Page 24 of Oath of Betrayal
‘After you leave, I’ll go see the magistrate. He owes me a horse for joining in with your little play. I’ll make sure he gives me one that’s fit to make the journey to Varta. Once I’ve packed a few items, I’ll head out, so have the welcoming committee in front of the fortress gates in three days,’ I said, remembering why I was there.
‘You intend to ride to Varta? By yourself?’ At the disbelief in his voice, I turned to look at him.
‘No, with a horse,’ I said, rubbing my temple. Stinking headaches always made me snippy, but if Orm wanted answers, he could deal with it. ‘Of course, I’m going alone. Unless you want me to bring along the freshly kidnapped maidens.’
Orm’s confused glare made me think something was amiss. ‘What?’ I asked, feeling more and more defensive the longer he stared. ‘Just tell me.’
‘You were going to ride … on a horse?’ he questioned again, and I nodded, stepping away when he threw his head back and laughed.
‘What’s so bloody funny? And be mindful of your answer because I’m seriously considering violence,’ I said, squinting my eyes, his booming laughter a dagger stabbing my hungover brain.
‘You, Ani, and how you’re planning to travel. Three days on the road with your backside rubbed raw on a saddle compared to flying there with Vahin in less than a day,’ he said, and I felt the little blood left in my face drain away. ‘You make the most interesting jokes. Besides, we don’t have time to dally, and as much as I wish to trust you, we both know that, left to your own devices, you tend to disappear in a plume of smoke.’
‘No,’ I said, putting my hands out in a defensive gesture. ‘We had an agreement, and I’m here … I’ll go to the magistrate now, and I’ll be on the road before Vahin opens his wings,’ I said, turning to leave, but Orm grasped my forearm.
‘I don’t have time for this and don’t trust you enough to let you go by yourself. I understand that the first time on a dragon’s back can be unsettling, but you’ll soon get used to it. I promise it will be a pleasant flight and smooth enough to satisfy anyone’s idea of comfort,’ he grumbled, pulling me towards the dragon.
‘I saidno!’ I dug my heels into the dirt, provoking a few surprised stares from the gathered citizens.
Here I was, hungover and angry in such an idyllic setting, making a spectacle of myself. I hated it, and I hated him in the moment.
It was a beautiful morning, with the sun shining brightly and wisps of mist curling around our ankles from the dew-touched grass. The mountaintops glinted with sparkling snow, and the valleys below were green and vibrant. Still, no one enjoyed the enchanting panorama as the gathered people were more interested in the scene I was making.
Of course, no one could drag their eyes away from the drama unfolding before them. The gasps of shock were drowned out by the sighs of yearning as Orm turned and, without pausing, encircled my thighs and lifted me over his shoulder.
‘Ani, I will accommodate any reasonable request, and I promise I’m not trying to make your life difficult, but from nowon, and for the next year, you will listen to me anddo as I say,’ he said. My ability to argue with the barbarous warrior was hampered by the contents of my stomach attempting to reappear over his beautiful, fur-lined cloak.
I reached for the aether, intending to fry his sorry arse, mortified at the laughter and cheers from the crowd, but before I knew it, we had stopped in front of the dragon. As the men’s jibes encouraged Orm to take his ‘bride,’ Vahin’s tail smashed into the ground, silencing everyone.
Fucking traitors, and I cured their warts for years,I seethed, and as I lost my grip on my magic, I changed tack and blasted Orm with my anger.
‘You demented brute. I’m not some sack of turnips to be tossed around!’ I shouted, clenching my fists. ‘Let me go. I won’t fly, and if you try to put me on Vahin’s back, so help me gods, that will be the last thing you ever do.’
Orm simply put me down, his face expressionless. I wasn’t sure whether to admire or kill him for it. His unnatural calm was so unsettling that I took a step away after he released me, stumbling back against the dragon. I turned towards the beast, noticing his tilted head and frown as he observed my outburst.
‘Vahin asks if the thought of riding on his back offends you.’
‘What? No, of course not!’ I said, taken aback by Orm’s statement. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I couldn’t allow the sweet, gentle dragon to think I detested him. As much as I hated to admit my weakness, I had to reveal the truth.
‘I’m not upset with Vahin. I’m refusing to fly …’ I said, biting my lip, ‘I’m sorry,’ I reached towards the dragon’s muzzle, letting the simple touch centre me. ‘I’m afraid of heights. I feel dizzy and terrified even on a high ladder. It’s not your fault I … I just can’t do it.’
Orm cursed quietly behind me.
‘I didn’t realise. You seem so dauntless that it never crossed my mind. There is a way around it, Ani. Vahin can help you. Dragons have a way to calm the mind,’ he offered, releasing a deep sigh when I shook my head.
‘We need to fly because I have to be at the fortress by eventide. We lost several soldiers near the old dwarven mines, and the survivors reported a monster in the tunnels. I’ll have to investigate as soon as we arrive. Otherwise, we will never find the replacement crystal in time.’
I thought about it for a moment. ‘You know, the mines are on the way to the fortress. I can be there by tomorrow and even do the investigation for you. You can’t descend to the mines on a dragon; and for me, it would just be another job,’ I suggested, but he shook his head.
‘No, I’ve lost ten fully armed warriors there already, and I’m not letting you go by yourself. I promise you won’t even have to look down, and Vahin will glide on the updrafts more than usual so that it will feel smoother. He also asks for you to trust him and offers to make one quick attempt so that you can judge for yourself how safe it feels,’ Orm said with a gentle smile, but there was an air of finality to his words—the implacable leader having to go down a hard path to get the job done.
‘Please, don’t force me to use your geas.’ He had me again, and I wondered how often that threat would hang over my head.
Like all others, my geas was controlled by the three words uttered in the midst of a delirium caused by a blood-loss-induced spell. That spell, nicknamedthe bloodbathbecause of the reddish tears it forced from its victim, also ripped all memory of the ordeal from those compelled to use it. While I didn’t remember my own experience, I had witnessed a young psionic mage suffer through the torture of a failed geas spell that turned him into the Broken—a mage unable to access the core of his power, and I still had nightmares about it.
Afterwards, the words are recorded and forever locked in the royal vault with the mage’s name on it. The geas shackled a mage completely, making them do whatever they were told by those who knew the words.
Being a crown mage, as those most powerful of us were called, came with prestige and several advantages. But if those envious of us knew the price, few would relinquish their freedom for the power we could wield.
