King's Gate 2: A High Fantasy Harem, page 11
“I suppose it’s time then?”
“Yes.”
“And you're sure this is what you want?”
His eyes were locked on Jocelyn, who nodded. “It is. I think I can do more out there than I can here.”
“And Alex, you remember our agreement?”
“I do. When my power allows it, you will be granted favor. I'll ensure your businesses thrives, and you and Violet have everything you need. If there is an opportunity, you'll be given a place and a title among my advisors, along with the privileges that come from it.”
I could feel Jocelyn look at me, but I wouldn't return the gaze.
“Then there's nothing left to do but to break the bonds of the contract.”
Silas reached into the drawer of the desk and pulled out a thick sheaf of parchment. He took a quill from the inkwell at the corner of the desk and held it above the first page of what I assumed was the contract.
“Jocelyn, I ask you a final time, is this your intention and desire? You wish to leave the home and position I've provided you in order to travel with Alex and his followers?”
“Yes.”
“And you do so of your own free will with the full understanding that once you leave this space, our allegiance to one another is broken? You can no longer return here and there will be no place for you in my home.”
The words sounded harsh, but there was also something almost tender about them. It only added to the conflict I had inside me about this old man.
“I do,” Jocelyn responded.
“Then I release you from your indenture to me and grant you full permission to travel on with Alex. You are no longer under my control and I have no more responsibility to you.”
He made a slashing movement across the first page of the contract, leaving a gash of black ink on the page. The letters in the parchment glowed gold and then faded away, leaving the paper blank. Jocelyn drew in a breath as if she could physically feel the release.
“Thank you.”
“Travel well,” Silas told us before looking back down at the papers on his desk.
We didn't hesitate to leave his office, and as we made our way back toward the rooms to pack our belongings, we saw Violet come in, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared angrily at us.
“Ungrateful,” she grumbled under her breath. “You're lucky we're the ones who saved you.”
Jocelyn said nothing to her in return.
The group gathered our new member in another hug when we entered the room. I told Jocelyn to gather whatever she'd need, then I went around the room making sure we had everything. Within a few minutes, we’d walked out of the shop and back into the abandoned section of the city. I braced myself for moving through the populated section of Creyfell, but somehow it felt less intense this time. That didn't give me any reassurance. While the city was calm, there was a sense of anticipation hanging over it, and I paid close attention to what was around me, staying vigilant to the possibility of one of the three sent by The Covenant coming for me at any time.
There was a tangible sense of relief when we got far enough away from the city that we couldn't even see the walls behind us. Our group spread out slightly, enjoying the freedom of the open space, though we stayed aware of each other's position, ready to react if we had to. I noticed Jocelyn walking with her eyes closed, her face turned to the sky and a smile on her lips.
"Happy?" I asked.
She grinned wider and nodded. "It's amazing out here. I've never been beyond the city walls." She paused for a second. "Well, I guess I have, but it was so long ago I barely remember. I was just a child when Silas brought me here. At least I know for sure it's the first time I've seen it during the day. We never came above ground except at night."
As soon as she said it, color splashed across her cheeks. She'd realized the mistake in what she said at the same time I did.
"Came above ground?" I asked. "What do you mean?"
She stumbled over her answer, but the words she'd said had already come out and she couldn't pretend they weren't there.
"Jocelyn?" Celeste said. "You told me you were brought to Silas when you were just a baby."
Her shoulders sagged. "I know. That's what he told me to tell anyone who ever asked."
"You lied?"
Celeste sounded broken, betrayed by the one friend she thought she'd made on her own.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to," Jocelyn sounded almost desperate. "But it's what Silas made me tell anyone who ever wanted to know how I came to be his servant. He wouldn't let me tell anyone I'm a rare magic user, but I was supposed to tell them that my mother brought me and left me with him when I was just a baby so he could raise me in exchange for my service to him. You are the first person I told about my ability."
"What really happened to you?"
"My family raised me underground. Their mining business was struggling, and everything was hard. When they found out about my magic, they knew it could be valuable. They put me up for auction, selling me to the highest bidder. That happened to be Silas."
"If he bought you, why did he draw up the contract?"
"My family isn't exactly known for being the most up-and-up of people. In Silas's mind, I could have been part of an elaborate scheme. The truth is, I wouldn't have put it past them. They could have only pretended I had rare magic and sold me off, then taken me back. The contract was to protect his investment."
The reality of what she was telling us twisted in my stomach, but I kept my expression as neutral as I could.
“You can't lie to us,” I told her firmly. “Ever. If you're going to be a part of us and travel with us, you have to be honest every step of the way, and never put us in a position of not knowing what's actually going on. I understand Silas instructed you to tell a different story because it made him look good, but it could have put us in a very dangerous situation not knowing the truth about him.”
“I'm sorry,” she repeated. “I won't do it again.”
She looked terrified I was going to tell her she couldn't stay with us, so I nodded and continued on.
22
We'd been walking for a few more hours when Sabrina slowed and held out her hand to catch our attention. Our ranks closed in tighter so we could hear her voice, lowered to a quieter tone so she couldn't be heard more than a few feet away.
“Everyone needs to be on their guard. Many half-breeds still live at the dragon boneyard, and they are extremely protective.”
“Why would they be so protective of a boneyard?” Jocelyn asked.
“They believe their ancestors bones still lie there, and that they contain the secret to their powers. Even though they aren't full dragons, they identify closely with them and don't want anything to happen to the relics. They guard them fiercely and are wary of strangers.”
"They certainly aren't going to find any group stranger than us," Emely quipped.
"Probably not," I agreed. "But Sabrina is right. We need to be vigilant. Most of us have never encountered dragons before, and the gods said we wouldn't know when we were near the three chasing me. Everybody keep your wits about you and be ready for the fight."
We drew closer to the boneyard and Mathus reached down for Nia. He scooped her up off the ground and settled her on his shoulders so he could keep her safe. I expected her to protest, or at least look nervous and put off by the gesture, but she seemed to settle comfortably against him, her arms wrapping around his neck with ease and familiarity. It was in that moment I was even more confident their growing bond was a benefit to both of them. Being around the giant gave Nia an opportunity to open up and learn to truly connect and trust someone. For Mathus, having the young demon meant having more focus, and someone to protect and truly fight for when it seemed nothing else was going right.
My nerves perked up and I felt increasingly weary as we got closer. Celeste stepped up beside me and I felt heat radiating off of her, telling me she had tapped into some of her magic.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I'm scanning the area to see what I can find out about it. I need to find Everett. He should be around here somewhere.”
“Everett?”
“Yes. That's the name of the next member of my army. I need to find him, but I can't sense him anywhere around here. I'm trying to use my mind-reading power, but it's not identifying anyone but us.”
“That means either no one's here, or they are and they’re hidden from your magic,” I said.
I could see the idea of her not being able to rely on her magic bothered Celeste. She continued to scour the area with her mind, seeking out anyone who might be Everett. A sudden loud roar in the distance startled all of us, stopping us in our tracks, and we looked around frantically. Sabrina suddenly ran forward and in mid-stride shifted into a sleek black dragon. She rose off the ground and flew majestically over us, revealing a shimmering green belly and broad, leathery wings. The vantage point would give her a wider perspective of the area around us, and she soon was so high and far ahead of us she was barely visible against the sky. My attention turned ahead of us again, and I saw three figures approaching. They moved at a blistering speed and soon I could see they were dragons. They were smaller than Sabrina, and something about them didn't look exactly right.
“Half-breeds,” Nia said. “I've seen them in my books. They're young, probably orphaned.”
“Orphans?” I asked. “So, they're just children?”
A searing blast of fire rushed past me and I jumped away from the heat.
“I don't think they like you calling them children,” Mathus pointed out. “They might be young, but it looks like they can toast your ass if they feel like it.”
Another ball of fire exploded over my head and rained down on me. The three had split apart so they created a semi-circle around us, slinging fire and rising up on their back legs to display their claws. The others were brandishing weapons at them, ready to fight back just as dirty as the dragons were fighting, but I hesitated. Despite the flames being tossed through the air, I still saw them as kids. They were alone and probably afraid. I didn't want to actually hurt them if I didn't have to.
Celeste caught another ball of fire with her magic and turned it back on the dragons. They roared and jumped out of the way, rising a few feet off the ground on their small, ill-developed wings. The fight raged, becoming more intense as each side fought fiercely, but cautiously. Finally, Celeste broke out of our ranks and ran into an open area.
“Everett,” she screamed out. “Everett.”
I ran into her and grabbed her around the waist, dragging her back to the protection of the rest of us. The sound of the name seemed to enrage the three halflings and they drew closer to each other, creating a tight wall with their bodies. Their heads cocked back, and they let out a unison roar that was at once piercing and deep enough to rumble the ground beneath our feet. The sound was still reverberating in my ears when a cage appeared around us. Doming a few feet above our heads, it had just enough space inside for our group. I pressed my hands to the side and realized it was crafted of ancient bones. The structure was tight, not leaving enough space for any of us to squeeze through but allowing for cracks and gaps the halfling orphans could see through.
I searched as much of the sky above us as I could see for Sabrina. She hadn't come back since first soaring into the air, and the sense that she had abandoned us was starting to creep into my mind. The three young dragons came close to the cage. Their claws clutched the bones, the sharp points dipping into the gaps as they stared in at us.
“Who are you?” one growled. “Why did you come here?”
“Why are you calling for Everett?” another demanded.
“Do you know him?” I asked.
“Yes. Everett is our friend. Why do you want him?” the third dragon asked.
I looked over my shoulder at the group, my family. That's what they all were, and like a family we were able to communicate without a word. Each of them knew not to speak, not to answer the questions the dragons were asking us. We were far from being able to trust them, even if they said the man that Celeste was seeking out was a friend of theirs. We all stayed silent, offering them nothing, until they let out angry, frustrated growls and walked away. There was a relief that they were no longer standing there, but we were still in the bone cage and there seemed to be no way out.
We spread out, searching the cage for any way we might be able to escape. Mathus walked around the perimeter of the cage slowly, allowing Nia to search the higher points for any gaps in the bones that might be large enough for her, Jocelyn, or Celeste to slip through. I ran my hands along the walls, pressing and pulling to try to dislodge the bones from one another. It was impossible to see how they were attached to each other, and they wouldn't budge. The only one who seemed uninterested in trying to find a way out of the cage was Emely.
“We need to figure out how to get out of here,” Celeste told her sister. “We can't just stay here and wait for the dragons to come back and roast us.”
“No, but this is the best place we can be right now. If the dragons really know Everett, eventually he'll come this way. If we're here, that might be our best chance of talking to him. Seeing us in here might make us less of a threat, so he'll be more inclined to talk,” Emely said.
“She's right,” I told the others. “If we get out of here, we have no idea where to look for Everett. But if we stay here, maybe he'll hear us out.”
Even as I said it, I kept my eyes to the sky, searching for Sabrina.
We milled around inside the cage, using the small space as much as we could as the day wore on. I took small sips of water, not knowing how long my supply would have to last. We were sitting together in the middle of the cage, breaking off pieces of the bread we'd packed, when I noticed Celeste tighten. Her eyes darted beyond the cage and she dropped the food from her hands, slowly rising to her feet.
“What's wrong?” Emely asked.
“Someone is coming closer,” Celeste murmured. “I can feel them.” She was silent for a few moments, then her chin and lifted sharply. “Can you hear that? Can you hear the footsteps? It's Everett.” She looked at us nervously. “He's not happy.”
23
It was several more seconds before I could hear the footsteps, but almost as soon as I did, I saw the dark silhouette of a figure coming toward the cage. He stepped close to the bones, becoming fully visible in the glowing moonlight. It was immediately obvious he was a halfling, but the dragon traits had manifested differently in him than they had in the others. The three orphans who had captured us within the bone cage looked like wiry dragons that hadn't fully developed, but this teenager looked more human. His skin was dark green and scaly, his eyes almost black and almond-shaped. Rather than having wings emerging from his back the way the other three did, leathery skin hung down from Everett's thin arms and attached to his hips, creating the impression that he would glide more than fly. His look was at once fearsome and sad. His long fingers slipped through the gaps of the bones to latch onto the cage as he stared in at us.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
I started to take a step toward him, but Celeste held up a hand. “Let me do it. Let me talk to him.”
“Celeste, I don't think you should . . .” Emely started, moving toward her sister.
"I'm the reason he's here," she argued. "And he's the reason we came here in the first place. You all keep telling me I need to be strong enough to lead this army myself. So, let me do it."
“She's right, Emely. This is something she needs to be able to do.”
Celeste looked at me gratefully and moved closer to Everett. I gestured for the others to follow me to the other side of the cage to give them as much privacy as possible. I understood Emely's hesitation. Everett was a complete unknown, and the behavior of the other three dragons had been enough to prove they were unpredictable and violent. But the young elf had done an exceptional job when she spoke with Jocelyn at Silas's house. She'd had no guidance there and had been able to earn the trust of the frightened indentured dwarf enough to get information from her she'd never shared with anyone else. Even through the lies, she had opened up to Celeste, and in doing so had grown the army.
“Everett?”
The halfling stared at Celeste.
“How do you know my name?” he asked.
"You are why I came here," Celeste told him. "I know you are a rare magic user."
The young man stepped back from the cage and looked at her suspiciously. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
"Yes, you do," Celeste said. She gestured for Jocelyn to join them. "This is Jocelyn. She is like you. Like us."
This caught Everett's attention. He took another step closer and looked between the two girls.
"Like us?" he asked.
His voice was still a snarl, the words almost spat. I got a little closer to them, wanting to monitor how the girls would handle the conversation. Not that I had a lot of experience with teenage interactions, but Everett struck me as the quintessential bad boy archetype, and it triggered protective instincts in me. I wanted to make sure Celeste and Jocelyn could manage explaining why we were there and what we needed from him without falling into the trap that so frequently seems to happen with boys like him. They both needed to stay under control and avoid any conflict. Not wanting to get close enough for them to notice I was listening, I tuned into my heightened senses so I was better able to hear the conversation and be ready to step in if anything got out of hand. I listened as Celeste and Jocelyn told Everett about the rare magic they use, trying to gently lure Everett into their trust.
“When did you know you had rare magic?” he asked.
“I was just a child,” Jocelyn said. “It wasn't something I ever knew about. To be honest, I didn't really know about much of anything beyond the mine. I only knew that strange things sometimes happened, and it seemed to be related to my mood or what I was thinking about. Sometimes water would spring from the top of the mine and there would be loud crashing sounds like the rocks were tumbling into the tunnel. Other times there would be flashes of light or the tunnel would get intensely hot and then fill with cold air. It was terrifying because it always seemed like something was going wrong inside the mine, but almost as soon as it started, it would end. It happened for a few years before my parents finally realized I was the one doing it. It wasn't water coming from the ceiling, it was rain. The loud sounds were thunder and the flashes of light we're lightning. I was actually controlling the weather. I had no idea at the time how dangerous that ability was, but soon my family found out I could be very valuable. That was when they put me up for auction. I haven't seen them since the day Silas bought me.”
