Page 89 of The Dragon Queen

His throat worked, and I was up and grabbing a glass of wine, putting it to his lips to help him continue. Fast took several greedy swallows and then stared up at me, nodding in thanks.

“I didn’t want my girls hurt.” He grabbed at my hand, clutching at it despite his injuries. “My daughters are still young. They don’t know what men are capable of. I made damn sure of that,protecting them, protecting all women in my castle. Any woman that reported a man’s unwelcome attention would have my soldiers visit the lad, making clear his mistake. I wouldn’t stand for it, you understand.”

“That’s why the duke took your family members hostage.” My head felt hollow and full of pain all at the same time. “To ensure your compliance. He knew he had no other means to guarantee it. Where did the duke say he was taking them?”

“To his ducal seat.” The man started coughing, the fit wracking his whole body and more bright red blood stained his kerchief. “Said they’d be treated like honoured guests, but I know that bastard.” His eyes flicked up to meet Draven’s. “No offence, Majesty, but your mother’s family are vipers.”

“No offence taken,” Draven replied. “My mother was the worst of them all, but now she’s dead, my uncle has claimed that title. Fast, we will get your girls back, but right now you need medical attention.”

“Bit late for that.”

The lord’s reveal came slowly, his hands not obeying him well. The tunic was hiked up, and we saw then what we had missed. My breath was sucked in sharply as I saw white bone piercing his skin over and over.

Glimmer, can we heal him?

Not so soon after healing Obsidian.

I could hear the exhaustion in her tone.

But you used the rest of us to help bolster your energy levels. There’s riders everywhere here. We could?—

I cannot fix what is wrong with him.She told me this plainly, willing me to understand.There is too much. He seeks to protect his territory, his queens, like a good male does, but sometimes that means the male doesn’t survive. We honour his sacrifice.

No!

We respect what he has done. This is not our enemy and neither are the people outside. She seemed almost shamefaced now as her fury and mine had resulted in this very situation.You were right. They need to be healed, tended to with your human medicine?—

“Find them.” Fast’s grip on my arm was surprisingly strong. “Please, find them. Don’t let that bastard…”

I covered his hand with mine, careful not to squeeze and hurt him, but I think the lord was beyond that now. His whole body started to shake, his breath coming in faster and faster.

“Don’t let that bastard hurt them, please.”

“I promise.”

My voice broke on the words because I knew. His fear, the reality that only a woman truly knew. That we were always at the mercy of men, needing to appeal to their good nature to ensure our survival.

“I’ll hold you to that…”

“Pippin—”

I heard the others begin to protest, move, but I couldn’t focus on anything other than Lord Fast. The slight grey in his hair, the wrinkles around his eyes, suddenly they were my own father’s, begging me for help.

“Majesty…” I let out a strangled sound, but it was drowned out by Fast’s voice. “Protect them…”

I’d seen dead people before, so that empty stare, the way the eyes lost all of their light, going almost opaque or cloudy, it was all too familiar. It had just never happened right before me. I’d woken up to the news my mother had died in the night, some small part of me feeling like that was somehow my fault. Father had died from an accident, his spirit gone from his limp body when I saw him. This time I was witness to the lord’s passing, seeing the way he fought to hold on, to ensure I did as I said, but he needn’t have bothered. I would’ve made sure that happened, no matter what he said.

“We need to find them.” Suddenly I was snapping out orders with ease. “We need to move out and search… The duke’s men couldn’t have taken them far, could they?”

“Not if they’re using the womenfolk as hostages to ensure compliance,” Soren growled. His dark look was everything I needed to see right now. “He’d have them stashed somewhere central between here and the other border lords’ garrisons.”

“That way they could be produced easily to wring further concessions from their fathers, their husbands.”

Brom’s voice was dead flat, and suddenly I realised why. His mother, she was just as much a target as Lord Fast’s womenfolk were.

“This is the way you Harlstonians wage war?” Ged asked, looking askance at Draven, then Brom. “Gods above, but that’s dirty.”

“It’s not what we do—” Brom started to splutter.

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