The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 133

CASSIAN

The wind howled across the mountain peak.

Taheer's scales gleamed beneath the pale afternoon sun, deep bronze, ancient, streaked with scars that told stories older than the kingdom itself. The great dragon lay coiled on the rocky outcrop, his massive head resting on his forelimbs, his golden eyes half-closed in something that might have been sleep.

But Taheer never truly slept.

Not anymore.

Taheer's eyes opened fully.

"You found it," Taheer said into my mind before I could speak.

His voice rumbled through my skull like distant thunder.

I stopped beside him.

"Yes."

The dragon lowered his enormous head slightly.

"And?"

I swallowed.

"It's with Lira."

Silence.

Not surprise.

Not shock.

Only silence.

Taheer's slit pupils narrowed.

"Has the hatchling bonded with her?"

"Yes."

The words tasted heavier now that I had finally spoken them aloud.

"It's a white dragon hatchling," I continued quietly. "Small. Barely old enough to fly for long. I found it in her chambers."

Taheer exhaled smoke into the evening air.

"That explains why I could sense it within the palace yet never locate it precisely," he said. "A hatchling's presence is faint."

I dragged a hand through my hair.

"She lied to me again."

"You already knew she would."

"I didn't think.." stopped myself, jaw tightening.

Didn't think what?

That she could deceive me so completely?

That she could look at me the way she did and still hide something this enormous?

Taheer's gaze remained fixed on me.

"It seems I was right about her having the blood of the old in her." 

I looked up sharply.

"What?"

"The girl," Taheer said. "No ordinary bloodline could bond with a hatchling so quickly. It would require old blood. The old magic." 

I frowned.

"You said that before. Old blood. Old magic. What does that even mean?"

Taheer shifted slightly, claws grinding against stone.

"Ancient magic runs through the earth. The first wielders are older than the Valemont bloodline, than any other magical bloodline. Magic older than your kingdom itself."!

The wind howled between us.

"And Lira carries it?"

"She must."

I stared at the horizon, my thoughts spiraling.

Nothing about her made sense anymore.

"She must be hiding more things from me," I muttered.

Taheer snorted softly.

"She is hiding things from everyone."

"That doesn't help."

"No," the dragon agreed. "But it explains why Veyraxis trusted her."

I looked at him again.

"You think Veyraxis left the hatchling with her intentionally?"

"Yes."

That answer chilled me more than I expected.

"She trusted her enough to leave behind her own offspring," Taheer continued. "Do you understand how rare that is?"

I didn't answer.

Because I did understand.

Dragons trusted very few people.

Sometimes no one.

And Veyraxis, a dragon imprisoned and betrayed for centuries, had trusted Lira.

"My father is still searching for the hatchling," I said after a moment. "The entire palace is turning upside down trying to find it."

"And when they do?"

I closed my eyes briefly.

That was the question, wasn't it?

When they do.

Not if.

"When they do," I said quietly, "Lira dies."

Taheer studied me carefully.

"And yet you continue hiding her."

"I'm trying to protect the kingdom."

"You are trying to protect her."

The words hit too close.

I turned away sharply.

"She committed treason."

"She freed a dragon."

"She endangered the entire crown!"

"She trusted the wrong people less than she trusted your family," Taheer replied calmly.

I stiffened.

The dragon sighed heavily.

"My loyalty is to you, Cassian. Not your father. Not Aurelia. You."

His voice softened slightly.

"If the Dragon King discovers the hatchling bonded to Lira, he will kill her without hesitation."

I knew that already.

Gods, I knew.

That was the worst part.

Because for all my father's cruelty, he would believe he was protecting the kingdom.

And perhaps he would be right.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

"That," Taheer said dryly, "is painfully obvious."

Despite myself, I huffed out a humorless laugh.

The dragon lowered his head beside me.

"You love her."

I didn't answer.

Because denying it now would have been pathetic.

"She has lied to me from the beginning," I muttered. "Manipulated me. Used me."

"And still?"

My silence answered for me.

Taheer rumbled thoughtfully.

"That may yet destroy you."

"I know."

The dragon straightened slightly.

"I will leave soon."

I frowned immediately.

"What?"

"I cannot remain here while Veyraxis roams free," he said. "She is gathering strength. I can feel it."

The wind shifted violently.

"If she returns before I find her," Taheer continued, "there will be fire and death."

I thought of the red dragon soaring above the palace.

Thought of the fear in the streets afterward.

The panic.

The uncertainty.

"Do you think she'll attack?"

"Yes."

The bluntness of the answer settled cold in my stomach.

"But not yet," Taheer added. "Not until she is ready."

"And when she is?"

The dragon's golden eyes gleamed.

"Pray."

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I walked back to the palace alone.

The corridors were busy, servants rushing past with armfuls of linens, guards standing at attention, courtiers whispering in doorways. The ball was approaching, and the entire palace had been consumed by preparations.

I wanted none of it.

The throne room doors were open.

Inside, I could see the King holding court, surrounded by advisors and petitioners, his voice carrying across the marble floors. I had no desire to join him or for him to see me either. 

But something caught my eye.

A courier, young, nervous, clutching a stack of letters to his chest, hurried down the corridor toward the throne room. His boots clicked against the stone, and his eyes darted from side to side like a rabbit scenting wolves.

I almost ignored him.

Then I saw the seal on one of the letters.

Crimson wax.

A crest I recognized.

The Vale family seal.

My blood went cold.

"Wait," I called.

The courier stopped. His eyes went wide when he saw me.

"Your Highness." He bowed, clumsy, off-balance, the letters slipping in his arms. "I didn't see you there."

"Obviously." I walked toward him. "What letters are those?"

"Deliveries for the King, Your Highness. From various noble houses."

I reached for the stack.

The courier pulled back.

"Your Highness..." 

"That one." I pointed to the letter with the Vale seal. "Give it to me."

The courier's face paled.

"I can't, Your Highness. This letter is addressed directly to the Dragon King. I have strict orders..." 

"I am the Crown Prince. The Dragon King is my father." 

"I know, Your Highness, but..." 

"Give me the letter."

My voice was cold. Hard. The voice I used when I expected to be obeyed.

The courier hesitated.

For one terrible moment, I thought he might refuse.

Then he bowed his head and handed me the letter.

"Of course, Your Highness."

I took it.

Turned it over in my hands.

The seal was intact. The handwriting on the front, To His Majesty, King Edric Valemont, the Dragon King, was spidery and strange. Loops in places no one put loops. Crossed T's that leaned backward.

I had seen it before.

"Your Highness?" The courier was still standing there, shifting from foot to foot. "Should I wait?"

"No," I said. "I shall deliver this to my father myself. You're dismissed."

He fled.

I walked to my study.

Locked the door.

And broke the seal.

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