Chapter 4

Tauric paced about the room, his anxiety and fear permeating the air.

 

A non-human could easily smell the absolute wreck his emotions were in if they were to walk by in the hall.

 

Moments ago, he had been mapping out villages on the King’s map, a map that had been intricately drawn of the Crikerian kingdom.

 

Hours after he had chased out Zarek, the rightful King, he had called forth the Royal Council to devise plans on annexing human territories. The Royal Council was the King’s most trusted advisors, having lived for centuries, who provided much needed sage advice.

 

He was finally able to do what Zarek had failed to do all of these years and grow the size of Crikeria so the dragonkin could have the territory they needed!

 

Glee filled his heart.

 

Feeling like a young boy again, he had set in motion his dreams.

 

Tauric and Samelle, the oldest member on the council, were finalizing the plans to set his agenda in motion when a guard delivered a message.

 

“Your h-highness,” the young woman sputtered, her eyes wide in fear, “I bring unsavory news that will trouble you.”

 

On quick feet, she approached the table and extended the scroll towards the group of men surrounding it.

 

Tauric’s mouth tightened as he snatched the scroll from her outstretched hand, “You’re dismissed.”

 

The guard bowed at the waist crossing her right arm over her chest before she quickly left the room.

 

The tension in the room rose as Tauric cut the string keeping the scroll closed and unfurled it.

 

---

 

Your highness, King Tauric, first of his name. The rumors are true. Zarek is alive. He’s headed to you. Take precaution.

Zarek travels with famed dragon slayer Freja of the Midlands. This wench has more kills under her name than Death herself. Take precaution.

By the Mother,

Astalar

---

Red.

 

Red filled the traitor’s eyes as he dropped the scroll, horror and fear clutching his breast in a chokehold.

 

Zarek was coming for him. He knew it.

 

The spy he used never failed, unlike his men.

 

His men had failed to kill that bastard.

 

Over and over again he had instructed his men on how to kill Zarek, the King of Dragons.

 

The King who could rip him in half and could ruin everything he had fought for.

 

Rage filled his heart as he screamed for the Royal Council to get the fuck out. They knew better than to stick around and quickly took their leave.

 

He was now alone.

 

The heat from the enormous fireplace behind him felt like it was burning him alive, like everything he had done in the past week was returning to haunt him. Burning to death was a possible likelihood given how dragons could spew fire from their maws, and he didn’t need the reminder.

 

Under the large iron chandelier, hanging from the ceiling thirty feet above, he paced in circles across the lush blue rug covering the cool stone floor.

 

Even though the candles in the room provided the light necessary to see, he felt the darkness in the corners closing in to seize his throat.

 

Fear.

 

He was terrified!

 

He knew what a pissed off dragon could do to a human. Working by Zarek’s side since childhood, he had seen it before his own eyes more times than he could count over the years.

 

Dragons were the apex predators of the known world. They evolved to be massive killing machines.

 

Visions from the past of huge teeth and razor sharp claws filled his mind.

 

Thirty-seven years later, he could still hear the sound of human flesh being ripped apart.

 

The sound! Oh the sound!

The sound would haunt him for the rest of his days!

 

He tugged at his shaggy blond hair, a nervous habit carried from boyhood when he was anxious or scared.

 

Tauric needed ale; fast.

 

He wanted to drink his fear away before he had to face the consequences of his actions. He didn’t want to face reality.

 

Not yet, anyways.

 

Tomorrow he would plan.

Zarek was not going to reclaim the throne.

 

He couldn’t.

Everything would be ruined. His hopes and dreams thrown down the drain.

 

As he paced, he picked up a bottle of ale from the table that a Councilman had left behind.

 

The cork of the bottle fell to the floor as he yanked it off and took a long much needed drink.

 

On top of the King coming for him, he also had to deal with that bitch of a slayer Freja.

 

Zarek and him had worked to track down the slayer who killed the Elder King years ago. They never found out the identity of the person and just the found out that it was a mere kid.

 

A literal kid who had been only ten and some odd winters old.

 

They had spent years puzzled as to how a child took down the biggest dragon alive, Zarek’s father.

 

Now, according to the spy, she traveled with him.

A woman.

 

It was a damn woman.

 

Tauric wondered if Zarek knew who she really was.

 

As he picked up the scroll to read it again, it sounded to him like Zarek didn’t know and thought she was just a random travel companion he had picked up along the way.

 

That was the only conclusion his still sober brain could come up with.

 

More.

 

More ale was needed.

 

He took a swig.

 

Perhaps he could think of a better solution if he was inebriated to the point where he felt no anxiety and could lavish in the cloudy sensation alcohol caused.

 

“Fuuuck.” He groaned in frustration.

 

Dropping into a chair at the table, he vaguely wondered if Zarek had finally found his mate in his escape, now that he knew he was alive.

 

Even though his mind was all over the place at the moment, he still wondered about that.

 

Zarek’s obsession had kept his attention and left him not keeping an eye on the activity in the castle among Tauric and his men.

 

He loved Zarek like a brother, even despite all that he had done to ruin that.

 

Tauric had watched as Zarek had been more and more absent from the castle as he searched for this mystery woman.

 

While Zarek had been away, he had plotted for weeks.

 

His men had broke into the chamber as the King was going to rest and were supposed to stab him to death but the King had been quick to defend himself.

 

Four of his men died being pulled limb from limb before he called for more men.

 

Zarek took the tiny window of opportunity and made his escape as a human, being wise to not expose his wings.

 

All of that had led Tauric to be here; the summation of his failure to off Zarek.

 

By the Mother, he was a damn failure.

 

The fear had fallen away to despair as the alcohol started to affect him the more he drank, taking large gulps.

 

Tauric could feel the abyss approaching and he welcomed the sweet relief of inebriation as he drank his fears and anxiety away.

 

Belching loudly, he leaned further back into the chair, trying to get comfortable on the plush cushions.

 

Tonight was going to be a long one.