3. Thalia

THREE

THALIA

T he day had been warm, and Thalia was tired. Usually, by mid-afternoon, she still had the energy to make dinner and work in the gardens. But right then, as she stared at the pot that hung over the fireplace, she felt deflated and exhausted.

"It's just dinner," she murmured to herself. "It's just dinner. You don't even need to work in the garden tonight. You did enough last night. Just finish up this food so Father can eat and get him to bed. Then you can sleep."

Thalia forced herself to stand up from the wooden rocking chair that her mother had once rocked her to sleep in when she had been an infant and walked to the large pot.

Tender meat, which she had marinated the night before, simmered slowly in the pot with onions, wild garlic, celery, and carrots.

After stirring the browning meat, she moved to the table where she washed and peeled several large potatoes. On a whim, Thalia grabbed some more vegetables and a few sprigs of rosemary from the basket next to the back door.

She might have been tired, but she wanted that evening's meal to be as comforting and delicious as possible. It was the only way she'd fall asleep.

When the stew was halfway done, she added several dashes of mulled wine from the stock that her father had made a few months before he became as ill. It was still good and went excellently with the warm, creamy, fragrant food that Thalia was making.

As Thalia was replacing the bottle of wine, she heard her father's uneven footsteps, accompanied by the loud thud of his cane which was the only way he managed to walk these days.

"Father," Thalia couldn't help being slightly annoyed, "you shouldn't have gotten up before I came to help you."

She hurried out of the kitchen just as her father came into the hallway from the front of the house.

The day was a good one for him. He had moved around a lot, and Thalia had spent her day hovering around him, worried he would fall.

That's probably why I'm so exhausted, Thalia thought to herself, as she looked down at her father's excited face. When had he become so short? But then, noticing that her father was speaking agitatedly, she forced herself to focus on his words.

"...men are coming up to the house as we speak!"

Thalia inhaled slowly and closed her eyes as another wave of annoyance washed over her.

"You should have waited for me to come help you up." She couldn't help snapping. But Evanth simply waved her concerns away.

"You aren't listening, girl! The Dragon King and his men are outside the house. They are waiting."

At first, Thalia thought her father had well and truly lost it.

It must be all that time in the sun today, Thalia thought to herself. But her father, seeing her doubtful expression, continued speaking insistently. He only fell silent when there came a knock on the door, powerful and somehow commanding.

After a moment, her father made as if to move to the front door, but Thalia grabbed him firmly, but gently, by the collar of his shirt.

"No. Go sit down, Father!" she commanded in a firm voice. The expression on her face must have been fierce because he relented and hobbled over to her mother's rocking chair.

Thalia walked slowly toward the door, conscious then of how unruly her hair was, and that her clothes were quite rumpled.

There, on the other side of the door when she pulled it open, stood one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. Her eyes remained firm, jaw set tightly, although her heart stumbled over itself.

The man who looked down at her from his great height was lean but muscular with short, sleek black hair. To Thalia's surprise, his eyes twinkled, although the rest of his face remained devoid of emotion.

"Hello?" Thalia found herself saying.

She was conscious then of the fragrance that floated in the air around him. She couldn't identify the scents, but she was suddenly aware of how warm her body felt from smelling him.

"Thalia Hafeld?" The man's voice was low, smooth, dark, and as commanding as the knock on the door.

She nodded dumbly, finding herself unable to speak.

He smiled then, and she swallowed compulsively.

"I am King Drake Syheath, of the Dragon Mountain Kingdom. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." His voice lowered, rumbling over the word "pleasure" and Thalia made a concerted effort not to shiver.

A snort came from behind the handsome man who had just identified himself as king of the land Thalia stood on. She peered around him to find an entire cohort of men behind him.

What in the name of the Goddess is he doing here? Have they stopped for supplies or something? Because I really doubt they're here to see me.

Though that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Thalia, again, took in the king's form. Even without his royal accouterments and the wealth and power that came with it, he was a deeply desirable man.

Her thoughts flooded with images of bare skin and silk sheets, wondering how warm his lips might feel across her throat.

Completely unacceptable, unproductive thoughts. She quickly banished them, chiding herself for ever considering such filth with a man like King Drake.

"Are you in need of assistance with anything?" Thalia was proud of how steady her voice was even as she looked up directly at the king. She was fairly certain she wasn't showing the due deference she owed a person of royal background, but she also wasn't sure how she was supposed to act.

"If you are in need of food or shelter, I can help. We have food, but the house is a bit small for all of you."

King Drake smiled again, and Thalia couldn't help smiling back. Her cheeks flushed, warmth spreading across her face and neck. Once more, but quite reluctantly, she banished those unruly thoughts.

But then he shook his head.

"We have no need of food or shelter, Lady Hafeld. My entourage and I have been traveling the lands for some time, looking for a special woman. And we believe we have finally found her."

And she realized with horror that he was gesturing at her.

Thalia's body went slack, her mind going numb at the king's words.

Just then, her father's voice spoke from behind her, bright and excited. "Perhaps you'd like to come in for dinner, Your Majesty, and explain what you mean?"

For once, Thalia found herself being led by her father. She couldn't think or feel much and allowed the men to take the lead. King Drake gestured at his men to wait outside and then followed Thalia and her father into her home.

She was still absorbing his words when Evanth and King Drake sat at the kitchen table. Thalia was aware of the fire snapping and spitting and walked mechanically to the pot, opened it, and stirred the contents.

The potatoes were cooked through, and the meat was brown and fell apart at the slightest touch of the fork. The vegetables were also soft but hadn't lost their crunch, and the sauce was thick and creamy.

"You know," King Drake spoke as Thalia turned around to face him. "That food is just too delicious to turn down. I believe I will have some if the offer is still open."

Thalia nodded dumbly and found two wooden bowls. While she ladled the stew into the bowls, King Drake began speaking.

"At my castle, high in the mountains," Thalia neatly placed bowls in front of her father and the king while the king spoke, "we have several oracles in residence. They have recently discovered, through their gifts which I do not pretend to understand, that we have a living Creation Sorceress in this kingdom. I never would have believed that such a thing would be true."

The king paused to spoon food into his mouth. Thalia glanced at her father who had forgotten all about his food and was staring open-mouthed at the king.

"But then, they pinpointed the location of this sorceress to this town. Which led us to you. We had to locate you right away because a woman, a being, with your power and magical ability would need to be protected."

When Thalia and Evanth both continued looking at King Drake blankly, he quickly finished the last of the food in his bowl and then continued.

"A Creation Sorceress is a being of ultimate power. She has the ‘Essence of Creation' which allows her to create or manipulate matter at a molecular level. I take it that those gardens of yours had a bit of help?" King Drake smiled knowingly, and Thalia's skin went cold, the hair on the back of her neck rising.

"Your power would be a great help to the Dragon Kingdom. You could heal the land, create powerful defenses, and enhance my own powers. The Creation Sorceress also plays an important role in our ancient rituals."

Thalia glanced at her father, whose face was shining.

They both knew she had magical abilities. But what King Drake had just said was beyond anything Thalia could ever imagine.

She plastered a smile on her face and looked directly at the king as she lifted the empty bowl from in front of him.

Thalia turned to the pot and filled the bowl up again, placed it in front of him, and then spoke.

"You are welcome to enjoy more food, Your Majesty. But I am afraid that the woman you seek, this Creation Sorceress, is not in this house and never has been."