Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Rain pelted Marcus as he walked out of Iron Hall and stood at the bottom of Raynia Canyon. Winter had taken hold, but it was warmer within the depths of the gorge, allowing the flora to remain green and healthy. But he wasn’t here to admire the beautiful greenery.
He took a running start before launching himself into the air and landing at the top of the canyon.
He strode forward toward the invisible barrier that kept the humans out of dragon territory.
Magic briefly clung to him as he stepped through the barricade.
The moment he was on the other side, he started running, pumping his arms and legs as fast as he could go.
Then he jumped and shifted into his true form.
His wings unfurled and caught the current.
He angled his body toward the thick clouds as lightning streaked the sky in the distance.
Thunder rumbled so deep he felt it reverberate through his body.
He kept climbing, bursting through one cloud and then another.
And another. Electricity hummed along his scales a half-second before lightning forked in a beautiful, terrifying display right next to him.
On Earth, the only times the Kings dared to take to the skies were during storms. None of them missed an opportunity to shed their human bodies.
Marcus had flown in all kinds of storms. None of them scared him.
In fact, very little frightened him after the dragons had left.
Yet there had been a nagging, unexplained worry in his gut ever since he heard Fedra whisper his name.
And it had only grown once he lifted her from the pod.
Their conversation today only intensified his disquiet, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
He wanted to claim that it was her lies, but he knew in his heart that it was much more than that.
It was why he had taken to the skies. Flying was the only thing that could clear his head, and right now, he needed to shake himself hard.
The storm raged, unleashing its fury across the land, while Marcus pushed himself to fly harder, faster, higher—all to escape thoughts of Fedra. But no matter how many miles he covered, he couldn’t release her.
“Would you let me leave?”
He shook his head as her words from earlier filled his head. She was right. Allowing her to leave Iron Hall was the best option for everyone. Why then did it feel as if someone had a hand around his chest, squeezing the life from him, each time he thought about her leaving?
The more he contemplated the problem, the more confused and tangled his thoughts became.
He spotted dragons to his left. They diverted away from him at the same time he went the opposite way.
He wasn’t in the mood to deal with their anger and resentment when he had his own worries.
It was better for all if he were on his own.
Marcus headed south. He didn’t stop when the land turned into the ocean. Instead, he kept going. Maybe he would keep flying and circle the realm. None of the other Kings had done it. Not even Brandr and Eurwen, who had called Zora home since they were bairns.
Someone needed to do it. Why couldn’t it be him?
Though Marcus knew he was just delaying the inevitable.
Fedra would be dealt with, whether he was in the city or not.
She was a threat. How much of one remained to be seen.
Since she continued to evade, mislead, and lie, it was impossible to determine exactly who she was and what she intended.
The pull he had felt to protect her reared its head again. Marcus wanted to cut all ties with her and allow the other Kings to decide what to do. If he was there, if he stayed involved, he wasn’t sure whether he would side with the other Kings.
Or if he would side with her.
That in itself horrified him. Nothing—and no one—had ever come between the Kings.
They had lived through the best and the worst times of their lives together.
They had suffered endlessly, century after century, hiding who they were as they waited for the humans to forget them.
Only when dragons became myth and legend had they dared to venture from Dreagan.
Con had once given up Rhi for the Kings. How could Marcus betray all of that for a woman he didn’t know? Fedra was a stranger. Yet he found himself going to her time and again. Just seeing her, hearing her voice, was enough to make him breathe easier.
He flew out of the rain into clear skies. The sun sparkled upon the water like diamonds. There was nothing but ocean and sky for as far as he could see. And for just a moment, he could almost believe that he was the only one on the entire realm.
“Marcus.”
He opened the mental link at the sound of Kendrick’s voice. “Aye?”
“I’ve been calling out to you for miles.”
Miles? Marcus glanced over his shoulder and spotted Kendrick’s sienna-colored scales. “Why are you following me?”
“Why are you flying as if you’re a dragon possessed?”
Marcus sighed before dipping a wing and swinging around. Kendrick slowed and turned as Marcus reached him.
“Were you headed somewhere in particular?” Kendrick asked.
“I was thinking of circling the realm.”
“It’s beautiful out here. Esha and I venture out whenever I’m watching the border.”
Marcus was relieved that Kendrick gave him something else to talk about. “How are things with the elves? Any movement?”
“Nothing I’ve seen. We have a scheduled meeting with Savita soon.”
Marcus had heard a lot about Esha’s sister. None of them had even known elves existed on Zora until Kendrick encountered Esha and her band of Asavori Rangers. Now, the Kings were also keeping an eye out on their eastern border with Shecrish, since some elves had taken a dislike to dragons.
It seemed the Kings found hatred for their kind everywhere they went.
It was infuriating. The dragons kept to themselves on Zora while half the Kings remained on Earth to guard it, and the other half were here protecting the realm.
They never went looking for trouble, but it seemed their enemies were always seeking them out for one kind of grievance or another.
“How are you? After using magic around Fedra?”
It was a valid question, and one Marcus likely would have asked if their situations had been reversed. Still, it aggravated him. Just another complex feeling in an already huge knot of emotions.
“I’m fine. There are no repercussions as far as I can tell,” he answered.
Kendrick grunted. “That’s good. I was worried about you.”
“We always bounce back.”
“You doona need to sugarcoat it on my account.”
Marcus glanced at him as they flew side by side. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“Are you no’?”
Was that what he was doing? Marcus wasn’t sure anymore.
“We doona know who or what Fedra is. What happened might be nothing, and it will never happen again. Or she might be the verra cause and put everyone in danger. We have to do what we’ve always done and consider everyone.”
“I doona need a lecture,” Marcus snapped as they flew back into the rain. “Nor do I need to be reminded of what it is we must do.”
Kendrick stared at him, his sapphire dragon eyes narrowing slightly. “That isna what I was saying.”
“What are you trying to say, then?”
“I’m trying to tell you that it’s understandable to feel protective of someone.”
Marcus snorted as they reached the shore and soared back over land. “She wants to leave Iron Hall.”
“When?”
“Now.”
“While still blind?” Kendrick asked in surprise.
Marcus nodded once. “She’s dead set on it.”
“Did she ask you to go with her?”
“She asked me to point her in the direction she wanted.”
Kendrick was silent for a long moment. “Are you considering it?”
“She’s blind.”
“Plenty of people who doona have sight manage to live relatively normal lives.”
It was similar to what Fedra had said. If only it were so easy for Marcus to let her go. “She doesna trust us. She willna give us the truth on her own.”
“What do you think she’s hiding?”
“It could be anything.”
Kendrick nudged him with a wing. “Follow me.”
Marcus thought about ignoring him, but he turned with Kendrick and followed him to the mountain range close to the Shecrish border.
Kendrick landed and shifted into human form before entering a cave.
Marcus followed suit. He got five steps into the cave when he spotted the pink dragon curled up on the left.
She opened one emerald eye to look at him before closing it again.
He had heard Kendrick talk about Ceri, but she was choosy about what Kings she allowed near her. Kendrick had earned her trust. Though Ceri didn’t talk much, she did stay near him when he patrolled the border.
“Sit,” Kendrick said as flames flared to life from a pit in the middle of the chamber.
Marcus took a position far from the Pink so as not to make her uneasy. Outside the cave, the storm continued, though the lightning had moved off to the north.
“Why were you really flying away?” Kendrick asked.
Marcus released a long sigh. He couldn’t sort out the problem on his own. Maybe talking it out with someone would help. “I’m torn. I know Fedra is keeping something from us. Maybe it’s nothing, but it might be something huge. Her no’ being honest is a problem.”
“We’ve no’ exactly come clean to her, either.”
“There’s that.”
Kendrick stirred the fire with a stick. “We have our reasons for being secretive. There is an argument that she does, as well.”
“If that were the only issue, fine. But it isna. I doona want anyone to use magic near her. Ever,” Marcus said as he looked Kendrick in the eye.
“We’re made of magic, brother.” He jerked his chin to the Pink. “So is Ceri. So is most everyone who resides at Iron Hall. That’s no’ even taking into consideration all the ways we use magic in the city.”
Marcus ran a hand down his face. “I keep hoping we’ll find something that says this is some kind of side effect from her being in stasis, like her blindness. Because if it isna…”
“I know,” Kendrick murmured wearily.
They sat in silence as Marcus watched the flames jump. “I keep wondering if all her people somehow canceled magic, or if it’s just her.”
“And whether she was intentionally put in the pod.”
“Aye.” Marcus briefly closed his eyes. “Many on Zora fear anyone with magic. They would do anything to have Fedra. But for the rest of us, it would turn our world upside down.”
Kendrick drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. “We’ve all been thinking what you have, but I can tell it’s bothering you more. Because you’re protective of her.”
“I doona want to be.”
“That isna always something you can choose.”
Marcus turned his head away. “What do I do? Do I give in and let her leave the city? It would protect everyone there. Then again, she may end up in the hands of those who could use her to hurt us.”
“If she remains at Iron Hall, she could hurt us.”
There was no denying that. Maybe that’s why Marcus was so upset. For all his talk, he wanted her to remain in the city.
“Have you considered what she could do to the dragons?” Kendrick asked.
Marcus frowned as he swung his head to his friend, anger flaring. Then he realized what Kendrick was asking. If Fedra could cancel magic, then the barrier surrounding the dragons’ land would be dissolved and would no longer alert the dragons that someone had crossed over.
And if Fedra entered dragon land, the dragons would die the minute she got within five to ten feet of them. Because she had been cursed to erase magic around her. The dragons depended on that power. When it vanished, the absence of magic would take them with it.
All because when magic was used it became unstable around her.
Kendrick gave him a sad smile. “Maybe you should ask her which direction she wants you to point her in.”
“You really think she could be here for the dragons?”
“I think it’s better if we know sooner rather than later.”
Marcus shook his head as he leaned forward and dropped his chin to his chest. If only I had ignored her and left her in the pod.”
“Whether she was released now, a year from now, or a decade from now, we’d still be dealing with the same issue.”
Marcus lifted his head. “You’re right. First thing, we need to determine if what she told us is the truth.”
“That’s why I asked you to come. Ceri shared some information she uncovered.”