A Dragon's Curse by Lucy Fear

Author:Lucy Fear [Fear, Lucy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-10T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Days passed. Fenella taught Maeve the basics of magical healing and combat, just as Rowan had promised, though she suggested that if they actually had to fight, Maeve would be better off hiding behind Idris. That rankled, but she knew it was only for now. It took years to become truly proficient at magical combat, especially against such powerful opponents, and Maeve was at a disadvantage because her previous training in magic had been so haphazard. Idris and his family had been perplexed by this. In such a cutthroat court, how had she survived so long without being taught to defend herself?

She had no answers for them. Perhaps it had only been luck. Idris believed her brother had been employing magical defenses on her behalf. Maeve wasn’t ready to give him that much credit. At one time in her life, Conall had been her hero as well as her only link to the outside world. His betrayal had shaken her deeply. Even understanding intellectually what he must have been through over the years, her broken heart was not ready to forgive.

While she was training, Idris and his parents were making preparations for their trip, gathering intelligence and supplies, preparing the gifts that Lord Aidan hoped would impress the Cailleach. A few days before they were to leave, Idris and Fenella brought Maeve to Serenalis to be fitted for special clothes, which turned out to be simple leather armor that was enchanted all over with spells of protection. “We used to only make these kinds of things for mortals,” Idris said, as the shopkeeper walked around her, adjusting straps and buckles. “But armor went out of fashion in the human world a while ago, and there are plenty of mortal wizards available for enchanting clothes.”

“Most of the nobles, begging your pardon, Prince Idris, were too short-sighted to see that our people have plenty of use for this sort of thing. I can protect those who can’t protect themselves, like children, the injured, those without strong magical gifts or without training, like your young lady here,” the shopkeeper said in a gruff voice. He had kindly brown eyes and a back covered in short quills.

Idris nodded in agreement. “Also, these enchantments are a perfect defense against surprise attacks, allowing you to conserve personal magic for a counterattack or a quick getaway.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Maeve said admiringly. “I can tell you put a lot of pride in your work, so thank you for making it for me.”

The older fae smiled up at her, his eyes crinkling. “All of us in the town are grateful for Prince Idris and everything he does. The Lord and Lady are the ones who recognized our value as more than servants or slaves, but it’s the prince who does the hard and often thankless work of making sure we have what we need to stand on our two feet. I’ve been glad to make armor for all the members of the royal family, but knowing that the prince trusts me to protect the woman he loves is a special honor.

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