The duchess shrugged. “There is nothing I can do about the enchantment,” she said. “But if you insist, I can always send Alistairback.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Alistair growled before Dareena could answer. “Wherever Dareena goes, Igo.”
“Suit yourself,” the duchess said lightly. Her jade eyes lingered on Dareena for a long moment. “I must say I am disappointed to see that you are not similarly affected. But I suppose the spell does not extend to you, since you do not actually have dragon blood in yourveins.”
“I suppose not,” Dareena said coolly, neglecting to mention the boost of energy coursing through her. She wondered if perhaps she really did have elven blood, and if being in the elven lands was awakeningit.
After lunch, they got back in the wagon and continued. On this side of the border, the guards allowed them to discard the bonds around their hands. As Dareena slipped her hand inside Alistair’s, some of the tension bled out of his shoulders, and he did not seem quite so miserable. Maybe touching her helped restore some of his vitality, the way having sex boosted hispower.
Alistair looked at the sky. “Looks like it’s going to rainsoon.”
Dareena followed his gaze to the storm clouds gathering above them. A few minutes later, she adjusted her cloak as the wind picked up and the air cooled. The trees dotting the landscape swayed, and soon, fat raindrops splashed ontothem.
“Find shelter!” one of the guards shouted as the drops quickly grew into a heavy downpour. The caravan headed off the main road, and everyone took shelter beneath a copse of oak trees. The thick canopy spared them from the worst of the storm, but even so, Alistair and Dareena huddled close beneath their cloaks, clinging to each other as thunder and lightning rent the darksky.
“Dareena,” Alistair said in a low voice. “Do you see what I’mseeing?”
Dareena lifted her head to look where Alistair pointed. Her heart jumped at the sight of another caravan, much larger than theirs, headed in the opposite direction. Even through the pouring rain, Dareena recognized their armor—the Dragon Force soldiers who had been taken prisoner. Many of them stumbled through the rain, legs and arms bandaged, while others, too hurt to walk, were carried in carts like the one Alistair and Dareena rode in. The caravan was under guard, but even so, Dareena felt a massive wave ofrelief.
“They’ve kept their word,” she said, clutching Alistair’s hand. “The prisoners are being sent home.” Or so she hoped. It was always possible the elves were putting on a charade for her benefit, but Dareena refused to believe that. Besides, there weren’t nearly enough elven guards to truly control the prisoners should they try to revolt. This was merely an escort, to ensure the Dragon Force soldiers went straight to the border and did not make anymischief.
Alistair put an arm around her and kissed her brow. “You’ve done well,” he murmured against her skin. “Even if the commoners hate us right now, the soldiers will remember what you have done for them and will stand by your side when the timecomes.”
“Byourside,” Dareena corrected. She nuzzled Alistair’s cheek, sensing the frustration lurking behind his gentle smile. Dareena knew he wanted to leap out of the wagon and talk to the prisoners—from the way he watched the passing soldiers, he was likely looking to see if his sisters were among them. But she knew the elves would never allow them to get so close—if the soldiers knew their Dragon’s Gift and prince were huddled there amongst the trees, there was no telling what might happen. Some of the soldiers might try to fight the guards to get them back, and while they might succeed, such an action would only bring doom upon them. And Alistair knew it, which was why he remained in the cart even though his instincts had to be telling him to go to hispeople.
“Everything will work out,” Dareena said softly, stroking his arm. He leaned into her touch, and she cradled his head against her chest and prayed to the dragon god that they would not be separated once they arrived at the capital. While touching him did seem to alleviate some of his discomfort, she could see that he was still tired and in pain. And though the elves had promised to treat them as guests once they arrived, Dareena knew in her heart that Alistair would need to keep his wits about him for what was comingnext.
7
Three daysafter Dareena and Alistair left, Dragon’s Keep opened its gates to admit the flood of wounded Dragon Force soldiers who poured into the capital. Drystan was relieved that, while there were some terminal cases, most of the wounded were not on death’s door. Most would recover once they received propercare.
Drystan, Lucyan, and Tariana had done their best to ensure the Keep was prepared for the influx of soldiers—every available bed had been converted into sick beds, and hundreds more had been set up in the various halls and salons. Even so, the Keep was too small to house them all, and they’d called on the townsfolk to help. There was still plenty of bitterness toward the dragons, especially from the Black Cloaks, but the men and women who made up the Dragon Force were still their countrymen, and were welcomed back by and large with openarms.
“More healers are being brought in from the neighboring provinces,” Lucyan said. They were all seated around the dining table in the king’s suite—the only room in the Keep that had not been given over to the soldiers. “We are still understaffed, but hopefully these reinforcements shall arrive in the next day orso.”
“From what I understand, they may not be needed,” Tariana said. “I spoke to Catriona, Ara, and Xenai last night, and they are nearly completely healed. They said their wounds started to mend almost as soon as they crossed the border and that most of the dragon born are healing nicely too. A few days of rest and they should be back on theirfeet.”
“Excellent,” Drystan said with a nod. “They can help with the rest of the wounded, then.” Despite its name, only a quarter of the Dragon Force’s members actually had dragon blood flowing through their veins. Before Shalia’s Curse, every soldier had been a dragon—now, with their dwindling numbers, the vast majority werehuman.
“The soldiers appear to be quite happy with your edict,” Lucyan observed. “Exempting them, and their families, from taxes for the next two years was quite smart ofyou.”
“It was the least I could do since we have no money to compensate them,” Drystan said. He scrubbed a hand over his beard, the mystery of the missing treasure still weighing heavily on his mind. The scouts had not reported back anything yet—it would take them weeks to thoroughly scour the mountains, and they had to be careful about it or they might well get eaten. “The nobles aren’t very happy about it since it’s cutting into their profits, but I can hardly explain the reasoning behind mydecision.”
“Nor should you have to,” Lucyan said firmly. “A king does not need to explain every action to hissubjects.”
“If there is anything important you need me to take care of today, you’d best speak up now,” Tariana said, abruptly changing the subject. “I will be leaving Dragon’s Keeptonight.”
“Tonight?” Drystan echoed. “Where are you off to in such a hurry? We’ve ordered our troops to back down, so it isn’t as if you have a battle tolead.”
“Perhaps not, but I am needed all the same.” Tariana’s face darkened. “I’ve received word that Ryolas may be executed for his crimes against the crown. It would seem that Arolas, his older brother, has won their father’s favor and turned the king against him. I cannot allow Ryolas to die when his actions have saved so many of our people.” Her amber eyes glimmered as she got to her feet. “I must find him and free him, if Ican.”
“Hang on a minute,” Lucyan said, snagging Tariana by the wrist before she could leave the room. “You do realize that the moment you cross into elven territory they’ll put an arrow through your eye, don’t you? You are no mere soldier, Tariana—you’re our general, and the princess royal, besides. They’ll recognize you onsight.”
“I’ll disguise myself,” she said stubbornly. “I can use hair dye to change my coloring and a cloak to shield my face. It isn’t as if I’m going to charge in there wearing myarmor.”
“Even so, someone may see through your disguise,” Drystan pointed out. “I agree we should rescue Ryolas—we owe him a great debt. But there is no reason to rush headlong into danger without doing some reconnaissancefirst.”
“Let Shadley and I find out where Ryolas is being kept first, and the exact nature of his circumstances,” Lucyan urged. For once, there was no hint of belligerence in his eyes—he was usually quite standoffish with Tariana, but right now he was only concerned for their sister. “We’ll send some spies to Elvenhame. They should be able to get us word on how Dareena and Alistair are faring aswell.”
