your desire. Midmorning?”
“I’ll see you then.”
A servant showed Fen to the front door where another servant held his horse’s reins. With a nod and a murmured thanks, he took the reins and walked down the gravelled drive. Ahead of him he could see the imposing gates at the entrance to the property.
“Fen,” the hissed word came from a tree outside the property.
“Ed?” Fen moved towards the tree.
“What happened after I left?”
Fen grinned. “Nothing at all to worry your pretty little head over.”
Edana punched Fen in the arm.
“Hey.” Fen rubbed his arm.
“That was for acting like my father.”
Fen laughed. “I thought for sure you were going to throw your dinner at him at one stage.”
“So did I.”
“And when he heard your boots, I thought he was going to explode on the spot.”
Edana giggled. “I usually remember to walk softly so they can’t hear my boots. I was so angry I forgot.”
“You always wear them?”
“I put my dress on over my usual gear.”
Fen laughed. “You’re certainly original. Hey, what’s with your ma?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. A few times I looked over at her and wondered if she’d turned to stone.”
“I obviously left a lot out when I was teaching you about etiquette and the royal class. That’s how a proper lady of the royal class must act.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. How do you survive it?”
“I don’t.”
There was silence between them and then Fen said, “I have to be back here by midmorning for a tour of the stables.”
“I have to be back before breakfast so my father can rake me over the coals before he turns me over to my tutors for the day. They drive me crazy. Who wants to learn a thousand different ways to ask someone how they are?”
“At least you’ll be old enough to go your own way eventually.”
Edana laughed bitterly. “How little you know. My father owns me until I’m twenty. He’ll marry me off before then. To some man who thinks like him, but he can control.”
“I won’t let him do that.”
“How can you stop him? He has my birth blood. There’s nowhere I can hide. I’ll see you at dawn.” Edana slipped into the shadows before Fen could reply.
Chapter Eleven
After the tour of the dragon stables, during which Adalric once again brought up moving River there, Fen made his way to the Eastern Dragon Stables. He checked there was enough water and put out more food.
“What do you reckon, River? What do you think of this place?” Fen rested his head against River’s neck.
An image of the fireplace River had slept near appeared in Fen’s mind. River looked at him mournfully.
“One day.” Fen gave River a pat before he stepped out of the pen.
“Dragon Lords don’t do the work of stableboys.”
Fen spun round to see Bertrisa, the woman who owned the stables, leaning against a wall. She had short, spiky blond hair, sharp blue eyes, a wide mouth that went well with her loud voice, and shoulders nearly as broad as a man’s.
“What about Mistresses of dragon stables? Shouldn’t they learn to leave the hard work to the stablehands?”
Bertrisa laughed and the sound filled the complex. “I’m eccentric. Everyone knows. They’ll call you stingy.”
“Or overprotective.”
Bertrisa shook her head. “Nope. Just cheap.” She nodded, pushed away from the wall, and whistled as she went into one of the nearby pens.
Fen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He didn’t need anything else to worry about. He shook his head and put it from his mind. He had other things planned for the day. Like a trip to the market. He needed a better pair of boots and more clothes with all the social events he’d been invited to. He couldn’t wear the same outfit every time. A waste of a day. He’d rather spend his time training River.
The market was in the middle of the town with the cobbled streets radiating out from it. The permanent stalls, brightly painted timber huts, were in
“I’ll see you then.”
A servant showed Fen to the front door where another servant held his horse’s reins. With a nod and a murmured thanks, he took the reins and walked down the gravelled drive. Ahead of him he could see the imposing gates at the entrance to the property.
“Fen,” the hissed word came from a tree outside the property.
“Ed?” Fen moved towards the tree.
“What happened after I left?”
Fen grinned. “Nothing at all to worry your pretty little head over.”
Edana punched Fen in the arm.
“Hey.” Fen rubbed his arm.
“That was for acting like my father.”
Fen laughed. “I thought for sure you were going to throw your dinner at him at one stage.”
“So did I.”
“And when he heard your boots, I thought he was going to explode on the spot.”
Edana giggled. “I usually remember to walk softly so they can’t hear my boots. I was so angry I forgot.”
“You always wear them?”
“I put my dress on over my usual gear.”
Fen laughed. “You’re certainly original. Hey, what’s with your ma?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. A few times I looked over at her and wondered if she’d turned to stone.”
“I obviously left a lot out when I was teaching you about etiquette and the royal class. That’s how a proper lady of the royal class must act.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. How do you survive it?”
“I don’t.”
There was silence between them and then Fen said, “I have to be back here by midmorning for a tour of the stables.”
“I have to be back before breakfast so my father can rake me over the coals before he turns me over to my tutors for the day. They drive me crazy. Who wants to learn a thousand different ways to ask someone how they are?”
“At least you’ll be old enough to go your own way eventually.”
Edana laughed bitterly. “How little you know. My father owns me until I’m twenty. He’ll marry me off before then. To some man who thinks like him, but he can control.”
“I won’t let him do that.”
“How can you stop him? He has my birth blood. There’s nowhere I can hide. I’ll see you at dawn.” Edana slipped into the shadows before Fen could reply.
Chapter Eleven
After the tour of the dragon stables, during which Adalric once again brought up moving River there, Fen made his way to the Eastern Dragon Stables. He checked there was enough water and put out more food.
“What do you reckon, River? What do you think of this place?” Fen rested his head against River’s neck.
An image of the fireplace River had slept near appeared in Fen’s mind. River looked at him mournfully.
“One day.” Fen gave River a pat before he stepped out of the pen.
“Dragon Lords don’t do the work of stableboys.”
Fen spun round to see Bertrisa, the woman who owned the stables, leaning against a wall. She had short, spiky blond hair, sharp blue eyes, a wide mouth that went well with her loud voice, and shoulders nearly as broad as a man’s.
“What about Mistresses of dragon stables? Shouldn’t they learn to leave the hard work to the stablehands?”
Bertrisa laughed and the sound filled the complex. “I’m eccentric. Everyone knows. They’ll call you stingy.”
“Or overprotective.”
Bertrisa shook her head. “Nope. Just cheap.” She nodded, pushed away from the wall, and whistled as she went into one of the nearby pens.
Fen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He didn’t need anything else to worry about. He shook his head and put it from his mind. He had other things planned for the day. Like a trip to the market. He needed a better pair of boots and more clothes with all the social events he’d been invited to. He couldn’t wear the same outfit every time. A waste of a day. He’d rather spend his time training River.
The market was in the middle of the town with the cobbled streets radiating out from it. The permanent stalls, brightly painted timber huts, were in
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