An armored knight rushes toward me, sword raised. At his back, several men in leather armor fan out, circling around me. I lash out with my tail, swiping several over the edge and out into the chasm below my nest. Their screams turn my lips up into a smile as I blow a line of fire toward the remaining men. The scent of burnt flesh fills the air, coating everything around me.
“You’d enter my nest and try to steal from me?” I roar, spewing more fire at them. The knight shields himself while the others lunge around the flames, stabbing at me with their weapons. These fools clearly know nothing about dragons. They’re no where near my weakness. My wings flare out as I rain more fire down on the poor fools. One lunges directly toward my snout.
My jaws close around his middle, the sound of bones crunching filling my body before I toss the dead man on the ground, snarling at the remaining humans. Two lay dying in the floor, their skin burned beyond repair. One holds his weapon in front of him, regret flashing in his eyes before it turns to something else.
Something far more idiotic.
He rushes toward me and I shake my head side to side, roaring. “So eager to die.”
The flames that coat him are the hottest I can summon. I watch with pity as his skin melts and his bones fall to the stone floor. I scan the room to see if I’ve missed any of them and take a step forward. With the flick of a claw, I put the remaining two soldiers out of their misery. It’s a kindness, one they’d appreciate if they could speak.
No one deserves to die slowly.
Several bodies litter the floor of my home, but there’s one missing. I don’t see the shiny knight’s armor anywhere. My eyes narrow as I move toward the tunnel leading further into the mountain, his escape route. I don’t see him.
I growl my displeasure but turn around, inspecting my hoard. Everything seems to be where I left it. I quickly shift into my human form, my bare feet moving over the cold stone floor quickly to look in my favored pile. The sword of the first knight who tried to slay me. The shield of a king who tried to enslave my father. The ransom my mother was paid for returning a princess. All of it is there and accounted for, except for one piece.
The piece that means the most to me.
I dig through the pile of gold searching for the crown, praying it was simply displaced during the small battle. I run from pile to pile, searching for it amongst all my treasures. It’s nowhere to be found.
My favorite treasure is missing.
A crown.
A crown I took from a dead woman.
A crown that looks like it was made for me. I stomp to the ledge and roar my rage, fire pouring from my mouth. My blood boils with fresh anger, all the adrenaline of the battle pushing me on, encouraging the bloodlust seething beneath my skin. The teal rose on that crown means more to me than the knight could possibly know.
And I will get it back.
Chapter Five
“What happened in the meeting with Izvora?” Mira asks as we round a corner, heading toward the main hall.
“It would seem they’ve come to sign the accords de paix,” I shrug. “I wasn’t permitted in the room when they discussed it.” That still bothers me, actually. My father has never denied me entrance to his meetings before now. He has always stressed the importance of my learning the way our kingdom works, so when the time comes for me to rule, I’ll be as prepared as I can be.
“That’s strange, isn’t it?” Mira murmurs, smiling at a group of nobles as we pass them.
“Which part?”
“All of it, really,” she laughs. “Are you alright?”
“I’m annoyed,” I admit quietly. “I’m not used to being shut out.”
Mira nods, looping her arm through mine as we make our way through the castle. “But I suppose it’s good news for Lazoreat though, isn’t it? There’s no such thing as too much peace.”
“That’s true. Has your father ever spoken of them? During his travels, has he ever been to Izvora?”
“No. And they’ve never been to anyone’s court, that I know of. At least, not since people have been tracking such things. They’re a mystery to us all, I think.” I glance to the side to find Mira’s eyes sparkling with interest as she talks about the strange northern kingdom. “It’s exciting to think we get to meet them.”
“It’s an interesting turn of events,” I sigh, forcing a smile onto my face as we come to the great hall. Dary leans against a table, a mug in hand as he speaks with a group of men. A few knights litter their little group, but mostly it’s comprised of nobles, no doubt vying for the prince’s favor.
“Ladies!” Dary calls out, setting his mug down as he waves us over. I roll my eyes but can’t help the smile that spreads across my face as we walk over. “Welcome.”
“Are you welcoming me in my own home, Dary?” I laugh, cocking my hand on my hip.
“Hello, Sir Callum,” Mira purrs.
“Hello, Lady Mira,” he replies, holding her gaze even while I torture Dary with his impropriety.
“If the foreign prince is being a bother, princess, I’d be glad to dispatch him,” Sir Edin chuckles from his seat at the table.
“Do you think you could?” Dary asks, turning to face his old friend.
“Most definitely, boy. I remember when you could barely hold that sword you father gave you.”
“That was a long time ago, Edin,” he snorts. “I’m sure I could at least hold my own with the likes of you.”
I shake my head at their friendly banter before making my way away from the table. It doesn’t take long for Dary and Mira to find me by the display. The accords stretch across a wooden placard pinned where everyone can read them clearly.
I swear my kingdom’s fealty to all inhabitants of Lazoreat. No man, woman, king, or queen shall interfere with the peace and prosperity that is the right of all born to life.
Signature after signature scrawl across the bottom of the document. Each one represents a king or queen who agreed to uphold the core tenants of this agreement. And, for the most part, the accords have been effective. There has been no true war in Lazoreat in generations. Small skirmishes have broken out between kingdoms over petty things like land and crops, but the other kingdoms force them to settle the disputes quickly and quietly.
There has been no true war since the accords were signed. No death en masse to haunt the people who live outside the safety of the castle walls.
“Are you being sentimental?” Dary asks, breaking my trance as I scan the words of the document again.
“Nostalgic, perhaps,” I laugh, turning to face my two friends with a smile in place. “Are you excited for the tournament?”
“I can’t wait,” Mira rushes out. Her hair is rolled into expert buns on either side of her head with flowers peeking through her red locks.
“We know what you can’t wait for,” Dary snickers.
“Callum,” Mira sighs wistfully and I shake my head.
“What are you going to do if he loses?” My hand brushes against the hollow of my throat as I watch her process my question. Her brow creases as she considers the idea of him losing, most likely for the first time since she started fantasizing about him being in the tournament.