Born of Blood (The Valdir Chronicles Book 3) Read online

  The next few days were spent in councils and training sessions with the Vanir. Kalina and Leif avoided one another whenever possible, but she couldn’t help but shoot him furtive glances across the village whenever he was in sight.

  She spent hours every night playing with Osian and then putting him to bed, grateful for uninterrupted time with her little brother. She had decided he should be raised in the Valdir highland camps, instead of at the castle in Ravenhelm with her in order to keep him safe and to allow him to grow up away from the taint of politics and royalty. But that also meant she’d never really get time to bond with him in the way she wanted. Perhaps that would change once they went home. Perhaps she would keep him at the castle with her instead.

  A week after they’d arrived in the Vanir camp, a cry went up, announcing visitors. Kalina stood from where she’d been helping Torill make bread by an outdoor fire and wiped her hands on her white pants. She, Kari and Leif had decided to remain in their Vanir clothing, at least until it was time to go into battle when she knew she would don her Valdir leathers once again. But in the extreme cold of the northern Ice Fangs, it was warmer to wear Vanir clothing.

  The concussion of many wing beats met her ears and she ran to the entrance to the village, closely followed by Kari and Leif, Torill and Gunnar, and finally, Astrid and Sunniva, who had been on the opposite side of camp. A scout Kalina had briefly met named Dag and his pale purple dragon landed on the edge of the glacier, behind him a riot of colorful dragons landed, and her heart soared.

  She searched for familiar faces and found many. Eira sat atop her burnt orange dragon, Achak, and was at the head of the fleet. But Kalina saw other Valdir she’d known who’d chosen to stay back at the highland camps, including her former council members, Arvid, Asta, and Ingvar. All three had left the capital as soon as they’d realized how cramped and confined it was, and instead, accepted Kalina and Leif’s invitation to help her run the highland camp with Eira and Halvor.

  As the Valdir filed in among the trees, their dragons following Dag’s dragon off to where the Vanir’s dragons had dug dens into the mountainside, Kalina caught sight of Halvor among the warriors. His hulking frame was hard to miss. After greeting Eira and her former council members, she went to Halvor, to give him the news about Jormungand.

  “I’m sorry, Halvor. I never meant for him to be captured, taken,” she concluded after recounting what had happened at the castle. The big man’s face had fallen at the news and a single tear had slipped down his cheek. He hastily wiped it away before looking up at his queen.

  “You did what you could, your Majesty. And we will get him back.”

  She appreciated the determination in his voice. She put a hand on his broad shoulder and squeezed.

  “That we will, my friend. That we will.”

  That night there was much feasting, as a second Vanir clan had arrived later that afternoon. The small valley was beginning to feel cramped and Kalina wondered how much longer they would be able to avoid detection with this many people and dragons coming and going. It was good to be surrounded by her own people once again and she spent hours talking with Eira and catching up. Eira had been ecstatic about finding Osian and Bri and had hugged them both tight until they both began to protest. It helped to heal Kalina’s bruised and broken heart.

  The next evening as they were all settling in around a campfire in front of Torill and Gunnar’s house, another shout went up from the border of the camp. Kalina followed Kari and Sunniva to the edge of the camp where a small ring of Vanir guards surrounded a tall cloaked figure.

  “Remove your hood, stranger,” Sunniva demanded. The stranger reached up and pushed back his hood, revealing a long face. Kalina cried out and rushed forward, throwing her arms around Lord Illeron. The older man hugged her back.

  “Lord Illeron! You are alive!” When she stepped back and released the man she turned to Sunniva. “This is my Spymaster, who contacted your trader and asked you to find us. He is the reason we escaped the castle alive.”

  Sunniva’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and she didn’t lower her weapon, a short bow with an arrow aimed right at the man’s heart.

  “How did you find our camp?”

  “Your trader friend brought me within walking distance. He told me which direction to take. He said to tell Sunniva that ‘the summer holds much promise’. Although I confess, I don’t know what that means.”

  Sunniva relaxed her bow, taking a step back, a small smile playing on her lips.

  “In that case, be welcome, Spymaster.”

  Kalina finally let out a breath, relieved that he hadn’t been shot on sight. She turned to him, eyeing him from head to toe.

  “You must be cold. We can talk by the fire.”

  They all trudged back to Torill’s fire where Torill served Illeron a bowl of hot bowl elk stew. He dug in gratefully and told Kalina and Kari his story between bites. He had gone back into the city, holing up in a nondescript tavern until the search for Kalina had died down. Then he had used his many contacts and spies within the city to find out what was happening in the capitol. It seemed their dragons were being kept in their eyrie, which had been built with their size, weight, and strength in mind. Kalina had been mistaken, they weren’t converted horse stables. King Blackbourne had planned to take the dragons all along and had the stables built just for that purpose. Lord Illeron also said that Kalina’s entourage was imprisoned beneath the castle, their ships confiscated, and Prince Simen had been confined to his rooms. The King was amassing an army to strike Ethea and he was using the lands north of Winterreach to do it.

  “So they don’t know about us, or where we went? They won’t come here?” Sudden fear of Askor getting ahold of her brother once again took hold. She also didn’t want the Vanir put at risk any more than they already were. There were women and children here, along with the very old who deserved protecting.

  “Not that I’ve been able to find out. I believe we are safe here. But our people have not been treated kindly within the castle, and the fate of the dragons is unknown,” Lord Illeron said.

  “Then we need a plan. We need to at least try to save our dragons and our friends before the war starts. He will use them against us if we don’t.” He already was, she thought. She looked around the campfire at new friends and old. “We will sneak in tomorrow as the rest of the Vanir arrive and our army assembles.” Heads nodded around the fire in agreement. Kalina’s stomach clenched in anticipation.

  Chapter 34

  The night seemed to stand frozen around them as they slunk through the quiet streets of Winterreach towards the towering castle walls. Kalina had originally chosen a small group of fighters to accompany her: Kari, Lord Illeron, and Leif, but then Torill had volunteered. Kalina had asked her to stay behind and help Bri look after Osian. Eira had offered to come as well but Kalina needed her to be her eyes and ears while she was gone. So, she had also chosen Astrid, and Sunniva, who had insisted ongoing, and finally, Dag. Together, the seven of them had donned their weapons and flown as close to the city as possible without being detected. Lord Illeron had led them into the city through secret ways only he knew.

  The sun had set as they’d landed and had entered the city under the cover of darkness. Torches lit the high imposing granite walls, and Kalina paused in the cobblestone street for a moment to stare up at their magnitude. She hadn’t really considered how hard it might be to break into Winterreach castle. What if they failed? What if she couldn’t free Maska, or Delisa or Jormungand? What if they were lost forever? She shook her head and ran to catch up with the others. She couldn’t think that way. She glanced sideways at Leif as they ran down the street that bordered the long wall around the castle. He ran with an easy grace, and she couldn’t help but admire the lean line of him, his strong jaw and the way his body moved as he ran. But as he looked towards her she quickly focused on the road ahead, refusing to let him see the longing in her eyes.

  Lord Illeron led them to a postern gate, a smal
l, ancient wood door set deep into the stone, an iron padlock holding it in place. He produced an equally ancient key from somewhere inside his cloak, fitted it to the lock and turned it. It made an awful screeching sound as it turned, and Kalina found herself instantly on the balls of her feet, looking around in all directions for an attacker, something to fight. But there was nothing, and with a shove, Illeron had the door open, ushering them through.

  Kalina looked up at the massive stone archway as she passed through it and she found herself in a vegetable garden, realizing they must be near the kitchens. The cold air smelled faintly of rosemary and thyme as they made their way to a door that led into the castle itself. Illeron knocked three times, paused, and then knocked three more times. Then he motioned for them to hide. Kalina melted into the shadows below the towering castle walls where soldiers patrolled at regular intervals. She pulled her hood still higher, keeping her silver hair covered and hidden beneath its dark folds.

  After what felt like a lifetime, the door to the kitchens opened and a maid stepped out onto the small patch of cobblestones that outlined a pathway through the garden. She was wiping her hands on her stained apron and watching the dark. Wonderful smells of baking bread wafted towards Kalina and her stomach gave a small gurgle.

  “Ademar?” The woman called into the dark. There was a rustle and Kalina saw Lord Illeron step into the light. She frowned. Had she known Lord Illeron’s first name? She must have, but she couldn’t recall when it had been told to her. Her cheeks warmed slightly with shame at not knowing her most trusted Ethean council member’s first name. She joined him as the rest of their party left their hiding spots.

  “This way,” Illeron said, ushering them inside the kitchen where the maid let them out into a servant’s hall after looking both ways for anyone who would discover them. Then Lord Illeron led the way down the hallway and up a flight of stairs, further into the castle and farther away from safety. Kalina’s stomach clenched the deeper inside Winterreach castle they ventured, watching around corners and hiding in alcoves and inside small rooms whenever roaming guards went by. Finally, they paused on a lower floor, slowly snaking their way towards the parade grounds and the dragon eyrie, when Kalina spoke up, whispering to Lord Illeron.

  “But what if we can’t escape on the dragons? What if we are caught and have to flee?”

  He looked back at her, his hood hiding much of his long features. There was grey stubble on his cheeks now, and it made him look more intense than he already seemed.

  “Back the way we came. Or the way I took you the first time we escaped.”

  He started forward, crossing the large hallway to the stairwell that led down and out into the parade grounds and the eyrie beyond. As they crossed the threshold of the stairs and out onto the packed earth of the training grounds, she couldn’t help but look over at the barracks where only a week before she’d seen Talon and Captain Higgs standing. She could only watch and hope that they were safe and well and that the King hadn’t taken to torturing any of her people. Yet.

  The group paused in the shadow of the farthest barracks, to catch their breath and discuss their attack on the eyrie, crouching to avoid the eyes of the soldiers that were currently marching past on the wall just beyond.

  When Illeron outlined the plan, it seemed foolproof, but the hairs on the back of Kalina’s neck were standing on end and her stomach was churning in constant knots. All the what-ifs and maybes flowed through her head and she was reminded of the last time she’d broken into a castle. It had been right after her mother’s death, so she could claim her throne. This time it was a rescue so she could defend that throne. She sent up a prayer to Skaldir for strength and to the Mother for guidance. Maybe, just maybe, they could get through this.

  The doors to the eyrie were large rolling doors on massive iron hinges that were currently chained shut. There were Askorian soldiers patrolling the perimeter in two minutes intervals and the padlock on those doors would prove too much for them to cut or pick in time.

  “There is a small side door with a much smaller lock that will be easier to pick,” Lord Illeron said. He glanced up at the large clock tower that was just visible over the outer wall. “I have a distraction planned for midnight. It will delay the guard patrols but I don’t know how long. We will have to act quickly.”

  Leif and Sunniva nodded. They each had a set of lock picks that Illeron had given them and they had spent the day practicing using them. Leif looked to the Vanir leader and nodded.

  “You’d better try first. You’re better with them than I am.” He gave a small self-deprecating smile. “I’m all thumbs!” Sunniva smiled back and then looked at Kalina.

  “You ready?”

  Kalina nodded. Kari reached out and squeezed Kalina’s hand, her eyes as hard as her Queen’s. Then the clock began to strike midnight. They waited one heartbeat, then two. Kalina’s stomach began to drop into her feet, a growing fear that there was no distraction, and they would miss their window of opportunity.

  Then they heard a shout echo across the courtyard. All nearby guards turned towards the sound, their weapons raised. This was their opening. Kalina bolted from their shadowed hiding spot and ran to the corner of the eyrie, peering around it. The guards on this side were running off in the direction of the commotion and she could see the smaller iron door that led inside to where the dragons were. Sunniva slipped ahead of her to the door, pulling her picks from the small pouch in her cloak.

  The Vanir made quick work of the lock and soon the sound of opening metal hinges shattered the silence. Kalina froze, waiting for someone to cry out, to come running, but there was nothing. She slipped inside behind the Vanir leader, immediately the familiar musty smell of the dragons filling her nostrils. But there was another smell underneath it, the smell of rot, decay, blood, and iron. It made her stomach flip inside her, and fear grow.

  The eyrie was lit by a single torch that hung in a bracket by the door. Kalina pulled it down and ventured farther inside, making for the stall she had left Maska in more than a week before. Her heart was in her throat as she turned the corner. She didn’t know what she expected to find but a chained and defeated looking Maska was not what she’d wanted to see.

  His usually emerald green scales were dull and dusty, the floor of his stall covered in his own feces, his wings held down with weights, his forelegs, back legs, and tail shackled to a metal plate in the floor. Her chest felt squeezed by overwhelming sadness and fear as she stepped closer, pushing her hood back from her face, revealing her silver battle braids, her scarred cheek, her Runark tattoos. She wanted to make sure he knew her, in case the captivity had changed him.

  “Maska. Maska, my love,” Kalina said softly, handing the torch to Sunniva who began lighting others. Kalina could hear her companions moving around her, Kari and Leif making their way to their own dragons. Sunniva, Astrid, and Dag went to help free the other captive dragons, but all Kalina could see was Maska’s sleeping face.

  He cracked an eye, his third eyelid slowly retreating until she could see the full black circle, spotted with stars that were his eyes. He lifted his head suddenly, rearing back from her, clearly disoriented and scared. She put both hands out, hushing and murmuring to him as he looked around, took in his surroundings and his rescuers.

  “Kalina? Littling, is that you?”

  Kalina all but sagged in relief at his deep voice. She stepped to the stall door and pushed it open.

  “Yes, sweet Maska, it’s me. We’ve come to get you out of here. To get you free.” Every part of her wanted to run to him, to bury her face in his warm scales and feel his hot breath on her neck and forget any of this ever happened. But time was of the essence here and the bell outside had stopped tolling. It was only a matter of minutes before they were discovered. “We need to get you free from these chains.”

  “There is a master key, but only the King carries a copy,” Maska said, his giant head snaking down. He sniffed Kalina thoroughly as she inspected the lock.


  “Sunniva, can you pick these locks?” she called, and the woman vaulted over the wall to the next stall, taking out her picks.

  “I believe so,” She said and got to work. Kalina turned to Lord Illeron who had stayed by the door to the stalls, hovering and watching.

  “How are we going to get them out of here without raising alarm? How are we going to get the others from the dungeons?”

  “You won’t. You’ll have to leave them imprisoned for now. It would be impossible to free them without fighting your war here and now, with just the seven of us. And to get out, you’ll have to either burn this building down or break down the roof and fly out.”

  Kalina didn’t like the idea of leaving her people to rot in a cell, but she realized that they had no other choice. She had known it might be a long shot, freeing the dragons and her people, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. As Sunniva unlocked the first of the manacles, Maska stretched his neck to the ceiling and inspected the huge timbers that stretched overhead. While the floor of each stall was made of solid metal plates, the building was constructed of massive timbers.

  “I could perhaps break out of this roof, but a fire would weaken it nicely,” he said.

  “Fire it is then,” Lord Illeron said nodding to Kalina who dug in her cloak for a handful of Emberweed. Each of the Valdir and Vanir had brought a small handful, just enough for a few minutes of flame.

  Sunniva unlocked Maska’s last shackle and went to free the next beast. Kalina saw Leif working just as diligently on the other side of the eyrie. This wasn’t an eyrie, Kalina realized. This was a prison. She was surprised she hadn’t seen it before now. These weren’t stalls, they were cells. Nausea rose within her at the thought, and she vividly remembered the days when she’d been stuck in a cell. She turned then and threw her arms around Maska’s long neck.