Dream of Dragons

and saw her father the king sitting at her bedside.
“Slow down, Loren.” He said softly. His eyes were said, and sat as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“But…What happened? How is mother? I remember seeing a dagger.” Loren said, brow furrowed in worry.
King Jorrne pulled out a dagger wrapped in a cloth. The cloth was dotted with drops of blood. “Poisoned. And it cut deep. Katarina is with the healer and Spellmaster. It has been hours, and she hasn’t woken yet. I was by her side, but the healer told me to leave as she needed air.” The king’s sigh was heavy. He moved to sit on the bed itself, and scooped Loren up into his arms, hugging her tight. “Lind interrupted the attacker before he could target you, thank the gods.”
Loren hugged her father back, tears already falling down her cheeks. “I know who tried to kill mother…His name was Arion, he told me he was a newly hired stable hand. But after Lind snapped at his arm, he burst into flame just like the messenger who brought Gaturr’s pelt.”
“There was a pile of ash in the hall, that must be what was left of him.” Jorrne sighed. “Lind roared and flew off afterwards, of course. I think he knew Katarina was in trouble. He caught this assassin just as he was pulling his arm back for the strike.”
“But he wasn’t fast enough.” Loren muttered. “Father, will mother recover?”
The king, known for his strength and boisterous attitude, found his voice cracking. “I don’t know, Loren. I don’t know.”
Loren went to the queen’s chambers a while after waking. Queen Katarina lay in her bed, her skin pale and covered in a cold sweat. Her breathing was labored, and every rattling breath made Loren worry it would be her last. The healer stood at a table, pounding ingredients in a mortar and pestle into a fine powder for his potions and poultices. The Spellmaster stayed by the queen’s side, with one sleeve of his robe rolled up to the elbow. He held his arm out towards the queen, his mage markings glowing a soft blue. He noticed Loren skulking by the door and motioned for her to come in.
“How is she?” Loren asked.
The Spellmaster sighed. “My magic is holding the poison back. The healer’s work took care of the wound in her back, but this poison is nothing either of us have encountered before. The dagger used was coated in it, it was certainly meant to be fatal.”
Loren was restless. She walked aimlessly through the castle, unable to eat, sleep, or focus. Her father suggested she go spend her time studying, or practicing her sword fighting with Warmaster Sairus. Anything to keep her mind off of the worry over her mother’s health. The king was worrying enough for the both of them.
King Jorrne returned to Katarina’s bedchamber and stayed by her side, holding her pale hand. She skin grew colder and clammier with every ragged breath. The healer gently fed the queen a series of potions every other hour to keep the poison at bay. The healer did not know what kind of poison coated the dagger, and so could not create an antidote.
The princess made several circuits around the higher floors of the castle, before walking around the courtyard and barracks near the castle, and found herself at a gate. It was a harsh, wrought iron gate, with rusted hinges that kept it always open. It was the entrance to the dungeons. Loren gasped and rushed inside, suddenly remembering that Kae and Ma’trii had been locked up.
Kae sat on the stone floor of her cell, back against the wall and tossing pebbles at the adjacent wall in her boredom. Ma’trii was in the cell with her, but had a large muzzle fitted on. He was not restrained otherwise, and spent his time lying beside Kae, sharing in the mutual misery. When Loren rushed in, she squinted through the torchlight to look into the cells one by one, till she found Kae.
“Oh look, it’s the princess.’ Kae said dryly once Loren’s face came into view. “What do you want with me this time? Whatever it is, I think it’s going to end with my head on the chopping block.” Beside her, Ma’trii snorted in agreement.
Loren sighed, and leaned against the bars. “I’m sorry, Kae. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“You didn’t think too far ahead, did you?” Kae said with a hollow laugh. She threw one more rock at the far wall before turning to Loren. “Of course the Spymaster would find you. Markin’s Pass isn’t that far down the Imperial Highway. It was only a couple hours walk from Markholme. And we kicked a guard in the nethers. We’re both idiots, princess. You for thinking that was a good idea, and me for trusting you.”
“I know you’re mad at me-“
“What gave it away?”
“Will you let me finish?” Loren sighed, and rubbed at her eyes. “My mother, the queen…She’s been stabbed with a poison dagger. She’s fading fast.”
Kae blinked, suddenly feeling guilty for snapping at Loren. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I have to find Kaiten.”
“Princess…” Kae sighed. “Loren. What does finding the lion prince have to do with your mother?”
“They’re connected somehow, I’m sure.” Loren sat on the ground by the bars, and dropped her voice to a whisper. “First was Gaturr being killed, and his pelt sent to Aldoran. Queen Haedria of Sagna ordered it, and her sister Seraphis carried it out; the Sagnian messenger said as much. Then possibly the same time as the assassination, Kaiten goes missing. Then not a week later, an assassin from Sagna shows up in the castle and tries to kill the queen.”
“So you’re saying that if we find Kaiten, we’ll magically find the antidote for the queen? You’re not making much sense,