The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 80

CASSIAN

“I believe she is in grave danger.”

Elora’s words did not leave me as she spoke them. They stayed. Heavy. Insistent.

“What do you mean?” I asked quietly.

We stood near one of the arched windows overlooking the inner courtyard. The afternoon light cut across the stone floor in pale bands, and the hall had mostly emptied after the announcement. A few servants walked by, whispering. Watching.

Elora lowered her voice. “I mean she doesn't sleep..."

“That is hardly a crime,” I said.

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. "But wandering the palace at night is. Is it not?"

My attention sharpened. “Wandering?”

“Lira leaves her chambers frequently. She disappears,” Elora said. “Late. After the bells. I’ve woken to see her and her bed is cold. I fear whatever makes her wander so much, might be dangerous to her."

A pulse of irritation flared in me, not at Lira, but at the risk. “Are you certain?”

“Yes.” She hesitated. “I followed her once. I was worried she'd be caught... so I did."

That surprised me. “And?”

“I lost her.” Frustration colored her tone. “She moves like she knows the palace better than the rest of us. Like she’s looking for something or someone."

The words pressed uncomfortably against my thoughts.

Looking for something or someone.

“Has she told you where she goes?” I asked.

“No,” Elora said softly. “She lies to me about it."

I folded my arms, forcing myself to remain calm. “What else?”

“Recently, I've noticed she startles easily,” Elora continued. “She flinches at doors. At footsteps. And sometimes…” She swallowed. “Sometimes she looks like she’s listening to someone who isn’t there."

I didn’t react outwardly, but something cold slid down my spine.

“Listening?” I prompted.

“Yes,” Elora whispered. “Like she hears something we don’t. Sometimes she looks around like she heard her name..."

Silence stretched between us.

“Do you believe she would harm herself?” I asked carefully.

Elora’s eyes widened. “No. Never that. But I think she’s tangled in something bigger than she can manage.”

I nodded slowly. “If she is in danger, I will see to it that she is protected.”

Elora searched my face again. “But from whom?”

A fair question.

“I’ll find out,” I said.

She studied me for a long moment, then gave a small, resigned nod. “Just… please don’t let them send her away. She deserves a chance. Like the rest of us."

“They won’t,” I said firmly.

She exhaled, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

As she walked away, I remained by the window, my thoughts racing.

She walks at night.

She listens to something no one else hears.

She searches.

I did not like the shape those pieces formed.

That evening, I ordered the guards rotated along the eastern corridors.

Subtly.

No announcements. No increased torches. Just a shift in presence.

“If you see any of the ladies of the selection wandering after the final bell,” I instructed the captain quietly, “you will inform me. No one else.”

He frowned slightly but bowed. “As you wish.”

I did not tell him why.

I did not tell anyone why.

By the time I reached my chambers, the sky had darkened to deep indigo. I removed my gloves slowly, my mind still circling Elora’s words.

Listening to someone who isn’t there.

A knock sounded at my door. I assumed it was a guard with information.

“Enter.”

Calista slipped inside without waiting for permission.

She wore crimson tonight. The fabric clung where it should and flowed where it would draw the eye. Her light hair fell loose over her shoulders, and her lips were painted rouge.

“Your Highness,” she purred, dipping into a shallow curtsy. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

“You are,” I said evenly. “But you’re here anyway.”

She laughed softly. “I thought you might want company. After today.”

“And what about today requires company?”

She drifted farther into the room without invitation. “The elimination. The tension. It must be exhausting carrying the weight of it.”

“I’m accustomed to weight,” I replied.

She stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell her perfume, sweet, deliberate.

“You don’t have to be accustomed to loneliness,” she said quietly.

“I am not lonely,” I said.

Her fingers brushed lightly against my sleeve. “You could choose differently.”

I stepped back.

The movement was small, but unmistakable.

Her hand dropped.

“Calista,” I said, my tone cooling, “if you have something to say, say it plainly.”

She tilted her head. “Very well. I thought we might get more acquainted with each other since we both know that I'm going to be your Queen.You know this.”

“I know you believe it,” I corrected.

A flicker of irritation crossed her face before she smoothed it away.

“I worry about things. You haven’t sought my company,” she continued. “You haven’t sought anyone’s, last I heard. It makes one wonder.”

“Wonder what?”

“Whether your interests lie elsewhere.”

I said nothing.

Her gaze sharpened. “Is there another woman?"

The question lingered.

I kept my expression neutral. “You overestimate my preoccupation with the selection.”

“Do I?” she asked lightly.

She began to circle me slowly, assessing.

“There is Lady Vivienne,” she mused. “She might be a little rough, but you have lots of things in common.”

I remained silent.

“Evadne? Amara? No, you would tire of them quickly. Besides, their houses do not hold enough power for you to marry any of them."

Still nothing.

She stopped in front of me again, studying my face carefully.

“There's Elora. But she's far too timid... That's not your cup of tea is it?"

"What are you getting at?!" I snapped.

"Then there is Lira of Vale.”

The name was dropped casually. Deliberately.

I did not blink. I did not react.

Calista watched me for several long seconds.

“You don’t deny it,” she observed.

“There is nothing to deny,” I said calmly.

“She is a bad choice,” Calista continued, as though we were discussing fabrics. “Unpolished. Plain. Unremarkable. Not particularly powerful.”

My jaw tightened, but my voice remained even. “Careful Calista.”

Her lips curved faintly. “Ah.”

She saw it. The warning.

“I merely mean,” she continued smoothly, “that she does not seem suited to this court."

I said nothing.

“She won’t last as Queen,” Calista added softly.

“That will not be your decision,” I replied.

She held my gaze a moment longer, then stepped back.

“Of course not,” she said sweetly. “Forgive me for being too forward, your highness."

"If there's nothing left for you to say. You may leave." I said answered.

She dipped into another shallow curtsy. “Good evening, Your Highness.”

When she left, the room felt colder.

I stood there for a long time, replaying her tone, her choice of words. I wonder what she was up to.

....................

Later, as the palace quieted, I dismissed my guards early.

“Leave me,” I told them. “I require solitude.”

When the final door closed, I waited.

The bells rang.

One.

Two.

Three.

Silence settled like dust.

I moved toward the eastern corridor.

Not openly.

Not with guards.

Alone.

If Lira was wandering, I would see it myself.

The palace at night was a different creature. Shadows stretched longer. Torches flickered softer. Every sound carried.

I waited near the turn that led toward the older wings, the less used passageways.

Minutes passed.

Then...

A figure around the far corner, cloaked in dark fabric.

My pulse kicked hard.