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The moment they were married, Titus turned on Avera with a leer. “And now to make some heirs.”

The thought of him touching any part of her disgusted, just like her inability to fight depressed. Drugged and unable to protest, she was led into the tower by her new and much too eager husband.

The viziers remained on the roof with the three collared—and very angry—dragons. How she wished she’d trusted her gut. Fled when she had a chance.

Killed Titus.

The man dragged her down the steps, chattering as if this were the best day of his life. “…once they are grown, no country will be able to stand against us.”

“You plan to conquer the world?”

“Of course.”

“What of Zhos?”

He waved a hand. “Will be handled. I can’t have that thing interfering with my plans. It is regrettable that we need to kill at least one if not two of the dragons and lose a third sending it through the rift, but what is a few months while we wait for them to hatch and grow full-sized again?”

“You’re assuming they’ll let you trap them a second time,” she pointed out.

“They will come to heel. It is my destiny.”

“Let me guess, Kachezi told you so.”

“She claims I will be the last emperor this world ever knows. Now enough talk about my grand future. Disrobe.”

He shoved Avera into the bedroom she’d been using. Despite the magical compulsion urging her to obey, she pressed her back against the wall and shook her head. “No.” A single syllable uttered through reluctant lips.

“You do realize your refusal won’t stop me. You won’t be the first unwilling bride I’ve bedded.” His lips curved cruelly.

“You are depraved. I wonder what your citizens would think if they knew.”

“They know exactly who and what I am.”

She thought of Prielli and those in the streets cheering their emperor. “I find that hard to believe. Your people seem to love you.”

“They love their miserable lives. There are consequences for those who defy me. Those who speak poorly of me. Those who would greet me with anything but fervor. I brook no dissent. And those who dare lose their heads along with those of their family. It provides a great incentive, don’t you think?”

Avera felt faint at just how deep the web of lies spread.

Titus removed his shirt and advanced on her, muttering, “Time for you to learn the same lesson as them.”

Her breathing came quick and frightened. Her hands clenched but refused to rise and defend herself.

Titus neared enough for her to smell his sweat. To see the perverse gleam in his gaze.

Her stomach cramped hard, and her thighs wetted as if she’d pissed herself. She glanced down and gasped at the red stain spreading across the white gown.

Titus looked too and swore. “Klothi didn’t mention your menses had started.”

Avera didn’t comment on the fact it shouldn’t have been due at all as she’d endured it during her brief tenure in the palace. However, this sudden gush couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

“Bedding you now would be a waste. You will inform me when you’re done bleeding.”

With that order, Titus stormed out of the room and Avera slumped with relief.

A relief that would only last a few days.

There had to be a way to escape before Titus raped her.

But how? The lava filled the channels outside making the plains impassable.

Even if she did manage to get past them, the bridge had been removed—or burned away.

She wouldn’t be able to cross the chasm or evade the army camped on the other side.

She couldn’t give up, though. There had to be a way out of here. Only, thinking proved hard with her shaking body.

She sank to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest as she rocked with silent sobs, allowing herself a moment of distress. Emptying herself out of her despair so she might fill the void with resolve.

She could not let Titus and his witches win.

She would not be his breeder.

She was a queen. A fighter. A woman of intelligence. Time to use that intellect to figure out a solution.

The door slammed open.

“I hear you’re bleeding.” Opal—because Avera couldn’t think of her as Klothi—stood framed in the entrance.

Rather than reply, Avera stood and displayed the stained gown.

Klothi pursed her lips. “No wedding night for you. Get cleaned up.”

“And then what?” Avera couldn’t help a bitter note.

“Read a book.”

“As if I could concentrate,” Avera muttered.

“We won’t be here for long,” Opal stated. “Once the volcano settles a bit, we’ll be moving.”

“How? I thought the lava would take weeks to cool enough.”

“There are ways to move past it.” A cryptic reply.

“You’re just full of surprises. Fooling my mother, then me.”

“I am simply doing what has to be done.”

“So you keep claiming, and yet I’m surprised you’d support a man such as Titus.”

“He’s Emperor.”

“He’s a despot.” Avera lifted her gaze to Opal. “And you and the other guardians are feeding his ego.”

“We act for the good of many. You’ll see that eventually.”

“At what cost? Those poor dragons deserved better. As blooded, we are supposed to support them. To care for them, not make them slaves.”

“You heard them. They wouldn’t have aided us against Zhos, and getting rid of that foul entity is our first concern.”

“You didn’t even try to convince them. You chained them. Gave them no choice. And worse, your plan will send one of them into permanent exile.”

“What else can we do?” Opal asked. “Zhos cannot be killed by anything from this world, not by a blade forged from this earth, nor by the claws or teeth of any creature born here.”

“Is its flesh impervious?”

“Not its flesh, but its magic. It shields itself. Wraps itself in a protective barrier that cannot be penetrated.”

“Then how did you paralyze it in the past?”

“Blood. The blood of dragons nullifies its magic, much like your touch and essence does. It also paralyzes Zhos. When the dragons drenched it in blood, everyone who could wield a blade or magic went after it only to discover it couldn’t be killed.

Even inert, the magic imbuing its flesh rebuffed us. ”

Avera frown. “You speak as if you were there.”

“Because I was,” Opal softly replied. “We all were. Kachezi, Karoki, and me, plus others who are no longer with us. In the end, the best we could do was lock it away. Bury it somewhere no one would ever find. Using magic the likes you could not even imagine to keep it frozen. During that time, we searched for a way to rid our world of it. Alas, the only solution was a terrible one for the dragons. If we could have found another way…” Opal trailed off and shook herself.

“There is only one chance, and we must do everything, even the unpalatable, to ensure success.”

“Unpalatable?” Avera snorted. “You’re responsible for the murder of my family, of Verlora’s destruction, the enslavement of dragons, and abetting my rape.”

“If you seek apology, you’ll be disappointed. We act?—”

“In the interest of the world.” Avera sighed with resignation. Arguing with the stubborn guardian failed yet again.

“Eventually you’ll understand why everything was necessary.” With that Opal left, only to return to toss a clean, white gown at her. “Wash yourself and change.”

Avera pursed her lips and took the clothing.

She sponged herself of the blood. Packed her undergarments with strips ripped from the ruined gown, then dressed in the clean one.

She paced the room, unsure what to do. She could hear Titus in the main room, boisterous at his triumph.

When she eventually emerged, he’d disappeared, and she could hear noise behind one of the closed doors.

The kind of noise that indicated he was having a wedding night, just not with Avera.

Kachezi sat in a chair reading. Of Opal and Karoki she saw no sign. One of them must be bedding Titus. Better them than her.

“How are the dragons?” Avera asked when Kachezi put down her book to look at her.

“Agitated. Karoki is attempting to coax them into eating. You can go help if you’d like.”

Lead lambs to the literal slaughter? Avera almost said no, but curiosity won out. There were dragons. Here. Capable of speech. Just as captive as her.

As she began to ascend the stairs, Kachezi uttered a warning. “Just so you know, their collars can’t be removed by anyone but us. Any attempt will trigger a spell that you would find extremely unpleasant.”

Good to know. And disturbing that Kachezi guessed—or predicted—she might try.

Avera ascended to the rooftop to find it dark, the thick ash clouds blocking the sun. In better news, the rain of boulders appeared to have ceased and the air remained breathable if slightly smoky.

Karoki sat cross-legged in front of the dragons, hands on her knees, back ramrod straight. “You have to eat,” she insisted.

Why? So you can fatten us for your planned slaughter? The tan dragon tossed its head.

“It’s not as if you ever truly die,” Karoki countered.

Really? Tell that to Spelix. Or did you think we wouldn’t know what happened to its egg? The moment we scented you, we understood the depth of your crime.

The accusation stiffened Karoki. “We had no choice. Knowing how long we had to wait before we could act meant we had to use extreme measures.”

Wait, there used to be six dragons? Avera couldn’t help but ask, “What did you do to the egg?”

The query saw Karoki turning her head to eye Avera. “Used it.”

“For what?” Avera neared the vizier while keeping a wary eye on the dragons perched only a few paces away.

To keep themselves from growing old, the green dragon hissed.

The admission rounded Avera’s mouth. “You killed a dragon to stay young?”

“It wasn’t something we did lightly,” Karoki huffed. “But you know what happens to history. It gets lost. Changed. Over time people would have convinced themselves Zhos didn’t exist or wasn’t as bad as their ancestors claimed. They would have been ill-prepared to deal with it.”