“I can’t believe there are two such Daza Naraisseas in the kingdom!” whispered another of the elders, this one the youngest with a tight-cropped black beard.
“Lord Garth, please.” The king frowned. “I have read the reports, and I know the rumors, but there is something that one of my ancestors said that might be important—” I watched as the king turned to rifle amongst the books and scrolls at his desk. “Ah yes! Here it is, Memento number eighty-nine, from King Bower’s personal journals…” he said, and I heard a low gasp from Montfre, as he clearly recognized the name. I had no idea who this King Bower had been.
“Eighty-Nine: Never be so quick to judge that you cannot undo the mistakes of the moment!” the King said proudly, closing the book with obvious care before turning back to look at me. “So. I will take my ancestor’s advice. I have heard rumors and war stories of the wild Dragon Witch Narissea, who has enslaved the Empty Plains and now launches her attacks across the World’s Edge Mountains—”
The Plains. The Masaka Mountains, I mentally corrected this man who, for all of his learning and erudition, proved to be just as ignorant of the lands east of his as every other westerner! That awareness made me feel even more annoyed, as I realized that I had expected better from the man that everyone said was the most powerful king on the world.
“—and so, I suppose that we had better get straight to it, ma’am.” Torvald looked me directly in the eye. “Where is your army? Why do you wear the Stone Crown? Have you come to parlay, or to beg forgiveness? What have you to say about these reports?” the king said severely, cocking his head slightly to one side before continuing. “As you must know, this house in which we stand has always placed a lot of faith in dragon-friends. And, I have to admit, that when I look at you, I do not see a witch or a tyrant, but I may be wrong…” The king frowned seriously at me.
How dare he! The outrage that was constantly seeming to bubble up from the edges of my mind, or from the Stone Crown itself – now flared suddenly as I bunched my fists at this insult. I heard the shuffling of the palace guards on either side of me as Captain Haval took a short, sharp step towards me.
“I am no tyrant, and yes,” I said as clearly as I could, folding my arms and fists across my chest. “Yes, I am a friend to dragons,” I said – although even I could feel the waver in my voice as I said those words. I had made the Lady Red and the other wild dragons bend to my will, hadn’t I? I thought with a deep shame.
“But what of the Stone Crown she wears!” the first speaker, Lord Maesteg apparently, burst out suddenly, earning a quelling gesture from the king. He did not counter or dismiss the older man’s question though, as he looked across to me speculatively.
“It is true; this is the Stone Crown of legends,” I said, gingerly reaching up to touch its cool surface. As soon as my fingers brushed it, I felt the sudden thrum of a headache, and the rising buzz of noise in my ears.
“Nari?” It was Tamin, stepping forward to lightly touch my shoulder and look at me with worried eyes, I had slumped forward a little with the pain, and could feel my heart hammering as if I had chewed too much Cofa root.
“I’m alright, Uncle—” I breathed, forcing myself to stand up straighter and return the king’s speculative gaze. “But I never wanted to wear it!” I burst out, my anguish forcing my words before I could try to think about them. “I don’t even want this damnable thing on my head!” I heard myself say, as I felt hot tears of shame and frustration roll down my cheeks.
“I had to put it on to stop Inyene’s mechanical dragons from killing all of my friends, and my family!” I said with a gasp of head-thud as my temples buzzed with pain. “It’s she who wanted the Stone Crown, not me!” I said a little more desperately, and hating for how weak I thought I sounded. “We call her the Metal Queen out in the Plains, did you know that?” My voice rose a notch, and I saw the palace guards on either side of us start to look nervously towards their Captain Haval.
“Inyene has been terrorizing and kidnapping and enslaving us for years! Stealing my people – and me – for her mines! She’s the one who wanted the power of the Stone Crown to fulfil some crazy notion that she is the rightful ruler of the entire Three Kingdoms! It’s Inyene who has been raiding your settlements, and blaming it on me – the only one who has managed to stand up to her through all of this!” I ended on a near shout, and the palace guards were stepping forward—
But my Uncle Tamin had gotten there first, lightly touching my shoulders first, and then the same gentle fingertip touches on my brow, temples, and cheeks. It was a traditional way that we Daza had of approaching someone in acute pain or distress, awakening them through light and gentle touches to their body, and to the fact that there was someone there with them.
“I – I’m sorry, Uncle…” I whispered. “It’s just this damned Crown – it feels like it’s burning a hole through my skull sometimes…” I muttered, half under my breath as Tamin instead patted me gently on the shoulder.
“You’re doing fine, Little Nari, just tell the truth; that is all we can ever do in this dark world…” my Uncle was saying gently. There was silence from the rest of the room as the assembled advisers and ruler as they waited for my pain to subside.
The king of Torvald coughed and looked at me. “This is the Lady Inyene D’Lia you are referring to?” He asked gravely. “They are some very serious allegations indeed…”
My eyes flickered to Abioye, and I could tell from his pursed lips that he was battling with inner rage or some other high emotion at what his sister had done. Why won’t you speak? The hurting part of me asked – before biting my tongue. I did not know the ways of this place of courts and cities, and Abioye did… But still, it stung a little to see Abioye holding his silence when he could have testified on my behalf against his own sister!
“I know the Lady D’Lia!” said the argumentative adviser. Why am I not surprised, I thought a little bitterly. “She would never do something like this! She has always been a close and constant friend to the throne!”
There was a low murmur of anguish from behind me as Abioye struggled to control his own shame and anger over his sister.
“It is a very serious story you are telling.” I watched as the king of the Middle Kingdom started to consider who to trust.
“A close and constant friend?” I was outraged, pulling at the sleeves of my tunic to show my bare arms, one of which had four, large scars of darkened skin where I had been branded. “I take it that you all know that Inyene has been operating the Masaka Mines, don’t you?” I spat at them. “Does this look like the actions of friends?”
There was a hiss from one of the other advisers, which I think was in horror at what they saw. I looked at the king, to find his eyes shadowed and dark. He looked pained.
“I will need to investigate this matter further—” he started to say, as the angry, much-bearded adviser Lord Maesteg broke in.
“Your kingdom is in flames right now, sire. You have no time to send emissaries and clerks if you want to save your people!” he demanded angrily, glaring at me as he still, very clearly, thought that I was behind these attacks. “My Lord King? I cannot believe that we are standing here discussing the character of one of the most powerful women in your kingdom – especially when there is only one woman that I see before me daring to wear the stolen Stone Crown!” he ended defiantly.