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Chapter Twenty-Two
Last Updated:
2023-07-25 05:51:11
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The Villain's Hero Chapter Twenty-Three
The open doors shed light into the chamber hopefully before fading away into shadow as if unable to combat the darkness of the mage who lived within, and our footsteps echoed hollowly. There were more statues in the entry hall. Servants I assumed, who had been turned to stone due to the displeasure of their master.A large, grand fireplace stood cold, and the torches on the wall had long burned out. The chill of the mage’s magic, I realized. A chill that probably prevented the grand fireplace from being lit. I had heard of such things occurring, where the magic was steeped with profound sorrow and grief, usually accompanied by the presence of shades.Drifts of dust scattered under the movement of air through the door, and along the wall, I saw several rodents pause in their scurry to sniff at us, evaluating our threat to their missions, before dismissing us and continuing along their paths.Derien stood on the first landing of the staircase and for the first time swept back the hood
Last Updated : 2023-07-26The Villain's Hero Chapter Twenty-Four
“It is a shame that there is no lady’s maid,” Tarragon observed. “A dragon’s braid is hardly the height of Fae fashion.” “You are doing very well,” I told her. In the polished metal of the looking-glass, I could see that she had started the braids over my ears, in several thicknesses, and was winding them back into each other. “Father would be proud.” She flashed me a grin in the reflection. “It is a pity you will not let me use any of the pins,” she returned her eyes to her work. “I understand why, but they would look fair in your hair.” I had explored the various dainty little boxes on the dresser and the drawers, finding pins and other trinkets that a lady would use to do her hair and decorate it, as well as the remains of cosmetics and perfumed water. In one drawer were miniatures of the family – a little folding frame. On one side was a very pretty woman with Aien’s eyes. To the other, a little boy whose face was lit with rosy-cheeked happiness. Aien - before the loss of his mo
Last Updated : 2023-07-31The Villain's Hero Chapter Twenty-Five
Tarragon did not give me the option to argue, catching me by the elbow and propelling me down the stairs at a pace that took all of my concentration not to fall. Before I knew it, we were entering the grand hall of the keep. There were swags of sweet-scented greenery, flowers woven into long chains, and tables heavy with tablecloths, candles, and platters of food.Considering the state of the household when we arrived, Derien had used some magic to transform the chamber, making it what it had been before tragedy had struck the household despite his earlier cautions that the household would not wait upon us.I wondered at his change of attitude.Not all those gathered were from the campaign. Many were from the villages at the base of the mountains from their clothing and as I had not seen their faces before. They looked terrified. Had Derien abducted the poor villages from their homes and forced them to attend? Why?The mage sat in the head chair upon the raised dais, a table that held
Last Updated : 2023-08-01The Villain's Hero Chapter Twenty-Six
I hurried to the room and removed the dress with a sense of relief, inspecting it carefully to ensure that no wine or blood soiled its fabric, before folding it and wrapping it again, as I had received it. I placed the package in a chest at the base of the bed, finding other clothing stored within. I packed up Tarragon and my possessions, anticipating that we would no longer be welcome at the stronghold. I hoped that Derien Verstarjen would not prevent us from continuing and braced myself for my sister’s ire when she returned to the room. Through the window, I could see the slow retreat of torches toward the village as the villagers made their way home. It took longer than I had thought before the door handle turned. “Dae,” Tarra said as she entered. “Put only what you can hold into this bag,” she held out a satchel of the type that our family used when riding dragon-back. “Tarra…?” I asked uncertainly as I took the bag from her. “Cara will take you to the village on the other sid
Last Updated : 2023-08-02The Villain's Hero Chapter Twenty-Seven
Our entry to the tavern ended the revelry. They might not have known what we were, but they knew enough that our presence amongst them caused them to be cautious. Caraway pretended not to notice, weaving his way unfaltering through to the bar and leaning against the wood.“A room, please,” he declared confidently.“We… are… full,” the man behind the counter declared uncertainly.“Come now,” Caraway slid his eyes towards him, letting the human take in Caraway’s slitted pupils and irises that were, definitely, not human. “I am certain you can work something out. My sister and I require a room for a few nights until our company catches up to us.”There was a whispering through the crowd, the sort of ear cupping that was less discreet than it was intended to be, as the occupants exchanged opinions and information.“We are full,” the man repeated firmly.“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Caraway said. “Are you sure there is nowhere that my sister and I might find to rest tonight?” He set a gol
Last Updated : 2023-08-07The Villain's Hero Chapter Twenty-Eight
My stomach woke me, and I broke out into a cold sweat as I pressed a hand to my mouth fighting for control as I slipped from the bed. Caraway wasn’t there, his side of the covers rumpled, and his shoes gone from the floor.I located the chamber pot under the bed just in time to wretch miserably over it, my stomach too empty to produce more than bile. The effort collapsed me to my knees, however, and I sat sobbing and miserable, thinking over all that had occurred the night before and what it meant that Aien had not sent me the dress – that brief period of hopefulness painful in its dying. “Here,” Perditha had let herself into the chamber and held out an earthenware mug. “It is ginger and honey,” she told me. “It will help ease your stomach.”“Thank you,” my voice was hoarse, and my hand shook as I reached for the cup.“Some flatbread on your bedside, consumed before rising, should help,” she added. “You can purchase some at the market.”“I’ll do that,” I sipped the tea. It would be
Last Updated : 2023-08-08The Villain's Hero Chapter Twenty-Nine
The house emptied of menfolk whilst Perditha and I frantically tended to the man’s injuries, managing to stop the bleeding from his arm only for him to undergo some reaction to a toxin absorbed through his wounds. I thought of Daerton’s precious anti-venoms and wished that I had possessed the foresight to bring them, and Rapunzel’s hair. I still wore the witch’s potion in a vial around my neck and my hand went to it several times as I contemplated its use. However, if the potion was not what I had been told, using it on the man could result in his death, and if it were… Then I would have used on a stranger something that might save Tarra or one of my brother’s lives. It was not lost on me that the man’s injuries were caused by the very same creatures that my siblings had come to hunt and kill, and that Tarra intended to do it in human form with a sword, and not as a dragon and by flame as Caraway was no doubt doing. It was frightening enough to think of him out there fighting against
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“The strength of a dragon lies in dragon form,” I continued. “In human form, we have… advantages. Well, they do, not me so much. Dragons in human form are faster, stronger, and more immune to illness. However, those advantages will not be enough if Tarragon seeks to fight a monster in human form…”“The knights fight in that form,” Perditha observed. “And our hunters.”“Yes,” I agreed grimly. “And look what becomes of them,” I gestured towards the house. “I do not want that for my siblings.”“No,” she murmured. “No one would.”“I’m sorry,” I was contrite. She had, after all, lost her parents in such a way.“So, you join them on this campaign, because you fear for them,” she dismissed my apology with a flick of her hand. “That is a very brave thing to do. Many would prefer to wait at home, sheltered from the reality of the danger.”“I cannot do that,” I said grimly. “I know that I am precious little help, but even that is better than no help at all, is it not? I could not stand to lose
Last Updated : 2023-08-14
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“No,” Ecaeris looked at me in surprise. “No Daethie, I don’t believe you are meant to die. I didn’t believe that Tarragon was destined for death, either. Do you think so little of us all – the Fae royal family, your own parents – to think that we would send Tarragon, your brothers, yourself, and Aien blithely off to die? No,” she reached out and gripped my shoulder. “If that had been in our thoughts, we would have come on the campaign and done all that we could to protect you all.” “Oh,” I crumpled, weeping. “Oh, Daethie,” Ecaeris shook me slightly. “Foolish children,” she tsked. “You never told Tarragon,” I pointed out. “She has thought all this time that the lamb would die to end the slaughter, but there is no end...” Ecaeris winced and blew out a breath. “We did not anticipate that she would interpret the prophecy in such a way, and the intention behind keeping that part to ourselves was to keep the population hopeful whilst we trained her to fulfill her role. She never spoke to
The Villain's Hero Chapter Forty-Nine
We arrived at the stronghold with Shara landing heavily in the courtyard now bare of statues. Shara waited for us to dismount before returning to the air, making the flight back towards the camp. I wondered what she had made of our conversation – she would have heard every word that Aien and I had said, and yet she had remained silent, allowing us to speak with the illusion of privacy.We were immediately surrounded by concerned servants. Much had changed at the stronghold I saw as we were hastened up into the hall. It was clean, the shutters open to admit the light, and the fires and torches lit. There were vases heavy with greenery, bright tapestries on the walls and rugs beneath our feet. The scent of food cooking made my stomach rumble.The stronghold had come alive, like the statues from the courtyard.It was not to Aien’s mother’s chamber that I was led but another, less grand, but only just, and it was more than ample for my needs. In the busyness of the maids who hastened to t
The Villain's Hero Chapter Forty-Eight
I woke with Aien wrapped tightly around me. I closed my eyes tightly against the day and buried my face into his chest, determined to stay and appreciate the warmth for as long as possible. We had arrived back to camp deep into the night, too dazed with exhaustion to do more than stagger into the tent and fall into the nest that he had built…“Why a nest?” I murmured.“What?” He was groggy with sleep, his movements languorous as he shifted against me, drawing me even closer as if he sought to press me within his very skin and bone.“This isn’t a bed,” I told him. “It’s a nest, such as female dragons build for…” I trailed off, vulnerable. It had always been my most dominant dragonish trait, the one behavior that was all instinct and had not been learned.Tarragon had never shown that particular inclination and Shara was too young. Our brothers and father were male, and it had always been a female dragon trait – the males built treasure hordes, whilst female dragons built cozy nests in
The Villain's Hero Chapter Forty-Seven
There were far too many, I thought in panic, and they seemed to keep coming from the trees in an endless stream. The small monsters the size of a big man like my father in man-form were so quick, whilst the larger ones followed behind, their dragon-size intimidating.I propelled myself up and forward with my wings, meeting the front-line of the small monsters beyond the ring of stones, as far from Tarragon as I could. The blade of my sword flashed as I landed amongst them. It took a moment for those at the front to turn, and I was already in the thick of sharp legs, snapping mandibles, and spiny carapaces.The moves that I had learned by rote in Nerith but had never mastered flowed through me effortlessly. I dodged, and dove, slicing with Intuin Desparen, carving through legs and bodies, spraying blood and gore in heavy streams that arced from the tip of the blade and rained back down over me, covering me in the foul liquid.As the larger creatures reached the battle, I broke free, so
The Villain's Hero Chapter Forty-Six
I ignored Tarragon, and she sighed in heavy disapproval. “So stubborn,” she muttered in dragon. “You get that from our mother.”“With the four of you on one side, and Shara on the other, I have to be stubborn, or I’d never get my way,” I pointed out.She laughed, the tension between us breaking, and then pulled her horse to a standstill. “Do you hear that?” She asked, barely at a whisper.“Hear what?” I listened intently. The trees around us were still and silent. The rustle of the dried leaf matter and the music of leaves and branches, as the wind stirred through the forest, seemed overly loud. “There are no birds,” I whispered the words realizing that these sounds were normally muted by the ever-moving wildlife. It was as if everything living in the area had left. “There are no creatures in the trees.”“Yes,” she murmured it quietly. “Frightened away or eaten? Dae,” she added solemnly. “I think that we are very close. This may be your last chance…”I raised my eyebrows. “Stubborn, r
The Villain's Hero Chapter Forty-Five
It took a while to pack clothing, bandages, and medical supplies into bags that Rue, Caraway, and Perditha could carry. We rigged straps around Valerian in dragon form in case either Rue or Caraway lost consciousness during the journey. Whilst a dragon was capable of catching a falling rider mid-air, the maneuver required to do so could unseat other passengers. We contemplated having Valerian carry Caraway or Rue in his claws, but doing so for such a long time would cause cramps and impact Valerian’s ability to land carefully enough for his other passengers.Rue and Caraway protested being tied to Valerian’s back like babes, but Perditha and I would have none of it, and they sulked as they knotted the ropes around them. Still, I saw both grip their bindings for support as Valerian, heavy with so many passengers, leaped into the air.The wind of Valerian’s wing strokes blew back my hair and sent my skirts to snapping around my legs and in the field I saw Aien and the few workers who re
The Villain's Hero Chapter Forty-Four
I woke against Aien’s chest, and for a moment thought that we were back in the farmhouse. I was warm and comfortable curled up with him, his heartbeat under my palm and his steady breath stirring my hair. My mind drew a picture of our bedroom there, the sun bright through the window on the scuffed and bleached floorboards, the heavy wooden bed that creaked under our lovemaking, and the little fireplace with its stack of wood laid by ready for a cold day.But the sounds did not match my memory. There was no sound of a farm waking, no birdcall from the trees, the goats complaining about captivity, and chickens squawking about their morning eggs. No, there was the ever-present flap of canvas in the wind, the creak of rope straining under the pressure, and the distant whisper of the river.We were at the camp, I realized as the softness of dream faded into reality. We were at the camp on campaign, and I was in Aien’s little nest in the entrance to Rue’s tent. I would need to rise soon and
The Villain's Hero Chapter Forty-Three
The night was not still, and my tears were interrupted by the sounds of tents being dismantled, hasty whispers and rustles, followed by the creak of wagons and the hollow fall of horse-hooves. Aien and I both stilled, listening. A man called out, challenging those leaving, arguing that abandoning the campaign was cowardice. They called him a fool and encouraged him to join them before continuing undeterred. I gripped Aien’s shirt in both fists and leaned my forehead against the warmth of his chest. He stroked his hands up and down my back. “Perhaps…” He said into my hair. “Tomorrow we may go too, Daethie…?” “Perhaps.” I didn’t want to think about the morning. Lying pressed against Aien, feeling his body against mine with just the finest layers of cloth between us made me ache for him. I was not alone, his desire evident where our tangled legs brought our hips together. I slowly lifted my head, looking up at him. His hand shook as he stroked my hair back from my face and his face sof
The Villain's Hero Chapter Forty-Two
Tarragon was drunk.The knights and camp followers who had gathered around the fire to ease their weariness with food and ale clustered on the opposite side of the flames to where she sat staring into the glowing embers, a jug of spirit held in one hand. Her dragon-nature was on full display in her stillness, the flames echoed in her eyes, and her jaw grimly set.It took a considerable amount of effort and alcohol for a dragon to become intoxicated. I had only ever seen my father tipsy on a few rare occasions, and never morosely so. When our father drank enough to affect himself, he would speak freely of his past, his childhood, and his people, sing the refrains of ancient songs that he only half-remembered, and then he would wrap his arms around our mother and whisper to her in Fae until they crept away to make another sibling for our family.My brothers and Tarragon regularly drank, but only into joviality, until they sang songs of war, or gambled ridiculous wagers, let their knight
