Heart of a Kingdom Read online

  As the Queen and her escort arrived at the clearing, they finally got their first look at Jasper. He was huge and took up the entire clearing where not long-ago Dale had confronted Skarra. Dyanna and Kurtis were terrified, but took their cue from Libby, controlling their breathing and facial expressions. There was no way they were going to embarrass her, or themselves. Fintan’s eyeballs almost popped out of his head but he had a job to do and started writing, even though his hands were shaking. The sun reflected off Jasper’s black scales, which rippled with excitement when he saw Libby approaching.

  If Libby felt fear, she didn’t let it show. She remained mounted, her hair and cloak blowing slightly in the breeze. She was grateful Hoss didn’t show it, although she knew he was nervous. He was still as a stone–majestic, just like his rider. He’d be immortalized in Fintan’s poem as the horse of all horses.

  John looked at his friend with a hint of awe. As many times as he’d seen her both out on adventure and at court, he’d never seen her look so regal. “I want to remember this moment forever,” he said under his breath. “My Libby, badass Libby McGregor, is staring down a fucking dragon like it’s no big thing.”

  Libby’s voice rang out clear and strong. “Jasper of Shenyang. I am Queen Aisling Elisabeth McGregor, ruler of the Kingdom of the Talking Trees. You are trespassing on this land. You’ve accepted the challenge of a duel to the death. Are you ready to begin?”

  The low rumbling of his laughter was so loud it made her teeth rattle.

  “No, Queen.” He sneered. “A fight to your death would destroy me as well. I challenge you to the previously agreed upon duel of wit and skill. Once you accept the terms it becomes magically binding. Cheating or lying isn’t an option, and results in an automatic forfeiture of the round. The winner is the one who wins the majority of the five rounds. The loser will remain the lifetime prisoner of the winner. Do you accept my terms?”

  Libby paused as she thought about his offer. She realized this was the best possible outcome should she lose. With Michie’s coaching she understood that if she survived, the force field would also survive. This was the only way to ensure her people would survive until Dyanna or Kurtis were old enough to be installed as ruler, or Fynnigan figured out how to sever her attachment to the force field and attach it to the ley lines.

  “I accept the terms.” Libby dismounted, leaving her green cloak and crown on Hoss, who walked backward until he reached the other two horses, never taking his eyes off Jasper. She tied her blue hair back in one fluid motion and proceeded to approach the dragon, hand on the hilt of the katana at her hip. As the words left her lips, a scoreboard of light magically appeared on the edge of the clearing. Magically binding, indeed.

  Dyanna and Kurtis also dismounted, flanking their aunt. Kendra was holding her breath at the edge of the clearing, hands clenched until she realized her fingernails were cutting into her palms and willed them to relax. Harley came over and put her arm around her. The kids looked so grown up, and fierce. There was nothing more they could do to protect them. In fact, they no longer looked like they needed protecting. After months of hard physical training both now sported fit muscular physiques, despite their young age. It’s difficult for parents to look at their kids, no matter how grown they are, and not see them as the little ones they once had been. They were proud and terrified at the same time. Back at the palace, Connor and Corrine were holding hands and praying for the best. They would have to watch from afar. They’d have to wait to see if Libby won, if they survived.

  The first part of the duel, per Michie’s initial instructions, was the battle of wits and skill. That made no sense, but Libby trusted her. Libby locked eyes with Kurtis and motioned for him to begin. They’d been practicing and were ready. Fynnigan noticed the scoreboard and adjusted the angle of his phone to include it so those back at the palace could see.

  “First challenge,” Kurtis shouted, his voice cracking a little. “Science.” He didn’t need to shout for Jasper to hear him, but it made him feel better.

  So began the duel. There were five challenges total. Kurtis and Dyanna took turns announcing each round, and Libby and Jasper each had the opportunity to either ask a question or issue a skill challenge in the subject matter. If they both answered correctly, or incorrectly, the round was a draw. The first two rounds, science and music, were answered correctly by both. Back at the edge of the clearing, Geoffrey began to wonder what would happen if each round was a draw.

  “Third challenge,” Kurtis yelled. “History.”

  It was Libby’s turn to go first. She had no facial expression at all as she asked, “Name another reigning Queen to have survived the death of her King.”

  Jasper burst into laughter. “There was no such Queen. You are one of a kind Libby. And even your survival is still in question.” A small crooked smile tugged at her lips.

  “That is incorrect. In 169 A.D. Queen Mori Michie, of what is now Southern Japan, not only survived the death of her King, Mori Ryunosuke, she rose to become King.”

  “That’s not possible!” he sputtered. Jasper was stunned. He knew it was true the minute it left Libby’s lips, he just couldn’t believe it. Duels left no room for lies, so he knew Libby wouldn’t be able to make it up if it weren’t the truth. He glanced at the scoreboard and saw a large glowing red zero for his third round.

  This was Jasper’s first wrong answer. Dyanna looked closely at him, wanting to pump her fist and scream at him, “Take that you tiny-handed freak!” but that was inappropriate behavior for an heir to the throne and the Queen’s personal escort. So she stood still, one hand resting on the hilt of her sword, and the other on the holster of her pistol. She hoped her expression was neutral. If she lived long enough, she’d have to master how to do that. He seemed smaller. Maybe she was just getting used to being so close to him? No, she thought. I can see the ocean through the gap in the pine trees. I couldn’t even see that cluster of trees before. He is definitely smaller. How is this possible? Libby had also noticed his decreasing size and felt her confidence increase. It was working. Michie must’ve known this would happen and that’s why she emphasized confidence. She had to keep Jasper on the defense without allowing her confidence to waiver.

  Jasper was furious, but he still had a chance to draw the round if she got the question wrong. He decided on something obscure. “Who invented the Zhuge Nu, and why is it significant to Chinese history?”

  From the other side of the clearing Will yelled, “Yes!” Before remembering Jasper could hear him and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Girl, you know this one! Please remember this. I taught you this. You laughed at me, remember? You told me it was like algebra, useless in life! I told you one day it might come in handy. You know this!”

  Libby couldn’t hear Will, but the rest of the assembled knights and LIWs jumped when Will started playfully punching John, who was closest to him. Outbursts like that were unlike him.

  “What the fuck, Will?” John was annoyed and motioned for Will to be silent so he could hear.

  When Libby started smiling, they did too. They knew she remembered Will’s long-winded historical weapons lectures. Hope is a beautiful thing, and it’s contagious.

  “The invention of the Zhuge Nu[3] is often credited to Zhuge Liang, but that is incorrect. It was invented by Qin Chu in the fourth century B.C. as a self-defense weapon to be used by scholars and women. It quickly became the weapon of choice of female assassins and changed the course of warfare and assassination in China for centuries.”

  Jasper saw the glowing number one appear on the score board and howled with rage that she’d gotten the answer correct. This was not happening! That weapon had disappeared from use centuries before Libby had even been born. How could she possibly know that it was Qin and not Zhuge who’d invented it?

  Libby watched him get even smaller, as her confidence continued to grow. “I can beat him in our physical battle if he continues to shrink,” she thought. For the first time since she stepped into t
he clearing, she had the vision of Jasper in a small cage.

  Fynnigan slapped Will hard on the back, causing the Weapons Master to take an involuntary step forward. “Nice work, old man. I promise not to give you a hard time about your boring facts ever again. Well, at least until they get boring again.”

  Scarlett grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips, making him blush. “Good job, Will!”

  But there was no time to celebrate; the duel continued.

  “Fourth challenge,” Dyanna called out, “Magic.”

  Jasper was unaware that Libby had been working on this skill, or her abilities. Outside of her wizards, Scarlett, Geoffrey, and the Spirit Council, no one knew. Maggie and Michie had wisely advised Libby to keep this bit a closely guarded secret. Maggie was so nervous she could barely stay in phase. This was it. They’d see if all their coaching was enough.

  Libby challenged Jasper to cast a healing spell on a dying tree at the edge of the clearing. It was next to impossible for an evil heart, even in a magical being like a dragon, to create something so selfless and good. So while he could craft the mechanics of the spell, he was unable to get it to work. A second red zero appeared on the scoreboard next to his name. His second failure. But he was less concerned about this one since he knew it would be a wash. It was common knowledge Libby couldn’t do magic.

  Jasper knew about Libby’s love of music and couldn’t wait for the red zero to appear next to her name. “Okay, Pet, I challenge you to make music magic.” He laughed at the irony that what she loved so much would be her failure. He was smug, knowing that only a musician gifted in magic could do it. He knew Libby was neither.

  “Fucking hell!” exclaimed Maggie. They hadn’t studied this. At all.

  Libby gritted her teeth at the sudden and unwelcome reminder of Galen, who was the only one who had ever called her Pet. In an instant she was taken back to the anger, self-loathing and self-doubt she’d endured. She forced herself to breathe, and Maggie’s words made their way through the fog of the pain that had resurfaced with the memories. Libby fought to regain her center. The pain on her face was clear, but Jasper misread it, assuming he’d already won the round.

  The group assembled had fallen into anxious silence. Fintan didn’t know what to do, so in an uncharacteristically brave move, he unslung his mandolin off his back and started out into the clearing to give it to her. He wasn’t sure why; it wasn’t as if she could even play, but it was the only instrument they had. He stopped when she turned and motioned for him to go back. Back at the palace, eyes glued to the large monitor in the council chambers, Krystal and Sophia had instinctively reached out for each other. “This is it,” Krystal whispered. The wizards were terrified. They could only hope that Maggie had been teaching Libby this since neither of them could make music magic.

  Libby turned her gaze back to Jasper. She fished her rose quartz talisman out from where it hung under her shirt and held it in her left hand over her heart center and closed her eyes. She reached deep into her heart chakra, took three deep breaths, opened her mouth and began to sing. As she sang the words of “Feeling Good,” her favorite Nina Simone song, words that held so much meaning for her, she poured her life magic into them–a magic that came from pure love. Rose-colored light came pouring out of her into the clearing, drawing pictures of galaxies and flowers and rainbows and trees in the air, creating the back-up music for her song. She opened her eyes. The light of her magic filled the clearing with the faces of everyone she’d loved and lost–of Dale, her parents, her ancestors, and her baby Michael.

  During her time with Rohan she’d watched him closely. She’d observed how he wove magic despite never receiving any training or even being aware he had magic. She let her intuition guide her hands, and they wove the stories of those who rode with her and those she’d loved along the way, her friends and family, and the beauty of her Kingdom. Her music magic told her tale, a tale of love and loss and sadness and hope–the one that Fintan would later put into words.

  They could all see it, even those who had no magic. Awen made a mental note to research that, but for now she was too busy crying and trying to memorize everything she was witnessing.

  Fintan was stunned, his jaw hanging open like the village idiot. He wasn’t alone. Except for Larra, who had occasionally heard the Queen singing in the shower, only her immediate family knew she could sing. She’d never had the confidence to sing in front of anyone else, including Dale. The poet was mentally logging all of it, his terror about being so close to Jasper forgotten. Way to go girl, he thought to himself.

  “Fucking hell,” came out of John’s mouth. “Where did that voice come from?” He’d only ever heard her drunk singing along with pub bands, and that was nothing to write home about. “Who is this woman?” She never ceased to surprise him.

  Shocked silence and tears filled the council chamber. Sophia and Krystal were stunned by the magic they were witnessing. It was intuitive, untrained, and beautiful. They were both crying.

  “What’s happening?” demanded Ava. “What’s wrong?”

  Krystal whispered, “Sophia, she’s doing it. She’s making magic. Maggie was right. Oh my Goddess, it’s so beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it. Are you seeing this?”

  Sophia didn’t hear her as she had her fists pumping in the air, screaming, “Yes! Good girl, Libby! You’ve got this! I knew you could do it!”

  Corrine and Ava looked at each other slightly confused, but hopeful. They could see a pink glow surround their sister and fill the clearing but couldn’t see what Krystal and Sophia could see. Unlike the rest of the group in the clearing, the non-magic users on their side of the video link couldn’t see the images that surrounded Libby, but they knew by the wizards’ reactions it was good. They hadn’t heard their sister sing in years, but remembered she used to sing to them when they were little, years before she was Queen.

  When the song ended with pink fireworks filling the clearing, Libby turned back to smile at her closest friends waiting on the edge of the clearing. She winked, shrugged her shoulders, and turned back to Jasper for the final challenge.

  A glowing red one appeared on the scoreboard. By now Dyanna and Kurtis couldn’t help themselves, both were wearing the giant toothpaste-commercial grins they shared in common with their aunt. The look on Jasper’s face as he realized he was now as small as a Toyota only fueled their excitement.

  “What just happened?” demanded Cristina from the edge of the clearing.

  “Our Libby just won,” said Fynnigan, running his fingers through his blonde curls. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath.

  “Not yet, she didn’t,” said Scarlett, still anxious about the fighting to come.

  “Oh, yes, she did,” countered Fynnigan quietly. He knew she could do this.

  “Fifth and final challenge,” Kurtis called out. “Combat.”

  Libby looked at Jasper closely. She could see him for what he was, a small being who made himself bigger by cutting others down. He was still bigger than Libby, and his tail was his most dangerous weapon, but she knew she could defeat him. “It’s not a fight to the death,” she reminded herself. “I just need to get him to concede.”

  Jasper didn’t wait. He charged, tail on the attack.

  Libby dodged the first swing, but only just.

  Jasper laughed, and came in for another attempt. This time Libby was ready. She jumped over his tail to land on his back. Jasper couldn’t attack without risk of stabbing himself. He shook her off. Libby rolled and got to her feet quickly. Now she knew the weakness of his tail and had a strategy. She just needed to stay out of the way until she could make her move. She wasn’t counting on tiring him out. She’d normally be winded by now, but the music magic she’d created had unexpectedly made her stronger. She’d need to remember to ask Awen about that. Music magic was supposed to be symbiotic, feeding the listener and their response feeding the maker. She’d never heard of a musician healing themselves.

  Jasp
er was both angry and full of fear that Libby may actually defeat him, and he was getting reckless. Her father had always taught Libby not to rule with emotion, that emotion caused you to make mistakes. Logic and strategy were what kept you alive in a fight, but pride and fear go hand in hand and Jasper was making foolish choices.

  Libby finally saw her opening and ran at Jasper, cutting off the end of his tail with a smooth upward slice of her katana, all of her muscles moving with the memory of Michie’s battle skills. His howls could be heard for miles, and he continued to shrink in size.

  “Do you concede?” Libby demanded.

  Through the tears, Jasper bellowed, “Never! It’s a fight to the death.”

  “No. Those were not the terms we agreed to.”

  “I will never concede!” screamed Jasper defiantly.

  “Don’t be a fool,” Libby chided him. “You are weaponless. Concede.”

  “Never!” Jasper ran at her with his jaws open to tear her apart.

  Libby raised her sword. “So be it,” she said as the hilt of her sword caught him on the jaw, knocking him out cold. He was now the size of a large dog. Libby looked at Kurtis and nodded, and the young man quickly hogtied the dragon so that he’d be secure when he came to.

  The cheering on both sides of the video link was deafening, as the glowing red one appeared next to Libby’s name. Dyanna and Kurtis grabbed each other in an embrace before rushing to their aunt’s side.

  Libby stood there, still covered with Jasper’s dark blood, sword hanging from her limp arms. For Fynnigan it was déjà vu, seeing her just as he had when she’d saved him from the wolves. “Still my goddamned Warrior Goddess,” he said aloud to himself as he ran to her. Kurtis and Dyanna were ecstatic, but both could see she was close to collapsing. They each grabbed an arm to support her while she caught her breath. The rest of their group came running, whooping and hollering, into the clearing. Libby took the brief moment alone with them to quietly say, “Well done, you two. You’ve made me very proud.”