Dragon's Fire

Twenty One

Kayden 

    A month goes by slowly, everyone is on edge, you can sense it in the staff as soon as they enter a room. They know we have been watching for anyone suspicious. I still have Jacob locked up in the detention center, he has been begging for us to just kill him. I won’t let him off so easy, he will tell me everything I want to know, one way or another. 

I make my way to the holding cell Jacob is being held in. I nod for the guard to open the door. 

“Who is he?” I ask him, showing him the photograph that Taryn found. 

He looks at the picture like he sees a ghost. He shakes his head, 

“I don’t know” He spits out 

“I don’t believe you, I will give you three seconds before I break your hand..” I say as I grab him roughly. 

“One… Two...Three” I count down and he stays silent, I squeeze his hand, feeling the bones popping out and breaking under the pressure. He screams and tries to pull back from me, I hold him in place. 

“Why do you insist on lying to me? Do you not understand how this works by now? You tell me what I want to know and I don’t hurt you” 

“Shall we try again?” I ask him as I loosen my grip on him. 

“Who is he?” 

“I swear I don’t know… but he looks a lot like my father…he had a brother Thomas.. He died before I was born, it could be him” He sobs, hanging his head in shame.

“Thank you Jacob” I let him go and straighten up. 

“Are you going to kill me now?” He pleads 

“Not yet” I leave him holding his hand in pain. 

“Sir! We have found something in the northern woods” A scout comes running up to me in a panic just outside the holding cells.

“What is it?” I ask

“There’s a camp… it’s massive. At least two hundred” He stutters, he looks terrified. 

“Interesting” I Transform and launch off the ground, surveying the land under me. I fly about forty minutes north and see the camp. I keep high in the sky so they don’t notice me, circling around and heading back home. I find Taryn out in the gardens after I transform back, I walk up to her and hug her from behind. 

“I fear there is something bad coming” I tell her, she turns and holds me closely in her arms. 

“Why do you think that?” 

“There is a camp forty minutes from here… There’s at least two hundred men… I fear there is a war coming” I rub my hands on her bump, it is calming and soothing for me. When I feel our child kick against my hand I feel so at ease and relaxed. 

“Are we safe here?” Her eyes are widened with fear. 

“Of course, I will keep you and everyone else safe.. There’s nothing to worry about. Two hundred is nothing compared to our army… we have over a thousand men, not including our allies with our neighbors” 

    She nods and relaxes into me. I kiss her cheek and tell her I have some calls to make. We need to set up a raid as soon as possible. I call the neighboring kingdoms whom I have a good rapport with and request a few hundred men. They all agree to lend a hand, they owe me. I have one into battle with countless enemies for them and saved their kingdoms more than once. 

    I don’t think I will need the men but it doesn’t hurt to have them, just in case. They will be here within three days. 

    I head down for dinner, to meet everyone for an announcement. I have decided that no one may leave the castle for any reason. When I get to the dining hall everyone, staff and what is left of my family is waiting for me. 

“Good evening, I have some important news. As of tonight no one is allowed to leave the castle grounds for any reason. The forest is off limits to all who are not on guard duty. The next few days we are on lock down. I will let you know when it is lifted. Those who normally go home after their shifts, I will have rooms made up for you on the second floor during the lockdown. Anyone who breaks this new rule will be severely punished. That is all” 

I watch as the maids whisper amongst themselves as they scurry away. 

“What’s going on Son?” My mother asks as I pull out the chair on the right hand side of the table to Taryn. I sit down at the head of the table and look at my mother. 

“I’m not ready to disclose anything” I state. 

“Oh come on Kayden… what is going on? Don’t forget who you're talking to.. I brought you into this world” She says as she sits down at the table with a huff. 

“No, mother. Do not forget who you are talking to. I am the King, I decide who knows what. I am the one who says what is going to happen. I say you don’t need to know. Do not think threatening me will go over well for you. I don’t care if you are my mother, I will not tolerate it” I tell her with a serious tone. She shivers and sinks into her seat, staying silent throughout the meal. 

Once we have finished eating I escort Taryn from the dining hall. 

“Do you think that was a good idea?” She asks as we get to our room. 

“She needs to learn her place… I will not allow her to disrespect me. She already betrayed my father. Do you want me to just let it slide? I don’t think I am able to do that Taryn. I must create order” 

    She sighs and nods her head, “I just wish we could hear their side, find out what they want” 

    A sudden idea pops into my head, “You’re a genius!” I tell her as I kiss her deeply before running off to find Theodora. She is in her room on the third floor, I knock before entering. She is finishing her mediation to recharge her magic. 

“Kayden, what can I do for you?” She sits down on the edge of her bed, she looks tired. 

“I’m sorry, but I have an idea and I think it may really help us with the camp and their end game” 

“What is it?” She asks, intrigued. 

“Do you have the ability to cast a spell that allows a person to hear a conversation between other people from miles away” I cut to the chase. 

“Are you thinking of using the boy as a spy?” She ask thoughtfully 

“Yes.. Can you do it?” I am hopeful. 

“It will require a great deal of magic, but yes. I can do it” 

“Great.. I don’t want him to know that he has a spell on him though. I want him to be completely unsuspecting, I want to know all their secrets”  

“I think we can make that work. We can do it tomorrow, but for now I need to get some sleep, otherwise I will not have the strength to pull it off” 

“Of course, thank you Theodora.. Goodnight” 

    I think about all the possibilities that we may find once he is sent back to his camp. I am most curious as to what role my mother is playing in all of this. If her past lover died in the war then what does she have to gain from siding with them? 

Taryn is asleep by the time I get back, I have a nice long hot shower before going to sleep. 

    My alarm wakes me early in the morning and I rush out of bed and get dressed. I go straight to the holding cells, meeting Theodora inside. 

“Are you ready?” I ask her as I unlock the cell and we step inside. Jacob is laying on the floor sleeping, he rolls over and looks at us. 

“Are you finally here to kill me?” He yawns without care. 

    I step forward and punch him in the face, knocking him out. Theodora steps forward, murmuring something in another language, she touches his head with her hands, placing them on his ears. She continues to chant and then stops after a minute. She steps back and wobbles slightly. 

“It is done, anything he says and hears I will be able to hear. He won’t be awake for a few hours” She tells me as she walks out of the cells. 

    I pick up Jacob and toss him over my shoulder, carrying him to the outskirts of the castle and placing him down on the forest floor. I point him in the direction of his camp and leave him there. I’m sure he will be confused when he wakes up but he will run for it and make his way back.

    Taryn is sitting on the balcony, I see her as I come out of the forest. She looks at me coming out, her eyebrows raised, I should go talk to her. 

    By the time I get upstairs to the balcony Taryn is gone, I start searching for her. I finally find her in the drawing room, my mother has tracked her down too I see. 

“Ladies, what’s going on?” I ask

My mother gives me a look and sticks her nose up, she is still pissed off about last night. 

“Your mother was just asking if I’d like to go for a walk with her. Will you join us?” Taryn answers. 

“I’d love to” I take Taryn’s hand and step forward with her, my mother follows behind us. 

“So tell me mother, what do you have planned to do for the rest of the day” I ask

“Well, I was planning on going down to the village but you have made that impossible” She says flatly. 

“I see well, once the lockdown is restricted I’ll bring you myself” 

“There’s no need. I don’t need a babysitter Kayden” 

“Of course not. We just don’t get to spend much time together anymore, I thought it might be a nice change” 

“Mhmm.. we will see. Excuse me, I’m not feeling well” She says and walks back towards the castle. 

“What do you think has made her so angry?” Taryn asks 

“She was probably supposed to meet someone again, being in lockdown has likely impacted her plans” 

“She has become so mean and cold since your father passed… I wonder if something triggered it?” 

“I honestly don’t know. I have told a few people to keep a close eye on her for the time being. I want to find out everything I can before I make any accusations. But I am sorry she is being this way towards you, it’s not fair to you or the baby.. How is he doing today?” 

“He likes to kick when you are around” She smiles and places my hand on her stomach, she’s right, he is kicking up a storm inside her. 

“Are you in any pain?” 

“Not anything I can’t handle, it’s fine.. He’s just happy you're here.. I am just getting so big, I didn’t think it was possible to be this large, I don’t know how much more this baby can grow!” 

“Well soon you will not have to worry about it. Only six weeks left” I kiss her cheek and we head back inside, it has started to rain. 

“Want to watch a movie?” 

“I’d rather have a nice hot bath with you” 

“I think we can arrange that” I chuckle, heading to the bathroom and filling the bathtub.