Page 11 of Crown and Dragon

“Sheathe your silvered tongue, knight. The terms have been signed and neither of us can alter them.”

Sure. The Witch, arguably the most powerful being in the world, couldn’t alter terms if it pleased her. Right.

“There are things you should know about the artifact.” The Witch stood over her glowing cauldron. Steam blocked half of her austere features. “We have two spies inside the city. The one who will meet you at the safe house says the crown has been stored under Durniad’s fortress. Traps await you; I have no doubt.” She twisted, and with her long reach, she took a small leather bag from one of the many shelves.

Marius accepted the bag, then tied it to his belt.

“Sprinkle that mixture in the room where you believe the crown to be. The magicked dust will force the crown to show itself.”

“Thank you,” Marius said.

“The crown can flood a human’s mind fully and the wearer can order those within earshot to do anything they so choose. Be warned. I don’t believe it will alter your mind,” she said to Marius, “but you,” she said, turning to Tahlia, “must be on your guard. If you manage to take the artifact, you will feel the urge to retain the crown for yourself; its power is alluring. Even if no one knows you have it, people will be drawn to you when it is in your possession.”

A shiver trotted down Tahlia’s spine.

“Midhampton is packed with people,” the Witch said. “It’s not a large city, size-wise, so the inhabitants are practically on top of one another.”

It was Marius’s turn to visibly shiver. He was not a crowd enthusiast.

“Many visit the city due to the port’s heavy trade business. A couple of strange faces shouldn’t raise alarms. Especially during such a popular festival. Now, I advise you to take your potions atthe arranged spot where you will trade your dragon for horses. The effects should last around five days. Maybe three. It’s hard to say.”

“What happens if our Fae features begin to show in the middle of a crowd of humans?”

“Perhaps pretend you wear an elaborate costume? That or run away very quickly.”

Marius’s eyebrow twitched. “That’s not exactly a true backup plan.”

The Witch shrugged. “I’m not the Mist Knight. You figure it out. Or we’ll all die.”

“How would that go exactly?” Tahlia asked.

“Durniad will don the crown at his self-made coronation. This will not be the coronation of a lesser king, of one who simply runs the city of Midhampton. No, he will name himself the ruler of all. Don’t think it’s impossible, after all, with the crown, he will control every human on this continent, and quite possibly those in the islands beyond. They will come for your people. For the gold. For the crops. For the joy of overrunning your realm with sheer numbers.”

The hilt of Tahlia’s dagger warmed her hand. No matter what, she wasn’t going down without a fight.

Chapter 6

Tahlia

Tahlia flipped her shoulder bag open and rummaged around, careful not to upend the potion bottle. Before they’d left the Mist Knight’s castle, Fara had given her a bundle of letters, and it was time to open the first one.

Marius had his back to her. He watched a break of rowan trees where Ragewing was hunting for lunch. They’d reached the spot where a human contact would be arriving with the horses. So far, no humans.

“What are you up to back there?” he asked, glancing at her. “Is that what Lady Fara gave you?”

“It is.” She lifted the bundle and wiggled it. The knot holding the tiny sheets of scraped vellum in a neat stack was tight and hard as hells to undo. She resorted to using her Fae fang, hoping the human wouldn’t show up at that moment. Supposedly, they hated Fae fangs. Granted, it was more likely the mountain dragon would be doing all the frightening during the upcoming rendezvous.

The knot gave way at last and Tahlia unfolded the first note.

Dear Tahlia

Yes, you DO need to stay away from the water inside the human city. You’ll pick up a fever at the very least and/or an extra eye if you imbibe from their disgusting wells. Just watch. You’ll see loads of folk with superfluous fingers and so forth.

Oh,and I forgot to tell you that a southern herbwitch is coming to visit Albus. She is the only known one in the world and we are going to experiment with what our Healers know and her specific abilities. Should be interesting! Will probably end in someone’s horrific death though.

Have a lovely trip!

Fara

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