Page 8 of Of Blood and Banes (The Arterian #2)

FEAR OR RESPECT

S ethan doesn’t question why I need to take a seat in the closest chair. He even signals for the entire room to clear out. Quickly, quietly, soldiers clear the crowd of Arterians and rebels out from the community hall, leaving Sethan and me alone.

“You’ve heard it before, haven’t you?” he whispers from across the table.

I nod, still staring blankly at a random spot on the stone beneath my boots. It can’t be about me. I’m no one. Nobody. It must be a mistake. If it were true, how come I couldn’t save my family? How come I couldn’t save Hornwood?

“That prophecy has been around for hundreds of years, Katerina. And it is the single most important translation the elders brought back from the old libraries.”

I break my staring contest with the ground and meet his brown eyes.

I’d heard it before. Back in Arterias, Marge mentioned elders translating old tomes after King Aaric took the throne.

“Why don’t you want us to leave? What’s the actual reason you haven’t killed us yet and want us to stay in the Dragon Lands? ”

“You know the answer to that already. Why even bother asking it?”

“Because I need to hear you say it.” Darian must be a red herring. Sethan doesn’t want us to stay in the Dragon Lands because he needs Darian. Or…maybe he still wants possession of Darian, but there’s something greater. Something far more valuable.

Me.

Sethan looks me up and down, assessing me. “Because you are the one the prophecy speaks of. And if we lose you, we lose the war.”

His threat of killing us if I didn’t decide in two days was all a bluff. I snort. “And if I want no part in your war? If I refuse to side with you?”

“You will not refuse.” His voice borders on condescension.

“You know nothing of what I will or will not do,” I snap.

“As I said before—you rule out of necessity. And whether that means fear or respect, it must be done all the same.” He stands up from his seat, looking down his nose at me.

“My patience wears thin. We do not have time for your juvenile antics. The King is plotting to invade the Dragon Lands, and he will stop at no end to gain power. So, if you will not agree to help us out of mutual respect, then…”

I push up out of my own seat, resting my fingertips on the table as I lift my chin to look him in the eye. I will not be a fucking pawn. “You’ll what?”

He blinks at me. Letting the threat simmer.

I lean forward in a silent challenge. “What will you do?” He’s already proven he can’t hurt me or Daeja.

We are far too irreplaceable, if he truly believes in the prophecy.

He won’t hurt his daughter or Archie—if he knows it’ll crush Melaina.

He’s having secret conversations with Cole.

Marge would likely whoop his ass if he even looked at her the wrong way.

But…he has Darian.

The prince of Arterias. And as far as I know, if King Aaric’s son Jurrock is dead and Darian only has sisters, it means Darian is the only male left to inherit the throne.

Sethan can potentially use Darian as a bargaining chip, depending on King Aaric’s feelings toward his grandson and the plan for succession.

Unless…he knows King Aaric won’t give up anything to get him back.

Then Sethan can use Darian’s pain against me.

Witnessing last night’s brutality was more than enough proof to Sethan that some part of me cares. Or at least I have some moral compass. And it proves to me Sethan won’t hesitate to force his desired outcome. And if I show a lick of hesitancy on the behalf of Darian, it may only fuel the fire.

My eyes narrow. I will not be manipulated into something I don’t want. Especially because the trust I have in Sethan is equivalent to the width of a grain of rice.

He holds my glare. “If you leave me no room for respect…then…”

“You’re mistaken if you assume I will respect or fear you, Sethan. So, if you think you can strong-arm me into getting what you want,” I growl, pushing off the table, “think again.”

I stalk out of the room.

On my way out of the community hall, I grab a full chicken from the servants.

I leave the bustling town of Midkeep for the tranquility of the forest. Still, no guards follow me.

I search near the river where Daeja has resided the last few days and find a massive dent in the grass where she’s been laying.

Odd.

Considering how quiet she’s been since we parted ways, I figured she was dozing. Midday is her usual napping time. I’ve always assumed she’s a nocturnal creature as she became accustomed to traveling through Arterias by night. Another hint toward her being a moon dragon.

Checking my surroundings, I remove a glove and crouch. I press my hand to test how warm the flattened grass still is. Closing my eyes, I reach out for her presence and begin following our magnetic thread south.

My eyes flash open, and I stare out into the forest, waiting for her shadowy figure to flicker through the trees. When I find nothing but stillness, I stride south through the forest, keeping the river to my right. Perhaps she moved spots to nap in the sun instead?

A chuckle bursts through the chirping birds and gurgling water, and I pause. Swinging my attention to the left, I spot Daeja farther in the trees nudging Archie’s torso with her snout, her heavy breath audible even from this distance. Archie laughs again—this time a belly laugh—and pats her nose.

I walk to them and stop a few yards away. “What…is going on here?”

Both of them swivel into my direction. Eyes round as if they’ve been caught doing something they shouldn’t, before they exchange a look. Daeja bumps his lower back with her nose, sending him forward a few steps.

Archie ducks his head with a half-smile. “Hey, Kat! We were just uhh…”

Daeja reaches forward to grab the edge of his jacket near his hip between her teeth as delicately as she can and tugs. Though, she is anything but gentle. The motion jerks Archie off his feet, lifting him overhead as he tosses out a surprised shriek.

I drop the feathered chicken to the ground and dash forward, ready to catch Archie. “Daeja! Put him down?—”

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Here!” Archie fishes into his pocket while suspended in the air, his feet kicking out in a half-hearted attempt to balance himself, before he pulls something out.

Daeja sets him back down and slurps the item clear out of Archie’s fingers.

Archie laughs again as he scratches her neck. “I’ve been bringing her snacks ever since you passed out from the battle in Arterias. Figured she’d be hungry. You know…she’s actually really friendly.”

Daeja freezes, her pupils dilating to the size of round dinner plates before she leans into Archie’s touch and kicks one of her hind legs into a frenzy.

“You’re…you’re not afraid of her?” I tilt my head, perplexed. “I suppose I didn’t need to bring this…” I whisper to Daeja, then toss the limp bird into her direction. She snaps it out of the air gracefully. Ever the bottomless pit.

Archie’s eyes are still settled on Daeja, a warm smile on his lips as he answers, “I mean, of course I am. But that’s the thing—you can still fear and respect something at the same time.”

I swallow as I recount Sethan’s words.

Lead through fear or respect…

Later, Sethan isn’t in attendance at dinner. Tawny takes the lead table for herself and her closest guards. When I ask her if they eat all their meals in this extravagant building, she mentions this is the community hall, and each town in the Dragon Lands has something similar.

Cole is absent, which makes me suspicious he’s with Sethan. For believing I’m the chosen one, Sethan sure has yet to include me in their hours-long conversation. I’m adding it to the list of questions.

After our meal, I slip out to the forest to see Daeja. Her large silhouette sits at the base of a tree, staring up at the branches as she tilts her head back and forth.

“What…are you doing?” I ask her.

She jumps before glancing over at me. “It was looking at me.”

I stop next to her and follow her gaze up into the dark pine tree. On a branch thirty feet above us is a snowy-white owl, watching us with black beady eyes. It tilts its head unnaturally to the side, almost upside down, then flips it into the opposite direction moments later.

Daeja attempts to copy its movements, also twisting her head at undoubtedly uncomfortable angles. “Do you think I could catch it?”

I chuckle. “You probably wouldn’t want to eat that one. Plus, didn’t Archie and I give you enough?”

“I always have room for more.” She flicks her gaze over to me with a playful blow of steam.

I pat her thick neck, welcoming her hot breath in the cold winter night. “Archie believes owls are bad omens, so I’d leave this one alone. Which…I wanted to ask you. You normally don’t like humans—so why Archie?”

“I suppose I can be easily persuaded,” she purrs, still fixated on the owl.

I smile to hide my laugh— definitely a bottomless pit . “Or food motivated? Noting that for future reference ? —”

“I thought I might find you here,” a feminine voice calls from behind me.

Following the voice, I turn and find Melaina. She stands with her arms crossed over her chest.

“If your father sent you here to escort me back…” I whisper, taking a half-step closer to Daeja, even though I’m not sure how to finish that sentence.

“You’re not in trouble,” Melaina covers quickly. She uncrosses her arms and walks closer, her gaze floating up at Daeja. “I still can’t believe you had a dragon all this time, though…”

The owl startles and shoots into the air with a muffled ‘hoo,’ and Daeja tears her attention off the tree branch to Melaina. “Well, she better believe it,” she grumbles, clearly disappointed Melaina managed to scare off the owl.

Melaina takes a few cautious steps toward us, and Daeja snorts, causing Melaina to flinch and freeze, her gaze locked on Daeja in awe and wonder.

I throw out a half-hearted laugh, following her gaze to Daeja. “Yeah…it was no easy feat.”

“A friend, ” I warn, patting Daeja’s neck with a bit more force to prompt her to lower the bristling horns around her head. “She’s no threat.”

“I don’t need to worry if she’s a threat. I only need to remind her I am a threat.”

I shake my head with a laugh that spills out of my nose, and Daeja bumps her muzzle into my gloved hand. I pet her scaly snout, and the tension melts away from her, drip by drip.

“I imagine...” Melaina calls behind me. “My father says she hatched with you. Is that true?”

I nod before turning to face Melaina. “Though, that wasn’t information I shared with him.”

Daeja settles down into the ground, tucking her front legs underneath her chest and her back legs hidden underneath her belly. Like a clunky, giant loaf of bread. Her white eyes still watch Melaina with unmistakable caution.

Melaina mumbles, “My father also told me there’s a prophecy. And…”

I finish for her as a silence settles between us, “And it’s about me. And you believe it?”

Melaina shrugs. “I’m not sure. I don’t know what to believe anymore.

All my life, I was taught rebels and dragons were bad.

I’ve spent years thinking my father was dead, and I trained to protect my family and the kingdom from those who killed him.

From rebels like him . And now…now, I don’t know.

He’s leading the people I swore to kill. ”

“I imagine that’s hard to process.”

“Ha, yeah…I was so overcome when I saw him. I couldn’t believe it at first. And then the shock faded to relief, and now I’m a mix of emotions.

I’m grateful, confused, and…honestly?” She laughs shakily.

“Pissed. Off. My mother and I spent so long thinking he was dead. So many nights crying and feeling like we were broken…and for what? He played us for fools. He never came back.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I can’t imagine what these last few days have been like for you.”

Melaina nods, offering me a small, appreciative smile.

“I’m sorry, too. My father has been so hard on you, and he shouldn’t be.

I think…and don’t ever tell him I said this…

but I think he shows that hardened demeanor when he’s scared.

And whatever is going on—it has him terrified .

Desperate, even. But it doesn’t all rest on you. ”

I sigh, hoping it releases all the emotions clouding my heart. “It feels like it does. He said I must be the one to convince everyone to stay. He said I’m the chosen one…but for what? I can hardly defend myself. How am I supposed to save the entire realm?”

Her smile widens as she glances down. She spins a bracelet around her wrist, her eyes trained on the shining metal as she murmurs, “When I thought my father died, it felt like it was me against the world, too. I felt so alone. Like no one else could possibly understand what I was going through or what I felt. Every day was dark, every day empty. And then…Celeste showed up at my door. I hadn’t answered her knock the first few days, but that stubborn-ass woman was persistent.

She came, day after day, until I finally relented and opened the door.

She gave me this bracelet and some flowers.

She told me how sorry she was, and that whenever I felt sad and alone, even if she wasn’t there, and even if I wasn’t ready to have anyone there, I could look at it and think of her.

” She takes the bracelet off her wrist and grabs my hand before placing it in my palm.

The moonlight shimmers off its brilliant gleam, highlighting a hidden quote etched into the metal.

You can go through it or grow through it.

“I—I can’t take this,” I mutter and try to hand it back to her.

She shakes her head, patting my shoulder. “You need it more than I do right now. You’re not alone, Kat.”

Before I can respond, she brushes past me, taking a few steps away and then pausing.

She turns to me slightly, her voice low.

“I know…he can be difficult. He can get so lost in the greater good he sometimes loses sight of how it affects other people. But he is good. Even if I’m pissed at him, I know he’s made the decisions he has for something bigger than me.

It hurts knowing the good of the realm is his first priority.

But I still trust in him. Just as I trust in you. ”