1. Zarios
Chapter one
My hoof tapped the floor of the carriage, impatience rolling through me. I knew Kiaza must be getting sick of the sound, but she was too kind to say anything. I looked out the window over the rolling hills covered in trees. Stalks of long grass rose from the ground, sitting against the blue sky and forest in the distance. Though it was beautiful, I didn't have the brain space to appreciate it.
Since becoming Grand Clarak four short years ago, it had been one thing after another. Not only was I at constant odds with the other Claraks on reform, but I was also battling a nasty group of thieves attacking our foreign traders. It started a few months back. They left almost everyone dead, with only a few survivors. They attacked a caravan going to Arnethian in the south, and another in Nasor to the East, both within a day of each other. It would be impossible to get between those two places in a day, even on horseback.
And to top it all off, because of the attacks, Peradona had stopped their shipment of magestones. Magestones were powerful, used as conduits for magic to keep fires lit longer or water running hot without the need to boil. They were essential to our blacksmiths and to keep our villages running. Most come from Nordin, the mountain country where ice dragons lived, but they weren't interested in trading with Valcor. Luckily, Peradona had their own smaller mining operation and were more than happy to trade with us—they even agreed to send already charged stones. Valcor had very few magic users, certainly not enough to charge all the stones we required.
So now, I was headed to Peradona to request the shipment of magestones once more. I wasn't quite sure how I would convince them they'd be safe yet, but I would figure it out.
"We're almost there, sire," Kiaza said across from me. She hardly looked up from her notebook, shoving her glasses back up her face. She was my assistant, and the best one at that. Without her, I probably wouldn't have made it to this meeting.
I looked back out the window and realized she was right. Gone were the vast fields, replaced with tight pastel buildings and bustling streets. "Good," I said, trying to stretch my legs as well as I could in this tight carriage. "I can't wait to get out of this thing. I don't know why I couldn't just ride my horse."
"You know how humans feel about appearances. We need to stay in their good graces." I groaned. Though I didn't like it, she was right. We needed them.
The carriage came around a bend and then to a halt. I looked up at a large building. Though we had castles, they looked nothing like this. The entire thing was white, with large spires and a grand staircase that led to a giant entrance. The grounds were perfectly manicured, topiaries lining the entire drive.
My Head of Guard Damyr came around and opened the door. We had been best friends since we were calves, alongside Naram, who was currently the Clarak of Mertis. I knew Damyr was the only one I wanted as my Head of Guard when I became Grand Clarak.
"Time to wake up," Damyr said jokingly.
"As if I could have slept in this rickety thing." That was a lie, the carriage was a perfectly smooth ride, but it was still cramped, and I would have much preferred riding myself.
I stepped out into the mid-day sun. The large doors opened, and a few guards came out, joined by servants. Behind them stood Yvon and Elsbeth Yulean, queens of this land. Yvon had long dark hair tied back in a simple braid. She wore a deep green dress and had sharp, observant eyes. Elsbeth seemed like her direct opposite. She had a glowing smile, with rounded cheeks and curly blonde locks. Though she looked much kinder, I was sure she was just as sharp.
They came down the steps to greet us as the servants grabbed our bags. "King Zarios," Elsbeth greeted with a slight bow. "Welcome. Thank you for coming so soon."
"Thank you for hosting," I said. "We're grateful for your hospitality."
"Of course," Yvon said, her voice a bit of a lower register. "We thought you may want to rest a bit before things got too formal, but we did want to see if you could quickly meet to begin discussions. "
"No problem," I said. I wanted to leave here as soon as possible, so the quicker we reached an agreement, the better.
"I'll stay with the luggage and meet you in our rooms," Damyr said.
I gave him a nod, and Kiaza and I followed them inside. The floors were all marble tile, a carpeted runner along the floor. I wasn't sure if that was always there or placed recently so our hooves didn't click so loudly, but either way, I was grateful for it. There were white pillars scattered across the space, with a massive chandelier overhead beneath a glass ceiling. The sun beat down through it, casting small rainbows all over the space. Two grand staircases ran up the sides in front of us with a balcony above. I could see at least five floors going up from the bottom. With a quick glance overhead, I could see guards posted on each one, and took note of all of their positions.
Always get a feel for your surroundings, my father's voice echoed in my head. It's one of the most important things, know your enemy. Though I didn't consider Peradona an enemy for now, it was still sound advice.
We were led down the hall, past the staircase and towards what looked like offices. Once we reached the back, Yvon opened a door into a large conference room, a rounded table in the middle and a board to the front.
Kiaza and I took our seats on one side, with Yvon and Elsbeth on the other. Guards stood in two opposite corners of the room .
There was a knock on the door, and in walked a woman with brown hair tied back in a tight bun, a dragon behind her. I was slightly shocked to see him. Though Peradona was one of the most diverse kingdoms, it was considered human lands. Dragons tended to stick to their mountains. He stood in the unoccupied corner, closest to where the new woman sat.
"I hope you don't mind," Elsbeth said. "This is our daughter, Sybil. She's next in line for the throne, and we've looped her in on the situation."
"That's fine," I said. "Nice to meet you."
She bowed slightly. "You as well."
I didn't return the gesture. In Valcor, you only bowed to admit defeat or to someone who ranked above you. As Grand Clarak, I bowed to no one. None of them seemed surprised, however, so I'm sure Kiaza filled them in before we arrived.
Another moment later, tea was brought in and poured. Once it was only us left in the room, the true discussion started.
"We have yet to receive the shipment of magestones," I said. "They are extremely important to our nation, and I wanted to see for myself if any changes needed to be made to our agreement."
"No changes," Yvon said. "We were curious ourselves. Almost every shipment that has gone out in the last few months has resulted in some kind of attack."
I kept my face neutral, but this was my worry. "Yes, we've had an unusually large number of thieves in the area, but we've put more guards on the road and are tracking them down."
While what I said was true, I didn't let on how far we truly were from making an arrest. It was just such a strange case, and every trail seemed to go cold.
"When do you expect to have this situation under control?" Yvon asked.
"Soon. That path is also secret to anyone outside of nobility, so it should be safe."
A look passed between the three of them, speaking without the direct need to use words. I had become that close with Damyr and Naram. All it took was a glance, and I knew exactly what the other was thinking.
"We will get you set up for the night," Elsbeth said, effectively ending the conversation. "We are hosting a ball tomorrow night, and we would love to have you in attendance."My jaw clenched so hard, I swore one of my teeth cracked. I had no interest in attending a ball. They were crowded and stuffy, with rigid dancing and fake smiles. It seemed they mostly served as either a place to flaunt wealth or play politics. Though I hated having to bend to the will of another, we could not go without that shipment much longer, and I knew I needed to tread carefully.
"We would be honored," I said, ensuring my tone was void of any displeasure.
"Excellent," Yvon said. "We can meet more in the coming days and be sure sufficient security has been reached. "
We were led to our rooms by servants. I paid attention to my surroundings, taking note of where guards sat, invisible.
When we finally reached our destination, I thanked the people who led us and slipped into my room. It was average, with a large bed and a small desk.
There was a light knock at the door. Though I didn't want to, I got up and answered it. Damyr stood on the other side, smirking easily. "How did the meeting go?" he asked.
"Fine. Hopefully, things will get settled quickly."
He looked at me for a moment. "Do you truly think that, or is that just what you're telling yourself?"
I huffed in amusement. "If I don't tell myself that, what else would I have?"
"Fair enough. Want to go into town to grab a bite for lunch?"
"No, thank you," I said. "I'm going to rest after our travel. I'm sure there will be many meetings ahead."
"Sounds good. I'll see you later, then."
As he turned, I stopped him. "We were also invited to attend a ball tomorrow night."
I sat down and stared out the window. Exhaustion sat deep in my bones. Most days felt like I was being buried under a mountain of sand, sitting right in the middle of my chest, constantly pressing, weighing me down until I could no longer take it. Though this meeting seemed like a glimmer of hope, it all still felt like, eventually, it would come crashing down. I felt beyond desperate but had no idea how else to fix it.
From my window I could see the training yard. Knights and trainees were there, running around a track, sparring and weight-lifting. It seemed they had impressive equipment and a decent regiment. It was easy to tell who was fresh to training and who had been there for a while.
One match in particular caught my attention. I couldn't make out faces from here, but one of them had dark hair, the other dusky blond. The blond was large for a human, but it seemed he lacked much wit. The smaller one with dark hair took them out in a second.
Another one entered the ring. They were more evenly matched, but the one with darker hair took them out quickly. Over and over again, the human with dark hair threw people down to the mat, ones their size and smaller. I was impressed, not only at the ability, but the stamina.
Though I felt drawn to watch longer, I was exhausted and knew I needed to prepare for tomorrow. I flopped down on the bed and closed my eyes.