“Is this where the council meets?”
“Council, sire?”
“Council—you know, where people meet to make decisions?”
“There is no council. This is the king’s room to use for whatever he wished.” He moved toward the windows. His hand brushed the glass and a huge pane slid open. Fresh mountain air rushed in, and drew Jori out toward the open space. They were nestled into the side of the mountain overlooking a rolling valley carpeted with thick pines.
No council. A king in his high castle overlooking the world, his people beneath him in the bowels of the mountain.
The queen had her citadel overlooking her island. A queen that had ejected the entire male population. This felt different.
Where else could they have gone? Of course they would try to find their own kind. After centuries of forced enmity, it was no wonder their worlds had come to this.
The king preyed on the young men, trapping them in an endless cycle to feed his power.
He hadn’t meant to kill the king. He had just wanted to free his mother and Kymri from enslavement.
Kymri.
She had spent her life protecting her people from that very enslavement which he’d tried to save her from. She would have done anything to protect them. Anything.
He recalled the day she pulled a knife on him to secure the batteries of his equipment. She’d been prepared to kill him.
He had no doubt she had been prepared to do so again, had he submitted to the will of the king.
Luckily for him, things went a little differently.
Jori stepped out onto the large platform. Large enough for a dragon.
His chest rumbled.
Eamerson stepped back into the room with a short bow.
Jori stripped, dropping his clothes in a pile beside the open glass. Moving to the center of the platform he breathed deeply and closed his eyes searching.
Come on then.
His body tingled, his breath puffed and heart raced.
Opening his eyes, his vantage point was dizzyingly higher as he looked down at himself, nearly filling the enormous platform.
His chest rumbled again.
Finally free.
He flexed his wings.
He thought of the little plane he’d flown with his mother—the one that had brought him to Kymri.
Wanting nothing more than to launch off the edge, he held back.
His dragon protested.
He felt as though…. As though if he gave into this one thing—this most natural thing, to fly as a dragon—there would be no going back. Not ever.
He stepped to the edge, his powerful claws gripping the thick stone.
He drew a great breath, flexed his wings again, moving them a little to get a sense of how they worked attached to his back, and stared out over the expanse.
With another breath, he hoped like fuck that he wouldn’t drop like a stone headfirst into the ground and launched himself, wings snapping out hard.
His heart pounded as the ground rushed by and there was nothing but icy air filling his lungs and enveloping his wings and body.
Pure exhilaration.
Nothing he’d done before could compare to this.
Not the jungle treks, the desert caravans, or the mountain climbing.
He just hoped he could figure out how to land without killing himself.
His dragon chuckled.
You always do.
Yeah, true.
25
Kymri followed the quiet man who led her and Elora through the corridors and up an elevator.
They stepped out into a massive room with a breathtaking view.
Jori was a shadow to the side, facing out. He turned as their footsteps echoed closer.
Elora walked several steps behind Kymri as they approached, and stopped several paces away.
Turning in their direction, she could see the light in his eyes.
Something had changed since they’d seen him downstairs. The haggard shock was clearing, making room for something new.
Her breath caught as he looked at her. Her dragon purred.
She spared a glance at Elora, whose expression was strained. Noticing Kymri’s regard, she smiled, forcing her face to relax.
“Memories,” she murmured, “the king’s personal room. His every whim was concocted here, and sometimes executed.” Elora smiled up at Jori, waiting for what he wanted to say.
“The queen had a grand assembly room at her citadel,” he said, turning toward the empty space. “What do you think?”
“Nicer view than the one in the basement,” Kymri said.
Elora’s eyes crinkled, “I think it’s a good start, Jori.” Her shoulders sagged in relief.
“There’s a phone in the other room, I made a couple of calls while waiting for you.” He reached out to touch Elora’s shoulder. “Odson’s friends were able to grab satellite Intel to track where we are, and they’re already on their way here. Dad is with him.”
Elora blanched, straightening her shoulders like any experienced diplomat facing uncertain negotiations.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here, Ma. I need all the help I can get.”
She nodded. “I’ll just, uhm, go and prepare myself,” she said, turning to go.
Before she went, Jori caught her shoulder again and wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, Ma.”
She wrapped her arms around him tightly, sagging into his arms, “I’ve missed you so hard.” She breathed, sniffling.
“He’ll be here soon.” Jori cleared her tears with his thumbs and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
Once she reached the door, Jori reached for Kymri’s hand.
“This bond you said we have?”
She looked up into his face, uncertainty stilled his features.
“What does it mean?”
“It means, we have a bond that will last the rest of our lives. We are only for each other.”
“Is there ever a choice?”
Her heart stopped. She stepped away from him. “There is always a choice. But we will always be connected.”
Was he going to step into the king’s shoes and proposition the queen? She hadn’t thought him ambitious, but then, his world had completely changed in a very short time.
She looked at him, trying to read his thoughts. Was Jori about to ask her to step into the role of consort with their child in her belly?
“I’ve been on my own for most of my life,” he said. “Don’t like being told what to do, or how to live. Never wanted to be tied down to any one place or person. I wanted the freedom to fly at will.”
“I-I see,” she whispered. So this was it. It was for the best. The queen would never have allowed him to live on the island. He was too much of a threat. She supposed, even more so now.
“I’ve lived my entire life to protect my queen and my people,” she said.
“And things change.”
“That won’t. Not ever.”
He nodded. “Maybe we can help each other.”
Her brow shot up, “How so?”
“It seems I’ve got a mountain full of disillusioned dragons that need to be educated—me included—on proper dragon relations.”
“You think I can be a teacher?”
Jori shrugged, “I thought maybe Mom would help teach them, and you could help keep them in line.”
“A warden.”