Page 39 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood (Dragons of Tirene #3)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The moon casts an ethereal glow over the grounds as I emerge from the dragon aerie. My heart thunders in my chest, nearly as loud as the crashing waves of the nearby ocean. Shadows stretch across the land, and the cool night breeze chills my skin. My lungs burn, and my boots slap the earth.

But I don’t stop running.

Another scream chills me to the core, and my legs pump faster.

Fury crashes into me, causing me to gasp with the intensity. Not my fury. The dragons’. Both the Tirenese dragons and the ones I just liberated. Their wrath mingles with my own anger and fear and desperation.

Somewhere above me, a dragon roars.

More agonizing screams follow, as if someone is in pain.

I run faster, harder. Pushing my body more than I ever have.

Gods help me. Please spare my friends. And the man I love. I don’t think I can do this without him.

Beside the eyril field, a low valley emerges. From here, I can barely make out the stalks undulating in the moonlight.

The insidious, unintelligible whispers I remember from before claw at my ears. Part of me wonders if that’s somehow related to my sensitivity to the dragon blood used to cultivate the crops, but that thought flies from my mind when the shouts get louder and more desperate.

Adrenaline dumps into my system, propelling me faster still.

I manage to shorten the distance before my foot slips on uneven ground. Throwing my hands out to break my fall, I slam into rough terrain. Sharp pain sears through my right knee and my palms, and for a few seconds, I’m too stunned to move.

Groaning, I pull myself up, testing my limbs. My stinging palms are scratched, and my knee’s already starting to bruise.

An eruption of shouts snaps me back to reality.

Wincing, I take off again, limping a little as I rush toward the noise.

As I run, dark silhouettes start to take form on the outskirts of the eyril field. I hear another shout. Then a loud smack, like a palm striking flesh.

Six figures come into view. Six people.

My heart stops beating when I see them.

Leesa. Bastian. Agnar. Helene. Elijah. Nick.

Relief bubbles in my chest. Nick Pendrick from my flight unit. He’s alive.

That relief extinguishes in a single heartbeat when I realize all six of them are encased in ice, from their shoulders to their toes.

The horrifying scene freezes me in place.

“Well, hello there, Lady Lark.” King Xenon sneers, his voice laced with malice as he emerges from the shadows. “I was hoping you’d join us.”

Fuck. It’s a trap. And I barreled straight into it like the biggest of fools.

Even standing in the middle of the eyril field at night, the king of Aclaris is every bit as regal as the last time I saw him. He wears a sleeveless golden tunic, with matching golden bands around his biceps. The ever-present golden crown is atop his head, glimmering with jewels. Long gray hair flows to his shoulders, framing a handsome, albeit fearsome, face.

Standing at attention behind him, two royal servants track his every move.

“Let them go.” Unadulterated rage courses through me as I gesture toward my family and friends. “They haven’t done anything to you.”

“So demanding.” Xenon wags a finger like he’s scolding a naughty child. “But I’m not the one who froze your…friends.”

At his signal, another figure emerges from the eyril stalks.

My throat tightens, and my heart batters my ribs.

I drink in the sight of him, my soul shriveling as I take stock. Adorned in all black, an expressionless Sterling comes to a halt beside the king, his eyes still a fathomless obsidian.

Xenon’s laughter rings out, a cold, cruel sound that twists my gut. “Go ahead. Tell the lady how this is going to work.”

“They’re here for insurance.” Sterling smiles, contorting his beautiful face into something ugly and terrifying. “Do what the king says, and they’ll make it out of here alive.”

He says it so casually, like everything is so simple. But this fucked up situation is anything but simple.

The Sterling I know and love is gone, a slave to the whims of the crazed king.

A terrifying realization settles over me. Xenon’s eyes are the same unsettling gray as always, like rain clouds before a storm. He’s not corrupted. And the drachen aren’t controlling him.

Holy shit. Xenon’s controlling them .

Through multiple mental pathways, the minds of the dragons brush mine. I must have been projecting my emotions, practically hurtling the intensity of my fear and dread right at them.

Above us, white-hot flames stream through the air, followed by a piercing roar.

“Call them off, or your friends die, one by one.” Xenon nods to Sterling.

Quick to obey, Sterling flicks his wrist. A thin layer of frost forms over Leesa’s face. Her lips turn blue. A single tear escapes, freezing halfway down her cheek.

A scream builds in my throat, but all that comes out is a ragged plea. “No. Please. Don’t hurt her. Don’t hurt any of them. The dragons won’t bother you.”

Forcing down my hopelessness, I focus on each connection.

It’s okay , I assure them, murmuring meaningless words and doing everything I can to convey my message. Leave us.

I project every ounce of calm I can muster.

And then I block them out.

Dame passes overhead, no longer circling. Where she’s headed, I don’t know. As long as it’s away from here—as long as the dragons and my friends stay alive—that’s all that matters.

Xenon lifts his chin at Sterling in some sort of wordless message, though his eyes are on me. “There. Was that so hard?”

The frost on Leesa’s face melts then evaporates. She gasps for breath.

I take comfort in that small measure of relief. “Look, let’s work this out. No one needs to die today.”

“Don’t be so hasty to make promises you might not be able to keep.” Xenon smiles his razor-sharp smile at me before motioning for his servants to give him space. They take several steps back. “Now that we have that settled, let’s get started, shall we?”

My chest clenches, and breathing becomes a monumental effort as everything clicks together like the pieces of a puzzle.

Xenon’s had his eye on me since I was a child. He needs a dragoncaller to carry out his plans and went as far as sending his minions to kidnap multiple young girls from Tirene when I was little in order to acquire one.

Whatever sick and twisted intentions this fucker has, it involves me.

I’m the one who’s going to die.