Page 188 of I Dream of Dragons

“Nothing,” I breathe.Remi, go. You’re scaring everyone.

“Call Keres and get away. You don’t have to do anything. This isn’t your war.”

Even if I ran away, the king still has his mark on me.

“Distance can mute its power.”

Remi… The king killed you. It’s you, isn’t it? You’re my brother. You’re Flynn.

“Not the best time for such conversations,makhair,” Jai mutters, “even if he is your brother.”

Is it you?I pet his scaly head.Are you my brother, Remi? Are you Remian Flynn? Did Phaethon transform you, too?

“What would it change if I were and if he did?”the darakin says in my mind, shifting on my shoulder, talons digging into my flesh.“We have all changed, Aethry. Just… don’t go through with your plan. There has to be another way.”

And he takes off again, flying up and circling overhead before he heads toward the shore.

No sooner has he flown off than trumpets and horns sound, a grand fanfare that stops the music and cuts through the voices and laughter of the ball.

The king is here.

Crowned and stern, he’s standing on the dais. Caught up in my conversation with Remi, I hadn’t noticed him arrive.

Remi… Or Flynn. My brother. He didn’t deny it. Could it really be him? I want to cry, and I don’t know if it’s joy or sorrow.

Those who drown sometimes transform into finnfolk, and those buried sometimes turn into wyrms, but our world has no records of humans dying and turning into dragons. Flynn and I seem to be the exceptions.

Because Phaethon willed it.

A trill of emotion comes through my mind as if Phaethon… disagrees.

“It wasn’t me,”he sends the thought.“And this darakin is young.”

I frown.

Jai approaches me, takes my hand. “Everything all right?”

I wish I knew.

The king is dressed in black like Jai, a fact that must come as a shock to his court, I’m sure. It looks as startling on him as it does on me, both of us pale creatures.

Not on Jai, though. Black fits him like a well-worn glove, fitting in with his shadows and his dark hair and eyes.

The telchin stands beside the king, whispering something in his ear. Fae nobility flanks him. His guards encircle the dais.

A lady with a silver circlet on her head stands to the side. It has to be Lady Selene, his fae betrothed. Is she looking at me? It’s hard to tell from here but I swear I feel the same chilly touch as when the king stares at me.

The king lifts his hands and smiles as the crowd falls deathly silent. “Welcome to the second ball of the Three-hundredth Pillar Celebration!”

The crowd shifts uneasily, mostly quiet. Some are still staring at me, even though Remi has flown off.

The king’s gaze sweeps over us, those cold eyes touching me like a blast of frigid air. “Tomorrow is the third and final trial. The trial of water!”

The crowd claps and whistles. Because it’s the last trial? Because he looks angry and they’re eager to placate him?

“Our four survivors are here among you, and I expect you to accommodate them with everything they need,” he goes on and gestures in my direction. “Now I call forth my betrothed, Lady Rae, for a dance.”

“Fuck, no. You’re not going up there.” Jai’s voice is dangerous, his hold on me bruising. “This night is for us. It belongs to us, not to him.”