Hatch (The Dragons Of Laton) (35 page)

Theo jumped as if startled. “I’m sorry! I was so surprised to see Boris I'd forgotten about it!” He lifted the painting up for everyone to see. “We found this in one of the armory halls when searching for slugs. It’s titled King Halos, House of Les.”

El held up the shield that Ammon had dropped. “We also found this beside the portrait. It's the same insignia as what is on Ammon's ring.”

Boris whistled. “By the dragons teeth, it's a spitting image!”

Erik rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “How is this possible? Who is this King Halos?”

Sasha eased herself into a chair and took a deep breath. “Perhaps it is time to tell the story. I’ve suspected it since I first laid eyes on you, but please understand that I had to be sure. This land has already seen far too much angst in recent years to have their hopes dashed needlessly.” A sad look came into her eyes and she cleared her throat.

“Halos of the House of Les was the last king to sit on the throne before the Great Fall. He was not just the ruler of this city, but of all DoTaria. He was a good king and a great man, and I consider myself blessed to have counted him as a friend despite our differences. In the last days when the calentar mines ran out, the dragons could breathe no more fire. Halos ordered the knights to scatter throughout the countryside with their dragons in hopes that if enough of them survived, they might one day find a deposit of calentar and return to fight the slugs. Once the dragons were gone, the Kala-Azar began to prey upon the people instead. He ordered the city abandoned and stayed behind with his dragon to draw the Kala-Azar away so the people could escape. He was never seen again. Killed by the slugs no doubt and his dragon too.”

Theo and Ammon exchanged glances. Erik rested a hand gently on her shoulder and spoke softly. “I understand. I'm sorry, Sasha. It is the king’s duty to his people to protect them the best he can, no matter the personal cost.”

A tear trickled down her weathered cheek, and the years showed heavily in the creases of her face. A moment later she cleared her throat and continued. “The real question is something I've pondered since I first saw young Ammon. But to understand the present, you must first learn the past. You must have history records in Gaul, how far back do they go?”

Erik sat on the edge of his desk and frowned. “Most of the palace records go back only a few hundred years, some a bit further. The rest were consumed in a fire that nearly destroyed the entire city. The oldest records of anything in
Gaul would be the Book of Dragons which was kept in the Nest at the time so it was unscathed. It lists all dragons hatched and who they were linked to, for over nine hundred years at least.”

“I see. Interesting!” Sasha folded her hands on her lap and looked at Ammon curiously. “The records in the Laton library go back approximately two thousand years or more. Since coming back to the palace, I've been researching the histories and found some interesting events even I was unaware of. About nine hundred and seventy years ago, King Thaire of the House of Les announced his intentions to expand the DoTarian Empire. Under a misguided interpretation of an old prophecy, he sent men, women, and dragons out on a quest to explore and colonize the lands under his family’s insignia of the golden dragon. Several of the groups never were heard from again, one of which was led by his youngest son, Ethanel.

Ethanel was well educated in subjects concerning the earth and was credited with discovering many calentar deposits with his dragon who had the unusual Gift of Finding. He spent many years directing the mines. About the time of Ethanel's disappearance, there is a notation of a tremendous shaking of the earth that caused significant damage to the city. Many of the miners were killed when the tunnels collapsed, and it was believed Ethanel was one of them.”

She waved a long, bony finger between Ammon and the portrait. “Now I suspect Ethanel had tunneled beneath the mountains and discovered the land you call home. Intending to fulfill his father’s wishes to explore, he led a group of followers and dragons through the tunnel and became trapped on the other side when the tunnel collapsed. Unable to return, he established a colony, which you now call the
Kingdom of Gaul. Why he didn’t try to tunnel back I can only guess. It may have been difficult to convince anyone to step back underground after such a violent upheaval of the earth.”

Sasha paused. “What can you tell me about the families of
Gaul?”

Erik sat with his fingers laced together under his chin, and it was a long moment before he spoke. “As I had said before, the oldest records of the palace only go back a few hundred years. The Book of Dragons is the oldest, but doesn't give much information except the names of those who linked. I know the House of Les was old, very old. The last of its members were thought to have died about fifteen years ago, until Ammon appeared. I knew his parents well and he has many characteristics of his father. He also possesses a ring with the House of Les family insignia on it, which he has had since a child. It is the same insignia you see on that shield in front of you.”

Erik paused. “Considering the likeness of the portrait and the insignia, I think there is far too much coincidence here to simply dismiss. I have to believe what you say is true and that he is a direct connection between our two lands.”

Sasha nodded in agreement. “I too, fully believe it. Ammon must be the soul living survivor and descendant of Ethanel, son of Thaire from the House of Les. You must realize of course the significance of this?”

Erik nodded slowly.

Sasha pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Of course you will wish to see the records yourself, but the bloodline cannot be denied its rightful place. You may place a challenge in front of the Hall if you want to contest this.”

Erik stared at the portrait for a long moment, his brow furrowed in thought.

“No. No, I have no wish to contest it. The outcome would be the same regardless.” He smiled. “Besides, I have my own reason for wanting this. I have no need to review the records, the evidence before me is sufficient.”

Sasha folded her hands and tilted her head. “It is not without reservation that I also submit to it. After such a long separation, there will be differences between the lands. Hardship has torn DoTaria apart and there exists old feuds in the Houses that must be resolved. This unification will be a challenge beyond imagination.”

There was a long, uncomfortable silence in the room as the two contemplated each other’s words. Finally Ammon could stand it no longer. “What does all this mean?”

Erik looked up and studied Ammon's face for a long moment before getting to his feet. With a hand on Ammon's shoulder, he smiled a genuine smile. “It means that Tirate does not, nor ever had claim to the throne whatsoever!” He then slowly dropped to one knee, lifted Ammon's hand to his lips, and kissed the ring on his finger. With his head bowed, Erik's solemn voice echoed across the room. “I, Erik of the House of Thayer, swear allegiance to you, Ammon of the House of Les, King of Gaul!”

Ammon’s eyes widened in shock as gasps erupted from everyone in the room.

Sasha knelt beside Erik and firmly grasped Ammon’s hand and kissed the ring. “I, Sasha of the House of Celest, swear allegiance to you Ammon of the House of Les, King of DoTaria!”

One of the DoTarian knights dropped to his knees beside Sasha and grabbed her hand. “No my lady! This cannot be! Do not do this!”

Sasha turned and gave him a stern look. “Silence! Do not question my decisions or my motives, knight! I have waited many years for this moment, long before you were even conceived!”

Shamed, the knight hung his head and backed away, but not before Ammon saw him glance defiantly at him. Ammon felt his blood turn to ice and the hair on his neck stood on end. To make things worse, Boris painfully rose from his chair and knelt in front of him the best he could with his broken leg.

“Where the House of Thayer goes, so goes the House of Dejias.”

To Ammon’s dismay, one by one, everyone in the room knelt and proclaimed their alliance to him. He shook his head in confusion. This couldn't possibly be right! What were Erik and Sasha thinking? It seemed that the more his wished for a quiet, simple life in the country, the more it moved out of his reach. Even from across the room he could see the disgusted look on El’s face as she quietly slipped out the door. Well, at least she would still treat him the same old way.

***

From the palace windows, Ammon could see a stream of people filing through the city gates. As news had spread across DoTaria of the newly found deposits of calentar, the population of Laton began to swell. A few of the original elderly inhabitants returned with their descendants to reclaim their dilapidated houses. They flocked to the city dragging the few scant belongings they owned and waited as the city was gradually cleansed of slugs.

DoTarian Knights both young and old arrived daily on their dragons, eager to claim their share of the calentar. Fulgid enjoyed almost legendary status amongst the people of Gaul and many of the DoTarian’s, but a few cast cynical stares at the little dragon. Repairs had extended beyond the palace now to the city gates, streets, and buildings. The main roads were cleared and rubble removed by the ever-increasing number of hands moving into the city.

Ammon wrinkled his nose at the smell of an unwashed body, and he turned from the window as Sasha ambled down the hall towards him. “Ah!” she cackled. “You aren’t so easy to sneak up on are you?” She squinted at Fulgid sitting on Ammon’s shoulder and broke into a toothless grin. “Your new chambers are ready now! Come! Come!”

He sighed reluctantly and followed her down the hall. Since they’d moved out of the Hold a week ago and back into the palace, Erik and Sasha had insisted he should move into larger quarters. No amount of objecting could convince them otherwise, and finally he resigned himself to accept the fact that he had no say in the matter.

At the end of the hallway Sasha threw open the doors and stood aside as Ammon entered. The room was impossibly huge, with high rounded ceilings dotted with crystal chandeliers. Rows upon rows of highly polished tables and high-backed chairs completely filled the room except for a pace wide opening down the middle. At the far end of the room, on a raised platform was a heavily gilded throne encrusted with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. Ammon could only stare at the gaudy chair and wonder just how uncomfortable it would be to sit on.

Somewhere they’d found cloth to make curtains for the giant windows overlooking the vast courtyard. The ornate tapestries that decorated the room had been removed, cleaned, and returned to the walls in all their original splendor. Dragons embroidered with gold and silver thread decorated each one, and glittered in the sunlight that streamed from the tall windows.

Ammon swallowed, and his voice was faint. “These are my chambers now?”

Sasha cackled and shook her head. “No! This is the Hall of Knights. This is where you meet to hear and judge disputes that cannot be resolved by those who carry Honor Blades. Here you dispense justice, bestow honors, and sadly, decide the occasional war. The king’s chambers are in the next room.”

The old woman motioned him to follow her down the long isle. A few paces to the right of the throne was another set of doors where Erik and Theo stood waiting. Swinging them open, she stepped through and waited for Ammon to enter.

Ammon blinked in disbelief. His chambers were bigger than the Nest! The sitting room was lined with overstuffed couches and chairs that surrounded large ornate fireplaces on each of the four walls. Beyond the sitting room, through another set of double doors was his living room. A massive fireplace dominated the length of one entire wall, big enough to burn entire tree length logs. On the other walls were hundreds of books neatly stacked on shelves that reached to the ceiling. Large oil lamps with clear crystal lenses stood on elegant stands beside numerous chairs and couches that would easily sit a dozen people comfortably. Near one of the windows was a long polished desk inlaid with golden dragons across its dark wood surface.