Page 16 of The Dragon Queen
Was that supposed to make me feel better?
“What I need to investigate is my uncle and their military operations,” I said. “I can’t do that with this face. Most people won’t recognize me, but those who reside in the castle might, especially my cousins.”
“Then you need a spy,” Ethan said.
“Essentially,” I said.
“We could bribe someone in the castle,” he said. “Or the commander of their military.”
“I would assume one of his sons is the commander,” I said. “And after what you’ve described, I suspect my uncle rules by fear rather than respect. Anyone in the castle will be too scared to make a deal with a stranger. They’ll out me, and if my uncle didn’t know I was coming, he’ll definitely know then.”
“I can do it.”
I turned to Calista, unsure if I’d heard her say those words. She spoke with confidence, and that same confidence thrived on her face.
She met my look with the same assertiveness she showed in the face of adversity, in the moments when I tried to push her away. “I can be a maid in the castle. Stay there for a week and observe.”
She was young and beautiful with eyes brilliant like gems. With lips perfect for kissing and sucking. With hips that were nice tograb on to and tits that were perky without support. “They won’t hire you as a maid.”
Ethan shook his head. “Definitely not.”
Her eyes flicked back and forth between us. “I’ll put my hair up and wear unflattering clothes.”
Under different circumstances, I would laugh.
Ethan tried hard to suppress his smirk. “Sure…that’ll do the trick.”
“It’s too dangerous, Calista,” I said. “I don’t want you in that position.”
“Then what other option do you have?” she questioned. “Sneak into the castle and hide in a broom closet? The only way you’re going to know anything about your uncle is if you observe. I’m the only one who can do this.”
“It’s not worth the risk.”
“I’ll be fine?—”
“The answer is no.”
Her eyes exploded with green fire, the heat nearly melting the skin off my face.
I held my ground. “When something goes awry, I’ll have to kill him then and there, and even if I succeed, the dragons will still be enslaved and we’ll both be captured. We’ll accomplish nothing.”
“And if we go into battle blindly, the outcome will be the same,” she snapped. “There is no one else who can do this but me. I’mfused with Inferno, and you’re fused with Khazmuda. I can still speak to you when we’re apart. No one else has that ability.”
She was right. No one else could communicate like she and I could, not unless I sent someone fused with a dragon. But only the elves were fused with the dragons, and sending an elf to the castle was a bad idea.
Ethan shifted his gaze between us. “She’s got a point, Talon.”
I released a heavy sigh.
“I understand this is a difficult decision for you,” Queen Eldinar said. “But I agree that knowing as much about the enemy is imperative to our success. I would not risk my people without strategy. You could send someone in Calista’s stead, but there’s none other than you can trust to the same degree.”
If General Ezra had a problem with his niece being in the employ of the enemy, he didn’t show it.
I didn’t look at Calista, and I focused on my fingers where they rested on the table.
“I want to do this.” Calista’s voice came out as a gentle whisper, but it still contained the confidence she’d possessed before. “I want to do this for you…and your family.”
“You are my family now.” I blurted out the words without thinking, a knee-jerk reaction. My eyes remained on the table because I didn’t want to see how my words affected her. My wife and my family would forever live in my heart, but now, I’d made just enough room for Calista to join.