Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
He shouldn’t enjoy talking to someone who was clearly the enemy, but there was no denying that Marcus wanted to stay and keep crossing wits with Fedra. She had answered his questions with more detail than he had expected. But no grand particulars had been revealed.
Instead, he had gleaned fragments, like a knife scraping off metal shavings.
Still, something was better than nothing. Being an orphan without any family made the loss of Sten hit Fedra that much harder. In the three questions Marcus had asked, he had discovered why she had undertaken the quest for revenge—and just how far she was willing to go.
It was time to return to Con and the others, not just with this new information but with proof that he could be around Fedra without pain. And as long as he kept his distance from her, he wouldn’t feel controlled. Exactly the proof he needed that he could handle things.
His lips parted to tell her he was leaving when she lifted her face to him.
The Kings had always been protectors. He told himself that was the reason he felt bound to shield Fedra from everyone.
It was a lie he was prepared to tell the others, but he wouldn’t lie to himself.
There was something more, something deeper.
Irrevocable, even. He didn’t know what it was, but he felt it to the very depths of his soul.
“If I could see, I wonder if your face would show what you are thinking,” she said.
He sighed, the weight of everything settling over him like a menacing cloud waiting to unleash a storm. “You would not. Just as I’m unable to read anything on yours.”
“Then tell me, what are you thinking?”
“I’m wondering what fate brought us together.”
A smile flashed across her face. “Maybe you’re meant to help me remove the dragons so none can hurt anyone again.”
“I can guarantee that isna the reason.”
“You sound very sure.”
He took a step toward her. “I am.”
“What a pity.”
His eyes narrowed on her as he leaned forward. “You doona know me, yet you would want me with you?”
“It’s odd, isn’t it? But it’s the truth.”
Just as he was straightening, there was a loud static sound in his head that made him wince. It came again, louder this time. Then he heard the last half of his name. He opened his mental link and closed his eyes, concentrating on listening.
“MARCUS!”
His eyes snapped open at the worry in Alasdair’s voice. “What is it?”
“—et to…”
Why couldn’t he hear Alasdair? Marcus swung his head to Fedra and realized she was the reason. Without a word, he ran out of the room and down the corridor. He kept his link open, waiting for more information.
“What’s happening?” Marcus asked to any King listening.
“The border. Get here!” Brandr answered.
He raced out of the city without pausing and then leapt to the top of the canyon, only to come to a halt when he saw everyone staring across the invisible shield.
He followed their gazes and spotted Eurielle wearing silver armor over a royal blue gown, a cloak of the same color billowing out behind her as she rested one foot upon the head of a dead dragon.
In the distance, dragons roared, their outrage and grief felt in every sound.
Marcus scanned the area to make sure no other dragons were in danger at that moment.
The problem was Eurielle. Dragons had a very long natural life.
The Kings were all but immortal. Up until recently, they believed only another Dragon King could kill them.
Then they learned the truth of their ancestry—and that Star People could kill them. It made Eurielle very dangerous.
It was Lotti who stepped forward. “What are you doing, sister?”
“Sister?” Eurielle laughed. “You have no right to call me that. You chose a side.”
“A side you approved of,” Alasdair interjected.
Lotti put out a hand to keep him behind her. “Fine. Just tell me what you’re doing.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Eurielle looked down at the dragon beneath her foot. “I’m fixing the problem Villette couldn’t handle.”
Lotti tucked her chin-length blond hair behind her ear. “We stopped Villette. We’ll stop you.”
“Villette was too focused on wanting to make the Kings hurt before she enslaved the dragons again. I don’t care about that. I have another plan.” Eurielle looked around at everyone as she smiled. “And we all know there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Lotti’s gaze dropped to the dragon. “You crossed the line. You will pay for that.”
“Who will make me pay? Not you.” Eurielle pointed at the Kings. “Not any of you, either.”
Brandr moved forward, drawing her attention. “So, you just came to show off?”
Eurielle’s smile was cold, turning her beautiful face into something sinister. Marcus could hardly believe this was the same person who had risked her life to save Lotti and Alasdair. Had the fall from Stonemore really changed her? Or had it all been an act, and this was her true self?
“I wanted you to know who stands against you.” Eurielle walked toward Brandr. “I’m not like your other enemies, hiding my face and identity. I want you to know it’s me, and I want you to know what I intend to do.”
Brandr moved closer to her until all that stood between them was the invisible barrier. “So, like all the others out there, you want to make us suffer and die?”
“Most of you will die. That, I can promise.”
“And the rest? Will we become enslaved once more?”
Eurielle smiled again. “My siblings have chosen some of you. I don’t know what they will do with you, and I don’t care.”
“I won’t let you do that,” Lotti stated.
Eurielle laughed and turned toward her sister. “Did you not just hear the part about my siblings? They know what I’m doing, and they approve.” She motioned nonchalantly to the deceased dragon. “I’ll let you clean that up.”
Then she was gone, leaving everyone staring at an empty spot.
“Are your siblings really going to let Eurielle do this?” Evander asked.
Lotti turned to Alasdair, looking dazed. He grabbed her shoulders as they shared a look. Finally, she said, “I don’t know. I’ve only ever met Villette, Eurielle, and Miena.”
“What do we need to do?” Alasdair asked her.
Marcus looked back toward Iron Hall, a plan forming. If Fedra was near Eurielle, it would prevent her from using magic. The bad thing was that it would stop anyone from using their powers. That included any dragons nearby. It also wasn’t possible to have Fedra with Eurielle at all times.
“We need to find Villette,” Rhi said.
Lotti nodded. “I agree.”
“Just because she sided with us once doesna mean she’ll do it again,” Derek pointed out.
Rhi shrugged, smiling. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
“Villette did make it seem that she and Eurielle weren’t getting along,” Lotti said. “It won’t hurt to talk to her.”
Con grunted. “Just doona give too much away.”
“Too much is at stake. I doona think there’s time to be cautious,” Vaughn said.
Eurwen nodded from beside him. “I agree. Right now, we need to return the dragon to its family and give him a proper funeral.”
“Wait,” Marcus called, halting everyone. “Am I the only one who wonders how Eurielle knew to come to this area of the border near the city?”
Cullen looked toward the canyon. “I can guess.”
“I never told her,” Lotti said.
Brandr shook his head. “It doesna matter. She may have been testing us, and we responded. If she didna know before, she does now.”
“It was a decent secret,” said a voice behind them.
They turned to find Villette standing on the opposite side of the canyon. The wind tugged her red cloak around her legs.
“How long have you been there?” Derek demanded.
She briefly lowered her gaze. “Long enough.”
“You saved me a trip to find you,” Lotti said. “We need to talk.”
Villette shook her head of blond hair. “We don’t. This has nothing to do with me. Besides, the others sided with her.”
“So she says,” Brandr replied.
“I don’t know who this Eurielle is, but I can tell you that she’s not messing around. There will be more of that,” Villette said, pointing to the dragon. “I would say good luck, but I know how this will end. Once she’s done here, she’ll head to Earth.”
Fury rolled off Con in waves. “That willna happen.”
“You all know the power of the Star People. Not even the mighty Dragon Kings can stand against it.” Villette then turned and walked away. In three steps, she vanished.
Lotti sighed. “I’ll stay here and start putting up wards and barriers in hopes that it’ll keep Eurielle out.”
“Will it work with Fedra?” Ryder asked.
Marcus rubbed the back of his neck. “I was thinking she might be good to use against Eurielle.”
“Right up until she learns what Eurielle intends, and they work together,” Cullen said.
That was a fair point, and one Marcus had overlooked.
“If we’re going to fight, we need to be able to use our magic. And we can’t do that with her in the city,” Eurwen stated.
Brandr dipped his chin to his twin. “I’m in agreement. Fedra needs to leave.”
“She can no’ just leave the city,” Marcus said. “Others with magic could be affected.”
Ryder twisted his lips. “Nor can we take her off planet via our usual ways.”
Marcus listened to the conversation devolve into the same one that he, Con, Cullen, Derek, Vaughn, and Ryder had had hours before.
“We need to see the dragon to his final resting place first,” Con said, ending the debate.
Marcus opted to help bring the dragon to his kin.
The others already knew what had happened, but that didn’t mean things would go smoothly when they arrived.
The dead dragon was a mix of white, red, and teal.
He was an adult, but only about the size of a bus.
They examined him for injuries, but as expected, didn’t find any.
Once all the Kings had shifted, Eurwen and Brandr carefully picked up the dragon in their claws. Vaughn flew behind and to the side of Eurwen while Con took the position on Brandr’s side. Marcus and the others flew in a row behind them.
The closer they got to the dragons, the louder the roars became. It wasn’t long before the dragons flew out to meet them. It wasn’t a friendly greeting either. None of them had ever attacked the Kings, but by the looks of things now, that might end today.
“The rest of you stay back,” Brandr said through the link.
The Kings remained where they were, patrolling the area as the twins took the dragon back to his family. The undercurrent of animosity that had always been there felt as if it had come to a head.
Eurielle hadn’t just killed a dragon that day.
She had severed the last thread between the dragons and the Kings.