"I see.”
I watched the light play off Jaxtir's shield, and folded my lips together tight.
"Are you barring us, Lieutenant?”
Jaxtir shifted again. The shield shimmered in the sun and I bit the inside of my lip, drawing blood.
"No, sir. Not you, Captain—" Jaxtir began.
"As I am sure King Jusson and his Lord Commander would both be very interested in a lieutenant taking upon himself to refuse passage to an ambassador to his court.” Jaxtir's shield flashed green and blue.
Something tried to come up my throat and I swallowed it back down, hard. I must have made a sound, though, as Captain Javes looked at me, then faced Jaxtir again, lifting his quiz glass. The shield turned purple.
Lieutenant Jaxtir did some inspired thinking. "Perhaps this should go before the commander, Captain Suiden.”
"What should go before your commander?" the captain asked. "You gainsaying us?”
Maybe not so inspired. The lieutenant's eyes shifted to Laurel, whose ears were laid back on his skull. "If you would follow me, sir, I'll escort you to the commander.”
"Thank you." Captain Suiden nodded. "Ambassador Laurel, if you would, please?"
We started moving again.
"I wonder if you have seen our traveling companion, Doyen Allwyn of Gresh," Suiden said.
We stopped moving.
"A doyen from Gresh is traveling with you," Lieutenant Jaxtir said, his voice flat.
"He's going to Iversly to meet with the patriarch," Captain Suiden said. "I'm sure the letters with his itinerary were on the mail boat that passed us a few days ago." The captain paused. "He has gone to pay his respects to the Dornel doyen.”
"Doyen Orso." Jaxtir made a rough gesture to start his men moving again.
"Oh, is he still doyen here?" Captain Suiden indicated that we were to start moving too. "He's a relative of yours, isn't he, Lieutenant Groskin?”
"More of a connection, sir," Groskin replied. "Through some cousins' marriages, though as a child I called him uncle. I asked Doyen Allwyn to tell him that I was here. I'd hoped I could see him later."
"I'm sure that can be arranged, Lieutenant.”
Jaxtir rode a little ahead of Suiden, and the way he was positioned kept me from seeing his shield, but I kept darting glances towards it, like probing a bad tooth. Apparently, though, Captain Javes' view was unrestricted.
"I say, Lieutenant Jaxtir, that's an interesting shield you have there. What is it made of?”
Jaxtir glanced over his shoulder at Laurel. "Lizard skin, uh, Captain."
Bloody liar, I thought.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." Javes gave his silly ass smile. "I'm Captain Javes, also of the Freston garrison.
These are Lieutenants Slevoic, Groskin and Lord Rabbit ibn Chause e Flavan.” We stopped again as Lieutenant Jaxtir turned his horse around to stare at me. I smiled, showing my teeth, and watched the lieutenant's shield, now in front of me, flash delicate pink.
"He's going to see the king in Iversly, too, and whatever relatives may be hanging about.” Lieutenant Jaxtir's mouth parted in consternation. That last revelation must have put the last nail in the coffin of any plan to have us waylaid in an alley by thieves and cutthroats.
"The garrison, Lieutenant?" Captain Suiden said.
Jaxtir once more gave the signal, and our cavalcade began to move.
"So your shield's made from a lizard," Captain Javes said. "Is it standard issue here?" He peered through his quiz glass at the other Dornel soldiers. Their shields were just like the one I carried, except for the Dornel emblem on them. "Or are they only for officers?”
"No, sir, it's not standard issue," Jaxtir replied, facing straight ahead.
Javes turned his glass back on Jaxtir's shield. "How fascinating. I've never seen lizard skin like that. How did you come by it?"
"Can't recall, sir.”
"Really, Lieutenant? Well, that's amazing, what? To not remember how you got something so uncommon."
"Always had a poor memory, sir.”
Lieutenant Jaxtir tried to slip away the moment we were inside the garrison gates, to inform the commander of our arrival—he said—but Captain Suiden insisted on going with him and taking us along.
"Oh, and bring your shield too, Lieutenant," Javes said.
We all walked into the commander's office, Jaxtir carrying his accoutrements.
"Commander Ystan, this is Captain Suiden and Captain Javes of the Freston garrison," Jaxtir said. The commander rose from his desk as the army part of our group saluted while Laurel, despite being ignored, began to bow—only to snap upright at my gasp. Instead of mail, Commander Ystan wore a hauberk made of the same material as Jaxtir's shield. Laurel Faena roared.
"This is my fault, honored captain," Laurel said.
Captain Suiden didn't argue with him. We were in a room waiting for Commander Ystan, with guards stationed outside.
"I shouldn't have been surprised, especially after seeing the lieutenant's shield.” At Laurel's roar, troops burst into Commander Ystan's office as Lieutenant Jaxtir pulled his sword and accused us of trying to attack the commander. Which was kind of hard to prove as we stood with empty hands in plain sight on the other side of the room.
"Commander Ystan," Captain Suiden said, ignoring Jaxtir. "I am here by order of Commander Ebner of the Freston garrison.”
"Yes, um— Got the dispatches a few days ago." Commander Ystan blinked at us.
"Then you know that it's a matter of some urgency.”
"We also know that there's a large, unpredictable magical that may have just tried to do something—magical," Jaxtir said, his sword pointed at Laurel. He turned his head to look at Ystan, who still stood blinking behind his desk. "I suggest, sir, that we place them under guard until we are able to sort everything out.”
Captain Suiden said nothing as we were escorted to another room and guards placed outside our doors.
But his look could have filled a library.
"The skin the commander was wearing and Jaxtir's shield came from one of Dragoness Moraina's brood, sir," I now said. "Dragon Gwyyn. He was an ice dragon.” "Whom you played tiddlywinks with as a small lad," Slevoic said, throwing himself into a chair.
"No," I replied. "Gwyyn had a territory in the Upper Reaches by the time I was born. But he would visit his dam." I looked back at Suiden. "He was a poet, sir, and would give recitals every time he came.”
Laurel rumbled and a guard looked over his shoulder at us.
"He should have lived for centuries. Longer," I said. "Dragoness Moraina is approaching her millennium.
A thousand years of such poetry as to make even a snot-nosed boy yearn and dream. Dragons don't read or write, sir. It's all oral, passed down from master to pupil. Now everything Gwyyn knew, everything he was is gone. And they used his skin for undergarments and shields."
Both guards were now looking into the room at us.
"I am sorry for it, Rabbit, Sro Laurel," Captain Suiden said. "I am truly very sorry. But we can't do anything for him or Sra Prudence. We can, however, do something for Sra Moraina's other offspring—if we can get to Iversly.”
Laurel rumbled again. "It's not for protection that I am going to see your king." He looked worried. "And I am not sure it's not a fool's errand I'm now on."
"What do you mean?" asked Captain Javes.
"I am here to stop a war, but after today I don't know if I can." He ran a paw over his head, ruffling his beads and feathers. "Do you think that honored Moraina doesn't know what has happened to her son?
Or will soon know?" He looked at me. "And what do you think will happen when the elves find out?"
"Elves," Groskin said.
"Elves live longer than dragons," I said. "Forever, barring fatal injury. They remember when they lived in Iversterre—and how they were driven out." It was my turn to look worried. "The northern clans still read their death rolls on their holy days. None of them like the kingdom very much. Or humans.”
The Dornel guards were now in the room. Captain Suiden glanced at them, then paced to the window.
Moving aside the curtain, he revealed two more guards, who looked back at him.
"I need someone to find your commander and get him here now," Suiden said.
"Who'll go?”
"I'll go, sir," said a voice from the window, and we heard footsteps hurrying off.
"It's not just what's going on back home that concerns me," Laurel said after a moment, "but also what we've found so far on our journey. If this is what's in the provinces, what's going on in the Royal City?”
Commander Ystan and Lieutenant Jaxtir showed up a short while later, accompanied by Doyen Allwyn, another doyen, and the governor of Dornel. Apparently the fine art of spying was practiced in Dornel also. There was rustling in the bushes as the guard resumed his post outside the window once more. He wasn't about to give up one of the best seats in the house.
Ystan had removed the dragon skin and now wore regular chain mail under his tabard. He clinked as he walked in, Jaxtir by his side and the others behind him.
"Captain Suiden—”
"Groskin, my boy. How are you?" The second doyen had a rich, rolling baritone and it rolled over Ystan as he swept around the commander and caught Lieutenant Groskin in a bear hug.
"Uh, grace to you, Doyen Orso," Groskin grunted. He managed to get free and tried to smooth out his crushed tabard.
"Faugh! No need of formality between us, eh, nephew?" Orso grinned and slapped Groskin's back, sending him stumbling. "How's your mother?"
"She's well, uncle," Groskin said.
"And your father?"
"He's well also."
"And your brothers? Sisters?"
"They are well, uncle."
"I am Governor Somne," the governor said, breaking into what promised to be a long cataloguing of the Groskin clan. She bowed. "Grace to you and welcome to our fair city, Ambassador Laurel"—she turned to me—"and Lord Rabbit ibn Chause e Flavan.” The spy network was working overtime. Laurel Faena and I bowed back.
Doyen Orso rolled again. "Now, what's this about my nephew being under arrest?”
"And Lord Rabbit and Ambassador Laurel?" Governor Somne added.
"Um—" Commander Ystan started.
"They're not under arrest," Lieutenant Jaxtir said. "There was an incident and now we're conducting an investigation."
Doyen Orso rolled on. "What was this incident?"
"It's an internal matter," Jaxtir said.
"Fine," said Governor Somne. "In the meantime, Ambassador Laurel will remove to the Governor's House.”
"I'm afraid we cannot allow that, Governor," Jaxtir said. "The incident involves the—this—it.”
"Ambassadors do not and never have come under the army's jurisdiction, Lieutenant," the governor said.
"We have only these people's word that it is an ambassador," the lieutenant returned, his voice smooth.
"Commander Ebner has sent documents to you, Commander Ystan," Captain Suiden said.
"Uh—" the commander started.
"Unfortunately," Jaxtir said, "documents can be forged. With what happened this afternoon, I'm afraid that the commander has decided that everyone should remain in custody until they're verified.”
"What did you do, nephew?" Doyen Orso asked Groskin.
"I'm afraid that's confidential—”
"Ambassador Laurel and Lieutenant Rabbit got upset because the commander was wearing a friend's skin," Groskin said, interrupting Jaxtir. He looked at the lieutenant. "You don't impress me, boyo."
"You've disobeyed a direct order—"
"Seems to me that I haven't heard one yet." Groskin folded his arms.
"A friend's—" the commander began.
Doyen Orso and Governor Somne drowned him and each other out.
"Please stop, gracious sirs," Captain Suiden said, and everyone quieted. He turned to Ystan. "I'm sorry, Commander, what were you saying?” The commander, seeing that his moment wasn't going to be usurped, blurted out, "A friend's skin?”
"Your hauberk and Lieutenant Jaxtir's shield are made from the skin of the son of a good friend of Ambassador Laurel and Lieutenant Lord Rabbit," Suiden replied.
Ystan turned to Jaxtir. "Said it was lizard skin."
"Dragon, sir," I said. "He was a great poet."
"It was what I was told, sir," Jaxtir said at the same time.
"A new design. From the Royal Armory. Impervious to arrows and other missiles," Ystan said.
Hell, I thought.
"If I may, honored commander, I would like to know about the pirates," Laurel said.
Everyone quieted once more at the sudden jump from dragon skin to outlaws.
"Such strong rumors of sieges and raids. Do you have any proof that these attacks actually happened?”
Ystan opened his mouth, waited, and when no one else spoke, said, "Jaxtir's cousin's sister's best friend—”
"No, honored commander. Have you seen any evidence of pirates at all? Burning farms, looted warehouses, commandeered ships?”
"No," Ystan said. He looked at Governor Somne, who shook her head.
"Honored elder, have you?”
"Why, no," Doyen Orso said. "Not personally." He frowned. "Nor, if I remember correctly, have any of my parishioners."
"I have—" Jaxtir began.
"Where? On whom?" Laurel asked. He indicated the commander, governor and doyen. "Give names and places that they'd recognize."
"Uh—”
"There are no pirates, are there, Lieutenant?" Laurel asked.
"Uh—”
"And when the word comes in of a pirate sighting, the patrols are sent out to chase will-o' -the-wisps at noon, no?" The Faena noticed the puzzled faces. "Sent on an useless errand so as to be kept out of the way." Laurel turned to the governor and commander. "I am most curious as to the timing of these supposed raids."
"What do you mean?" Governor Somne asked.
"Smugglers use the dark of the moon to move their goods," Captain Suiden said.
It was silent as the commander and governor counted the days of the month. Governor Somne's mouth then opened in an "Oh" of enlightenment. "Yes." Her eyes matched in roundness as she stared at Lieutenant Jaxtir. "The pirate sightings are at the new moon.”