Page 22 of Blood of Dragons

“He let you go.” The queen repeated the words slowly, like saying the sentence aloud would make it make sense.

“And why would he do such a thing?” she asked. “When you’re in possession of something that would make him even more powerful?”

I didn’t have the answer she sought. Truth be told, even I didn’t know why he let me go. He had the sword to my neck and could have swiped it clean from my shoulders, but he’d mounted Khazmuda and left. “I told him I would rather die than submit, so he had no other choice.”

“That did not answer the question,” the man said. “He could have killed you and taken the dragon. Why would he show such mercy?”

I was backed into a corner, with nowhere to run except the truth.

But the queen figured it out first. “Because you were more than his prisoner.” It was a simple statement, no longer an interrogation, and her stare burned right through me. “I understand now.”

The man stared up at his queen, his hands behind his back.

“But that still makes you a great danger to us,” she said. “There’s no guarantee he’ll extend us the same mercy he’s extended to you. It’s imperative that you leave before he discovers your whereabouts. I suspect whatever relationship you two have is not over.”

“It is over?—”

“It’sneverover, child.”

I suddenly felt my pulse in my neck, felt the flush of heat across my skin. “I told him we were enemies, that I would take back my kingdom and drive him out of these lands. I’m pretty sure that means it’s over.”

“And how do you intend to do that?” She tilted her head slightly, her eyes looking like ice.

“That’s why I’m here, because I thought you could help.”

“Help you defeat the Death King?” she asked incredulously. “The man who breaks the Oath of Caelum and raises the dead? The man who’s hell-bent on his own interests, despite the decimation it causes to people like you and us? The man who’s somehow earned the undying loyalty of a black dragon? No, we will not help you.”

The disappointment stung like the stinger of a wasp. “That’s a cowardly thing for a queen to say?—”

The man unsheathed his blade with lightning speed and placed it right at my neck.

“Ezra.”

His blade shook before he sheathed it once more.

My disappointment was replaced by pain, a powerful burst of it. I turned to look at the man who had escorted me here, the man who had a vague resemblance to my father, a connection I didn’t see because I was distracted by my circumstance. “You’re my uncle…and you raise your sword to me?”

He looked at me without a hint of affection. “We’re the same blood, but that doesn’t mean we’re the same people.”

The pain intensified. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected from him when we met, but I had definitely expected more than this.

“Until I know your truth, I can’t embrace you as my own.” Ezra looked at me without a hint of apology. “The last time we met, you were a young child, so we’re strangers as far as I’m concerned.”

I’d been on my own for a long time, ten horrible years, and I didn’t realize how much I wanted a familial connection until it was denied to me. It stung more than I would ever show. “I’m sure my father would be pleased to hear that.” I kept my eyes on the queen so I wouldn’t have to see my father’s eyes staring back at me. “In the time I spent with the Death King, his search for the dragons was relentless. He will not stop until he finds them. It might take years or decades or longer, but I assure you, he’ll figure it out. It’s better to be proactive in extinguishing his power than letting it show up on your doorstep while you sleep.”

The queen stared at me, her fingers starting to drum on the armrest.

“He told me his story…that his family was murdered by a close enemy, and he’s determined to get his revenge. That kind of ambition does not fade over time, nor does he. I suspect he’s immortal, but I’m not entirely sure.”

She remained quiet, her eyes glued to mine and unblinking. “So your plan is to defeat him then secure the kingdoms for your own?”

“I would return the capital to King Theodore’s heirs…if they still live…and then take the crown for Scorpion Valley, the place my family has ruled for generations. Peace would return to this world once it’s no longer controlled by a necromancer.”

Her fingers continued to drum. “Then you intend to use the dragons against him.”

“I see no other way.” The elves might have thousands of soldiers, but Talon could conjure an army from any soil he stood upon. He was far too powerful to defeat with normal means.

“Then you’re no different from him…from anyone else.”