To this plan, the King showed a look of concern.
“Our training can’t be properly performed without their help,” Ivan added.
Asmond paused while mulling over the idea of the two elves accompanying them on their quest. Finally, he said, “Fair enough, the two young women can accompany you. You will leave tomorrow,” he ordered and turned away with his guards.
Once the King was out of earshot, Ivan said, “Asmond isn’t the same person he once was. Something about him has changed. Only a month ago he wouldn’t have placed his own son under such an invasive investigation. I fear he’s been affected by the real traitor’s influence.”
“I hope they don’t do anything to Asmond or Nadir while we’re gone,” Anders said.
They returned to their evening ritual, reading from Merglan’s journal. He often spoke of Prince William in his writing and it seemed he had a brotherly bond with the young man, until William’s girlfriend and later in their story, his wife, drove Merglan insane with jealousy.
Closing the journal after reading the part in his story where he decided to leave the kingdom, his father and his best friend to find himself, Ivan said, “I’m off to bed. We need to pack for our trip and be ready to leave as soon as we’re ready. Let’s shoot for a midday departure.” He carried the book off with him when he left, which Anders thought was odd. Ivan usually left the book with Anders. How Ivan slid the journal off the table and into his pocket was so subtle Anders almost didn’t notice. By the time Anders realized Ivan was keeping the journal, he was already walking out the door.
I’ll get it from him tomorrow, he thought.
“Good night, you two,” Natalia said as she cleared her dishes and left the hall.
Anders and Maija walked out with Zahara and the other dragons.
Have a good sleep, Zahara said to them as she followed the others into their dormitory-style hallway.
“You, too,” Anders said aloud.
Opening the door to the bedroom Maija and he shared, Anders asked, “Have you ever been jealous of anyone before?”
“You mean like Merglan is of William’s girlfriend?” she asked.
Anders nodded.
“Well, only of myself,” she said.
Anders leaned, taken aback by her seriousness.
Before he could ask, she explained, “I’m jealous of my past self for having the ability to hear things that others couldn’t. It seems like I’ve lost that and replaced it with speed. You know, I always thought I was capable of running faster than I thought I could. It just took the right person to show me how.”
“Maybe it’s the same with your hearing?” Anders suggested.
“If it is, I would like to meet that person as soon as possible.”
“So, you’ve never been jealous of anyone else?” he asked again.
“No. Why do you ask?” she replied, taking him by the hand and sitting on the bed.
“I’ve been worried that Merglan and I share a lot of similarities,” he said, looking into her brown eyes. “He was raised without a mother and his father was so absorbed in his work that he basically wasn’t there. I never knew my parents. He competed in the Grandwood Games at seventeen, so did I. He mentioned how he met his dragon, which was very similar to how I met Zahara. Do you think I’m like him?”
“You are nothing like him, Anders,” Maija said emphatically. “You have so much love and compassion in your heart; love and compassion Merglan obviously never has experienced. In their place, he holds contempt and hatred.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said. “I guess I’ve never been so jealous I wanted to leave for months and come back and take over the world just to prove a point that I was a better choice than the prince’s girlfriend,” he said with a smirk.
While Anders lay in bed that night, worry flooded his mind as he hoped he would never become as twisted and dark-minded as the madman they had to stop before he could take over Kartania.
Chapter 30
The Sapphire Necklace
“Britt, we’ve got this handled. Go to your crew if you can, before that new governor tries to stop you,” Thomas said.
“I can stay a little while longer if Kirsten needs,” she began, but Kirsten cut her off.
“No, Britt, I’m fine. Really. You should escape while you can.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Someone needs to go for help if we’re going to take on Rankstine and his men,” Kirsten said through sniffles.
Britt smiled, nodding her final farewell. She exited the house, walking down the hill to waves lapping at the shoreline. Grabbing the beached fishing boat, Britt pushed. Max and Bo were quick to follow her, jogging after to help.
“Looks like the tide’s going out,” she said, noting the receding highwater marked by wet ground. “You two coming with me?” she asked.
“I think we’ll be more useful here,” Max said. “They might need our help if they’re going to try to hold out until you make it back with reinforcements.”
“Yeah, and I imagine you owe it to Anders to stay,” Britt said, nodding. She hugged Max and his brother, then climbed in the rocking boat as the brothers helped push her out into the bay.
As she made her way past the halfway point across the bay, Max called out to her from the shoreline, hoping for one final goodbye. Britt stood in the hull, her momentum carrying her through the calm water. As she turned to wave back, the fishing boat came to an abrupt halt, pitching her forward and almost sending her overboard. Catching herself on the boat’s rim, she shouted in frustration.
Britt came down hard in her seat, burying her face with her hands. She sat defeated, her boat steadily knocking against the invisible barrier as the receding tide tried to carry her out into open water. After what seemed like hours, Britt began rowing her way back to shore. Suddenly she heard shouting. Britt whirled around assuming she’d see armed soldiers on land. With the sun setting and the light fading, Britt strained to see the source of the shouting onshore, but she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Max and Bo had joined Kirsten and Thomas in the house. The shouts came again. She whirled around to find the source, this time she could just see her ship rowing into view.
Before they could get too close, she warned them of the barrier and told the crew they should not cross it. Initially, they disagreed, but after ordering them to leave her behind and return with a more significant force to rescue her, they obeyed. Crestfallen, she watched them trail off in the distance before returning to shore and climbing the hill to the farmhouse. Max could tell that her decision to order her crew to leave them behind was a difficult one, but the risk of having all of them become trapped within the barrier was too significant.
