The Blade Heir (Book 1) (25 page)

When Homer's pace on the road began slowing down, Naomi suggested they should make camp for the night. The travelers veered off the road and found a secluded copse a half-mile away. Violet prepared a fire while Silas gathered wood in the moonlight. The satisfying warmth of the fire put the women at ease as they sat near the flame and chatted about the day, but Silas stood guarding the perimeter of the camp, just like the nights in Ithileo before the ambush.

"Cutter, won't you join us by the fire?" Violet asked.

"I will in a little while, my lady," Silas replied, pacing near the tree line of the copse.

"Are you still worried about bandits?" Naomi asked, her brows wrinkled. "We're far enough from the road now."

"We are fairly secluded here save for the fire, of course," Silas admitted.

"But?" Violet said with a teasing smile.

"When you've traveled as often as I have, you'll find there is no fault in being extra cautious, especially at night where evil lurks."

The ladies both agreed and allowed him to continue his watch, but Silas sensed a pang of disappointment from Violet and he regretted not joining her by the fire. After an hour of talking—including several questions directed at Silas about their travel plans—the two women turned in for the night. Silas sat close to the fire, but kept his back to it and faced the Barren Road. He continued his watch diligently, but every so often peered above at the myriad of stars. He pulled out his mother's ring and twirled it between his fingers as he gazed at the beauty above.

"Do you fancy the stars?" Violet asked quietly from behind, startling him.

"I thought you were sleeping, Violet," He sighed with relief and quickly tucked his necklace under his chainmail.

"Forgive me, I did not intend to startle you," she said with a slight curve to her mouth.

"You didn't," he lied, clearing his throat. "Having trouble sleeping?"

"Yes. Sleep escapes me in the wilderness it seems." Violet walked over and sat down next to him.

They sat quietly for a moment, staring up at the starry sky together.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Violet said.

"Aye. My mother once told me the heavenly lights were our ancestors looking down upon us from Yéwa's Hall. As a boy, I longed to go there and see the ivory palace of Caelum and the throne seat of Yesu, but now—" Silas hesitated and looked down, unsure if he should confide in Violet.

"But now?" Violet asked, searching for his eyes.

"Now I wish to go there to see my mother and sister again," he said, meeting her gaze.

"Oh, I'm sorry Cutter," Violet said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What happened to them?"

Silas sighed. "We were traveling to Tarshish for a holiday when I was just a boy. My mother and sister rode in the carriage while my father and I followed them on horseback. There was a bend in the road around a bluff, and on the other side, the Draknoir were waiting for us. My father and I fought them fiercely. Our carriage driver was killed immediately, so my mother took the reins and charged out of the battle at my father's insistence. We didn't see the dragon until it was too late. It breathed fire down on us and the Draknoir, but my father and I managed to escape the flames unscathed. When the fires subsided and the dragon had left, we raced up the road to find my mother and sister. All we found was a heap of ash and melted iron bolts from the carriage."

Violet held a hand to her mouth as he recounted the story, her eyes glossy with tears. "Yéwa have mercy on you and your father," she said.

"Mercy eluded us that day, but I am confident we shall all be reunited again. Until that day comes, I fight to avenge the death of my mother and sister, even if it leads to my own demise."

"That is a noble purpose, Cutter," Violet said, wiping the corners of her eyes. "But don't become consumed by death and vengeance—such things will blind you and you'll overlook the many blessings of life."

"And what blessings might those be?" Silas said, glancing up at the stars again. He could not imagine anything in his life presently to be a blessing. The Draknoir continued to ravage his father's kingdom, and now dragons might rise up once more to torment the world. The future looked altogether bleak, and blessings were in short supply.

"Friendship is a blessing, Cutter. I think you are rather blessed to have a friend to talk to under the stars who also happened to save you from certain death," Violet said, her lips curving again.

Silas chuckled. "I suppose you will never let me forget that deed."

"Not ever," Violet replied, playfully crossing her arms.

"I am very grateful for your friendship, Violet," he said, glancing down at her blue eyes. She forced a smile, but it quickly faded as he held her gaze. He drew closer to her and their lips met. Violet's shoulders and neck tensed up initially, but she did not withdraw from his affections.

The tender moment in the moonlight was cut short by the snapping of a twig nearby. Silas reached for his blade and rose from the ground to guard Violet from the unknown prowler. An arrow whizzed by Silas' ear and pierced the ground near Naomi's head, rousing her from a peaceful slumber. A familiar battle cry from Draknoir warriors filled the chill night air followed by more arrows.

"Violet, find cover!" Silas shouted as he sidestepped between the trees in the copse.

Violet ran to the nearest tree and pressed her back against the trunk, seconds before multiple arrows sunk into the bark. Naomi ducked behind a pair of bushes as another volley of arrows flew through the copse. Four Draknoir ran into the campground with swords drawn, and Silas immediately lunged his sword at the closest one. The blade sunk deep into the reptilian warrior's ribs causing the shocked Draknoir to tumble forward. Silas pulled the blade out and quickly decapitated the downed warrior, then swiped wildly at the next Draknoir who parried his advance with a serrated blade.

As he exchanged blows with the Draknoir warrior, the other brutes targeted the women. Silas blocked several of his attacker's swings and waited for the Draknoir to provide an opening through an ill-judged thrust. With a quick jab of his blade in the creature's exposed thigh, Silas sent the Draknoir reeling and used the opportunity to plunge his sword through the warrior's back.

He quickly turned at the sound of Violet shrieking and saw her fall on the ground at the feet of a Draknoir warrior wielding an ax. Silas sprinted toward the Draknoir, tackling him before the brute swung his weapon down. They both hit the ground hard, but the dark creature scrambled to his feet instantly and thrust the elongated tip of the ax at Silas' back. He rolled to his side, avoiding the sharp tip of the ax as it poked the dirt.

Before the Draknoir pulled the ax out of the ground, Silas swung his sword upward and severed the warrior's scaly forearm. The Draknoir roared in pain, holding his bloody stump. Silas stood up and thrust his sword, but the wounded Draknoir dodged the attack and raked Silas' face with his claws. Silas fell to one knee, reeling in pain from the gashes on his cheek. The warrior lunged at Silas with jaws open, ready to bite his face. Silas blocked the beast's bite with his gauntleted forearm and slipped his blade beneath the Draknoir's armor and into his belly. The attacked made a gurgling noise and grew limp.

Silas pushed the dead Draknoir off and spun around to face Violet; she was laying on her back, crying softly as she clutched her bloody arm. Silas ran to her side and tried to examine the wound, but Violet clutched his wrist tightly.

"I'm fine, go help Naomi!" she yelled, pointing toward her friend.

The last Draknoir warrior was attempting to slice Naomi in half with an enormous scimitar, but the petite young woman was surprisingly agile and managed to parry her attacker's every move. As Silas approached the skirmish, he saw Naomi wielding an unusual weapon in her hands. Upon closer inspection, he realized the weapon was an elvish glaive with blades on each end. Naomi twirled the glaive skillfully and swiped at her opponent, but her attack missed and left her vulnerable. The Draknoir grabbed the top of Naomi's head and jerked it backwards, preparing to slit her throat with the scimitar.

Silas pushed his sword between the Draknoir's shoulder blades, feeling it pierce through the attacker's chest. The Draknoir shoved Naomi to the ground and whirled around to face Silas with the blade still stuck in his chest. With a wide sweep of the scimitar, the warrior attempted to cut him in two, but Silas ducked beneath the strike and charged the Draknoir. His advance was thwarted by the attacker's well-timed kick to his chest. Silas crashed to the floor, unable to catch his breath before the Draknoir towered over him. The beast held the scimitar high for the final blow, but Naomi jumped onto his back and drove a curved dagger into the Draknoir's jugular. Silas watched as their attacker sunk to his knees and muttered curses at them before collapsing on the ground.

Naomi retrieved Silas' sword from the Draknoir's body and handed the blade to him. He glanced up at her and realized her head was no longer covered by the headscarf. Naomi's hair was dark and long, flowing down beyond her shoulders, but the most striking feature of her uncovered head were the pair of pointed ears clearly visible in the moonlight.

"You're an elf?" Silas said, standing up.

"Yes ... I am," Naomi said, looking away. She turned around and pulled her headscarf from the dead Draknoir's claws.

Violet walked up to them slowly, holding a rag to the deep cut on her left arm and looking rather pale.

"Are you all right? Let me see that," Silas said, reaching for her arm.

"I'm fine, Cutter, really. I've already added some salve to the cut," Violet insisted, grabbing hold of his hand before he could examine her wound again. She squeezed his hand gently and smiled momentarily before she saw the cuts on his face. "Those look awful, Cutter! Here let me get some salve and wrappings."

"It's just a few scratches, Violet. I've dealt with worse—I'm more concerned about you and Naomi right now," he said, looking over to Naomi. The elf had reapplied her headscarf and busied herself with packing her weapons away.

"Why didn't you tell us you were an elf?" Silas asked.

"I didn't see how it mattered on our present errand," Naomi replied while tying her leather sack tight.

"It doesn't, but I'm curious as to why it needed to be a secret. What do you have to hide?"

"Cutter, please—" Violet interrupted.

"Did you know she was an elf?" Silas turned to Violet.

Violet sighed and averted her eyes, "Yes, I did."

Silas frowned. "I don't understand the secrecy. Am I missing something here?"

"I'm not the only one here with a secret, Cutter," Naomi suggested, shooting an accusatory glance at him.

She was right. He had not told them about his royal parentage, which was likely the reason for the Draknoir attack tonight. But did Naomi know he was the prince of Aldron? And if so, what else did she know? He was unsure if he could trust her, but he could not hope to keep his secret much longer with each passing day bringing them closer to Aldron.

"You're right, Naomi. I have also been hiding something," Silas said, swallowing hard. "My true name is Silas Dermont, son of King Alfryd Dermont of Aldron."

Violet's eyes widened and she stepped back, staring at him as though he were a strange creature to behold. "You're the ... prince of Aldron?"

"I am," Silas replied. He turned to Naomi, who did not seem the least bit surprised at the revelation. "How did you know?"

"You and your father visited my homeland several years ago. We met briefly, but you seemed preoccupied and uninterested in idle conversation at the time."

"I'm sorry, I do not recall this meeting. Where is your homeland?"

"Numa," Naomi said, lifting her chin slightly.

Hearing the name of the last elven kingdom in Azuleah brought back a flood of memories for Silas. Two years past, King Sikahr had invited his father and him to visit Numa in order to negotiate a trade agreement between their kingdoms, but the whole affair turned out to be a ruse. Sikahr was a paranoid monarch. He suspected an imminent threat to his rule from those in his inner circle and desired Aldron's military aid if an insurrection occurred. The false pretense of a trade agreement was concocted to divert attention from the Numan king's supposed rivals, but it only succeeded in further straining the weak relationship between Numa and Aldron. King Alfryd was furious at Sikahr for the deception, and their heated exchanges were often mediated by Silas, which proved to be an exhausting chore. The only bright spot of the entire trip was seeing the ancient elf city with all of its regal trappings and splendor. He never ventured beyond the walls of Sikahr's palace during his stay, and he could not remember meeting any elves besides Sikahr and his immediate family: Queen Vilina, twin Princes Alamgir and Balbir, and ... Princess Avani.

Silas scrutinized Naomi's face and suddenly remembered her. "You're the missing princess—Avani Rubiwind!"

"Yes," Avani replied. "I was wondering when you would remember me, Silas."

"We only met briefly, and as you said, I was preoccupied. Our fathers were having petty disputes at the time, and I was tasked with keeping the peace."

"As was I," Avani said firmly. "My father couldn't fathom why King Alfryd would not agree to a military alliance after being duped by the false hope of a trade agreement. He never looks beyond his own self-importance."

"My father is equally guilty of that," Silas admitted. "Kings tend to view themselves with higher regard than they should, especially in the company of other royals."

"I suppose that's true," Avani said, looking down at her packed belongings.

An awkward silence passed between them and Violet finally spoke. "We should go. More Draknoir could be headed this way."

"You're right, Violet. We cannot stay here tonight," Silas replied, glancing at the rag on her arm, which was now thoroughly soaked in blood. "Forgive me; this is all my fault. The Draknoir must have been trailing me from Ithileo. I should have been more vigilant to keep you both safe."