The Sword and The Mountain (Kathardra book 1)
Fealty

The sheets enfolding Lessa were the softest cotton. Nothing about that was right. She hadn’t slept in a soft bed in weeks, let alone soft sheets.

Memories crashed into Lessa.

“Zar!” she called out. Sitting up was a struggle, the room spun around her.

Nearby Storm was trying to speak to Lessa, but she was too frantic to comprehend what the dragon was saying. The bed she was lying in was massive, bigger than any Lessa had ever seen. It was in the middle of a room large enough for Storm to lay next to and still have room to move. A fireplace half the size of the dragon was burning low behind Storm. Heating the room. But none of it mattered to Lessa.

“Zar!” Lessa screamed out again, her voice cracking and hoarse.

A door opened and Lessa’s breath caught in her throat as she waited for whoever opened the door to appear.

Like light in the dark, bread for the starving, air for the drowning Zar strode through the door.

“I’m here,” he said. Coming to the side of the bed. “Lessa, I’m alright.” But his words fell on deaf ears.

Lessa clawed at his shirt, she needed the proof of life it concealed. For a brief moment, Zar held her wrists and tried to stop her, but her frantic sobbing and struggling gave him pause. His hands dropped to his sides and she pulled at the ties of his tunic until she exposed the skin where the sword had pierced him. It was smooth and unblemished, not even a scar was left.

A sob choked out of Lessa and she pressed her cheek to his skin, holding tightly to him. Her tears and dripping nose wet his tunic. Zar’s hands slowly encircled Lessa, pulling her even firmer against his exposed skin.

Long moments passed until Lessa was finally able to regain control.

“You brought me back,” Zar whispered.

Lessa nodded feebly then looked up at Zar while he stroked her hair.

“It’s over,” her words were barely audible.

“It’s over. You did it.”

“Zar,” Worran walked into the room. Regretfully, Zar took a step away, putting a more appropriate distance between them. “Oh, Lessa, you’re awake. That’s good. Zar, Paravel said that everyone you requested has been gathered.”

“I’ll be out in one moment.”

Worran left and Zar turned back to Lessa.

“Can you walk?”

She nodded, that was immediately a bad idea as the room started twisting around her again. “I think so,” she said instead.

“There is a bathing chamber through there.” He pointed to an inconspicuous door off to the side. “I’ll have fresh clothes sent in for you.”

Lessa looked down at her own clothes, which was a mistake. Not only did tipping her head make her dizzy but she was covered in blood. Zar’s blood. She gasped and pulled at her top.

“Hey, look at me. I’m alright.” He tipped her chin up to look at his face once more. “I’ll send food for you as well… I still need you, and Storm for what comes next.”

“What comes next?”

“I need to be sure the Mountain, and Kathardra don’t dip into chaos.”

Lessa nodded numbly and stood carefully from the bed.

“I’ll be right out there,” Zar said, pointing toward a large door. Lessa walked, very slowly, to the door Zar had indicated was a bath chamber.

For a bathroom, it was massive, and it had a slight sulfur odor. The far end of the room was all glass, opening to a view of the Kathardrean landscape. Just under the window was a massive stone pool, with built-in steps leading to it.

Lessa sat on the steps and carefully stripped her clothes. The few injuries she had sustained during the fight had been healed, but she was sore. And so tired. Lessa swung her legs over the tub and sank into it. It was wonderfully warm. There was a wide rectangular opening that was constantly pouring water into the basin, and judging by the current there was a drain where excess was being let out at the same pace.

It was only a few minutes before a knock landed on the door. Lessa sank low enough that her body was hidden by the pool walls before she called out, “Come in.”

A young girl came in, she kept her eyes on the floor as she curtsied skillfully with a tray of food in one hand and Lessa’s clothes in the other. It was Lessa’s last dress, the green one.

“My lady,” the girl said and placed the tray and clothes on a shelf to the side of the room. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” she asked, looking at Lessa for the first time.

The realization that this girl was not much younger than herself struck Lessa. The girl had to be fourteen or fifteen, Lessa wondered if she had ever looked that young. She felt decades older than she had less than a year ago.

“No, you can go.” Lessa quickly washed herself with bottles along the side of the tub. She wrapped herself in a towel and used a brush to smooth her curls.

There was an entire chicken laying in a bed of roasted vegetables on the tray the girl left. Lessa filled her stomach, slid her feet into her boots, pulled the laces tight, and tried to walk without a wobble back through the bedroom where Storm was lying.

She crossed the room to Storm and rested her brow against the dragon’s.

“If you ever do something like that again I will kill you myself,” Storm said, with all the love in the world.

“I’m sorry I scared you.”

The dragon blasted smoke at Lessa’s boots.

“I do not get scared.”

Lessa kissed Storm’s forehead and turned to go through the door Zar had shown her.

The room she walked into was as big as a house, and the ceiling stretched taller than a roof. There were massive glass doors looking out over western Kathardra, large couches circled open spaces. A desk was off to the side, a dining table long enough for a dozen people was spread with papers.

Zar and a man Lessa didn’t know stood talking next to the table, where Worran was seated studying a paper.

Lessa's eyes drank in Zar again, she was having trouble believing that he was alive and well.

Cinder stood from a couch just by Lessa, he grabbed the front of her dress and slammed her into the door she had just come out of.

“What’s wrong with you?” she demanded, too tired to push him off.

“What is wrong with you!” Cinder hissed back, enraged. “You swore!”

Suddenly, Zar was there and he grabbed Cinder roughly by his cloak and pulled him away, Lessa staggered slightly but Zar’s gentle arms caught her.

“You swore!” Cinder said again, shoving a finger roughly in Lessa’s direction. “I have lost everyone I love to blood magic. I will die before I let you go down that path.”

The fury in Cinder’s voice shook Lessa.

“That’s what happened to you. Isn’t it? It’s why you don’t age anymore, it was blood magic.”

In a misty-eyed huff, Cinder sat back on his couch.

“It wasn’t my choice. My friends... They forced me into it. But they didn’t stop with immortality. They couldn’t. With every piece of blood magic they wielded they sank into an addiction until they couldn’t stop. They nearly destroyed the continent before I was able to stop them.” He buried his face in his hands.

Lessa perched on the couch next to Cinder, it was clear what “Stop” meant, given his visceral reaction.

“Cinder, I Snapped. I couldn’t help it. I won’t do it again.”

“You’ve already broken one promise,” he said, hands still covering his face.

“I will never willingly do something like that again. If Snapping is losing control, using blood magic feels like giving control over to something else entirely. I didn’t like it.”

Cinder frowned at her, took a breath like he was going to speak, then let it go without saying a word.

“Lessa.” Zar held his hand out to her. With a last look at Cinder Lessa grabbed Zar’s hand and let him pull her to her feet.

“Paravel, I’d like to introduce you to Lady Lessa, First Knight of Kathardra.”

Paravel, a man well past his middle years, swept a bow to Lessa, while she quirked an eyebrow at Zar.

“Lessa, Paravel is the steward of the Mountain. Like his mother before him and her father before her,” Zar said.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Lessa said, moving to bow awkwardly but Zar caught her arm and stopped her before she moved.

“The pleasure is mine,” Paravel said, as he stood from his bow. “I’ve been eagerly awaiting the day the Rhodrins return to the Mountain. It is an honor to meet the swordmaiden who brought them back to us.”

“Paravel, if you’d please.” Zar gestured to the door.

Paravel inclined his head respectfully and turned toward a towering door.

“There are none you will bow to,” Zar whispered in her ear.

From the table, where Lessa had overlooked it, Worran grabbed her sword and handed it to her hilt first. Lessa took it and they all followed Paravel from the room.

“Ask Storm to meet us at the front door,” Zar continued in a low tone.

“I’m coming,” Storm said without Lessa needing to relay the message.

“What are we doing?” Lessa asked Zar, grabbing and clinging to his elbow to steady her weary steps.

“I had Paravel gather anyone of rank residing in the castle. I’ll be taking their oath of fealty.”

“Right, why do you need me?”

Zar gave her a crooked smirk. “You are there to make sure they don’t say no.”

Lessa frowned, hoping she wouldn’t have to fight anyone, in her current state she couldn’t fight a child.

The oversized halls they traveled down finally led them to an entryway big enough for several houses to line up in, with a door to match. At a single gesture from Zar, the double doors swung inward, silent and swift to reveal Storm highlighted by the bright sun on the other side.

“These are appropriately sized doors,” she said appreciatively as she stalked into the room, head held high.

Lessa snorted a laugh and the other humans in the group eyed her, she waved them off and followed Storm.

The other end of the entry hall had a massive staircase, carpeted in rich soft red, the marble banisters were decorated with gold accents that swirled up the edges of the stairs.

A single leap brought Storm to the top of the stairs, while the others started the hike up the dozens of stairs. Halfway Lessa slowed significantly but refused to ask for a break. She was here to look intimidating, which she couldn’t do if she needed a rest on the stairs.

The door, nearly as large as the one Storm entered in, opened as the reached the top step. Despite the length, it was easy to see it was a throne room. The one they found Golathar in was a poor imitation of this. Entire city blocks could be held in this room, pillars as big around as Storm marched down the room, their tops lost as they reached for the ceiling.

Centered in the far end of the room was a bench carved into natural white rock, giving the approximation of sitting on the side of the mountain itself.

Zar, with Lessa still on his arm, froze in his tracks. “What is it?” she asked.

“That’s new,” his eyes were aimed up. Lessa followed his gaze to see a massive blue flag hanging directly above the throne. Upon the flag was a stylized white mountain, but above it flew the outline of a green dragon.

“I like it,” Storm said proudly, she sat and curled her tail around all of her feet.

Their small group walked to the end of the room where a series of steps led up to the stone throne.

“Paravel, please summon the court.”

“Yes my king,” Paravel said, bowing and turning to leave the throne room.

His steps echoed down the room while Zar, Worran, and Lessa stood silently, staring at the throne. Finally, at the same time, Lessa and Worran both turned their eyes to Zar.

He took a deep breath and slowly walked up the stairs to the throne.

He stared down at the white stone. “The Mountain seat… I’ve always known I’d stand here one day, but it somehow doesn’t quite feel real.”

Neither Lessa nor Worran responded, only watched.

Finally, Zar turned, and carefully sat on his throne, his hands resting peacefully on his thighs.

Somehow, even with all this open space, Zar seemed to fill the room entirely. Lessa had to swallow a lump forming in her throat, Storm moved to sit in the corner behind her and Lessa turned her back to Zar. Without a sheath she placed the tip of her sword on the stone at her feet and rested both hands on it. Worran took up position on Zar’s left, fingering his bow while they all waited.

Before long Paravel reappeared, this time leading a massive group of people. It seemed like every person in the Mountain had come for this. They gathered in front of Zar while maintaining a sizable distance from the throne, and notably Storm. Hundreds of eyes flickered from Storm to Lessa, over Zar and Worran, a low hum of whispers hovered over the whole crowd.

Suddenly the crowd quieted.

Zar’s voice carried clear and strong through the entire room, “My name is Lazaron Tasmer Rhodrin, grandson of Iruneel Atlan Rhodrin, he who lost Kathardra. I am here to take it back. You each have a choice to make. You can choose to serve me, swear your fealty, and help me rebuild Kathardra, or you can suffer the consequences.”

“What are the consequences?” a nameless voice called from somewhere in the back of the crowd of people.

“That depends on your name and rank,” Zar responded at once. “Any ranking members of society will not be allowed to leave this room with their lives, should they choose defiance. Any non-ranking members are welcome to leave now.”

Not a soul stirred.

Zar tilted his head slightly at Worran who pulled a paper from his shirt pocket and read off a name.

“Drusbane Skolond,” he called out.

A round man with a red face separated himself from the crowd and stood before Zar. For a short moment, he glanced at Storm, then stared up at Zar, who did not move.

“I served on Golathar’s council, as his coin master,”

Lessa held her breath. She didn’t want to kill anyone.

“I believe my experience will serve you well.”

With great effort, the man lowered himself to one knee and started swearing loyalty to Zar. Lessa took a breath and it seemed like the rest of the room did as well. It seemed the others present were eager to follow the lead of this man. One by one Worran called names and men and women stepped forward to swear their fealty to Zar.

Only once did a married couple walk forward who looked like they might attempt insubordination. But they cowed at once when Storm started growling from where she lay.

By the time every person had bent their knee before Zar Lessa was swaying on her feet.

“There is one more,” Zar said. “Where is Queen Jearda?”

That jolted Lessa back into alertness.

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