.
He hesitated. The last thing he would ever do was let this Sprite know how much she grated his scales. So he stepped forward, donning an air of confidence, and began petting the nearest unicorn.
Ahh, pets. Ears. Pet ears. The unicorn tilted its head, better exposing its ears. He knew what it wanted without it needing the extra effort. Still, he lifted his hand and began rubbing the base of its ears and down its neck.
No, ears. Ears. Despite his rubbing, the unicorn continued to angle its head, clearly displeased.
"Here—" Suddenly Taylynn was beside him, her body angled towards his, so close he could all but feel the heat radiating off her. "Lya likes her ears scratched in a particular way. Like this—"
He froze. Taylynn took his left hand without permission, weaving her fingers through his to control his thumb and forefinger, stroking not the base of Lya's ears as he'd been doing, but the inside. All the while, Taylynn's smile was radiant, as if she could singlehandedly light the world with the brightness of it. He didn't dare move a muscle, overly aware of her proximity, nearly flush against his side. Up close, he all but dwarfed her. She was shorter than Claire, and only came to the middle of his chest. He dared not meet her eyes, instead turning his upon the unicorn.
Yessss. Pets. Lya radiated pleasure—momentarily distracting him from Taylynn's presence. The unicorn even let out a gentle humming sound. A bark of laughter fell from his lips, unbidden. But it was quickly followed by the realization of what was happening here.
He stepped away, extracting his hand from Taylynn's. However, he didn't miss the smug curl at the corner of her lips. Almost as if... "Always so easy to fluster, Drengr," she murmured.
He crossed his arms, immediately on edge. "Why are you taking Claire into the forest?" The question shattered the calm that had settled around them.
Taylynn's expression changed. Her smiles slipped away. She whispered a few words to the unicorns that sent them plodding off before turning back to him. "I'm taking her to find answers, Lord Koldis. Answers that she surely seeks."
"Answers..." Something in her words was familiar
"Saffra delivered my message, I trust?"
Things clicked into place. His lips pressed into a thin line. "You're taking her to find the staff, then?"
Taylynn frowned. "The staff?"
A chuckle fell from his lips. "Forgive me, Your Highness, but confusion isn't your strong suit." Something of pleasure trickled through him at seeing her usual shell crumble away. It lent an air of imperfection to her otherwise spotless facade.
Taylynn immediately schooled her features. "Claire has a great deal of work to do if she is to master her magic. And even then, she cannot defeat Kane with magic alone."
"You didn't answer my question. The staff?"
"Within the forest, she will find a weapon—"
"The staff."
"Yes, yes, you keep mentioning it and I have no—" Her eyes widened a measure. The surprise was there and gone in a flash. "Isabella's Staff," she whispered, almost too quiet to be heard.
He clicked his tongue. "Well, well well. Isn't this a funny turn of events? And here I thought you knew everything."
"I do," she snapped, hugging her waist. "...Usually." She dropped her arms and began to pace, forehead furrowed. He watched her, his eyes never leaving her figure. Her gown was sheer, not so different than the ones she often donned while she was in Esterpine. He found it interesting that those times he'd seen her in the wild, she dressed more like a huntress. But here, she looked every bit the princess her title named her. He couldn't help the way his eyes fell upon her features, appreciating the sight of her more than he should have.
She halted, turning to him. "I was told of a weapon, but certainly not...wait a moment, how do you know of the staff?"
"Oh, this is great." He allowed a smug smile take up residence on his face, sure it would irk her. "How does it feel? Hmm? Someone else holding the cards?"
She took several steps towards him until her chest was all but flush to his. He took a single step back to break the contact, failing to hide his surprise. Somehow, despite only reaching his chest, it was as if she were looking down her nose at him, making him feel...insignificant. His temper flared. "This isn't the time for games, my lord. You think all that is happening within Dragonwall is a something to take lightly? Leave your insufferable pride behind. Tell me what you know if it."
"Hmm. Interesting." This time he reclaimed that single step, making up the remaining distance between them. Now her chest was truly flush to him. He ignored the warmth where their bodies connected. "You know, I think I'll keep it to myself, Your Highness. My queen's business—though it involves all of Dragonwall—is still hers. Besides—" His smile widened. "—I'm sure there will be plenty of time to ask her about it while we travel together."
He didn't miss the flush of irritation that colored her cheeks or the glitter that filled her ancient eyes. He was playing with fire. After all, she was thousands of years older than he.
Her shoulders dropped. "It was Saffra," she decided. "Of course. I see it now..." This close, he could see each of the little creases that appeared between Taylynn's brows as they drew together. "Good. Yes, very good. It is as I hoped, then. Her powers are strengthening. The water helped more than I could have predicted."
It was his turn to frown. "Why do I get the impression that your manipulations have extended to our prophetess." He hadn't forgotten Prince Feowen's words.
A huff of air left her nose. "Because they have," she snapped. "But as you so clearly laid out, this is my business and therefore none of your concern."
"Ah. So we are going to play that game. Very well then, Princess. I feel validated, then, in refusing to reveal all that our Lady Saffra has seen."
"Of course you do," she said, glaring at him. "You Drengr are all the same."
Instead of feeling insulted, the heat of satisfaction filled his veins. She was easier to rile than he'd first expected, given the way her breathing heightened and her chest rose and fell against him. Still, he dared not back down.
"We are. So you can hardly fault me for keeping silent."
"Fine," she hissed, taking several steps back. "Keep your secrets, Drengr. I shall know soon enough."
She turned on her heel and disappeared. He stared after her, annoyed by the yawning hole her presence created in his chest. An urge to call after her bubbled up and he stifled it, pushing it down deep, instead, letting out a snort. Sprites! He'd had enough of their superiority to last a life time. Claire had better master her abilities quickly, or he was going to do something stupid.
He retreated, turning back the way he'd come, lost in thought. From their first meeting, Taylynn seemed to know a great deal more than the rest of them. Based on snippets he'd gathered from Claire, Taylynn was deep in cahoots with this King Tree they all spoke so highly of. And no doubt, the message she'd given Saffra before they'd come had emanated directly from it. Yet, clearly she didn't know everything.
Isabella's Staff. That was...news. From the surprise on Taylynn's face, she hadn't been expecting this mysterious weapon to be the staff Saffra had seen in her vision. Interesting...very interesting.
***
Claire jumped to her feet, all but shrieking, "Wait...what?! You're sure?"
He had only just returned to collect her for dinner, but couldn't help relaying everything that had just happened. Or...nearly everything. He kept his own emotions out of it. She didn't need to know that. It would only fuel her suspicions that something was...unfolding between them.
"You heard correctly, my queen."
"You mean the staff. The one Saffra saw me wielding in my vision. The one Taylynn spoke of in her message—"
"Not so fast. We only assumed she spoke of it. Her message mentioned a weapon. She never said what that weapon was."
"Yes but—"
"Yes, but." He mimicked. "I think we can safely assume it's the staff, given that Saffra saw you wielding both the staff and Cyrus's Sverak against Kane. And after her reaction..."
"She really didn't know?"
"It would seem not."
Claire's brow furrowed. She plopped back down on the sofa instead of walking towards the door, which was what they'd been in the process of doing as he'd told her. "Isabella's staff," she murmured, sighing. "I knew the staff was important but...I didn't realize it belonged to Isabella. How am I supposed to find it now? It probably isn't even here. Didn't Isabella move to Kastali Dun? She would've taken something that valuable with her. How am I supposed to...?"
"Patience, my queen." He held up his hands. "I am sure we will find answers soon enough. Likely on this journey Taylynn plans to drag us on. She was quite explicit that you would find answers. If the King Tree gave her this message—assuming the King Tree is all knowing, not that I can believe that, but I'm just a lowly Drengr, so what do I know—then clearly the staff is here and you're meant to find it."
"Koldis! Stop." She got to her feet, scowling. "For the record, you're not just a lowly Drengr. You're a King's Shield. Don't let her get to you like that. And...maybe you're right. I'm just overwhelmed, is all."
"Hmm..." He lifted an eyebrow to acknowledge this. Mayhap she wasn't yet queen in name, but she certainly bore the brunt of the weight already. He didn't envy her the pressure. And he was still angry with her for making that dangerous promise, even if his king had already scolded her for it.
"Safe to say, Taylynn isn't as all-knowing as I'd come to believe," Claire mused. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"It matters not, my queen. You know what you have to do. Master your magic, learn to live with both sides of yourself. Find the staff. You've already got Cyrus's Sverak."
"And the Dragon Stones. Don't forget that we also came here for answers about them. We need to understand them better."
"True. Now that I'd wager our little Sprite princess will have answers for."
Claire's eyes were far away. "Yes, hopefully."
"Come, let us go to dinner before we're so late we make a scene."
Claire barked a laugh, striding towards the door. "We couldn't have that, now could we?"
"I'm not so sure," he argued. "Something tells me you enjoy making scenes. In all the time I've known you, I've never been disappointed in that regard."
"I don't know." She hesitated, chewing on her lower lip. "You strike me as one for scenes, too. If I recall, it was your Sverak so dramatically poised at my throat when first we met."
He faltered. Heat flushed his skin. It was a memory he often tried to forget. "Yes, and I am sorry for that. Sorrier than I can put into words. I beg you, forgive me." His voice came out quieter than he intended. The shame of what he'd done, of how he'd first behaved, was an emotion he wished to be rid of. Drawing a weapon against his own queen, for the sake of the gods, he was lucky he still lived.
She grinned, her smile dazzling. "Consider it done, Koldis. But only on one condition." He lifted his eyebrows. "That you behave yourself on our adventure with Taylynn. Do that and I'll forget all about it."
He sighed. "Very well, my queen. Your wish is my command." He even went as far as to bow deeply, which earned a laugh and a hard smack on his back.
"Come along, Shield. No scenes, remember." And with that, she was through the door, disappearing into the hallway beyond.
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Happy Friday Bookdragons!
I didn't get to edit this one as much as I'd like. It still needs some work. Normally I put a few hours in before I post each chapter, reading through deeply. But I'm out of town! This weekend my husband and I took a road trip to visit my mom and grandma in Indiana (not Battle Ground, where Claire is from). We took a full day to drive our pups up from GA. It was a long day. But I made sure to take some time to get this chapter posted for you. I probably won't do much writing this weekend since I'll be spending time with my family. I'll have to catch up on Wattpad comments next week.
Next week's chapter is from Captain Bennett's POV but I don't yet have a title for it.
All my best,
Melissa