“You can’t actually believe that.”
His frame didn’t droop, but his eyes held sorrow. “I don’t know what I believe anymore, Finley. We were so close to escape. We thought we had everything figured out. Turned out we’d been two steps behind all along. I keep up the illusion of hope for the others, but… Even if we have access to our dragons, it’s too far to fly to the mainland. The boats are closely guarded, and they’re magically steered in a way I don’t understand.” He shook his head. “I really don’t know if there is a way off this island. Not with our numbers. No one has ever escaped that I’ve heard of. Certainly not in my time here, and I’ve been here for what feels like five lifetimes.”
The little cracks within him were showing. This strong dragon wouldn’t be broken by the whippings or these ridiculous parties…no, it was the thought of no way out that would do him in. A thought that was clearly eating him alive.
I strengthened my resolve. Firmed up my determination.
“We will get out of here, Micah. Now you have backup to help lead the charge. I’m bringing you fresh energy and new ideas. We’ll get out because I have to get out. The fate of a kingdom is riding on my success.”
His eyes traveled my face. He looked at me for a long moment before finally nodding. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
Movement caught my eye, guards escorting more people. I could distinguish the wolves right away, prowling forward like they were on a hunt. A male and female each had two guards escorting them, and a third shifter, who looked around the room with eyes cut from granite, had three. He noticed me immediately, and from the way his gaze then flicked to Micah, he recognized the importance of my proximity to the alpha dragon. As he passed our cages to get to his own, his nostrils flared. Sparks of menace lit his eyes, and his gaze bored into mine.
“Same team, friend,” I called out.
“Shut up, dragon,” a guard barked, and I grinned, because fuck him.
The wolf noticed it, and his eyes narrowed a little before he turned his gaze front-facing again, not a hitch in his step.
“He’s in the same position I am,” Micah said softly as I noticed the two fairer folk being escorted up the other side of the room. They almost glided, like they were skating on ice. Their slight frames lent more grace to their movements. Each had pointed ears and what looked like baby-soft skin. They looked alike, and I wondered if they were the sisters who had been mentioned.
“We’re all in the same position you are,” I replied as one of the faeries turned to glance my way. Beautiful indigo eyes speared through me.
“I mean, he was with me during the escape. He had as much riding on it as I did. And now…he’s trying to keep his people motivated. He’s having a harder time of it than I am. Wolves aren’t so goddess-awful stubborn as dragons. They aren’t as willing to kill guards for no real benefit.”
“What about the faeries?”
“I don’t know about the faeries. They mostly keep to themselves. But those in the cages—I’ve heard they are very tame. Very soft. And yet they are still kept in cages. I think their magic scares the demon king. They are powerful, and I’ve heard the suppression magic wobbles when too much power is unleashed around them.”
I watched the women get into their shared cage. “What kind of power?”
“That I don’t know. I assumed demon magic.”
“Why don’t you know every last detail about them?”
“Because I am not of sound mind when I get close to them. My mind is swept away by demon magic. And also because…we don’t play well with others. Never have. I technically live—or lived—in a wolf-run kingdom. But the dragons have their own part of it carved out, and we don’t follow anyone’s rules. They call us wild, and I think we’re a thorn in their sides, but they leave us alone. In turn, we keep to ourselves.”
I stepped closer to him and wrapped my fingers around the golden bars. “Not the Flamma Kingdom…”
He glanced my way and then did a double take. His brows pinched. “Of course the Flamma Kingdom.”
“My mate—his mom was from there. The queen. She was our queen. She died.”
His eyelids fluttered, then he looked away. He shook his head. “It’s like you’re stirring up memories that fade before they can surface. Something about that rings a bell, but…damned if I know what.”
“I wonder if you knew her.” I put my hand to my chest as the other cages were slammed shut. The attendants roamed the room, organizing flowers and straightening the chairs around the edges of the room. “I was common and young. I barely even remember people speaking of her. But I’ve heard a lot of stories since then. She was well loved, and I know she came from that village. The dragon one in the wolf kingdom.”
His expression fell. “There are a collection of dragon villages in my kingdom. We mostly control the mountain country at the southeastern tip. I don’t recall hearing about someone from our village leaving to become a queen, but as I said, some memories refuse to take root.”
I pulled my lips to the side. True enough.
Several of the dragons sank down to sit on the ground, settling in to wait. Two of the wolves did the same. No one spoke or even exchanged looks. Everyone either looked at the ground, their postures tense, or stared straight ahead at nothing, refusing to allow their feelings about the situation to show.
Nervousness coiled in my belly. We were in cages—how bad could it be? But clearly something terrible would happen.
I kept talking to distract myself. “Why do they call it a dragon kingdom or a wolf kingdom based on who rules? We have a lot of different types of shifters in our kingdom, and now we only have non-dragons, since all the dragons were either killed or brought here. I heard that shifters like to be with their kind of animal, but that doesn’t seem to totally be the case.”
He looked at me funny.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s like you’ve never been around our kind.”
“Our… The curse… It’s complicated.”
He shrugged. “Those with the most power tend to stick together, yes. Those without much power just kinda…file in. But when it comes to why dragons are spread out… We’re not really pack animals. We need more space.”
“Except you are in a wolf kingdom instead of the dragon-ruled kingdom…”
“Ah. I see what you’re saying. Yes, historically there was a divide that happened long ago because of a…” His brow furrowed again. “I want to say a king who was not equipped to be on the throne. I don’t remember the particulars. Or even…the kingdom name…” His voice turned wispy, and he shook his head. “Goddess help me, I’ve been here too long. Even history lessons aren’t sticking.”
“It’s not history lessons.” I moved back to the front of my cage as Tamara glanced my way, her eyes tight. I gave her a thumbs-up, my stomach coiling with anticipation. Her smile was slim but thankful, and she straightened up a little more, ready to take on what came. “You’re probably talking about my kingdom, and the curse is making the memories slippery.”
“Possibly. I seem to remember the rulership being a question, in any case. I believe they shed some dragons long ago that created a home in my collection of villages and elsewhere in the world. Maybe Tamara knows more, or can remember that page out of history. Then there are those born naturally, elsewhere, and sometimes they seek us. Or did.”