Kalina read a dry text about the grain trading routes between her country, Ethea and their neighboring country to the north, Askor. Askor was a barren country, full of ice and snow almost year-round. Only their southern plains were hospitable all year round. She remembered what Father Martin had taught her years ago, that there had been a war that lasted fifty years between Askor and Ethea over mining rights within the Great Grey Mountains that separated their two kingdoms. Askor had few resources and felt they were entitled to mine the mountains, while Ethea felt they also had a right to mine. She didn’t remember much else but had heard the war had stopped the year she was born because the princess of Ethea was wed to the younger son of the king of Askor and peace was brokered. It was all very interesting, but it had little to do with her.

  The sun had gone down behind the trees, and Father Ben had come by to light some lamps, and Kalina still hadn’t found anything interesting. She closed the book before her in disgust and put her head down on the table, her eyes burning from so much reading.

  “Have you found any interesting history, Delisa?” She asked, her words muffled by the book and her hair around her face planted on the table.

  “Just a somewhat recent history of our kingdom. The last 100 years or so during the war, but nothing since. But it does list who our current King and Queen are.” She pointed to the newer book she held, the binding still crisp, the golden letters on the front still shining in the lantern light. Kalina reached out a hand for the book. Delisa closed it and handed it over. At that moment Father Ben walked over. “But nothing about a missing princess, sorry.” She grinned at Kalina, and Kalina grinned back. No, she wasn’t anyone special. But that still begged the question, why was the prince after her?

  “It’s time to close the library and say your evening prayers, ladies.” He began gathering the books on the table.

  “Father Ben, may I take this one to read tonight as I fall asleep?” Kalina gestured to the recent history she held. Father Ben cocked his head to read the title and then nodded.

  “Yes, you may, but please, don’t read it while eating anything that can stain the pages, like jam.” He looked pointedly at her as she had once ruined a page in her favorite adventure book from some jam slipping off her scone and onto the page. She smiled sheepishly at him and nodded. “Then run along and get some supper and go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long enough day for all of us.” Kalina and Delisa left the library, heading for the kitchens.

  “What are we going to do now?” Delisa asked, the noises from the other orphan children echoing in the hall. The orphans ranged in age from toddlers to teens and were already eating dinner within, which meant Kalina and Delisa would likely not get seconds. Kalina didn’t mind. As one of the oldest, she got to work in the kitchens, which meant she got the food fresh and warm from the ovens.

  “I don’t know. I think I need a bigger library, one with more books or at least more recent ones. Perhaps the one in the capital!” Delisa shrugged at her words. Kalina sighed. “Let’s get in there before Jon steals all the apple pie.” She pushed past Delisa and into the noise and light of the busy kitchen. Delisa followed after and soon they were lost in conversation with Gwen and the other children who sat around a large wooden table eating dinner.

  Chapter 5

  Kalina and Delisa worked hard in the kitchen all morning, baking the loaves of bread, pastries, and pies for that evening’s festivities. They fetched water from the well and firewood for the ovens, and Kalina pumped the bellows to heat the ovens many times throughout the day.

  As the sun began to set, they loaded the abbey’s cart with food and helped Gwen wheel it to the town center where other vendors were setting up their carts with food, ale, wine and little trinkets for the celebrations. Once they had helped her set up her pies and pastries for sale, Gwen handed them each two silver pennies and sent them on their way. They wouldn’t have to work again for two days and the thought lightened Kalina’s steps. As Delisa pushed her way into the gathering crowd, the lamps were being lit and a large bonfire was being stacked and lit, flickering in the deepening gloom.

  Kalina followed more slowly. She was scanning the crowd, searching for someone who looked malicious, like perhaps they were coming to get her. Suddenly she bumped into something solid and was knocked to the ground.

  “Ouch!” she exclaimed, grabbing her head where it had connected with someone else’s and heard an answering groan of pain before her. She looked up, stunned to see a boy around her age lying prone on the ground. He sat up slowly, clutching his head, and when his eyes fell on her they went wide, and then he smiled. Kalina had never seen him in the village before, and he wore livery that was strange.

  “Sorry about that.” He stood and offered her a hand up. Kalina took it, hesitating for a moment before placing her hand in his. His hand was warm as he hauled her to her feet. She tried to dust herself off.

  “That’s alright. I should have been looking where I was going.” She had been so preoccupied looking for an adult, she didn’t notice the teenager. Strangers often came through town, but none wore livery in green and gold, and certainly, none had an insignia of two crossed swords on their left breast.

  He placed a hand on his chest. “I’m Talon, squire for Sir Dyelan of his Majesty’s court. Who are you?” Kalina eyed him. Most of the local boys never gave her even a moment's notice. Many of them were also subjects of Mari’s bullying, or if they weren’t, they were in love with her blonde hair and blue eyes. Kalina had always been overlooked, so it was a strange sensation that a boy was paying her attention.

  “I’m Kalina, Daughter of None.” She smiled a bit at the alias she had given herself. It seemed fitting and gave her a sense of mystery that she quite enjoyed. Talon’s eyebrows rose at her title, but he smiled.

  “Well Kalina, Daughter of None, would you care to join me for an ale and a meat pie? I could use the company.” He offered her his arm and gestured into the crowd. Kalina hesitated. He had said he served a knight master, not Sir Gregan, but perhaps a knight in the man’s retinue. It struck her suddenly that he might know who she was, or who the Valdir were, so she nodded and took his arm.

  “Alright, I know a place.” She led him to the best meat pies in town, a little stall by the fountain, run by a grizzled old woman named Jeanie who had been making the pies since she was a little girl and her own mother had taught her. Kalina asked for four lamb and beef pies. Jeanie pulled out four pies, placed them onto a large cloth and tied it up. Talon dug in his pocket and paid for their pies. Kalina thanked him graciously. Once they had their food, she led him to the nearby tavern, whose doors had been thrown open, light, music, and sound pouring onto the cobblestones out front.

  “The best ale in town is in here.” She gestured with the pies towards the noise and bustle. Talon smiled and nodded.

  “Why don’t you wait out here and I’ll go get us some drinks.” He pushed his way through the crowd. Kalina stood there, her hands full of pies, questioning her own sanity at spending time with a boy so close to those who were trying to find her. But tonight was all about drinking and eating, and tomorrow the real fun started. There were games played in the town square for all ages, foot races run, art displayed, and theater performances. In the afternoon there was a horse race that anyone could enter, that circled the town and Abbey twice. And in the evening was storytelling around the bonfire and dancing. She decided there wasn’t any harm in enjoying herself. Besides, her silver roots were covered, and no one from outside the abbey knew her or what she looked like. Plus, Talon was handsome, and she enjoyed having his attention, even if it was only for the night.

  Talon returned, holding two tankards filled to the brim with a light brown ale. He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. She motioned for him to follow her and she led him through the crowd to a low wall that bordered a small garden on the side of the tavern. There they sat and exchanged pies for ale. They ate in awkward silence, Kalina giving Talon sideways glances between bites and watching the crowd. Talon smiled happily and watched her as she ate. She smiled slightly at him and he beamed back at her smile.

  “So, Kalina, tell me about yourself?” Kalina scrambled for words. Nobody had ever asked her that question, and as she thought about what she could say, she realized the things she’d overheard from Father Martin, and the fact that she had ridden on a Wyvern were the most interesting things about her, and they were things she couldn’t reveal. She sighed and looked up at him.

  “Well, I am an orphan of the abbey. I wash dishes and do chores for the High Father.” She felt incredibly pathetic having said it out loud. Talon’s eyes lit up.

  “An orphan? No kidding! What is it like growing up in the abbey? Is the High Father really as formidable as they say he is? What do you do when you aren’t working?” His questions came rapid fire, and Kalina was momentarily overwhelmed by his attention. She decided to redirect.

  “Yes, the High Father is. What about you? What’s life like being a squire for Sir Dyelan? What’s the capital city like?” She hoped he wouldn’t notice she hadn’t answered most of his questions.

  “Well, Sir Dyelan is an alright man. He treats me fine, doesn’t beat me when I make mistakes.” Kalina’s eyebrows rose at this, but Talon waved it off. “I get to travel the kingdom a lot and I get to fight in battles sometimes and in tournaments, oh the tournaments, Kalina! The pageantry and the excitement! It makes your little St. Martin’s celebration look like a dull birthday party.” Kalina’s face flushed a bit and she looked down at her hands. Of course, she was ignorant of the outside world. A worm of jealousy squirmed in her stomach that this boy, because he was a boy, could travel the world at a knight’s side. “And Sir Gregan has us traipsing all over the country in search of something for the Prince.” Kalina stiffened, excitement and fear thrilling through her. “It must be pretty important. We’ve been at it since I joined Sir Dyelan.” He looked at her and took a sip of ale, his eyebrows raised.

  “What do you think he’s searching for?” Talon shrugged.

  “We’re searching for a girl with silver hair. Or at least that’s what they all talk about.” Kalina resisted the urge to double check her head scarf, instead twisting her hands in her lap as he spoke.

  “And you just travel the country, searching for one girl? Why?” Talon shrugged again.

  “Not sure. Sir Dyelan says she’s important to the Prince somehow. But from the way Sir Gregan searches, you’d think this girl was a danger.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, Sir Dyelan usually searches each house or abbey, asking to see all girls around your age. I would bet that after the celebrations here he’ll do the same thing.” Kalina’s blood ran cold. She had to find a way to dye her hair on her own if Gwen wouldn’t do it. Or she needed to disappear. It frustrated her that she still didn’t know why the prince wanted her, but from the way Father Martin spoke about it, she knew in her bones it wasn’t so he could throw her a party. She decided to change the subject.

  “Talon, do you know anything about the Valdir?” It was a gamble, but since she hadn’t found a single mention of them in the library, perhaps a boy who was raised in the capital knew of such things.

  “Aren’t those the dragon riders that disappeared at the end of the war?” Kalina’s heart leapt into her throat. Dragon riders. Could it be?

  “I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you. I only just heard of them but our library is sadly lacking.” Talon nodded, drinking off the rest of his ale before answering.

  “Well, I don’t know much. There isn’t any mention of them within the last century except that they helped in the war on the side of Ethea, and then once peace was declared, they just disappeared. Nothing has been said of them since.” He nudged her with his elbow gently. “I’m only telling you what I remember from my schooling, mind you. I haven’t read up on them in years.”

  Kalina felt like her insides were shaking. She was a dragon rider. She had no idea how to process that information. Everything she knew about herself was a lie, kept from her by Father Martin. Did the prince hate the Valdir? Was that why she was being hidden from him? So many questions swirled in her head. Talon sat across from her watching, and she was sure she wasn’t able to keep the emotions from playing across her face. She ducked her head in embarrassment and even some fear. Could he read how much the news of her people affected her?

  “Are you alright?” He asked, reaching out to touch her arm. Kalina blushed furiously and she stood up.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for a lovely meal, Talon.” She turned on her heel and quickly walked away through the crowd. She didn’t turn back when Talon called her name and she kept walking until the high walls of the abbey cast her in deep shadow. The sun had set while they’d sat talking, and the deepening gloom around her hid the flush on her cheeks. She wasn’t used to being watched or cared about, or even as Talon had touched her. And from the way he made it sound, her own people had abandoned her here at the abbey before disappearing. She felt more alone than ever.

  Chapter 6

  What had the stranger said?

  “The girl deserves to know who she is.”

  Kalina had lain awake all night, contemplating what the stranger and Father Martin had said, and what Talon had told her. Who was she? She felt like a storm had risen inside her, threatening to swallow her whole.

  Delisa had woken her early, eager to go into town and join in the day’s festivities. Kalina dragged her feet, tired from the night before. But once they made it into town, her own trepidation lifted slightly at the funny antics of the acrobats from the traveling troupe that had come for the celebrations.

  She spent the afternoon with Delisa, dancing around the maypole, eating fried pork fat, and licking the sticky jam of pies from their fingers in the hot afternoon sun. It was still Spring, however, and evening came on quickly with cooling temperatures. As the sun drew down the sky, heading west towards the horizon, Talon found them sitting in the shade of the tavern, enjoying the cool breeze. He seemed out of breath and had a worried look on his face.

  “Kalina.” She sat up straight at his words, her awkwardness from the night before starting to creep in. “I need to talk to you.” Talon slid his eyes to Delisa and back.

  “Talon, this is my best friend Delisa. Delisa, this is Talon.” Talon nodded to Delisa, and Delisa gave him a flirty smile.

  “Where are you from?” She asked, patting the low wall they sat on, encouraging him to sit. Talon hesitated, eyeing the spot between the two girls. Kalina rolled her eyes at her friend. Delisa was a sweet girl who’d always been there for Kalina, but she was also a shameless flirt, especially within the last year. Delisa was determined not to stay in the kitchens like Kalina. She wanted to move out into the town, someplace where she could have lots of babies and raise a family. Kalina didn’t blame her, but sometimes it made her insufferable around the boys.

  “Never mind her,” Kalina said, playfully waving Delisa off. Delisa grinned. “What’s wrong?” Talon again looked between the girls, clearly unsure if he should speak.

  “I just came from my knight master’s tent. I overheard them talking about you.” Her blood went cold.

  “What do you mean.” Talon finally sat between them.

  “A villager told Sir Dyelan last night that you flew in on a Wyvern and almost destroyed the town square. Sir Dyelan told Sir Gregan this morning and now he’s convinced you are the girl he’s looking for.” His eyes flickered up to Kalina’s head scarf. “I knew I had to come and warn you.” Kalina’s heart was racing by the time he finished speaking, and Delisa’s face was white with horror.

  “We have to get you out of here!” Delisa whispered fervently.

  “I know,” Kalina murmured. She looked around the square as if Sir Gregan, whom she’d never seen, would pop out of nowhere.

  “The good news is, he doesn’t know what you look like yet. He said he’s going to kill that Wyvern too, just for fun.” Talon’s own face showed the disgust he felt at that.

  “Why are you helping me?” Kalina asked suddenly. She had no idea why a boy she’d met briefly the night before would be willing to help her. Talon brushed his brown hair from his eyes and smiled at her.

  “Because I like you, Kalina. And I can’t stand to see someone like Sir Gregan destroy a creature like the Wyvern. Is it true you flew on it?” She nodded, her mind only partially there.

  “Then we need to find a way to warn the Wyvern, and dye your hair.” Delisa chimed in. She grabbed Kalina’s hand across Talon. “Go tonight and warn the Wyvern. And when you get back, I’ll have gotten the dye from Gwen, and will be ready to dye your hair. We’ll get it done before he can come for you.”

  “Did he mention when?” Kalina’s bright blue eyes searched Talon’s green ones.

  “He did say it could wait until after the celebrations.” Talon shrugged.

  “Then we go tonight.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Talon said. She didn’t protest.

  Kalina and Delisa ran back to their dorm. She collected her cloak and her small pack she had stocked with a flint and steel, and a jar of pitch for torches from her last outing into the woods to find the Wyvern. She paused at her shabby little bed, wondering if she should take anything else with her, just in case. She grabbed the book from the library and her small pouch of money she’d been saving for a rainy day, and made her way out through the kitchens. The kitchens were oddly deserted and she grabbed a loaf of stale bread off the counter. It had been baked the day before, stuffed full of nuts and dried fruit.

  Delisa hugged her at the edge of the village, squeezing her tight. Kalina’s eyes filled with unexpected tears.

 

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