Page 11 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood (Dragons of Tirene #3)

Chapter Eleven

“Oh gods, Lark.” Leesa throws her arms around me. “What were you playing at? You scared the shit out of us.”

“I wasn’t playing,” I choke out, pulling out of her arms so I can breathe. “The door locked behind me, and I couldn’t open it until I found a hidden catch on the wall. But you won’t believe what I discovered inside.” When I turn back around, I find the door shut again.

“It swung closed on its own.” Blair reaches out to open the door, then curses and yanks his hand back. “Did that thing just bite me?”

He holds his hand up and shows the blood trickling down his palm from the webbing between finger and thumb.

I hold up my own hand, showing off an identical injury. “It did the same thing to me. Which is why I followed it inside the room when it opened.”

“Let me see that.” Leesa examines the shallow wound on my hand.

“It’s nothing.” I wince when Leesa pushes too hard. “But seriously, I found what we’re looking for.”

“Then let’s open the damn door so you can show us. Or did you bring it out with you?” Bastian steps around me, careful to grab the door handle with only his fingers. “It won’t open, so I hope you got whatever it was.”

“It wasn’t a thing. Well, it was. But not a physical thing.” I extricate my hand from Leesa, smiling to reassure her I’m okay. “It was a vision. I saw Queen Aero. And she was talking to someone I couldn’t see. She was telling the man about something a person named Nick had told her. That only phoenix tears can end the corruption.”

“Corruption?” Agnar regards me like I’m batshit crazy.

“I think she was talking about the drachen. She also said that, while her fires could chase them away, they came back each time, hungrier and more powerful.” Repeating those words freezes the blood in my veins. “We were right. We didn’t defeat the drachen. We only stopped the attack that night. I have a feeling they’ll be back.”

Leesa presses her hand flat on the cut I received from the jaguar that morning. I yelp, jumping away from her jabbing fingers. “What the hells? Why are you doing that?”

Her brow furrows. “I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. Your cut is raised, but there are no runners showing infection yet.”

Blair clamps the back of his hand to my forehead. “She doesn’t have a fever.”

“I’m not sick.” I move farther away so they’ll stop grabbing at me, but they all trail me with sharp concern. “I’m telling you the truth.”

For some reason, the crazy lady insisting that she isn’t crazy doesn’t seem to comfort any of them. Or make them stop trading troubled glances.

With a hefty sigh, I compose myself and try again. “I saw the queen…heard her. She walked around the room packing a bag because she needed to travel in order to find the phoenix tears. I need to get back to the palace and tell Sterling what I’ve learned. And considering I also learned the drachen are still out there, probably preparing for another attack, I’d like to return as soon as possible.”

Spinning on my heel, I march back the way Bastian and I came, searching for a way outside.

There’s a lot of hissing and whispering before Bastian races to catch up with me. “Okay, okay, just tell us everything. Start to finish. You told me you were getting hot, and then you ran off and left me. What happened next?”

Considering how it might look to the others, I go through the whole story, even describing the types of books I found in the room. But I don’t stop moving. The others are forced to walk along with me. I finish recounting recent events as we round the first bend in the road after leaving the palace.

Dry fallen leaves skitter across the road in a gentle breeze, and I wonder how soon we can use our wings. The sun is nearly at its noon peak. If we take fewer breaks on our way back, we could reach home just after dark.

It’s a good thing torches and ever-lights burn around the palace every night. That might be the only thing keeping us safe. We need to ensure that continues until we understand more about what we’re dealing with and how to kill these creatures.

Apparently, we only require some phoenix tears. Then we can set up a trap and…what? What’s next?

Agnar, Bastian, and Blair trail behind, engaged in a hushed conversation. Leesa walks next to me, but she keeps eyeing my wounds like she’s worried I’m not okay. I spin around, not wanting to waste another second on their disbelief.

“I told you. I’m not sick. I’m fine. You saw how the Lost City looked from the sky.” I point to the open air above us. “But from here on the ground, there’s no visible tree canopy. Clearly the ancients who built this town know how to use long-lasting magic to create visions.”

Bastian jogs to catch up with me. “I know. I just can’t help worrying. I went most of my life without a…girlfriend,” he stumbles over the word, “and since you’re her sister, I just don’t want anything to happen to you. Anyway, about the phoenix. I’ve heard the last one supposedly died long ago. And never rose again.”

Agnar nods, solemn agreement etched in the lines of his face. “That’s what I’ve heard too.”

Blair echoes the sentiment, his normally jovial features tight with concern. “If we need phoenix tears to destroy the drachen, then where does that leave us?”

Shit out of luck.

No. I refuse to think like that. There must be another way.

My heart stutters, the weight of their words bearing down on me. “Then we’ll have to continue our research. After all, the drachen were thought dead as well. And yet, here we are. Maybe the man who gave me the map will have an idea of where we should head next.”

“The man who kidnapped you?” Leesa wrinkles her nose in doubt. “You want to go back, so what? He can abduct you again?”

Fair point. When she says it like that, the idea sounds more than a little ridiculous. “Well, he didn’t hurt me. And he gave me the map and told me to come find him again after I’ve found what I’m searching for. I don’t see any other options.”

There’s no further debate, and as we reach the Red River, we find the boat, now turned and facing the dock on the other side, waiting.

We board, and once again the vessel carries us across the still waters with a grace that defies explanation.

The river flows beneath us, silent and secretive, yet the shadows trailing under us leave ripples in their wake.

Kaida’s colossal form sprawls across the bank, his scales a dark shimmer against the sunlight as he basks in the warmth. He’s perfectly content where he’s lying and not entirely happy with our approach or the thought of having to leave his cozy spot on the soft soil.

Yet, as we draw near, a sudden surge of panic grips me, visceral and violent. It claws up from my gut, threatening to spill out in a scream.

“Something’s wrong.” I clutch my throat as if to keep the dread contained. “Kaida’s afraid.”

As apex predators, dragons have little to fear, so I can’t help the chill that creeps into my bones.

Especially since the last time the dragons were scared the drachen were the cause.

Kaida snorts, shaking his head back and forth like a wounded snake. Then he opens his mouth and bugles, not with anger, but with terror. The emotion bursts into me, rendering me frozen for several long moments until I clamp down our connection.

With a powerful beat of his wings, he launches into the sky, abandoning us.

My muscles vibrate with nervous energy. A frightened dragon suddenly hauling ass away is a huge signal to get the hells out.

Dropping down, we scan the area through the midday light for any hint of danger.

Nothing.

Only the whisper of leaves and the slow crawl of shadows on the swiftly flowing river.

“Isn’t this how the dragons reacted the day the drachen attacked?” Bastian’s low voice is full of trepidation.

“Yes. Though he wasn’t as terrified now as he was then.”

A shiver races up my spine as I peer at every shadow. Fire shimmers underneath my skin, ready to burst forth if one of them begins pulsing and oozing into an impossibly huge, distorted shape.

“Let’s move. I don’t like being in a land where things are seen or unseen depending on the whims of a dead civilization.” Blair keeps his voice low and his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Bastian, carry Leesa. We’ll take turns carrying her back to the palace, but we need to leave now.”

“If our wings work.” Agnar stretches his wings out, then launches himself into the sky.

Thankfully, he stays in the air. Whatever magic that kept us grounded in the city must not extend outside its bounds.

Bastian lifts Leesa effortlessly into his arms, her slender figure secure against his chest. Agnar takes point, leading the way with Blair trailing close behind. After taking a final glance at the boat, which is once again moored and pointed toward the Lost City, I spring into the air.

The clear, open skies give no hint of danger. In the distance, heading south, the black shape of Kaida grows smaller as he flies ahead of us.

We continue like this, leapfrogging across the landscape. Each time we land in order to change carriers for Leesa, my skin prickles. As the sun lowers and the shadows darken, my muscles ache with fatigue, hands clenching and unclenching in restless anticipation.

By the time the spires of the palace of Tirene pierce the horizon, night has fully descended. Its lofty towers stand guard over the capital, windows aglow with warm light. Reaching out with my mind, I can sense the emotions of many of the dragons. Except Kaida.

He didn’t fly to the paddock? Why? Where did he go?

But that’s not a question I can answer until he returns. The guards on the towers note our arrival and signal. They direct us to a well-lit balcony in the king’s wing, manned by a guard in full regalia.

“Crown Prince Knox is waiting for you in his apartments.”

I have to wonder if he was expecting us back at this hour, or if he simply left word for us to find him upon our return. Either way, I’m certain he’ll be awake by the time we get to him.

I dip my chin in gratitude. “Thank you. We know the way.”

Blair snorts but doesn’t say anything as he sets Leesa down. Together, we step into the grandeur of the palace halls. The guards don’t question our haggard group as we trudge through the ornate corridors, but their eyes linger with silent queries. Sterling’s chambers are deep within the heart of the palace.

As I feared, he’s not only awake at this late hour, but it’s clear he hasn’t been to bed.

He’s in his formal sitting room, hunched over a mass of papers on the table. A line of squires waits in the corner to run his orders as soon as they’re written.

His expressive dark brown eyes light up as we walk in, and they linger on me longer than anyone else. I want to sprint over, wrap my arms around his body, and kiss him into oblivion.

First, though, I need to report our bizarre experiences in the Lost City.