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  Robbie squared his shoulders and followed a step behind him. Talking to the King must be the business Alan wanted Robbie to transact. Robbie never shrank from talking man to man with anybody. He wouldn’t shrink now.

  Alan stopped at the foot of the throne. The atmosphere struck Robbie as so different from the castle he left behind him, he settled in at his ease. No black dragon glared down at him from behind this throne. The King was a regular man with twinkling blue eyes. He resembled Alan, only older.

  “Robbie Cameron, the Younger,” Alan introduced him. “I’m afraid I failed tae ask yer companion’s name.”

  “Elle Watson,” Robbie replied. “Now we’re ‘ere, may I ken the business ye wish tae discuss wi’ me?”

  The King waved to an empty chair next to him on the platform. “Sit ye down ‘ere, me son. We’ll discuss that in good time. Ye mun’ make yerself welcome first.”

  Robbie didn’t want to make himself welcome until he knew what they wanted from him, but he had no choice. No King ever invited him to sit at his right hand before. He glanced at Elle. Then he climbed the steps and sat down next to the King.

  “Yer companion, too,” the King added.

  Elle took a chair next to Robbie, but she never said a word. The crowd broke into excited talking. They went back to milling around the room. The King leaned closer to Robbie and murmured into his ear. “We mun’ finish this affair o’ state. We’ll adjourn tae the dining hall after this and share a meal. Then we’ll be free tae talk in private.”

  Robbie said nothing. He trusted Elle to tell him if she got any sense of danger here, but he already knew she wouldn’t. These were normal people who had something to say to him about the Phoenix Throne. He had to get through a state dinner and maybe some other festivities. Then he would find out what it was all about.

  Chapter 18

  A steward in a gold-trimmed kilt and sash held the door open to a large bedroom. “This is yer room, Sir.”

  Robbie peered into a room lined with rich brocades. An enormous bed occupied almost the entire room. “Do ye really expect me tae stay in a room licht this?”

  “I dinnae expect anything,” the man replied. “It’s King Farlane wishes it, and so it shall be.”

  Robbie took a deep breath. “Awricht. When ye put it licht that, I suppose I’ll manage’t.”

  He strode into the room. Elle started to follow him when the steward thrust out his arm to block her path. “Yer room is richt across’t the hall, Miss. If you dinnae mind…”

  His tone told her he minded. He crossed the passage and opened a door to an identical bedroom. “Ye’ll stay here until the King sends fer ye.”

  The steward waited until Elle walked into her own bedroom before he left. She gazed through the open door at Robbie across the hall. This was the strangest state of affairs she ever encountered, but she still didn’t sense any danger.

  The steward’s footsteps faded down the stone passage. Elle darted across the hall to Robbie’s room and shut the door behind her. “Well, what do you make of this?”

  He paced around the room and looked at everything. The window afforded a view of the courtyard. “I dinnae mak’ naught o’ any o’ it. I suppose they wish tae talk tae me aboot summat. I mun’ go through allus tae find out what i’tis.”

  “They seem friendly enough. That was some meal they put us through.”

  “It’s naught any other king would ha’e on a daily basis. I ne’er attended one as an honored guest afore. There’s one thing I ken, though. They’re no Munro.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “They’re no wearin’ the Munro tartan, for one thing. I kenned a few Munros in my time, and these an’t any Munro—not in the real world, anyway.”

  “The real world? So you think we’re still on the other side?”

  “We mun’ be,” he replied. “We ne’er passed o’er anythin’ to mak’ me believe we weren’t.”

  “You’re right,” she told him. “I didn’t see anything to indicate we crossed over.”

  He examined the room. “It’s a very nice castle, anyway. Ye’ll be certain tae get a bath and yer clothes washed ‘ere.”

  Her head shot up, but when she saw him grinning, she flew at him. “You clod!”

  He scooped her up around the waist in both arms and tackled her onto the bed, laughing. She pretended to struggle and wrestle. He overpowered her and pounced on her. He pinned her arms to the bed. “Come on,” he laughed. “I’ll gi’e ye a bath.”

  She howled and laughed until her sides ached. She kicked to free herself, and he lowered his weight on top of her when a loud knock shook the whole room. They froze in place for an instant. Then Robbie jumped off to open the door.

  Elle straightened her clothes and brushed back her hair. Robbie opened the door to find Alan standing in the hall. “Me faither wishes tae see ye both in his private audience hall.”

  “O’ course,” Robbie replied. “We’re ready when ye are.”

  They followed Alan back down the hall. Robbie shot Elle a significant smirk behind the Prince’s back. Alan led the pair into a different room where the King waited for them. They wiped the smiles off their face and braced themselves to hear what this was all about.

  The King, the Prince, Robbie, and Elle stood in a square. The rest of the room stood empty. No one else could hear what they said.

  Prince Alan spoke first. “We ha’e a wizard wi’ us. His name is Abraline. He told us o’ yer comin’ intae our country. That’s how we kenned tae come and find ye the way we did.”

  Robbie nodded. “That’s no ‘ere nor there. Now tell me what ye ken aboot the Phoenix Throne. Me brothers and me were tryin’ tae get it back when I wound up ‘ere. Me older brother Angus was meant tae be the King.”

  “That’s what we mun’ tell ye,” Alan replied. “A strange people has ta’en the Throne. The Urlus took the country, and an Urlu King sits on the Throne in yer brother’s place.”

  Robbie froze. “What did ye say?”

  “They’ve overrun the country. They occupied the castle and pushed yer brothers out. Yer brothers are dispossessed, and Angus burnt up in a fire. They cinnae tak’ back the Throne fer the Urlus around. The Urlus control everything, and yer other brothers cinnae get near the Throne wi’ the Urlus occupyin’ the country.”

  Robbie balled his hands into fists. He clenched his jaws and growled between his teeth. “Tell me what ye mun’ say tae me. I mun’ get there and help me brothers regain the Throne.”

  “That’s what we brought ye ‘ere tae tell ye,” Alan continued. “We’re makin’ war against the Urlus. We need ye wi’ us. Ye’re the ainly one strong enough to ficht ‘em.”

  “What do ye mean?”

  “Ye’re a dragon,” Alan replied. “Ye can defeat these Urlus. Ye’re the ainly one as can.”

  Robbie glared at him. “How do ye ken aboot that?”

  “Abraline divined it,” Alan told him. “Yer time on the mountain created a ripple in the fabric of time. I reckon all the wizards in the country ken aboot it. Now ye’re ‘ere, and ye can help us and we can help ye. Ye can get yer Throne back. Angus is gone. Ye’re the next rightful King. Ye mun’ sit on the Throne tae break the curse and send these Urlus back where they belaing. Will ye help us?”

  Robbie’s face contorted in rage. “I’ll help ye. I’ll use all the power I can muster tae destroy ‘em off the face o’ the Earth. Ye can count on that.”

  He stormed out of the room. Elle raced behind him with her mind in a ferment. Angus was dead and the Throne lost to some strange people. Nothing made sense, but one thing was certain. With these Munro people fighting, she and Robbie stood a chance to reclaim the castle and the Throne.

  With Angus gone, Robbie would inherit the Throne, but not before the Munro army drove the Urlus out of the country.

  Robbie marched off down the hall, but he walked right past the room the steward gave him. He kept walking through the winding castle corridors, up the stairs to the roof. H
e walked all the way to the parapet before he stopped.

  He propped one foot against the wall and peered down at the ground far below. Elle stopped behind him. She wanted to talk to him, to comfort him, but she hesitated to go near him. What could you say to a man who lost everything in one stroke?

  He showed no sign of being aware of her presence. Maybe he didn’t want her here trying to talk to him at a time like this. She had to try. If she could give him any comfort at all, she had to find a way to do it.

  She came up behind him and laid her hand on his shoulder. “Hey.”

  To her surprise, he started talking fast. He talked to himself more than her. “I’ll flatten ‘em. I’ll devastate ‘em and drive ‘em intae the furnace if I ha’e tae. I’ll destroy every last livin’ soul o’ ‘em if I lay eyes on ‘em. Ye see if I dinnae.”

  “There may be some mistake,” she told him. “Angus could still be alive somewhere. You don’t know. It’s just a rumor.”

  He shook his head. “Ye heard Alan. Their wizard kenned aboot me on the mountain. They kenned about me. Whate’er their wizard saw aboot me, he mun’ ha’e seen aboot Angus, too. It’s the truth. I feel it in me ‘eart. Angus is gaing. If any Cameron sits on the Phoenix Throne, it’ll ha’e tae be me.”

  She drew close to him from behind. If only her presence could heal him somehow, she would gladly do it. She would give anything to sooth this hurt inside him. “Come back downstairs with me. Come back to your room. I want you to give me bath.”

  He didn’t turn around. His voice cracked when he tried to speak. “I cinnae. I mun’ go speak tae Alan and the King about their preparations fer the war. We mun’ fight these Urlus until we destroy them. I’ll no be able tae rest until I do.”

  She pulled back. She already knew it was hopeless, but she had to try. “Okay. I’ll leave you alone. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

  She started to turn away when he called over his shoulder. “Elle!”

  She stopped to face him. “What is it?”

  “I…. I want tae, but I cinnae. Do ye understand? Me brother’s dead, and I ha’e no notion where the others may be. I cinnae….”

  He broke off. He didn’t have to finish. She understood. He couldn’t feel anything for her beyond this burning drive for revenge. He couldn’t enjoy her company until he fulfilled his mission. How long would that take? She couldn’t know, and she couldn’t wait around to find out.

  She went back to her own room and shut the door. This was the nicest room she ever saw, much less stayed in. How could she sleep in a room like this just a few short days after sleeping on the bare dirt by a campfire, or on the flat rock by the caldera?

  She sat on the bed and looked around. Royalty lived in rooms like this. If Robbie became King, he would live in a room like this. He would get used to it. He would never go on the road with Elle again. He would marry someone, and she would go back to her home in America.

  Maybe they should go their separate ways now. They would both be better off that way. Maybe that’s what he was thinking turning her away the way he did. He didn’t want to get into anything with her when it could never be. He would be a King, and she would go back to being nothing and nobody. He understood that, so why couldn’t she accept it, too?

  A pretty blonde maid entered the bedroom through a side panel into the closet. She laid a beautiful dress on the chair. “The housekeeper sent this up fer ye, Miss. She says ye micht licht tae change out o’ yer clothes.”

  “Actually,” Elle replied, “I would like to take a bath and get these clothes washed. Do you think you can arrange that?”

  The maid bobbed a curtsy. “O’ course, Miss. Would ye licht tae tak’ yer bath in ‘ere?”

  “That would be perfect. Then I think I’ll go to sleep. That will give you time to get these clothes laundered.”

  “O’ course, Miss. I’ll send up the bath water now.”

  Elle sat where she was while servants brought in a wooden tub and filled it. They built a fire in the fireplace. Elle never realized how the hardships of the last few days bruised and battered her. Now she could rest and relax, but she was too exhausted to move.

  When the servants left, she sat still for a long time before she got up the strength to take her clothes off. She peeled off one layer at a time and made a little stack of them in the corner. They were dirtier than any clothes Elle ever wore in her life. She stepped into the steaming water and reclined up to her ears. She closed her eyes.

  Robbie definitely wouldn’t see her like this. He was too busy planning mayhem and destruction. A few simple words from a stranger broke the fragile bond between him and Elle. It might never come back.

  She tried to get him to use his dragon wings to transport them to the enchanted castle. Now he planned to use them to fight the Urlus. He would destroy or be destroyed, and she would never get him back.

  Oh, well. Easy come, easy go. That was her attitude to everyone who failed to stick with her. People came into her life and left it just as fast. She didn’t care. She never let herself feel anything for anybody. She would wash him off her skin along with the grime and tension of their journey together. Nothing could be simpler than that.

  Chapter 19

  Robbie and Prince Alan rode side by side through the forest beyond the castle. In the week since he came to this castle, Robbie rose to the King’s right hand. He spent all his time with Alan. They planned their assault on the Urlus, and when they finished all their battle preparations and logistical conferences, they rode out hunting together in the clear autumn air.

  Alan showed him where to hunt deer in the forest. He fitted Robbie with a suit of armor and all the weapons he needed. The two men galloped over the fields and plunged into the dense woods. They turned up a herd of deer and flanked them. They shot down four big bucks, and their pages and squires carried the carcasses back to the castle while Alan and Robbie rode on for pleasure.

  Alan reined to a halt in a sunny glade by a stream. He dismounted to get a drink of water, but instead of remounting and riding on, he pulled his horse’s bridle off.

  “What in the world are ye doin’?” Robbie asked. “We mun’ get back afore it gets tae late. Yer faither wants us both at the council o’ his generals.”

  “He can wait,” Alan replied. “Besides, yer a King the same as he is. He wouldnae dream tae criticize ye fer taking yer time out ‘ere.”

  Robbie shifted in his saddle. “I’m no King as yet, lad. Ye’re more a king than I.”

  Alan snorted. “I’ll ne’er be a King, and certainly no King as powerful as ye are. Come on. Gaing ye down from there and rest.”

  “I’m no tired enough tae rest.”

  Alan didn’t listen. He unsaddled his horse and turned the animal loose on the grass. He sat down by the stream and leaned back to look up at the sky.

  “What’re ye doin’ now, ye daft lad?” Robbie asked. “Dinnae tell me ye’re goin’ tae sleep out ‘ere. They’ll be lookin’ fer us at the castle.”

  “Let ‘em look,” Alan shot back. “Do ye ken how laing it’ll be afore we get a chance tae sit and enjoy the sun once this war starts? If ye’re smart, ye’ll take the chance now.”

  Robbie looked around. It was a nice enough spot, but he didn’t feel right just sitting around doing nothing. He ought to be doing something to get ready for the war.

  Alan read his mind. “Ye cinnae speed it alaing by frettin’ o’er it. It’ll happen when Faither says so and no afore that time. Sit ye down and dinnae mak’ me tell ye again.”

  Robbie sighed. Alan was right. The Munro army wouldn’t move out to attack the Urlus for another week at least. He had all the time in the world to enjoy this luxurious life while he had the chance.

  He got down and unsaddled his horse the way Alan did. The animal snorted and tossed its head. It rolled to rub its back on the grass and joined its companion to graze. Robbie sat down next to Alan. Now that he let himself relax, the sun and the water’s gentle music mad
e him sleepy.

  Alan chuckled. “Good lad.”

  “Ye and yer faither ha’e been good tae me and Elle,” Robbie told him. “We’re grateful fer that.”

  Alan shrugged. “Ye’re the ones as doin’ us a service. We wouldnae stand a chance against the Urlus wi’oot ye.”

  Robbie couldn’t look at him. He faced the river and closed his eyes. “Ye’re licht me own brother now. Ye’re the ainly one who knows about…. aboot that—besides Elle, that is.”

  “Aboot what? Aboot ye bein’ a dragon and all? Wheesht, lad, that an’t naught ye need bother aboot.”

  “Ye’ll no understand it,” Robbie replied. “I ne’er wanted this. I just wanted tae be a normal mon licht any other. Now ye mak’ it out tae be some kinda honor or summat when it’s naught but a curse.”

  “It’s no curse, lad,” Alan replied. “Ye’re the best we got tae ficht the Urlus. We wouldnae dare face ‘em wi’oot ye. Ye mun’ understand it as an advantage and a blessin’.”

  “Ye sound licht Elle. That’s what she says.”

  Alan cocked his head. “Is Elle…. Is she yer betrothed?”

  “Me betrothed?”

  “If we succeed, ye’ll be King. Ye’ll need a Queen. Did ye no consider that? Will ye mak’ her yer Queen?”

  Robbie stared at the sun shimmering on the water. Marry Elle? He never thought twice about it. He cherished Elle. He thanked heaven she saved him again and again. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and possess every inch of her, but marry her?

  What would he do with her once he found the enchanted castle and reunited with his remaining brothers? He never thought about that. This war against the Urlus occupied so much of his attention he never spent time with Elle anymore. He had no idea what she did with herself every day while he hunted and planned with Alan.

  What a rude, ungrateful haggis he was, to throw her away the moment someone else came along—and that another man, too. He should have paid more attention to her, if only in gratitude for what she’d done for him.