Destroyers and the Dragons

Page 29

     "And when your tribe no longer needs the Destroyer?" she demands.

     "I will return to my old master and hope he'll hire me on again," I say with a shrug. "I am and always have been a blade for hire, that will never change. Do you think your people would accept that; that they'd embrace a queen sell sword? Would you embrace a queen sell sword?" I demand feeling emotions I know nothing of and wish to all levels of hell that the feelings would go away.

     "If that queen sell sword were you I would follow you to the ends of the earth," Rose says quietly.

     "And then the dragon kingdom falls into civil war, because the king chooses a poor mate, one the people cannot abide with, I will not watch things like that happen. It would do no good for anyone."

     "So you leave, you run off and we never see you again?"

     "It depends on whom hires me and where my travels would take me, but probably you would be correct," I say quietly. I spend the next two days avoiding Evergreen and Rose by hiding in the garden, or the stables, or the roofs; anywhere I know they will not be I find and spend much time there. On the third morning the coronation is held and I stand next to Nelax and his group in my armor which was delivered by my cousin along with my weapons. I stare at the stones at my feet and wait patiently for all this to be done. As soon as the crowd begins to cheer, I turn and march down to the stables and ready the horses for our party. I turn at the approach of footsteps and find Evergreen's first studying me.

     "What old one?" I demand as I tighten the saddle on a horse and check the harnesses.

     "We would like to offer you a position on the council," he says.

     "Why would I take a job here?" I demand turning to study him.

     "We need a strong leader to keep the different clans from fighting the crown and each other," he says.

     "Look that sounds more like a job for you, why offer it to me?"

     "I want you to stay here," he confesses. "With you here they won't dare openly attack. Things aren't as calm as they appear. I need your help to keep another war from happening."

    "You have a king marry him off to one of those pretty dragon girls that I've seen everywhere," I snarl. "Then you can make her people help you."

     "That would work if Evergreen hadn't just declared that he would marry none of them," first says quietly.

     "Well tell him to change his mind," I scream in frustration startling the horse. I turn my attention to calming down the horse and myself.

     "I need to leave, your Kings infatuation with me is clouding his judgment. Once I leave he'll return to his senses, it is only infatuation with what is different."

    "Or it is love."

    "It can not be love," I snarl.

     "Why can't it be love," Evergreen demands from the doorway.

    "Because we could never truly be together," I scream and mount the horse intending to make a run for it. The horse skitters left and then begins to try and buck me from its back. I hang on for dear life until I realize it is because a dragon is charging towards us.