Esterpine

Koldis followed the Sprite attendant who had summoned him. An urgent matter, he'd claimed. Koldis couldn't think what might possibly be so urgent, unless it had something to do with Claire. The attendant had assured him that it didn't. He'd brought a couple of their own just in case—Rhywyth, Gradyr, Jorsid, and Madeleine—who'd been lounging in Claire's suite with him. They'd been playing cards when Haemar knocked and asked for his presence.

Ahead of him, the city's southern gate came into view. "Here, Lord Koldis." Haemar stepped aside and held forth a hand. Koldis blinked, faltered, blinked again. Then he let out a whooping laugh and lunged forward. Standing there with arms crossed, lounging against the side of the gate's grafted arch was a face he had not expected to see here.

He swallowed up the space between them and hugged Reyr. Reyr laughed too, thumping him on the back. "Gods, it's good to see a familiar face after a week of travel."

Koldis eyed him. Reyr had a large travel sack on the ground. "Has something happened? I wasn't expecting you. Our king is well?"

"Fine. It's all fine." Reyr waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing to be alarmed about."

"Then you must be the surprise King Talon promised Claire?"

"Indeed! I come with news—news better said in person than on parchment." Reyr turned, taking a moment to greet the others, familiar faces who were just as eager to say hello.

Koldis said to Haemar, "Why was he left standing out here? He should have been brought straight to me."

"Apologies, Lord Koldis. Our queen is away and I was uncertain of how to proceed. He is welcome in Esterpine, of course. He may stay with you and your kind in that wing of the palace, if you wish." Koldis nodded his agreement. "Very well. I will leave you, then." The attendant slipped away.

"Come," Koldis said, grabbing Reyr's shoulder. "I'll get you settled. Tell me everything. How did you get here? How long are you staying?"

Reyr chuckled. "I convinced a couple of Sprites at Ellia outpost to escort me. Apparently the request King Talon sent along ahead of me either didn't reach the queen, or she didn't have time to respond and alert them. It took a bit of convincing on my part, for them to agree to show me through the forest." He shrugged. "No matter. I'm here now."

"And your stay?"

"Until after the Spring Solstice." A generous stay, then. That was good. It would be wonderful to have him here. "There are things—" Reyr hesitated. "—things better said behind closed doors."

"Of course."

Reyr frowned, then, taking in the forest. "Claire is not with you?"

"Gods, man, we aren't attached at the hip."

"She is your charge."

Koldis sighed. "She's away. She left, went into the forest yesterday morning."

Reyr stopped. "You let her—"

Koldis threw up his hands. "I didn't have much of a choice, Reyr. I'm sure she will explain it when she returns. She's become quite bossy, you know." His words did little to smooth the scowl forming on Reyr's features. Finally, Reyr nodded and they continued to the palace, catching up on everything that wasn't overly secretive.

When they entered the suite, the others who were there lounging roared with delight. Word spread, and soon all their comrades from Kastali Dun were crowded into the suite, some forty bodies. It was a tight squeeze, but everyone was eager to hear news straight from the source.

"I had hoped to deliver this news to Claire before sharing it with everyone else," said Reyr. "But I can speak to her when she returns." He hesitated, glancing at Koldis. "She will be returning soon, will she not?"

Koldis shrugged. "She said a couple of days. So perhaps tomorrow or the day following." This brought a scowl to Reyr's face, but Koldis said anyway, "Come, don't delay our suspense any longer. Tell us."

Reyr glanced around the room. "We've found a way to defeat the dragons at Squall's End."

His words were met with whoops of excitement as he proceeded to tell everyone what was planned. "We intend to keep this information very secret so that it won't spread while we enact the plan. Given that you're all cut off from the rest of the world, we agreed that your knowing is safe enough. But I cannot give you exact details. That information has been restricted to a very select few. What I can tell you is, our forces will be departing under secrecy to rendezvous with the Dwargs just after Spring Solstice. By then, the snows around Squall's End will be melted. Until then, we cannot allow any word to reach the dragons at Squall's End that we are mobilizing."

"How will you keep a hoard of traveling Drengr hidden?" Amira asked.

"Most will fly up the coast from Kastali Dun in staggered groups. Some will travel with the cargo we plan to sail up to the rendezvous point. We are staggering the arrival, splitting groups, and staging everything at a safe distance from Squall's End west of Brezen. The key is to keep our groups separated, and once they're closer, they will remain in human form. We want nothing that looks suspicious."

Reyr continued to answer questions and fill in small details relaying everything he could.

"So...what is the secret solution you cannot speak of?" Koldis asked Reyr while the discussion continued.

"Poison. But not like what you would think. We found a mixture of Klizite and Dragon's Bane that will work in our favor." Rhywyth was in the middle of a question. Reyr paused to answer it.

It took a moment for Koldis to get over his initial shock. "Klizite is a drug. It—"

"Will delay the effects of the Dragon's Bane. We will put it in their water supply. It won't permanently harm them but it will make it impossible for them to fight. Make it easy for us to slaughter them."

Something in Koldis's gut twisted. This was war—he knew it was war. And yet...

"It isn't ideal, Koldis. I know. We all know," Reyr added. "But it was the only thing we could think of—Saffra's idea, actually."

"Saffra?!"

"They will burn everyone if we move against them, Koldis, burn the whole godsdamned city to the ground."

"I...I know. You're right, of course. So what brings you here then? Surely not to simply to tell us this plan?"

"Yes. And no. We weren't sure how long Claire would be. We thought you both should know we were mobilizing—departing Kastali Dun. We didn't want her to return to the keep and find all of us gone without knowing ahead of time what we planned. We thought it best..."

"Ah."

"We can talk more about it once we're alone."

Koldis agreed. It was a lot to digest, to process. Especially when he knew there might be a chance he'd miss out on the attack, which left him feeling a little disappointed. The king would never allow Claire near a battle like that, even if the wild dragons were subdued.

***

Nearly two hours later, Koldis and Reyr were finally alone. Most of the pairs had wandered off in small groups until Reyr sent the rest away. "The palace accommodations are certainly...unique," Reyr mused, walking around the central fireplace before finding his seat again.

"Indeed. Quite different from the accommodations they put us in when we were here last."

Reyr barked a laugh. "If I recall correctly, when last we were here, you believed Claire had killed Cyrus and we were taking her to receive the king's justice."

Koldis huffed, well aware.

"Oh how things have changed, Brother. Sometimes I struggle to believe it, myself. Claire, our future queen."

"Future?" Koldis lifted an eyebrow. "She's already my queen, and she certainly acts like it."

"Oh-ho. Does she indeed?" Reyr smirked. "I would say I'm surprised but—"

A knock at the door silenced them. "Enter," Koldis called out, then jumped to his feet when he saw who it was.

"Taylynn?" He hadn't seen her in over a month.

She glanced between them, then ignored him completely and said, "Lord Reyr?"

"Surprise." Reyr spread his arms wide, grinning. "You must be the Sprite princess that King Talon was on about."

"Was he really?" She lifted her brows in mock surprise.

Reyr only grinned. Koldis crossed his arms, taking her in, looking her up and down. There were leaves in her hair, not intentionally so. Her gown was in tact, but she had a crazed look about her. He walked over and caring nothing for Reyr's presence, took hold of her arms and studied her. "What's wrong?" She blinked, but didn't push him away. "Tell me," he urged, his voice quieter this time.

Her throat bobbed. "A bad feeling, that is all. I came to check on Claire."

He released her and plucked a leaf from her braid, twirling it in his fingers. "Claire isn't here," he said. "You would know that if you hadn't disappeared on—us." He was close to saying me, but thought better of it.

"I do not answer to you, Koldis."

He sighed. "How long will we play this game, Taylynn?"

"For as long as necessary."

"I don't accept that."

"Well, you will—"

"Taylynn." A warning edge crept into his voice.

Her jaw snapped shut. She kept her gaze firmly fixed on his face, but he saw the emotions that passed over her features, one after another. Indecision, confusion, and if he wasn't mistaken, a small measure of vulnerability.

That alone drove him to do something he shouldn't have. He took her hand in his and kissed her palm, keeping his gaze locked on hers. Her eyes went wide. Small sparks of delight danced between his lips and her skin. "Tell me what is wrong," he said again. "Claire went into the forest for a couple of days. Is that what worries you?"

She shook her head. "No, what worries me is that my mother is missing."

"Missing?" He thought back to what the Sprite attendant had said.

Reyr came to stand beside them, arms crossed, and said, "Haemar said something about the queen being away. That was why he didn't bring me straight into the city when I arrived."

Taylynn extracted her hand from Koldis's grip, but gently. "Something is wrong," she said again, almost baffled.

Unease crept into his gut. "You think Claire is in danger?"

"I...don't know," she said after a hesitation. For once, he had zero desire to bark a snide comment about her knowing everything. Especially once her arms wrapped around her stomach. "I don't always know everything," she added, as if reading his mind.

Koldis held up his hands in supplication. "What can we do to help?"

"If Claire is in danger, then she needs us," Reyr added, a firmness to his voice that brokered no argument. Moments later, frown appeared on Reyr's lips. "She's not answering my telepathic call."

"I wouldn't expect her to," Koldis muttered. He'd already tried to reach out after Reyr arrived, had met nothing but a solid wall. "She often blocks me when she goes into the forest. Supposed to build character or whatever, some nonsense about doing everything on her own, or whatever it is these Sprites believe." His words earned a glare from Taylynn.

"All right then," said Reyr. "We go find her."

"It isn't that easy, Drengr." Taylynn's ire wasn't directed at Koldis, and din't that feel damn good? "You cannot just march through the forest and find her. It's a living breathing thing, the forest. It changes moment by moment, rearranges itself, moves. A path that should take five minutes could take two days if the forest chooses it to. And believe me, for a Drengr? It would certainly choose to. Furthermore, you'd be no help with whatever Claire might be facing."

Reyr opened his mouth—

Koldis put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "She's right. When it comes to the forest, we don't have anything to offer." He turned back to Taylynn. "What then can we do?"

"You will stay here. If we are lucky, she will come back safely. I will go and search for her, or my mother, or both. See what I find."

Reyr twitched. "If you find her, will you keep my being here secret?" he asked. "I'd like to surprise her myself—in person."

"As you wish. Assuming I find her. Perhaps I'll only find my mother." Something in her voice sounded less than pleased.

"Why do I get the impression that we cannot trust Queen Jade," Reyr said, his brow furrowed.

"Because you can't," Taylynn snapped. She turned, but not before Koldis grabbed her hand again, halting her. She spun around to confront him. But her look of annoyance melted into something softer. She sighed, resigned.

"Promise me you will be careful," he said, kissing her palm again. It felt forbidden, that simple gesture. Intimate beyond belief. But she hadn't stopped him the first time so he was being bold.

"I'll be careful," she said, her voice low. "Goodbye Koldis, Lord Reyr." She offered Reyr a quick bow of her head then extracted her hand and disappeared through the door.

Silence fell. A beat later, Reyr's throat cleared. Koldis tensed, waiting for the blow to land. And it did.

"Care to tell me what that was about?"

He blew out a breath. What to say? How much to reveal? Reyr was his brother. All of his shields were brothers to him. Even his king, albeit an older, grouchier, bossier brother, but still a brother.

"I find it hard to believe your steller personality has captured the fancy of Dragonwall's Sprite princess."

He barked a laugh and shoved his hands in his pockets, stalking back over to the sitting area, then opting for the dining table, which he leaned against to watch Reyr. He threw Reyr a wicked grin. "My stellar personality has won over plenty of females in my lifetime." Reyr laughed, which turned into a draconic rumble. But it was clear he wasn't accepting that answer. "All right, all right. Fine. We're mates."

Reyr blinked.

"I'm serious. Believe me, it isn't something I would joke about."

"She touched your scales? A bond was realized?"

He huffed. "Hardly. But she as good as confirmed it. What is more, I feel it in my soul."

Reyr opened and closed his mouth, then shook his head, expression unreadable. Except for his eyes, which were fraught with emotion before he squeezed them tightly shut. A brief moment of anguish transformed Reyr's features. It was only a second or two, then his eyes opened again and his face was blank.

"I am in deep shit." Koldis said, his voice flat. "Believe me, I know."

"And Claire?"

"She knows. I told her as soon as I discovered it myself."

"And your other secret?"

He sighed. "She knows that too. She was angry with me, but it was short lived, dwarfed by the bigger elephant in the room."

"Right. So? What did she say?"

He snorted. "That I shouldn't ignore the bond. That I should find a way to be with Taylynn and still do my duty to the king."

A small smile pulled at Reyr's lips. "Good."

Koldis frowned. "You...agree with her?" He wouldn't have expected it. Reyr was always the honorable one of the bunch.

"I do. And I think if you asked him, our king would allow you to break your bond. I'm almost certain such a thing has happened in history, but kept quiet. Dragonwall's kings would not shout about it in the history texts." Reyr sighed, hesitating. "I don't think King Talon would be happy about it, though, losing you. He would probably convince you to continue serving him as a Shield despite your existing bond with Taylynn. Have you...?"

"We haven't sealed it. No. I'm not sure she even wants to—wants me." He clenched his teeth.

"It doesn't appear that she's rejected you," Reyr pointed out, lifting an eyebrow. The scene of him kissing her palm, of her not shying away, even when he did it in front of Reyr, came to mind. "Perhaps you are lucky," Reyr added. "A Sprite princess who will one day rule, she would choose her kingdom over you, methinks. Which means you would never have to make the difficult choice to save King Talon over your mate in times of war."

"What makes you so certain?" he found himself saying, even though he knew Reyr was right. "Isabella chose Eymar over her queenship."

"Something tells me Taylynn is not Isabella. No?"

He nodded. "She's devoted to her forest. You saw the leaves in her hair."

Reyr laughed. "I wasn't going to say anything but...yes. I did. She's wild. Untamed."

"A lot like Claire, really."

Reyr hummed. "I can see the resemblance. They're distant cousins, after all. Are they not?"

"Yes, technically. Who would have guessed? Suppose that means if we do mate, Claire and I will be related." And wasn't that a hoot?

They fell quiet again. Reyr was pacing slowly around the chamber. "Is there really nothing we can do? This feeling of unease Princess Taylynn has, is it...Should we be concerned about it?"

"Yes, and...also yes." Koldis stared at the wall, his eyes going unfocused. "If Claire is in danger, there's little we can do, short of traipsing through the forest and getting lost as we try to find her. Taylynn was right on that account. And if we do, or if we have a Sprite accompany us, there's not much we can do to help her. Our magic is muted here. Believe me, I've noticed. Claire's? Not so much. She's...changed, Reyr. Grown far more powerful. More mature. She's not the girl we found crying over Cyrus last summer."

Reyr's pacing hesitated. "That's what we wanted though, is it not?"

"It is exactly what we wanted." Koldis felt a thread of pride course through him, pride at what Claire had accomplished, what she'd overcome, all the obstacles thrown her way. Gods, even when he'd made a dunce of himself, treated her badly, assuming she'd killed Cyrus, she'd overcome that too. Overcome him. Overcome King Talon and his wrath—

"Then perhaps she will be able to get herself out of whatever sticky situation she finds herself in."

Koldis could only nod. Images of the forest's blight flashed through his mind. Sick animals. Dead trees. Vines intent on trapping new victims.

And then, Queen Jade was there. Queen Jade and her growing distrust of Claire. Her growing worry that Claire might take her crown. It could be no coincidence that Jade disappeared after Claire went off into the forest. He only hoped Taylynn would find her in time to see that nothing awful happened. 

⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️

My Dear Bookdragons,

I could not be more frustrated with Wattpad! But, at last, the issue has cleared. As many of you might have seen on my wall, Wattpad was down (or sort of down?) for two days! Maybe more. I didn't discover the issue until I went to post on Friday and found the site unresponsive, and it wouldn't let me add chapters to my work. Ugh. Then it kicked me out, and I couldn't even log in. Luckily, the app was still partially working enough to get a message out that Friday's chapter would be late. 

How annoying!?! Amirite?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this fun little bridge chapter. I so enjoy writing interactions between Koldis and Taylynn. I've had a lot of readers ask when (if) I will be posting a chapter from Taylynn's POV and the answer is a firm 'no'. Here's why: I have always wanted the Sprites to remain "mysterious" in a way that made them seem more ethereal. Allowing readers inside their minds would require me to flesh out things I'd rather to remain a mystery. But, I also live firmly by the "never say never" motto. So perhaps in future books, if it serves a definite necessary purpose, we might see a few from either Taylynn or Feowen. Until then, I do my best to reveal their personalities through the eyes of others. 

I've been industrious this weekend and written not one, but THREE chapters! One from Talon's POV, one from Bennett's POV, and one from Desaree's POV. I'm SO CLOSE to finishing the first draft of this story, I can taste it. Once that happens, you can expect some bonus chapter weeks! Woot woot!

Next week's chapter is titled "A Trade" and it's from Claire's POV.

Have a great rest of your weekend, apologies for the late update (curse you, Wattpad **shakes my fist at computer**) and a great week!

See you Friday (hopefully)

-Mel