We wolfed down the food and emptied the mugs and wanted more. We entered the common room and found cheese and hard bread available for all patrons. The round-faced woman refused any payment for the meal or room.
A few other people watched us, but none spoke, not to us, or to each other. Outside, our horses were where we’d left them, but water in buckets and pails of grain had been placed for them. The street was unusually quiet, and the people again watched but avoided us.
I said, “Something is wrong.”
“The blip in my mind for mages has only one.”
“There was still one left, remember?”
“No,” she corrected me. “There was one left here—but also the one we left in Andover. He is still there.”
While checking Alexia, I’d been distracted. Now I gave my sister my full attention. “Did he sail away?”
“Those who sailed are tiny, but I can still sense them. I think the one here is dead.”
It didn’t surprise me. We rode down silent, still streets. No matter how hectic the activity, even near the ships, when we rode into sight, everything and everyone came to a stop. They watched us as if we were caged animals from foreign lands. Like creatures from a different world.
Worse, they were scared of us, everyone in the city. If their silence and the way they shifted their bodies to protect themselves was not enough, mothers shielded children, women watched from the corners of windows, and men stepped aside without taking their eyes off us. We rode alone in a city overflowing with people.
Kendra said, “This will never do.”
“We can try to explain.”
She turned to me. “Or, we can ride back to Crestfallen.”
I started to say we couldn’t do that because Elizabeth was bringing an army here but realized there was only one road, if she didn’t cross the mountains, as before. She had no reason to, so as long as we remained on the road, we’d meet her. She no longer needed the army to defeat the enemies of the Kingdom of Dire. The dragon and my sister had managed to do it for them.
Alexis carried me alongside Kendra directly to the city gate, the same as we’d entered a day earlier. I said, “We can save her and the army a long trip.”
At the gate, a familiar figure waited. It was Avery, the servant for the Heir Apparent. He stood alone.
We pulled to a stop beside him.
“Damon. Kendra.” Those were the only two words he said.
I said eloquently, “Avery.”
“A strange place to meet the two of you.”
Kendra said, “We are going to meet Princess Elizabeth. She is bringing an army.”
He smiled. “And your plans after that?”
“We don’t have any,” I snapped.
His insolent smile widened. He started to turn, but paused long enough to say, “I’ll look for you in Kondor.”
And so he sauntered off, as calm and annoying as the times we’d verbally sparred in the castle. I inquired, “What did he intend by that?”
My sister watched him walking into the crowds near the ships. Avery always acted within his own political rules, which usually meant meanings within meanings. She said, “I have no idea.”
“Me neither.”
We rode in comfortable silence across the desolate landscape. As the peaks of the taller buildings in Andover came into view, she asked, “Somebody asked yesterday. Do you think the king lives?”
“I do. If the mages were using their powers and making him ill, he should be better now that they are powerless.”
“Not powerless. Wyverns have essence, and there are hints of another dragon. We rode on, side by side. The third time our knees bumped, I knew it was on purpose. She would have punched me on my shoulder if we were closer, like when walking.
She said, “We did some good, you know.”
“We only saved one kingdom, so don’t get all uppity.”
“Did you look at the people at the port? The ones like us?”
I had wondered if she had noticed, too. “Can you still detect the mages who got away?”
She turned to me. “They haven’t gotten away yet. They might have sailed to Kondor, but they have not gotten away.”
“What do you think it looks like in Kondor?”
She smiled softly, “We’ll see.”
The End of Book One
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Good books are written by several exceptional people, all of whom have my thanks. My unnamed writer's group consists of Donelle Knudsen, Diana Langner, Paul Eslinger, and Michael Castillo. Because of the number of corrections and the red ink we all use, I propose we name ourselves “The River of Red Ink.” This group sets my limits and helps establish the foundations of my books, keeping me on track as they progress.
My beta readers, Lucy Jones, Laurie Barcome, Paul Eslinger, Sherri Oliver, Ruthann Jones, and Gale Smith, all found lots of things for me to correct, and to improve. Thank you all. I want to publish the best books I can, and they are certainly better with your help.
My wife puts up with me and deserves extra credit for her help with the covers and her ideas—and she gives me the time to write.
And my dog, Molly. She sits at my feet and watches me write every day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LeRoy Clary
LeRoy currently lives in Washington State with his wife, youngest son, and a goldendoodle named Molly. He spends his time doing what he loves the most: writing about an action-packed fantasy world of dragons, and magic. LeRoy spends his leisure time traveling and exploring the beautiful countryside in the Pacific Northwest from high desert to forests to coastal terrain.
Writing has always been one of LeRoy’s favorite past times and passion; mostly fantasy and science fiction. He’s been the member of several author critique groups both in Texas and in Washington State. He collaborated on a project in Texas that produced the book Quills and Crossroads which includes two of his short stories.
In recent years, LeRoy has published over a dozen fantasy books including a book called DRAGON! Stealing the Egg which began the idea of how to live and survive in a world where dragons are part of the landscape. The Dragon Clan Series is unique in that it introduces a new main character in each of the eight books of the series, so far. The book entitled Blade of Lies: Mica Silverthorne Story was a finalist in an Amazon national novel writer’s contest in 2013.
Learn more about LeRoy at
Facebook: www.facebook.com/leroyclary