After Alistair left Dareena, he returned to his own office to ponder this recent encounter. He really needed to get back to his troops soon, but he could not afford to leave, not when Dareena was acting so strangely. Drystan was too angry to see it, but Alistair knew better than to think she was merely being affected by her pregnancy. She had said too many things that did not make any sense.
He wished Tariana or one of his sisters were here to talk this through, or even Taldren. A fierce wave of pain swept through him at the thought of his dead cousin, who lay in the crypt below the castle. They still had not given him a proper burial, nor his slain sisters. It seemed wrong to plan the coronation and wedding while he had family that had not been lain to rest. But there had been no oracle to preside over the funerals.
“Perhaps it’s the oracle I need to go and see,” Alistair mused aloud. She might be able to speak to the dragon god, or perhaps her eyes would see something in Dareena that they may have missed. Alistair feared that perhaps the warlocks had managed to get to her using some long-range spell, though he wasn’t certain why they had waited so long to make their move, if that was the case. He wished he could speak to Lucyan and find out what he knew.
When Alistair received word that Drystan had returned from his hunt, he went to meet him in the courtyard. His older brother looked exhausted, and not at all satisfied despite the stench of human blood clinging to him.
“Did you find more bandits to kill?” he asked as he wrapped his brother in a cloak.
“A few dozen,” Drystan said wearily. He shook his head, frustration brimming in his gaze. “I am appalled at how many of them are on the roads, accosting our people. This has gotten out of hand.”
Alistair put his arm around his brother. “I have a feeling that once the bandits know there is a dragon roaming our lands and hunting them down, they will be far less bold with their efforts. We really ought to meet with our vassals and discuss implementing more effective measures to enforce our laws.”
Drystan nodded. “I’ll add that to the list.”
Alistair sighed at the bitter note in Drystan’s voice. “I met with Dareena today,” he said, steering his brother into an empty parlor room where they could talk in private. It wasn’t below ground, so he shut the curtains to be safe and spoke in a low voice. “She said several things that didn’t make any sense. I think she might be under the influence of some spell.”
Drystan frowned. “I suppose that’s possible,” he said, “but who would have put it on her? We’ve swept this place countless times for warlock operatives—I just don’t see how anyone could have gotten to her.”
Alistair shrugged. “There is much we still do not know about warlock magic,” he said. “With any luck, Lucyan will be able to help fill in our gaps of knowledge when he returns. I received word from Shadley while you were out that Ryolas and Basilla are on their way to Dragon’s Keep, and that Lucyan will be following shortly.”
Drystan brightened at that. “That is excellent news,” he said, looking happier than Alistair had seen him in days. “But we cannot simply hope that Lucyan will be able to fix Dareena, if there is even a spell on her in the first place. He is no warlock.”
“True,” Alistair agreed. “Which is why I’ve decided I’m going to pay Rofana a visit.”
“The oracle?” Drystan frowned. “Did you not just get back from Targon Temple?”
Alistair gave him a wry smile. “Would that I’d already known of this issue before I left. In any case, the oracle needs to be made aware of what is going on. It is late now, so I will go at first light tomorrow.”
“Very well,” Drystan said. He ran a hand through his hair, looking very put out. “I hope it really is just a spell, and that Dareena hasn’t had a change of heart. If she does not truly love us…”
“She does,” Alistair said, cutting off that train of thought. “And if she has forgotten, then we will make her remember again.”
The two of them returned to their suite for the night. Drystan tried again to approach Dareena, who was in bed, but she refused to let either Alistair or Drystan join her.
“I am far too tired for bedroom acrobatics,” she said, barely looking up from her book. “Surely the two of you can find some hussy to amuse yourselves with instead. Any of my ladies would doubtless be happy to serve.”
Drystan scowled. “You know better than to think that either of us would take another woman to our beds,” he growled, snatching the book out of Dareena’s hands.
“Drystan—” Alistair began, but his brother ignored him.
“Are you really going to pretend you find us repulsive?” Drystan demanded. He grabbed Dareena’s wrists and pinned her to the bed. “Are you going to pretend that you weren’t screaming my name the other night and begging for my cock?”
“The only thing I want from your cock is for it to leave this room and take you with it,” Dareena said in a voice like ice. She smirked up at him. “Unless your plan is to pin me to the bed and rape me instead. Would that satisfy your bruised pride?”
Drystan snarled with rage, plumes of smoke streaming from his mouth. Disgusted, he released Dareena. “If that is how you truly feel, I will put the wedding and coronation on hold,” he shouted, storming from the room.
“Drystan!” Alistair hurried after his brother, shutting Dareena’s door behind them. “Get a hold of yourself, man.” He grabbed his brother’s shoulders. “We do not know what we are dealing with yet! We must continue with the preparations for the wedding and the coronation—the dragon god demands it!”
Drystan whirled around, rage blazing in his eyes. “If the dragon god is so keen on seeing us married,” he said, “then perhaps he should tell our mate to stop acting like a bloody shrew. I have far too much to deal with already. I will not stand by while she continues to bombard us with insults.”
Alistair sighed as Drystan stalked to his bedroom and slammed the door so hard the wood splintered. Glancing back at Dareena’s bedroom, Alistair wondered if their mate had heard the argument.
It doesn’t matter, he thought as he went to his own bedroom. Dareena was under some sort of spell, he was almost certain of it. He only hoped it was in the oracle’s power to find and destroy it before Drystan reached the end of his rope, and Dareena said or did something that none of them would be able to come back from.