Warding Song

“A letter. Humans do this thing called writing; we make marks that represent words, and it lets us tell each other things without having to talk face-to-face,” she explained. “This man has my locket. His name is Sir Anton Lever, and he lives at Leverian Manor, 112 South Coast Road. It shouldn’t be hard to find.”

“Are you going to steal the locket from him?”Acora wondered.

“I wouldn’t know where to look. I’ll just try and ask him if I can have it back.”

“What if they capture you?” she protested, hissing at the mere thought.

“Then you’ll rescue me. I know you will. Besides, there’s a chance he won’t recognise me. This guy is rich, and rich people don’t pay attention to random wanted criminals. People like me are beneath their notice,” she explained.

“You mean he’s high-ranking?”Acora inquired, relaxing from her wary crouch.

“Yeah, exactly.” She gathered her belongings. “Let’s get going.”

Leverian Manor was near the capital, on the south coast. Out from the city stood a large mansion surrounded by trees; even from the air, she could see how fancy it was. Eleyna peered through her spyglass, but she didn’t like what she saw. There were guards patrolling the grounds, and lookouts on the roof.

Eleyna bit back a curse … then she realised the guards weren’t Imperials; they had blue uniforms, not white. “I think this is it. Can you land on the beach?”

Acora swept down and alighted on the sand. Eleyna climbed up her neck, and then up the last few feet of the cliff face, hauling herself up over the edge. “Wait here, okay? I’ll be back soon,” she promised, before heading off.

Two guards stood on either side of the gates to Leverian Manor. Neither of them moved or spoke until she was standing in front of them. “You can’t go in there miss,” one of them told her. “Sir Lever isn’t entertaining visitors today.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that he has something that belongs to me,” she replied. “Please, could you ask him if he has a small golden locket, about this big?”

They glanced at each other; the first answered, “I’ll pass the message on. Wait here.” He slipped through the gate, marching up the white gravel path towards the mansion. The building looked so … complicated, and imposing. A large door flanked by wide-sculpted columns, elaborate carvings around each window, and two towers protruding from the roof, statues perched atop them.

The guard returned. “Sir Lever requests your presence in his study, miss … ?” he trailed off. Eleyna realised she’d forgotten to think of a good alias.

“Brigitte,” she replied. He nodded and led her towards the mansion. Eleyna followed warily, hoping she wasn’t heading straight into a trap. The guard lifted a fancy coiled metal ring set into the door and used it to knock three times.

A man in a black suit answered the door. “This way, miss,” he beckoned, holding it open. She gave her sandals a wipe and stepped over the threshold, finding herself in a large, airy room. The ceiling was intricately carved; a twisted candelabra hung from a chain, the marble floor covered in patterns.

There were chairs set around a table and nothing else. The room was pretty, but she couldn’t fathom its purpose. Part of her wanted to ask the black-suited servant why his boss wanted to see her, but she couldn’t bring herself to.

At last they arrived at a closed door. “Sir, your requested company is here.” Eleyna heard a scraping sound from inside the room, perhaps a chair being pushed back, and footsteps. The door swung open, and a man in his fifties – if she had to guess – peered down at her through half-moon spectacles.

“Ah yes, thank you, Carrow. Be a good fellow and bring us both a cup of tea, will you?” he asked the servant, who gave a bow and moved away. Anton smiled. “Welcome to Leverian Manor. Won’t you come in?” he asked. Eleyna hesitated at first … then moved past him into the room, looking around.

There was a plush carpet underfoot, which felt nice to walk on; a large table covered in papers, and a myriad of odd things pinned to the walls. A window behind the desk had been smashed near the latch, leaving a jagged hole.

“I’ll have to replace that,” Anton noted, following her gaze. “Please, have a seat.” He reclined in an armchair. She perched on another. “Now then, I’m sure you know my name; might I have the pleasure of knowing yours?”

“My name’s Brigitte. Um, mister Lever, I think you have something of mine?”

“Carrow tells me you were asking about a locket. Can you describe it?”

“It’s about this big,” she curved her fingers, “made of gold, with a hollow on the front … and on the inside, there’s an engraving that says ‘To My Treasure’.”

“How sweet,” he smiled. “Was the locket a gift? Or an heirloom, perhaps?”

“It was my mum’s. She died when I was little, and left it for me.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry for your loss. But I must ask – forgive me – what makes you think I have your locket? It’s true that I’m a collector, but if I wished to procure someone’s belongings I would buy it, and I don’t think we’ve met before.”

Impatient, she answered: “I pawned it to get some money, but when I went back to the pawnshop it was gone, and the broker said a rich man had taken it. So I asked around … please, I really need it back. It’s very special to me.”

“Naturally, yes, but there’s no rush. It’s so rare I enjoy the company of a charming young lady. Ever since my wife passed away, I’ve become a bit of a recluse. It might have been one of my assistants who took that locket from the pawnshop, but they should have found out who had originally pawned it and offered them – ah, you, that is – compensation. I can have all that arranged.”

“The locket isn’t important. I mean, it is, but only to me. It was broken, so it won’t look good in your collection. Can I have it back? I’ll pay you for it.”

He waved her off. “Oh, I have plenty of money. My apologies for the delay; I gave a few of my servants the day off, so we’re a bit short-staffed. I’m sure our tea will be arriving any moment now; and then perhaps some luncheon?”

Eleyna felt anxious. All she wanted was to get her locket back, but Sir Lever was wasting her time. She’d have to come back tonight; Acora could help her get over the wall, and it would be easy to break in through a window. Too easy. Eleyna glanced at the broken window. Someone broke in before …

It was impossible to tell if anything had been stolen from this jumbled room, but if a thief had broken in, and found gold … well, if it were her, she wouldn’t have cared if the gold was a broken bit of jewellery. She’d have just stolen it.

“Brigitte?” A hand touched her shoulder, and she flinched. “My apologies; I just wondered if you take milk and sugar in your tea?” Anton inquired. He was standing at the desk, on which sat a wooden tray with two cups, a bowl and a small jar. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologised, pouring milk from the jar.

“Sir Lever, I don’t mean to be rude; but I’ve answered all your questions, and now I have one of my own. Someone broke into your house recently,” she pointed out, gesturing over to the broken window. “Did they steal my locket?”

Her expression gave him pause, and he sighed. “I wish I had better news to offer. Last night, brigands intruded into my garden and broke into the house through that very window. They stole everything valuable – or rather anything that looked valuable, from my collection. Including this locket of yours.”

Eleyna leapt to her feet. “It’s gone?!” she cried out. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you. Those pirates will be long gone; I’m sorry.”

“No. I can find them.” She moved to the door, intending to pull it open and leave immediately, but his next words stopped her in her tracks.

“Find them how?” Anton called as she reached the door. “With a dragon?”

She froze, one hand on the doorknob, and stared at him. “Perhaps I’m mistaken,” he remarked calmly, “but you are the Dragon Pirate, aren’t you?”

“You know who I am,” Eleyna gasped. Her instinct was to run; but there were guards to get past. If Acora feels my fear, she’ll think I need rescuing again. She forced herself to calm down. “How did you guess?”

“You asked about a locket that only myself and the Imperial who sent it to me know I have,” replied Anton. “Or had, rather. Don’t worry; I didn’t send word you were here. I suspected by the time anyone arrived, it would be too late. Though I should warn you, I did inform them the locket was stolen by pirates.”

Eleyna set her jaw. “I can still find it; and the rest of your belongings.”

He frowned. “Can your dragon pick up a scent that old? In water, no less.”

“She doesn’t need to. I know where pirates like to sail; I can track them down. Besides, no one wants to get that locket back more than I do. I’ll return your stuff if I can. Please don’t tell anyone I came here,” she pleaded.

Anton gave a nod. “I’d appreciate that; and you have my word, no one else will know,” he assured her. Eleyna nodded in thanks and left the room. She retraced her steps to the front door. The sentries let her out of the gate. She glanced back over her shoulder; they weren’t looking at her, so she ran.

Her dragon was waiting. Eleyna paused on the cliff edge, took a deep breath, and jumped. She landed on Acora’s shoulders. “Do you have the locket?”

“You’re not gonna believe this. The locket was stolen last night. By pirates.”

Acora didn’t notice the irony. “But then how are we going to find it again?”

“I know where they might have gone,” she replied. “Fly southwest and keep an eye out for any ships.”Acora spread her wings and leapt up off the beach.

It didn’t take long for them to find a ship. Eleyna peered through her spyglass at the crew; they were wearing white uniforms. “Not that one. Let’s find another,” she urged, hoping no one on that ship had noticed Acora overhead.

Minutes dragged by, and there was no sign of any pirates. Eleyna began to wonder if they should head to Madines and interrogate pirate crews around there. Limuanes appeared. “Can we land there? My wings are getting tired.”

Eleyna hesitated; it felt like every second that passed was a second wasted, but if Acora didn’t rest, they wouldn’t be going anywhere but into the ocean.

“Okay,” she agreed, but then – “Wait! Let’s check one more ship.” She held the spyglass to her eye. The ship came into focus, and the crew weren’t wearing uniforms. “I think this is it! Can you land on the deck?” she asked eagerly.

“I can try.”Acora circled above it and went into a shallow dive. There was a shout from the crow’s nest of “Dragon!”, and the crew grabbed muskets or pistols and fired up at them. “Wait!” Eleyna shouted. “Hold your fire!”

The sight of her gave them pause. Acora perched on the stern; which made the prow rise, and everything not fixed to the deck began to slide. She wound up standing diagonally across the deck. It pitched and rolled, but didn’t sink. She snarled at the men, who kept back, but Eleyna could feel her trembling.

Only the captain approached them. “You must be the Dragon Pirate,” he remarked, even as he kept a wary eye on Acora’s fangs. “I didn’t believe the rumours until now. It is an honour to have your mighty steed land aboard my humble ship.” He swept his hat off and gave an overly-flourishing bow.

“Did you raid a mansion on the south coast of Amohanes last night?”

The captain’s brow furrowed. “And if we had, what does it matter to you?”

“It matters a lot, actually. You stole something that I need, so if your crew did raid that place, give back everything you took,” she gestured to Acora, “or else my fire-breathing dragon will burn this entire ship to the waterline.” To her dismay, the captain merely rolled his eyes at her.

“Oh, please. You sink us, and whatever it is you think we have will go down with the ship. Have fun retrieving it from the ocean floor. Now tell me, can your dragon take off before my men put several musket balls in your head?” he inquired. Eleyna scowled at him … but that wasn’t a risk she wanted to take.

The pirate up in the crow’s nest shouted: “Captain! Ship ahoy to starboard!”

“Aye!” the captain shouted back. “Perhaps we can come to an arrangement,” he told her. “Yes, we raided a mansion. You help us raid this ship, and I’ll let you take the loot from the mansion. You can even keep the chest we put it all in.”

She frowned a little. “Help you how, exactly? We don’t want to kill anyone.”

“Yet you threatened to sink my ship. Look, I’m not asking for much. Just scare and distract “em, and then fall back when I give the signal. We’ll do the rest.”

“You‘ll know it when you hear it. You do this, and I’ll put in a good word for you with the King,” he offered. “Or, you can just fly off and we’ll keep all of our loot.”

Eleyna wondered which king he was talking about, but now wasn’t the time. “Okay, we’re in. Come on, Acora.” She patted her friend’s neck, and braced herself as the dragon leapt into the air. The ship rocked beneath them.

“What’s going on?”Acora wondered. “Don’t they have the locket either?”

“I think they do, but they won’t help us unless we help them. They want us to scare the people on that ship,” she explained, pointing. “Just fly overhead and roar a lot, like when you were distracting people last night, remember.”

Acora flew towards the brig and let out a mighty roar. Far below, the captain shouted orders to open fire. Musket shots rang out; Acora shrieked, and Eleyna felt a sudden pain in her neck. “Aah!” She clapped a hand against her skin, but felt no blood. The musket ball hit Acora. I’m feeling her pain.

“Breathe fire over them!” she urged, flattening herself against Acora’s neck as the dragon breathed out a tongue of flame. Another musket ball found its mark – she felt the sharp pain in her right arm – before the crew ducked. Acora struggled to pull out of the dive and fly out of range, panting heavily.

Gritting her teeth, Eleyna patted Acora’s shoulder. “Hang in there! We just gotta distract them a little bit longer.” She looked over at the pirate ship; it was sailing closer, but not close enough. “We don’t have to get too close anymore.”

“I hope not,”Acora huffed. She circled overhead, roaring and breathing spurts of fire. The merchant vessel began to pull away, but the pirate ship had tacked around to face it broadside. A cannon was fired – the noise was thunderous.

Oh, so that’s the signal. “They’ll take it from here. Acora, you can rest.” Her friend headed for the nearby island. They all but crash-landed on a beach. Eleyna dismounted, clutching her arm. “You did great,” she praised. “Hold still, okay? I need to check your wounds.”Acora lay down so she could reach.

Eleyna looked closely at the dragon’s neck. From what she could tell, the musket ball had just grazed Acora’s scales. Another one was embedded in Acora’s foreleg. “I gotta pull it out,” Eleyna warned, gingerly touching the bloodied scales and wincing. Acora hissed. “Sorry. I wish I had rose quartz – ah! That’d help stop the – ow – bleeding,” she said through gritted teeth.

At last her fingers pinched the slippery ball, and she carefully eased it out. “It’s round?”Acora asked. “I thought it was sharp. What are those metal sticks? I don’t like them.”

“They’re called guns.” Eleyna flung the musket ball away. “You just rest,” she told Acora, heading to the water’s edge and washing the blood off her hands. She looked out at the ships, and tried not to think about what was happening to the merchants. It was the only way to get the locket back. We had to.

At last the pirate ship began to move away. Eleyna walked back to Acora. “They’re trying to leave; we’ve gotta catch up. How’s your leg?” she inquired.

“It still hurts,” replied Acora, “but it will heal.” Eleyna climbed onto her shoulders, then she rose up, stretched her wings and took to the air. She followed after the pirate ship, then swooped down to perch on top of it. The humans on deck scattered away from her, but they didn’t try to attack with those metal ‘guns’.

The captain remarked: “There you are! I was wondering where you’d flown off to. Well, you held up your end of the bargain; far be it from me not to do the same.” He gestured to a pair of crew members, who went below deck and came back with a heavy chest. The captain handed Eleyna a key.

She unlocked the chest and heaved the lid up. There were myriad treasures within; crystals the size of her palm, beautiful silver jewellery, a jade statuette, a mask of gold … Eleyna recognised the fang of a dragon, etched with intricate swirling patterns inlaid with gold. She rummaged through the jewellery, which had been jumbled together as the chest was shifting in the waves.

“Please be in here,” she whispered. Then a familiar object caught her eye and she grinned, carefully drawing out her locket. Although it was crushed, with a broken latch and no chain, holding it again felt like reuniting with an old friend.

She showed it to Acora, who purred happily. “That’s what you were after?” the captain asked, disbelieving. “We would’ve handed it over to be melted down.”

Eleyna ignored him, tucking the locket into her rucksack. She closed the chest, and slipped the key into her shorts. “Thanks for the help, Captain.”

“Aye, likewise. Hold on.” He whistled to another pirate, who tossed him a sack, which he handed to her. Eleyna needed both hands; it was heavy. “Your cut.”

“From the raid?” Her brow furrowed. “But I’m not even part of the crew.”

“Obviously,” he scoffed. “But you helped, so you get a cut. Consider it an extra token of my gratitude; and I suggest you leave before I change my mind.”

“Okay, okay. We’re going.” She put the sack in the frayed net, and hoisted herself onto Acora’s shoulders. Acora wrapped her claws around the chest, gripping tight, then leapt into the air. The ship bucked as her weight lifted off it; she climbed higher in a tight spiral, before heading back to Amohanes.

“We got the locket back!” Eleyna cheered. “Pile of treasure, here we come!”

Soon the manor appeared on the cliffs … but as they drew nearer, Acora slowed, and Eleyna’s heart sank. There were several horses outside, ridden or held by Imperial guards. Anton had sworn he wouldn’t tell anyone she’d been there; Eleyna hoped he wasn’t being arrested for refusing to talk.

“What do we do?” asked Acora. “That’s a lot of humans … ” she whimpered.

“We’ll wait for them to leave,” Eleyna replied. She looked for a suitable place to hide, but the trees were too sparse to hide behind and the tide had come in. Acora wasn’t that high; if any of the Imperials looked up in the right direction, they would see her. “Try and find somewhere to land,” Eleyna told her.

Acora flew further down the coast, until she came to an outcrop of rock on a headland. “This will do,” she decided, landing beside it. The moment Eleyna had dismounted, she lay down and dropped her jaw onto the grass with a loud sigh. “I’m so hungry, but I’m too tired to go and hunt,” she complained.

Eleyna chuckled. “I know the feeling.” She took a boucan strip from her rucksack and held it out. “Want some?”Acora’s snout wrinkled. “Suit yourself.”

She took the locket from her rucksack and carefully prised the two halves open. Inside were the words To My Treasure, just as she remembered. It felt strange to hold her mother’s locket again. Then she climbed the outcrop. She couldn’t see the Imperials, but they needed to know what was happening.

Acora raised her head and asked: “Why are you nervous?”

“Because I’m going near the manor.”

“I thought we were going to wait for those humans to leave.”

“Yeah, but we won’t know if they’ve gone unless we look,” Eleyna pointed out. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” she added, strapping on her cutlass. Just in case.

“I’ll come with you.”

“It’s better if you stay here. No offence, but you kinda stand out.”

“I’m coming,” she insisted. “Bad things happen when you go off on your own. First you got caught, then that hunter tried to kill you, then he did kill you.”

“I went on my own to the manor before and nothing bad happened then.”

For a moment Acora was stumped; then she purred smugly and declared: “Yes it did. You found out the locket wasn’t there.”

“ … Maybe you have a point. Let me think … ” She peered over the outcrop again, looking for places to hide. Trees, the cliff … wait. “You remember when we fell into that chasm, and you clung to the rock?” she asked Acora, who nodded. “Could you do the same thing down there on the cliffs?”

“Yes. But I won’t be able to hold this thing,” she replied, nudging the chest.

“That’s okay; we’ll hide it behind this rock.” Eleyna heaved herself up, not onto Acora’s shoulders, but behind her head. “Try and be quiet,” she urged.

Acora flew alongside the cliff. With luck, the waves would hide her wingbeats as she grasped the craggy cliff. Bits of rock were gouged out by her claws, skittering down into the ocean. She kept her wings outstretched for balance.

Above them, Sir Lever was saying: “I assure you, officer, I’ve seen no sign of the woman you’ve described, and I’ve never seen a dragon, unless you count a skeleton.”

A familiar voice replied. “I understand, sir, but if you ever know anything of their whereabouts you must tell us,” Officer Rowles insisted. “Young woman or not, she is a fugitive from justice, and the dragon she rides is dangerous.”

“I’m telling you, she’ll come here!” That was Captain O’Brien. “If she hasn’t already. That thief stole the letter you sent to me; she’s probably after that locket we confiscated.”

“Captain, you took the locket from a pawn shop. If this thief pawned it off, why would she want it back?” Sir Lever inquired. “Rest assured, if anything untoward should occur, you and Officer Rowles will be the first to know.”

“Thank you, Sir Lever,” said Rowles. “Our ships will find the pirates that attacked your home last night, and bring them to justice. Men! Move out!”

Hoofbeats rang out like drums. “I think the coast is clear,” Eleyna whispered after a while. Acora fell away from the cliff and swooped over the waves, heading back towards the outcrop. She wheeled in the air so they could look back at the mansion. In the distance, horses kicked up dust on the road.

There was no sign of more Imperials, and Eleyna sighed in relief. Acora perched on the cliff once more, and she dropped to the ground. “You should go and hunt. I’m going to the manor,” she declared. “It’s okay; the Imperials are gone, and Sir Lever didn’t betray us. I think we can trust him.”

Acora hesitated. “Are you sure?” she asked. “I can fly you over there.”

“No, thanks. I want to stretch my legs … and I don’t want anyone to see you. Sir Lever knows who I am, but I have no idea if his guards and servants do. So I’m hoping if they don’t see us together, they won’t figure it out,” she explained.

“What about this?” she nudged the chest. “Won’t it be too heavy for you?”

Eleyna snickered. “I wasn’t gonna carry it. I’ll just tell them where to find it.”

“If you say so. I am hungry … ”Acora looked at the ocean.

“So go and eat! I’ll be fine. I’ll meet you back here,” Eleyna insisted, patting her friend’s scaly neck. Acora purred, then leapt off the edge of the cliff. Eleyna turned to the outcrop. “I should have asked her to land on the other side,” she muttered, before climbing over it. She put the cutlass into her rucksack. It was cumbersome, but at least now the weapon wouldn’t be confiscated on sight.

“Welcome back, Miss Brigitte,” greeted one of the guards. “Sir Lever told us you might return. Although we expected you to come from the other direction,” he admitted, frowning slightly as he looked at the road towards the capital.

Eleyna pointed the way she’d come and suggested, “You might want to send some people to look behind that outcrop.” The guards glanced at each other. When they found the chest … well, she’d let them wonder how it got up there.

“ … Very well.” He opened the gate, and motioned for her to step through. Eleyna nodded politely to him, trying to ignore the unease she felt. It was peculiar for her to be this close to a guard and not have them try to seize her.

When she reached the doors, one of them opened, making her jump back. “My apologies, miss Brigitte,” said Mr Carrow. “This way, please.” He held the door open for her, and offered, “May I take your rucksack?”

“No thanks. I’d rather keep it with me.” Carrow nodded. He led her down a short corridor to a door that opened into a beautiful room, with a plush carpet, large bay windows overlooking the garden, and a carving on the ceiling that put Eleyna in mind of a sun, but grander than anything she’d ever seen.

Anton was sipping delicately from a cup. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, my dear girl,” he beamed at her. “Have a seat. Carrow, be a good fellow and bring some sandwiches, would you? I’m sure you’re famished. I know I am; I was about to sit down for lunch when those gentlemen arrived. They were asking about you, as a matter of fact. It’s a pity you missed them,” he winked.

Eleyna was more than happy to sit down. On the table beside her chair was a cup of tea. The drink wasn’t unfamiliar; Aunt Cat used to buy a brick of pressed tea leaves and crumble pieces of it into a mug with milk and sugar. Eleyna had never liked the bitter taste, but it felt impolite not to have a sip.

So she did, and found herself pleasantly surprised. This tea tasted quite good; Eleyna doubted it had been made from a crumbling greenish-brown slab.

“Mr Lever, sir, can I ask you something?” she inquired, holding the cup.

He nodded. “Yes, of course; and please, call me Anton.”

“Why are you helping me? I mean, I am grateful, but you could get in a lot of trouble for this. I don’t … I don’t want you to get arrested because of me.”

“You needn’t trouble yourself; I know what I’m doing. As for why I’m helping … ” he sipped his tea once more and put it aside. “I’m an antiquarian, Miss Skytte. My job and passion is to collect and study artefacts. That’s how your locket came to be in my possession; Captain O’Brien sent it to me and asked if I could study it. Oh, that reminds me, did you manage to retrieve the locket?”

“Yeah, and I got the rest of your stuff as well. Your guards went to find where I left it.” She hesitated, and then drew the crumpled letter from her pocket. “This is how I found your house. It says you think the locket is from a cult?”

“Indeed, though perhaps ‘cult’ is not the right word. Regardless, the locket interested me. I suspected you might come in search of it and as the locket’s owner, there’s so much you could tell me. I could hardly ask you about it if you were imprisoned in a cell.” The door swung open. “That’ll be our lunch, then.”

After a polite pause, Anton asked, “May I see the locket?” Eleyna held it out. He took it with great care, and cradled it in both hands. “Such a shame it’s been damaged.”

Eleyna squirmed, but he didn’t notice. “How’d you learn about the locket?”

“I’ve found scattered references to it in old letters. I believe it’s a relic of a mystery cult; that is, a cult whose members and practices were kept secret from outsiders.” Eleyna nodded. “I suspect it was a knowledge cult, rather than a religious one, as its founder seems to be called the Great Knower.”

It was fortunate that she’d just swallowed, or her tea would have sprayed everywhere. “That’s an odd name,” she remarked, trying to gauge his reaction.

“Yes, well, obviously it wasn’t an actual name; perhaps more of a title, bestowed upon the cult leader. Or perhaps a rough translation of an epithet – a nickname, if you will – of the akua known as ‘napran’, native god of wisdom.”

Eleyna relaxed. “Mr Lever – I mean, Anton – do you think this cult is gone?”

“It’s difficult to say. Mentions of it become less frequent over the years, but it is a mystery cult; by definition, it would guard its secrets fiercely. From what I’ve gathered, it was founded not long after the archipelago was first discovered. I’ve come across letters that speak of passing the secret of it on from parent to child, but over time, members may have stopped telling their children of it.”

She shrugged, and proposed, “Maybe they got better at keeping it a secret.”

Anton chuckled. “Indeed, perhaps they did. Though I’m curious; if your mother died when you were a baby, how did you discover the locket’s significance?”

“I figured it out,” she answered, with a surge of pride … then she blushed. “It was rather stupid of me to give it up. I didn’t realise how important it was.”

“Ah, well, everyone makes mistakes,” Anton remarked. He smiled at her and added, “I must say, you are possibly the most polite pirate in the archipelago.”

Blushing slightly, Eleyna protested, “I’m not a pirate.” Her face fell. “I never meant for anyone to get hurt. I know that doesn’t make a difference, though.”

Anton gave her the locket back. “You’re welcome to spend the night here,” he offered. “There’s plenty of room. You can have a bath, sleep in a comfy bed … ”

It was certainly tempting … “My dragon, Acora, she’ll worry if I don’t go back.”

“You could bring her here, if you wish. She can sleep in the garden.”

Eleyna shook her head. “She’s scared of humans. I’m the only one she trusts. You can meet her, though, if you want. Then I can tell her I’m staying here.”

His brow furrowed slightly. “Tell her? You mean she can understand you?”

“Oh no, she can’t understand what I’m saying; but I’ve taught her to stay, so I can go places without her following me. Acora is … a bit overprotective.”

“Ah, I see. How clever,” he beamed. There was a knock at the door. “Come in.”

Mr Carrow declared: “Sir, it appears your guards have retrieved a chest full of your stolen belongings from behind an outcrop.” He spoke so matter-of-factly, that Eleyna couldn’t tell if he was surprised by this strange occurrence or not.

“Thank you,” replied Anton, taking the news in stride. “Have them leave it in the foyer. Miss Brigitte and I are going for a little stroll, we’ll return shortly.”

“Very good, sir.” Carrow left the room once more. Anton picked up his walking cane, and heaved himself to his feet. Eleyna pulled her rucksack on again.

“You can leave your rucksack here. I promise, no one will look in it,” Anton told her. She hesitated. “Don’t worry about having a hidden sword. After all … ” he gripped the cane below the handle and pulled it up, revealing a sabre. “You aren’t the only one.” Anton flipped up the hilt – the handle was the crossguard.

Eleyna smiled, too impressed to worry that he’d noticed her cutlass. She stowed her rucksack behind the chair, then straightened up. “I’m ready.”

Anton strolled alongside Eleyna, his cane tapping the ground. “It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it? I used to live over in San Eduardo; it was most unpleasant.”

Eleyna looked out to sea; the surface glittered in the sun. “It’s lovely,” she agreed. “I bet your old house was much nicer than mine. You’re rich, after all.”

He chuckled. “I suppose that’s true. Nevertheless, I much prefer being away from the bustle of the capital. Of course I hadn’t considered pirates to be much of a threat. I’d always assumed they only stole from other ships.”

“Mostly, yeah. Those pirates must’ve seen your house from the crow’s nest, and your pier. If you didn’t have a pier, I don’t think they’d have bothered.”

“I’m going to hire more security for the pier,” he admitted. “The captain of my house guard is in the capital today, interviewing recruits at the guardhouse.”

Her brow furrowed. “You mean they’re town guards?” she asked.

“In a manner of speaking. Let’s just say I have connections to the guards for one of the city’s boroughs. Mine are trained recruits that I offered a job working for me instead. I’m sure they come for the pay; I am, after all, rich.”

She giggled, and proposed, “Maybe they didn’t want to stay in the city either.”

“That is indeed a possibility! Ah, here we are.” They had reached the outcrop.

“I’ll climb over first and warn her you’re coming.”

Anton nodded. “Yes, that might be for the best. I’ll go the long way around; my knees aren’t what they used to be.” Whilst he made his way past the outcrop, Eleyna quickly scrambled up its rocky side easily as if she was in the rigging.

Acora looked up. “You’re back! Where’s your rucksack?”

“It’s back at the manor,” she explained, dropping the last few feet. “Acora, listen; I’ve brought someone to meet you, and I promise that he’s friendly, so don’t panic, okay?”Acora shrank back, and eyed the ridge above them.

“He’s going the long way round,” Eleyna told her. “There’s another thing; he invited me to spend the night in his house. You don’t mind, d’you?”

Acora’s shoulders slumped. “I suppose not … are you sure you want to?”

“Well, it would be nice to sleep in a proper bed for once. Look, I’ll be fine. I like sleeping under your wing, really; but the ground isn’t that comfortable.” She hesitated, and then suggested: “He said you could sleep outside the house.”

“No, thanks,” replied Acora. “It’s better if they don’t see me, remember? Besides, there are too many humans there.” Then she looked over Eleyna’s head to where the outcrop met the rest of the cliff. “Your friend isn’t very fast.”

“He’s old. I’m gonna make sure he’s alright.” She climbed up the bank. Anton was trudging up the other side, puffing; Eleyna reached out to take his arm.

“Thank you, my dear,” Anton smiled as she helped him down. “In the King’s name,” he breathed, catching sight of Acora. “What a magnificent creature!”

Acora crooned, and he beamed. “She says hello,” Eleyna translated. “Acora, this is Anton. You can come closer. She won’t hurt you.” Anton looked rather apprehensive, but he came forwards nonetheless, leaning on his cane.

“Fascinating. How did you tame her?” he inquired. Acora disliked the way he stared at her; she resisted the urge to hiss and forced herself to turn aside.

“Actually, I freed her from dragon hunters, and I gave her the amethyst from my locket. That’s how it got damaged; Acora crushed the locket with a rock. They breathe fire by squeezing bits of crystal in their throats,” she explained.

Anton smiled. “Thank you for introducing me to her. It’s an honour.”

“You’re welcome. Maybe we should head back, before your guards come looking for us. Acora, we’re going, alright? Stay,” Eleyna gestured firmly.