The Claiming of a Virgin King (3 page)

Lei was never one to dance around a
topic. That was one of the main reasons Dragan had charged him with
keeping the eastern coastal community safe and happy. He was
eminently suited to the task and he worked hard to make sure his
people were comfortable.

“
There is a ship
approaching.”

“
A ship?” Dragan frowned
as he poured both he and Lei a hot drink. “More refugees from the
north?”

Lei accepted the drink of heated
berries and shook his head. “No. It’s too big to be refugees.
Besides, none would dare to attempt the journey from the north with
the new moon so close.”

“
Some are desperate,”
Dragan said and he frowned as he did so because the stories some of
those northern refugees had told him…

“
Desperate or not the ship
does not carry refugees,” Lei said.

“
Another messenger from
the king then?” Dragan asked. “Or is this one from
Maylor?”

“
Maylor?” Lei shook his
head. “He will not approach you again. His pride will not allow it.
Not to mention he values his life.”

“
He is right to do so,”
Dragan said. “For if he did come here....” He paused, the refugee’s
stories once again filling his mind. They did so too often these
days and that was one of the main reasons that Dragan had made his
recent decision. And now, and because of that, it was not only the
winter he was readying himself for.

“
If it is not Maylor,” he
continued, “then I assume it is another of the king’s lackeys.
Another messenger who I will turn away.”

“
He will keep sending
them,” Lei said. “He is desperate for your help. He is losing the
war. That’s quite an incentive to keep reaching out.” Lei took a
sip of his drink, giving a visible shiver as the warm berries
travelled through him. “May I ask what Maylor’s current position
is?”

“
Closing in on the
capital,” Dragan said. “Our strategists have suggested that without
intervention the native’s energy barrier will fall at some point
during the deep winter.”

“
And the capital with it.”
Lei paused. “You are the king’s last hope.”

Dragan frowned at that
because Lei was not telling him anything he did not know. Several
of Dragan’s advisors kept him updated on the war that raged on the
mainland, and he listened to everything they had to say for that
was their responsibility and he would never deny his people their
responsibilities. Still, in truth, there was much he would rather
not have known. But then, that was
his
responsibility to hear the
worst, and so he did.

“
I had expected more of
the natives,” he said after a moment. “Their energy barrier is
impressive. I excepted them to apply the same ingenuity towards the
rebels.”

“
They did at first,” Lei
said. “But over time…”

Dragan frowned. “They fled south and
are too busy hiding behind their king to do anything.”

Lei shrugged. “They believe they are
no match for Maylor’s army. Or perhaps a long war has simply tired
them.”

Dragan shook his head. “You champion
them only because of your wife.”

Lei grinned. “She is quite a female,
and she is not the only one.”

“
If their females are so
impressive then perhaps they should have a queen?” Dragan
suggested. “Instead of a king?”

“
It doesn’t work that
way,” Lei replied. “The old king had no female children. His son is
all that remains.”

“
His son cannot take no
for an answer.”

Lei shrugged. “At least he is
consistent.”

“
He is annoying.” Dragan
finished his drink, his mind whirring as he did so. How many of
these messengers would the king send? How many more horror stories
would he have to hear from the refugees before this was finished
once and for all?

“
Send the messenger
away.”

“
Well, that is the thing,
Dragan,” Lei said slowly. “It is not a messenger.”

“
Then…”

“
It is a royal
ship.”

Dragan’s eyes widened as he realized
what Lei was saying. “A royal ship?”

Lei nodded, and then, almost like he
couldn’t help himself, he grinned. “It seems the king himself has
come to see you.”

Chapter Three

William was not sure what he had
expected to see when he embarked from his ship. He had a vague
expectation of ice and cold, but that was more memory than anything
else. Because he hadn’t visited the islands since he was a boy, and
back then they were not only completely uninhabited, but also
freezing cold, his memories were not much more than that. So when
he stepped out of his cabin and onto deck, William was surprised by
what he saw.

Yes, there was ice, but it
was different to how he remembered, very different. The dock itself
was fairly ice free, though the sea lapping at the wood, and then
at the black beach around him, looked bitterly cold. But away from
that, past the wide road that snaked along the cliffs, was ice
unlike anything William had seen before. He didn’t know if it was a
natural or if the aliens had done something to it, but the ice was
remarkable. Great columns and structures surrounded the dock. Some
looked almost like they had been formed into buildings. Others
looked like they had simply been dumped into place by the hands of
giants. And if the ice was not enough, there was also the natural
beauty that William
had
expected, his mind suddenly recalling memories
that he’d thought long since buried. The islands had survived the
great flood because they had been once been part of a mountain
range, and so there were no flat plains here. The road that snaked
its way along the cliffs looked almost like it was disappearing
into the clouds, and the valleys were awash with twinkling lights
against the backdrop of ice and rock.

William was surprised, more than
surprised in fact, by how much it all appealed to him. Though the
capital was less than a moon’s journey away, the climate was very
different. Yes, the winters were bitter and hard, but nothing like
this.

Why hadn’t he visited here
before?

Because of
Dragan…

Because of the
war…

Because it takes
everything you have to hold on to what’s left.

William frowned as those thoughts
filled him, turned and locked eyes with Niahm. She was wrapped up
in the same sort of furs that he was, and her pale skin bore a
remarkable resemblance to the ice around them. She wasn’t the only
one. She, along with one of the court’s advisors and a number of
security guards, had come along on this journey with him, and they
all looked pale and out of place now they had embarked from their
ship.

Still, William was grateful that they
had accompanied him, and that they’d braved the hard ride across
the sea. The days had been long and the nights even longer still
cooped up on board his ship. He’d had far too much time to think.
Far too much time to worry over the importance of this meeting. To
worry if Dragan would stop them from docking. To worry about
whether he would see them once they docked, and on and
on.

Still, they
were
docked now and that
was a good sign. Dragan would have known they approached. They’d
passed more than one sentry ship as they made their way to the
capital island, and the fact that those ships had not stopped them
was encouraging. Now, it was just a question of waiting to see if
anyone would greet them, and then if they would welcome them to the
islands.

“
Your thoughts?” he asked
Niahm.

She narrowed her eyes and looked down
at the walkway. Through the little slits in the wood the sea was
visible. It was a deeper blue than William had imagined it to
be.

“
It is much as I
expected,” she said. “Very like the north.”

“
You don’t like it.” It
was a statement, not a question.

Niahm visibly shivered. “I don’t like
the cold. Never have. But we’re not here for my comfort. Or yours
for that matter.”

“
You should not address
the king in that way!”

Those words came from Bertram, the
court advisor, and William couldn’t help but sigh as he turned to
look at the other man. He was also wrapped in furs, though William
couldn’t help but notice that his moustache was already beginning
to show the effects of the cold.

“
It is okay, Bertram,” he
said.

“
It is not okay,” Bertram
replied. “If your own advisors cannot show you the proper
respect…”

“
Who else will?” William
said, finishing Bertram’s sentence for him.

Bertram somehow managed to both scowl
and smile triumphantly at William’s words. William would have liked
to say something to wipe the half scowl-smile off the other man’s
face, but he bit back his retort. Fact was, he had not wanted to
bring Bertram along on this journey, would have preferred it to be
just him and Niahm, but the court had insisted and William was not
yet at the point where he felt he could ignore everything they
said. There had already been one too many tussles over his style of
rule, and William was painfully aware that he needed to keep at
least some of his court on his side. Rebuking their chosen advisor
would not help with that.

Still, it took quite a bit of
William’s self-control to find some more diplomatic words, and he
found himself thinking again how he would have preferred Marcus or
even Reginald over Bertram. The older man had been in court as long
as William could remember. Fiercely loyal to the capital, and just
as loyal to the old king, he could be trusted. There was no doubt
about that. But he was…difficult…

“
She can address me
however she likes,” he said after a moment. “As can you, Bertram.
This will only work if we are all honest about what we
think.”

The half-smile disappeared to be
replaced by a fully-fledged scowl. “You already know my thoughts,”
Bertram replied. “This is a waste of time. He will not see us. He
has sent every single messenger away. He will not involve himself
or his people in this war. He has made that clear from the
beginning.”

William opened his mouth to reply to
that, though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to say, but
closed it a moment later, because he became aware now that there
was activity at the bottom of the walkway. A land craft was coming
to a halt, and the moment it did so a number of people
emerged.

Not people,
aliens
.

William knew this not because they
were on an island that was full of them, but because it was beyond
obvious. Their blue skin, dark hair, and substantial builds gave
them away every time. William looked from one to the other,
wondering if one might be Dragan. It was unlikely he knew, because
it was doubtful the lord of these islands would come directly to
greet them, but it occurred to William then that he would not know
Dragan from any of the other males in the group that were now
walking towards them.

“
There’s over a dozen of
them,” Bertram whispered. “I’ll call the guards
forward.”

“
Tell them to move
slowly,” William replied. “Let us not start out on the wrong
foot.”

Bertram moved back behind him and
William took a deep breath. Despite Bertram’s negativity around
this meeting William could trust him to deal with the guards. He’d
once commanded a whole garrison after all. Besides, all of his
attention had to be on this first meeting. It would decide so very
much.

“
They’re exactly as I
remembered them to be,” Niahm whispered.

“
In what way?” William
whispered back.

“
Very…physical…” she
replied.

William couldn’t disagree with that.
Not when one of the males stepped away from the group and walked
ahead towards them. He was thickly built with a wild tangle of a
beard. The dark, wiry curls were a stark contrast to his blue skin.
He locked eyes with William, and then, to William’s surprise,
lowered his head in a nod of respect.

“
King William,” he said as
he came to a halt. “I am Lei. I lead our eastern coastal
town.”

He waved a hand to his right where, in
the distance, a few hundred buildings were located. This male was a
leader then? That pleased William. He wasn’t sure how he would have
dealt with the situation had it been simply someone who happened to
live in the area.

He stepped forward, away from his
group, just as Lei had. “I am pleased to meet you,” he said. “And
pleased to finally visit the island. It is quite
beautiful.”

“
It is,” Lei agreed. “A
harsh beauty but beauty nonetheless.” He paused. “We did not expect
your visit. Though of course, you are welcome.”

“
The king is welcome in
all of his lands.”

Those words came from Niahm, though in
truth, William would have expected them from Bertram. But then, she
looked so fierce stood just behind him, eyes still narrowed, red
hair pushed by the breeze, that perhaps he should not have been
shocked.