The Serpent's Chains

Cole

Whump. Whump. Whump.

Talon's wings beat against the air, propelling us further and further from the palace. The sun set behind me, twilight rays smoldering against my back.

The winds are favorable. We'll be in Stivalia by morning, Talon reported.

Good. I admit, I was pleasantly surprised by King Verill's willingness to see me.

Are you sure it should be a pleasant surprise?

I chuckled and ran my palm along Talon's silky, scaled neck. I'll be on my guard. King Verill has a lot to answer for and I'm sure he'll do and say anything to get out of it.

In the sky ahead of us, stars began to blink into existence against a deep, blue backdrop. I directed Talon toward one star in particular. It would lead us to the capital of Stivalia, Dregion, and the Sarcon family castle.

You didn't have to leave the country to get away from her, Talon told me.

What are you talking about?

Sabine. She's been on your mind.

She draws too much attention from everyone.

That's not why she's been on your mind. You think about her warmth and her softness.

Which is why I took this opportunity to get out of the palace and her out of my head. You bringing her up defeats the whole purpose.

Talon grumbled a low growl. I didn't want to think about my personal attendant. Leaving the country didn't seem like it was enough distance.

As Talon predicted, we arrived over the castle while the sky was tinged with a warm, golden glow. The entire city was silent with slumber.

In slow, lazy circles, around the castle, Talon drifted down. His sharp claws clicked when he landed on the stone drawbridge. Several guards stood at the front gate, spears pointed toward Talon like that would be enough to hold off a dragon.

I scoffed and brushed some dust from my shoulder. Wait here. One way or another, I don't expect this to take long. I slid off his back and landed in a crouch.

"At ease." I held up my hand to the guards. "King Verill has agreed to an audience with me. Please inform him that Crowned Prince Cole Agyion is here for an audience."

The guards stared at Talon, spears still raised. One of them trembled slightly.

Shall I shock them out of their shock? Talon huffed and smoke rose from his nostrils.

As entertaining as that would be, we are here on a peaceful mission. Try finding a perch up in the mountains. I nodded to the mountain range behind the castle.

Talon grunted and rose up on his haunches. The guards uttered small cries and hid behind their spears. He barely took notice of them before launching into the air and finding a stone outcropping to perch on.

"I hope you know he's more dangerous up there." I pointed to his new location and looked at the guards. "He can pounce on you anywhere in the city."

"Heh..."

The guards noticed me for the first time and in a flurry, they bowed down.

"Your Majesty Prince Cole," one blubbered.

"As I said before, I'm here to see your king."

"Yes, right away. I will inform him of your arrival." The one guard ran off ahead and the other two escorted me through the drawbridge gate toward the castle doors.

Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I'll let you know how things go on the inside.

I have the view I need from here. The dragon told me.

King Verill sat on an elevated throne carved of solid stone. His brown eyes peered out from under the rim of his gold crown. I took a knee before the dais that lifted his throne. From that height, he looked tall and imposing but King Verill was at least a head shorter than me.

"Thank you for granting me this audience, Sire."

"I was most intrigued when I received your letter about my daughter's presence in your kingdom," King Verill stated with a slight, nasal hitch in his voice. He snapped his fingers and two servants rushed forward with a chair for me.

I took a seat and straightened my tunic. It would have been more appropriate for us to adjourn to a study or private room where we could get comfortable and speak as peers. Instead, King Verill made it clear that I was beneath him and he had complete power over me in his domain.

"I had hoped that when we spoke again, it would be about more pleasant matters. Were you aware of Princess Cara's entrance into Telasia?"

He plucked at his graying beard. "I was not. She's been going through a difficult time, you see. Cara was to be named my heir, officially, but alas, it is not meant to be."

"Oh?"

"Princess Cara and my two sons have been unable to produce heirs and continue the Sarcon bloodline. Until one of them succeeds, there will be no true heir."

"It is unusual for three siblings to share the same barrenness." It was odd for King Verill to admit such a weakness to me. There was something he wasn't telling me.

"Yes. I thought so as well, which is why we used every magical application we could think of to correct the fertility problem. None of it worked."

"Then it is not a natural affliction?"

The king scoffed and tipped his head back. His gold crown clinked against the stone throne. "No! Someone has seen fit to curse my bloodline. Nothing else would be powerful enough to withstand our fertility spells." He looked down his sharp nose at me, eyes narrowed to slits. "You and your family wouldn't know anything about such a curse, would you?"

So, that's why he told me. A means to accuse Telasia of rendering his bloodline infertile. It would be an act of war if that were true.

"Admittedly, the palace mages at my family's disposal are not as accomplished as Stivalia's bloodlines. If the curse is too strong for your mages to break, it did not come from Telasia. However, if you think it would be beneficial, I'd be happy to have mages from Telasia assist in the endeavor."

"Hmph." King Verill turned his nose up. "I think my mages can handle it on their own."

I hid my smile. That's right. He could try all he wanted to use that as an excuse to go to war but we both knew it was a baseless accusation.

"Very well. The offer stands."

"It surprised me that you requested an in-person audience for Cara's presence in Telasia. I was sure you would be more ready to discuss my eldest daughter, Aura."

"Aura? I didn't know her. Unlike Princess Cara, I've never seen Aura."

King Verill snarled and wrinkled his nose. He was a clever man, slipping in subtleties in an attempt to trap me. If I misspoke once, he'd use it as an excuse to declare war.

Fortunately, I was smarter than him. Had my father made the journey here, they'd already be declaring war on each other.

The politics were delicate. King Verill needed a viable excuse to declare war on Telasia or his own mages could pull a coup and overthrow the monarchy. It was the same with my father. The court could easily rebel against him and if enough mages and warriors rebelled, the dragons wouldn't be enough to maintain power and control.

Both kings were searching for a reason to fight and I had to make sure that no reason was ever found.

"You're sure you didn't know Aura?"

"All I know is that Princess Cara believes Aura came to Telasia some twenty years ago. Why your eldest daughter would flee her own country is beyond me. Nor have there been any reports to the Agyion family of her presence."

"Why you!" King Verill slid to the edge of his throne. "My daughter did not flee!"

"And we are not responsible for her disappearance. I do have concerns about Cara, though. She has entered into Telasia without informing us and she's kidnapped, tortured, and killed Telasian residents."

"What proof do you have!?" He pointed a thin, bony finger at me.

I held out a pin I'd torn from one of Cara's guards. The mages who had tormented Sabine weren't careful. They left behind a few souvenirs.

"Someone close to the palace was captured. A rescue mission revealed it was Princess Cara and her elite mages who took and tortured her. They also had the bodies of several Telasian residents in their headquarters. I recovered this during the rescue mission, after facing off with Cara myself." I ran my thumb over the pin. It was Cara's crest, undeniably tying the mage to her and the Sarcon royal family.

Someone close to the palace? You're being awfully liberal with the subtext. Talon's voice broke into my mind.

Not now!

King Verill scoffed and settled into his throne again. "Cara has become... unstable since she's been unable to conceive for so many years. She told me she intended to follow Aura's footsteps but that was the last I heard from her."

"Now that you know what she's up to, are you willing to help put a stop to her treachery?" I arched an eyebrow at the king.

He sighed and stroked his pointed beard. His eyes shifted back and forth several times before he finally answered. "I doubt King Talis would allow my mages to cross his borders on a search and recovery mission."

"Perhaps if they went through the proper channels and had all the right paperwork, an arrangement could be made."

He waved me off. "By the time that's all taken care of, Cara will either be gone or in your custody."

"So, you'll do nothing?" I challenged, my voice dropping several octaves.

He couldn't get me to slip and give him anything worthy of starting a war over, so he'd let his daughter rampage through Telasia until we had no choice but to retaliate. It was madness.

"What would you have me do?"

"If you wish to avoid a war with Telasia, I'd advise that you denounce all ties, loyalty, and blood to Princess Cara so we know she is acting without your authority. Then, we will handle her as we see fit."

King Verill stared down his nose at me again. He liked to be subtle. I was more direct. Depending on his answer and action, he'd either have to admit that he wanted war or he'd have to renounce his daughter and she'd be at the mercy of Telasian law. Her name and title wouldn't shield her.

"Is that a threat, Young Prince?"

"No." I chuckled and shook my head. "It is your chance to prove you're not trying to provoke a war with my country."

I noticed his hands curl around the throne armrests, knuckles turning white. I backed him into a corner and he knew it.

"It is no simple request, asking me to renounce my daughter. Be assured, she is not acting with my authority. On the matter of providing official documentation on severing ties to her, I will have to consider it more carefully."

I nodded. Another way to stall and avoid giving a clear answer. "If I don't hear from you in a week, I'll send a messenger requesting an update."

"Very well." He dismissed me with a flick of the wrist.

I met Talon on the drawbridge again. He rustled his wings and smoke coiled from his nostrils.

He hungers for war and bloodshed.

I sensed that too. I patted him affectionately on the shoulder. We should head back.

I already knew that any messages I sent in the future would go unanswered. King Verill wouldn't back down from this. Cara would become his excuse to start a war. Unless I could get to her first.