Making the Johran huts disappear proved a much more difficult task than manifesting them. After several attempts, Ronan’s frustration showed itself in his magic, leaving the three small huts in shambles. He frowned at the mounds of earth, wood, and dry grass.
“I know!” Arien snapped his fingers. “Maybe you could make the ground just swallow up the huts now!” Ronan clamped his mouth closed to keep from snapping at the boy. He was only trying to help. Mikel the Hort rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“No, that would require a hole that he might not be able to fill.” Mikel stepped forward, eyeing the mounds thoughtfully. “We must think positive magic, not negative.”
“He must learn to do it anyway,” Ula argued. “I mean he can’t go around performing magic without cleaning up behind himself.” She looked at the changeling when he shook his head.
“You encouraged him to do something large like this. Now we are set back hours when we should have left at dawn.” Mikel the Hort dismissed her from his gaze. “He should start smaller and then work his way to something so large as he masters the magic.”
Ronan nodded in agreement with the changeling.
“He made the cottage disappear and it was much bigger than these huts,” Arien defended Ula loyally.
“Not by will. It was an emotional outburst that caused him to take away the cottage. Nothing that he consciously willed,” Mikel said and Ronan nodded, not liking the way they were talking about him as if he were not even there.
“Well, we can’t just leave it here.” Ula pressed her lips together. Mikel the Hort stepped closer to the mounds, eyes sweeping over them thoughtfully. Ronan could almost see the little wheels in his head turning.
“Send the dirt back to Johran in the form of huts. Set them on the outer parts of the village with a note to Yarro saying the huts belong to you for you to use as you need to.” Mikel glanced up at Ronan, “That way you can summon them to you when we stop for camp again.”
“That is an excellent plan,” Ula agreed nodding. “And doesn’t require vanishing them to thin air.”
“But how will I know if I send them to the right place?” Ronan wasn’t so sure.
Mikel spoke again, “Ask that Yarro mark the note once he’s read it. Then, when you summon the huts again and if he’s made his mark, you can practice your negative magic on making the letter disappear. And without creating so much of a mess.”
Ronan stared down at the little changeling. “You are a clever little thief.” Mikel beamed and nodded in agreement.
Ronan closed his eyes and conjured a picture of the Johran village in his mind. He willed the huts back together and set them just outside the village by imagining them there. With an invisible hand on a piece of paper he left a short note to Yarro on the door of the middle hut.
Taking a breath, he opened his eyes and found that the mounds of dirt were gone. “I pray it worked.”
“If it did not, when you summon the huts back to you, you will receive mounds of dirt with a silly note on top. No loss.” Mikel shrugged.
“No loss but a bit humiliating.” Ronan glanced around at the others. “Can we get going now?” He swung atop Sorcha’s back and kicked his horse forward without waiting for the others.
A gust of wind nearly blew Ronan from the horse’s back and he looked up to find the Dragon landing alongside him. “You are an impatient little wizard,” The dragon said as his pace slowed so that he was walking alongside at an even height. “I’ve been watching you and I wonder does Yarro know it was an amateur wizard that joined his tribe and promised him a river.”
“I will find a way to keep my word,” Ronan said with irritation.
“Foul tempered today are we?” the dragon purred. “Man is an odd creature.”
Ronan’s frown deepened as he looked at the dragon. “What are you talking about? Man is complicated. We aren’t like wild curs.”
“I shall uncomplicated things for you,” Monty continued. “The horseman feels as if you do not appreciate him. The sorceress feels you are pushing her away when she only wants to do for and help you. The centaur keeps silent because he only wants peace but thinks you take too many risks. The boy continues to attempt to impress you but still you do not notice him. And your woman feels you keep your distance because you do not trust her.”
“That is not how I feel toward any of them,” Ronan murmured.
“Then why behave as if you do?” The dragon shook his head. “They make such effort to do what you wish, to please you. Can you not find it in your heart to give the same in return?”
Guilt washed through Ronan. “I did not want to be a wizard. It makes me angry.”
“None of us asked to be born as what we are. We all have things about us that we don’t like. We accept those things and learn to live our lives the best we can.” Monty quickened his pace, leaving Ronan behind to consider his words. Moments later he soared up into the sky.
Ronan sighed heavily. The dragon was right. He was acting selfishly. This journey to Merisgale was not just about him. It was about them all.
That evening he called them to stop early. Hesitantly he summoned the huts and was surprised when they appeared before him intact. Yarro’s mark indicated that the spell the changeling had suggested worked.
“Want me to ride ahead?” Keegan offered but Ronan shook his head. “I’d feel better if it were Arien. His young eyes can spot trouble better than either of ours.” Arien’s face immediately lit up and he kicked his horse forward.
“And I’d rather have you close by just in case something should happen to me,” Ronan added when the boy was far enough ahead. “You know the way to Merisgale.”
Keegan nodded and Ronan continued, “I know I rely on you greatly, Keegan Yore. I just think you should know that I appreciate your wisdom, your sword, and your horses. You’ve sacrificed a lot for this trip. Like me, you too lose business when you are away. I am thankful you are here though. I feel a bit safer because of it.” There. Ronan didn’t look at Keegan, a bit embarrassed of the words he’d said to the man and he could feel Keegan’s stare.
“What brought that on?” Keegan asked, chuckling lowly.
“That damned dragon. He pointed out how selfishly I’ve been behaving. And to my surprise and shame I realized he was right.” Ronan glanced at Keegan. “So I thought to tell you that I do appreciate your presence and that I understand it can be difficult for you when my mood is ill.”
“Like a woman.” Keegan grinned and Ronan smiled back at him before allowing his horse to fall back away from the horseman’s. He eased alongside Ula.
“Touching speech,” she murmured. “I suppose you appreciate me as well?” Her sarcasm made Ronan smile.
“Only the food you feed me,” he teased and her mouth slanted. “No, I wanted to apologize to you.”
“Apologize?” Ula’s face grew serious when she looked at him.
“For treating you so poorly. I do not know who the betrayer is and have treated each of you as if you were guilty. Especially you.” Ronan sighed, shaking his head. “But the truth is that I do not suspect you, Ula. I have prayed it isn’t you, unable to conceive that someone who had done so much for me would be the one to turn against me.”
Her black eyes watered but she did not shed any tears. “It is not me. My loyalty is to Merisgale and…to you.” He nodded and reached to touch her hand. His fingers closed over hers for a moment before he released her again. He watched her ride ahead with Keegan.
“You owe me nothing,” Bryan murmured.
Ronan smiled at the centaur and then the changeling on his back. “No?”
“We are not so silly as these others,” Mikel agreed.
The two were an odd pair but Ronan had noticed that they often chatted back and forth as they traveled, becoming some strange kind of friends. No doubt they had discussed Ronan’s behavior between themselves.
“I take many risks to get this sword to Merisgale.” Ronan scratched at the short beard on his chin. “Risks I normally would not. But it is because many are relying on me to complete this mission successfully. I have never been on such an important journey. I cannot fail.” The centaur nodded, as if he suddenly understood Ronan’s drive.
“And no one is dead yet,” Fiona pointed out, riding along the other side of him. “Risks must be taken but you are always cautious of danger.”
“I try to be. And I’d rather make friends than enemies,” Ronan added.
“So you strike deals that obligate you to people?” The centaur raised a brow.
“It’s what I do. I’m a blacksmith, a businessman like Keegan. I make bargains with people everyday. I give them what they want and they give me what I want.” Ronan shrugged.
“You are also a wizard,” Bryan said. “A wizard should not have to bargain for what he wants.”
“No? You knew I was a wizard and still came after the sword.” Ronan smiled. “Threatened to kill me.”
“It was an empty threat,” Bryan admitted.
“Hmm. If I had known that I might not have struck you.” Ronan chuckled and glanced at Fiona. “This one was ready to kill you for it.”
“Yes, I know. Perhaps I take risks myself.” Bryan smiled.
“But for good reason.” Ronan blew out a breath. He’d done what he could to settle all their fears. His eyes lifted to find Monty flying overhead. The dragon inclined his head slightly before flying higher and disappearing from sight.
Now Ronan could focus his attention on other things. Like the fact that Robusk was missing. He’d had another dream in the hours he’d slept after he and Fiona had spent themselves. The wizard was frail and thinned and pleaded for him to hurry to Merisgale and save the land of Meris from Sleagan. He awakened at dawn, disturbed and troubled.
Monty dipped down again, then landed and kept pace alongside him. “You are scowling. Don’t you feel relieved now?” The dragon asked.
“I do feel better. Thank you.” But Ronan shook his head. “But I have other worries I cannot release. The wizard Robusk spoke to me again last night.”
“At least we know he still lives,” Monty soothed. “He is still the King until he hands the sword to Thestian. No doubt his captor means to keep him alive long enough to get his hands on the sword.”
Ronan frowned. “But if it were Sleagan that captured him, wouldn’t he have taken the sword Robusk carries?”
Ula let her horse fall back to join their conversation. “When a new sword is made, the old one is no longer useful. It is retired in the sword chamber with all the other swords of the King’s past.”
“I’ll bet that chamber is a bit intimidating,” Bryan said.
“It is a library of history.” Ula nodded. “Started by the Dragols when they ruled over Meris.”
“We never ruled,” Monty corrected. “It was man who thought to dictate over these lands. Dragols offered guidance and wisdom. We were revered and respected but we did not rule. To rule is to treat those below you as slaves.” Bryan nodded in agreement.
“Dragols carried swords?” Ronan looked at Monty.
“We were the defenders of Meris,” Monty explained. “There are greater dangers beyond Meris into the lands of Goya and Aloc.”
Ronan suddenly felt very small. Many times he forgot the lands outside of Meris and that there were different kinds of people and beasts than the ones here.
“They were impressive weapons.” Ula leaned forward on her horse, stretching her back with a smile. “Huge strengths of steel, powerful against any who meant to do harm.”
Monty’s voice was sad when he spoke. “That was a long time ago. Most do not care of the Dragols anymore. We are on the brink of extinction. Man will be glad to see our kind fall.”
Ronan frowned. “I have learned since I began this journey that man is a more serious enemy than any of Sleagan’s horde.” Monty nodded his silver head in agreement. “I had not realized that so many were slighted by man. My father said he hated magic and changelings. It never occurred to me that others felt the same hatred and bigotry.”
“Then you’ve received quite an education these past few weeks haven’t you?” Monty’s green eyes met Ronan’s.
“Indeed I have.”
Ronan had been blind. He’d thought of his world as a simple one but the truth was there was more to Meris than his cottage and making weapons. But that had been a life of ignorance and he realized, sitting on the moors staring at the flat horizon, he could never go back to that life.
He was a King’s Guard and a wizard with the power to help others, to ease suffering. He was a man who could speak to those who could make a difference in the world. And maybe they would listen to him. He had met people that had made an impression on him, that would be a part of his life for years to come. No, there was no turning back to the simple life of a blacksmith.
I have a new life now, Ronan thought. He belonged to a tribe of people called Johran. They were his people. And so were these that he traveled with. His eyes swept to the campsite. He cared for each of them, had created bonds that would endure.
Sighing heavily, he finally accepted those things. The dragon was right. He might not like it but it was who and what he was. He could not hide from it any longer. And he could not continue to allow the fact that one of them might be working against him to change how he treated each of them. By treating them differently he was punishing them all for the actions of only one.
“Wizard,” Monty’s voice interrupted Ronan’s thoughts. “Someone is approaching.” Ronan looked up at the man-sized dragon that had approached him without a sound. Then he leapt to his feet, eyes looking in the direction that the dragon indicated.
“Two days ahead.” Monty told him. “A small band of King’s Guards.”
“Diato,” Ronan murmured with trepidation. “They bring trouble but we’ve come too far. We can’t go back.” He spoke his thoughts aloud, realizing at the swamps Diato had turned his men back and circled around through Merisgale to intercept him.
“What kind of trouble?” Monty asked.
“I suspect Sleagan’s trouble.” Ronan frowned. “The kind that could get ugly. You may want to warn the other Dragols to stay away.”
“Dragols do not fear the swords or magic of man. It is their ignorance that is our greatest fear.” Monty scoffed. “The King’s Sword does affect our lives as well. Sleagan would have us hunted and killed.”
Ronan was beginning to understand that the sword affected the lives of every living thing in Meris. “Very well. Can you take me to them?”
Monty made a noise that clearly reflected his offense. “You mean carry you? Allow you to ride me as you would a horse? Certainly not! If I am seen by the others with a man upon my back I shall never be respected by the Dragols again!”
Ronan shook his head. “What if they could not see me?” Monty tilted his head and watched Ronan turn and head for his horse. He rummaged through his pack until he found the Sledgers Cape.
“What’s wrong?” Keegan stepped away from the campsite toward Ronan.
“Diato,” Ronan answered, slipping the cape over his shoulders so only his head was visible. “Someone has sided with him and worked against me. I’m going to even things up a bit.”
“I’m coming with you.” Keegan drew his sword but Ronan faced him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“I need you to stay here. You are the only one who can lead the others to safety if something happens to me. None of the others have the strength that you do, Keegan.” Ronan glanced back at Monty who gave him a nod that the cape would allow an acceptable passage.
“If something happens to me, the dragon will come back for Mikel the Hort. The rest of you will go back to Johran where you will be safe. Wait there for Mikel to return with the sword.
“You trust a thief to bring the sword back to us?” Keegan looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“I trust that the changeling has never been given the chance to do something of honor. This is our chance to make an impression on him that would allow him to make his life better.” Ronan saw the emotion flicker in Keegan’s eyes. “The fact that he was a thief before does not matter now.” Keegan nodded and shoved his sword back into his sheath.
“Take care, Ronan Culley,” Keegan called as Ronan turned and headed back toward the dragon. He watched him climb onto the dragon’s back and then lift the hood. Monty took a running start and then soared into the air. It took them only thirty minutes to reach the campsite across the moor, during which time Ronan told Monty the plan in the event something happened to him. Monty merely inclined his head in agreement with his part of the plan, and then pointed toward the ground.
Diato sat below in silence, staring into the night. Once or twice he looked to the heavens as if he could sense Monty’s movement above but he never rose from his spot. Ronan’s eyes narrowed as one of the guards approached the captain.
“Get me down there. I want to hear what they are saying,” Ronan whispered and Monty swooped down low enough to cause the guards to be filled with fear and for Ronan to slip from his back unseen.
“Damned dragons,” Diato growled as Monty soared back into the air. “I shall be glad to be rid of them when their kind finally does die out. They are nothing but a bother to Merisgale.” He sheathed the sword he’d instinctively drawn.
“There are not many left,” the guard offered the captain.
“Less and less every year. The Johran and Dragols will be the defeat of one another.” Diato smirked and Ronan moved closer, anger tempting him to slice off the captain’s head.
“The wizard Thestian said that the blacksmith had joined the tribe of Johran,” the guard reminded and Diato nodded.
“He’s a clever little blacksmith.” Diato fisted his hand. “One that takes what belongs to other people. It will be easy to kill him.”
“But what of the sword?” the guard asked and Diato glanced at the young man as if he was stupid.
“I’ll take the sword to Merisgale myself. Fiona has failed her duties. I shall make her regret taking up with that blacksmith.” Diato stared into the night, apparently oblivious to the fact that he was looking right through Ronan’s dark gaze.
“The blacksmith…he is a wizard. A man can’t kill a wizard and get away with it, Sir.” The guard looked around as if fearful that someone might hear their discussion. “The wizard Thestian will not look over it.”
“The wizard Thestian is an upstart who will do whatever I advise him,” Diato snapped and Ronan’s hand dropped to the hilt of the sword at his hip. He could kill him quickly without anyone really knowing what happened. Ronan was aware that doing so he would be face a sentence to prison, perhaps even death but at this moment, it seemed worth it.
“Except search for King Robusk.” The guard’s words caused Ronan to still his urges.
Diato scowled. “That will be amended as soon as I bring the sword to Merisgale. Thestian cannot become the King if Robusk is not present. He doesn’t grasp that concept yet. He is only focused on the retrieval of the sword. He will be an idiot King.”
“That you will control.” The guard nodded in agreement.
“As best as I am able for the good of Meris.” Diato nodded. “But I will take care of this blacksmith first.”
“Why do you hate him so?” The guard asked.
Diato’s gaze darkened. “He’s taken something that is mine.” The sword, Ronan thought sourly as he took a step backward. He turned and began walking away. Diato was after the sword so he could take over at Merisgale. Diato was working for Sleagan.
Diato’s next words caused Ronan to halt abruptly. “Keegan Yore travels with the blacksmith.” Ronan turned slowly, eyes resting on the two men once again.
“Keegan Yore?” The guard shook his head, indicating he did not recognize the name.
“Doane Vaughn.” Diato raised a brow as the color drained from the guard’s face.
“Vaughn?” he whispered. “But no one’s heard from him for years.”
“He’s been hiding out, laying low, no doubt hoping that people forget his crimes. I’d be considered a hero if I brought him in and it would excuse why I killed the blacksmith.” Diato’s teeth gleamed in the darkness. “Who cares of a blacksmith wizard when we have captured an escaped dangerous criminal?”
Ronan felt as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. Keegan had lied to him. Keegan was the one who betrayed him. Ronan’s blood pounded as he turned and quickly left the campsite. Monty swooped down and scooped him up onto his back. Ronan said nothing as they flew back toward the Johran huts.
“Well?” Keegan was waiting for him when they returned. Ronan didn’t even look at the horseman as he slipped the cape off and tucked it back into the pack or Sorcha’s back.
“They didn’t even know I was there. I just listened.” Ronan glanced at the others as they waited for him to share what he’d learned. “I’m tired right now and have too much to think about. I just want to sleep.” And without another word, he ducked into his hut.
Sitting down at the table and chair inside, Ronan buried his face into his hands. It seemed every step of the way was made more difficult than the last. How much longer could he hold it together?