Chapter 4
The Summer Court was sweltering. I truly didn’t understand how anyone could tolerate it.
From the moment I entered the borders, the heat and humidity pressed in on me, making it difficult to breathe. A thin sheen of sweat immediately formed on my brow and neck.
Not to mention the blazing sun. Stars, it was unbearable. We never used carriages in the Star Court, but it made me yearn for one, just for respite from the unforgiving and blinding light.
I paused often to drink from my waterskin, unaccustomed to being so thirsty. But, if I was completely honest with myself, I was stalling. I wasn’t eager to march into the Summer palace and demand for something that didn’t rightfully belong to me.
So, I took my time. I brought an envoy with me, only for pretenses, but I was planning to negotiate with the princess on my own. Mother made it clear the matter was to remain discreet.
Which meant she didn’t want anyone blabbing to the other kingdoms about our hostile negotiations.
I gritted my teeth as I took another swig of water. Stars above, I hated this.
But it couldn’t be helped. As Mother said, we were out of options.
If I had to choose between my kingdom’s safety and maintaining pleasant relations with the Summer Court, I knew which one I would pick.
When I urged my horse to continue onward, the cobbled road curved slightly, and I sighed with relief. A canopy of overhanging trees stood over us, providing merciful shade from the sun. Under the cover of branches, the air actually felt quite cool, and were I not already overheated from the ride, it would indeed feel pleasant.
But my patience was gone, and I was past feeling appreciative of this wretched kingdom.
Peeking through the trees were the tall, gleaming spires of the emerald Summer Palace, the sun reflecting off its glistening surface and sending rays of green light streaking through the sky.
Beside me, Horace, the envoy, rode stoically, his eyes fixed ahead. Not even his bushy mustache twitched.
I cleared my throat, fidgeting in my saddle. Horace always made me uncomfortable. He was so quiet and so serious. I often wondered if Mother assigned him to be my envoy on purpose, to dissuade me from joking so often.
It wouldn’t work.
“Well, I’m convinced,” I said, adopting an air of false solemnity. “This place must be Hell. It’s the only explanation for this heat. There must be a fiery pit of despair somewhere, right?”
I cast a sidelong glance at Horace, who merely grunted in acknowledgement but said nothing more. Gods, I yearned for my friend Marek, who had once been my personal guardsman. Now, he was married to the queen of the Court of Twilight. Less than a day’s ride away from me, but still farther than I was accustomed to.
Mother had urged me to bring a formal guard with me, but I didn’t think that would be received well. Then again, me demanding the use of the dragons of the Summer Court wouldn’t be received well, either. And if the princess ordered me to be arrested, I would have nothing but my own strength and wits to protect me.
Even so, I intended to be forthcoming with the princess. More forthcoming than Mother would have wanted me to be. Perhaps if I explained the dire situation of my people, she would be more amenable to lending us her dragons.
I wanted to project an air of humility. So, I left my guards behind.
“When we arrive,” I said to Horace, “I’d like you to ride ahead of me to announce my presence. Allow the princess time to prepare. I’m sure my unexpected arrival will not be welcome.”
Horace merely nodded, keeping his gaze fixed ahead.
“Are you married, Horace?”
“I am, Your Highness.”
“What’s her name?”
“Judith. We’ve been married for fifteen years.”
“That’s lovely. Any children?”
“No, Your Highness.”
I nodded, unsure of what else to say. I didn’t know much about the man, but perhaps I could amend that. “When you aren’t busy, ah, envoying, what is it you like to do?”
Horace finally blinked and turned his dark gray eyes on me, his thick eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “Your Highness?”
“If you had the day off, what would you spend your time doing?”
His mustache puckered with his frown. “My wife enjoys baking.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Ah. That sounds nice. And do you enjoy baking as well?”
“Not particularly. But I do enjoy eating the food she bakes.”
I barked out a laugh. The man’s hobby was eating. “Well, give me a delicious slice of buttered bread, and I’m in heaven. I can’t blame you there, good fellow.”
I could have sworn his eyes crinkled slightly with a smile that was hidden by his mustache. But it was gone in an instant as he fixed his gaze ahead once more.
We had nearly reached the palace when my horse stiffened and snorted, tossing his snout this way and that in agitation.
“Easy, Romulus.” I patted his neck to try to soothe him. But he reared back with another snort, stomping his hooves.
My eyes narrowed as a tendril of heat coiled around me. My head snapped up and I glanced between the trees lining the road.
In the distance, something growled.
My hand went to the sword belted at my waist. “Horace?”
“I heard it, too, Your Highness.” Horace sat up straighter in his saddle. Somehow, his horse was unaffected by whatever lurked in the forest .
I sniffed the air. It smelled of some kind of sweet flower and… charcoal.
A roar echoed, but it was faint, as if from miles away. I cast my gaze skyward, and my heart lurched in my throat.
A black dragon soared above us, wings spread wide and a roar pouring from its snout. It was a roar of delight. It coasted back and forth, arcing through the sky.
And on its back was a woman with long, blond hair, her arms spread just like the dragon’s wings. I sat and watched for a moment, mesmerized by the sight. The woman released a whoop of excitement.
I wasn’t sure why, but I found myself grinning.
“Heavens,” Horace said, following my gaze. “That looks quite dangerous.”
I laughed again. “It looks incredible. ” I couldn’t deny it. Regardless of the animosity between our kingdoms, I was in awe. I had no doubt that if I possessed dragons, I would want to do the same thing.
My horse lurched again, still in distress. I looked to the trees once more, frowning at those distant sounds. Leaves crunched. Branches twitched. And more coils of heat snaked forward, twining around me like strands of magic.
I slid off my saddle and lowered to the ground.
Horace stiffened. “Your Highness?”
“Ride on without me,” I said. “Romulus is nervous and can’t take much more of this.”
“Your Highness, I don’t think you?—”
“There are dragons nearby, Horace,” I said, leveling a meaningful look at him. “It’s what we came here for. I just want to take a look before I meet with the princess.”
Horace’s mustache seemed to curve downward in displeasure. “The queen would not like this.”
“The queen is not here.” I winked at him.
He grumbled something unintelligible but took the reins from me and urged the horses onward while I strode into the forest, following the tendrils of heat still beckoning me closer.
A strange, sulfuric smell filled the air, making my nose itch. The deeper into the forest I went, the louder the animalistic sounds became. Growls. Snorts. Huffs. Cracking branches. Faint screeches.
Oh, yes. This was definitely a dragon nest.
Every muscle of my body went stiff with awareness. A bead of sweat trickled down my face. My heart raced with anticipation.
Strangely, it was more curiosity than fear that overcame me. My pulse spiked, the excitement making me tremble.
Yes, the dragons could certainly eat me alive. But this was an opportunity I might never again experience, provided the Summer Princess denied me, as I was almost certain she would.
But more importantly, this offered a unique possibility I had not considered: could my fae magic work on dragons? I had tried it on the wyvern I had encountered in my travels, but they were not sentient. My magic did not work on mindless beasts—as was proven by my restless and stubborn horse.
But dragons? Could I convince one of them to come with me? To save my kingdom?
I had to try.
The air grew warmer as I approached, the soft earthy ground sloping downward into a sort of crater. My breath stuck in my throat as I took in the first creature, a magnificent silver-scaled dragon roughly twice the size of my horse. Despite the canopy of trees overhead, his scales shimmered in the faint sunlight, sparkling like diamonds.
“Stars above,” I whispered.
The dragon whipped his head toward me, nostrils flaring. His amber eyes surveyed me, narrowing in suspicion.
I slowly lifted my hands in placation, my steps slow and careful. “Here now,” I murmured. “I mean you no harm.” My magic, which often remained buried deep within me, rose to the surface. I squashed the instinct to shove it down and instead coaxed it forward, allowing it to coat my tongue as I said softly, “ You know I am a friend. ”
Wisps of energy swirled around me, tickling my skin. The dragon’s head tilted to the side, almost in curiosity.
I wasn’t sure if that meant the magic had worked or not. So, I kept going. “ I am your friend. I do not wish to harm you. ”
More energy poured from me as I continued inching closer to the dragon.
He merely huffed, but he did not flinch away from my approach.
“Gods, you are magnificent,” I said as I finally came within reaching distance. My hands, which were still raised, edged closer to the beast.
He did not stir. He did not even blink.
“May I?” I wasn’t sure if he understood me, but I felt like I should ask permission all the same.
The dragon arched his long neck, then bowed his head toward me. I sucked in a gasp at the gesture. Somehow—miraculously—this dragon had accepted my presence. A stranger. A potential threat.
And he was bowing to me.
He grumbled softly, as if impatiently demanding me to… what? Pet him like some domestic canine?
I exhaled a laugh of disbelief and closed the distance between us, allowing my fingertips to brush his scales. They were sharper than I expected, like steel with a harsh edge that could slice through my flesh. I almost jerked my hand away for fear of cutting myself. My movements were delicate as I swept the pads of my fingers along the smooth, razor-sharp edges of the scales. They seemed sharper than the tip of my sword.
The dragon lifted his head, and my hand curled under his chin, finding a soft spot just underneath that was smooth, leathery flesh. I curled my fingertips, scratching, and his throat rumbled with pleasure.
I laughed again. “You are nothing but a kitten with claws, aren’t you?” I scratched again, and he seemed to sigh with pleasure.
Delight soared through me at this unexpected friend I’d found. Would he be willing to help me? If I asked, would he come with me?
Perhaps I wouldn’t need to bother the princess at all…
“Who are you?” demanded a voice.
I stiffened, glancing up. I had been so captivated by the silver dragon that I hadn’t noticed several other dragons had come to investigate, including the black one I’d seen roaming the skies… with the blond woman still atop him. Her wild and unruly hair had a tint of orange to it, and her bright blue eyes were blazing with accusation as they fixed on me. Her freckled nose wrinkled with disdain.
Well, shit.