Dragon Sword (The Dragon Lord’s Bride #2)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

A dozen elven archers hurried up and surrounded Will and me, their bows loaded and their arrows pointed at us. General Terve stalked up to us with a look of fury on his face. “Explain yourself or I will not hesitate to throw you back into the dungeons.”

Will extinguished his flames that had blocked the door and nodded at the entrance. “Your first efforts to place us down there nearly killed my mate and me.”

“What do you mean?” the general snapped.

“The monsters you kept in the dungeons were more powerful than you guessed,” Will explained as he drew me close against his side. “Several of them broke through your magic barrier and attacked us. We had no choice but to escape and lure them out here where I suspected you would be.”

Terve’s eyes flashed with anger. “You expected I would be? And if we had not been here?”

“Then I would have taken care of them myself,” Will told him as he nodded up at the sun. “The sun would have helped subdue them regardless of your being here or not.”

Some of Terve’s fury subsided but he still studied us with suspicion. “Some of the creatures have been down there for months. What made them break free now?”

“I suspect they sensed our magic and didn’t like what they smelled,” Will mused as he smiled down at me. “My mate here has a particularly alluring scent.”

The general stared at us for a moment longer before he pursed his lips. “This matter will need to be brought before the king.”

Will smiled at him. “Then we will go along with you and give him a detailed account. We have some business with him, anyway.”

“His Highness has not requested your presence,” the general reminded him.

Will bowed his head. “Then we will give His Highness a most welcome surprise. He owes us that much for endangering our lives in such a reckless manner.”

Terve frowned and opened his mouth to reply but a swift messenger hurried from the direction of the palace. He bypassed us and hurried over to his commander with whom he whispered a few words. Terve listened with an intense expression before he nodded. “Very well. Tell him we will be there soon and inform him of a disturbance on the training field that has been dealt with.” The messenger bowed his head and ran back in the direction from which he’d come.

“The matter concerns us?” Will guessed.

The general nodded. “It does. It appears your charge has caused such a ruckus at the gates to the palace that His Highness is demanding you be brought before him.”

Will smiled and inclined his head. “We will gladly accept His Highness’ kind invitation.”

Terve nodded. “Then follow me.”

The elves who surrounded us backed off and we trudged across the field toward the white walls of the palace. The only access must have been the main gates because Terve led us over there. I couldn’t help but notice the ground was very firm when we walked across where the dungeons and weaponry rooms stood.

Remembering the dungeons, I tugged on Will’s hand. “What about Sylvia and Steve?” I whispered to him.

“We will see if we can vouch for their release,” he assured me.

We approached the gates and whoever manned them must have recognized the general because they opened without his command. I felt a little apprehensive as we walked through the high walls and into the enclosed courtyard. The tree in the center shaded us as our feet crunched atop the gravel drive to the portico that ran along the whole of the front and the two adjoining wings on either side. The white pillars that held up the roof were wrapped in thin bands of gold and silver which glistened in the early morning light. The flowers were covered in dew drops and butterflies meandered here and there drinking the sweet nectar.

A few elven maids strolled together with baskets filled with flowers hanging from their arms. They wore elegant silken robes and their braided brown hair trailed down to their butts. Their skin was as smooth as their clothing and they walked silently in their soft slippers. They stopped at seeing us and their eyes widened as they retreated a few steps to whisper to one another. Their attention lay mostly on me and I couldn’t help but squirm a little under their attention.

“They really don’t see outsiders that often, do they?” I whispered.

Will shook his head. “Hardly more than a handful of humans in a decade and those are rarely allowed within the walls much less the palace.”

The maids’ focus settled on Will and their cheeks blushed. Their curious whispering turned slightly more frenzied. “So how long has it been since you were here?” I asked him.

He smiled down at me. “Not so long that I wouldn’t be recognized by the younger generations.”

“In a notorious way?” I guessed as the pair of doors opened and we strolled through them into the entrance hall.

His eyes twinkled. “Perhaps.”

His word was soft but the vast room meant it still echoed slightly. The entrance hall of the king of the elves was some hundred feet wide and nearly that deep. A delicate balance of artificial stone construction and natural plants made up the decor as vines grew out of large pots and wrapped themselves around the two columns of pillars that ran along either side of us. They held aloft the upper floors including two full balconies that overlooked the main portion of the hall.

The floor was made up of soft gray rock tiles of mixed stones. The walls were filled with tapestries featuring the city landscape and the forests beyond the gap. A single curved set of stairs led to the upper floors and servants moved about cleaning and tending to their washing and dining duties. They all stopped at our coming and gaped at us as the general led us directly forward to a pair of wooden doors on the opposite side of the hall.

They were opened from the inside and we were presented with a view of a long, wide room even grander than the entrance hall. More high columns stood on either side of us and a guard stood at the base of each pillar. The walls were bare except for the vines that grew out of the posts. A forest-green carpet ran from the doors to the end where a low pedestal was situated in the middle of the floor against the wall. A high-backed throne sat atop the pedestal and was decked out in vines crafted from gold and silver that wound around the back and under the arms. The seat was occupied by a man even taller than Will who sat erect in the chair. He wore a robe of green with silver edging and his long brown hair cascaded over his shoulders and nearly into his lap.

I was glad to see Alisa standing before the high throne of the imperious king. She turned at our coming and her eyes lit up. His charge would have bolted over to us but Will slightly raised one hand as we approached. She grudgingly restrained herself and clasped her hands in front of her.

The king’s sharp silver eyes followed us as we were led down the carpeted hall and stopped within ten feet of his person. Will squeezed my hand before he knelt on one knee. I quickly followed suit, being unable to free myself from his protective grip. We both bowed our heads to the king of the elves and Alisa joined us a few steps back in prostrating herself to her king.

“Thank you for the honor of seeing Your Highness so quickly,” Will thanked the elf ruler. “We know you have much on your mind, King Arvo, and hope this conversation may alleviate your mind somewhat.”

The king lifted an eyebrow. “On what information do you pretend to know my thoughts, Lord Thorn?”

Will lifted his head to meet the king’s stern gaze. “On our own experiences, Your Highness. The beasts trapped in your dungeons loosed themselves and nearly killed my wife and me. You would not have gone to the trouble of capturing such dangerous creatures were there not some ulterior motive for doing so, and one which has cast enough shadow over your kingdom that all outsiders are immediately banished to the dungeon.”

King Arvo lifted his chin slightly. He examined Will for a moment before he swept his silver eyes over the others in attendance including the guards. “You may leave us.”

The guards immediately obeyed their king’s orders while General Tervo turned to his men and nodded. They, too, left the room but one stubborn figure remained.

“I will remain here, Your Highness,” Alisa insisted.

The king pursed his lips. “These matters are the kind which cannot leave this room. Do you understand that?”

She bowed her head. “I do, Your Highness. Seeing as I have no friends and my only family kneels before you, I will have no trouble keeping your secret.”

“Then you shall remain to hear the truth.”