Page 12 of The Uncrowned King (The Bastard Duology #2)

CHAPTER TWELVE

By sheer will alone, Derek rolled to all four feet and stood. His entire body spasmed with pain that alternated between stinging and throbbing. The agony seeped into his very bones. He scanned the area and strove to shake off the malicious feeling clinging to him. He had gotten a glimpse of an object floating in the air, but it hadn’t been solid. Something dark swirled angrily within it. He felt it watching him, even though he couldn’t discern its eyes. But Derek felt its rancor and uncontrollable rage. Then it suddenly took off with tendrils trailing behind it that made him think of spindly limbs.

Derek glanced at the sea green dragon who was now in human form but remained unmoving. Derek didn’t waste any time unfurling his wings and launching into the air to fly after whatever it was that had attacked him. Pain in his left wing kept him from getting very far. Agony shot through him with every movement. He glanced at his wing but couldn’t see a wound. But he knew it was there.

He couldn’t fly with only one wing. Derek bobbed clumsily in the sky, trying to reach a clearing within the forest. The throbbing became unbearable, and he dropped gracelessly through the trees, doing his best to miss as many branches as possible. It might have worked had he shifted to his human form, but he didn’t want to. He was in dragon territory, and he would remain in that form.

The tumble was long, exhausting, and brutal, provoking his already pain-riddled body with even more suffering. The landing was jarring and sudden, but he was glad to finally be on the ground. He looked up to see the large hole he had created in the canopy.

Derek couldn’t wait for his injuries to heal. He had to keep following what had attacked him. For all he knew, the Kings had sent it. And he wouldn’t be taken unawares again. He slowly got his feet under him and attempted to stand. The muscles of his back seized violently. He bit off a roar and sank his talons into the ground, gouging it.

It seemed like an eternity before the worst of the pain subsided, and he could breathe easier. Too much time had passed for him to follow his assailant now, and that bothered him. Worse, he was still in no condition to fight.

The trees hid him, but for how long? Especially after the hole he had made during his fall. The healing process was happening, but it seemed slower than usual. Derek needed to kill the Dragon King before he woke—or alerted the others. His muscles began to gradually loosen. It was easy to get lost in the pain, but he retreated from it, shutting it out as he closed his eyes and began to plan how he would slay those responsible for destroying his family.

“Derek.”

The sound of the woman’s voice drew him. He wasn’t sleeping this time, but she still came to him. It never entered his mind to shut her out or ignore her. He needed her.

She stood before him, and then she was in his arms. A sigh of contentment left him. Her touch healed like nothing else could. He held her tightly, her warmth familiar, comforting. He wrapped a cool wave of dark hair around his finger. It was soft and silky. He knew what it felt like to sink his fingers into it, how it draped like a curtain around his head when she leaned over him.

“Derek…have…me.”

“I don’t understand.”

She leaned her head back, and he looked down into her face, his heart breaking when he found it was still blurred. There were dark spots now where her eyes should be. At least her lips were still visible. He brushed his thumb over the full bottom one.

“Say it again,” he urged.

“Derek…have…me,” she repeated urgently.

He shook his head “Why can’t I hear all the words?”

“Derek…have…me!”

Whatever she said was important. He knew it, but no matter how hard he strained, he couldn’t make out what exactly she tried to tell him.

Then she vanished like smoke from his arms. He grabbed at the air to keep her with him, but she was gone. Again.

A twig snapped. Derek kept his eyes closed and listened. Someone was coming toward him. Several someones.

“Is he dead?”

“I don’t know. Poke him.”

“You poke him.”

“Get Jens to do it.”

“Bollocks. You wanted to come see. You do it, Luc.”

Derek listened to the young voices that had come up on his left. He had counted at least four adolescents. He cracked open an eye and found them huddled together while attempting to look brave. Their arguing continued, and by their conversation, Derek realized no adults were around. He lifted his head, pinning the group of four with a look.

They jerked back, their eyes rounded in surprise. They were about twice as tall as the average human male, their scales a myriad of colors.

The one with the lavender and pink scales glanced at the others and said, “We saw you fall.”

“How did you make it as far as you did with that wing?” the dragon with mostly lavender scales accented with mauve asked.

“Did you see what attacked me?” Derek asked instead of answering.

The four looked at each other, confusion marring their faces. The first one spoke again. “You fought one of the Kings.”

“There was something else there with us,” Derek insisted.

The group backed up as one, their gazes darting around nervously. He heard one of them say something about an invisible entity .

“What is that?” he asked.

“It’s been striking out against dragons for some time,” Lavender and Mauve said. “It killed dozens the first time it came at us.”

Anger churned in Derek as he got to his feet. The pain was minimal now. Not gone, but nothing that would keep him down. “Is no one doing anything about it?”

“The Kings are. But no one can see it. Not even them.”

That took Derek aback. If no one could see it, how could he? Or were the Kings lying? It was time they answered for a lot of things. “Where are the Kings?”

The adolescents frowned, looking at him with suspicion.

“I’ve not ventured from my home until recently,” he told them. Hopefully, it sounded reasonable.

“You sound like my mum never wanting to venture out. Cairnkeep is in the mountain range to the south. You won’t be able to miss it.”

“You’ll know they’re Kings because they’re all solid colors.”

Derek tested his wing to make sure it could hold him, then nodded at the juveniles. “Thanks.”

They began talking among themselves as he walked away, their attention shifting to other things. The moment he was in the clearing, he took to the sky and flew south. Dragons were everywhere. Many were in the distance, but some were closer. Others were playing in the lake, and even more were flying together in groups. He saw younglings of all ages, but it was the small ones just learning to fly that made him want to watch.

That could have been him with his children.

Grief hit him hard, followed closely by despair and a swell of anger that roiled within him, narrowing everything to a haze of red. He would have his vengeance.

His wrath was intense and terrifying. It shut out everything and everyone except the Kings. They might have gotten the best of him before, but not this time. His dead mate and children would be avenged.

Derek didn’t look at the landscape. He didn’t care about the other dragons. He sought Cairnkeep and any dragons with solid-colored scales. Everyone steered clear of him. Whatever kindness he might have had was depleted. His heart was gone, replaced by hardened stone that had been shattered into dust.

Ash had been right. He was a warrior. One who would wage war on the tyrants and oppressors.

The time of the Dragon Kings was finished. He would make sure of that.