ADRIAN WESTERGREN
TWELVE
The wily dragon swooped over the enormous city of Sirelis, giving them an excellent view of the tall buildings, unique architecture, and even a stunning glimpse at the royal palace.
However, it was very clear that he wasn’t taking them to the ship.
Instead, Haru dropped to the flat roof of what appeared to be a five-story apartment building in a residential neighborhood more than a mile from the palace and the harbor.
Adrian slid off Haru’s back the second Haru drew his wings against his body. He turned to face Haru as the dragon shifted into his human form in a swirl of white robes and silky black hair.
“What are you doing? Shey is expecting us at the ship.” Adrian shoved a hand through his windblown hair, trying to push it into some semblance of order.
It wasn’t fair that Haru was standing there in all his regal glory after flying around as a dragon, while he was sure he looked like something a cat had coughed up.
Haru strolled to him, a wicked grin playing on his lips. “I thought we could spend a little time together before we must go to war. Go on a date.”
Adrian’s eyes widened, and for a moment he was tongue-tied. Haru wanted to go on a date. He didn’t understand this dragon’s logic sometimes. “We’re guests visiting a foreign country for the first time. We need to stay with Prince Shey, or at least report to the palace.”
Haru held up one long, slender finger. “It’s not our first time. We briefly stopped here prior to flying to Damardor.”
“Yeah, but we reported directly to the palace. It’s not like we saw any of the city. We—”
“Precisely. We got to see nothing of Prince Shey’s home.
” Haru closed the last few feet between them and wrapped one of Adrian’s hands in both of his.
“Prince Shey knows we will report to the palace eventually. We sank one Order ship and damaged several others. There were quite a few Order sailors killed as well for shooting at me. I think we’ve earned a reward, and I say our reward is being allowed to explore Sirelis unescorted for a few hours. ”
There was no point in arguing with Haru.
The dragon had already set his mind to this, and nothing Adrian said was going to change it.
Besides, it would take Prince Shey a few hours to get to the palace and catch up on what had been happening in the past few weeks.
No one would need them for a while, and there was no sense in spending that time locked up in the palace waiting.
“Fine, but only for a couple of hours.” Haru’s expression brightened the second Adrian agreed, and Adrian forcefully ignored the way his heart skipped in response.
Instead, he scowled and pointed at Haru’s stomach with his free hand.
“Are you sure you’ve got a good handle on everything?
” The dragon appeared fine with the goddess’s powers under control, but he still needed to check on Haru.
“Yes, everything is fine. I am in control. It is much easier to dampen those voices and shove aside the darkness with my Adrian at my side.”
That seemed to track. When Haru was happy and relaxed, there were fewer nightmarish outbreaks that lashed out at the world, and Haru didn’t appear to be in pain.
“Let’s get out of here. I’m sure someone noticed a dragon landing on this roof and called the cops.
” Adrian grasped Haru’s hands and pulled him toward the metal ladder that connected with the rest of the fire escape.
“I don’t think we want to be stopped and forced to answer a lot of questions while the country is in the middle of a war.
Someone is going to think we’re spies for New Rosanthe. ”
“I will keep you safe,” Haru vowed.
Adrian released Haru and climbed onto the first rung.
Thankfully, Haru had chosen a building where the fire escape was well maintained without a speck of rust. It didn’t even creak under his weight.
“How about we just skip the part where we’re suspected of espionage? It kind of ruins the vibe for a date.”
Haru’s smile returned, and Adrian fought hard not to do the same.
The dragon’s giddy excitement was contagious.
This was the stupidest thing. They should go straight to the palace, report to Queen Noemi, and get briefed on the situation so they could help their ally.
Instead, they were going sightseeing. Rayne would be having a fit right now.
Drayce would be cackling his ass off. Caelan and Eno would probably be somewhere in the middle of it.
Whatever. It was fine. As they were sightseeing, Adrian could direct them toward the palace.
It probably wouldn’t hurt to get a lay of the land.
There was no telling if there were Order soldiers and spies in the city right now causing trouble.
They could step in and protect the inhabitants of Sirelis.
In no time, they reached the street and cut to a narrow side street to a principal thoroughfare lined with shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
As soon as they were on the sidewalk, Haru caught his hand and threaded their fingers together.
Adrian ignored the stares and whispers of the people they passed.
It wasn’t about two men holding hands. That was common enough.
It had to be Haru’s appearance. Slender like a willow in flowing white robes edged in blue and green. His long black hair was loose and tumbled down his shoulders in an inky cascade, a few diamonds woven among the locks to wink in the fading afternoon sun.
He drifted along like a figure from another world.
Haru looked more godlike than Tyche. Meanwhile, Adrian’s clothes were common enough.
He’d chosen a pair of durable black cargo pants to protect him on the ride and a thick, knit charcoal-gray sweater.
It might be summer, but the air in Caspagir was considerably colder than what they would experience in Stormbreak. Only the Isle of Stone might be colder.
At the very least, Haru didn’t look to be from Damardor or New Rosanthe.
Haru leaned close to Adrian so that he could whisper, “I was not expecting this place to be so different from Stormbreak. My cousin’s city looks far more modern. More shining glass and steel.”
Adrian grunted. “Erya and Caspagir had been allies for a long time, but with the Ordas between us, I get the impression that we developed in different directions. Not to mention, Caspagir has mountains and colder seasons than we do. I think that’s why you’ll see more stone buildings and cobblestone roads here.
Everyone says that Erya is all flat farmland and gentle rolling hills because we had the Lifestone and Tula in Stormbreak. ”
“But Kaes, the God of Storms, called Sirelis home.”
Adrian’s brow furrowed. Would he call it home or just where he was trapped in the godstone?
“True. I guess stone buildings more easily withstand his storms.” He hoped he sounded as if he knew what he was talking about. Luckily, they ran across more shops that had vibrant window displays to distract the dragon.
They walked for a few blocks, heading toward the palace.
Adrian had to admit that it was helping him to relax as well.
When he’d been in Damardor with Haru, he’d been on edge constantly, worrying about finding the prince alive and not failing his king.
On the Isle of Stone, he’d been worried about Haru’s health and safety.
There had been no time to enjoy being with Haru before they were racing to another place under the looming threat of death and war.
“I hope my Adrian will forgive me. I had an ulterior motive for this outing.”
Adrian almost groaned. Of course, the shifty dragon had something up his sleeve. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Ahead of our departure, Omari Nori pulled me aside to ask my advice on whether our people should pursue an alliance with Caspagir, the same as we have with Erya.”
Adrian stopped near a corner, his head buzzing.
This was not the frivolous nonsense that he was expecting from the dragon.
Cars zoomed past them, and people chatted on the streets, carrying bags of groceries and other goods on their way home.
A scent of something fried and delicious teased his nose, but the world faded as he stared at Haru.
“Does Nori often seek your advice on clan matters?”
Haru shrugged. “On some things. He confers with Megumi and Uki more frequently.”
Nori logically went to Haru because he’d spent more time with the prince and had visited—albeit briefly—the kingdom of Caspagir.
It was just strange to think of reckless, feckless Haru as any leader’s advisor and possible confidant.
But that was a failing on Adrian’s part.
Haru was a powerful fighter who liked to project a frivolous air so no one took him seriously.
Too often, Adrian was guilty of that as well.
“Nori knows he can trust Caelan because he’s family,” Haru continued when Adrian remained silent. “He also trusts Rayne, as he is in line to be the next leader of Erya. He believes Rayne is a logical person with a good heart, who wishes the best for his people but not to the detriment of others.”
“Nori doesn’t know Shey, his family, or the other leaders of Caspagir,” Adrian finished for him, nodding.
“No, he does not. Prince Shey is a skilled diplomat. He knows how to say the right words and…” Haru frowned and waved a hand in front of his face as he seemed to search for a way to communicate his dilemma.
“The prince knows how to put a good face on things.” Haru dropped his hand to his side and sighed.
“With Caelan, we are biased. We trust he won’t make a decision that will harm his family.
We believe he would want to do things that would honor his father, even if he did not know him well.
But Shey does not have those considerations or restraints on his actions. ”
“I can’t say that I know Prince Shey any better than you do.
We fought together in the Ordas. We spent some time together in Damardor and then at your home.
” Adrian reached out and caught Haru’s hand, pulling him along as he crossed the street with the light.
“My gut says that he’s trustworthy and honorable.
I believe his intentions toward the dragons are good.
But that doesn’t mean Nori needs to jump right in with the same treaties and agreements that he made with Erya.
” Not that Adrian knew what any of those were.
“You don’t think Caspagir would be offended if Nori requested a slow introduction of diplomats? They wouldn’t be upset if we kept our borders closed to their ships?”
Adrian shrugged. “This is so out of my depth, Haru. I’m a royal guard. Not one of the fancy, highly educated ministers.”
“Yes, but you accompany Caelan throughout his day and through his meetings.”
Okay, the dragon had a point. He did listen in on a lot of Caelan’s meetings. It also didn’t hurt that most of those meetings included Rayne, who was brilliant.
“Fine. If I were Rayne, I would probably tell Nori to trust his gut. Dragons move slowly, so there’s no reason to change that.
Maybe just not too slow, because humans die much faster than dragons.
” Adrian growled at his own babbling. “There’s nothing wrong with Nori wanting to get to know the royal family and Caspagir more.
If a relationship is so important to Prince Shey and Queen Noemi, they’ll be happy to go at whatever speed the dragons want.
Exchange diplomats. Have trusted dragons visit Caspagir and allow Caspagir diplomats to visit the Isle of Stone.
Let them meet openly with some of the other clans. Exchange ideas. Trade is good.”
Yeah, that all made sense.
“And if they are only interested in using dragons as a weapon for war?”
Adrian stopped and frowned. “I honestly don’t think that is what Prince Shey wants.
Possibly some of his generals, but those people are always thinking about weapons.
But not Shey. He’s the type to want to fight his own battles.
” A knot twisted in the pit of Adrian’s stomach, and anger boiled in his veins at the idea of anyone wanting to use the dragons for such a reason.
“New Rosanthe would totally demand that of the dragons if you formed an alliance with them.”
“That is why we will crush New Rosanthe if they come near our home,” Haru declared with absolute confidence.
Adrian looked over at the dragon and relaxed.
He believed him. “Tell Nori to be fair and set boundaries. If the dragons have no interest in fighting the wars of others, he needs to state it plainly. Spell out that your only interest is in trade. The nice thing about treaties and agreements is that they can always be amended later. If the dragons come to trust Caspagir like they do Erya, you can always adjust things at a later date.”
Haru leaned in and pressed his lips sweetly to Adrian’s. The scent of jasmine danced around Adrian, and he relaxed into the kiss, but he broke it off quickly. They couldn’t stand in the middle of the sidewalk kissing and blocking foot traffic.
“I am glad I discussed this with you. I like Prince Shey and was afraid that I was going to give Uncle terrible advice.”
Adrian tightened his hand on Haru’s as they resumed walking. “I like Shey too, but there’s nothing wrong with being cautious to protect your people. I never want to see anything bad happen to the dragons.”
Haru hummed softly. “This is why you must return to the Isle of Stone with me. You are very logical, and you will help me give Uncle good advice.”
A bark of laughter jumped from Adrian’s throat. Every time. No matter what they were doing or talking about, Haru always found a way to wind it to Adrian returning to the Isle of Stone with him.
And every time, Adrian was a little more tempted to say yes.