Chapter 54

My eyes could not believe the paper we were reading. It was the page of a book I was looking for. Granted it was only a page, but it was an essential page.

A page that could secure our war win.

"Where's the rest of the book? The rest of the commands?"

Galen continued to dig in the drawer but we found nothing.

"Perhaps they only stole this page. I am unsure why they would do that, through."

"Who knows, they're pirates." I said.

I folded up the paper and stuffed it in my coat. The paper carried such importance. Samuel was no longer the only one who could control the unrest dragon.

"Alright, let's go. We must go to Darlington, then head home. It's time this war ends."

We rejoined Orion and the pirates. Orion looked at me, waiting for my command.

"Let them go. We found what we needed." I said.

He lowered his sword and untied them. They got up after a few stumbles.

"Since there's no king in Dewsbury, we should head to Darlington. See if the Darlington king knows what happened to everyone. Let's go before Samuel gets here."

Orion nodded and we approached the castle door.

Skullbeard stopped me. I reached for my sword.

"Easy there. Just wanted to know what you took."

"Nothing that was of use to you. Get your drunk asses out of here before I change my mind." I snapped, having no tolerance.

We parted ways by land and sea. We watched the pirates begin to drift off into the ocean. We left the desolate town and left the way we came.

"Darlington always follows the lead of Dewsbury. Perhaps Darlington is empty too." Orion said.

"We have to go back that way regardless. Might as well see if we can get any further assistance."

I rode next to Orion on our way back, the dagger fresh in my mind. Galen rode ahead, giving us the slightest bit of privacy.

"Orion. I found something in the Captain's quarters. I'm not sure if you'll want it."

"What is it?" He asked.

I pulled out the Vendov dagger and handed it to him.

He examined it, flipping it over to discover his sister's name.

"How. How would pirates get this? It doesn't make sense?"

"It's your sister's, right?"

"Yes. It was. I gave it to her when my father sent her to live with her scumbag Salkon husband. I had it made for her. I told her to protect herself. How the fuck did they get it?"

His hands tensed the grip on the reigns as well as the dagger.

"I'm sorry, Orion. I don't know how they got it. They're pirates, they could have gotten it from anywhere."

He was silent for a moment. His eyes could not part from the dagger. His finger grazed over his sister's inscribed name.

"I didn't mean to bring you pain." I said to him.

"I know, Zander."

His head lifted.

"I could get rid of it if you want."

"No, no. I'll keep it. In honor of her. And to remind myself why I keep fighting. To destroy my father, and bring justice to my sister." He put the dagger in his belt.

"Thank you for taking the time to find this. I miss my sister's so much. I hope I can find my younger sister, wherever my father sent her to."

"You never told me your younger sister's name." I said.

"Vinny. Vin. I haven't seen her in so long, I haven't gotten a clue what she may look like. What she acts like. If she hates mushrooms too."

"You will find out what she's like. Once this war is over. And I can feel it, it'll be over soon."

My determination for the fight returned with the power of the torn out page. I felt like Vendov still had the upper hand with the unrest dragon. My dragon abilities were too unpredictable. But with my dragon powers and controlling the unrest dragon, I felt unstoppable. Their armies may have been larger, but we had two dragons. And Samuel had no idea.

Orion wanted to stop to rest, but I was determined to continue on our journey. Dewsbury had to be put behind us.

"Aren't you tired?" Orion asked as we rode through the night.

"I just want to be to Dewsbury, then Belmonte."

"Miss your wife?" He asked.

"Of course. And I'm ready for this war to be over."

"I think we all feel similar, but I don't think the war is going to end just because we have a few allies. Vendov has more soldiers than us, and a dragon that Samuel controls."

I freed the paper from my shirt and passed it to Orion. He peered down at it in the dark, struggling to read it.

His eyes lit up when he processed the words.

"Is this.. Dragon commands?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Galen said my connection is stronger with the dragon, so I may be able to control it more than Samuel." I said.

"You found this on the pirates ship as well?"

I nodded.

"Samuel will know how betrayal feels when the dragon turns on him." I said.

"Wow, I guess going to Dewsbury wasn't a waste of time."

"Do you think you'll be able to ride through tonight?" I asked him.

"For you, Zander, I can do anything."

Orion picked up the pace of the horse. My heart dropped on his words, a sensation I should have been used to.

It was late the next day we arrived in Darlington. It had a remarkable, artistic landscape. Quaint farms spread across the rolling, golden hills. Chickens, cows, and crops were fenced in the farms.

It was the most tranquil kingdom I had the pleasure of traveling through.

The sun was setting over the beautiful landscape. The air smelled like fresh hay, a scent I didn't know I would come to enjoy.

The castle was much simpler than the elaborate ones I've seen. It was brown, leaves were growing up the towers and onto the sides.

The castle grounds were protected by a wooden gate. I looked up at the tall door. Galen knocked on it.

"Who goes?" A shrill voice asked on the other side of the gate.

"King Zander of Lafayette. I need to speak with the king."

The gates opened with no resistance. I was surprised to see my identity wasn't verified, that they let anyone in.

A colorful array orange, red, and yellow flowers blossomed in front. Other plants outside were meeting an autumn fate and began dying off. I could imagine the very green landscape the castle had in the warm months.

The shrill voice guard took our horses and granted us access into the castle. The compliance was unexpected.

We stood in the throne room, where we were led by staff. It had a similar aesthetic to the outside; a dark wood throne decorated with plants and flowers. The head of the chair was painted with green and pink flowers.

"Follow me to the king." A tuneful voice said behind us. They showed us up the stairs.

"Are we not meeting the king in the throne room?" I asked.

"No, your majesty. The king isn't traditional in that way." They said.

I imagined the king to be my age, perhaps a little older, based off the way that he seemed to act. A young king we could get on our side would be a true win for us.

They opened the door to the king's quarters. Entering there without prior permission felt forbidden.

"Your majesty. The king of Lafayette came all the way here to see you." They said.

A man turned away from a trunk he was arms deep in. He was not nearly my age. He was not my father's age. He was significantly older. He had long legs and a wrinkled face. A small, grey beard hung on his chin. His white hair was thinning. His skin was dark. Small spectacles rested on the bridge of his nose.

His clothes were far from what I expected the king of Darlington to wear. His clothes were neutral colors, and appeared common. He wore no crown or jewelry.

"Why, hello!" He greeted in a friendly manner. He walked up to me, took my hand, and shook it.

"I'm King Alder of Darlington. Always nice to have guests. Who do we have here?" He smiled, pushing his spectacles up.

I cleared my throat.

"Sir, thank you for being inviting to me and my people. This is Orion, and Galen." I introduced them. They both bowed.

"Welcome! You must've traveled a long way. Please, sit!"

He allowed us to sit on his bed and he reached his hand back into the trunk.

"Pardon me, I was in the middle of something." He said.

"We understand, we can meet you in a few minutes if you need time to situate yourself." I said.

"That won't be necessary. Now, what do I owe the pleasure?" He said, closing the trunk.

"Sir, we were just in Dewsbury and-."

"Dewsbury! How is King Hudson? We usually write daily, but I haven't heard from him recently. He's probably lost in a book. He does that from time to time." The old man's smile consumed most of his face.

"Urm. Your majesty. Dewsbury.. The king of Dewsbury is gone." I said.

"He's. He's dead?!"

"No. Well. We don't know. We went to Dewsbury and there was no one there. Not in the castle, not in the village. No one was to be found but some pirates."

"What did those good for nothing pirates do?"

"The pirates swear they didn't do anything. It seemed as though the people of Dewsbury left."

"Left? When? How? He left? He left without telling me?" The man's eyes dropped to the ground. His hand grabbed his chest.

"Sir, are you alright?"

Crash!

He fell to the floor face first.