“My aunt has spies in Kaipei Castle, dragon,” Prentis said, close enough for his breath to whisper against Einar’s cheek. “We’ve already heard about what happened between you and the former king. But I wonder, what is your agenda here? Why put your life at risk to help my cousin? And why has the fearsome dragon general chosen to appear now, when you’ve been cowering for the last two decades, hidden so well, in fact, that we all thought you were dead?”
Einar gave Prentis a slow smile. “You’d like for me to lose my temper and spill all my secrets, wouldn’t you? To tell you how I survived, if there are other living dragons, and any other juicy tidbits that will ingratiate you to your dear Aunt Axlya?” The dragon general gave Prentis a slow once over. “How does it feel to be languishing in this backwater post, instead of lounging on the Edirian throne? Or did you think I’d forgotten that you were next in line before the people ousted you in favor of Aolis? That even your dear Auntie Axlya didn’t back your claim?”
A tic started in Prentis’s jaw, and Einar’s smile widened. Prentis was tempted to throw the scaly bastard in the dungeons for the night, if only to teach him some manners. But he knew that if he did, he would have a hard time winning Adara’s favor.
He would have to control his temper around the dragon, regardless of the fact that they were mortal enemies.
“Take our guest to his quarters, and remove the chains on his shackles,” Prentis said, just as the healers entered the room. He broke Einar’s gaze to watch them load Adara’s unconscious form onto a stretcher. “Bring him a meal, and make sure he remains there until I send for him.”
“I should be the one to go with her to the infirmary,” Einar growled as Prentis made to follow Adara and the healers. “Not you.”
Prentis glanced over his shoulder, briefly holding the dragon’s golden gaze. “And yet, here you are.”
He strode from the room, leaving his soldiers to deal with Einar. But Prentis didn’t follow Adara and the healers to the infirmary. Instead, he took a left turn, then a right, and followed the main hallway to the courtyard at the heart of the palace.
The courtyard was circular, the walls carved with reliefs of the five water spirits—Rusa, Fonta, Nedis, Tiber, and Salaca. A small temple stood in the center, and Prentis ducked inside. He knelt in front of the stone altar, lit the five candles surrounding the prayer basin, then drew the curtain behind him for privacy.
With only the candlelight to guide him, Prentis withdrew a silver knife from his belt and made a small incision in his thumb. He held the wounded digit over the basin and allowed five drops of blood to fall into the basin, then sat back and waited.
Ten seconds later, Lady Axlya’s oval face swam into view.
“Well?” she demanded. “Do you have the girl?”
“Yes, and her dragon companion,” Prentis said.
Lady Axlya frowned as she leaned back in what Prentis suspected was a lounge chair. Her pale, bluish-white face was bare of any adornment, her cerulean hair cascading freely around her shoulders—a relaxed picture that differed greatly from the one she presented to the rest of the world. “You didn’t find a way to get rid of him?”
“No,” Prentis admitted, “and I don’t think it would be wise to do so. I’m uncertain of the nature of Adara and Einar’s relationship, but I sense they are close.”
Axlya snorted. “Sounds like the girl has the same poor taste in males that her mother did,” she said. She waved a jeweled hand. “No matter—you may bring the dragon with you if it ensures Adara’s compliance, but only if he agrees to be shackled. I won’t have an unbound dragon running free in my realm.”
“Of course.” Prentis inclined his head. He hesitated, then asked, “How is Cousin Cascada doing?”
Axlya smiled, her crystalline eyes lighting up in the way only a mother’s did when speaking about a beloved child. “Recovering beautifully. She was riddled with shadow sickness when she arrived, but the healers were able to beat it back with copious amounts of everbright potion. She may have to take it for the rest of her life… but she is with us, and that’s all that matters.”
“I’m pleased to hear that.” Cascada was the reason they knew the details of what happened at Kaipei Castle—she’d been in the room when Adara and Einar had combined their magic to defeat King Aolis and had told Axlya everything. Apparently she’d fled the castle with shadow soldiers on her heels, and followed a trail of aural lights to a grotto with an underwater tunnel. She’d gone in expecting only to travel a few yards, and had somehow ended up on the outskirts of Usciete. “The Radiants have been watching over our family.”
“Indeed.” Axlya inclined her head. “But we must remain vigilant if House Usciete is to remain in control of the throne. You will depart for Usciete tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Axlya vanished from the water bowl, and Prentis knelt there for a moment longer, staring into his own reflection. His mouth was a grim line, his eyes glittering with a hope and determination he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
He’d allowed the throne to slip through his fingers before, but the Radiants had given him another chance to claim it. And he would not let it slip through his fingers.
6
Einar
Iwaited until night had fully set in before I made my escape.
True to his word, Prentis made sure I was fed—a surprisingly decent meal of trout and vegetables—and had also posted a guard outside my door to make sure I didn’t leave my quarters.
The room he’d given me was decent enough, with a view of the south side of the lake surrounding the palace. There was even a tub with three spouts, one emitting hot water, another cold, and another, bubbles. I wasted no time in using it, cleaning off the blood and grime and horror of the last few days. I washed my clothes as well, then used my fire magic to heat them until they were dry enough to put on again.
By the time I finished, the night was full of frosted starlight, the crescent moon winking at me from her perch in the sky. I stared up at her through the glass window for a moment, then carefully undid the latch and swung it inward. The poorly oiled hinges squealed, and I and froze, heart pounding as I listened at the door. But if the guard stationed outside had heard anything, he’d clearly decided it wasn’t worth investigating.