Main Palace The first thing Dagen had to do when he returned to the palace from the Misty Mountains was to find the trapped dragon queen. He was pacing back and forth in front of Amaya’s chamber door and hesitated whether to talk with her or not. As the firstborn of the current dragon king and queen, so many thing should have been his, like the power of the throne and respect as the first silver bloodline prince; yet Dagen had always been in an awkward position. According to tradition, Thorn would inherit the throne as the dragon king’s firstborn, regardless of whether Tora was dead or alive. But he had never cared about the throne. All he really wanted was a caring family, which was impossible. There was always competition among the dragon princes. He was lucky to be physically adept and posses incredible strength. But he’d never been as ambitious as Remus. Even if Dagen had beat him in a fight, he would never give him a feeling of satisfaction. Complements he’d earned from the dra
At the end of a busy street, there was a quiet lane heavily overgrown with maple trees. Steep, rocky mountains stretched behind the swath of murky brown woods. According to Oswald’s map, Slathar was concealed just beyond the path.Leila was sitting on a swing, leaning against rough hemp ropes. She hid herself among the gorgeous golden foliage, and was listening to the leaves rustling in the wind.Since they arrived at the Craggy Mountains, she had felt a sense of inexplicable exhaustion. Her mind was working slower as well. The whole morning, she had been observing the cotton-shaped clouds in the sky without taking much notice of her surroundings, as if the clouds weren’t far-off from the ground, but floated above her, only skin deep. Leila’s senses seemed enhanced. She could even predict the weather hours in advance. The humidity in the air rose, and the clouds grew darker as sparrows flew lower. She knew that heavy rainfall would hit the town very soon, as the morning chill had alre
The Dark TunnelFenris had decided to carry out his plan. He entered the dark tunnel connected to the outside of King’s Harbor, and its damp chill dissipated the unbearable heat. The dragon capital’s hot climate was one thing he couldn’t stand. One more reason to quickly settle his business and return to the north.The second prince of the werewolf kingdom wasn’t a fan of the dragon realm, nor would he visit if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. But it would be foolish not to invade during such a rare opportunity. The whole nation had lost their dragon spirits, which meant they had lost their power. He had been waiting for his chance ever since.He believed that the scarred dragon prince would never discover his true intentions. Remus’s ambition had never disappointed him. From the day he learned Remus planned to steal Thorn’s throne, he had started to carry out his plan. He orchestrated the attack at Ironedge to establish contact between the two kingdoms and even offered the poison to R
Thorn led two stallions to the front door of the inn, then mounted the tallest one.“They’ve been taken care of.” Serlon approached from across the street. “The spies from the North won’t wake up until nightfall.”“Good.” Thorn fixed his dark eyes on the road in front of him. “It’s critical that our visit to the brothel remains hidden from their master.”“They must still believe that you’ll die from the Frozen Sunset soon.” Serlon shook his head. “They severely underestimated my knowledge and ability to distinguish between a poison and an antidote.”“And they’ve overestimated their own intelligence,” Thorn added, “Thanks to your outstanding work in creating a perfect duplication of the antidote that Olcan gave me, I’m fully recovered. Have you ever thought about working in the royal palace?”“You mean as a royal healer?” Serlon shrugged, “Never considered it. I like to keep things simple.”“A free soul,” Thorn remarked, “You could be headmaster of the royal healers.”Serlon was comple
Holding a flagon of wine in his hand, the dragon king, Eros, absentmindedly sauntered into Thorn’s palace. He rarely visited, and didn’t dare come without an invitation. From the bottom of his heart, he knew that he owed Thorn a lot, and his birth mother, Tora, the love of his life. Eros never forgave himself for what he did to her.The castle was abnormally quiet, precisely what Eros had yearned for in recently years; yet his queen and children made sure the main castle was just the opposite. Peace and quiet had always been always a luxury for the royal family. There was always something to attend to—court affairs, laws to be discussed and passed, noble guests, the countless servants and staff, and more. But as time went on, he had forgotten most of it. He would only remember the most important moments in his life.He could almost sense that growing old had begun to affect his mind, and clearly not in a good way. Indeed, he had lived a very long time, long enough for his past to blur
Leila was frail in Thorn’s arms. A burning sensation ravaged her body, as if her blood was boiling, melting her bones into the water.Thorn’s mind was racing as he flew across the sky above the forest. The rich scent of maple, vanilla, and pine pervaded the spectacular fall palette down below. Nothing could compare to the refreshing sweetness of maple syrup produced during autumn in the Craggy Mountains.Thorn intended to take Leila to the local market later to apologize to her. His own insecurities had dominated his behavior over the past few days on the road. But they would never get that far.A female dragon in heat meant new life, even though it hadn’t happened to a dragon descendant for a very long time. The entire structure of her body would be rearranged. With the help of a mate to connect the female dragon to a mark bestowed by the dragon divinity, the offspring would be naturally blessed. Only when a seed is planted in the female’s belly by her mate could the symptoms of the
Rina arrived at the the log cabin where Oliver used to live. It was a place hidden within a marsh, sitting at the edge of King’s Harbor. The area was rarely visited by anyone, and too difficult to navigate.She had taken a small carriage instead of flying directly there. The skies were heavily monitored by the Royal Garrison; she didn’t want any extra attention from Eros or Dagen.“Pull over,” she ordered the chauffeur and flipped a gold coin into his hand. “You never took this trip.”The chauffeur often escorted lords and ladies to several places they didn’t want people to know about. He didn’t even raise an eyebrow. He simply took the coin, then went back the way they came.Rina walked around a small hill, encircling the marsh, then cut straight on a path that led to Oliver’s cabin.When the house was in sight, she heard a strange noise echoing from afar. The area was usually restrictively quiet, but now it was rumbling chaotically, like there were many people around.She stood on t
Leila couldn’t sleep. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was desperately resisting rest. She had asked Tuya to accompany her on a walk along the creek behind the inn. She cradled her lower stomach, wondering if a baby could be carried successfully. But she didn’t dare get her expectations up—she didn’t dare expect anything anymore.A special part of her had been lost, as if a giant hole had dug itself in her heart. But since she had came back from the cave, she felt like it was impossible for her to ever part with Thorn. She was sure that she had fallen in love with him.The stone shone gently on her neck. Leila tucked it inside the neckline of her dress and stopped beside a pond.“Can you see the golden dust in the creek?” Leila asked Tuya, pointing to the water.Tuya walked closer to the riverbank, staring into its dark, rippling surface under the dim moonlight. “No.” She shook her head. “There’s dust in the water?Leila nodded coldly, as if she was facing the devil himself. “It’