SHEY THRUDESH-VO #2
“That is correct. And the first command of Chancellor Feng has been to retaliate against the invaders on our sovereign soil. That is why the Order has declared war on the kingdom of Caspagir and the Isle of Stone dragons.” Captain Hawley narrowed his eyes and slid them in Caelan’s direction.
“As of yet, the declaration of war does not include the kingdom of Erya. However, if you should intervene where you are not welcome, I am sure that the chancellor will have no problem facing Erya in a fight. We will defend our sovereign soil.”
Shey clenched his fist at his side, preparing to punch this pompous asshole in the face. It didn’t look like it would be the first time he’d driven someone to that act. Yet, it was Nori’s even voice that helped Shey to regain control of his emotions.
“I do not understand, Captain. What is this invasion that you speak of? Dragons have not invaded your territory, but you are racing to invade our sacred lands without so much as a by your leave.”
The man’s sneer returned, and he lifted a hand, stretching his fingers back toward one officer behind him.
A second later, a tablet was slapped onto his palm.
After a couple of taps, he swung it around to face Shey, Caelan, Nori, and Megumi, where it played a video of the events that had occurred in Bellcairn.
The video was grainy and messy, appearing as if it had been lifted from a series of security cameras tucked away outside of businesses and as part of traffic surveillance.
“As you can see, Prince Shey, an unknown dragon, and two other suspects engaged in a battle in the middle of the capital, resulting in the ruthless murder of several innocent Damardor citizens. This is after your presence was traced to the murder of Ruben Deinum, one of Damardor’s most beloved private citizens, and the destruction of his property. ”
“Wait a minute!” Shey snatched the tablet from his hands and forced the video to play over from the beginning.
“This is bullshit. It didn’t happen like this.
Where’s Cirina? We were fighting her to protect your citizens.
She’s the one who killed them. She’s the one who drove them to jump in front of cars and leap off buildings. ”
He might have avoided all comments about Ruben.
Sure, they’d murdered the asshole, but he’d more than had it coming after killing so many innocent people with his interrogations and unlawful imprisonment.
There was no point in getting into all that complicated information when it was clear they were twisting the truth into a bunch of ugly lies.
“So, you admit to invading the country intending to sow discord and murdering our citizens. Not only that, but you brought along a dragon accomplice to aid in your endeavors,” one officer with blond hair and a youthful face snapped.
Shey almost pitied him. If he continued down this path, he was going to end up twisted and bitter, just like Captain Hawley.
“Invasion? Are you telling me that Damardor doesn’t allow people from foreign countries to enter their borders? Because we both know that’s bullshit!” For now, there was no mention of Adrian, so Erya wasn’t tied to this mess at all, but there was nothing he could do about Haru being linked to him.
“All people—especially foreign dignitaries—must register when they enter the country, and yet we have no record of Prince Shey Thrudesh-Vo ever entering Damardor legally.”
“So, the Federation of Order has declared war on Caspagir for a perceived invasion of one?” Shey scoffed. This was nonsense. Complete and utter nonsense.
“How do we know that you have not led an entire army within our borders for a sneak attack to slaughter more of our people? We’re seen your underhanded methods with Mr. Deinum. There are other unexplained deaths all throughout the area formerly known as Damardor.”
“What? You can’t pin random deaths on me because your police force is too lazy and inept to solve crimes!” Shey raged.
“Don’t bother,” Caelan growled. “You can talk to New Rosanthe’s goons. Their leaders twist the truth, and their followers blindly gobble it up because they don’t want to think for themselves.”
Captain Hawley flushed bright red and pulled himself up even taller.
“By order of Chancellor Feng, Prince Shey Thrudesh-Vo is under arrest for the slaughter of innocent citizens of the Federation of Order. You will be held until your trial in Aswa for your crimes.” Captain Hawley’s head snapped to the left, and he glared at Nori.
“You are to hand over the unknown dragon who caused catastrophic damage in Bellcairn, resulting in the death of our people. The creature will be put down for its crimes.”
Nori tipped his head up, meeting Hawley’s glare with cool calm. “No.”
That was it. No explanation. No argument or negotiation. Just a simple no.
Hawley’s mouth bobbed open and closed several times, as if he couldn’t believe that anyone would dare to tell him no.
“Arrest these men and monsters!” Hawley shouted.
“What?” Caelan squawked, though he didn’t look all that surprised. “What the hell have I done? You have no cause to attack a member of the Erya royal family!”
“You-you are under arrest for…suspected aiding and abetting known terrorists! Until the truth of the matter can be determined, we are holding you prisoner!” Hawley declared. He took a couple of steps back, bumping into the officers who had accompanied them.
Shey frowned, a knot tightening in his stomach.
The fact that this asshole had lumped a very innocent Caelan in with them meant they had come to the Isle of Stone searching for an excuse to start a war.
He could guess that this new chancellor had given Hawley orders to stir up trouble so that they had enough probable cause to attack.
There had been no genuine hope of negotiation or calming the situation.
Megumi leaped in front of Nori as the men who’d been surrounding them on deck lifted their guns to point at them while advancing, closing the circle so they had no room to escape.
Except they seemed to have forgotten about the dragon who was circling overhead, itching for a fight because they were holding his beloved fiancé.
It was likely they’d also not considered that they stood little chance against the dragons who were in human form. This guise of soft flesh didn’t slow them down one bit.
Overhead, Drayce roared and plunged toward the ship. The cannons lifted faster than Shey thought possible and began firing on the black dragon. Drayce twisted and turned in the air as if in a graceful dance, easily dodging the incoming ballistics while bathing part of the deck in his fire.
“Appears that it’s time to go,” Nori announced.
Shey turned his head to say something to Nori. He wasn’t even sure what it was going to be now. All thought was wiped from his brain as Megumi swung around to him and said with a stiff smile, “Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
Her powerful hand grabbed his wrist. With ease, she lifted and tossed him through the air so that he was flying over the side of the ship.
A scream rose to the top of his throat as nothing but water was suddenly beneath him.
In a flash, dragon scales zoomed in, catching him before he could crash into the waves.
It took a few flaps of her wings and Megumi was soaring well above the battleship and moving away as Captain Hawley’s shouts to fire on them faded.
Shey shoved his heart back down to where it belonged and clutched Megumi’s ridge of hard spines with trembling hands.
As he positioned himself more solidly, he glanced about to see Caelan soaring on Nori while Drayce lingered long enough to coat the upper deck of the ship in flames.
The meeting had gone about as well as he’d expected.
At least it had confirmed what Rayne had reported.
The chancellor of the Federation of Order had declared war on his kingdom and the dragons.
After today, it seemed a safe bet that Erya was also at war with the Order.
His mother would not be pleased with this.
He needed to return to Sirelis as soon as possible, but he didn’t want to leave the dragons in the lurch.
There was also the matter of the Goddess of Nightmares’ powers still being stuck in Haru.
Not to mention the mess they’d left behind in Damardor.
For the first time in his life, Shey didn’t know what to do next.