Chapter 11
I still couldn’t wrap my head around the concept of flying on top of a dragon. Yes, the scales were immensely uncomfortable, and it was clear Mal would chew my head off if Aurelia asked him to.
But the way the wind whipped at me, dancing along my skin and singing in my ears… It was otherworldly. Mal expertly arced through the sky, dipping high and low. Like before, it seemed he was trying to make me ill. But unlike before, my stomach was ready for it. Perhaps I just needed to orient myself with the dragon’s movements. Either way, I couldn’t stop a whoop from escaping me, and I heard Aurelia’s loud laugh follow after. She stretched her arms wide as if she, too, were a winged creature floating through the sky.
I wasn’t quite brave enough to loosen my grip on her waist. I still had my doubts that Mal would catch me if I fell.
“Perhaps little ember isn’t the right name for you,” I said in her ear. “Perhaps I should call you little sparrow. Because you belong in the sky.”
“Why must I be a little anything?” she asked, glancing at me over her shoulder. Despite the challenge in her tone, her eyes were alight, burning brighter than the sun.
She truly belonged here in the sky.
“Firebird,” I said. “You’re a firebird. It accounts for your flaming temper and your need to fly.”
She grinned at me, the motion lighting up her whole face. It pierced through me, igniting something low in my belly. I cleared my throat and slid my gaze away from her glowing features before the sight of her undid me.
I could never resist a beautiful woman.
It didn’t take long for the gleaming emerald spires of the castle to come into view, but that wasn’t what snagged my attention first. A massive form rested next to the palace. I would have mistook it for a mountain had I not distinctly remembered there being no mountains this close to the palace.
“Is that… a dragon ?” I asked, my voice weak.
“Her name is Kade.” Pride laced Aurelia’s voice.
My mouth hung open as I stared, wide-eyed, at Kade the dragon. Her gleaming jade scales were just as luminous as the castle, but a few shades darker. A large, rotund belly protruded from her torso and rested against the ground. Sleepy black eyes blinked in our direction. Her enormous wings were tucked against her chest, and as we arced lower, I realized she had two sets of wings. No doubt they were necessary to keep such an enormous weight airborne.
Mal gave her a wide berth, swooping to the other side of the castle. I noticed several trees were felled, likely from Kade getting into a comfortable position.
A small price to pay in order for the castle to be protected.
Once we were under the cover of the trees, Mal landed and ran the rest of the way, returning us to the nesting grounds. Aurelia dismounted immediately, rushing over to a fenced-in area I hadn’t noticed before. She leapt over the fence and crouched to her knees, muttering words I couldn’t hear.
I slid off Mal’s back, nearly falling on my face in the process. As I drew nearer to the fence, I noticed a small, blue creature curled up in the soil like a snake.
I stopped short. This must have been the Blue Amethyst. My throat turned dry, my stomach sinking with dread. The creature was so small. Her wings were translucent and frail; certainly not strong enough to carry her. No scales covered her thin membrane of flesh, and several bones were visible underneath, as if she was starving and wasting away.
I swallowed hard, guilt and concern wrestling within me. This creature was dying. And she was the only key to saving Aurelia’s kingdom.
Meanwhile, my mother fought vehemently for access to these dragons, even going so far as to threaten war if our demands were not met. I had come here in her name, prepared to use my fae magic if necessary.
My stomach soured. What kind of person was I? Aurelia was not the vicious princess I thought her to be. And she was certainly not as heartless as Mother claimed.
After a few moments, Aurelia stood, brushing the dirt from her hands and climbing over the fence. “Mal can fly us to the border, but any further and he will be outside the protection of our land,” she said, striding past me to where Mal waited, his head lifted and his golden eyes shrewd as they watched Aurelia. “Besides, we’ll need his help defending the castle. It’s too risky to take him with us, and Kade will only last a week before she needs to enter deep sleep again.”
“You forget, princess, that we have yet to strike our bargain,” I said softly.
Aurelia turned to face me, her expression wary. “The dragons need their orders. Can’t you see how restless they are?”
Mal’s wings twitched. Behind him, three dragons pawed the ground nervously. The silver one who was so fond of me kept turning his head back and forth as if expecting enemies to appear on either side of us.
“Jorey, go catch some fish for Kade,” Aurelia instructed. “She’ll need as much nourishment as we can give her.”
Jorey, the silver dragon, grunted in acknowledgment before bounding down the forest path and disappearing. My heart gave an unexpected twist at his departure.
“They can understand you?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said shortly, making her way to a pair of auburn dragons. “I need you both to look after Azure while I’m gone. Can you do that?”
Both dragons inclined their heads and shuffled toward the fenced-in area where the Blue Amethyst rested. I frowned after them, remembering how Aurelia had mentioned the Blue Amethyst’s mother had been taken or killed .
I remembered the rumors in my court that we had managed to capture a dragon. But I hadn’t believed them, especially since there was no proof. Seeing the tiny Blue Amethyst, helpless and frail from the loss of her mother, made me reconsider this…
But no. It couldn’t be. Mother had told me it was nothing more than idle gossip. And besides, if Mother had managed to capture a dragon, she would not have sent me on this mission. We needed Dragonfire, and if my court somehow had a dragon hidden away, they would have used her fire by now.
I was certain of it.
Aurelia wrung her hands together and chewed on her lower lip, her gaze fixed on the emerald spires of her castle. “I wish we had more time. I don’t like leaving everyone… like that.”
I thought of the stable hand and various servants I’d seen lying prone on the ground, dozing blissfully. Aurelia’s family were likely in the same position. If I were her, I’d want to hide them just in case invaders came in my absence.
She drew in a breath and faced me, her chin lifted and her eyes hard with determination. “State your terms.”
I blinked at her abruptness. “Ah. Well…”
She sighed and crossed her arms. “Time is of the essence, Fenn. Tell me what your price is.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling like the biggest bastard in the realm. Clearing my throat, I muttered, “I need one of your dragons.”
Her eyes bulged and she took a step away from me. “I beg your pardon?” Her tone was icy.
I shook my head quickly. “Listen, I have a plan. But first, you need to understand something. We have unseelie tribes surrounding our kingdom’s border. Only light can keep them away, and, as you are well aware, in the Court of Midnight, we do not see much sunlight throughout the day. Only Nightfire can provide enough light to keep us safe. Stardust is one of the substances that keeps the Nightfire burning continuously. But… we are running out of it. And with the Nightfire dying, the tribes are hunting down my people.”
My words came out in a rush as I continued, “Apart from stardust and Nightfire, only Dragonfire can produce a strong enough flame to match it. Please understand that I am not simply here because we want dragons for weapons or entertainment. My people are dying , Aurelia. And this is our only option.”
Aurelia’s eyes had narrowed into slits as I spoke, and her jaw worked back and forth as she assessed me. After a moment, she said, “You said you had a plan.”
“Yes,” I said, encouraged by the fact that she hadn’t outright refused my plea. “The witch mentioned someone who is called the Dream Mage. I’ve heard of her.”
Aurelia’s eyes grew wide. “Her? The Dream Mage is a woman?”
I nodded. “She tried taking over the Court of Twilight a few years ago. I wasn’t there, but I know someone who was. She possesses the same magic, and I guarantee she will help us if we ask.”
“The Court of Twilight,” Aurelia repeated. “The human kingdom?”
“Yes. They rule the eastern part of the Star Court. But it’s not just a human kingdom anymore. It’s populated by fae and humans alike.”
“You want me to travel to the Court of Twilight?” Aurelia asked incredulously.
I shrugged. “It’s on the way to my kingdom. Don’t you need to go there for stardust anyway?”
She frowned. “And that’s your plan?”
“Not entirely,” I hedged, shifting my weight from one foot to the next. Behind Aurelia, Mal perked his head up, eyeing us with curiosity. “Aurelia, if we go to the Star Court, it will arouse suspicion. Especially if we are without any dragons.” She opened her mouth to argue, but I raised a hand. “Let me finish, please. My mother has instructed me to seize your dragons by any means necessary. She is willing to declare war on your kingdom to get them. Rest assured that I am not so willing. But if I return with you and we don’t have dragons, she will go after your kingdom. She won’t believe we are working together, unless…” I hesitated. This was the part of my plan I knew Aurelia would hate. I wasn’t too fond of it myself.
“Unless what?” she asked impatiently. “Out with it, Fenn.”
“Unless we claim we are engaged to be married.”