Heart of a Kingdom Read online

  Bright colored bunting draped most surfaces, and everyone wore similar vivid colors to celebrate the King’s life. Even the Queen wore bright colors instead of her normal dark blue, although she’d dyed her hair dark blue for the occasion. She’d hated the glaring white reminder that Dale, and life as she knew it, was gone every time she looked in the mirror. After all the formal words were said, the Queen shakily stood up to speak. Corrine felt the pangs of nervousness. She wasn’t sure Libby would be able to get through it.

  Corrine handed her sister the speech Libby had written earlier, and the Queen addressed her people.

  “Citizens of the Kingdom of the Talking Trees. On behalf of our family I thank you for being here today to honor the life and legacy of our King, Dalen Martin McGregor. In life, he possessed a strong will, a loving heart, and fierce drive to protect those he loved. And he loved all of us. All of you.

  “It is true that we face a great challenge in the days that lie ahead. I will not lie; the odds are against us. But I vow to you, as I stand here before the body of my King, that I will fight to the very end, just like he did. I challenge you to make the most of every minute of the life we’ve been given, the life that has been stolen from our King. Live now. Live every minute of every day. Do it for Dale. I know I will.”

  The population was afraid but put all their hope in their Queen. It wasn’t like they had any other choice. The Queen’s knees buckled, but Sophia and Awen kept her from falling, so few people noticed.

  Corrine signaled the orchestra to play one of the King’s favorite songs, “Into the Mystic.” Then John, as Queen’s Knight Grand Champion, fired a burning arrow and set the pyre alight. Sophia gave the flame a little magical boost, and the pyre was instantly engulfed. As all eyes were on the rainbow flames, Ava and Corrine quickly got the Queen back inside where she collapsed, sobbing, in her bed while her beloved was returned to ash.

  The banquet that followed the funeral was exactly what Dale would have wanted. It was a party for the ages. There was feasting, music, and the Queen’s dear friend and Poet Laureate, Fintan O’Toole, read the epic tale he’d composed about King Dalen’s great deeds. It was a party Dale would have loved. It was only missing two people– Dale and Libby.

  Love of mine

  Someday you will die

  But I’ll be close behind

  I’ll follow you into the dark

  No blinding light

  Or tunnels to gates of white

  Just our hands clasped so tight

  Waiting for the hint of a spark

  If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied

  illuminate the no’s on their vacancy signs

  If there’s no one beside you when your soul embarks

  Then I’ll follow you into the dark

  I’ll follow you into the dark

  ~Death Cab For Cutie, “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”

  Libby woke up screaming. Again. It had become a nightly occurrence. As soon as her dream lessons ended, she was once again susceptible to the night terrors, but they couldn’t do lessons all night. Her brain waves needed a break. The LIWs were used to it by now, but it was still unsettling. They knew she desperately needed sleep. She couldn’t remember anything, couldn’t focus for long, and struggled to complete a thought. She was drifting inwards. She was no longer a person they recognized. They’d never seen anything like it, and the Wizards couldn’t find any reference in the library, so relied on Michie and Maggie for guidance. The LIWs didn’t know how to help.

  Libby dozed most of the time or sat with her eyes closed. People left her alone because they were worried about the force field, and no one really knew what to say or do anyway. Even Fintan, one of her best friends, stopped coming by to see her. She didn’t talk to anyone about what she saw in the night terrors. The LIWs only knew about them because they were her personal protectors.

  She was desperate. Libby knew she needed to get some sleep but couldn’t bring herself to ask for help. Instead, she took to self-medicating. When she couldn’t get her hands on the uisce beatha, she’d dig into her whiskey or bourbon stores. A small part of her sleep-deprived brain knew that mixing alcohol and the sleeping potion Sophia had cooked up for her was a bad idea, but it numbed the pain and helped her fall asleep, however briefly, so she kept doing it.

  Most nights she would wake up just after falling asleep. The dream lessons were a lot shorter than they felt. This night, it wasn’t even an hour. She was groggy and frustrated and exhausted. Not thinking clearly, she helped herself to more sleeping potion, washing it down with the last of the uisce beatha. She smiled when she saw Dale standing at the foot of her bed. He was nodding and smiling with approval.

  Finally, she thought. “I’ve missed you. Please visit me in my dreams,” she pleaded as she drifted back to sleep.

  Dale stood there, feeling useless and afraid. “Ash!” he screamed, “What are you doing? I told you not to do that! Why did you do that?”

  Dale watched, helpless to do anything. He saw her breathing slow, then stop as the deadly mix of drugs and alcohol took effect.

  “No!” he screamed. “No! It’s not your time! Wake up! Ash! Wake the fuck up! No! Aisling! Libby!”

  Libby was dreaming. It’s a miracle how the brain’s synapses continued to fire even after the heart stopped beating. In her dream she could see Dale outside the window. She was happy that he’d come to visit her like she’d asked. But he was so angry. He was pounding on the glass, screaming her name. She was confused and afraid. At the moment the glass shattered she awoke choking, gasping for air. She could still hear the sound of the glass breaking and shards hitting the floor.

  Dale. She could still hear his voice screaming her name.

  She started crying as she realized that she’d been dying, and Dale had brought her back.

  “Why, Dale? Why wouldn’t you just let me join you? I didn’t do that on purpose, but if it meant us being together you should have just let it happen.”

  But Libby’s sense of obligation to her people was strong, and as soon as the words left her lips, she regretted them. Her selfish desire to be with Dale would cost everyone their lives. As much as she wanted to be with him, she knew he’d done the right thing. That didn’t make it hurt any less.

  Now that she was awake, she couldn’t hear him anymore. She couldn’t hear the alarms blaring in the spirit world as they felt their realm start to fade. She didn’t know that the Council had jumped into action to grab Dale and that he was getting an ass-chewing like no other. She heard the alarms blaring in the palace as the force field was fading, but her sudden start awake stabilized it.

  Kokichi was livid when he found Dale. “I warned you!” he yelled. Kokichi never lost his temper, so Dale was a bit surprised. “I warned you to leave her alone, that you weren’t ready and would screw it up! But no, you had to do it your way. I can’t believe you are such a selfish fool! Baka!”

  Dale knew Kokichi had to be furious for him to yell out the worst insult the Japanese can give. Baka meant fool and was serious. In all the years he’d known Kokichi he’d never heard him utter the word.

  “Selfish? For wanting to tell her I’m okay and that I’m still with her? She’s so sad and I’m trying to comfort her!” Dale yelled back. “And I saved her!”

  “You almost killed her! I warned you that when spirits try to communicate with the living, before they’ve learned how to do it properly, it’s haunting. When you visit her in dreams, she doesn’t see the healthy you or hear the words you are trying to say. She sees the visions she had of you at your death. The ugly, gory, bloody images of you. She thinks you blame her for your death. She’s not sleeping because that’s when you visit her. Don’t you remember how much you hated her nightmares when you were alive to protect her? She has no one there at night now. This is your fault! Tonight, she thought you were encouraging her. You idiot!”

  Dale visibly paled. “I miss her! She misses me! She’s been asking for me. She has to
know I love her still.”

  Kokichi sighed and said bluntly, “She doesn’t. Out of everything she questions, which is almost everything, whether you loved her is one of them. I know you mean well, but you’re going to kill her, and everyone in your kingdom and our realm if you don’t stop. I promise you that the day will come when you can communicate with her clearly, but until that day comes you must leave her alone. You can observe, but no communication attempts or you will kill her. Promise me.”

  “I promise.” Dale hung his head in shame and guilt. He missed her. He hated seeing her so miserable and was just trying to comfort her. But Kokichi was right. She was all alone now. He wasn’t there to protect her from the bad dreams. Now he was one of them. He shook his head in disbelief. How had this happened?

  “Babe,” he whispered, “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I’ve failed you. I’m sorry I left you all alone. Please forgive me. I have to leave you alone a while longer, but it’s because I love you. Please don’t doubt me. Have faith.”

  Maggie had come to Krystal and given her specific instructions on what to do after Libby’s failed accidental suicide so she waited until Libby was in the council chambers for a meeting and, with the help of two of the LIWs, entered the queen’s bedroom. While the LIWs cleared the room of liquid spirits, the wizard cleared the room of the other kind. She was sweating and wobbly by the time she’d finished.

  No wonder Libby’s been a mess, she thought to herself. The energy in here is awful. She made a note to have the room cleansed daily and to place a huge order for white sage. Ironic. It’s Libby who’s creating the bad energy without knowing it. It’s time to get that girl to finally face her gifts and learn to use them. She’d resisted her whole life, but now it was time for her to do it for the greater good. Krystal was going to teach Libby everything she knew whether she wanted to learn it or not. With Maggie O’Brien’s spirit constantly hounding Krystal, there was no way she was getting out of it.

  Chapter

  The Dragon

  Michael looked at one of the monitors, “Well, word is obviously out. Has anyone else seen the dragon off Donegal?” All eyes turned to look at the map. Sure enough, there was Jasper. He’d been waiting. He’d had his eye on Queen Libby for decades and sensed his chance. The force field continued to weaken, with significant damage caused during the few minutes Libby’s healing heart had stopped beating. It was just a matter of time before it went down completely.

  Jasper had left Shenyang and was camped out on the edge of the Kingdom, on a small uninhabited island just off the coast where it overlapped with Donegal. Every now and again he’d tap the force field with his tail just to watch it quiver like a Jell-o mold and laugh, clapping his tiny hands. He hated strong women who refused to be intimidated by him, and Libby had laughed at him one too many times. Oh yeah, she was going down. He’d have her begging him to save the kingdom before he was done with her.

  The Queen’s Council, which included Geoffrey, Sean, Scarlett, Catherine, Awen, Sophia and the Spirit Council convened in the council chambers to discuss options. Libby was still on oxygen.

  Libby began with, “We all know why we’re here. I don’t have the energy for formalities so let’s just get to it. Geoffrey, the assessment?” Her words were barely audible over the sound of the oxygen machine keeping her alive.

  “The knights and engineers are doing regular border inspections of the force field, and Fynnigan Van der Linden is working with the engineers so that any possible repairs are as strategic as possible. I can see why you like him so much. young Fynnigan is brilliant. We anticipate we have a matter of weeks, if not less, before Jasper and any other threats breach the border. We’ve given the local residents the option to relocate to the palace or return to the Normal world. We don’t have any known way to fight or defeat a dragon of his age. By his size alone, he must be ancient.”

  Awen jumped in, “There is no way Libby will be able to fight a dragon in just a few weeks. It’s too soon; she’s not ready.”

  Teruyo chimed in, “That is correct. But the confrontation will happen. What we must do is find a way to buy more time.”

  “How do we do that, Grandma?”

  Michie cleared her throat and all eyes turned to look at her. “Dragons are cunning and proud. They are also sticklers for tradition and rules. I propose you challenge him to a duel.”

  Whir-pump-whir-pump went the Queen’s oxygen machine, the only sound in the room as they all processed Michie’s suggestion.

  “Libby will agree to fight him alone, beginning with a battle of wit and skill, ending with an actual physical fight. By calling the duel, she will get to choose the time and place.”

  Geoffrey’s eyes narrowed as he started to grasp what she was proposing. “How far out can we push it?”

  “One year would be the maximum that tradition would allow.”

  “Okay. Do it,” wheezed Libby.

  “Libby, perhaps we should explore other options,” started Scarlett. “You’re talking about a physical fight with a dragon! Even a year from now that is insane.”

  “No. There are no other suggestions, and it has to be done. This gives me time. It gives the entire kingdom a fighting chance.” She looked at Michie.

  “Grandmother, can we trust Jasper not to attack until the duel?”

  “Yes. As far as one can trust a dragon. At the moment, it’s the only option we have.”

  “No. Absolutely not!” Interrupted Sean. “Have you all forgotten we’re fighting to keep Libby alive? If she is killed by a dragon it means death to everyone. The heirs are too young, even a year from now, to be bound to the force field. There is no way she can duel a dragon. It has to be someone else.”

  “There is no one else,” snapped Michie. “It must be a Queen. The Queen,” she corrected herself. “The duel has specific rules that must be adhered to. And you know that Jasper will accept no one else. There are precautions we can take, including magical ones. And Libby has a year to study and train. Libby must be the one to face the dragon.”

  That last was said with a vehemence that surprised even Libby. She looked at Michie with a question in her eyes before turning to face Sean. “We don’t have any other options and are running out of time. Sean, by issuing the duel we give ourselves a year to figure something out. Maybe even how to separate me from the forcefield without destroying it. I don’t like it any more than you do. Trust me.

  Sean glowered at the rest of the Council members but remained silent. If the Spirit Council had reservations, they didn’t show it. Those that were alive couldn’t have hidden their opposition to this plan even if they’d tried.

  Libby nodded at Geoffrey and the rest of the Council took over planning the duel terms while Libby sat back and closed her eyes.

  And just like that a third item was added to Libby’s To-do List: Step 1: Don’t die. Step 2: Regrow her heart. Step 3: Defeat a dragon.

  She sighed and reached her thoughts out to Dale. I don’t know if you can hear me. I’m not sure I can do this. I’m going to try my best, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to die. If it weren’t for our people, I’d have already given up just so I could be with you again. Where are you? Why can’t I see you? I can see the others, just not you. I just want you to be happy and at peace, but damn I miss you. It was always you and me against the world. Together we were unstoppable. Alone... I don’t know what I am anymore. I don’t know who I am anymore.

  “Libby? Earth to Libby?” She opened her eyes when she realized someone was speaking to her. Her Council was looking at her with concern.

  “I’m alright, just resting my eyes.” She winked at her dad. That was always his favorite response when he’d get caught napping. He gave her a big toothy grin in reply. “What’s the plan?”

  She couldn’t know that Dale was standing right behind her, tears running down his face. It pained him to let her believe he was gone and not to respond, but he’d promised Kokichi, and he wouldn’t risk her safety further.

  Two d
ays later the Queen’s envoy set out for Donegal to deliver the challenge. Larra as the Queen’s personal bodyguard and John as Queen’s Knight Grand Champion, departed after hours of protocol review with Michie. It was critical to follow it to the letter. Any mistakes could give the dragon the upper hand. They rode out to the border to meet with Jasper.

  Neither of them spoke much until they reached the edge of the Kingdom that currently overlapped the coast of Donegal. That was when they got their first glimpse of Jasper, sunning himself on a secluded beach.

  “Holy fuck!” John exclaimed. “It’s an honest to goodness fucking dragon. Libby is going to have to fight that thing. Oh my God. This is a terrible idea.” He was speaking way too fast.

  “Be silent. They have excellent hearing. Do you remember the protocol Michie explained?” Larra spoke softly to get him to calm down.

  “Yes. Sweet Jaysus, it’s a fucking dragon. I can’t believe dragons are real.”

  “Get ahold of yourself, man.”

  “Fuck me. Okay. Let’s do this.” He reached up to pull his shoulder-length blonde curls back into a band and out of his face. He wanted to make sure he could see everything.

  They dismounted and left their nervous horses behind to continue through the force field on foot.

  As they got closer to the beach, they could see him clearly. He was bigger than a two-story house. Black scales glittered in the sun. The end of his tail was a tip that one could only guess was as sharp and lethal as that of an arrow. He had pale silver fur scattered haphazardly on his head. Dwarfed beneath his huge leathery wings, he had tiny arms and claws, like a T-rex, surprisingly disproportionate to his massive size. They wouldn’t want to get close enough to them to find out how much damage they could do, but both were assessing any potential weaknesses they could bring back to Libby.