Page 54 of Blood of Dragons
I gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
She looked at me like she had more to say, but she held her words.
The soldier extended his arm to her. “Come on, Princess Vivian.”
She took his arm, her other hand moving to her stomach.
Once I knew she was in good hands, I crossed the royal grounds and approached the castle. It was beautifully constructed of white stone, with spire towers and bridges, an architectural marvel. I entered through the open double doors and made my way to my father’s study, knowing that was where he would be in times of urgency. That was where his scrolls were read and written, where he housed his maps, where he did his heaviest thinking.
I entered the study, but instead of finding him behind his ornate desk, he was in the deliberations room, a room with a large table where his maps were placed, his pawns scattered across the surface. He wasn’t alone. His general was there beside him, as well as his commander. Silas was also present, and he didn’t crack a joke as I entered.
I could feel the heavy energy the second I stepped into the room.
“What is it?” I asked, approaching the head of the table, directly opposite my father.
He stared down at the map in front of him before he lifted his gaze to look at me. “King Constantine, King of the Dragons, calls for our aid. Dark creatures from the east have invaded their lands and enslaved most of their kind. He refers to them as dark elves, beings that wield dark magic. He also said by the time I received this notice, it would probably be too late to intervene. He said their attack was quick and cunning.”
I stared at my father for several breaths, each of those breaths becoming more labored as the truth set in. “How do you enslave a dragon?” They were the strongest creatures on the face of the earth. We were blessed that they chose to coexist with us peacefully rather than turn us into meals.
My father held my gaze with a straight spine. “A foe of a dragon is a foe to us. I fear we’ll be their next conquest.”
I had just enjoyed a picnic with my pregnant wife in the sunshine, and now we were at war. “What do they want?”
“What everyone wants,” he said with a calm voice. “Everything.”
The peaceful existence I’d known my whole life was gone—in just a few seconds. The castle was turned into a battlefield, soldiers manning the wall with cannons. Every soldier, even those not on shift, was called to serve, to prepare for a war we assumed would never come. The dragons had been our peaceful neighbors since the dawn of time. Not once did we ever fear them. And even if we did, we were no match for them.
The first thing I did was return to Vivian.
I opened the front door and found her standing in the living room, her face frantic because she’d heard the war bells sound on top of the tower.
“What’s happening?” she blurted, coming straight for me the second I opened the door.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“The dragons have been conquered by dark elves. We prepare for war.”
Her face was already pale, but it started to look bloodless. “I—I don’t understand.”
“I heard the words directly from my father’s mouth, but I still don’t understand it.”
“How? How coulddragonsbe conquered?”
“King Constantine said they wield dark magic.”
“What does that mean?”
I didn’t want to know. “I’ve prepared a ship for you. It’ll take you to Archaeon, our hidden stronghold there. You’ll be safe there until the war is over. And if we fall…you’ll sail to the east.”
Appalled, her breaths turned to pants. “I’m not leaving you.”
“You will.”
Her eyes started to glisten with tears. “I said, I’m not leaving you.”
“You’re not staying here.” I didn’t want to yell at my wife, not when I loved her, not when I was so fucking scared that I was about to lose her. “I will drag your ass onto that ship and tie you up myself if I must. There’s no scenario where you stay. Fire will rain down from the sky, and many of our people will perish—but you will not be among the dead.”