A Dragon's Tale Ch. 36

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He looked up. "It's signed Captain Anthiel Amarina Kiarien."

The high elf smiled. "An Emperor's edict trumps a lord's orders. Now, would you like to leave this airship without anything in your hand, or leave it without the hand itself?"

Selene felt her jaw drop.

* * *

Ethan followed Heinrich into the garden behind Lord Borden's manor house with Beth in tow. The garden was square, reasonably large, and was clearly well cared for. There were both flowers and fruit trees, as well as several flower bushes and a few other plants that Ethan had never seen or heard of before. There was a path made of large flat stones that wound its way through the grass-covered ground.

At the midpoint of the path was Lord Borden.

He was tall, over six feet and possessed an imposing presence even with his back turned. His clothes were immaculate; perfectly pressed and perfectly tailored. His black suit looked like it had both gold thread and gold trim. It wasn't ostentatious, but it clearly displayed the wealth of the wearer.

"Lord Borden, here is Lady Beth and--" Heinrich's face curved in displeasure. "--and the dragon."

The other man acknowledged this with a nod of his head, but didn't turn around. Only after several long seconds of silence did he speak.

"Sixty-one days." He said almost thoughtfully.

"Come again?" Ethan asked.

Lord Borden turned and scrutinized Ethan. As always, he gave the impression of great intelligence and cunning. "You married my daughter exactly sixty-one days ago. Since then, you have accumulated three other wives if the rumors are to be believed."

"The rumor mill got this one right." He acknowledged.

Beth's father made a thoughtful sound. "Fifteen days then."

"Huh?" Ethan and Beth said at the same time.

"On average, you have taken a new wife every fifteen days; slightly more than two weeks." The lord set his jaw. "Do you tire of women so quickly?"

It took Ethan a second to do the mental math, and had to admit that Lord Borden's calculations were indeed correct. It was hard to believe his wedding to Beth was only two months ago. Also, he had to admit that marrying a new wife every fifteen days did at leastsound bad.

He opened his mouth to reply, but Beth beat him to it. "He hasn't grown tired of me father, nor I of him."

Lord Borden clasped his hands behind his back, standing up straighter and giving both of them another piercing look, though his eyes ended on Ethan. He returned the gaze, staring unblinkingly back as he felt his dragon side start to rise. He was doing what he could to clamp down on it, but it was not happy about being caged for so long.

"Why did you call us back here?" Ethan asked, not even trying to be respectful about it.

"I warned you Ethan." Lord Borden replied calmly, which was somehow scarier than him losing his temper. "I warned you that the consequences of marrying someone other than Beth would be severe. You chose to ignore that warning. Ask anyone in the Ten Kingdoms; I keep my word."

"Father, I was in one of those weddings as a bridesmaid, and happy to be one." Beth pointed out.

Lord Borden closed his eyes, inhaled slowly, and then exhaled nearly as slowly before opening them again to look at his daughter. "You are young Beth, you don't know what men like this--" He indicted Ethan. "--are like. He will tire of you, chasing ever more women, just like Ithlan before him."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Not going to happen."

"Oh?" Lord Borden raised an eyebrow. "Then will you swear an oath before Illuminar right here and now that you will not take an additional wife as long as Beth lives?"

"Well, I can'tquite do that." He admitted, thinking of the seven wives that the God of Light had promised he would have. He had no intention of swearing an oath that he would probably break.

"Ah." The lord replied with a knowing look, as if he'd just learned everything he needed to know.

"It's not like that father." Beth interjected. "He's a good husband, both to me and his other wives."

"Oh? Is he now?" Her father nodded slowly but skeptically. "So, does he have a better handle on his dragon's temper now than he did before?"

"Well, no." She admitted.

He narrowed his eyes. "It's gotten worse then?"

Ethan opened his mouth to disagree, but really couldn't. He and Beth exchanged a glance.

"A good husband hmm?" Lord Borden continued. "Then, I'm sure he's taken pains to provide for you, and has some source of coin other than what I left for you on the Argo? Surely a good husband wouldn't subsist on the charity of his father-in-law, would he?" He looked at Ethan's sword. "Surely you thought of that before acquiring a sword that -- unless I miss my guess -- is made from the most expensive material in the Ten Kingdoms: dragon steel."

"I didn't buy it." He said slightly defensively. "I found the scales and had them forged; it didn't cost me a dime-- err, a copper."

"Ah, and it didn't occur to you that such a quantity of dragon scales could provide a comfortable life for my daughter for a long time?"

Ethan didn't quite meet his eye.

"Well then, a good husband would at least make sure he didn't make new enemies right?" Lord Borden continued. "Especially considering Lord Delmar's fascination with you, surely you avoided angering others who might hurt my daughter in an attempt to attack you."

Ethan and Beth glanced at each other, both grimacing.

"Ah." He looked even less pleased with them. Finally, inclined his head in a slight concession. "I suppose my daughter is unharmed, so at least you kept her safe."

Both Ethan and Beth looked down a bit.

"What happened?" Heinrich demanded, taking a step forward and resting his non-sword hand on his sword's hilt.

Lord Borden spoke before Ethan did. "And before you answer, remember that I don't get to my position without knowing how to spot a lie." Somehow, the air about him seemed slightly more menacing.

"Um, well..." Ethan began.

"Yeah, I sort of..." Beth trailed off.

"She kind of... well, died." Ethan finally said.

Heinrich and Lord Borden stared. The former gripped his sword hilt tightly with non-sword hand, the latter's mouth had formed a thin, humorless line.

"Died?" Lord Borden repeated the word carefully and precisely. "Explain."

"Um, well we were ambushed when we got to Arcanum." He said. "I didn't have... I mean, well there were over a dozen of them and only one of me, so..."

"It really wasn't that bad." Beth interjected. "I mean the situation was bad, but I meant dying; it really wasn't..." She trailed off at the looks from her father and the man who originally had been going to marry her.

"We literally crossed worlds to bring her back." Ethan said. "I mean, we fought a necromancer to get access to his portal, went to my home planet, and used the technology there to bring her back. We can do that there sometimes, so I made sure we did."

That had to sound good...

...right?

"So let me get this straight." Lord Borden replied in silent-but-deadly tone. "You allowed my daughter to be killed, and then you attacked -- and thus made enemies with -- a necromancer; the most dangerous kind of mage. Then you left the Ten Kingdoms and used some method other than Illuminar's power to bring her back from the dead. Is that correct?"

"Yeah." Ethan replied hesitantly, almost wishing that he'd never opened his mouth. "But you're making it sound worse than it was."

Lord Borden narrowed his eyes. "Which means you've allowed everyone in the Ten Kingdoms to think you're a prophet of Illuminar, when you knew full well that your power comes from some kind of machine. Can I trust a single word that comes from your mouth then?"

"I kept telling everyone that I'm not a prophet, but no one would believe me." He countered.

"That's true." Beth nodded.

"So, will you swear to me right now -- and in front of a crowd later -- that you are not a prophet of Illuminar?" Lord Borden asked.

'Well, I actually talked to Him on the top of Mount Ianis, so..." He hesitated. "At this point I'm not really sure how all that works."

All trance of humor and good mood had completely disappeared from Lord Borden's face, not that there was much to begin with. "So, you have been telling people that you aren't a prophet of Illuminar, even though you talked to Him and believe you might be? And this after letting others believe you raise people from the dead with the God of Light's power?"

"I don't... no that's not..." Ethan grimaced. "Okay, the facts are sort of right, but the order is wrong. I haven't lied to anyone about the whole 'prophet of Illuminar' thing."

"Your own words testify that you can't be trusted." Lord Borden said with a finality that didn't boded well. "No man -- and apparently no dragon -- has a good enough memory to be a liar, as you just proved."

"He isn't a liar though." Beth was almost pleading. "You're twisting his words."

"I haven't twisted his words, I merely asked questions." Her father replied, sadness briefly crossing his face as he looked at his daughter. "If you let a guilty man talk long enough, he will convict himself with his own words."

He nodded at Heinrich.

The captain of the Bank Guard put his sword-hand on his sword, but didn't draw it. "Ethan, I must insist that you step away from Lady Beth.

Ethan let his hand drop to his own sword and the dragon growled. "If you try to take Beth away from me, I'll rip you limb fromfucking limb."

Beth looked alarmed and stepped between them, facing Heinrich. "I amnot leaving my husband, and if you ever cared for me, you'll leave that sword in its scabbard."

Heinrich glanced at Lord Borden, before speaking sadly. "You were right; I didn't think it possible."

"I too had long thought that dragon compulsion was a myth." Lord Borden shook his head sadly.

"Father, I amnot being compelled!" Beth said in an exasperated tone.

"Oh, would you swear to me that he has never compelled you?" Her father replied.

"Uh..." She hesitated. "Well, he did the one time." Then she added hastily. "But it's not what you think."

"Oh, did you ask him to?"

"Well, no." She admitted.

"So you admit that not only can dragons compel mortals, but also that Ethan knows how to, and has compelled you without your consent?"

"Now you're twisting my words." Beth pleaded. "I know you think that I'll end up like Grams, but Ethan isn't like your step-father."

Instantly, Ethan knew that this had been the wrong thing to say. No matter how well-intentioned Beth had been, the change in Lord Borden's countenance was instant. Subtle, but instant. His expression barely changed, but something about his eyes blazed and he seemed to lose a fraction of control.

"I didn't bring my mother up." Lord Borden's volume rose fractionally. "Which means for you to bring her up, you must somehow think your situation is like hers." He said this in a tone that made it sounded like his mind was made up. He clearly had already been leaning in one direction, but Beth's comment seemed to have cemented it beyond all hope of reconsideration.

"No father, Ethan is nothing like that." Beth said, now actually pleading; almost begging him to listen.

He didn't.

"Step away from him, Beth." Her father commanded.

"No." The blonde instead stepped closer, wrapping her arms around Ethan's non-sword arm.

"Ethan Ejder, You're under arrest for crimes against the territory." Lord Borden said, then nodded to Heinrich.

"Don't make me spill your blood in front of Beth." Heinrich said to Ethan. His hand was on his sword, but he still hadn't drawn it... yet. "Come quietly or--"

The dragon growled. "--or what. You'll do what?" He hissed.

*Dominus, please calm down.* Beth's voice mental came. He glanced at her, and she continued with wide eyes. *Remember what happened the last time you lost your temper around me when swords were involved; please calm down.*

Ethan fought the dragon for control, and on the possibility that Beth might be injured made his dragon side doubt enough that he remained in control...

...barely.

But he did.

"For what crime?" He finally asked. "The Book of Light says two or three witnesses, where are they and what's the crime?"

Lord Borden narrowed his eyes.

"Look, that crowd at the docks; that was our doing to make sure that you didn't try anything before we got a chance to talk. Now, I'm pretty sure you know that my wives said some nice things about you earlier today, and so did we at the docks. We could've been honest and told them that you're being a dick, but we didn't. However..."

He locked eyes with the man. "...however if you lock me up, I'll be happy to shout my side of the story from the fucking rooftops. We can settle this in private like men, or you can watch your reputation go up in smoke as I holler about how you arrested me without cause all the way to the jail."

Heinrich made a fist with his free hand and set his jaw.

Lord Borden looked down his nose at Ethan. "Shrewd; I'd expect nothing less from a beast like you."

"Father..." Beth breathed. "That's my husband, and whatever else you might think, please know that I love him ver--"

"You know nothing." Lord Borden interrupted as he clenched his fist. "Your mind isn't your own, but it will be again. I swear to you." He looked at Ethan. "If you step one toe out of line in Gralden, you'll spend the rest of a very short life in prison."

"And my other wives, and my crew?" Ethan asked, just about done with this conversation.

A muscle twitched in Lord Borden's cheek. "The same will apply to them the moment they do anything wrong."

"And until then?" He pressed.

"They will not be harassed by me or my men until they commit a crime." Lord Borden said after several seconds. "But if they do..." he let that hang in the air.

"Yeah, well; fuck you too." He hissed, then turned on his heel and stalked away, Beth hurrying after him.

* * *

Sarah took a deep breath as she felt the airship's long descent stop, making her stomach feel funny. Selene had once described an 'elevator', and this sounded like what she'd said it felt like when it stopped going down. She didn't like the feeling at all. There was an abrupt bump as the airship's hull clearly bumped into something.

"Adrian, no." Lady Ekthros mumbled in her sleep.

The innkeeper's daughter gave her a gentle shake. Instantly, the auburn-haired woman's eyes flew open and she looked around in alarm, a powerful fire seeming to blaze behind her eyes. After barely a second, she calmed down and put her hand of her heart.

"Oh my word, you startled me." She breathed, sounding like she'd been winded.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you should know that the airship seems to have stopped." Sarah replied, then cocked her head to one side. "Who's Adrian?"

Instantly, the other woman's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that name?"

"You were talking in your sleep. You said 'Adrian, no'."

Lady Ekthros breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay. I do that sometimes."

"So who is he?"

"He's... he was..." She gave Sarah a pained smile that didn't reach her eyes. "He's someone that I used to know."

Sarah got the distinct impression that Lady Ekthros wouldn't elaborate even if she begged, so she dropped it.

A few minutes later, one of the soldiers came down the stairs from the main deck. He unlocked the jail cell, drew his sword, and used it to motion them out. "Get moving ladies, and no funny business."

The two women looked at each other, then followed his directions and headed up the stairs to the main weather deck. After three days in the ship's jail cell, the world outside was incredibly bright. Sarah squinted, even though it was an overcast day with no direct sun. The weather deck was filled with soldiers carrying out tasks and moving things about. The airship was about the same size as the Argo, but not nearly as nice or sleek.

"Get moving." The soldier waved them towards the gangplank with the tip of his sword. The two women went, and as Sarah reached the edge of the gangplank she saw where they were.

It was a castle.

A smaller castle -- probably a small outpost of some kind -- but definitely a castle.

It was made from dark grey stone held together with only slightly lighter grey mortar. The walls were arranged in a square, with battlements all around and a walkway for defenders. There were several small ballistae scattered around, probably to deal with dragons. In the center, attached to one of the walls was a large, square stone keep that rose high into the air and also had battlements atop it.

The airship was docked at a high point in one of the walls, almost assuredly built so that an airship could dock. As she walked across the gangplank from the airship to the walls, she looked down and saw a large moat that looked quite deep.

There was a large courtyard inside the walls and it had stables on one side, what looked like barracks on another, and a blacksmith. The floor was essentially dirt, though there was a healthy dose of manure mixed in from the stables. She couldn't help but notice that there was a set of stocks in one corner with a man's head and both his arms sticking through them.

She shuddered.

She would hate to be in something like that.

"Get that fine ass moving!" The soldier who was guiding them barked.

Sarah briefly felt slightly flattered despite the situation, before she realized that he had been talking to Lady Ekthros. The girl's shoulders slumped even more.

The soldier guided them down along the wall towards a set of stairs, and Sarah found herself wishing that she was a mage. The walls were at least a dozen feet high, and she knew mages could use magic to throw people around. If one of them had been a mage, it would've been easy to do that to everyone on the walls, and even the airship.

Sadly...

The soldier guided them down the stairs, across the courtyard, and up a set of stone steps leading to the keep. There was a small drawbridge about ten feet long at the top of the steps and a large doorway with a portcullis on the far side of the small drawbridge. Beyond the doorway was a room made completely of stone with only one other exit, which also had a portcullis.

The soldier guided them through a couple rooms and to a set of winding stairs. Up and up they went. Sarah counted at least five different levels, the second to last of which opened into what looked like a laboratory of some kind. There were glass beakers on several tables, what looked like an assortment of precision tools, and even several sets of restraints for people along one wall. There were also two wide, flat wooden boards set perpendicular to the wall with restraints on them as well.

The soldier made them climb to the top, and into a room with a long row of cells, none of which were occupied. It occurred to her that anyone who wanted access to the prisoners would have to fight through virtually the entire castle to get to them.

He forced them into a cell that was barely the size of her room at the inn and locked it behind them. "Now, I don't want to hear nothing from you, ya' hear?"

Sarah nodded, Lady Ekthros gave him a withering glare, but also nodded. Without another word, the soldier turned and left the room. The innkeeper's daughter let her back rest against the wall and slid down, wrapping her arms around her knees when her butt hit the floor.

"Are you okay Sarah?" Lady Ekthros asked, sitting down next to her and putting her arm around her.

"I will be." She replied, remembering Gabriella's promise. "I just wish I knew what they were going to do."

"Yeah, me too." The auburn-haired woman replied with a sigh.

"I heard that some arch mages can read other people's minds." Sarah said after a few minutes. "If only one of us was one, then we would know."