Heir of Amber and Fire by Rachanee Lumayno (non fiction books to read TXT) 📗

The king hadn’t spoken of his concerns to his queen. But he wondered if, during her imprisonment, the dragon Joichan had somehow enchanted Melandria so all her children would be cursed. He refused to have any more children by her if they were all going to suffer from this same oddness.

King Hendon spun a story about wanting to send envoys to seek an audience with the dragon Joichan, who was widely known in the Gifted Lands as a being of wisdom with a deep understanding of humanity. The king hoped that the dragon could give insight on an important matter related to the future of Calia, one that had stumped all of the king’s advisers. It was close enough to the truth, but King Hendon omitted one important detail: Because he thought Joichan had tainted his queen with a curse, he wanted revenge. And he was determined to use Kye to get it, even if it meant Kye’s ruin.

A seeker’s job is to lead someone to something, or to find something or someone. But such an amazing gift has a dark side to it as well. The seeker’s ability was never meant to be used for violence; to do so would be a perversion of their innate ability. If their ability was used for harm against the person or creature being sought, the darkness of the deed could possibly rebound and hurt the seeker as well. The seeker could go insane. Or worse. Only a conscienceless monster would request a seeker’s services for violent purposes. The majority of Kye’s commissions were from scholars who wanted to study dragons, or people who sought the creatures’ wisdom and secrets. Any dragon hunters were promptly turned away.

Kye felt something was off about this commission — King Hendon seemed a little too eager, his eyes shining with a touch of mania as he talked. Kye also did not like the look of the four men that the king insisted would accompany Kye on the journey. The king said they were just ordinary Calian citizens who were good in a fight, but Kye could tell from the way they carried themselves that they were trained Calian soldiers, downplaying their skills for some reason.

The king offered Kye enough money that Kye could have easily retired immediately after the search and supported his family comfortably for the rest of his days.

And one does not say no to a king, especially a king like Hendon.

So Kye accepted the commission. He rode back to Orchwell, prepared for the trip, gathered his team, and said goodbye to his family. No one was worried — this was Kye of Orchwell, was it not? The greatest dragon seeker of five generations. He had never failed a commission.

Besides the four disguised Calian soldiers, Kye’s group consisted of three trusted, loyal men and women that often accompanied him on his seeking journeys. It wasn’t unusual for the patron or the patron’s ambassador to travel with the seeker, but the Calian soldiers made Kye and his team uneasy.

After nine days of traveling, the dragon’s lair appeared in the distance. Kye breathed a silent sigh of relief. Soon his part in this odd, off-putting quest would be over.

They reached the cave, expecting to find a dragon. Instead, there was a young man right outside the cave, checking some snares nearby. He stood up as the group approached, calm but wary.

“Hello, gentlemen, ladies,” the man said. “What business brings you here today?”

“We could ask you the same thing,” one of the soldiers-in-disguise snarled. “What fool tries to hunt near a dragon’s cave? There’d be no game for miles. And you’d end up being the dragon’s meal, instead.”

“And a good day to you too,” the man answered politely, as if the guard hadn’t insulted him. He pushed his honey-brown hair from his face. “So then, you are here to find Joichan? Do you seek his wisdom, or his head?”

“His wisdom, of course,” Kye said immediately. One of the Calian men snorted rudely. Kye turned to him, wary. “That is why King Hendon sent you, isn’t it?”

The young man, hearing the king’s name, stiffened. “You are here on behalf of King Hendon of Calia?”

“What does it matter to you, stranger?” the soldier asked.

Impatiently, a second soldier pointed his blade at the strange young man. “We don’t have time for this. Either leave and let us be about our business, or we’ll kill you where you stand.”

The young man’s demeanor changed. It was a subtle shift: from polite fellow traveler to... something else. Something menacing. A force to fear. He remained motionless, eyes locked with the soldier who had him at sword point. Yet even though it was the soldier who had the advantage, something about the changed young man made the soldier’s sword waver.

The whole group tensed, silent and watchful.

“If you’re here to kill the dragon, I’d reconsider. He’s not one to be trifled with.” The young man’s eyes flashed. His deep brown eyes suddenly glinted gold, bright and hot as fire. Years later, Kye would remember this moment and question if what he saw was true, or if it was just the adrenaline playing tricks on his eyes.

“Thanks for the advice.” The first soldier’s tone changed from sarcastic to threatening. “Now leave of your own accord, or we’ll help you leave this world permanently.”

“I’ll go,” said the young man quietly. “But remember my warning, and know that anything that befalls you is on your heads alone.”

He turned and walked away, disappearing beyond the cave.

The second soldier sheathed his sword, muttering, “He’s lucky I didn’t run him through.”

The first soldier turned to Kye, motioning toward the cave. “The dragon must be in there. You’re the seeker. Go in first and secure him. Then we’ll come in and finish the job.”

“Secure him?” Kye looked from his team to the Calian soldiers. “Finish the job? What do you mean?”

The soldier laughed, an unpleasant sound. “Stupid man. We’re to bring back the beast’s head for the king. He can