Dragonoak: The Complete History of Kastelir (39 page)

I doubted enough pirates made it to Kastelir to invoke the wrath of an entire army. Kastelir was, in some ways, as I had always imagined it, and the shift in Akela's features told me that it went deeper than the people merely fighting against themselves for the fun of it. Knowing better than to push the subject, I waited patiently for the Kings and Queen to arrive, promising myself that I'd finally speak to Claire properly, just as soon as I knew what had kept her awake for so very long.

The Kings Atthis and Jonas arrived with little fanfare. Those in the courtyard barely did more than glance their way, and nobody working looked up. Ultimately, they were just people, making their way from one place to the next; I shouldn't have expected a procession.

Two guards pushed the doors open and Akela jumped to her feet, following the Kings inside. I hesitated, not moving until I saw Kouris and Claire trailing behind. I walked ahead of them, lest they promptly change their minds and tell me to turn back.

The room was not as large as I was expecting it to be, but it was grander. An eight-sided table sat in the centre, with chairs that felt like thrones at four of the sides. The seat reserved for Kouris was more than big enough for her, finials of wooden horns flowing from the sides of the crestrail. King Atthis sat opposite her, his own seat similarly decorated with a crown of antlers, and to see the Kings look at her was to know that her seat had been empty for a very, very long time.

There were three smaller chairs placed along the other four edges, and Claire took her place next to Kouris, while Akela sat by the empty chair Queen Kidira was to fill. I moved to Kouris' other side, seeing the whole of Kastelir spread out before me as I sat.

The table was a map in and of itself, carved from wood, rivers filled with meticulously cut and sanded glass. Hills rose and fell along the uneven surface, and all the settlements, from Riverhurst to Isin, were cast in miniature. Mountains ran across the edges Kouris, Claire and I sat along, and deep lines divided the map in quarters, marking the former territories.

King Atthis drummed his fingers on the edge of the table, already certain that it was a waste of his time, and the rest of us sat in silence, waiting for Queen Kidira to arrive. The doors had been closed behind us, guards stationed on the other side, and when they were pushed back open, it was by Queen Kidira herself. Akela shot to her feet, hands clasped behind her back, and Queen Kidira locked the doors behind her, taking her seat without a glance in Akela's direction.

Akela cleared her throat and stood straighter, chest pushed out.

“Do take a seat, Commander,” Queen Kidira said dryly, and Akela bowed too formally to be taken seriously, falling back into her chair.

I thought that would set the meeting in action, but everyone merely looked at each other, not knowing where to start. Eventually, King Atthis sighed, tilting his head towards Claire.

“Well, Knight?”

The back legs of Claire's chair scraped uncomfortably across the floor as she stood.

“Your Majesties,” she said, greeting the room, “Commander.”

“Are you quite recovered, Sir Ightham?” King Jonas took the time to ask, before things were too far under way.

“I am, Your Highness. Thanks to the healers within the castle,” she said, taking a breath and pausing for the briefest moment. “I am here to petition you for your assistance. This time with the support of both Queen Kouris and Queen Kidira.”

“
Queen
Kouris is pushing it a little, don't you think?” Atthis said, pressing two fingers to his temple. “She's spent the last few decades living as a pirate on the other side of the globe. Don't plead your case too hard, Ightham. It's unbecoming.”

Kouris narrowed her gaze, shooting Atthis a look so cold that he lifted both of his hands, relenting without another word.

“Then I come here with the support of Queen Kidira, and that of my friend Kouris,” she corrected herself. “I would ask that Kastelir lends its forces in an effort to liberate the people of Felheim.”

“From—?” King Atthis asked, well aware of the answer.

“From a ruling class that no longer has a sense of perspective when it comes to the safety of its people and borders,” Claire said bluntly.

“
No
,” King Atthis returned, leaning back in his seat. “You would not merely have us dethrone your King and Queen—and that, Knight, would already be asking too much. What you want is for us to blindly charge into the maw of a dragon.”

Had anyone been under the impression that I knew what was happening, it was soon dispelled. I tried to keep my expression neutral and focus on what was being said, building together a sense of the whole problem from the scraps that were being thrown around, but at the mention of dragons, I turned to Claire, confusion lighting up my face. She kept her eyes fixed on King Atthis, not once looking my way.

“I am asking nothing of the sort, Your Highness. I simply wi—”

“You wish to make threats against Kastelir in the guise of a warning, in order to cajole us into aiding your mutiny.”

Would that I could've brought my fist against the table and snapped at the King to let Claire speak. Luckily, King Jonas handled it a lot more sensitively than I wanted to, and Kouris leant back in her seat, letting out a growl of a breath.

“Atthis, we are never going to get
anywhere
if you refuse to hear her out. I am as sceptical as you are, friend, but I am hardly pushing my fingers in my ears and waiting for it to all blow over,” he said. “Sir—if you would continue.”

King Atthis propped his chin up on his palm, granting Claire permission to speak with a wave of his hand.

“I am not here in an effort to betray Felheim. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have spent my entire life serving Felheim, and in coming here, I serve it still. As a people, we have always been proud of the peace within our Kingdom, and our history of avoiding conflict with larger, stronger nations; both Kastelir and the territories before. However, I cannot abide the methods that have been employed to shape the country, or what is likely to become of Felheim and Kastelir both,” Claire said, and I was grasping, trying to make sense of it all. But there wasn't enough; I was out of my depth, while everyone in the room listened in, knowing exactly what Claire referred to.

King Atthis continued to look unimpressed. King Jonas listened, at the very least, and it was impossible to tell what Queen Kidira was thinking, even if Claire supposedly already had her support.

“Your Highness. Might I ask you a question?”

“You might,” King Atthis said.

“What reasons do dragons have to acknowledge borders set by humans? Dragons reside along the entire mountain range, and yet Agados and Kastelir remain safe, while Felheim is plagued by a dozen dragon attacks a year. Why might this be?”

King Atthis shrugged in what I was certain was a very kingly fashion.

“And a question to all of you. In the time of the territories, the borders never remained fixed for long. The leaders were ever stealing land from one another, expanding their own territories, and going so far as to claim portions of what was once Agados. Yet no attempts were ever made on Felheim. Why?”

Queen Kidira took the question when the Kings only frowned.

“By the time each of us came into power within our respective territories, it had long since been established that we would not be able rule a land plagued by dragons. It would simply not be worth it,” she said.

“Exactly. You must believe what I am telling you and heed this warning, even if you will not lend me your aid,” Claire said. “The first dragon fell to the Priorys the same year this land crumbled into territories, leading to a two-hundred and forty-seven year string of dragon-attacks. During which time Felheim has not been threatened by outside forces
once
. The dragons
are
being manipulated in order to sacrifice a few for the greater good of the country.”

There are always dragons
, Claire had told me, stood on the ashes of what had once been a village. The dragons around Kyrindval tore through my mind, curled up, peaceful, diving into the lake,
playing.
She was right. Instinctively, I knew Claire was right, and if the Kings would not believe her, then I would.

I was desperate for her to turn my way, to catch my eye for half a second. I wanted her to know that I was there for her, if Kastelir was not; I wanted her to know that I would not doubt her, whatever little that meant.

I wanted her to know that I knew, finally.

But she did not look.

“And how does one manipulate a dragon?” King Atthis asked, wholly unimpressed by what she'd said, picking her words apart as though it was one of Michael's particularly tedious stories.

“By
abusing
it,” Kouris said, slamming her open palm down on the edge of the table, almost causing the mountains to topple. “Atthis, I swear to Isjin and all the others, I love you in a way that makes me think I might be understanding what a brother is, but you are doing everything you can to test my patience. How do you
think
they're manipulating dragons? The same way people are forcing their dogs to tear each other to pieces. Mistreat 'em enough and they'll spend their whole lives terrified, and the moment you let them fly free, aye, they're going to be burning down the first thing they see.

“The dragon are my kin, Atthis, but it goes beyond that. In the mountains, the pane, we're always looking after the dragons. We know how they work, what makes them sick, how to make them better—the Felheimish, they're twisting that. They're taking us, forcing us to turn against our own. So don't be sitting there,
bored
, when I should be all the proof you're needing. Twenty-seven years I've been gone, Atthis, and this,
this
is what finally brings me back. Never thought I'd return, but the moment I found out what was happening, I was on a boat before I could blink.”

Queen Kidira watched Kouris as she spoke, not flinching at the clear implication that nothing else could have brought her back to Kastelir. Questions tore through my mind – how had Kouris found out, all the way down in Canth? – and King Atthis rose to his feet, not about to leave what Kouris said unchallenged.

“You think I am
bored
by all this, Kouris? You think I am so stubborn that I am ignoring the very clear facts laid out in front of me? I am being
cautious
, Kouris. For thirty years, I have done
everything
in my power to stop Kastelir from slipping back into another war, a civil war, and gods know it hasn't been easy. Gods know we could've used you around,” he said, “What am I to do for this Knight, for Felheim, when I can barely do enough for my own Kingdom? If we take on Felheim, we will fall. If we leave Felheim as it is, there is the chance that Kastelir will be able to become all that it ought to be.”

The tumult that followed was more futile than the cry that preceded a dragon-attack. King Atthis and Kouris engaged in a repetitive back-and-forth that led nowhere, while King Jonas kept interjecting, trying to appease them both. Akela offered up a suggestion, but it was immediately dismissed; King Atthis and Kouris were interested in nothing beyond yelling at each other.

Claire didn't look my way, no matter how much I silently pleaded her to.

“That's enough,” Queen Kidira said without raising her voice, and the room fell silent. “Sir Ightham. There is something you aren't sharing with us.”

Claire's jaw was clamped tight, and had anyone but Queen Kidira addressed her, I expect she would've fought to keep her silence.

“I do not... I was not given the details,” Claire started uneasily, forcing the words out between her teeth. In an instant, I understood why she'd refused to look my way. “I have been led to believe that necromancers are involved.”

“Necromancers!” King Atthis declared. It was the last straw for him. “And all of this information you so generously bring us—King Garland simply told you, did he?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Claire said, voice drowned out by the blood pounding in my ears.

“The King is your father, correct?”

“Correct, Your Highness. King Garland and Queen Aren adopted me.”

“And you were to take over in his stead?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Necromancy was involved. Was that the reason Claire had agreed to take me from my village? My nails scraped the underside of the table, and Kouris reached across, squeezing my hand to stop it from trembling. I couldn't show weakness, not in front of Queen Kidira.

But Queen Kidira wasn't concerned with me.

She got to her feet, determined to bring about a resolution.

“See, Atthis? Sir Ightham has no need to resort to deception or force to claim the throne. A sacrifice of this magnitude can only strengthen her case. The pane have been warning us for years, you realise. They may not understand the extent of what's happening, but they know that the dragons in Felheim are not acting as they ought to, and they know that their own have a history of going missing. Jonas—I expect that you've come around,” she stated, to which he nodded. “You have little choice at this point, Atthis. It is three against one. We are not going to attack Felheim. Do not think I would allow my country to make such a foolish move. But we are not going to allow ourselves to ignore the issue simply because we already have enough to deal with.”

“I am thinking,” Akela added on, “That having a problem outside of Kastelir, perhaps it is better bringing together the people, yes?”

Silence held the room in an uneasy grip, and King Atthis held up both hands, scowling as he spoke.

“Very well. I concede,” he said, making ready to leave. “But know that I shall not agree to anything that allows another Felheimer, soldier, Knight, or peasant, to set foot on our land with ill intent. Ightham—with me. I've more I need to know on this matter.”

The scraping of chair legs against stone followed, meeting concluded, and off everyone went, other business to attend to; I didn't move. I didn't believe that anything else on Bosma could be worth paying heed, not after all that I'd heard.