Page 103 of The Broken Prince

“My dragon.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“Not my dragon. But he’s the dragon I share the greatest bond with.”

“Then we’ll have someone there waiting for them.”

“I need to be there too. Because if I’m not, Huntley will think it’s a trap, just the way I did when I first saw you. I’ll be able to communicate with Nightshade when he gets closer and tell him where to go.”

“Alright. Then we’ll get an audience with the king who speaks for all of you.”

“He’ll honor what I’ve already offered,” I said. “Even if you hadn’t saved me, we would still help you, regardless.”

“Really?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

“Because men are cruel and corrupt. Because they choose to abuse their power rather than wield it responsibly.”

“Whom have you met who exhibits those traits?” I asked. “Because as far as I can tell, you’re a peaceful people.”

She issued a slight laugh. “Our queen was a bit unkind. I’m glad she’s dead.”

I didn’t ask more about their kingdom or their people because it seemed irrelevant now. All those bodies were buried underneath the stone and dirt…never to be seen again.

She grabbed her ale and took a deep drink, appearing to down the entire contents in a single go. “You should get some sleep, Ian. It’s been a long day.”

* * *

Several hours before sunset, Mary and I entered the alternate tunnel and went back to where we’d come from, back to the ruins of Palladium.

“How did you build these without getting caught?” I asked, following her, lights on the ceiling to illuminate our way.

“They were already here. We used to use them for sewage.”

“That explains the smell.”

She chuckled. “Yep.”

“Why were you at the ruins when I arrived?”

“We’ve spotted your dragons before. At the time, we didn’t know that’s what they were because they were too far away. We’ve been on the lookout ever since, hoping you would be the saviors we needed to leave this nightmare.”

“I’m your savior…but you’re also mine.”

We reached the end of the tunnel, a ladder leading up to the hatch at the surface. Mary made herself comfortable on the ground against the wall and pulled out an apple to eat.

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest, exhausted because I’d barely gotten any sleep. I stared at a spot on the wall and felt the melancholy wash over me. Huntley was sending all the Kingdoms to HeartHolme for battle, but they would have to turn around and head back so they could leave from the northern port since we didn’t have enough ships for everyone in the south.

Hours went by, and we said nothing. I was fine with silence. Preferred it over small talk.

Mary got herself to her feet. “It must be dusk. Let’s open the hatch.” She climbed to the top, turned the wheel several turns until the door popped open. She climbed out and then I did the same, stepping into the ruins of the fallen kingdom. It was nearly dark, barely any light left in the sky.

They should have been here by now.

I looked at the quiet world, seeing trees in the distance, an occasional bat fly by as a silhouette across the sky.

“You’re certain they’re coming?” Mary asked quietly. “Because we shouldn’t linger if they aren’t.”