Page 50 of Exquisite Monster (Dragons of Viria #2)

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

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KATALENA

D ragons approached.

I chewed my lower lip as my stomach flipped.

My mates had distracted me brilliantly, but I couldn’t help but be half terrified, half hopeful. If three of Viria’s kingdoms didn’t want any part of this war, it would weaken Andaros. But it didn’t change the fact that the Elders wanted all humans dead.

Sirrus’s lips brushed my bare shoulder. “Don’t forget to breathe, Princess.”

“I’ll try.”

My shoulders were bare in this dress, and I didn’t mind. It was beautiful. All the clothes Erryn had delivered were beautiful, and there was something intangible that clicked into place when you could dress in confidence. I looked the part, even if it wasn’t wholly my part to play anymore.

Idroal was a few paces away, but our other companions were elsewhere. We weren’t the ones in danger here. The visiting royals were. There was no need to overwhelm them with a show of force.

The dragons that slowly descended towards where we waited—on the shore directly opposite Syrsi—reminded me of the dragon Endre had killed on the beach at Skalisméra.

Scales that weren’t shiny but dull, like camouflaged rocks.

If they were the same dragons watching the barrier, I understood why.

They would be nearly invisible to someone who didn’t know where to look.

The three dragons landed heavily, shaking the ground. Endre angled his body in front of mine while the others shifted slightly as well. Even now, there was a chance these dragons couldn’t be trusted. My mates were tense with alert energy waiting to spring.

As soon as the humans dismounted, I recognized the princess of Denao and who I assumed was the prince of Trutis. He’d been the one who sat next to their king and spoke to me. The third man was so blond his hair was nearly white. He must be the prince of Zastea.

They walked toward us together, close enough that I could feel their familiarity. Romantic? I couldn’t tell. But the woman walked close enough to them that I did not doubt they had known each other longer than this venture.

Silence reigned when they stopped a few feet away from us. Who was supposed to start speaking first? There wasn’t any protocol here.

A subtle nudge of encouragement from Zovai made me clear my throat. “When I spoke in Caelora I did not expect anyone to seek us out.”

“Anyone who was not either intrigued or horrified by what you said should reevaluate their priorities,” the princess said before inclining her head. “We thank you for meeting with us.” The princes bowed their heads as well.

“Forgive me,” I said. “I was not kept well informed about the royal houses in the south.”

The blond man spoke first. “I am Dalas, of Zastea. This is Isaelle of Denao and Arris of Trutis. I will dispense with the long names and titles.”

“Thank you,” I said with a laugh. “Do you speak for your kingdoms?”

Arris shook his head. “No. Not in the way you might hope. We have no power to declare war or promise you aid. Not on the scale you would wish. The kings do not know we are here.”

My eyebrows rose. What state were their courts in if they’d fled in secret?

“Then why are you here?” Sirrus crossed my arms. “Why put yourself at risk for nothing?”

The three of them shared a look, and Isaelle took a small step forward. “Is it true? The human lands can be healed?”

Endre nodded. “It is.”

She blew out a breath. “That is why we come. War is not our way. For any of our kingdoms. But we have been left with little choice. More land dies every year along with those who live on it. War sounds reasonable when you have nothing left to lose. And these lands…”

I recognized the way she looked around us. Everything was lush and green. It still shocked me when I stopped to think about it.

“If there is a way to heal the lands, our courts will happily retreat from any battle. And we do not have to speak for our courts to know it.”

“What did Andaros promise you?”

“That we would want for nothing,” Dalas said. “That there would be nearly infinite space for anyone who had the bravery to take it.”

I smiled. “And what did he make you promise him?”

“Fealty.” Arris’s voice was dark. “Which is why the alliance is tenuous at best. But how were we to say no when Craisos has food to offer and the weapons we needed to make us whole?”

Zovai held out a hand. “Dragons do not blame you for choosing the only path available to you. I will not pretend that the attitude among most dragons is friendly toward your kind. But if the western lands flourished, most of us would have no quarrel.”

I glanced at him. He felt the question in our bond and glanced at me. Telling them the Elders mean to destroy humans gains us nothing. And if the stones are healed, the barrier is not at risk.

My nod was so small only he could see it.

“Thank you,” Dalas said. It sounded genuine.

“Why have you come?” Sirrus asked again.

Isaelle swallowed. “You spoke of stones in Caelora. Stones that had been broken.”

“They are called the sheyten . Humans know them as the Fallen, though I doubt anyone remembers what they truly are. There are seven in this world. Two have been shattered.”

“Andaros would not stop speaking about them after you left. Once the chaos subsided. He went out of his way to make sure people understood that you were wrong. That the stones were tools of the dragons used to harm us and the closer they were to humans, the more damage they could cause.” Arris rolled his eyes.

“I was present while he drank with both my father and yours,” he nodded to me.

“Kept going on about how two stones was not enough and they should have shattered them all.”

I grit my teeth. Without the sheyten, it was not only the humans who were in trouble. And even dragons who held no ill will toward humans wouldn’t allow more to be broken. Especially if they came with an army to do so. “That cannot happen.”

“We know,” Dalas said.

“These stones are not like common rocks, yes?” Isaelle pressed. “Dark and nearly unbreakable, yet have a sheen like metal?”

All three of my mates went still like the predators they were. Paying attention. Ready to strike if they were here to destroy something else.

“Yes,” I said.

The princess blew out a breath in relief. “We know where the shattered pieces are. That’s why we have come.”

Dizziness spun inside me so quickly I nearly fell. The overwhelming chaos of my mates’ reactions and the reality of this. Joy and disbelief and suspicion. If it were true, it could mean everything. Everything .

“Where?” Sirrus’s voice was nearly a growl. “Where are they?”

“What you said in Caelora made me remember something,” Arris said.

“When I was a child exploring the royal vaults. There were large shards of rock out of place. When I asked the king what they were, he told me they were a gift from Craisos, and that we had sent some to them in return. That we would never need to worry about it as long they were safe where they were kept. I had no reason to think of it again until you spoke of the stones.”

Idroal finally spoke. They vibrated with an energy I’d never seen. “With how distrustful humans were, they would have done everything in their power to keep the sheyten from returning. Moving the pieces to where they could not be easily found or accessed makes sense.”

Arris reached down and took Isaelle’s hand, weaving their fingers together. It was hidden by the fabric of her skirt, but I still saw it. She seemed steadier when he touched her, and I smiled. That, I understood.

“Do Denao or Zastea hold any pieces?” Zovai asked.

“Yes.” Isaelle nodded. “I have seen them. Not many, and not large. But yes.”

Dalas shook his head no.

“So those pieces belong to the sheyten beyond Craisos and Gleira,” Idroal said, looking at me. “And that Craisos holds the pieces for the southern stone. Does Gleira hold any pieces?”

“Not to my knowledge,” I shrugged. “But I wasn’t given access to our royal vaults and treasuries. It is possible.”

They gave me a look for a heartbeat longer, and my stomach twisted. Like Idroal knew something I did not and would not yet say it. But they turned back to the visiting royals before I could ask. “How easily can they be retrieved?”

“With help and some stealth?” Arris asked. “I don’t foresee a problem. But if you are to do this, if you want a chance at preventing a war, it has to be now. We must leave as soon as you are able. It is why we chose to come so quickly.”

Fear struck me straight in the gut. “Why?”

“Draygs arrived with messengers. Andaros and his army have ridden out from Caelora. They march on dragon lands as we speak.”