Page 36

Damian

T he confidence in my stride wavered as I neared the entrance to the dungeon, the doorway itself acting as a metaphorical line in the sand. One that had been drawn not by me, or by those who I supported, but drawn nonetheless. The councilors were making their move, and to do so, they needed Aurora. She was the villain in their plans, and without her, things would slow to a crawl, if not fall apart. After all, without someone external to blame, the masses would have more questions.

None of which changed what would happen if I went in there—if I crossed that line. It wasn’t a matter if I was able to do it. If I chose to step forward, there was nothing that would stop me. Anyone who got in my way, who blocked my path to Aurora, would be cut down. That was if I chose to cross over. To go to the other side.

I hesitated, coming to a stop. This was not the way I did things. It was not who I was, who I’d been since the sovereign had given me the honor of being her magistrate. This was the land of shadows, of darkness and backdoors. It was a job for the Shadow, not the Magistrate. But he wasn’t here, I was.

And if I went forward, there would be no going back. Ever. Things would change. I would change, and so much of what I had worked for would be undone. After all, if I chose to disregard the law, to break it, then why would any other shadowy members of our society stop to think twice about doing the same?

I can’t do this. I can’t just storm in there and start wrecking things. There has to be more.

Justification. That was what I needed. A reasonable explanation for what I was doing in the name of the law.

“Well, damn,” I muttered, rocking back on my heels as things coalesced in my mind.

In the name of the law. Legality, in other words.

Something that just so happened to be in the wheelhouse of the magistrate of the Dragon Isles.

AKA, me .

Could there be a way, then, for me to somehow justify what I was about to do? That I had given the guards a chance to do the right thing and put them in violation of that same law I was trying to uphold?

Feeling suddenly empowered, I went down the stairs to the dungeon. There was an excuse I could use. It was flimsy and technical, but I loved technical, I lived for it. Everyone knew that.

Would it matter if I couldn’t find a way to prove who truly was stealing the scepters and trying to threaten our society? No. They would just overrule my justification and likely throw me in jail for being a traitor if caught.

So, I would just have to believe I was right that Aurora knew something vital. She hadn’t let me down so far …

“Can I help you?”

Not a good start if the sneer on the guard’s face was anything to go by as I entered the dungeon. Nor was the way both guards came to attention, blocking the hallway in front of me. A clear sign that they had no intentions of letting me proceed.

“Yes, I am—”

“This area is currently off-limits,” said a third guard who appeared in a doorway. He spoke calmly but firmly, expecting to be obeyed.

“Off-limits,” I mused. “Interesting. Off-limits to whom? ”

“Anyone,” the head guard said in that same tone. “Including you, Magistrate.”

I arched an eyebrow in his direction. Him knowing who I was didn’t surprise me. There were well over a thousand guards who worked in the palace, though not at one time, but there was only one magistrate. My face was known far and wide. I wouldn’t be sneaking in here unnoticed.

But that wasn’t my plan.

“You don’t have the authority to give me orders,” I said, sizing the captain up and making sure he saw me doing so.

“I have my own orders, and they say no one is to have access to the dungeons. Including you.” The captain shrugged, but his eyes danced with humor at being able to deny me what I wanted.

“Who issued these orders? I come on command of the sovereign herself.” I added that last line to force the captain to reveal who was behind it.

“Councilors Kerstun, Parun and Laurana.” The captain said the names with a pause after each, as if laying a better hand in a game of cards one by one. He obviously expected me to impressed and to do as I was told.

Too bad for him, I had a bit of a stubborn streak when it came to little things like following the law of our nation.

“I don’t recall the dungeons being under control of a councilor—or councilors—no matter how august the personage they may be,” I said, drawing out the word, making it clear I held them all in great disdain.

Fires flashed in the eyes of the guard who’d initially stopped me, and all three became just a little more alert. They knew I wasn’t going to be easily deterred, nor was I interested in play the games with their patrons.

“Extenuating circumstances,” the guard captain insisted, doing his best to keep the peace.

“There’s no such thing when it comes to the rule of law in the dragon kingdom,” I spat. “There is only the magistrate. Me . I am judge, jury, and if need be, executioner.”

I let that last hang in the air for a moment.

“I’m sorry, Magistrate, but orders are orders.”

Nodding slowly, I kept my eyes fixated on the captain. “Just to be clear, you are willfully following orders that are given in error, and you are refusing correction from the senior judicial member of the kingdom? In addition, you are interfering with an active investigation of the magistrate that pertains to the security of our home?”

The guard’s jaw stiffened as he realized I’d backed him into a corner. I’d given him an out with the first sentence while letting him know the seriousness of any consequences if he didn’t take the lifeline.

If I, as magistrate, judged the security of the Dragon Isles to be in jeopardy, I was authorized to do just about anything and everything to prevent anything from happening.

Including killing anyone who got it in my way. It was flimsy logic, and the council would likely fight to have me removed if things went sideways, but it was true to the law.

And that was what I cared about.

Scale rasped against leather as the guards went for their swords without warning.

I was ready, having anticipated this move. My forehead smashed into the captain’s mouth, reeling him back so he collided with the first guard I’d come across. Stumbling back from the headbutt, I acted woozy and unsteady, shifting my weight just in time as the third guard came at me, only to collapse in a heap as my foot connected with his jaw.

Dragons didn’t go down that easy. Cursing and trying to stop the flow of blood at the same time, the captain disentangled himself from the guard he’d hit, freeing them both to come at me.

I ducked a wickedly slicing sword, delivering a flat strike of the edge of my hand to his wrist. The scaled blade dropped, numbed fingers unable to maintain their grip. This opened me up to a knee from the captain. Rolling with it, I tried to diminish the impact, but the blow still tossed me back against the wall. Pain lanced up my spine, and I momentarily saw stars.

“You are under arr— Oof. ”

The captain doubled over as I kicked him straight in the dick. Two heavy fists to his back dropped him to the floor. I watched idly as a tooth bounced across the floor.

“Stay down,” I grunted, climbing to my feet, squaring off against both remaining guards. In the background, shouts of alarm signaled the coming arrival of more guards who would likely oppose me.

“You’re one of her favorites, and I’m going to enjoy watching you die for this,” the sneering guard spat hotly, still shaking his sword hand, trying to regain feeling.

“The orders you are following are in violation of the law of the Dragon Isles,” I grunted. “If you persist in threatening our national security, it is my duty as magistrate to do all in my power to keep our people safe. That means I will kill you.”

Both guards glanced at one another. It was in that hesitation that I struck. Moving fast enough to be a blur, I dropped first one, then the other guard. Their bodies hit the floor with a heavy clatter of armor and limpness.

“Sometimes I hate this job,” I said to the empty hallway. Then I took up the sword and made good on my promise.

Dragon blood dripping from the tip of the scale blade, I strode deeper into the dungeons, ready to confront the guards racing to see what the commotion was. My jaw was set, every feature carved from granite. I couldn’t afford to slow, to show mercy to anyone who got in my way.

The tip of the sword came up as guards came around the corner. The air screamed as the blade swept through it, striking down those who would side with a traitor. I did not hesitate. I did not offer quarter.

Judge. Jury.

Executioner.

It was the side of the job I disliked the most.

Leaving the trail of bodies in my wake, I pilfered a set of keys from the wall of the office and moved on, picking up speed. Aurora’s scent was in the air. She was close.

Find. Claim. Find. Claim.

The drumbeat of basic thoughts from my dragon pounded in time with my boots on the stone floor, increasing in speed until I came to a halt in front of the cell that contained her.

Aurora.

“ Damian? ” she yelped from deep in a far corner. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting you out,” I growled, opening the door, removing the metal barrier from between us. “Did you think I would not come for you?”

“I …” she faltered.

The world blurred, and she was in my arms. I sought and found her mouth, soaking in the soft warmth of her lips, the curves of her body against mine. I wanted to stay there forever, spend eternity exploring her.

But there wasn’t time for such enjoyments. Not until the scepters were returned and the traitor exposed.

“What do we do now?” Aurora asked when we broke apart, her eyes dropping to the sword in my hand, the scaled blade stained with drying blood. “I take it I wasn’t released willingly.”

“The law was not being followed,” I ground out. “I rectified the issue.”

“Are you okay?” she asked, licking her lips, scanning me over, looking for injuries.

“I’m fine,” I said, brushing off her concerns.

She nodded. I doubted she fully believed me. I wasn’t sure I believed me.

“Shall we leave?” She gestured toward the exit.

“Not before you tell me what you started to say on the roof,” I said, meeting her eyes. “Aurora, what did you see last night?”