Page 144 of Courting the Dragon Prince

“Why? Are you going to offer to give me a piggyback?” Luther smiled.

Onyx shook his head and chuckled. “I was just going to offer you my arm.”

“My cane is enough for now, thank you.”

King Alaric and Konrad approached them, their conversation apparently over. Konrad wore a sullen expression, lips pressed together in a tight line as if he’d been scolded into submission. Luther knew his brother though. He’d be back and fighting their father in no time.

His father glanced at Luther’s leg. “What did my healer have to say?”

Whilst the king had sent messages to organise the assembly, his father’s healer had treated Luther’s leg.

“He healed it as best he could. It doesn’t hurt at present,” Luther said. “I will periodically see him for continued healing sessions. But he believes it will probably never fully heal. There may also be some pain at times. But certain herbal teas should be able to deal with that.”

From the corner of Luther’s eye, he saw Onyx frown.

King Alaric stared at Luther as they walked. Luther fought the urge to duck his head, afraid he was going to be reprimanded for not thinking things through during their fight and, as a result, permanently wounding himself.

But his father stopped and faced Luther. Luther stopped too, and so did the others.

“You did the right thing, Luther,” King Alaric said. “You did what you needed to do to win the battle.”

Luther gaped.

“You were willing to sacrifice your body for Draconia. You did well facing Warden Flint.” King Alaric’s gaze turned to Warden Onyx. “You both did. You should be proud of how you have conducted yourselves.”

Luther could not speak. Was that … praise? From his father? He almost laughed. Had his father actually praised him? Luther had had so little experience with this. He didn’t know how to respond but stare at his father as giddy, tingly warmth spread through him.

Thankfully, Onyx seemed more coherent. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

King Alaric nodded again and continued towards the Draconian section of the monastery. Luther and the others walked with him.

King Alaric’s lip curled. “Although, it is hard enough work getting this peace accord together without snakes and traitors amongst us. We must find them. We must hunt them down and destroy them.”

The Draconian guards opened the doors, and the four of them entered the Draconian rooms. The doors had barely opened when Senta, Gerard, and the queen consort burst from one of the smaller sitting rooms.

“There have been rumours everywhere. What happened in the Grey Mountains?” Senta asked.

“Is everyone all right?” Queen Consort Adelina’s gaze darted between Onyx and Luther.

“Come.” Their father strode to the sitting room the others had just vacated. “We’ll discuss recent events in here.”

ChapterSixty-Six

“I’m telling you it’s the necromancers,” Konrad said the moment Luther and Onyx had finished recounting to everyone in the sitting room what had occurred. “That’s who Warden Flint was plotting with. It has to be.”

Luther would bet this is what Konrad and the king had been whispering heatedly about earlier.

“That’s enough, Konrad!” King Alaric said, voice firm. Everyone else sat around the tea table except for King Alaric, who stood by the window. “You’re letting your imagination run away with itself. Again.”

“I just don’t understand how you can’t?—”

“I said that is enough, Konrad!” King Alaric snapped. “You have spouted your baseless accusations against the necromancers from the start. I suggest you keep your mind and eyes open.”

Konrad closed his mouth as he glared at his father. After a moment, he dropped his gaze to the wine goblet in his hands.

Silence filled the room.

Queen Consort Adelina cleared her throat. “Well, at least we’ll have Senta’s marriage to Juniper from Botanial soon. That will be nice after this terrible incident.”