The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 101

CASSIAN

The sky was on fire.

That was the first thought that struck me as I burst into the courtyard, my boots slamming hard against the stone.

A streak of red tore across the night, massive, blazing, impossible to ignore. The dragon's wings cut through the air like blades, each beat sending ripples of heat and power down into the palace grounds.

Shouts erupted all around me.

"Archers, ready!"

"Form ranks!"

"Protect the inner court!"

"Move, move!"

But it was already chaos. My men were scared, they had never had to fight a dragon before. 

My chest tightened as I lifted my gaze fully to the sky.

"...That's not possible," I muttered.

Because I knew that dragon.

Or at least… 

I knew where it had come from.

"Taheer!" I shouted again, my voice cutting through the noise like steel. "Come to me!"

The call wasn't just sound, it was a command.  It tore out of me and into the night.

For a moment, nothing happened. But then, I felt him. He was coming. But he was far away. So far away. 

He wouldn’t make it back in time. No he wouldn’t. 

I couldn’t wait.

"Seal the eastern gates!" I barked, turning sharply to the nearest guards. "No one enters or leaves without my command!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Double the guard at the King's wing. No one gets near him."

"At once!"

"Archers, stand down unless it descends. Do not provoke it!"

The last thing we needed was a dragon deciding we were a threat. But even as I gave orders, my eyes stayed locked on the sky.

On her.

Because I knew. I knew exactly where she had been. Underground. Chained.

And now, 

Free.

"How?" I breathed.

The dragon gave one last powerful sweep of her wings… 

And vanished into the distance.

Gone.

The courtyard fell into stunned silence. The Kings guards looked at me, waiting for my next command. 

"...That was a wild dragon," one of the captains muttered.

No.

It wasn't.

I turned on my heel.

"Hold positions," I snapped. "Remain alert."

"Yes, your highness."

"I have something to confirm."

I didn't wait for a reply.

I was already moving.

***********************

The passageway felt colder than I remembered.

Or maybe that was just me. My pulse hammered as I pushed through the hidden door and descended into the darkness, each step heavier than the last.

I didn’t need a torch, I practically ran into the cave blindly. 

The air shifted as I approached the cavern.

But it was empty. I felt it before I even saw it. 

The massive stone that had once held her in place was cracked, blackened, ruined.

But the dragon, was gone.

I stood there, staring.

"...Impossible."

The wards should have held. The magic should have held. I didn’t understand how the dragon  was free. 

It shouldn’t be.

I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing the cavern.

"Think."

Who knew about this? Who could access this?

Who could… 

My thoughts stopped.

Lira.

Her face flashed in my mind.

The way she had looked at the sky. She looked happy. She looked relieved and she had said something, about the dragon being free. 

Like she had been waiting for it.

I went still.

"...No."

But the thought refused to leave.

Her strange behaviors. Her frequent disappearances.

Her connection to something she wouldn't explain.

And tonight… 

Her smile. She had been helping the dragon all this time… 

My chest tightened.

"...What did you do?" I muttered.

I turned and stormed out of the cavern.

*************************

I didn't make it far.

"Cassian."

I froze.

That voice.

I turned slowly.

My father stood at the end of the corridor.

Fury radiating off him like heat.

My mother stood beside him.

Silent.

Watching.

"We need to talk," he said.

I exhaled slowly.

"...I was on my way to you."

"Good," he snapped. "Because you will explain what just happened."

The throne room felt suffocating.

Heavy.

Charged.

My father paced in front of the throne, his boots echoing sharply against the floor.

"How does a dragon escape from beneath my own palace?" he demanded.

No one answered.

Because no one had an answer.

My mother stood still, her expression unreadable, but her eyes were alive, calculating, searching.

"Cassian," she said quietly.

I looked at her.

"You knew about the dragon."

I held her gaze.

"...Yes."

My father stopped pacing.

"You knew?" he repeated, his voice rising.

"And you said nothing?"

"You never told me," I shot back.

"You expect me to speak of things you chose to hide?" I continued. "A dragon beneath the palace? And I find out by accident?"

My father's jaw clenched.

"It was not your secret to know yet."

"I am your heir and the Crown Prince of this kingdom."

"It was not time."

I laughed bitterly.

"Clearly not. Since I'm the only one who found it."

"That is not the point!"

"Then what is?"

Silence cracked through the room.

My mother stepped forward.

"The dragon has been there long before your father's reign," she said calmly. "It is not a matter spoken of lightly."

"Then speak of it now," I snapped. "Because it's gone."

That landed.  My father ran a hand through his hair.

"It was bound by ancient magic," he said. "Magic that required our blood.” 

"Valemont blood," my mother added.

"To keep it sealed," my father finished.

I went still.

"And now it's free."

"Yes."

"How?” 

"It should not be possible," my mother said.

"But it is."

My father turned to me sharply.

"How did you find it?"

I didn't hesitate.

"I found a hidden passageway."

Not entirely a lie.

"By chance."

They studied me.

"And you told no one?" my father pressed.

"I spoke to Taheer. I was investigating."

"You should have told us."

"You shouldn’t have hidden it from me."

Another tense silence.

Then my father exhaled sharply.

"This is not the time."

"No," I said coldly. "It's not."

My mother stepped in again.

"If the dragon is free," she said, "then it had help."

My chest tightened.

"...What kind of help?"

"Blood," she said simply. "It would require our blood to break the seal."

"Valemont blood?" I asked.

"Or something close enough to bypass it," she replied.

My stomach twisted.

Lira.

No.

Impossible.

But the thought wouldn't leave.

My father straightened.

"Call the dragons," he ordered. "We will not be caught unprepared."

"I already called Taheer."

"Good."

"I will call a council meeting," he continued. "This cannot remain a secret."

"It already isn't," I muttered.

He ignored me.

"Go," he said. "Remain alert."

***********************

By the time I stepped out of the throne room, my thoughts were a storm. The dragon. The blood. Lira. 

Everything kept circling back to her.

And I hated it.

Because I didn't want it to.

I pushed the doors open hard enough that they slammed against the walls.

Elora looked up immediately.

"Cassian. You’re back…"

"Please excuse us, Elors."

She blinked.

"What?"

"Please leave," I said, sharper this time.

Elora hesitated.

Then looked at Lira.

Then back at me.

"...I'll be right outside."

She left.

I turned to the two physicians in the room.

"All of you. Out."

The physician opened his mouth to protest.

"Now."

They didn't argue again.

Within seconds, the room was empty.

I walked to the door.

Locked it.

Then turned.

Lira sat on the bed, her eyes watching me eagerly.

My chest tightened.I took a step toward her. Then another.

"Enough," I said quietly.

She didn't respond.

I stopped in front of her.

"Enough lies. Enough half-answers. Enough pretending."

I dragged a hand through my hair, frustration spilling over.

"For once," I said, my voice tightening, "just be honest with me."

My gaze locked onto hers.

"What did you do, Lira?"