Chapter 8
Ara
The roarthat exploded from the dragons was so intense the ground shook, and debris fell from above. I covered my ears with my hands, squeezing my eyes closed to keep the dust away.
It crashed around us, like a wave breaking against the cliffs, before receding into an echo, a ripple of pain so enveloping that I felt like my own heart was breaking.
When I released my hold on my ears, I looked up and found both dragon shifters were already on their way out of the cave.
“Stupid shifters,” Laera mumbled as she walked after them. “This is why I didn’t want to tell them. They’re going to charge in there and get themselves killed.”
I followed her, then grabbed her shoulder, pulling her toward me. “You said this is bait. That means your father knows what you can do and knows you’re watching.”
Vanth and Ryvin were chasing after the dragons, trying to stop their progress. I left them to it while I stood there with Laera. “They’re waiting for us. We’ve lost all element of surprise. We have to change the plan.”
“What are you suggesting?” Laera lifted her chin toward the dragon shifters. “They’re not going to wait.”
Ryvin and Vanth had managed to calm the dragons enough to get them to return to where we were standing outside the cave. They were both so tense I was certain they were holding their dragon forms in by sheer will. And I wasn’t sure how long they’d win over the beasts within.
“You have an idea, princess?” Bahar asked through gritted teeth.
“You’re still a king and the Fae King has allies based on treaties and protocols and expectations. He can’t lose face in front of the others or he’ll lose his army,” I said.
“So?” Bahar asked.
“I think I know what you’re getting at,” Ryvin said. “I think it could work.”
“What could work?” Kabir asked, his tone clipped.
“You go in publicly. Let your people see you arrive. Let all the Fae King’s allies see you arrive. You go in with the intention of creating a treaty. An alliance. He would put everything at risk if he took you down if you went peacefully. He’d show his allies how untrustworthy he was and risk them turning on him.”
“You want us to surrender to the fae?” Bahar looked incredulous.
“I want you to get your sister out,” I clarified. “And see if you can get close enough to end him.”
“This could work,” Kabir said. “He won’t expect us to come in level-headed. He’s expecting fire and brimstone. Proof that the dragons are as uncultured and dangerous as he’s told all his allies.”
“Lying bastard,” Bahar snarled.
“He’s not going to let me and Laera near him. We’re traitors,” Ryvin said.
“Not if you return with me as your prisoner and an agreement with Athos for their submission to him,” I countered.
“This isn’t going to work,” Vanth said.
“You have a better idea?” Laera challenged.
“No. But I figure there’s a good chance we’re dead no matter what we do, so I’m in. Whatever the result.” He shrugged.
I hated how defeated he sounded. “The difference is that they’re expecting us to come at them with an attack. It’ll throw them off, challenge their plans. That gives us an advantage. It lets us get two dragons up close and personal with the king. If we can keep the guards off them long enough for them to shift, we could end this with minimal bloodshed.”
“And if we fail?” Bahar asked.
“At least we tried. We know that we have little chance of beating him on the battlefield right now.” I sighed. We’d been so optimistic that we’d defeat him in Athos. Between his magical dragons and whatever extra hidden magic he had, it seemed impossible that we could ever win. “We can try now, or we can wait until he comes for us in Athos again.”
“Alright,” Bahar conceded. “It’s time to kill the Fae King.”
I caughtsight of faces peering through windows, illuminated by the flickering light of candles and lamps. It was late, but the dragon shifters who lived near the castle must have been holding vigil for their city.
As we passed them, it didn’t feel like fear or condemnation or judgment. It felt like awe. Or maybe I was imagining it. Marching down the street with my hands tied behind my back wasn’t exactly how I imagined visiting Drakous for the first time.
The cobblestone streets were even and clean, showing obvious care in their construction. The buildings were strung together into long rows, attached in series of eight or ten long before another road interrupted them. Each building appeared to have shops on street level with homes above. They spanned three or four stories high.
There were so many people living here. All those windows, all those faces, all those flickering candles were people. Families, even. So many who were in serious danger with their king deposed from his throne.
I wanted to learn more about this place where humans and dragons and vampires all lived together. It wasn’t the rough and tumble city I’d been told about.
I let my head drop along with my shoulders as I gave myself a moment to mourn how much was taken from me with the lies told in Athos.
Soldiers in the red tunics of Konos headed toward us, marching in unison, balls of fae light floating above them.
“It’s time,” Laera mumbled.
Ryvin had been walking alongside me, but he moved in front of me. I knew it was to shield me from the oncoming soldiers. Laera remained by my side, gripping my arm, leading her prisoner forward. Vanth dropped back, taking up the rear.
We halted as soon as we reached the group of soldiers. They paused, standing in front of us with unreadable expressions.
Bahar took a step forward. “I have come for an audience with the Fae King.”
One of the soldiers, a gruff looking male with fair hair and ruddy cheeks stepped forward. “And you are?”
“Bahar Nasrul, King of Drakous.”
The soldiers glanced at their companions and a few of them shuffled their feet. I had to hold back a smirk. We were right, they weren’t expecting this.
The guard who’d addressed Bahar nodded once. “Come with us.”
We were surrounded by the fae guards, the soldiers quickly moving into position around us, marching along the road with us as we made our way to the palace.
Every time I caught one of them staring at me, I had to steady my hands. Their gazes were far too hungry. They wanted bloodshed. I could practically feel their hatred and rage, their desire to fight. They’d likely come here with the promise of war. And if the city peacefully surrendered due to lack of soldiers, they didn’t get the bloodshed they wanted.
I glared at them, meeting their stares with malice behind my own. I hoped each and every one of them got the end they deserved.
The castle was a large, solid stone building. There weren’t open air colonnades or columns holding up the various levels. It was heavy and stern. The opposite of the airy and light palace I’d grown up in.
Windows were vertical slits, evenly spaced around the upper floors. The lower floors had no windows at all.
“Dragons are allergic to sunlight?” Laera asked.
“It’s built for protection, not appearances,” Bahar said.
“Bet you’re regretting that decision now,” Laera said.
Kabir chuckled. “We didn’t count on our enemies getting access to it.”
“Then you weren’t spending enough time in your war room,” Laera shot back.
“No more speaking,” one of the guards called.
It didn’t matter anyway, because we were at the front doors. Dozens of guards stared as we walked through, our escorts remaining around us as we crossed into the dark, chilly interior of the castle.
The stones under our feet were polished with age, cracked in a few places, and uneven in their placement. While the city appeared better constructed and planned, this building didn’t have the same care. It had to be old. Far older than the other buildings we’d passed.
Tapestries lined the gray walls, showing faded scenes of dragons flying against what was likely once a blue sky. The color had been leached from most of them, diminishing the typical opulence found in a castle. It was definitely more about function than aesthetics, as Bahar had mentioned.
I tried to ignore the stares of the countless guards we passed as we walked down the hall. Interestingly, I noted that they weren’t all clad in red. There were greens and blues and golds mixed in with the occasional red tunic. These were the allies. I wondered where all the men from Konos were stationed and what their actual numbers were compared to the allies they’d added.
We paused in front of a massive iron door. Dents and divots indicated that there had been multiple attempts at knocking it down over the years. The flecked remains of paint were bright gold. It must have been quite impressive once.
The guards fanned out away from us as the doors opened, then repositioned with half of them in front of us, the other half following behind our group.
Heat radiated from the space as we entered the throne room. It was a large, dark stone chamber lined with flickering torches and overflowing with people. I was certain the number of bodies crammed into the space was the cause of the warmth. It also contributed to a very unpleasant smell that made me wrinkle my nose.
The Fae King was seated on a simple wooden throne atop a stone platform. The queen stood behind him, like a statue clad in emerald. Next to her, a silent sentinel, stood Selena.
“Traitor,” Vanth hissed under his breath.
We were prodded forward, the gathered crowd making approving sounds and whispers. They wanted a show and with us joining, they were getting exactly what they wanted.
“What do we have here?” The Fae King bellowed. He rose from the throne and walked to the edge of the platform, pausing right in front of the steps. “My wayward children and a fallen king.”
The gathered sycophants laughed too loudly. It was a nervous sort of sound. Forced rather than approving. Maybe they weren’t as desperate for a show as I thought.
“Father,” Laera shoved her way past the guards, then dipped into a low bow with practiced grace. “I come to beg for forgiveness. I was blinded by pride, but have seen the errors of my ways.”
Ryvin moved to join her, and I nearly reached for him, not wanting to stand here without him by my side.
“Can you forgive a son for being blinded by the call of his mother?” Ryvin asked, dropping into a bow of his own. “A goddess is difficult to resist. I was weak and I made a mistake.”
“We brought you a gift,” Laera added. “An offering to our most noble father.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Laera was going to ruin our plan by overplaying this.
Vanth grabbed my upper arm and roughly dragged me forward. “Come on, Athos trash.”
I let myself stumble and whimper as he pulled me forward.
“You brought the Athos princess back?” The king looked pleased.
“She nearly stole your son away from you, but we were able to prove her deception. I think he’s seeing clearly now,” Vanth said, his head in a low bow.
“Very good, very good.” The Fae King descended the stairs. “And I see you’ve also secured additional offerings?”
“We’re here to negotiate a truce,” Bahar said. “King to king, we need to do what is best for all our people.”
“You are no longer a king,” The Fae King snarled. “Unless you’re here to bow to me, you have no business in this kingdom. It is mine.”
I swear Bahar looked like he was going to explode right there. My heart raced as I waited for the shift.
Any second, a pair of dragons would explode. My fingers twitched, ready to pull off my bindings the second I could be of assistance.
But nothing was happening. Time dragged by, and we waited. Something was wrong.
“Bring out the prisoner,” The Fae King yelled.
A smaller door on the opposite side of the room opened and a pair of guards dragged a semi-conscious woman through. Her long red hair hung in dirty tendrils, hiding her face. Her bare feet dragged on the floor behind her.
“You monster!” Bahar growled. He moved toward his sister but froze as soon as a group of guards drew their weapons and turned them on the unconscious woman.
“How dare you!” Kabir bellowed. “How dare you treat a member of the royal family this way. Release her now!”
The Fae King moved closer to us, his steps slow and deliberate. “I don’t think you’re understanding what’s going on here. Your household is meaningless. You are no longer in charge or Drakous. This kingdom is mine. And Athos will be next.”