Chapter 3 #2
“For centuries, Jokull was imprisoned beneath a mountain, held captive by a vengeful goddess,” Sebastian continued. “The turul king and queen defeated the goddess and returned the primordials to their homelands, chained. But those chains did not hold for us.”
“We experienced the same problem.” Olyssa had nearly died trying to contain our father.
“I’m unsure of what was done to Jokull during captivity, but his power is now augmented,” Sebastian said. “Enhanced in ways I never expected. He has designs on my throne, and he’s willing to wipe out krakenkind to get it.”
The table shuddered for seemingly no reason, and the floor lurched beneath my feet. Neither stopped.
“What’s happening?” I cried. An earthquake? My gaze flew to the window. To the water shaking violently beyond the dome. My wine glass tipped over and something cracked above my head.
Sebastian came out of his chair, dark arms shooting from him like bullets, slicing the table in two while he yanked me out of my seat. A second later, a crystal chandelier dropped right where I’d been, glass shattering in every direction.
I pressed myself closer to him. “You saved me,” I rasped. Maybe not from death—I was immortal—but definitely from pain. I looked up at him through the fan of my lashes, truly grateful. “Thank you.”
A muscle twitched along his jaw. “You should not have been in danger in the first place.”
Was this Jokull’s doing?
“Majesty.” The mountain of a man I’d seen standing at his side while cataloguing the insides of that crate burst through the doors without announcement, dripping, face flushed dark with adrenaline.
Without letting me go, Sebastian turned his head toward the soldier. “Tell me.”
“The northern settlement,” Mountain Man said. “Tide-marker four.”
“Survivors?”
“We don’t know yet.” The soldier’s throat worked. “The wave came from beneath, and the waters are still receding.”
Compassion swam through me. I didn’t know the geography of this realm, or why tide-marker four mattered, but I knew the look on Sebastian’s face, and it wasn’t that of a king annoyed by a minor border skirmish.
“Send in my elite.” Fury churned in his eyes. “I’ll be there shortly.”
The guard fled, racing into the hall.
Sebastian inhaled, exhaled, then faced me. “I regret that we must cut our dinner short.” He released me at last, one arm at a time, and eased back. “I’d like you to accompany me and see what Jokull has wrought. Know that this is not an order but a request. Say nei if that’s your wish.”
His leniency surprised me. I thought about the crashing chandelier. The violent quaking. The guard’s upset. The danger. Then I pictured the families that might be hurting. Returning to my room wasn’t an option. Not because of my mission. Not to prove anything. Just to help.
“I say ja,” I said, my voice soft.
His eyelids immediately slitted, as if he’d wanted a different answer. But that couldn’t be right.
He took my hand, linking our fingers. “We won’t stay long, but you must remain at my side every second. The dome’s stability isn’t guaranteed near a breach point, but I will personally oversee your safety.”
From everything I’d heard about his battle prowess, I had no doubt he made an excellent bodyguard.
We strode down, down through the palace, and into a large chamber with a single, well-guarded traveling stone. One dizzying step through, and we were standing on an island that looked as if a bomb had hit it. Guards worked, bailing water.
Mountain Man was there. He stepped closer, grim-faced, fully focused on Sebastian. “Half the settlement was erased mid-breath.”
My stomach twisted, acid rising. A woman knelt at the edge of the wreckage, holding a limp body, rocking back and forth; her grief a palpable thing.
Sebastian called out a series of rapid orders, and soldiers went running in every direction. Then he crossed to the woman, crouched down and spoke directly to her, his words too low for me to hear, but they clearly gave her comfort. He was unmistakably a beloved king.
After another moment he stood. “Search every inch for survivors.”
He looked back at me then. “This kind of destructive power surge costs Jokull strength and requires days of recovery, but that doesn’t stop him. Do you see what we’re up against?”
I heard what Sebastian didn’t say. What holds the primordial at bay now, soon won’t. It was only a matter of time before he came after everyone else.
The dragon in me rose, resolute. This couldn’t be allowed to happen again.
“Tell me how I can help,” I said. Because this man did want my help. Desperately. All the clues were in place. The so-called assignment he’d mentioned. The private dinner in his suite. The shiny, stunning dress a dragon princess was sure to love.
He said nothing as he returned me to the traveling stone. Nothing as the stone deposited us not in the palace but in a warehouse, smack dab in the middle of a military base. A very active military base. Soldiers were stationed all around.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“In the heart of my city. I’d like to show you my kingdom.”
My heart thudded as he led me outside where kraken families went about their day, shopping, talking, eating at an outdoor cafe.
Down at the marker, a woman had been rocking a body. Here, a child chased a vendor’s floating lantern and laughed. No one knew what had happened yet. I doubted Sebastian would make any announcements. Royals were forced to carry some things without their people ever learning the danger they skirted.
Gasps and murmurs rose as we strode to a waiting armored car.
Once we were seated in the back, sealed off from the driver, Sebastian faced me again, determination frosting his features. “I’ve negotiated a five-day truce with the kraken-shifter king. He won’t attack us, we won’t attack him, and together, we’ll take out the primordial.”
Whoa. Not what I’d expected him to say. It didn’t even make the podium. Shifters were former berserkers who’d surrendered wholly to the beast within, becoming an evil so pure they lived only to kill berserkers. They were more likely to betray Sebastian than to aid him.
One on one, that wasn’t a big deal. But dealing with hordes of them? Huge deal. Dragons had warred with them for centuries, and a truce bordered on impossible.
“I do not believe such a plan is wise, but I don’t see my part in this.
” My brow furrowed. I may represent Ashmorra as ambassador, but diplomacy with a shifter?
Completely out of my wheelhouse. “Unless—oh!” Recalling the many languages the king had used with me, I thought I had deduced the answer. “You require a translator.”
“Nei. Not a translator. Not exactly.” He leaned closer, his gaze boring into mine. “I need a lover, Bronwyn.”