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

Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Wait a moment!” the elf insisted as he scrambled after us and followed at Will’s side. “I have yet to introduce myself to your lovely new bride!”

“Then do so,” Will curtly replied.

The elf smiled and inclined his head at me. “It is a great pleasure to meet you, Lady Thorn. I am Kaius Luja, thirteenth Knight of Kivi and ambassador of King Arvo the Great to the lands beyond the forests.”

“Knight?” I repeated as I noticed Will quicken his pace.

Luja hurried to keep up with Will’s long stride. “Yes, Lady Thorn. I have that rare distinction given only to those whom the king most trusts.”

“And the Kivi?” I asked him.

He smiled at me as he struggled to keep pace. “The name for the old part of the city, My Lady. As a knight, I am bound to the palace and my king.”

“So what are you doing out here? And why haven’t we seen you around the city or the forest?” I wondered.

Luja stared ahead and lifted his chin. “I have been exploring the world at the behest of the king. His Highness sent me off some six months ago to learn new sword techniques and magic.”

Will lifted an eyebrow at him. “Six months ago?”

Our acquaintance nodded. “Yes. His Highness was eager that I should acquire as much knowledge of both as possible, especially as no one has been allowed such privilege for many centuries.” He paused and bowed his head to Will. “Your charge notwithstanding due to the debt we owe you.”

My ears perked up at the mention of Will’s mysterious heroism. “What did he do?”

Luja laughed. “Surely he has told you his tale of heroism!”

I cast a bemused smile at my stoic dragon husband. “Not yet.”

The knight’s face showed astonishment. “Then allow me to tell you the tale, though I admit I was not yet born to witness his courage.”

“There’s no need for that,” Will spoke up.

Luja grinned. “It would be my honor, Lord Thorn. After all, you are the only one to ever be honored by our previous king for saving our kingdom from the great eagles.”

I sat up in Will’s arms. “Eagles?”

The storyteller nodded. “The eagles have nested in the vali since its creation, or so we believe. Their nests are located several miles up the gap from the location of our fine capital and so we had little knowledge of their existence until a scouting party explored the upper regions of our young kingdom. They discovered a huge nest empty but for a forgotten egg which they took with them. Unfortunately, it turned out the parents were merely out hunting for food. They followed the trail of the scouts back to the city and attacked our city. The guards atop the Vahti warned of their coming but we could do little against their bombardments.”

I furrowed my brow as I thought back to our adventure on the training green. “Couldn’t you just shoot them with arrows?”

He shook his head. “According to the tales from the elders, the eagles were gifted with a protective magic that made their feathers impervious to our wooden shafts. Our arrows broke and our spears also failed.”

“So did you guys give the egg back?” I wondered.

His smile was accented by a bit of sheepishness. “Truth be told, the king had already made the egg into a lavish meal for himself and his generals.”

My face drooped. “Oh.”

“Oh indeed,” he agreed as he sighed and shook his head. “My people tried to lure them away with the shells of the egg pieces together with glue, a ploy which worked until one of the birds snatched the egg and the pieces shattered, revealing our ruse. That only emboldened them even more and they began to tear the roofs off our homes which at that time were simple thatched constructions. They also managed to snatch many of our citizens from the streets and throw them into the vali.”

My mouth dropped open. “That’s awful!”

He gave me an encouraging smile. “Their fates were not as awful as that. There were many bridges across the vali at that time and they were snatched from a terrible death by the very one who carries you now.” I looked up at Will but he merely stared ahead with an impassive expression as Luja continued his tale. “All appeared lost as they ravaged even the palace of His Highness when Lord Thorn rose into the air and confronted the largest of the eagles, undoubtedly their leader. There was a terrific fight as the pair dueled in the skies above the city. Both eagles and elves watched in awe at their fight. The clash of their talons was said to have caused glass to shatter and the wind from their wings blew away many homes.”

“So Will won?” I asked him.

He nodded. “Undoubtedly. The eagle was vanquished in the fight and the others, seeing their dead leader strewn on the ground, fled. We enjoyed a celebration the likes of which have not been seen since and the person of honor was Lord William Thorn.”

“What about the eagles? Did they ever come back?”

He shook his head. “Never, though they still roost up the vali from our capital. Now, however, they would have a tougher fight against our stone roofs and our enchanted arrows.”

I nudged my elbow against Will’s chest. “Why didn’t you want to tell me that story?”

“Modesty, of course!” Luja suggested with a laugh. “The famed Lord Thorn is very modest and rarely agrees to tell the tale, even to the eager children on his rare visits.”

“If you’re finished with your story then I might ask what you were doing with my wife when I came upon you two,” Will spoke up as he looked down at me. “And where did the human go who was with you.”

I shuddered at the remembrance. “He. . .he changed.”

Will lifted an eyebrow. “The disease?”

I nodded. “The disease.”

“Disease?” Luja wondered as he glanced between us with less mirth than before. “What disease?”

“King Arva would have a more thorough explanation of the happenings that have occurred since you left,” Will told him as he eyed the knight with a curious look. “That is, if you don’t already know what’s happened.”

“How would I know? I have only just arrived,” he countered.

“And at a very auspicious time,” Will pointed out. “In fact, your timing could not have been more perfect.”

A crooked smile curled onto the knight’s lips and he shrugged. “Merely a coincidence. My six months were finished and my work completed, so here I am to come to the aid of my city. Have any of my people been afflicted with what I witnessed on that hapless mortal?”

“Again, we defer to your king for that information,” Will replied.

Spirits undaunted, Luja lifted his chin and nodded. “Then I will go immediately and ask him!”

The elf quickened his steps even faster than Will, but my dragon husband was not to be outdone. Will kept the pace and in no time at all the forest parted and the large capital city rose in front of us. Even after staying in it I couldn’t help but gape at the majestic view. The story about the eagles, too, made me think about the layout of the city and the deep canyon over which we passed.

All that was swept under the rug as we approached the gates. The two guards from our previous visit had been joined by four others, making a total of six, and none of them looked happy to see Will and me. The two original guards grasped their spears in both hands while the other four drew their arrows and armed their bows which they gladly pointed at us.

“Halt!” the leader shouted as he stepped forward with his spear.

Will stopped but our companion kept going. Luja opened his arms and grinned at them. “My comrades! I have returned!”

The men gaped at him for a moment before they stood at attention and replied in unison. “Welcome back, Knight Luja!”

Luja stopped in front of them and bowed low to the company. “It is wonderful to be back. How has His Highness been these last few months?”

The men slackened their stance but a few eyed us with sharp looks. The leader nodded at the gates. “You may pass through to find your answers, Knight Luja, but the others here-” He shot us a dark glare, “-will have to remain outside.”

“By whose orders?” Will asked him.

“His Highness,” the soldier replied.

“Might we have an explanation for this sudden change?” Will persisted.

The soldier narrowed his eyes at us. “It is because you convinced General Terve to throw away everything on the empty promise that you could save our comrade.”

“It isn’t an empty promise!” I spoke up as I glared at the soldier. “But you guys have to help us out but keeping us out of the city isn’t helping!”

The soldier shook his head. “We have our orders. Your permission is not revoked but you will not be allowed into the city.”

I opened my mouth for a further discussion but Will squeezed my body. He inclined his head to the soldier. “Then we will take our leave. However, we have left all our belongings at Alisa’s house and would like to fetch them for the coming night.”

The soldier stiffened his jaw. “I will have to make inquiries to His Highness about that, but if there is anything you need immediately I will have someone fetch it.”

A smile slipped onto Will’s lips. “Tell Alisa we would like some of her finest soup with her special side. The forests out here are rather cold and it will warm us.”

The elf nodded. “Very well. Remain on the other side of the bridge and we will pass on the message.”

Will inclined his head to the soldier. “Thank you.”

He turned and carried me back across the bridge. Luja called to us as we left. “Keep safe, my friends!”

I hoped so.