Smolder (Dragon Souls)

  “No need. It’s a gift.”

  She smoothed her hands over her figurine and let Daniil lead her away as the merchant the next stall over tried to gain her attention.

  “Phoenixes … obviously they’re not all black like Koen,” Marina thought aloud. “What is it that makes them so different … I noticed they all have white horns when other dragons have dark ones.”

  “For one, phoenixes can breathe fire and ice. They can control the smaller wild dragons. They have stronger magick, can be reborn from their ashes in certain circumstances, and can usually see straight into the heart of truth.” As they walked, Daniil pointed to the long banners hanging over the citadel walls. “The dragon’s hide color is the official color of the Empire and changes to mark each passing dynasty.”

  She squinted, but could only see a gold splodge from this distance. “What’s Koen’s crest?”

  They came to a stop before a set of stalls made of white marble and Daniil pointed directly in front of them. Floating above a long piece of parchment nailed to a slab of dark lacquered wood was a black flag with an emerald sun in the centre.

  “That is the crest of the Clan Raad and so will be emblem of our Emperor and will fly below flags of the two dragon kingdoms and be seen across our entire Empire. It will be the sign of your Clan should you succeed in mating with him.”

  Marina stepped forward and ran imaginary fingers over the stitching, mentally branding it as hers. “Who was the last black phoenix?”

  “Ah, Mikhail. It is why not many will recognize your crest once you start wearing your jade. Remember, lord Myron was the last phoenix, and he was a gold, but you must call him Regent.”

  “My jade?”

  “Traditionally Chosen wear a pendant of jade, a gemstone engraved with their House emblem.”

  Marina looked up and down the marble table. “Where’s your House name?”

  Daniil moved her a step to the left, and there was his name on a scroll of parchment and above floated a dark blue flag with a white dot.

  She moved back to Koen’s crest and looked at the names scrawled on it, thoughtful. “These names are women who want to mate Koen?” It was by far the longest list, worryingly long.

  “All Chosen note interest in the king, just in case.”

  “You’re not exactly unpopular,” Marina mused.

  He flushed. “Yes, well.”

  “It’s English,” she murmured. “Old, but still English.” Marina winked at Daniil playfully and added her name to Koen’s list and his, just for fun, and laughed when he flushed harder.

  “Where’s Nikolai’s list?” she asked, fully intending to put her scrawl there too, knowing that would please him immensely.

  Daniil shuddered. “We stopped putting it up years ago. He always attracted too many suitors and it got, ah, difficult to keep them in order.”

  “I see. So, now we’re done here can I meet Koen’s Clan?”

  “They are … all gone, apart from one brat who you’ve met I believe.”

  She grinned. “What happened to everybody else?”

  “They all had the great honor of becoming one of the Fallen. Anastasia is quite ruthless.”

  “She hurt them?”

  “During the hunt they lost their lives. She would capture one and use them as bait, but Koen refuses to be caught by her. He tried to save them all of course, the last, his sister Tatiana was close to his heart. That was the reason why he was so damaged when you found him. He fought valiantly for her, but one dragon, even a phoenix is only so good against an army that hunts him.”

  Marina scowled. “I just can’t believe it can go so far.”

  “Didn’t you ever wonder why Koen hates Aver so much? Why he didn’t even wish to consider telling you of its existence, and why he left you rather than stay? Aver is a battle for who should be queen and who should rule an entire kingdom. The hunt is the fight for who oversees the entire Empire. We take our monarchy seriously.”

  Marina wasn’t sure that she wanted to know the answer considering how she had behaved in front of Koen when she had first heard her name, but asked, “Did Tatiana die?”

  Daniil winced. “Not exactly.”

  Chapter 14

  The palace below mesmerized Marina, and she craned her neck to see as Daniil landed. She slid off his back, and as soon as she climbed down the ladder set into the side of the landing pillar, she strode over to the manicured gardens.

  It had five stories of lacquered wood and pillars, each alternating storey getting smaller until the apex. A pointed roof of dark green slate was topped with a thick column that looked very much like a landing pillar from the deep gouges and scratches from dragon talons in the stone.

  There was a pool of water surrounding the house’s sturdy stone pillars. Since it backed onto the lagoon, Marina knew this was Koen’s home, at least, the place that would be home if he wasn’t hunted.

  The doors to enter were engraved with the Raad crest as was the flat stones leading to them through the water.

  “It’s built for dragons,” she murmured.

  “Of course,” Daniil said and summoned his clothes with a flicker of his eyelids and a wave of his hand. “We are dragons that can shift human, not humans that can shift dragon.”

  “Koen seems to look at it differently.”

  “Koen has issues.”

  Marina couldn’t argue with that.

  They were greeted by a kind old man in dark grey robes with a long white beard.

  Marina followed Daniil’s lead and pulled off her muddy boots and left them outside before stepping into a spacious room, the floor covered in woven mats. Light streamed in through segmented screens, and they were led by the old man into a guest room. Seated on oblong cushions, Marina studied the intricate dragons painted onto the surface of low rectangular table in front of her.

  Knelt motionless on the other side was an exquisitely beautiful woman Marina’s age. Dressed in diaphanous robes with long funneled sleeves that covered her hands, she was refinement personified, and exuded a sereneness and composure Marina knew she would never be able to imitate.

  Behind the hostess was a hanging scroll depicting a gory battle in blood red ink. Below it, a stick of incense burned off into a tray, and the snappish fragrance of ginger stole through the room. In the farthest corner sat another young women, plucking on elaborate string instrument.

  “Tea ceremony,’ Daniil murmured to her. “It is an honor dragon lords receive when on an official visit in human form.”

  “Official visit?”

  “Our time here will be recorded and sent to court. There are scrolls the dragon lords of the gentry can peruse at their leisure, and it keeps them abreast of current alliances and any problematic ties or associations. Of course, most often court gossip is a more reliable source of information.”

  The hostess smiled prettily as she prepared the tea leaves by crushing them in a clay pestle.

  Just off to her side was a square hole in the mats, and Marina could hear the gentle coming and going of water on rocks. Suspended on ropes was an ornate metal plate with a glowing brazier, and hanging over that a cast iron kettle of boiling water.

  The woman scooped the crushed leaves onto a flat sieve and balanced it on a large bowl. She carefully moved her sleeve to one side, and used a square of muslin to lift the kettle and pour the hot water over the leaves.

  It gave off a pungent smell that warned Marina she wasn’t going to be a fan of whatever it was she was about to given to drink.

  The hostess poured the steaming liquid into two shallow tea bowls, paused, and satisfied with her work bowed her head, extending her arms gracefully as she presented the first bowl to Daniil.

  It was when she presented Marina’s bowl the mask of sobriety slipped. The hostess peeked up at her, eyes twinkling with curiosity.

  The old man cleared his throat discreetly.

  The young woman started, and her cheeks pinkened. She lowered her eyes. The girl’s natural reaction
alleviated Marina’s reservations, and she took the bowl with a smile.

  Peering into the bowl at the transparent liquid, she grimaced inwardly. Marina took a hot, bitter sip, and gave Daniil a wobbly smile. He bit back a laugh, downing his own cup in one long swallow, his back straight, and his free hand hovering at the bottom of the bowl. He set the empty dish down with a bow then turned to quietly state his business to the old man in a pleasant tone.

  Marina kept bringing the bowl to her lips and taking the tiniest sips possible. Once she was sure Daniil and the old man were quite diverted in their conversation, she tipped her tea out through the hole in the floor.

  The hostess’ eyes widened, her mouth forming a scandalized pucker, and Marina winked, putting a finger over her lips, declaring the young woman a conspirator in her crime.

  The woman giggled then slapped a hand over her mouth when the old man gave her a look of censure.

  “Marina, this is Osip. He oversees House Raad, and will take us to see Tatiana.”

  “Lord Daniil has explained who you are, princess,” Osip said in a soft, but strong voice. “It is an honor. Welcome to House Raad. If ever you need help, please, do not hesitate to summon me.”

  Marina pated his hand and he stiffened. “Um, thank you…”

  Daniil took Marina’s hand away and placed it back on her lap. “Don’t worry, we’re not so familiar on official visits. You’ll get the hang of it.”

  She gave him a thin smile, thinking she didn’t particularly want to get the hang of it, but knowing it was important to give these customs due respect. She did plan to rule this kingdom, after all.

  Osip eased himself up, and Marina was tempted to help him, but the look from Daniil told her such a thing wouldn’t be received well. She waited as he walked off, Daniil following before she wiggled her fingers at the hostess in a wave goodbye.

  They moved up two more levels in the house until they reached a screen decorated with blossoms and birds. Osip rang a bell mounted on a slab of wood, and slid the screen aside, bowing, motioning them to enter.

  Marina felt her heart sink when she did. Her shoulders slumped as she took in the girl she’d been jealous of because Koen spoke her name with love.

  Lying on the bed, the child was barely into her teens. Sunlight highlighted her dark brown hair and porcelain skin with a soft glow. She was tall like most of the people here, but she was dangerously thin, her frame barely causing a curve under the heavy sheets she was tucked in to the chest.

  The closer Marina drew to the foot of the bed, she could see though the sunlight kissed her skin attractively that she was overly pale, and the skin on her motionless hands on the covers was grayish.

  A large scar crossed over Tatiana’s face from one temple slashing over the bridge of her nose and cheek.

  “The woman watching over her is Pasha,” Daniil said quietly. “Her career. She didn’t need a handmaiden anymore, but Nikolai prefers for her not to be alone.”

  “Does Koen ever….”

  “He stays away from the mainland whenever he can. Osip told me he came to visit her a few months ago, but he has gone into hiding again.”

  “Months?”

  “Koen has been back in this dimension for several months now, Marina. Remember we crossed over several hours after him.”

  To Koen his younger sister would have been injured days ago when in reality it had been years in Tzion.

  Nodding in understanding, Marina timidly made her way over to the side of the bed, and brushed a hand over Tatiana Raad’s brow. After a beat of hesitation, she held her own breath when she moved her hand to hover over the girl’s pallid lips. A soft exhalation of breath greeted her fingertips. Marina’s heartbeat steadied. She had needed to check because the girl lay so still, her chest wasn’t visibly moving.

  “She’s in a coma, isn’t she?” she asked the woman sitting by her bedside.

  Mature, handsome face lined with age, Pasha’s steel gray hair was neatly pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her cotton robes were plain blue over a grey dress, and her slippers a demure black. She sat on a high backed wicker chair with her hands folded neatly on her lap, one tucked into her sleeve slightly.

  Radiating hostility, she glared at Marina like she was sludge at the bottom of the lagoon just outside.

  “I do not know what a ‘coma’ is, Chosen,’ Pasha said flatly, words clipped, the simmering of anger easily discernable. “Lady Tatiana is lost in the deep sleep, and may leave us at any time.”

  Surprised at the unfriendly reaction from the woman, but thinking nothing of it, Marina touched Tatiana’s hand and shuddered when it was icy despite the heat of the room.

  Hearing the scraping of the chair behind her shifting back, Marina glanced over her shoulder.

  Pasha stood with a dagger clutched in her shaking hand, knuckles white on the hilt. Her unadorned face was resolute, her almond eyes turbulent, filled with the determination, and a little horror at what she was doing.

  At that moment, Pasha had the most beautiful face Marina had ever seen. The woman’s love for Tatiana shone through giving it a luminosity that was near blinding.

  Pasha’s other hand gripped her skirts tightly, her discomfort at violence plain, but she kept the dagger pointed at the danger she perceived in Marina. There was nothing the older woman could have done if Marina – a princess – and Daniil – a dragon lord – wanted to take the girl, but her bravery floored Marina.

  Daniil didn’t do anything to suggest he was overly concerned by the woman’s attempt to fight for her mistress, but raised a reproachful eyebrow. “Pasha,” he admonished.

  “I wont let you hurt her,” Pasha said in a firm voice. Her hand shook. “Not again, not a child in my care.”

  “I’m not here to hurt Tatiana,” Marina assured softly, waving Daniil away irritably when he growled at the woman. “I came to meet who I hope will one day be my sister.”

  “The last Chosen with the same hopes who came near this child did this,” Pasha said angrily. Her chin lifted. “I do not believe you.”

  “The short time I’ve been here that doesn’t surprise me,” Marina sighed. She narrowed her eyes warningly at Daniil when he continued to scowl at Pasha. “And we’re not going to take offense because I understand how you feel. I’ll go now. If you need anything, my name is Marina. Don’t hesitate to come to me.”

  “High princess Marina of House Zar,” Daniil corrected.

  Pasha paled, and slowly lowered the knife. “Oh goddess,” she whispered and swayed.

  Marina held up a hand, worried the woman would faint. “It’s fine. Really. We’re leaving. Now.”

  She touched Tatiana’s hand in goodbye, and strode out the room.

  Despite Marina’s insistence he follow her, Daniil hung back to have words with Pasha. When he was done and was closing the screen Marina spun to him with a fury she couldn’t bring herself to unleash in that room in Tatiana’s presence.

  “You’re angry at Anastasia, but there is nothing you can do,” Daniil soothed. “The kidnapping was legal.”

  “Legal my ass, and angry doesn’t begin to cover it. What kind of woman steals a child then near kills her for the sake of wearing a crown?”

  Daniil took her hand, squeezed it comfortingly, and rested it on his elbow as they walked the soft –floored and screen-walled corridors. He wisely kept a hold of it when Marina bounced up and down she was so mad. “Many Chosen have done this in the past. The Fallen are an accepted part of the hunt. There are rules. No child before five winters can be taken. If the victim is the sole heir to a Clan they cannot be taken. Tatiana was of age, and well protected because of it.

  “Well, they got hold of her, didn’t they. House Vor got their hands on her,” Marina said and waved her free hand around irately at the whole thing. “Using a child for a tactical advantage is twisted. Those rules didn’t stop Tatiana getting hurt did they? She’s barely breathing for Pete’s sake.”

  “Who is Pete?”

&
nbsp; “How many times has this happened to this family?”

  “The hunt usually doesn’t go so far or take so long. There is one, maybe two Fallen if the Chosen uses bait in her hunts. Koen’s legacy has five. It’s Anastasia’s preferred hunting technique, to bait him. She knows he’ll come out of hiding for the ones he cares about.”

  “Are there any others that she may take?”

  Daniil shook his head. “No, and she cannot take Nikolai, as he is a sole heir.”

  “Isn’t Koen heir to House Raad?”

  “No. He cannot be the head of one Clan as he must be the High Lord of all Clans, Fire and Ice. Nikolai is fortunate, being a second son to the ruling House is a blessing rather than a curse.”

  Marina gnashed her teeth, still fuming over what she had learnt. “There are laws stopping Anastasia, any Chosen, taking Tatiana for the next hunt?” Daniil shook his head slowly. “Well, they’ll have to step over my dead body before I let it happen again. They will never lay another finger on that girl, and if anybody does I’ll chop them off until they get the message.”

  “How do you plan to watch over her? The Chosen, Anastasia in particular, are resourceful, and you have to train to be able to compete,” he looked down at her,” dying in the first quest would be most problematic, Marina. You cannot stay here and watch Tatiana sleep.”

  “No. I can’t.”

  “So what will you do?”

  Marina cracked her knuckles, thinking. She thumped his chest when an idea popped into her head. “Will Mikhail still be at Ash Mount?”

  “No. He’ll be at Zar palace.” Daniil grinned. “And that is exactly where we are going.”

  Outside, Daniil shifted to dragon, and becoming accustomed to flying, Marina climbed onto his back. Riding him was different to the fire dragons. His scales were cold, brittle, and slippery. He moved differently too, with more speed and precision, she had to stay alert to prepare for his sudden changes in angle or altitude.

  Late afternoon had come and gone and the sun set rapidly.

  Other dragons passed them, most peering at her curiously, rider less. She began to wonder if riding them was as commonplace as she had thought it would be. She voiced this question sometime later when Daniil landed outside another palace.