Page 29 of Dragon Blood (Dragon Island #3)

K olina paced the cramped, dark cell to keep her limbs busy as her mind worked. She didn’t focus on the feeling of entrapment; instead, she focused on the reasons for her imprisonment.

She’d helped Kai escape.

The Council blamed him for Regina’s illness.

The guards had been ordered not to talk to her as they brought food and an empty bucket while clearing away the empty bowl and used bucket.

Launia, Supreme Commander of the Guardians and Kolina’s long-time friend, was the only one allowed access to her.

Every time she appeared for a friendly visit, the topic was the same. Kolina never deviated from her story. Her report.

She’d recounted every detail of the events at Perenga’s island where Kymri and Jori had united in marriage. She relayed every detail of the political discussions with their allies and where their focus lay.

There was minimal discussion about the traitor who’d met with the Consortium agent who was still at large. The GPSA were focused on the rogue male dragons and locating the Consortium menagerie that Sam Egan had been attached to. Kane was determined to find and apprehend the agent’s master, determined to cut off the head of another branch of the ever-evolving Consortium organization.

Aeleftherian politics was Aeleftheria’s own business within her border. Their only concern was when it ignited problems outside her territory.

What the queen had to say on such matters while Kolina wasn’t around, was up to the queen to recount to the council at her discretion.

Footsteps echoing along the narrow pass heralded her daily visitor.

Kolina was surprised when Launia arrived with a new list of questions.

What are Kymri’s intentions once her child is born?

How large is the Katoa Koro army?

How long have you been working to usurp the queen so that Kymri may take her place?

At what point did you know that Elora planned to install her son as King of the Mountain?

How many other clans will follow Kymri and Kai’s lead to take control of Aeleftheria Nisi?

Kolina gaped at Launia’s impassive face.

The other dragoness gave no hint whether she believed in what this line of questioning said of the council’s opinion of Kolina’s integrity. Each point a slap in her face. Her heart screamed at the implied accusations.

She swallowed it all down, allowing it to foment in resentment buried deep in her gut. “They finally have what they need.” Kolina said, referring to the Council.

Launia lifted a brow as she held Kolina’s gaze.

“To turn Aeleftherians against a chance at peace with the mountain males, blinding them to who the real enemy is. Have your guardians rooted out the traitor?”

Launia’s lips tightened as her gaze flicked over Kolina’s face.

They hadn’t.

“They believe you are the traitor.”

Kolina snorted. “Impossible. I was on the other side of the world when those events happened.”

“Supposedly.”

“Surely Marli would have known me and given me up.”

“Perhaps she did, and out of loyalty to Kymri, she keeps your secret.”

“Do you really believe that of her? I don’t think you do. She may love my daughter like a sister, but we both know that her work for our queen and for us has brought her into so many missions which hammered home the need for our sovereignty.”

Launia remained silent in the face of Kolina’s words.

“Marli Fleetwing would never betray the queen and rightful ruler of our people. Nor would I. No matter how much we might desire peace and unity with the males after so long sundered from one another. We’re all tired of this particular war. There is another, deeper, older war, so buried we’ve forgotten about it biding its time in the permafrost of our convictions, Launia. The Consortium.”

Launia crossed her arms.

“How stupid we’ve been for so long. No, not stupid, exhausted. We’ve exhausted ourselves dealing with the surface battle to survive. Never having the resources to investigate below the festering hatred to see where the infection truly lies.”

“If that is as you say, how did they get to Her Majesty? Whose hand brought her illness on? If not your son, or you, then who? Marli Fleetwing? Your niece Zayli Steelscale? Remember Kolina, I know these guardians almost as well as you do. Who is left? Princess Astred and her crew. Do you accuse them?”

Kolina’s heart twisted. There was one that she could see cast a shadowy hand over the queen’s health.

Not out of spite or greed for the throne, but out of love for her nation and duty to obey orders from her superiors.

Zayli.

She would do whatever the council ordered her to do.

Kolina swallowed, mouth dry.

“Launia. We’ve seen pressure to ramp up aggression on the males before. A generation ago.”

A slight jerk of Launia’s head, eyes widening.

“We were both there.” She held Launia’s gaze, no longer so cool and remote.

“No.” Launia croaked, clearing her throat with a shake of her head. “No.”

Kolina waited, her turn to maintain silence as Launia worked through these new implications.

“That was a very long time ago. There’s no proof. No incentive to revive old wounds.”

“Isn’t there?” Kolina growled. “You heard Marli’s report. You read her words—the traitor’s words incriminating herself by that alone.”

“That doesn’t mean—,”

“By Marli’s sworn testimony, she recounted word for word all that she heard in her witness statement. And before that incident, we’ve always trusted and relied on her stalwart ability. Relay exactly what she sees and what she hears, and what she feels.”

Launia finally glanced away. “She didn’t relay her senses in that report.”

“No, she didn’t.” Kolina’s voice was soft in the cramped cell. “I think she was struggling with that one. Who would want to entertain to the notion that their elders would betray them like this?”

Launia turned her gaze back to Kolina.

“But you and I both know otherwise, even if she doesn’t.”

Launia straightened at that. “And who is to say that this time, you’re not the one seeking to take control, by example of what your mother did the last time? For all I know, you weren’t looking for Kai at all. You could easily have gone back for the stone yourself.”

“At the same time that I was fighting a Consortium agent on an Aeleftherian beach?”

Launia grunted. Finally, she sighed, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. “Kolina, we spent an entire generation suppressing what happened. To bury it, let it fall to legend and move on. We can’t dig it all up now. Not when Regina is vulnerable and Astred is missing.”

“Astred isn’t missing. She’s following a vision from Regina. And now is especially the time to rip off the scab of that wound that never truly healed. Did it?”

“A vision? I—”

The unmistakable tenor of the alarm reverberated along the stones of the chamber, even this deep underground.

Launia immediately turned to go.

“Let me out. You can’t afford not to have all warriors fighting.”

Launia’s expression registered regret as she searched Kolina’s face. “I can’t afford to let you out, in case you’re the one leading the enemy to conquer us.”

“You don’t believe that,” Kolina breathed, incredulous. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Launia shook her head. “No, I don’t. But the Council does, and I can’t take the chance that I’m wrong and they’re right.” She turned her back on Kolina, but paused before opening the door. “If the attackers are anyone other than who the Council fears them to be, I will send for you.”

The cell door screeched open and then closed with a clang of finality. Launia disappeared into the darkness, leaving it locked and spelled behind her as the alarm continued to reverberate through the cell.

Kolina’s pulse beat erratically through her body, her dragon straining against the need to be at her sovereign’s side, to defend her to the death.

L aunia mounted the tower steps two at a time. The dragonesses from the Crimson Claw had delivered their warning and were already back in the air to aid in the defense of the island. Scouts were imperative, as there was no confirmation as to which direction the enemy would attack.

Non-combative or flightless paranormals and human villagers streamed back and forth from their homes. Waiting fishing boats filled the small harbor and every dock and quay surrounding the island, loading what few valuables they cherished amid stacks of supplies. Without wind, escape would be painfully slow. For now, they would at least head away from the main island toward the trailing end of the archipelago, where the attack was less likely to occur. Thick jungle and hidden caves would provide some protection.

She hoped.

In times of war and conflict, the vulnerable were easy targets for the enemy to strike. The defending dragons would be hard pressed to shield both the citadel as well as the people spread out along the shore.

Overhead, guardians swooped out in all directions, the force of the wind from their wings buffeting her human form.

She grit her teeth, longing to go out and join them, but she needed to command things from here.

The Queen’s Guard had gathered around Regina’s sleeping form, moving her to a lower citadel bunker reserved for the vulnerable when leaving the island wasn’t an option. Two shamans had been selected to be sealed in with her, continuing their work to awaken her, while all others would be on hand to tend the inevitable wounded and dying. The children and frail elders would be taken much further down, into the most protected vaults.

The archivists were already securing the library. Valuable tomes, scrolls and artifacts detailing Aeleftheria’s long history were being secured before heavy stone slabs were slid into place, sealing those levels from surface destruction.

Her thoughts tumbled back to Kolina, locked far underground in the traitor’s dungeon.

She doesn’t belong there.

Her gaze flicked across the citadel to the council tower, where some prepared for evacuation, and others prepared for battle.

Zadora Steelscale had led the accusations against her daughter Kolina and grandson Kai.

Launia’s gut soured.

It isn’t right. Kolina wouldn’t do this.

She could never betray Aeleftheria.

She knew because she’d been there the day Regina had tasked Kolina with removing the stone from Aeleftheria before swearing them all to forcing the events to stay in the past. As of the moment the stone left Aeleftherian soil, every betrayal the Dragon Star had committed upon the crown had been struck from history and remitted to folklore.

Regina had ordered it. Every Aeleftherian living at the time had been ordered to never speak of events except in the capacity of storytelling.

Zadora hadn’t deserved it.

Launia saw what toll resisting the star stone had taken on Kolina.

I can’t imagine what it did to her, to be the one ordered to carry it away.

Launia watched the skies with keen eyes. The enemy finally knew where they were. Because of the traitor.

Who had cast the blame and sought to destroy the most loyal of Aeleftheria’s servants?

Kolina had left Aeleftheria bearing the source of their greatest hero’s power, who sulked in whispers of disgrace, withdrawn from the people to the shuttered tower of the Council. Whispers carried away by the wind, truths dispersed over the sea.

Order restored, Aeleftheria moved on. No one that Launia knew ever spoke of the reassignment. No one understood it. The story survived, mostly as that of a tale of glory and heroism. All the best deeds preserved. A model for new generations of Aeleftherians to shape themselves into. Though without a magic rock, to give them superpowers.

When Kolina had returned after that mission, she was deeply changed. She had borne a male child and abandoned him.

Launia recognized the look in her eyes, because she’d done the same. She recognized the steel in her spine she required to stop her from returning to him every day.

For Aeleftheria.

Because the Council declared male younglings too dangerous to exist on the island.

A council lead by Zadora.

Launia had never understood why. Why would Zadora be so protected? A privilege that obviously did not extend to her daughter.

Why?

She squinted into the northern sky.

Her heart stopped, allowing ice to streak from her scalp down to her heels.

“Oh, great Goddess, no,” she whispered. Her gaze dropped to the flurried activity below.

Not enough time.

Atop the guardian tower, she ran toward the ledge, shifting. Her cotton tunic and pants tore apart as she expanded into her dragon form, diving off the ledge. With a mighty breath, she swooped low, roaring.

The tiny people froze, looking up as she whipped past. Before she drew breath for a second signal, she streamed toward the boats, leaving all else behind.

The nearest patrols corrected course, surveying the sky where a lead patrol should have alerted them to the danger.

Should have.

From her vantage point, a single figure streaked across the courtyard toward the prison tower.

Marli.

Good.

Launia ignored her, heart lifting a fraction. She would let Kolina out. Goddess knew they’d need her merciless claws.

Turning her attention back to the roiling cloud of the enemy approaching, Launia determined to ensure the evacuees had enough time to get as far away as possible before all they knew was destroyed.

The vaults would hold.

Aeleftheria could be rebuilt.

Again.

So long as they defeated the invaders.