Chapter Three

ADALE

 

It was three days to Fenstell by carriage. For the most part, the journey was uneventful. But on the morning of the second day, Adale awoke to find Esofi was not beside her, nor anywhere else in their too-large tent.

Rubbing at her eyes, Adale forced herself to get out from under the warm blankets and dressed as quickly as she could manage. Inside the tent was a comfortable temperature, but she knew it would be significantly colder outside until the sun had a few hours to warm the air. Pulling on her boots and fastening a heavy fur-lined cloak around her shoulders, she stepped out of the tent and into the weak sunlight.

The camp was still quiet, though some of their guards had already set to work taking down tents and preparing the morning meal. Mireille was by the fire, and normally Carinth would be anywhere food was happening, but it was too cold for him to be up yet, and so he remained in the tent, under the heavy blankets, waiting for someone to come drop breakfast directly into his mouth.

Adale looked around for any sign of Esofi and finally spotted her near the edge of the camp, quite near the main road. Directly in front of her was Lisette, mounted on a horse and dressed in leather armor instead of her usual grey dress. Adale could not hear what they said to each other, for they were too far away and spoke too softly. Before Adale could get near enough to listen in, Esofi nodded vigorously, and Lisette turned her mount in toward the road.

Adale watched curiously as Lisette directed the horse not toward Fenstell, but back in the direction of Birsgen. Once she was out of sight, Esofi turned around, only to jump in surprise when she saw Adale standing there.

“Where is she off to?” asked Adale.

“Oh…it’s nothing,” said Esofi. “Don’t worry about it.”

Adale frowned, uncomfortable that a secret was being kept from her. Esofi must have realized this as well because she added, “I am concerned that we haven’t had a courier from Birsgen yet. Lisette believes it may be worth investigating.”

“We’ve not been gone that long,” said Adale. But Esofi only shrugged and said nothing more. Perhaps she was embarrassed by her own actions? That seemed the most likely thing, for there was no way that sending Lisette back was anything but a waste of time. It would take her a day to return to Birsgen and then three more to find them again at Fenstell. By the time Lisette managed to deliver any news to Esofi, they’d have already heard it from the courier.

If sending Lisette off made Esofi feel better, Adale wouldn’t say anything more about it. But it seemed so very unlike her, so uncharacteristically irrational, that Adale could not help but suspect that there was more to the matter than just a delayed message.

Adale did not want to call Esofi a liar. She did not want to believe that Esofi was lying to her, whether directly or simply by omission. And besides, Esofi was not required to tell Adale every detail of her life. Married or not, they were still separate people, and there was nothing wrong with enforcing boundaries now and then…

But how could Adale possibly help Esofi if Esofi would not tell her what was wrong?

If they’d been at home, Adale might have pushed a little harder. But the camp was rather public, and if it turned into a real argument, she did not want their guards to overhear and spread gossip that the princesses were quarreling. Rumors like that could move like wildfire. It would be better to wait, watch, and hope.

But Lisette’s departure did nothing for Esofi’s anxiety. Every time Adale turned around, Esofi was watching the sky. She and Mireille worked together to distract her from her worries, but it seemed that Esofi was having difficulty focusing on anything but the expected courier.

Even Carinth had noticed something was wrong. He spent most of his time at Esofi’s heels, watching her with worried golden eyes. Whenever Esofi spotted this, she looked down at him and asked, “What’s the matter?”

But Carinth never answered.

On the morning of the third day, Adale emerged from their tent and found Carinth chasing a dragonfly across the clearing. Esofi had not risen yet and so Adale went to pick him up.

“Are we ready to fly?” cried Adale, tossing Carinth up into the air on the last word. The dragon unfurled his limp, awkward wings, as though attempting to catch the wind. He landed safely back in her waiting arms, as always, but Adale still glanced around guiltily to make sure Esofi had not seen this.

Esofi had not seen, but Mireille had. But she was laughing—she never scolded Adale for playing too exuberantly with Carinth. Sometimes she seemed so much younger than Adale and Esofi. Her exceptionally youthful face did not help matters.

“It’s time for his breakfast,” said Mireille. She was holding an oilskin bag that Adale knew had strips of dried meat inside. Carinth clambered across Adale’s shoulders to sniff at it. “I know it’s not raw, but…”

Carinth’s tongue flicked out and wrapped around one of the strips. Before Mireille could properly react, he had swallowed it whole.

“Oh! Rude!” cried Mireille. “Carinth, you know better! He’d have never done that if Esofi was around.”

“The wilderness is getting to him,” Adale said, even though they were still within sight of the road. “He thinks he’s a wild dragon.”

“Wild dragons don’t have their breakfast brought to them by beautiful young ladies,” Mireille informed Carinth. “And they have to sleep out in the rain.”

Carinth was clearly more interested in the bag than anything Mireille had to say. Adale set him down on the ground for fear she would drop him because he would not hold still.

“How is Esofi?” asked Mireille.

“The same as yesterday, I think,” said Adale. “I’ll be glad when we reach Fenstell. She needs a distraction.”

Mireille handed Carinth another strip of dried meat. This time, he took it in his front claws and chewed it.

“You’ve met Esofi’s mother, haven’t you?” asked Adale.

“Only once,” Mireille admitted. “She was there when they spoke to me to see if I was suitable to accompany Esofi to Ieflaria. I did not think I would actually be selected. My parents are Baron and Baroness of Aelora. Not terribly…prestigious. But I suppose not many other girls wanted to make such a long trip. Her majesty didn’t say very much to me, and I was glad for that. She is very frightening.”

“I picked that up, yes,” said Adale.

“She is very admired in Rhodia. In all of Thiyra, really. Her blessing is extremely powerful, and the elves know not to cross her.”

Elves, again. Adale had questions about elves. But that could wait.

“She has this terribly intimidating air. Even if you didn’t know her reputation, you’d sense it. Like an archpriestess or an eagle. And she’s very tall for a Rhodian woman—but not for an Ieflarian, I suppose. If she didn’t have Talcia’s magic, I’m sure she’d have the blood rage from Reygmadra.”

“She’s violent?”

Mireille blanched. “I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just…she’s…you have to understand; in Rhodia, it’s different—”

“It’s all right,” said Adale. “I’ve been piecing it together.”

“I should not have said anything.” Mireille wrung her hands. “I’ve only met her once; what do I know? Don’t take anything I say too seriously, please.”

“I won’t tell anyone you said anything,” Adale promised. “I only want to protect Esofi. I’m not trying to start trouble.”

“I don’t see why Esofi is so anxious to meet her. She’s done very well since she came here. She married you and ended the dragon crisis and the Ieflarian people seem fond of her. Queen Gaelle should not find any cause for complaint.”

“You don’t have any idea why she might have come?”

Mireille shook her head. “The journey to Ieflaria is so long. I worry something terrible must have happened in Rhodia, for her to have come herself. Is it possible all of the princes and princesses died, and Esofi is now her sole heir?”

“That would be inconvenient,” said Adale. There would be no ruling Rhodia from Birsgen. Esofi would have to appoint someone to rule in her stead, or she and Adale would be forced to part ways.

“But if that were the case, we would have heard by now, wouldn’t we? The couriers would be speaking of nothing else.”

“I suppose there’s no point in trying to guess,” said Adale.

Mireille fed the rest of the meat to Carinth, one piece at a time. She was just finishing when Esofi emerged from the tent. Her make-up had been carefully applied, as usual, but Adale could still see the exhaustion in her face.

“Let’s get you something to eat,” said Adale, pulling Esofi into her arms.

“I’m not hungry,” said Esofi. She had not been hungry yesterday either. She shook free of Adale’s grasp and went to Carinth, resting one hand on his head.

“You have to at least have some tea before we go,” insisted Adale.

Esofi did not answer. She only picked up Carinth, humming a little.

“I’ll get you some,” said Adale, trying her best to ignore the unease rising in her stomach.

When Adale returned with a teacup, Esofi was standing near the trees, staring into the dark forest and singing softly to Carinth in Rhodian. The trees smelled lovely, and Adale could see colorful birds flitting through the sunbeams.

Adale didn’t know more than a handful of words in Rhodian, so she had no idea what the song was about. But it sounded like a lullaby.

Adale did not think she’d ever felt so disconnected from Esofi before. It was as though there was an invisible barrier between them, and Adale did not know how to overcome it. She wanted to respect Esofi’s apparent need for space, but at the same time, she wanted Esofi to know everything would be so much easier if she just talked to her honestly and openly. In some ways, it was worse than a fight, because at least with a fight, Adale could identify where things had gone wrong.

Maybe it would have been better if they’d stayed at Birsgen. They would have found out what Gaelle wanted by now. Adale was starting to believe that Esofi’s worrying was far worse than whatever Gaelle had come to say.

“I’ll leave you alone if you just drink this,” said Adale.

“I don’t want you to leave me alone.” Esofi’s voice was faint.

“Then I’ll leave you alone if you don’t drink it.”

Esofi looked puzzled. “What?”

“It was a joke!” Adale pulled the teacup closer to herself as Carinth attempted to stick his nose in it. “Captain Lehmann says we should be at Fenstell by noon.”

Esofi set Carinth back down on the ground. “Make sure he doesn’t run into the trees,” she said and took the teacup from Adale.

Adale crouched down to Carinth’s level. “Are you being good?” she asked him. He unfurled his wings and then folded them down again. “Maybe you’ll get to meet another dragon today. How about that?”

“Don’t promise him that,” said Esofi. “I need to see if he’s a suitable influence first.”

As usual, there was no reliable way of knowing if Carinth understood her words, but Adale added, “If he’s a suitable influence. Can’t have him teaching you bad habits at your impressionable age. That’s my job.”

Esofi laughed into her tea, and Adale grinned hearing it.

True to Captain Lehmann’s prediction, they arrived in Fenstell at noon. The camp was located outside of the town, higher up on the seaside cliffs and hopefully far enough away that the residents would not find themselves unduly imposed upon.

The camp was more fortress than camp now. It had a high wooden wall around it, constructed from tall Ieflarian pines. Guards had been posted at the entrance and at several checkpoints on the road leading up to it. It was cold up on the cliffs, the whistling sea winds making everyone pull their cloaks around tighter. Even in the carriage, buffered from the winds, Carinth was grumbling. He had never liked colder weather.

“Do we have any of his shirts?” asked Adale.

“They’re in the luggage,” said Esofi. Carinth had several knitted garments, all made especially for him. The trend had been started by a castle maid, who had given Carinth his first shirt with two long slits in the back during his first winter. Adale had been sure he’d hate it—he was a dragon, not a lapdog—but Carinth had worn it happily until he’d outgrown it.

These days, Carinth had as many shirts as Esofi had dresses, all of them gifts. And not just from the maids either. Her mother’s waiting lady, Countess Amala, had been one of the first noblewomen to sew something for Carinth. And as Adale knew, once the queen’s ladies started doing something, it wouldn’t be long before everyone else was following suit.

The carriage rolled into the camp, and the gates closed behind them. Adale stepped out first and turned to help Esofi. They both looked around together, evaluating their surroundings.

It really was more of a fortress than a camp. None of the structures were temporary, they’d all been built from the same Ieflarian pine as the outer wall. But before Adale could consider this further, two people, a man and a woman, approached them.

The man was Commander Gero, from the Ieflarian military, appointed by her parents to oversee the encampment. The woman was unfamiliar to her, but Adale supposed this must be Lieutenant Helaine Vaseur.

Like all of the Rhodian women Adale had met, Lieutenant Vaseur had light hair and she was not very tall. She wore a midnight-blue robe embellished with complex silver embroidery that reflected her advanced rank.

As soon as they were near enough, the woman began to speak to Esofi in the Rhodian language, barely acknowledging Adale at all. Esofi nodded along, frowning a little.

“So, where is the dragon?” asked Adale, tired of being left out. “And how big is he?”

Lieutenant Vaseur frowned at Adale as though she could not believe she’d dared to address her, and Adale felt herself immediately grow defensive in turn. But Commander Gero said, “He travels between the camp here and the forest to the west to hunt. I am certain he will return by nightfall, Crown Princess. We are grateful that you have come so quickly.”

“Do you believe that he really wants to negotiate with us?” asked Adale. “Or is this just some kind of trick?”

“I…cannot say, Crown Princess. But his claim appears to be legitimate. As for his size…” Gero looked down at Carinth, who had become distracted by the silver clasp on Helaine’s cloak. “Larger than this one, certainly.”

To Adale’s shock, Helaine removed the clasp and handed it over to Carinth. He accepted it eagerly and turned it over in his tiny claws to taste it.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that—” Adale began. But Helaine paid her no mind.

“We have a room for you in the main citadel,” said Commander Gero, gesturing to the largest structure in the camp. “I’m afraid it’s not much. But you understand our circumstances.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” said Esofi. “By chance, has a courier come for me?”

“I am afraid not, Princess. But I will send for you if one arrives.”

Commander Gero’s assessment wasn’t incorrect—the room that had been set aside for them was modest, but Adale had been expecting something like it. There was a single bed, two wardrobes, and a writing desk. It had no ornaments or decoration, and only a single small window that let in a little bit of daylight.

Esofi did not seem to be troubled by their accommodations either. She was sorting through one of the valises that had been brought in by a footman, searching for one of Carinth’s knitted shirts.

Eventually she found one made from lamb’s wool, dyed green, and called to Carinth, who allowed her to put it over his head without complaint. Adale watched as Esofi helped him get his wings through the long slits on the back, for Carinth would fuss if they were not allowed to be free.

“What do you think the dragon will be like?” asked Adale.

“I’m not sure,” admitted Esofi. “I only hope he isn’t holding a grudge.”

“What, for killing the Emperor? I think he should be grateful for that. Now he doesn’t have anyone forcing him to fly into danger.”

The most unsettling thing Adale and Esofi had discovered during their research was the extent of the Emperor’s power over his fellow dragons. The orders he issued were not followed out of fear or respect, but because there was magic in them, a sort of compulsion that the other dragons were apparently unable to resist.

Adale and Esofi speculated that dragons, known for their independence and solitary natures, were not inclined to band together in the face of an outside threat. Commanding a large group of them would probably be something like herding cats, so the Emperor’s special ability was a necessity for the survival of the species.

But the most recent Emperor had used his ability aggressively, commanding his “subjects” to fly to Ieflarian towns and settlements and burn them to the ground. When Esofi finally had the opportunity to speak with him, he’d claimed that his plan was to rid the world of Men in retaliation for stealing Talcia’s favor away.

Esofi had tried her best to reason with him, but in the end, the Emperor got the fight he’d come for.

Adale would have never said it aloud, but she wondered at the fact that Esofi could face fully grown dragons without flinching, but the idea of her own mother coming for a visit was enough to make her flee the capital.

Esofi fell asleep shortly after that, with Carinth settled beside her for warmth. Adale was inclined to explore the camp and perhaps even the town, but she found herself unwilling to leave Esofi’s side. She wanted to be here when Esofi woke.

So, lacking anything better to do, she lay down beside Esofi and Carinth. Exhausted from the journey and worrying about Esofi, she was asleep within minutes.

She awoke a few hours later to someone knocking on the door and nearly fell out of bed. “Just a moment!” she called, struggling to readjust her clothing. Esofi was also up, rearranging her corset and her hair quickly. Once she was finished, Adale pulled the door open and found one of the camp’s guards standing there.

“Princess,” he said. “The dragon has arrived.”

Esofi picked up her skirts and moved forward. “Wait here,” she told Adale. “I will—”

“What? No, I’m going with you.”

Esofi sighed. “I need you to watch Carinth.”

Adale opened her mouth to tell her to make Mireille do it, but the girl was nowhere to be found. So instead she turned to the guard. “I’ll give you five crowns if you watch over Carinth for me.”

“I would be honored,” said the guard quickly, his face lighting up.

“Fine.” Esofi seemed to be too exhausted to argue. “Don’t feed him anything, no matter what he tells you, and keep an eye to your pockets.”

Adale had thought that perhaps the dragon would meet them outside the camp, away from all the guards and high walls. But when they stepped outside, he was the first thing she saw, crouched in the middle of the camp and nearly as large as the citadel itself.

His scales were pale silver-gray, much lighter than Carinth’s stormy blue. He curled his tail around himself and laid it over his front claws, in the same way Carinth frequently did. As Adale and Esofi approached, he brought his head low to the ground, near to eye level with them.

“Greetings,” he said, his voice surprisingly smooth. “I am honored that you have come to meet with me.”

Esofi wasn’t reacting yet, but Adale could still see the tension in her face and shoulders. She was still waiting for an attack, but her voice was very calm as she said, “I am told you are hoping to negotiate peace between our people?”

“That is correct,” he said. “I wish to tell you what has transpired on the Silver Isles since you defeated our Emperor. I expect you will be surprised.”

“Is there a new Emperor?” asked Esofi.

“No. We are not…” Ivanedi seemed to be struggling to explain. “We do not require an Emperor, usually.”

Esofi did not say anything.

“Many of us now fear that you will lead your soldiers into our islands to destroy us,” Ivanedi went on. “As revenge, or perhaps only to protect your own.”

“I am not inclined to do so unless I am given no other recourse.” Esofi’s tone was still calm and neutral, but her eyes were uncharacteristically hard. “If you are without an Emperor, who has sent you here?”

“I was chosen for this task by majority after we conferred amongst ourselves. We have no ruler, and I doubt we will again for generations.”

“I would like very much to trust you,” said Esofi. “But you have to realize…after all that has happened between our races, it is difficult for me.”

“I do not blame you for your hesitation.” Ivanedi dipped his head low. “I cannot promise that none of my kind will ever encroach on your lands again. But without an Emperor, there will be no coordinated attacks as there were in recent years.”

“Can you really guarantee that if you are without a leader?” asked Esofi.

“It must seem strange to you,” said Ivanedi. “I understand that Men dislike it when they have no one to follow. But that is not our way.”

“And what do you ask in return?”

Adale looked at Esofi in surprise. To her ears, it sounded like the dragon was pleading for his own survival. Why would Esofi offer him more than that?

“Zethe—our last Emperor—led us to believe that destroying Men would win us Mother’s favor. We now realize that he was mistaken. But I am told that you spoke to him on the night he was killed. You claimed you could help us earn our magic back from Mother.”

Esofi relaxed a little, and for the first time, Adale saw the hint of a smile on her face. “If I could ensure that my people would be safe, I would be honored to aid you with this.”

“Esofi!” whispered Adale, horrified. “You can’t—”

“This is for the safety of our people, Adale.”

“You can’t promise the safety of our people while you’re putting a new weapon in the hands of their worst enemies!”

“But they won’t be our enemies anymore.”

“You don’t know that! You can’t promise that! And even if you could, don’t you know what the Ieflarian people would do if they heard about you trying to help the dragons get their magic back? We’d have rioting!”

Too late, guilt and regret bubbled up in Adale’s stomach. She had been too harsh, too exuberant. She’d embarrassed Esofi in front of a stranger. She should have kept her mouth shut until they were alone. Why hadn’t she just stayed with Carinth? “Esofi, I—I’m sorry—” she began.

“Do not apologize. There is truth in your words,” said Ivanedi. Esofi looked up at him in surprise. “I am not offended. I knew when I came here that I may have been asking too much, too soon. That you have not attempted to kill me on sight is better than many of us expected.”

But he’d come anyway. Did Ivanedi’s own life mean so little to him? Adale wished she could ask him without seeming rude. But she’d already embarrassed herself once today. It would be better if she remained silent for the remainder of the meeting.

“Perhaps, in time, the Ieflarian people will come to trust you,” said Esofi. “And when that happens, I will aid you. You have my word on that.”

“I also wish to extend an invitation to the Silver Isles,” said Ivanedi. “I understand that you may be reluctant to set foot on our lands. But if you did, I promise that you would be welcomed as an ally. There is a large flight residing on the largest island, where we could receive you.”

“I may have reason to take you up on that offer soon enough.”

I thought we were going to Anora? Adale did not say, because she didn’t feel like being beaten to death with a lace parasol.

“I thank you for your understanding,” said Ivanedi. “I will return to my home with the news.”

Esofi nodded.

“If any of my kind attack your lands in the meantime, know that we will bring them to heel,” he added. “That is, if they survive.”

“I will tell our king and queen what you have said,” promised Esofi. “I hope our people will come to trust you quickly. If we continue to go without dragon attacks, I think they’ll be more inclined to. And…if possible, I might ask you to stay here in Fenstell for a few more days. I have many questions about your race. I would like to understand you better.”

Ivanedi regarded her with his enormous silver eyes, then gave a nod. “I will return tomorrow. I will tell you whatever I can.”

As they walked back to the fortress, Adale said, “You didn’t tell him about Carinth.”

Esofi only shrugged. “It didn’t come up. Besides, we don’t know if we can trust him.”

“You seemed to get along with him.”

“That’s called diplomacy.” There was a bit of an edge in her voice.

“Esofi…”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” When Esofi did not respond, Adale added, “I just…you surprised me. Only a few days ago you were saying it’s not worth the risk to help Ioanna, and then you turn around and want to help the dragons.”

“Given how many of them I’ve killed, I think helping them earn back their magic is the least I could do.”

Adale paused. “You still feel guilty?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because—Esofi, you can’t be serious! They were going to destroy us! The only reason they’re interested in talking now is because you showed them that they wouldn’t be able to kill us all!”

“They couldn’t have spoken to me before because the Emperor ordered their silence!” Esofi retorted. “Under the Emperor’s command, they had no will of their own. I cannot hold them accountable for that!”

“Maybe, but that still doesn’t make it your fault. I’d blame the Emperor before I blamed you. I’d even blame Talcia before I blamed you. She’s the one who gave the Emperor his abilities.”

“Don’t say that!”

“What? It’s the truth. Talcia gave the Emperor the power to control the other dragons.”

“The Emperor’s actions were not her fault.”

“Then it’s his fault! Blame him. But don’t blame yourself. There’s nobody in the world who would have done it differently than you did.”

They arrived back at their room and found not only Carinth and the guard, but also Mireille and two other guards, all crouched down on the floor like Carinth was a particularly cute puppy. When they saw Adale and Esofi standing in the doorway, they all leaped back to their feet and saluted awkwardly.

“I’m only paying that one,” said Adale, pointing to the guard that she’d assigned to the task.

The guards left and Esofi picked Carinth up. He settled his neck across her back and rested his head on her other shoulder.

“Do you think we want to introduce Carinth to Ivanedi?” asked Adale.

“I would like to,” said Esofi. “But at the same time, I don’t want to make a mistake by trusting him too quickly.”

“Do you think he’d try to take Carinth from us?” asked Mireille.

“I don’t know. I hope not. But I would be concerned if I learned two dragons were raising a child. I can imagine they’d feel similar about us raising a hatchling.”

“I don’t feel like those two things are quite the same,” Adale said.

“Maybe not, but I still want to be cautious.” Esofi sank into a chair, and Carinth readjusted himself.

Adale went to put her boots away, considering everything she had seen. Ivanedi seemed earnest, but then, ambassadors always did. Still, what would the dragons gain from lulling them into a false peace? The Ieflarians hadn’t attacked the Silver Isles once, even though immediately following the death of the Emperor would have been the ideal time to strike. Surely they’d worked out that Ieflaria wasn’t planning on attacking them?

No, it seemed far more likely that the alliance was the first step in the dragons regaining their magic.

Adale still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Unblessed by any deity, she had lived her entire life without magic and was glad for it. Magic seemed like a lot of responsibility, piled on top of the responsibilities of being a princess. And it added another layer of politics to everything. The temple of whatever god had blessed her would be expecting favors, support, preferential treatment. And all the other temples would be watching hawkishly to raise their objections when she did.

At the same time, she thought she understood the dragons’ desire to have magic again, to know they had been forgiven.

When Adale emerged from the bedroom, Esofi was talking to Carinth while Mireille sat with her embroidery in her lap and did nothing. She could tell from Esofi’s tone that she was telling him a story and settled into a chair to listen.

“The next night, the shepherd boy was feeling bored and lonely again,” Esofi was saying. “He tried his best to amuse himself, but the moors were quiet and unfriendly. When he could bear the solitude no more, he shouted, ‘Wolf! Wolf!’ And just as they had the previous two nights, the townspeople ran to save him with their torches and scythes.

“When the boy saw them, he cried out in triumph, ‘I’ve fooled you again!’ And fell to the ground laughing at the trick he had played. As the boy laughed, the townspeople all looked around at one another with very solemn faces. Then one stepped forward with his scythe raised high…” Esofi raised her arms above her head to demonstrate, and Carinth watched, enraptured. “And with a single swipe—”

“Excuse me, what?” interrupted Adale.

Esofi turned to her, arms still in the air. “Do you know this story? It’s a classic.”

“Yes, I know it. But you’re telling it wrong.”

“Of course I’m not!” said Esofi. “This is how it goes in Rhodia.”

“That’s not how my mother told it,” said Mireille meekly. “Well, in Ieflaria, the boy’s sheep get eaten by the wolves,” said Adale.

“Serves him right, I suppose, but it seems a bit contrived.”

“The way I always heard it was the wolves eat the sheep, and the boy,” said Mireille.

Carinth grumbled, clearly irritated that Esofi was no longer paying attention to him.

“Well, I suppose you get to decide for yourself how it goes,” she said to him, running her hand down his back. “You have three endings to choose from. It’s too bad Lisette isn’t here. I wonder what version she’s heard.”

“The one where the ground cracks open and the entire village falls in.”

“Adale!” scolded Esofi, but Adale could barely hear her over Mireille’s shrieking laughter.

 

ADALE WOKE EARLY the next morning. When she turned over she was surprised to see that Esofi was already gone, though Carinth was still asleep on her pillow.

A little bit concerned, Adale got up and dressed as quickly as she could. By the time she was done, Carinth had woken as well and was watching her curiously.

“Come on, you,” said Adale. “Let’s go walk around.”

Carinth bounded after her eagerly.

Since their arrival, Adale had been thinking of borrowing a horse and exploring the surrounding forests or maybe the town. Back home, she had a custom-made saddle with a little bucket on one side for Carinth to sit in so he could accompany her on rides, but they’d been in such a hurry to leave that Adale had not thought to bring it along.

The sun was just beginning to rise over the camp as they stepped outside. A few guards were patrolling the walls, but there weren’t too many other people around. Adale supposed nobody was feeling very nervous after a year of no attacks and the peaceful meeting with Ivanedi yesterday.

Not far away, Adale could see a structure with a familiar insignia on it, a single sword pointed upward, indicating that the building was a temple dedicated to Reygmadra. Given the number of soldiers here, Adale knew there had to be at least one or two of her priestesses around.

Sometimes it could be difficult to tell where the Temple of Reygmadra ended, and the Ieflarian military began. Officially, they were two separate entities, and the priestesses were not ranking officers. But there was a great deal of overlap in resources and responsibilities, and Adale knew her parents had to work to keep things balanced. If the temple did not have enough influence over the military, Reygmadra’s gifts would go to waste, for her priestesses had the power to bestow temporary blessings on the soldiers that increased their strength and resistance to injuries. But if the temple was allowed to grow too powerful, her parents would be rulers in name only.

The Temple of Reygmadra had not given them any trouble during Adale’s lifetime, but one only had to look to Xytae to see just how influential they could become if a regent gave them free rein.

At the sound of voices speaking in Rhodian, Adale turned hopefully toward the sound. But it wasn’t Esofi. It was two blue-robed mages who had noticed Carinth. Adale stood back and watched as Carinth bounded over to them eagerly so he could go through their pockets while they cooed to him in Rhodian and patted his head.

“Have either of you seen Esofi?” asked Adale after a moment. “I’ve lost track of her.”

The mages exchanged looks, like they weren’t sure if they wanted to answer her, and Adale wondered if she’d have to rephrase her question as an order. But then one of them said, “I believe she is in one of the indoor practice rings.”

Adale frowned. “What’s she practicing for?”

“I do not know, Crown Princess,” said the mage, stepping back. “Good morning.”

Adale did not know where the practice rings were, but she decided she’d ask a guard, not another mage. The interaction had left her feeling unbalanced. Adale certainly did not expect anyone to fawn over her because of her rank as crown princess, but she was beginning to sense that the Rhodian mages did not respect her very much.

The first guard she found was emerging from the mess hall. When he saw Adale approaching, he froze and saluted.

“I’m supposed to go to the indoor practice rings, but I don’t know where that is,” said Adale. “Can you point me?”

“Of course, Crown Princess,” said the man.

“I ran into some of the Rhodian mages earlier, but I didn’t want to waste their precious time,” said Adale, rolling her eyes. “I hope you have separate barracks.”

She could tell the guard was considering her words. Doubtless he did not want to speak badly of anyone in front of her, but he probably also hadn’t been expecting her to be so candid. When he finally did reply, he spoke slowly.

“They have their own living quarters,” he said. “I think…they prefer to live separately.”

“I expect we’d all prefer that, wouldn’t we?” asked Adale, keeping her voice cheery. She knew from experience that it might take a little bit of time, but she was confident she would be able to get the guard’s real opinion on the matter if she remained affable.

Because it was difficult to get people to tell the truth sometimes. She knew people were afraid of angering and offending her. She wished they wouldn’t be. She felt like she could solve so many problems if people would just tell her exactly what they wanted.

“I can’t speak for everyone, Crown Princess,” said the guard.

“No, that’s my job, isn’t it? Do they all pretend like they can’t speak Ieflarian, or have I just been lucky?”

“No, that’s about how it goes most of the—” the guard began, but then he seemed to remember who he was addressing, and his tone changed abruptly. “That is, I’m sure…I’m sure it’s difficult. Being stationed in a foreign country.”

“Well, maybe we can send them home soon,” said Adale.

“I think they’d like that, Crown Princess.”

Adale gave a bark of laughter that echoed around the quiet grounds. “I’m surprised that dragon was able to get near enough to even deliver his message. I’d have thought the mages would be on him in a moment.”

“It might have been, but it was only us on patrol when it came walking up. We raised the alarm, but by the time the mages arrived, we’d realized the dragon meant no harm.”

“You don’t patrol together, then?”

The guard shook his head. “Commander Gero and the Rhodian woman keep us separate.”

That did not strike Adale as particularly efficient, and she frowned. How well could Fenstell function if the mages and soldiers were essentially two different factions? “I wonder if I should ask Commander Gero about it, then.”

“Let me show you to the training rooms,” said the guard. “The indoor ones are only really used by the mages.”

He led her to another building, much smaller than the main fortress but made from the same Ieflarian pines. Adale went in and found herself standing in front of a desk where another bleary-eyed guard was apparently keeping watch. He did not appear to be completely awake as he looked down at the schedule in front of him and said, “All the rooms except the last one are empty, so you’ve got your pick.”

“I’m searching for my wife, actually,” said Adale.

The guard peered up at her, then jolted to his feet so quickly he knocked the entire desk forward. “Crown Princess!”

“It’s all right,” said Adale, raising her hands in a pacifying gesture. “Did Esofi come in here? Someone told me she did.”

“She is in room six. All the way at the end, there,” said the guard, gesturing to the hallway behind him. “But…she asked that nobody be permitted to interrupt her.”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean me,” said Adale. The guard did not say anything, but he appeared to be a little uneasy. Still, he did not stop her as she strode down the hallway and pushed the door open.

The training room was empty, devoid of any furniture, though a large circle had been painted on the floor. Adale supposed this was for practice fights. At the center of the circle was Esofi.

To Adale’s shock, Esofi had her skirt knotted at her waist, so that her lower legs were visible. She also was not wearing shoes or stockings. They had been discarded and set neatly in one corner of the room.

“What in the world are you doing?” asked Adale, closing the door behind her.

“Oh!” Esofi jumped. “Adale! You’re awake.”

“What’s going on here?” Adale bit back a laugh.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s nothing.” Esofi hastily began to untie the knots in her skirt, letting it fall back to the ground, and went over to retrieve her stockings.

“I don’t get to know what’s going on?”

“As I said, it’s nothing.”

Adale frowned. “Well, if you wanted to keep me out, you should have assigned a mage to guard the door, not a soldier.”

Esofi paused to give her a strange look. “What do you mean by that?”

“I think it’s quite obvious that the mages respect you more than they do me.”

Esofi frowned. “Has something happened that I need to address?”

“No,” said Adale hastily. “No, nothing like…” Nothing like the sharp snubs that occasionally happened at home, the ones that Adale had shrugged off for so long that it was always a shock when Esofi came to her defense with the sort of righteous fervor one might expect from a paladin.

“If it helps,” said Esofi, “I think the Rhodians are more comfortable with me because we all made the journey together. But they’ve no right to treat you badly.”

“There haven’t been any incidents. Just…a feeling I get. Perhaps it’s only my imagination. Don’t reprimand them for that.” It wasn’t quite true, but Adale always hated it when Esofi took offense on her behalf. Not because she was embarrassed, but because Adale felt that she did not deserve it. She’d behaved so poorly for such a long time. She had not earned anyone’s respect, so what right did she have to demand it?

Esofi finished putting her shoes on and stood back up. “I should send a courier to your parents, shouldn’t I?”

“My parents?”

“Informing them that I do not believe Ivanedi is a threat to us. I’d hate for them to think I’d been eaten.”

“I doubt they think that.” Adale paused. “Have we had a courier from Birsgen?”

“Not yet,” sighed Esofi. “It would be just my luck if she was blown off course all the way to Anora.”

“Well, hire one to go home and mention we haven’t had any word of your mother. They’ll send another.”

They exited the training rooms together, Carinth bounding ahead of them and climbing onto the guard’s desk to see if he had anything interesting on hand.

“Carinth!” scolded Esofi, but he did not even flick his ears in her direction. Adale went to retrieve him, gripping him around the waist and lifting him up onto her shoulder.

“Come on, you,” she said. “That’s not yours.”

The sun was rising very slowly, and the camp was slow to warm. Adale found herself inclined to get back into bed and do nothing for the rest of the morning. She wondered how she might convince Esofi to do the same.

“When do you think Ivanedi will come back?” asked Adale.

“I don’t know. I hope it’s earlier than tonight. There’s so much I want to ask him.” Esofi breathed into her hands to warm them.

Adale and Esofi had probably done more research on dragons than anyone else in Ieflaria, even before receiving the egg that eventually hatched into Carinth, but their sources were limited to texts so ancient they were near to crumbling into dust. Being able to ask Ivanedi questions would be a relief.

And they could finally find out when they should expect Carinth to start talking. Adale only hoped it would be during her own lifetime. She did not really think it would be that long, but she knew that dragons could outlive Men by centuries, so it was not completely impossible.

Would Talcia do that to them? To Esofi, who had done so much for her? It seemed cruel. And what about Carinth? What if he was still a child when Adale and Esofi died of old age? Would he even remember them as an adult?

These were questions she never allowed herself to dwell on for long and she had never brought up to Esofi. Nor had Esofi mentioned them to Adale. It was as though they’d both simultaneously come to the decision that they did not want to worry over something they could not possibly control. Not when there was so much work to be done.