Chapter 27
Keira sat at the table in her Lady’s Bower, tip of the quill hovering over a sheet of blank parchment as she looked over the list Cook had given her that morning. She glanced up when a knock sounded on the door and Thomas stepped into the room.
“Your parents are in the Great Hall, milady,” Thomas announced. “They wish to speak to milord.”
“My parents?” she said in surprise. “Very well, please take them to the solar and inform Aaron that we have company.”
“Yes, milady,” Thomas said with a small bow.
Keira wondered what reason her parents could have for coming to Storbrook as she checked her appearance in the mirror before heading downstairs. They were both seated when she stepped into the room, but Father rose and hurried over to her.
“Daughter,” he said, “I trust you’re well. Is Aaron here?”
“I’m here,” Aaron said, stepping into the solar. “What brings you so far from the village?”
“We have news,” Father said. “The reeve is stirring up trouble for you.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Aaron said. “But why should I be concerned?” He went to the small table and poured a glass of wine which he passed to Father, then poured another for himself.
“He’s roused the whole village against you,” Father said, “and is bringing a delegation to Storbrook, armed with swords and clubs.”
Aaron snorted. “What will that achieve?”
“He believes if he comes to Storbrook, he’ll find the dragon and kill it.”
“Ah!” Aaron said. “The reeve thinks he can kill a dragon!”
“He believes history is on his side.”
“Then he’ll soon learn the error of his ways.”
Father placed his glass on a table. “Please, Aaron,” he said. “The last time a Hobbes came against a dragon, many innocent people lost their lives. We should do what we can to avoid further bloodshed. Let us meet the villagers and talk them out of this action.”
“You think the villagers are innocent?” Aaron drained his wine and threw the glass into the fireplace where it smashed against the stone wall. Mother gasped as she stared at Aaron in shock, but Aaron paid her no attention. “They arm themselves against a creature that has never harmed them! They come to my home bearing weapons! How are they innocent?”
“You cannot blame them for being ignorant, Aaron. The reeve has been whispering in their ears since you arrived, telling them tales about the last dragon, stoking their fears. And when you took Keira from Edmund, you shamed him before his neighbors.”
“Aaron couldn’t take me from Edmund,” Keira said, “I was never his.”
“I know that,” Father said. “But you still rejected his son.”
Aaron turned away and paced the room. “The last dragon died for something he never did,” he said. He paused to stare out the window as the others watched in silence. “But I understand that the loss of lives could have been avoided,” he said. He turned back to Father. “Very well, I’ll go with you to speak to them.” He glanced at Mother. “Why did you bring Jenny?”
“I thought if we failed in our mission, she’d be safer here.”
“Yes, of course.”
Mother rose to her feet. “I’m sure I’d have been fine if I’d stayed at home,” she said. “I’ve known these people all my life – they’d never harm me! It’s only the dragon that I fear.”
“You know nothing about the dragon,” Aaron said. He glared at Mother, then swung his gaze to Keira when she touched his arm.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He frowned at her for a moment, but then the expression eased, and he gave a wry smile.
“You must remain here with your mother,” he said. “Your Father and I will go talk some sense into these villagers.”
“Let me come too,” she said.
“Absolutely not. Your presence will be a hindrance.” He lowered his voice and leaned towards her. “You are my life, and if anything happened to you, it would surely kill me. I will do everything in my power to convince them that they should turn back, but if things should turn nasty, I don’t want you to be caught in the middle. I won’t give them a dragon, though, so you needn’t fear.”
Ignoring a scandalized gasp from Mother, he slid his hand around her neck and pulled her mouth to his as he kissed her deeply. It was Keira who pulled away first, and he rested his forehead against hers, lingering in silence for a moment before suddenly drawing away and nodding at Father.
“Let’s be off,” he said. He strode to the door, Father close on his heels, and exited the room.
Keira watched as they left, then sunk into a chair and buried her head in her hands, as her mother watched her in silence.
“You really love that man, don’t you?” Mother said after a while.
“Yes,” Keira replied softly. Mother nodded as the sound of footsteps pounding on the stone passage floor reached them. Anna ran into the room, pausing when she saw her mother.
“Thomas told me you were here, Mother,” she said. “Where’s Father?”
“He and Aaron have gone to talk the villagers out of trying to kill the dragon,” Keira said.
“Kill the dragon? Is he crazy? Does he know –?”
“No,” Keira said tightly.
Anna glanced between Keira and Mother. “Well, what are you going to do?” she asked Keira.
“Do? Wait until they come back.”
“How spineless! You should go after him,” Anna said. “That’s what I would do!”
“Anna, I can’t just run off after him.”
“Well, I don’t see why not,” Anna retorted.
“It’s not safe!” Keira said.
Mother rose to her feet. “Well, I’m not staying here.”
“You can’t leave,” Keira gasped. “Father said –”
“Keira, I have no intention of remaining in this stone fortress, hiding from my own people. If I leave now, I can be home again before night falls.”
“You cannot travel alone,” Keira said.
“Then come with me,” she said. Keira glared at Anna as she choked back a laugh.
“I’ll come with you, Mother,” Anna said.
“No!” Keira exclaimed. “You are not going anywhere.” She turned back to Mother. “If you insist on doing this, I’ll come with you.”
“I insist,” Mother said, smoothing down her skirts.
“Very well. I’ll ask Cook to pack some food and we’ll go.” She turned to Anna. “If you leave Storbrook, you’ll no longer be welcome here. Do you understand?”
Anna nodded. “I’ll stay. I promise.”
Keira nodded. “Good.”
A half hour later, Keira and her mother passed under the portcullis and onto the steep path leading down the mountain. It was slow going down, and more than once Keira and her mother had to dismount and lead their horses along the path. They made up time, however, when they entered the forest, following a well-worn track thick with needles from the surrounding pines. Only a few rays of light made it to the forest floor through the densely packed trees, and the path followed a winding trail around thick trunks.
They had traversed about half the distance down the mountain when they pulled their mounts to a stop near a stream. Tired and hungry, they agreed to pause for a few minutes to refresh themselves before continuing on their way. Kneeling down next to the burbling brook, Keira splashed the cool water over her face before sitting back on her haunches next to her mother, soaking up the fresh pine-scented air. Up in the trees, birds twittered and fluttered between the branches, while squirrels clambered up tree trunks and jumped between limbs, chattering noisily.
A sudden screeching of birds was Keira’s only warning of danger before a heavy hand fell on her shoulder, shoving her into the dirt. Her stomach sank as she twisted around and looked up into Alan’s leering face.
“Look who I’ve found,” he drawled. “Again.”
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A quick glance around showed Mother similarly sprawled on the ground, her eyes wide with dread. Keira pushed away her own fear – the wife of a dragon should not be scared.
“No monster here to rescue you this time, girl,” Alan said with a grin.
“What are you doing in these woods, Alan?” she asked sharply. “These are private lands.”
“Drake lands, eh? Soon there won’t be any Drakes around to care whether I trespass on the land or not,” he said.
Keira stared at him in horror. “You plan to kill Aaron.”
“Your husband will enjoy the same fate as the dragon. Now get up,” he said. He gestured to Mother. “You too.” Taking Keira by the arm, he shoved her forward onto the path, making her walk ahead of him. Mother stumbled beside her, and when they didn’t move fast enough, Alan jabbed them from behind with a stick.
They had been walking for a while when Keira heard the sound of voices drifting through the trees.
“You come against with me with sticks and swords and demand that I hand over the dragon. Why would I do that?” Aaron was saying.
“The dragon will destroy our village,” someone shouted.
“Nonsense,” said Aaron. “The dragon will only attack if you provoke it. And trying to kill me is definitely a provocation!”
“Let’s all calm down,” Keira heard Father say. “Matthew, for the sake of the people in the village, back away from this fight.”
“Back away! I’m protecting our village! Since when did you care more for a dragon than your own people?”
“It’s because I care for our people that I’m begging you not to do this!”
“Your loyalty to your daughter is misguiding you, Richard. Now, Master Drake, I think you need an incentive. How would your new wife enjoy being a widow?”
“You could try to kill me, but you’ll –”
His voice stopped abruptly as Alan prodded Keira in the back one more time and she stumbled into a clearing, her mother close on her heels. On one side stood a group of men that Keira recognized from the village, crude weapons clutched in their hands. The reeve stood at the front of the group with a sword hanging loosely in his hand. Standing behind him were faces that Keira recognized – Jem Young, Daniel Draper, and even quiet Harry Turner amongst them. They were facing Aaron, who stood a few feet away. Keira’s father stood beside Aaron, his hands out in a gesture of appeasement, but they dropped to his side as he stared in horror at the two women.
“Keira,” Aaron said. The single word was loaded with a mixture of reproach and resignation as Aaron strode towards his wife.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled to the ground. “It’s just ... I couldn’t ...”
Her head hung low as Aaron placed his hands on her shoulders.
“I know,” he whispered into her ear. “I love you, too.” She looked up in surprise, and he met her gaze with a wry smile. “But don’t think I’m not still annoyed with you.”
She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again when she realized there was nothing to say. Aaron leaned forward and gave her a quick, hard kiss on the lips before turning back to the reeve.
“My wife and I will be leaving now,” he said. “We can finish this another time.”
“I don’t think so,” said the reeve. He looked at Alan with a sly smile. “I see you brought me an incentive. Well done.”
The reeve gestured towards Mother, and Aaron shot forward in a sudden movement, but it was too late. Before Keira realized what was happening, Alan had grabbed her mother by the hair, pulling her head back and exposing her throat. The blade of a dagger pressed against her neck and a thin red line welled up. The reeve laughed, a cruel sound that made Keira shiver.
“No!” exclaimed Father, turning to face the reeve. “You cannot do this.”
“Ah, Richard,” said the reeve, “but I am doing it. Convince your son-in-law to hand over the dragon, and I’ll allow Jenny to go free.” He turned to Aaron, his expression ugly. “Choose, milord. The dragon or this woman?”
A stunned silence filled the air as the villagers looked at each other in shock, their eyes wide as they shifted uncomfortably.
“Um, Reeve Hobbes.” Jem Young stepped forward, glancing at the others for support before continuing. “We didn’t come here to hurt anyone. We just came for the dragon.”
“And this is how we get the dragon,” snapped the reeve. He turned to the man who had spoken. “Remind me, Jem, how much money do you owe me?” Jem looked down at his feet, shuffling in discomfort, before moving back into the group.
Ignoring this exchange, Aaron slowly turned to look at Keira’s father, his expression unfathomable as he met the pleading stare of his father-in-law. After a long moment, he turned to the reeve.
“Very well,” he said. “I’ll bring you the dragon, but you’ll pay for your foolishness. Now let my wife and her family go.”
The reeve laughed again before responding. “Do you take me for a fool? You may have your wife back when the dragon is dead.”
Keira stepped towards Aaron. “No,” she whispered, her eyes fixed on him. “You mustn’t do it.”
“I must,” Aaron said, his voice too low to be heard by anyone but Keira. “I’ll try …” he paused. “I won’t hurt the villagers, if I can help it. But the reeve won’t be satisfied until he faces the dragon. It is to his own detriment.”
He turned back to the reeve. “You’re a foolish man to demand the presence of a dragon.” He glanced around the group of men, meeting the stare of each one before continuing. “If my wife or any member of her family is harmed in any way – a scratch, scraped and bloody knees or even a missing hair – the dragon will hunt down each of your family members and devour them slowly, drawing out an agonizing death.”
His gaze settled on Daniel Draper. “You, Daniel, you have a daughter, don’t you? I’m sure she would be a tasty morsel. And you, Smithy,” he continued, looking at the next man, “you have a young son apprenticing with you. I’m told dragons favor young blood. And Reeve Hobbes,” he said, turning to face the reeve, “you have four sons. Keep their faces before you as I leave, and make sure your actions while I’m gone are motivated by a desire to see your sons alive tomorrow.”
Keira felt her blood rush from her face as she heard Aaron’s threats. The men shrunk back, pale-faced and mumbling between themselves, but Aaron ignored them, and turning his attention to Keira once more, dropped his voice.
“All will be well, my sweet,” he said to her. “For your sake, I’ll keep a leash on my annoyance. I promise that you’ll be safe. Yes, your parents too,” he added, answering the unspoken question in her eyes. He squeezed her fingers before turning away and disappearing through the trees.