Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
THORNE
When I last visited Carcerem, the Arbor Kingdom was on the cusp of a revolution. One Alaric and I had taken part in when we’d helped the rightful king reclaim his throne.
I’d met Victor Custodis and his mate, Runa, along with her adopted siblings, when we were all incarcerated together. Them, because they’d been arrested. Me, because I was there to free my brother from Idris’ zoo.
It was during our imprisonment that the former ruler forced us to compete in a barbaric game called The Fallen Trials. At the time, none had known I was also a Draconis who could shift into a dragon. The risk was too great lest I find myself chained next to Alaric.
Even without my dragon, we’d escaped the games and dethroned the bastard who’d imprisoned us. I figured since I’d helped them steal an entire kingdom, my former teammates owed me.
As I strode into the Thirsty Goat, the smell of smoked meat, stale ale, and desperation greeted me.
A haze clung to the rough-hewn ceiling, dim lanterns casting everything in gloom.
Patrons cast me wary glances as I passed.
It was a ragged-looking crowd, their clothing coarse and coin purses lean.
Not the sort of place you’d expect to find those in service to the crown.
Seated at the back, facing the door, were the powerful duo.
Drazen, the infernus with the gift of fire, slumped in a chair, lighting a cigar with the tip of his finger.
While Kronk, an athos whose skin could turn to stone, smashed shelled nuts in his beefy fists before snacking on the meaty insides.
Neither wore the crown’s uniform, preferring lizard-hide vests and weapon-studded belts.
“Hello, boys. Miss me?” I grinned at the pair.
“Well, look who it is.” Drazen smirked, his black horns catching the lights. “The second-best flame-thrower in the realm.”
Kronk cast me an assessing scowl from beneath his protruding brow. “Thorne Blackwing. No. I did not miss you.”
Ah, Kronk. Thick-skulled as ever.
Drazen patted the table next to him, and I slid into the seat.
“Maggie!” The infernus shouted across the room. “A pint for my friend.”
“How’s your sister and her mate?” I asked. Or maybe I should have said, the king and queen.
Drazen flicked a ruddy hand. “Busy with royal matters. You know, creating laws, hearing grievances, nurturing the kingdom. That sort of thing.”
“Too busy to spend time with us,” Kronk muttered into his drink.
Someone was feeling sulky now that his sister had responsibilities beyond thieving with her adopted brothers.
“And how is life as distinguished advisors to the royals?” Why Runa and her mate would place these two knuckleheads in an advisory position was a mystery.
“Advisors,” Drazen huffed, smoke rolling from his nostrils. “Runa didn’t listen to us before becoming queen. When she handed out those titles, it changed nothing.”
I’d assumed as much, given the woman’s headstrong ways. She reminded me of a stubborn redhead I knew. The two would likely get along famously.
“Did you hear they’re reinstating the Fallen Trials?” Drazen asked.
My face fell. “You’re joking.”
“Victor claims it’s needed to replenish the coffers while the kingdom gets back on its feet.”
“I plan to compete,” Kronk said in his deep, barrel-chested tone. “I am tired of advising.”
Things must be dire if they were considering entering the trials.
“I do miss the days when we were proper thieves.” Drazen sighed. “Hard to rob the nobility when they’re your kin.”
“We cannot steal from our sister,” Kronk agreed, thick brow furrowing.
One of the barmaids set a foaming mug in front of me.
Before leaving, she cast Drazen an appreciative glance, hungry eyes sliding over his well-muscled form.
Her eyes shifted back to me, and her wits scrambled, her eyes glazing.
Poor girl. Strangely, I had zero interest in an easy conquest. I slipped her a coin, and she pocketed her pay, staggering away on wobbly legs.
I took a sip of the crisp brew. “Sounds as if you could use a little excitement.”
“And you sound like you’ve gone out of your way to visit our fair kingdom with something in mind,” Drazen countered, eyes flashing.
I rested on my forearms, leaning closer. “I need your help with—”
“I’m in,” Drazen interrupted.
“Me too.” The athos’s heavy fist slammed the table.
I frowned, shaking my head. “But you haven’t even heard my proposal.”
“Is it dangerous?” Kronk asked.
“And far from Carcerem?” Drazen added.
“Yes,” I said slowly, afraid to trust how easy this had been. “The Puritan’s village in Nefarr was attacked. Most were killed, but some were taken prisoner. I need help retrieving one of them.”
“Attacked, you say?” Drazen rubbed his chin.
“That’s right.”
“We’ve heard rumors. Word is wendigos hit Graycott, and ghouls infiltrated Ironwood. Nefarr makes three. Folks say there’s a dark force afoot. An evil the realm hasn’t seen in ages.”
“The rumors are true,” I said gravely.
Drazen’s expression turned calculating. “As royal advisors, it’s our duty to see if these attacks also pose a threat to Carcerem.”
“We cannot advise if we do not have all the information,” Kronk agreed.
“Then it’s settled.” Drazen slapped the table. “When do we leave?”
I drained my mug. “Now.”
“You wish to travel in the dark?” Drazen asked.
Kronk frowned. “That is unwise. Our mounts could break a leg.”
I leveled the former thieves with a smirk. “Where we’re going, you won’t need horses.”
Drazen’s high-pitched scream pierced my eardrums, and I struggled to level out, caught by an unexpected updraft.
Both fierce, battle-hardened criminals clung to my claws like a pair of swaddled infants.
The infernus screamed as if he were a dainty maiden beset by a mouse.
I’d have told him as much if I could communicate with them as a dragon.
My aching shoulders protested the added weight.
Especially that of the athos. Even without shifting, Kronk weighed more than a cart full of plump nerf bound for market.
Hauling both men off the ground had been a challenge.
I’d allowed neither on my back. That privilege belonged solely to Serafina—and her curvy ass.
Kronk made retching noises, and I replied with a threatening growl. Already the bastard’s vomit stained my talons.
“Damn you, Kronk. You throw up again, and I will help the dragon roast you alive,” Drazen barked at his brother.
“Athoses do not fly well,” Kronk snarled.
“Then close your eyes,” Drazen snapped.
“Like a coward? No, I will face any challenge with my eyes open.”
“Flarking idiot.”
I heaved a sigh. The two had argued for most of the flight. Much more of this, and I would leave them perched at the top of a high cliff.
“I still can’t believe you kept your dragon hidden from us all this time,” Drazen shouted over the wind.
“I had my suspicions,” Kronk grumbled.
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“We could have broken out of that flarking pit on day one if you’d have shifted.”
I snorted smoke in response. And land in Idris’ zoo next to my brother? No, thank you. The moment I revealed my dragon, his goons would have driven me into the ground. Also, there was the false king’s disgusting mind control. No way I was ending up a brainless slave, as my brother had.
“You could have warned us before you shifted in that field,” Drazen complained.
My lips pulled into a razor-sharp grin. And miss the looks on their faces? Not a chance.
“Drazen screamed like a girl,” Kronk snickered.
“You screamed too.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“Not.”
“Too.”
“Not.”
“Too.”
I loosened my claws, pretending to almost drop them, causing both to squeal like the females they denied imitating.
Finally, Gravestone came into view. None too soon, with dawn lighting its jagged silhouette.
“Thorne does not fly well either,” Kronk stated. “He is flying into the face of the mountain.”
“Um, Thorne, buddy? You do see that mountain directly in front of us, don’t you?”
I rumbled a growl.
“Ah, he sees it,” Drazen said.
“Then why does he fly so low?” Kronk barked.
“Why would I know?”
“Ask him.”
“You ask him.”
At last, the flight deck was discernable behind the concealment wards. With both men clutched in my claws, landing would be rough. Their added bulk meant I’d have to come in faster than I preferred.
At least Drazen recognized the issue, shouting, “Flark. He’s coming in hot. Brace yourself!”
As I reached the opening, I pumped my wings hard, drawing my chest back while reaching out with my legs. At the same time, I flung my passengers clear. Both hit the deck and tumbled as I careened onto the platform, claws scrabbling against the stone to slow my skid.
Once I landed, I folded my wings tight lest I knock one of them off the ledge.
Kronk slumped against the far wall, the stone behind him fractured by his massive body. “I hate landings even more than flying.”
“Gods, I miss my horse,” Drazen groaned, rising to his feet, dusting his pants.
Magic infused my body. Fire blazed through my muscles. An explosion of energy, and I stood naked before the two men.
“Whoa, never seen anything like that before,” Drazen said, scanning my form.
I grinned, splaying my arms. “That’s what all the ladies say.”
“You wish.” The infernus snorted.
“This way.” I led them into the corridor, donning a pair of pants before leading them deeper inside.
We entered the hearth room as Alaric’s deep command rang out. “Serafina, wait.”
My bare chest collided with her smaller frame, and suddenly, my arms were full of soft curves. Instead of releasing her, I held her closer, warning, “Easy.”
“I–I heard shouting,” she stammered, the heat of her palms pressing against my skin. For a moment, I lost myself in her forest-green eyes. Her spicy fragrance filled my senses, stirring a growl from my dragon. I barely resisted the urge to nuzzle my face in her hair.