Rogue Belador: Belador book 7 Read online

  Waving a hand, Ceartas produced a log ten feet long and two feet in diameter, which meant he could have conjured the damn ale if he’d wanted. What was with this crazy bastard? Lifting the other mug, Tzader sat down, leaving plenty of room between them.

  Ceartas stretched out his legs. “’Twas good to exercise. I’ve gone without for a while now.”

  “So you just wander around, looking for a fight?”

  “No, but it would be better use of my time than what I do now.”

  “Which is?” Tzader asked.

  “Not what I came here to discuss.”

  Great. Maybe Ceartas would finally make some sense and allow Tzader to get back to Brina. He played along, now that he wasn’t battling for his life. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

  “The dragon you’re going to rescue.”

  So much for staying in the land of the sane. Tzader used the patient tone he saved for the demented. “I’d like to help you, but from what I’ve seen you can handle dragon rescues all by yourself.”

  “If that were the case, he’d already be free.” Ceartas took another slug of beer and sighed, as if he hadn’t tasted anything so good in a long time. “That’s where you come in.”

  When in an impossible situation, play along and hope for an opening to escape. “Why should I get involved with this, Ceartas?”

  “To save Brina.”

  The hairs on Tzader’s neck stirred with warning, but they were finally down to the real question. How did this guy know Brina? Had he somehow learned her name by spying on her in this realm, and decided to use her to fuck with Tzader’s head? “Save her from what?”

  “Take your pick. Macha, who cares naught for Brina, only that she gets a Treoir heir. Or me, if you refuse to offer the aid I’m ... requesting.”

  Tension took on a life in the still air.

  Tzader warned, “If I kill you, it eliminates one problem for Brina.”

  Of course, he’d have to return with an army of Beladors to back up that threat.

  Ceartas turned up the mug, finishing off the beer and set it on the ground. “You won’t kill me, even if you could.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “You need me to help you bring back Brina’s memories.”

  Tzader stared at Ceartas, speechless. How could this guy know that about Brina? Had he listened to enough of Tzader’s conversations with Brina to guess? “What do you think you know?”

  Watching Tzader with great interest, Ceartas said, “I have little time to waste, so I will show you that I know far more than you do. A Belador traitor in league with Queen Flaevynn attacked Brina using Noirre majik. True?”

  Tzader nodded.

  That traitor was now dead, by Tzader’s hand. Flaevynn had since been replaced by Queen Maeve, who had reincarnated ... from what he’d heard.

  Ceartas continued, “It takes someone with knowledge of the actual Noirre spell used on Brina to reverse it.”

  Clearly this guy knew about the traitor’s attack, which pushed Tzader to keep engaging. “But we had someone break that spell. That’s how Brina returned from another realm.”

  “Oh? How did you bring her back?”

  Should he answer? His gut said yes, because intel was intel, so he went with it.

  “We brought in someone with demon blood, and with the help of his Belador mate, he broke the spell.”

  Ceartas grunted. “He managed to bring Brina back physically, but the Noirre majik is still working on her. That’s why she continues to lose her memories. If that were not the case, she’d at least retain what she’s experienced since she was brought home. But she hasn’t, has she?”

  Tzader didn’t say a word. The logic was sound, and damn it, this Ceartas was correct about Brina failing to recall recent events. Tzader should be glad to have a smoking gun to point out as a reason for her memory loss, but this might be worse.

  Not waiting on a reply from Tzader, Ceartas said, “Even if you could talk a Medb warlock or witch into trying to reverse the spell, they can’t do it. In fact, Maeve can’t either, because she wasn’t around when Flaevynn developed that particular spell.” He stared off for a moment, looking lost in thought and added, “Of course, if Queen Maeve ever figures out how to make Flaevynn’s scrying wall work so that she can see everything that happened before she regenerated, I suppose Queen Maeve could reverse the spell after all.”

  Tzader still hadn’t heard anything encouraging. “I hear a ‘but’ at the end of that.”

  Offering a grim smile, Ceartas nodded. “But we both know Queen Maeve will never lift a finger to save Brina.”

  This guy was still spot-on and every word from his mouth made sense. But what was his end game?

  With few options already, and time slipping through his fingers, Tzader had to consider any opportunity. He asked, “How do you know all this?”

  “You’ll understand by the time we have a deal and the dragon is free.”

  “How do you communicate with the dragon?”

  Ceartas stretched and crossed arms that bulged with roped muscles. “You’re wastin’ time on insignificant details. With Queen Maeve and the original Cathbad the Druid back in business, you’re dealing with a nasty pair. They’re plotting to undermine the Beladors in the human world, as a start. Queen Maeve is not the fool Flaevynn was. She has been around a long time, and is developing a strategy that will eventually win if left unchecked. By the time she pulls the last block out from under the Belador power base, it will be too late to stop her. Not even having Brina in Treoir will save the Beladors.”

  Tzader’s heart beat harder than it had while he’d fought. Could all of this be true? While he reeled from those statements, Ceartas pointed out, “However, if you lose Brina, the war is lost before it’s begun. The dragon will not lift a finger to help you or the Beladors if Brina is not protected from everyone who would do her harm, including Macha. And that will not happen if the spell is allowed to continue destroying Brina’s mind.”

  No one had considered that the Noirre majik was still influencing Brina. What if Flaevynn was the only one who could reverse the damage? A lead ball of disappointment landed in the pit of Tzader’s gut at that possibility.

  This guy claimed the dragon could help.

  Why would Tzader trust a stranger or some unknown dragon? He pressed his question again. “You still haven’t answered me. Who are you to know all this?”

  “I am the champion for a dragon who was cursed to remain in Tŵr Medb two thousand years ago. He remains there even now. Having no choice in the matter, he was present when Flaevynn created the Noirre spell your traitor cast upon Brina. The dragon heard Flaevynn talk about the traitor she used to deliver the Noirre attack. That dragon is the only one who can save Brina, and in so doing , also save the Beladors.”

  “Save the Beladors from what?”

  Turning a cold, gray gaze to Tzader, Ceartas asked, “Who wields the most power over the Beladors?”

  “Macha.”

  “That’s what she’d have you believe. Has she not lied to you time and again? Told you she couldn’t break the ward on the castle to allow you to be with Brina?”

  “How do you know that?”

  The warrior’s face turned grave. “The Medb know many secrets the Beladors believe are safe. You underestimated Flaevynn, and Brina was attacked. Don’t underestimate Queen Maeve and Cathbad. Let’s just say, if it has been spoken of in the queen’s chambers, the dragon knows it.”

  Fuck. Tzader rubbed a hand over his jaw. “What is the dragon’s interest in Brina?”

  “You keep asking the wrong questions.”

  “Not from where I’m sitting. How do I know this dragon will work in Brina’s best interests?”

  “If the dragon wished Brina harm, he merely has to remain silent and allow the mental damage to continue.”

  The guy had a point, but Tzader held his silence, waiting for more.

  “Tell me, Tzader, are you willing to be Brina’s
champion?”

  “That goes without saying. Of course I am.”

  “I believe you’re willing to face a tangible enemy, but will you go up against Macha to save Brina? Will you risk all to free the only one who can reverse the Noirre spell?”

  Tzader was torn between the hope that burst inside his chest and doubt over what it would take to fan that hope into an actual miracle.

  Still, he had to know more, even as he began calculating possibilities. “What’s stopping the dragon from leaving on his own?”

  “He pretended to be Queen Maeve’s sword arm many centuries ago so that he could get close enough to Maeve to save someone very important to him. When Maeve discovered what he was up to, she cursed him to spend the rest of his days as her throne. Then she killed the woman he was trying to protect.”

  “She turned a dragon into a chair?”

  Ceartas looked insulted. “This log we sit upon is a chair. The dragon’s shape is a throne.”

  Suspicion raced back and forth through Tzader’s thoughts, but damn he was desperate to have that Noirre spell broken. “Why have you waited until now to free the dragon?”

  “I’m a dream walker. That doesn’t afford me a lot of opportunity for conversation with a dragon whom Queen Maeve has not allowed to close his eyes for two thousand years. She only recently permitted him to rest, and only for short periods. Speaking of sleep, Brina is sleeping more often, isn’t she?”

  Tzader swallowed, not wanting to admit to the truth in that statement. He had no idea if it was the spell, or Brina preferring to stay in the dream world where she was happier and could hold on to her memories longer.

  Nodding confidently, Ceartas said, “The Tŵr Medb dragon had me wait until the right moment to make contact. Now that she sleeps more often, it is clear that time is running out.”

  “This isn’t the first time you’ve seen her here in the dream world, is it?”

  “No. I’ve been keeping up with both of you.”

  Tzader considered what he and Brina had just been doing when they’d believed they were alone.

  Ceartas must have picked up on Tzader’s thought path. He said, “I have not invaded your privacy with Brina. I can tell when your power blends that you’re having an intimate moment, and I do not intrude, but those intimate moments have not come often.”

  “That’s none of your business.” Tzader was not explaining why he’d avoided sex with Brina until she was whole again. He shouldn’t have to explain it to anyone who had a conscience.

  Placing his empty mug on the ground, Tzader crossed his arms and pressed for answers this guy hadn’t supplied. “I’ll ask again. Why did you wait until now?”

  “To be honest, I’ve been waiting for you. She sleeps far more often than you do, which means she’s here alone much of the time. The dragon demands I stand watch over her, so she’s been safe.”

  “Why does the dragon care about Brina?”

  “You may ask him when you free him,” Ceartas said, as if that was any answer.

  Tzader had been right to worry about the changes he’d recently noticed in her sleep patterns. “If I help you free this dragon throne, it will start a war between the Beladors and Tŵr Medb.”

  Amusement vanished from Ceartas’s face, and anger took up residence. “That war was launched many thousands of years ago. A river of blood has been spilled, and is nothing compared to what Queen Maeve will unleash once she has all her game pieces in place. Many have died, but war continues for the living long after the dead no longer fight.” His fists clenched and the ground shook. “If you fail to save the dragon, then you fail Brina. I will have no choice but to come for her. I will not kill her, but she’ll never wake again to suffer life with Macha.”

  Tzader was on his feet. He stared down at Ceartas and put venom in his voice. “Do that, and I’ll come for you with enough power to bring you down.”

  In the face of that threat, Ceartas actually seemed to relax. “You may return to the dream realm when you choose, but you’ll not find me, or Brina, if she is with me. The only reason you see me now is because I made myself visible to you. I can tell that you are not versed in the skills of dream walking. Nor could you learn enough to ever find me again.” He studied Tzader and added, “We both want the same thing. The dragon cares about Brina, and not in any way that would validate jealousy on your part so don’t waste energy posturing.”

  When the silence stretched again, Ceartas added, “This is about more than Brina’s memories, but that should be reason enough, considering what she means to the Beladors, and to you. If you make the wrong choice, the day will come when you’ll realize you could have protected her and all the Beladors. By then, no one will be able to help you, and Brina will be long gone from your life.”

  Tzader didn’t know if it was the months of strain from watching Brina struggle or the offer of hope, but he stopped fighting.

  Unshakeable walls were closing in on his future and on Brina’s salvation. “What is my guarantee that the dragon can break the spell on her and that he will?”

  “You want a guarantee? The only things guaranteed are that Brina will not survive this spell and that Macha will do what she deems best for Macha.” Ceartas paused, looking away in thought, then told Tzader, “What if, as a show of good faith, I tell you something no one except Queen Maeve, Cathbad, and the dragon currently know?”

  “I’m listening.”

  “The dragon has been privy to all things in the lives of every queen ruling Tŵr Medb for the past two thousand years. When Queen Maeve first cursed him into the shape of a throne, she wanted no one to have the ability to pass the secrets from one queen to the next. That’s when she made a rare miscalculation. Due to fear of one queen along the way gaining too much knowledge, Maeve added a caveat that the dragon could never be compelled to tell what he knew of the past. That means even Queen Maeve can’t compel him to share the history and secrets of past queens, which she’s going to regret.”

  “Not as much as I’ll regret starting a real-time war between the Medb and the Beladors and losing Brina if I make the wrong decision,” Tzader muttered. He’d fight the world to save Brina, but wouldn’t he put her at more risk with war?

  “There are many things you don’t know about the Beladors and the Medb.”

  Tzader gave him a blunt look of disbelief. “About the Medb, perhaps, but as to the Beladors, I beg to differ.”

  Ceartas raked a hand across his face, as if Tzader had said something that pinched a nerve. “Do you trust Macha?”

  Tzader started to say hell no, but in spite of all the grievances he had against Macha, he’d given his word to stand loyal to her, and would not sound disloyal in front of a stranger.

  He only said, “I’m a Belador, and we swear fealty to Macha.”

  Ceartas sat quietly for a moment. “Your loyalty is admirable, but you’ll soon find that it’s been misplaced and misused. I won’t share more at this time, but I will tell you that Queen Maeve and Macha are two sides of the same coin. I know this for a fact. Flaevynn’s attack on Treoir with the gryphons is nothing compared to what Maeve is capable of accomplishing. The only reason Flaevynn’s attack failed was because she didn’t know about Kizira and Quinn. Maeve suspects something, though, after viewing details of the attack using her scrying wall.”

  “Viewing what, specifically?” Tzader asked.

  “As the battle raged, Kizira stepped between Quinn and an attacking gryphon that mauled her. Quinn held her as she died. Maeve does not know everything yet, but she will not stop until she does.”

  Quinn, Tzader, Lanna, and Evalle had shielded that secret. If Ceartas knew about Quinn and Kizira’s child, he wasn’t saying. Tzader battled to decide whether he was impressed or concerned that this one man knew so much.

  Ceartas chuckled. “Don’t be surprised. The dragon knows about so much more than the secret love Kizira worked to hide from everyone in the tower. That’s why the dragon is the only one alive with knowledge of t
he Noirre attack on Brina. The traitor, who was Horace Keefer, by the way, held Brina and Macha responsible for the death of his family.”

  Horace had made that very accusation while he threw the Noirre spell on Brina and Lanna. Tzader ran back through his memory of the incident, picking out the people who could possibly know the traitor’s name and that particular detail. Lanna had been the only one other than Brina to hear Horace make those accusations. Tzader doubted the young woman had told anyone beyond Quinn or maybe Evalle.

  Neither of them would have said a word.

  The only way the Medb would know was if Horace told them himself.

  VIPER hadn’t even been informed as of yet. Tzader wanted to keep the details quiet in case Horace had an accomplice who was also in league with the Medb, and Macha had agreed with Tzader’s reasoning. Rats always deserted a sinking ship, so they’d put word out on the street that Horace, who’d been technically retired anyway, was taking an extended sabbatical out of the country.

  The more Ceartas said, the more support he built for the dragon’s case. He turned serious again. “Like I told you, Tzader, the war started long ago, and blood will be shed on both sides no matter what you decide. Queen Maeve is after Treoir. Always has been. You can’t take responsibility for a war with roots as deep as this one, but you can prevent Maeve from winning. The sooner you free the dragon, the better chance all Beladors will have of surviving. Have you not noticed how, from what I’ve related, the dragon shows no loyalty to either Maeve or Macha?”

  Tzader had noticed, but instead of admitting that, he asked, “And where does your loyalty lie?”

  “I serve the dragon’s family. I am the only one who can speak on his behalf at the moment, which is why he will honor any agreement I make for him. Keep in mind, I could have taken Brina many times over, and I could have killed you.”

  Ceartas might or might not know about Tzader’s immortality, but Tzader had a hunch the man was speaking truth. Still, he lifted an eyebrow. “You could have tried.”

  Ceartas smiled, not the least bit challenged. “Give me your word that you will free the dragon, and I will give you mine that I will do all in my power to keep Brina from harm in the dream realm while you’re gone. Also, I swear that once the dragon is free, he will reveal how to remove the Noirre spell on her. That is your guarantee.”