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“Empty by choice. I’m picky about my bedmates.” Argent’s gaze slewed to Josslyn who pretended to not notice.

“We’re off-topic. The discussion was about leaving for Velunda. Starlight can only take me and Griffon. The rest of you?—”

“Will come with me,” Argent drawled.

Griff snorted. “As if you’d help. You’ve made it very clear you didn’t want to be a part of this.”

“You forget, my kin are still being held captive. I feel a certain obligation to free them, which would put them in my debt, a wonderful treasure to own,” Argent explained.

“Do you really mean that? You’ll take some of us?” Avera couldn’t help but be hopeful.

“Why not? If you all want to hasten to your death, who am I to stop you?”

In the end, it was decided that Starlight would take Avera on her back and Simhi in her claws, leaving Argent with the heavier load. Griffon rode in the harness, Gustav, Kreed, and Monty in claws and tail.

Josslyn remained behind because as she reminded, “I’m good with giving orders not wielding swords.”

It didn’t take long for them to get ready.

They would be travelling light, after all.

Either they succeeded in their mission, banishing Zhos and hopefully eliminating Benoit at the same time, or they failed, in which case they’d be dead.

A sobering realization and yet there was no real choice.

Inaction would lead to death as well. Better to take a chance.

There was still time for the dragons to change their minds and help.

As they went to leave, a gathering of people outside blocked her way. Word of Avera’s arrival—and the way she’d fought the night before—had gotten around, leading to people milling outside the home Gustav had them quartered in.

Avera glanced at Gustav. “What should I do?”

“Talk to them. They’re looking for hope and reassurance.”

“From me? I don’t even know what I’m doing.”

“But you’re trying to do something and that counts,” Gustav muttered in reply.

“I hate giving speeches.” She felt so awkward, but she couldn’t ignore the gazes fixed on her, requiring reassurance.

She cleared her throat and addressed her people.

“Fellow Daervanians, you might have heard about me. Avera Voxspira, rightful heir ousted by Benoit and his lies. A man who will pay for his treachery, but as you know we face another dire threat.”

Avera clasped her hands and kept her voice steady.

“There is an ancient evil doing its best to murder us all. That evil is currently in the castle, whispering in Benoit’s ear, invading the minds of the mist-stricken, sending monsters to tear down this last bastion of freedom.

Today my companions and I leave to confront this threat to our kingdom. ”

“How can you hope to beat it without an army?” someone shouted from the gathered crowd.

“With cunning?” She didn’t mean to lilt it into a question.

“I won’t deny it will be dangerous trying to rid the world of Zhos, but this is an instance where an army would work against me.

I’m hoping a small group of us can infiltrate without notice.

” An oxymoron seeing as how she’d be riding in on a dragon.

“Once we remove the threat from Zhos, we will then deal with Benoit.”

“How are you supposed to fight something that can create monsters and steal people?” exclaimed a woman, clutching her apron.

“Not easily. I won’t deny my chances of success are low but that won’t stop me from doing everything in my power to succeed.”

The crowd mumbled and muttered. “ Foolish, doomed to fail, might as well throw herself from the sea wall now since she’s wasting her life without an army.”

All valid assumptions and claims. Avera still had no clear idea of how she’d accomplish anything. Getting to the castle was the easy part. Entering it, confronting Zhos, defeating it?

“My companions and I will leave now. Wish us luck.” A lame finish to her speech. As they trekked up the road to exit the town where they’d have privacy and space, she noticed the crowd following, their numbers swelling.

Argent muttered from her side. “Too many hopes and ifs. That’s not how you convince people you’re going to win.”

“Then how?” she snapped. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”

“By giving them a proper show of force. Like this.”

Before she could ask what Argent meant, he strode ahead of her, crossing through the pillars before turning around and lifting his arms to the sky.

“Griff, what’s he doing?”

Her consort leaned close to whisper, “Giving your people hope.”

Avera watched as Argent went from man to?—

“Monster!” someone screamed from the gathered crowd.

Dragon actually. A massive beast that towered over them all.

Griff boomed, “Fear not the dragon, for he is the queen’s ally and how we will win the fight!”

Someone shouted gleefully, “The queen’s got a dragon.”

“Two actually,” Starlight claimed before transforming as well.

The mood of the crowd shifted—at least from those who didn’t run in terror.

They watched in awestruck silence as the dragons were harnessed for the riders and when Avera sat atop the beast, Josslyn approached and held something out.

A tiara. Not the one her mother had worn, nor was the metal ringlet lavish, but Avera set it atop her head, and brandished her sword shouting, “For Daerva!”

The reply from her people as the dragons lifted into the air?

“All hail the dragon queen and her consort!”

With that rallying cry, they set off.