Alton cast him a disgruntled look. As if he was afraid to knock? "No one appears to be here."
Olaf cocked a brow. "That… isn't usual."
"How would you know?" Alton asked, getting the notion Olaf had been over here more than he had imagined.
Olaf smiled a little, then said, "Usually someone would be left home as it's not market day and there are no other celebrations going on."
"You heard about what's happened?"
"The gods be brought down low, yes, which is why I'm here. I was worried she might… vanish."
Alton stared at him with incredulity. "And leave her beloved keep behind? And that mishmash of servants she treats as family? And not tell her brother? Or me?"
"Her brother is not here," Olaf said. "So she couldn't have told him and knowing the way Ena is, she would not hesitate to leave, I don't think, rather than wed Prince Grotto."
She couldn't have left. Alton felt sick to his stomach all of a sudden. He had no idea where her treasure was hidden, as was the case for most dragons. Though some had enough guards to protect their treasure hidden in a cave that was well known, and not touched, unless the thief wished to be toast. But if Alton had known where she hid her treasure, he could have gone there and reassured himself it was still there. Dragons would not abandon their hard-earned gold.
"You don't know where her treasure is kept, do you?" Olaf asked.
"No. Do you?"
Olaf shook his head.
A red dragon soon appeared way up above in the clear, blue sky. Kiernan's red scales were so bright beneath the sun's light they looked like they were on fire. He was the most even-tempered of Ena's suitors, but he looked much more aggressive, angry, in his scaled suit of red.
Kiernan settled on the other side of Alton and shifted. "She is not here?"
"Why else do you think we are standing here and not inside?" Alton asked, annoyed, waving angrily at the keep's front door.
Kiernan smiled, then his amused expression quickly faded. "She has not fled the area, has she?"
"She wouldn't have run away," Alton said. Not without telling someone what she intended to do.
"If she has, she wouldn't have told anyone," Kiernan said.
"Her staff isn't here either," Alton said.
The three men stared at the front door.
"She wouldn't have let them go. She thinks too highly of them even if none of them do the jobs they were hired to do," Alton said, even more disgruntled.
"She couldn't have left and taken them with her," Kiernan said. "They would slow her down."
Another shadow blocked out the sun for a second, and they all looked heavenward. His vibrant green scales were nearly blinding in the light, Amerand alighted next to Olaf and raised his brows in question.
"She is not here," Alton said, infuriated, both that she wasn't here and that all her suitors were.
"She hasn't run away, has she?" Amerand asked.
"You know, you could have gotten here when the rest of us did, and we wouldn't have to explain any of this all over again," Alton said.
"I've already been here twice," Amerand said. "Where were you then? I've been searching everywhere for her and just now returned here, again."
That shut Alton up. Though not for long. "And you saw no sign of her or any of her people?"
"No, but I questioned several people in the village. Of course everyone said they hadn't seen her."
"Well, of course. She doesn't even tell her brother or anyone else, except sometimes her staff, what mission she's going on," Alton said.
"Right. Except for one thing." Amerand hesitated to tell them what that one thing was.
Alton was ready to punch him. "All right, Amerand, what?"
"I'm not sure."
Alton shook his head.
"No, it's like a feeling. Like some knew something, but when I pressed them with more questions, they denied knowing anything. Like they might not know anything for sure, but suspected."
"As we do," Alton said.
"More. When she leaves, she vanishes, flies off, fae transports. But if she was leaving for good…"
"She would have to move her treasure!" Alton said.
"Yes, and her staff. She would need help," Kiernan said.
Alton was already heading for the stables, his heart pounding with concern. He heard the other dragon shifters following him. The doors were padlocked.
"They're gone—the horses," Olaf said. "She wouldn't have padlocked the barn with them in there. Someone would have to feed them, and there's no reason to worry about someone stealing her horses, even if she's gone for the whole day."
"She's gone," Alton said under his breath, not wanting to believe it.
"It's all because of that ogre of a prince," Amerand said.
Then they heard horses clopping on the dirt road that led to Ena's keep. "Someone's coming. Let us move away from the stables," Alton said.
As soon as they were again near Ena's front door, Prince Grotto himself and five of his loyal friends rode into the courtyard, their horses' hooves clicking on the stone pavers. His sandy blond hair was pulled back in a tail, and his green eyes surveyed the dragon shifters in front of him, his expression contemptuous.
"Has she requested your presence at her home to give you the news?" the prince asked, not dismounting as if he wished to remain seated to tower over them and impress them with his height.
If they shifted, would he feel so high and mighty?
"She is not here," Alton said. "We came to see her, but no one is here."
The prince's face turned sour. "Indeed. She was supposed to give you the news. Where would she be? I came early to pick her up to join me at the nooning meal."
"We're not sure. Flying, enjoying the lovely weather we're having," Olaf said. "She often takes jaunts across the countryside to exercise her wings."
All of them did, but Alton was certain that wasn't the case this morning. "That's true. She never lets anyone know where she's going or why. Not even her brother, though he's on a mission so we wouldn't be able to ask him where she's gone anyway."
"In case she hasn't given you the news or that you haven't heard about it in the outlying regions where you live, she is betrothed to me. In a month's time, we will wed. She was to tell you that she no longer wishes to see any of you further as she will be a princess and as such, you are beneath her. If you manage to see her before I do, let her know that I have already told you that you may not see her any further. Let the others of your kind know also, will you?"
Then he turned his horse around and headed out of the courtyard, his friends giving the dragon shifters uppity smirks, then turned and followed their prince.
The dragon shifters all watched, no one saying a word. Alton could smell the anger his friends were feeling, just as much as they could sense his anger. The problem was there were not enough dragon shifters in the dragon fae kingdom to take down the dragon fae. The king had long ago declared a moratorium on killing dragon shifters so they had a peace of sorts. Even though their kind were considered second-class citizens. Many of the dragon shifter parents and grandparents had been murdered by the old regime. Now, the majority of the younger generation had come of age, but there were not enough of them to fight the king's forces. And none of the dragon shifters wanted to rule the kingdom of mostly dragon fae who couldn't shift.
They had hoped that when the king died, Princess Alicia would rule and treat their people better. Now, it seemed, it was too late.
"Where would Ena go?" Olaf asked.
"The lion fae queen has given her the title of duchess," Kiernan said. "Maybe she has sought refuge there?"
"And draw the kingdoms into conflict?" Alton asked. "I don't think she'd do that. She can't fight this battle on her own, or she would have."
"Yes," the others agreed.
"So she would have gone far away from here," Alton said.
"Where could she have gone that the people and their rulers would not fear a dragon?" Olaf ask
ed.
"Earth world?" Amerand asked.
They all looked at him like he was crazy.
He scowled back at them. "I mean, that she transported there, not as a dragon! But she could go wherever she wanted as she's capable of hiding her fae aura."
"But her people aren't able to hide their aura and it appears they might have gone with her," Alton said.
"She wouldn't have taken them. They'd slow her down," Amerand said.
"She wouldn't have left without them." Alton couldn't believe she'd take them either, but he knew she was sentimental about such things, though she shouldn't have been. Her main concern should have been to contact him and he would have helped her with this mess.
"Why didn't she call on any of us?" Olaf asked.
Alton took a deep breath and let it out. Not only would she have been worried about her staff, she would have worried about her friends. "Knowing her, she didn't want to involve us."
Amerand snorted.
They all looked at him. He shrugged, an evil smile curving his lips. "She needn't have asked us. We are still going to aid her."
"And you know if we do, King Tibero will attempt to take our gold if he can locate it," Kiernan warned.
"Mine is hidden and no one would dare touch it," Alton said.
Olaf nodded. "Mine as well."
Kiernan rubbed his smooth chin. "Mine is heavily guarded, but many know where it is."
"Mine is safe and secure," Amerand said. "Then before we leave, we move your gold." He cast him an evil smile.
"And then you will know where it is."
"We will help you to move it and you will keep your guards posted, but we will be too busy tracking down Ena before she gets herself hurt. Besides, no decent dragon would ever steal from another," Amerand said.
"Let us go then, make arrangements with our household staffs, and meet up on Rocky Creek Pass. After we move Kiernan's gold, we'll set off to find Ena, and pray to the goddess that she is still safe." Alton would kill that human for causing so much trouble.
Chapter 6
Something shrieked high above in the clouds, and Brett was instantly on his feet, sword in hand, ready to fight whatever it was.
Then he realized he was all alone. The wagons and gold and horses were still here, but Ena and her people were—gone. Likewise, their bedding had vanished, but a fire was still crackling in the center of the camp.
Then he heard movement in the woods and focused on the sound of footfalls crashing through the brush. He thought no one could break through the warding spells, concerned the thieves had broken through, until he saw Muriel and Cook right behind her. They smiled at him, carrying buckets of water, Jacob with two more of his own, following them into the camp.
Jacob snorted when he saw Brett standing there, looking a little dumbstruck. "You finally woke, eh? Mistress Ena wouldn't allow any of us to wake you. She said humans needed more sleep."
Brett wasn't sure whether to be annoyed that she thought he needed more sleep than anyone else like he was a baby, or something, or pleased that she was so considerate of his sleep needs. His side was still burning where he'd been sliced with the blade of the sword, annoying him, and he lifted his tunic to take a peek. The bandage was red in the center in one long diagonal cut.
"You are still bleeding," Muriel said, frowning. She put the pot of water on the fire and hurried over to take a look at his wound.
"It's all right," Brett said, hating that no one else needed any special attention because they could heal more quickly than he could.
A figure swooped in, fanning the flames, then landed near him. He would never get used to Ena arriving as a dragon. She shifted and studied his wound as Muriel exposed it to the cool morning breeze.
"It has not healed," Muriel said. "I will get some herbs and make a poultice."
"He is human," Ena reminded her. "They can take eons to heal compared to the way we do."
"Is your wound healed?" he asked, looking at Ena's arm to see if she still wore a bloodied rag.
"All healed," she said.
She was wearing a new tunic, so her arm was covered and he hadn't noticed when she arrived as a dragon, but he would take her word for it. He hoped, if he was a fae, he would have the same healing genetics once he began to get their abilities.
"We must eat and then we must move on. I was to share the nooning meal with Prince Grotto today and of course, I will not be there. So he will soon be searching for where I've gone, and I'm also certain that the word would have spread concerning my forced betrothal to Prince Grotto, and soon my suitors will be looking for me."
"We were traveling slowly," Brett said. "They would be able to catch up to us before long, wouldn't they?"
"The dragons, if they suspected where I had headed. Prince Grotto? Maybe not so quickly."
Kerry and Addie joined them, dangling fish on strings, smiling with pride.
"Fish soup for breakfast," Addie said cheerfully, then glanced at Brett's now bare chest and his wound. "That does not look good."
"Muriel is getting some herbs—"
A scream sounded from the woods and Brett took off at a flash to protect Muriel. When he found her, she was pale and unsteady on her feet, then pointed at the trees where four skulls were propped up on stakes in the ground.
"What is it?" Brett asked, looking for any sign of who might have killed the men, though the skulls appeared to have been there for a long time.
"We have reached the border of the phantom fae kingdom," Ena explained, joining them. "They will take payment to allow us to cross their kingdom."
"Payment?" Brett asked, thinking this was like driving on a toll road.
"In gold or life."
Brett stared at Ena.
"If you do not give payment, you give your life," Ena explained.
Brett glanced at the others. They looked as concerned as he felt. What if these fae wished all of the treasure? And what if they decided to take their lives if they objected?
"Would the thieves dare cross over into the phantom fae kingdom then?" Brett asked, hoping that some good would come of crossing through this region.
"Some of them were of the phantom fae."
"Great. So they can continue to hound us like a bunch of jackals."
Everyone looked at him as if they didn't know what he was talking about.
"They're predators. And scavengers."
"Yes," Ena said. "They can hound us like a bunch of jackals."
Muriel found what she needed to make the poultice and then they returned to camp. After she made some greasy, sweet and bitter smelling salve, she smeared it all over his wound, then bound it again. He was certain that the "medicine" would lead to an infection and now he would die. What did the fae know about human healing properties? He pulled on his tunic, thanking her, and then began eating the soup Cook had prepared.
Before long, they'd eaten the fish soup, which was remarkably good, though not something he'd ever think of having for breakfast. He was more into bagels and butter or cereal covered in brown sugar.
"Before we leave, I just wanted to tell everyone that I will do the talking when we are approached in the phantom fae kingdom. All right? No one says a word," Ena warned.
"What if the thieves, who are phantom fae, try to steal from us?" Brett asked.
"Then we will have nothing to pay the rulers for safe passage and our lives will be forfeit."
"But what if we kill the thieves and the rulers are angered?" Brett asked.
"We will have to deal with that if the time comes."
To Brett's surprise, Ena took a seat with Ryker in the lead wagon. Brett realized then how important it was that she be with her people and how dangerous this land had to be.
It was like winter here, yet it wasn't that cold. But the trees were leafless and the dead leaves buried the ground as their wagon wheels rolled over them, crunching them up, and warning anyone nearby they had visitors.
He was expecting cannibalistic monsters to app
ear in the shadows of the woods, noting that the sky had turned dark and the once warming sun had been blocked out by the building and blackening clouds.
He swore he kept seeing movement out of the corner of his eyes, but when he turned his head quickly to get a good look, whatever had caught his eye, vanished.
Thieves, phantom fae thieves, came to mind.
His skin crawled with unease as if millions of snakes were slithering up his body when someone stepped out in front of the caravan. No hand raised. Just a challenging look, his bare torso covered in black tattoos, his reddish-brown hair braided down his back and braids were strung across his temples, his forehead tattooed and two slashes of ink were visible on his cheeks. He looked formidable, though not scowling. Still, he had a bow and a quiver of arrows, and Brett wondered if others were hiding in the woods in the event one dragon shifter fae thought to rid herself of the toll road collector.
Ena hopped down from the wagon with such grace, he was reminded of how she looked when she settled on the ground using her wings.
She spoke to the man briefly, then nodded and handed the tattooed man one small ring.
Brett was expecting her to hand over a goodly sum of treasure. The man walked from one wagon to the next, studying Ena's people, but when he came to Brett, he said to Ena, "This one, leave with us."
Brett's skin turned clammy. He glanced at Ena to see her take on it. She looked calm, but tilted her chin up a bit, which meant she was determined to have her own way in this matter. "He is needed to drive the wagon."
"He is sickly and will die soon."
"He will make it to your border." Ena didn't look at Brett and he wondered now if what the fae said was true, that Brett was going to die soon. And that Ena had known it all along.
Or maybe the fae only said so because he knew Brett had been injured and he was guessing that Brett didn't have long to live. Brett was still wearing the tunic that had been cut and though he'd washed the blood out, it was still stained red in places, which could look bad.
"You will take a dead man with you?" the phantom fae asked, sounding surprised.
"He is useful. When he no longer is, we will bury him."