No, not justice, I felt my lips draw back into a snarl. Retribution. Revenge.
“It may be costly – but each and every one of my men and women here would gladly die for the future of our country – the future that sits upon her head!” Haval was glaring daggers at me, and my own fury leapt back. “Give up the Stone Crown, Narissea of the Daza. Give it to me now.”
How dare he! My heart thumped hot and red as my fury found its way to my tongue. “You are a fool, Haval. Do you think that any man can take the Crown from where it wants to be?” The words felt right, even though a part of me had no idea why I said them.
Commander Sven Haval gave a cough of derision. “So I see. I thought it would be thus. You have played the wounded child very well for our king – but the young Torvald has not the experience I have. I know your kind, Narissea of the Daza. I know that you will do anything to keep the Stone Crown away from its rightful owners!”
And why under the stars would I ever THINK to give it to you!? My head pulsed with an angry, waspish pain. You don’t deserve it. No man deserves it! Only me! Only I do! My anger filled me, making my limbs rubbery and loose – like I could do anything…
I could command those dragons to fire on each other instead! My thoughts railed. I could reach out and sever the bonds between the Riders and their Dragons! I could—
“Little Sister!” Ymmen’s voice was a roar—
“I knew that you would only understand force,” Haval said with almost a leer. “I knew as soon as I realized where I recognized you, Abioye.” The commander surprised me by turning to address Abioye instead. Hang on a minute – Abioye never gave his name to them… No! I remembered Haval looking hard at Abioye in the king’s personal study – the commander must have had his suspicions even back then.
“Yes, I recognized you, Abioye – or should I say Lord Abioye D’Lia!” the commander said victoriously. “Your sister, Inyene, brought you to the court – or do you not remember? At least two times, if I recall well. Back when she was dallying with that oaf of a man Lord Jortnun?” Haval’s words had apparently hit home, for Abioye blushed deeply.
“Lord Jortnun was a wise choice on your sister’s part. A steady, boring sort of a lord of one of the Lesser Families. He had access to the Outer Halls, so your sister could rub shoulders with the occasional courtier or adviser –no doubt seeking her next husband!”
Abioye growled in shame and anger at Haval’s words as the stocky little man continued.
“Thank the Stars that the king has had me at his side, is all I can say!” Haval’s mood turned to self-congratulatory. “King Torvald is young, and I have had to do my best to protect him from those who would harm his interests. So, I keep an eye on both the Outer and Inner Halls of nobility, noting those who seem a little too eager to gain the ear of our king… Like your sister, Abioye. And I keep a careful eye on who those dangerous sorts of people associate with. Who they bring with them to the Palace – even if you were but a foppish, pompous, and self-righteous teenager at the time!”
Abioye’s resolve wavered, as his head bowed in shame and his eyes squinted at the ground. His disgrace at the actions of his sister was complete.
It was seeing my friend Abioye like that, however, which gave me the pound of rage I needed. My hand swept forward and grabbed the arrow that was pointing directly at my chest, holding it fast to the bow as I felt the powerful twang as the surprised Torvald Dragon Rider released it.
“Unhand us now, Haval – or else I will—” I heard myself roar as my mind was filling itself with dreams of dragon fire. These people are not worthy to hold the Middle Kingdom! A part of me that did not feel like me thought. They are not worthy to hold the Sacred Mountain! Not worthy to command dragons as I can—!
“Ssss!” I heard a hiss of reptilian noise, and knew that it came from one of the beasts around me. I flickered a cold look back to see which one of the brutes it was – it was the great black dragon. The one with a whitened scar like a lightning-tree on one wing, and who knew the taste of the Souda winds.
Ymmen, the smallest voice in my heart told me. His name was Ymmen. And he was the brother to my heart.
“No!” I gasped out loud, feeling my knees quake as I wrestled inwardly with the maleficent power of the Stone Crown. I would not. Could not and should not allow myself to succumb to it – even now! Even in the face of this horrible little man, Commander Haval.
But I could, the part of me that was the Stone Crown was arguing. I could force the dragons to fire on each other. To snatch up Haval and fling him high into the air…
“No!” I shouted again, as my eyes seemed to mist over. I no longer saw Ymmen or Abioye or Haval – or even the tense Dragon Rider guard in front of me. “NO!” I shouted in my struggle, as my knees gave way and I fell to the ground – knocking the Dragon Rider’s arrow down, making it skitter to the booted feet of the Dragon Rider in front of me.
“Keep on fighting, Little Sister!” Ymmen’s own anger was still there, but it was completely overlaid with his unconditional support, and strength, and love – for me.
My head throbbed in agony and my ears rang with a clamor of bells or a hundred-hundred screaming voices as I fought and opened my mouth to wail. It felt as though the Stone Crown was fighting back against my decision. It was trying to wrest control over my own mind from me – but I would not let it. I clung onto that glowing bonfire of dragon strength and dragon heart that was Ymmen’s fierce pride in me, and, somehow, miraculously, the pain of the Stone Crown started to subside. The clamoring in my ears started to fade away, but there was still an ache in all of my limbs and behind my eyes as I spluttered and coughed, before panting like a river fish hooked out onto dry land.
And, I started to hear something. Draconian voices at the edge of my mind, out there beyond where Ymmen was, and I knew that it was other dragons, talking to me.
“We see you” and “We believe you, now,” they said, as I heard the sudden wing beats and scrapes of claws on rock.
“Hey! What are they doing?” Haval gasped, as I fluttered my eyes to see the dragons of Torvald suddenly moving. One reached down with two great green-scaled claws and, with sudden and sharpened swipes, severed the thick, corded rope knots holding Ymmen trapped. The other had lightly jump-leaped, half raising its wings to land beyond the rocks and to turn, lowering its head to quickly grasp onto Haval’s cloak. With a jerk of the dragon’s head, it had pulled Haval a meter or so into the air before dropping him on the ground and quickly putting one heavy claw over the shouting, arguing man.
“Kyrmaida!?” one of the Dragon Riders shouted in alarm, and I could feel the waves of unspoken emotion and dragon-communication roll through the group as the rest of the Dragon Riders of Torvald lowered or even dropped their weapons to run to support their reptilian friends.