The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 78

CASSIAN

The vault closed behind me with a bang.

I stood there for a moment longer than necessary, my hand still hovering where the seal had been, my chest tight in a way I didn’t have a name for. The egg no longer hummed the way it used to. It barely responded, but it was weak, thin, like an echo instead of a voice.

Dying.

The word sat heavy in my mind.

I turned away before the stillness could swallow me whole.

I had never allowed myself to think of the egg as fragile. It had been there my entire life, before me, before my siblings, before half the council that liked to pretend they understood dragons. It was a constant. A promise. A future we had been waiting for.

Dragon eggs could take decades to hatch, most only needed a few decades at most. But this egg, it was even older than me. And now, if was dying.

Now it felt like a candle guttering in a draft.

“I should talk to Taheer,” I muttered to myself as I strode down the corridor. My boots echoed sharply against the stone, the sound grounding. “When the time is right.”

Taheer might know what to do. Even though we never talked about the egg, but I suppose he'd know more about it than I did . He always did. But I wasn’t ready to say the words yet. For as long as I could remember the Croen had kept the existence of the egg a secret. Most of the people in the castle didn't even know there was a dragon egg in the vault.

The egg had never left the palace. Never been near other dragons. Maybe that was the mistake. Maybe stone and wards and centuries of fear had starved it of something essential.

Maybe being around its own kind would help.

The idea lodged itself in my mind, dangerous and hopeful all at once.

I was turning a corner toward my chambers when I nearly collided with one of the instructors from the Dragon Queen’s selection. He stumbled back, clutching a stack of parchment to his chest like a shield.

“Your Highness!” he said quickly, bowing so deeply I thought he might topple over.

I stopped, irritation flaring briefly before curiosity took its place. “You look as though you’re fleeing a battlefield.”

He forced a laugh. “Only paperwork, my prince.”

I glanced at the papers. Names. Scores. Notes written in a careful, looping hand.

“The selection?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, straightening. “The final Assessments for the week.”

I hadn’t meant to ask the next question, but it slipped out anyway. “How are the girls faring?”

He looked down at the parchment, flipping through it. “They’re doing their best. Some more than others.”

“And who is being sent home this evening?” I asked.

The instructor hesitated.

Something in that pause made my shoulders tense. “Well?” I pressed.

He cleared his throat. “Lady Lira of Vale.”

The name hit harder than I expected.

I stopped walking entirely. “Lira?” I repeated. “Did she fail the test?"

“She didn’t fail,” he said quickly, as if anticipating my reaction. “In fact, she performed quite well on the assessment. Second highest score overall.”

“Then why remove her?” My voice sharpened despite myself.

He shifted uncomfortably. “She hasn’t… excelled in the other areas. And given her family... The Queen had instructed me to weed out the weaker ones first. So I thought..."

“Her family?” I cut in.

“She’s a Vale,” he said, lowering his voice as though the stone walls might gossip. “Not exactly Queen like material if you understand..."

I stared at him.

Slowly, deliberately, I said, “Are you telling me you intend to dismiss her based on assumptions about her bloodline rather than her performance?”

He paled. “N-no, Your Highness, I only meant.."

“Stop,” I said flatly.

The corridor seemed to shrink around us.

“You will not remove Lady Lira,” I said. “Not for that reason. Not for any reason you’ve given me.”

He swallowed hard. “But, Your Highness, I’m under strict instruction. Lady Calista must remain. Lady Vivienne as well. And Elora..."

“I am aware,” I said. “So remove someone else. Someone that should be eliminated.”

He blinked. “S-someone else?”

“Yes.” I thought for only a moment. “Who else didn't performe well enough to make it?"

His brows drew together. “Lady Isla, I think. Her scores were very close to Lady Lira's."

“Good. Then eliminate her instead. She has shown little interest in the selection,” I said. “Little effort."

The instructor shuffled through the papers again, relief creeping into his expression despite himself. “That is… true. She scored quite poorly in the final assessment.”

“Then that is your justification,” I said coolly.

He nodded quickly. “Of course. Of course.”

He hesitated again. “Your Highness… I—this puts me in a difficult position.”

I met his gaze. “And yet you will do it.”

“Yes,” he said immediately. “Yes, of course.”

He leaned in, lowering his voice. “In exchange… I trust I may call upon you, should I need some assistance?”

I didn’t like the implication, but I nodded once. “See that you do your job properly, and you’ll have nothing to fear."

He bowed again, deeper this time, and hurried off down the corridor.

I exhaled slowly after he left.

Lira.

The thought of her being sent away, just when I was beginning to come to terms of my feelings with her. And in such a just and unfair manner too. I couldn't handle it.

I shook the thought away and headed toward the general halls, scanning faces, alcoves, doorways. She wasn’t where she usually lingered. Not by the windows. Not near the library entrance.

“Where are you?” I murmured.

Instead, I nearly ran straight into Lady Elora.

She stopped short, eyes widening. “Your Highness!”

“Easy,” I said, steadying her by the elbow before she could trip over her own skirts. “You look pleased to see me.”

She smiled, a little breathless. “I am. I didn’t expect, well. Hello.”

I released her and inclined my head. “How are you, Elora?”

“Well enough,” she said. “Relieved, mostly.”

“Relieved?” I echoed. “Why?”

She hesitated, then shrugged. “The assessment went better than I expected. We just got the results."

I nodded. “And Lira?”

Her smile faltered. “She did well. Let's just hope she isn't eliminated."

“I know,” I said.

Elora looked up sharply. “You do?”

“Yes.” I studied her face.

"Aren't you friends with Lira? Do you know where she might be?"

She nodded cautiously. “We are. Or… we were.”

Something in her tone made me frown. “What happened?”

Elora folded her hands together, worrying at her fingers. “Your highness, I believe Lira is hiding something.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s hardly unusual in this palace. This place is filled with secrets"

“This is different,” Elora said quietly. “It’s not harmless. I think she’s scared. And whatever she’s keeping from me… it might put her in danger.”