ASSASSIN’S REIGN

The Assassin and her Dragon Princes IV

IVY CLYDE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2019 by Ivy Clyde. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted and reproduced in any manner or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or whatsoever without written permission of the author.

For information contact,  Ivy Clyde

Table of Contents

ASSASSIN’S REIGN

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Did you enjoy Daria’s journey?

About Ivy

ASSASSIN’S REIGN

I’m ready to claim my place on the throne but my way is strewn with obstacles.

Our appearance in the realm of the dragon emperor has enraged him. He is lashing out at the princes’ family members in a bid to establish his control over us.

But it won’t be long before we fight back.

Our powers as true dragons have been restored to us. Victory seems close but can we see through the emperor’s cunning deception to really come out of this battle alive?

The threads of fate have long bound me to the three dragonborn princes at my side and I am determined to protect them even if it costs me my life.

Assassin’s Crown is the fourth and last book in an intrigue-filled whychoose fantasy romance that support’s our heroine’s right to choose more than one mate. Get ready for this captivating tale full of heart-pounding romance and edge-of-your-seat action.

Note: The Assassin and Her Dragon Princess is a reverse harem series with sexy dragon shifter romance and action meant for mature readers who enjoy their fantasy fiction with no restraint to language, violence and some heated scenes.

1

Helena

The burnt skin on my cheek prickled in the cold, damp air of the underground chamber. It was still painful. The burn was so deep, it would take several days to dry and heal. For now, a mask covered the salve-covered side of my face.

My body shivered from the cold.

Unlike my adoptive brothers, there was no fire in my blood. It was the only thing that differentiated me from them.

Flames from a hundred wax stubs flickered as a tall figure entered the room.

On my left, Mekhi stiffened.

On my right, Zane cowered.

My own heart thundered at the sight of Emperor Ivan as he turned around to face us. Flames from the candles around us were reflected in his dark, brooding eyes. Wisps of ashes settled in the locks of his curling, jet-black hair. Dried blood glimmered on his armor while droplets dripped from the ends of his sleeves. However, I knew it didn’t belong to him.

Cold fury emanated from him as his gaze swept over us.

Zane whimpered, hiding behind me. He clutched at the back of my skirts, pressing his face to my back. Father’s eyes flashed at him.

“Worthless.” Father’s voice was like shards of ice.

“Don’t blame him, Father,” I said immediately. “It wasn’t his fault. It was that lowly whore from …”

I fell silent as he raised his hand, commanding silence. Ignoring me completely, he set his gaze on Mekhi.

“The city is full of whispers about two dragons,” said Father. “One of them was a water dragon which had never been seen before.”

Mekhi lowered his gaze to the floor but his fists were balled up tightly.

My own mind was confused. Where were these dragons appearing from? If I hadn’t seen Prince Adal of Baledonia transforming before my eyes, I would have treated all these whispers from the common mob as rumors.

Father took a step forward, standing only a few inches from Mekhi.

“Tell me, son. What happened while I was doling out justice on the royal family of Baledonia?”

Mekhi raised his gaze. “What justice?”

Father’s eyes flashed momentarily with cruel satisfaction as he licked the blood still gathered around the corner of his mouth. “They hid a dragon in their ranks,” said Father. “When asked, Prince Kurozeru completely denied my allegations. He had no idea how his half-brother managed to transform into his true form.”

“What did you do, Father?”

“I punished every royal gathered in the courtroom,” said Father. “I ground their very bones between my teeth.”

The air flowed out of my lungs. While I never sympathized with people who were against the emperor’s rule, Prince Kurozeru and his brothers had been innocent. They didn’t side with their half-brother, Adal. The moment when he’d transformed, they’d been as shocked as me and Mekhi.

“And while I was at it, I lay waste to one of the provinces in Redfall,” added Father. “They hadn’t paid taxes in over a year. The people, as well as their local mayor, burned this night. It should serve as a warning to those opposing my will in the four kingdoms.” Father’s hand shot forward to grab Mekhi’s collar. Pulling him close, he snarled. “Are you rebelling against your emperor too?”

“Father!” Mekhi’s voice was a mere whisper. He was the only man my brother feared. He was suddenly thrown away. Stumbling on his feet, he steadied himself. “I had men watching over the temple grounds as you commanded. My days were spent in securing the area. I never expected dragons to attack the place in the dead of night. The soldiers were scared and scattered.”

“Find the ones who ran,” said Father in a cold tone. “They are traitors and deserve just punishment.”

It could mean only one thing. They would be burned by Father’s dragon.

“Why are the temple grounds so important?” asked Mekhi. He looked scared but a determined look came over him. “Why would you have more men protecting it than the palace?”

“You dare question me?”

I wished Mekhi would quiet down. Father was cold before. Now, he was turning furious.

“What’s the secret of the transformation?” asked Mekhi. “Why wouldn’t you tell us? There are already three dragons out there. Wouldn’t it better if Zane and I could transform too? We’ll stand with you and fight the enemy.”

“I can be the only true dragon in the four kingdoms,” seethed Father. “I’ll be the one true dragon emperor of our realm. No one else.”

“You think we’ll betray you like you betrayed your brother?”

Father slapped Mekhi hard, drawing blood. Zane whimpered, shaking.

“And you.” Father glanced at Zane. “What kind of man allows a woman to take away his manhood? I have half a mind to kill you so that history can forget about my disgraceful son.”

“It wasn’t his fault!” I shouted. “It was that whore!”

Father’s gaze fell on me. “You’re one rotten wench,” he hissed. “Instead of befriending a powerful woman like her, you drove her to act against your brothers and lost me hundreds of slaves.” A scoff escaped him. “What else did I expect out of the daughter of a street whore?”

My heart came to a thudding stop before racing again at a fast pace. Tears pricked my eyes as Father turned away from me with a disgusted noise.

In the past fifteen years, he’d never said such a hateful thing to me. He treated me as his own, but today, he shattered my heart with one single verbal blow. No matter how much I pretended to be his blood, the truth has always been buried in his heart. He never forgot he picked me off the street and gave me the title of the lost princess.

Neither Mekhi nor Zane made a sound.

Suddenly, I wished Ren was here too. Father never called him to any meetings, preferring to keep him away from all royal activities. His disregard for Ren further drove him away. He might be an irresponsible prince but he was my favorite brother. His kindness towards me never dimmed even though he hated some of the cruel things I did. He disapproved of my bad habits but it never lessened his love for me.

“Do we still keep watch over the temple grounds?” asked Mekhi.

“Yes,” said Father, his head bowed in thought. “Even though the thieves have stolen the most important books from the temple library, they could be back for more.”

“I’ll do as you command, Father,” said Mekhi with a bow of his head.

“Leave now.” Father sat down on a chair located at the far corner of the chamber and brooded. While I hated the way he treated us today, he was probably thinking of the best way to capture Daria, the woman who’d turned into a thorn at my side. I didn’t care who did it, but I wanted her tortured and killed.

I walked out of the room with Mekhi.  Zane hurried after us.

Mekhi stopped once we’d put sufficient distance between us and the underground chamber. Meeting my gaze, he said, “Don’t engage with Daria again. If you find her, contact me before doing anything.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to call for Father?”

Mekhi shook his head. “I need to know the secret of the transformation. Only she knows the answer.”

I frowned at that. It irked me to see Mekhi wanting her for something other than torture. I watched him stride away, leaving me with his whimpering brother.

2

Ren

Morning sunshine poured through the open window, bathing the area around my desk with bright light. A flattened scroll lay before me. It came from the palace early that morning, heralding disasters left by Emperor Ivan throughout the four kingdoms.

A long breath exhaled out of me as I stared out of the window, gazing at the bright blue sky.

How will Daria take the news? I wondered, watching a group of birds playing among the rose bushes outside.

Emperor Ivan left Baledonia on the evening we’d decided to sneak Daria into the dragon temple with Adal. We’d been successful in diverting the army stationed there by letting Cain and Norvin show their true forms. The soldiers had stayed away for hours, giving both Daria and Adal enough time to get through the mating ritual. They’d even returned back with arms full of thick tomes.

Daria and the three foreign princes were housed in my residence now. Dressed in attires meant for servants, they were hiding among them. Over the past few days, they were together all the time. My jealous heart hated having the princes in my home but if they went to live elsewhere, Daria would follow them too.

The only salve to my wounded heart was that they were all put in separate rooms. I hated thinking what the three gorgeous men got up to with her. At the heel of that thought, my mind immediately conjured the image of a naked, moaning Daria with her three lovers.

“Damn it!” I cursed, bringing my fists down on the table before me.

My gaze fell on the scroll and the words on it. They were enough to rid my mind of useless thoughts.

Emperor Ivan traveled to Baledonia, burnt the ruling prince, his brothers and every royal present in the palace. Apparently, his blood lust wasn’t satisfied with their murder. He’d proceeded to a certain province in Redfall that had failed to pay taxes for a year. The region was infamous for poor soil quality and droughts in recent years had made things worse. Any sane, reasonable person would know there was barely anything left there to survive on, but Ivan’s wrath could not be contained. He punished the survivors by burning them and their homes.

Anxiety coiled around my gut.

The news would soon spread throughout the four kingdoms. It won’t be long before Daria and the princes heard about the atrocities committed by the emperor.

Four true dragons were residing in my humble quarters at that very moment. It was scary to imagine how they would react to the news. There was something I needed from Daria before she could embark on her path to destroy the emperor. It had to be done immediately before the news of carnage reached her.

The fragrance of rose and lavender wafted through the open window. Turning my gaze that way, I found Daria in the garden, strolling along a stoned pathway. This was my only opportunity.

Rolling up the scroll, I hid it away and hurried to the garden to meet Daria.

She looked surprised to see me there but smiled as soon as she met my gaze.

“What are you doing out here so early?” I asked, controlling my nerves. Daria would hate me for the request I was about to make but I had to try.

“It’s nice to feel the sun,” she said, lifting her face to the sunshine. “Drakhaven is much colder than the other kingdoms.” Turning back to me, she said, “Have you eaten yet?”

“No. Have you?”

“I did.”

“Good.” I rubbed my hands together, averting her keen gaze on me.

“What is on your mind, Ren?” she asked.

“Will you promise not to chew me alive if I tell you?”

A laugh bubbled up from her luscious lips. “I would never do that to you.”

“I can’t be too confident.”

Surprise flitted through her vivid green eyes. “I promise to spare you. Now, tell me what you’re thinking about.”

“You can heal your wounds with magic.”

She nodded once.

“Can you heal someone else’s wounds too?”

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m not the one in need of your healing magic but someone close to me is. Will you help me?”

“Of course.”

I strengthened my resolve, knowing I was about to cross a line with her. She was so sweet to me, easily willing to help someone close to me. Taking a deep breath, I said, “I want you to heal Helena.”

“What?” Her gaze hardened at once.

“It pains me to watch her suffer.”

“Her pain is nothing compared to the torture and cruelty she’s doled out to hundreds of people,” said Daria. Her eyes glowed with anger. “Do you know how many innocents have died in her hands?”

“I know. I will never justify the crimes she committed.”

“She deserves death!”

“Perhaps, but you’ve got to understand that Helena wasn’t like this as a child. She was spoiled rotten by Ivan and his sons.”

Daria shook her head. “It matters not. What she’s suffering is mild compared to what she truly deserves.”

“Do me this favor. I’ll never ask anything from you again.”

The anger in her features disappeared to be replaced by a frown. “I’ll be the queen of Drakhaven. I can give you whatever your heart desires. Why waste your favors and grants for a selfish woman like Helena?”

“I am asking this of Daria, my childhood mate,” I said in a soft voice. “Gold and property have no importance in my life. Most of my life was spent knowing Ivan isn’t my father. Helena is the only person I truly cared for all this time. I know she’s cruel and deserves to be punished, but this isn’t the way. Heal her burn and give her a second chance. Please?”

“I hate that you care for her.”

Moving close to her, I pressed her body to mine. “You already know how I feel for you, but I’ll never ask you to reciprocate. Just heal the woman I consider my sister.”

She pushed me and stomped away, coming to a halt after a few feet.

Her breathing was erratic as she turned around to face me.

“I will heal her,” she said in a caustic tone. “For you, I’ll heal her, but this is the last time you can ask forgiveness for her. If she commits another crime, she will face punishment. You’ll have no say then.”

I nodded. “I accept. Please, heal her for now.”

“Fine. We’ll have to go to the palace, won’t we?”

“Yes. Let us go right away.”

She followed me through the garden paths until we reached my quarters. The maid’s uniform she’d worn last time at the palace was already set on the bed. Giving it to her, I said, “I’ll meet you at the front gates. Veil your face and come meet me there.”

Daria closed the door behind me, locking herself inside to change her clothes. Guilt weighed in my gut for making her do something against her will but I had to do what I could for Helena. Of course, I would be warning her from making another mistake against Daria in the future. It was her only chance of survival in the days to come. I only hoped she had enough sensibility to realize the precariousness of her own position.

3

Daria

The ride to the palace felt really short. My mind was mulling over everything Helena had done to me, the princes and the people of our kingdoms. She deserved a death punishment but even that felt too light compared to her crimes. The dragon within me fumed, urging me to forget about my promise and incinerate the woman.

We can’t, I told myself internally. Not yet.

Ren believed she could be redeemed. He blamed my uncle and cousins for her soulless behavior. His faith in her was what shook me. He really believed her to be his sister, an outsider like him who didn’t belong in the emperor’s family.

I took several gulps of the cold air as we rode up the hilly path leading to the palace, trying to calm my internal anger. This favor was for Ren. While I believed it won’t change Helena’a rotten core, at least no one could blame me when I really did kill her. There wouldn’t be anyone to speak a word for her then.

When the towers of the palace came in view through the tree branches, I pulled the veil down to my chin, effectively hiding my face. Ren trotted further ahead, acting as my master, gesturing for the guards to open the gates for us.

I looked around the grounds as we headed to the main building up ahead. Someday soon, this would become my home again. My impatient dragon wanted me to claim it that very moment.

You’ve got to settle down, I told her. The time to kill and burn will soon be upon us.

Leaving our horses to a few servants, we headed inside the palace.

Ren led the way towards Helena’s quarters. I kept up with him but always remained several steps behind him.

He halted just at the corner of the corridor that would lead to her chambers.

“I will get rid of the servants and put her to sleep,” he whispered. “Stay outside her bedchambers until I call for you.”

“Fine,” I bit out.

While Ren went through the doors that were opened for him, I waited outside. The maids guarding the bedchambers stared at me from time to time but mostly kept their gazes straight ahead. Bruises and wounds marred the exposed parts of their arms and neck.

I wondered if they were administered by Helena. She was cruel enough to do that to her servants.

Helena’s wails wafted through the closed door of the chambers. Within seconds, three maids scurried out of the room and rushed away down the corridor. Her cries of agony were drowned down again. Perhaps, Ren was soothing her now, telling her pain would disappear.

After half an hour, Ren stepped out of the doors. A look of relief crossed his handsome features when he found me where he’d left me.

“Come in.”

I followed him through the door and closed it behind me firmly. Ignoring the figure lying on the vast bed, I looked around, hoping I could remember something from the time I lived in those quarters.

Nothing seemed familiar here.

The gaudy bed curtains of expensive gossamer and the ostentatious displays of gold and silver decorative items on every surface of the room told me the old décor had long been removed. The space belonged to Helena.

At that instant, I vowed never to use these rooms again.

“Over here, Daria,” whispered Ren, beckoning me towards the bed.

A sliver of annoyance crossed my chest. His whole attention was fixed on Helena. He didn’t even care how I was feeling being in a room that once belonged to me.

“Daria,” he uttered my name again.

I strode forward.

Reaching the bed’s edge, I peered at the woman that lay on the bed. Helena had lost a lot of weight since the last time I’d seen her. The burned side of her face was smeared with a foul-smelling paste. The scald was probably hidden underneath that.

“Please heal her,” said Ren.

His blue eyes were pleading. I wondered if I’d ever felt this torn over making a decision. It won’t take much energy to heal the burn on Helena’s face but would I be healing a tiger so it could go back to terrorizing other people and animals?

“You promised to do this one favor,” said Ren in a grim voice.

I met his gaze coldly. “You can never beg mercy for her again. Remember that well.”

He nodded.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and lay the tips of my fingers on Helena’s clammy forehead. A burst of healing magic surged through me and suffused with her energies, causing a rapid repair of skin and facial tissues. Even without removing the paste, I knew the burn underneath had been healed.

“It’s done,” I said, opening my eyes.

“Really? That quickly?”

I nodded.

Ren stared at me with awe. Taking a wet washcloth from a brass basin nearby, he gently cleaned away the herbal paste from Helena’s face.

“Thank you, Daria.” His eyes shone as he stared at the healed skin on Helena’s face. She was completely cured. There would be no more pain for her, either physical or psychological.

“Make sure to tell her to watch her actions from now on,” I said, getting to my feet. “There would be no more mercy for her after this.”

“I will.”

“I suppose you want to wake her up now?”

He nodded. “I want to see the look of joy on her face when she realizes she is healed.”

It was hard not to gag at his sentiments for her. “I will wait outside.”

Once the doors shut behind me, I didn’t want to linger around to hear the sounds of Helena’s elation and Ren doting on her. Making sure the veil was covering my face properly, I strolled down the corridor. A little distance from Ren and Helena was what I needed.

Weak rays of the sun warmed a mist-covered garden nearby. It was still early in the morning and the fog hadn’t dispersed completely yet. Before leaving Ren’s house, I hadn’t even got the chance to tell the princes I was coming to the palace. It would have only made them anxious.

It had only been a single day since I achieved my true form. The energy between me and my mates was a palpable thing now. We had no one to fear in this realm except for Ivan.

While I remained buried in my thoughts, my feet took me further inside the garden. I might not have noticed which way I was going for a while had it not been for the screams and shouts coming from up head. I halted in my steps.

Two or three women were screaming and begging for mercy. A male voice shouted over them, drowning their pleas while sharp swishes of a whip cut through the air.

Heart pounding against my chest, I walked forward, making sure to take cover behind tree trunks and the shadows cast by the branches.

Within a minute, I came upon the sight causing the ruckus.

Zane was standing over three young women and whipping them mercilessly. It was hard not to miss out on the similarities between them all. They were all dark-haired, slim, and wore the traditional Baledonian kimono-style dresses.

“Take that!” he screamed, spit flying out of his mouth as his whip slashed through the air to hit the woman in the middle. “You will die for harming me.”

The woman cried helplessly, pleading for mercy but Zane was deaf to it. He proceeded to hurt the other women around him.

My fists were balled tightly at my sides.

Zane was re-enacting a scene from his fantasies with these women. They were supposed to represent me, the woman who’d snatched his manhood away. I was fortunate to be alive after my encounter with him. He looked thinner than last I saw him but there was a wildness in his dark gaze that wasn’t there before.

I was about to step forward to take him down when another hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling me back. A snarl morphed my lips but as my gaze fell on Ren, I calmed down.

“What are you doing here?” he whispered. “I told you to wait for me outside the room.”

“Let go,” I hissed, snatching my hand from him. “You should be satisfied with me after what I did for you today. From this point forth, I owe you nothing.”

Ren’s face softened and an anxious look came over him. “I’m sorry for making you do something that you hate so much.”

“I hate injustice,” I whispered vehemently. “The four kingdoms have seen enough of it. Today, you made me do it too. I am grateful for the help you gave me and my mates but from now onwards, we’ll owe you nothing.”

“Let us go back.”

“And leave these poor women to die?”

“You can’t expose yourself,” he said in an urgent tone, grasping my upper arm.

I jerked out of his hold. “Stay back.”

Swiping my hand over the long sleeve of the dress, I took out three long needles. They were coated with paralyzing poison. Taking aim at Zane, I shot them in quick succession. They hit him right on the forehead. The venom was strong enough to make him go rigid in seconds and drop to the ground in a stiff mass.

I was about to walk out from behind the tree trunk when Ren pulled me back. “What are you doing? Zane is down. You don’t have to show yourself.”

“Those women are close to death. I have to heal a few of their injuries or they will not make it.” Fixing him with a cold stare, I added, “You claim not to be part of this treacherous royal family, but you do think like them. You want to use my powers only for your means. The needs of others don’t matter to you at all.”

Leaving him there, I marched forward. The women were gasping with pain and writhing on the ground.

“I’m here to help,” I whispered softly as they whimpered at my approach. “I will take away some of the pain but you must be brave enough to get out of the palace. Do you understand?”

They nodded despite the tears pouring down their cheeks.

I channeled my magic into each of the women, concentrating my energies on the most lethal wounds on their bodies. While I could heal one of them completely, my power was limited. It had to be divided between the three women.

“Thank you,” they murmured, slowly getting to their tottering feet. They supported each other’s weight, casting fearful glances at Zane who was watching the whole thing. He was paralyzed but his dark eyes were wide open.

“Go,” I told them. “Disappear.”

They were still in pain but they were able to walk away from their tormentor. Crouching down beside Zane, I pulled the veil away from my face. “Recognize me?” I asked him with a cold smile.

Only the widening of his eyes gave any indication to his surprise.

“You still haven’t learned your lesson,” I whispered. “Stop hurting innocent women. You may have lost your manhood but there’s still life in your body. Mend your ways or I will administer death to you. That’s what I’m really good at.”

I got to my feet while he remained in that awkward position on the ground like a frozen, twisted log. He didn’t even have the ability to move his tongue to threaten or curse me.

I swept past him, pulling the veil back over my face.

After some distance, I heard Ren’s footsteps behind me. Halting in my steps, I waited for him to catch up to me. By now, we’d come before a vast wall. Its tall, granite length brought back a tide of lost memories.

“Do you remember this place?” I asked just as Ren reached me.

“That’s the emperor’s private garden. We were always forbidden from going there.”

A small locked gate was the only way to enter through the impenetrable walls to reach the hidden gardens. I remembered a time when I threw a tantrum over the exclusivity of the garden. The young Princess Daria wanted to see the exotic flowers her royal uncle was growing there. But no matter how much I fussed, Ivan remained adamant. He would not share a glimpse of the garden with me.

“I am still curious,” I said, looking up at the high walls before me. “What has he been hiding in there?”

“It’s just an abandoned place now,” said Ren. “The emperor doesn’t even bother to guard this place any longer.”

I walked towards the low gate, the only entrance to Ivan’s private garden. A thick padlock hung from the iron bars.

Taking a pin from my hair, I began playing with the lock.

“We should really be heading back now,” said Ren from beside me. “There’s nothing to see there other than overgrown climbers over an abandoned garden.”

“Perhaps,” I said, continuing to coax the lock to open itself. “But the child in me wants to know what secret Ivan hid there.”

A few minutes later, the padlock opened with a satisfying click. The gates swung forward on rusty hinges, sounding loud in the quiet garden. Zane must have asked soldiers and servants not to disturb him while he was there to torture the women. It would be hours before he would have the ability to talk or move, giving me plenty of time to satiate my curiosity.

“Come along,” I said, proceeding to enter the place kept away from me for so long.

A disappointed huff escaped me as I stared out at the dismal scene before me. There was really nothing in the vast place other than a field of weeds with clumps of dried plants strewn all over the place.

“He was hiding this?” I asked, looking all around the field of weeds. The only thing noticeable about them was the tiny purple blossoms that bloomed on the reedy branches.

“I told you. This garden was abandoned ages ago.”

“How bizarre.” I walked forward, hoping to come across something. Walking through the field, I spotted nothing out of the ordinary. A breeze swept past me. A licorice aroma wafted through my nose. Suddenly, I felt the inner lining of my nostrils burning. A hacking cough overtook me. My throat was suddenly dry and itchy.

“Are you okay, Daria?” Ren was beside me in an instant.

I shook my head, the coughing getting worse.

I’d barely recovered from my heaving lungs when my hands started feeling itchy. I used my nails to scratch at my skin. To my astonishment, my skin came off, leaving bloody scrapes.

“What’s happening to you, Daria?”

A warm stream of blood poured down my nose as I continued to cough and itch at my bloodied hands.

There was only one possibility this was happening.

“I have been poisoned,” I managed to blurt through the coughing.

Through my streaming eyes, I watched Ren fussing over me. He seemed completely unaffected. Even if I was poisoned, why was I feeling the effect now? There was no way Zane could have done this to me. He was already down before I approached him.

“I am getting you out of here,” cried Ren in alarm. He swept me off my feet and into his arms. “I am taking you home now.”

I didn’t have the energy to argue with him. He rushed out of the garden, carrying me in his arms. My head swam with dizziness. Whatever kind of poison was in my body, it was steadily spreading through my blood.

Closing my eyes, I tried to determine what was happening to me. My internal aura was a dark indigo miasma, spreading through my veins rapidly.

However, I felt a slight change in my condition after a while.

Fresh air gushed into my lungs, relieving the dry itchiness in my throat. The coughing eased up.

Opening my eyes, I found myself leaning heavily against Ren. We were inside a palanquin that was being carried by a dozen men through the streets of Fuvaros.

“What happened?” I asked in a weak voice.

“I got you out of the palace,” said Ren. His face was set in a rigid expression of anxiety. “Stay quiet until we reach home. I’ll get a healer to come and take a look at you.”

“Don’t do that,” I said. “My symptoms are disappearing.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you could see the state you’re in right now.”

A slow smile came on my lips. “I am better now. Really.” I breathed slowly, afraid the dryness would come back but nothing happened. The air blowing in through the small window of the palanquin was making me feel much better already. “After you take me to my room, I want you to do something.”

“What’s that?”

“Go back to the forbidden garden and collect a sample of those weeds with purple blossoms.”

He looked at me like he doubted my sanity at the moment.

“They were the only thing in there. Why would Ivan bother hiding them? If there was really nothing to conceal, he would just break down the wall and make a garden out of it. Why is it still there?”

“You suspect something?”

I nodded. “Those weeds are poisonous.”

“But they didn’t affect me.”

“Perhaps, it only affects dragonborns?”

Ren stared at me, realization dawning on him. “It’s a possibility. In all these years, I haven’t seen him step into that place. He protected the area with all the power he could muster in your father’s time. One would think he would be attached to it, but no…he was hiding something that could be lethal to him too.”

“I didn’t think about it that far,” I admitted. “I just believe the weeds are poisonous but since you aren’t affected like me, it should be safe for you to go and pick them up. I want to study their properties and find out the mystery behind them.”

“I’ll do that, but for now, please rest. You’ve already lost a lot of blood and energy. The princes will kill me when they see you.”

I chuckled but the look on Ren’s face told me he didn’t find anything amusing about the situation. To him, they were fearsome men who could turn into fire-breathing monsters in the blink of an eye. To me, they were my mates, the only people I trusted wholeheartedly to keep me safe.

4

Cain

That morning, people walked the streets with dark expressions on their faces.

Citizens of Fuvaros never appeared happy on most days but today, it seemed like a cloud of doom was hanging over everyone’s heads.

Since, Adal, Norvin and I were pretending to serve Prince Ren in his household, it was imperative we gave the impression of doing something for him. That was the reason I was pretending to purposefully stride around the streets.

For the past two days, we shared a single room and wore servants’ uniforms but no one really understood what we were there for. Ren told his people we were there for his “personal use”.

For now, Ren’s house was the safest place for us to hide. It was far from the palace and filled with people who were loyal to him. Staying at the inn had become dangerous with posters of our company stuck on every wall of the capital. We couldn’t let the innkeeper or the servers recognize one of us.

Reaching the main square, my gaze fell on the crowd gathered around the large notice boards that had posters of all our faces stuck there. It wasn’t something new, so I became curious whether a new notice had been put up there.

Blending with the crowd, I inched towards the notices. Stuck over our faces was a new announcement. A quick read left the blood in my veins frozen.

Prince Kurozeru and the other royal princes of Baledonia have been given the death sentence for their treachery. The Great Emperor already meted out justice yesterday.

The province of Dakuru has been burnt down for not paying taxes in over a year.

Citizens are urged to remain vigilant and show their loyalty by exposing any traitors among them. The Great Emperor is benevolent to those who are loyal to his rule but merciless otherwise.

No wonder the townspeople appeared depressed this early in the day. They were expecting another disaster to befall them. Rumors of rogue dragon sightings all over the city were further making them nervous.

As I turned away from the crowd, I wondered how Adal and Norvin would react to the news.

Adal had been careful about his family’s safety right from the start. When we decided to embark on our impossible mission to overthrow Ivan, his only concern had been the royal family of Baledonia. He didn’t want to involve them in our schemes to keep his young nephews and nieces safe.

The news article said nothing about the other royal family members. It only mentioned the princes. I could only hope Ivan had spared them so that he could put one of them on the throne all the while controlling their actions.

My other worry was controlling Norvin. He wasn’t the kind of man to sit idle while his people were being killed and burned. He would want to avenge them.

For the past few months or so, I had no contact with my people either. Being away from Iorna got me desperate and anxious too. There was no way to know how my people were faring without their ruling prince.

Walking back to Ren’s house, I knew we couldn’t wait any longer.

All of us were already in Fuvaros. It was time to strike Ivan and take back control over our kingdoms and people.

I hurried back to Ren’s house, knowing it would be best for both my companions to hear the devastating news from me rather than coming across it from someone else. There was no one we could trust other than Daria. The bonds around our fates had become stronger than ever.

Reaching the house, I looked for Daria but she was nowhere to be found. Ren was also missing. Where could they be that early in the morning? I hoped they weren’t up to something dangerous again.

Heading to the room assigned to us, I found both Norvin and Adal eating bowls of barley porridge. They beckoned me as soon as they spotted me.

“The food is still warm,” called Norvin. “Come eat with us.”

I wondered if I should wait for them to finish eating before giving them the news. Once they heard what happened to their families and people, they would be too sick to eat.

I sat down on the small table in the corner and accepted the bowl Adal pushed towards me.

“Why do you look so grim?” asked Norvin. Some of the bluish tints were starting to appear among his henna-dyed orange hair. Within another week, the color of the natural dye would wash away completely and it won’t be long before someone recognized him. I glanced at Adal. The blonde of his hair already looked pronounced.

I ate some of the porridge without responding to them.

“Did you hear something distressing?” asked Adal. He was watching me closely. His bowl was already empty.

Releasing a heavy sigh, I pushed away the food. “There is something I have to tell you both.”

“Don’t sound like you’re about to announce doomsday,” said Norvin. “And where is Daria? Shouldn’t we wait for her?”

“Daria and Ren are missing. However, the news I am about to disclose pertains to both of you. The whole town knows anyway, so it’s time you heard too.”

“Did Ivan do something again?” asked Norvin in a grim voice. His purple-hued eyes watched me closely now.

“The night we were at the dragon temple in Fuvaros was the same night Ivan killed Kurozeru and your other brothers,” I said, looking at Adal. He froze immediately. Giving him a minute, I turned to Norvin. “Ivan burned the whole province of Dakuru.”

It was painful to watch the torturous expressions on both their faces. One lost his brothers while the other lost his people.

I sat there quietly, waiting for them to ask me more questions. My own mind wondered when I’d hear something just as tragic from Iorna. So far, there had been no news from my kingdom. Part of me wondered whether Helena was still looking to be my queen. It would be the only reason Ivan hadn’t razed Iorna to the ground.

“What about my mother?” asked Adal in a pained voice. “What about my nephews and nieces? Are they all right or did Ivan murder them too?”

“The article posted in the town square only spoke of the deaths of the royal princes. No one else.”

Closing his eyes, Adal gripped his hair tightly. “It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” I said sternly. “If given a chance, would you choose to do something different in the situation Kurozeru put you in? He didn’t even warn you of the dangers before coming to arrest you with his soldiers. Kurozeru showed you no loyalty. There is no need to blame his death on yourself. He was the one who thought he would live longer if he sided with Ivan.”

“I worry about my nephews and nieces,” said Adal. His blue eyes shone with unshed tears. “They’re still too young.”

“I’m sure you’ll protect them better than their fathers,” said Norvin. To my astonishment, he gripped Adal’s shoulder and forced him to look in his eyes. “It won’t be long before we set things right. Hold tight! This isn’t the time to indulge in grief.”

Norvin was still calm enough to console Adal despite hearing the news of Ivan destroying one of his provinces. I stared at him wide-eyed until he glanced at me.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” asked Norvin with a frown.

“I can’t believe how calm you are.”

He shook his head. “It’s not calm. It is resolve. Ivan will pay for every death he’s caused to my people.” He glanced between me and Adal. “It is time. We fight him. And for once, I’m glad Daria is absent. There is something I wanted to discuss with both of you. We retract the mission we gave her. We’ll be the ones to fight and defeat Ivan. Not her.”

Adal nodded. “I agree with you completely on that.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “There is no need to put her in danger anymore. I’m sure we can handle Ivan between ourselves.”

“Daria would still want us to be cautious,” said Adal in a low voice. His brows were knitted together as he thought of her. “We were supposed to read the tomes we collected in the dragon temple. There might be something of importance in there.”

“There’s no time to go through them all,” said Norvin. “I say we attack Ivan right away.”

And there it was. My companion’s irrepressible impatience.

“Let us wait for Daria to come back,” I said, not comfortable with Norvin’s hastiness. “We will attack him in the days to come but let’s not rush into something without a plan.”

Norvin’s fist connected with the table. The china bowls clattered at the heavy impact.

“Calm down, Norvin,” said Adal. “We will avenge ourselves but let’s wait for Daria. She needs to know what happened. We also need to tell her to withdraw from the mission.”

“Fine,” he bit out. “Where has she gone? And with that redhead too.”

“Let’s hope they get back soon,” I replied. “Ivan will already have heard about us terrorizing the city and the dragon temple.”

“He might even be aware of the books we stole,” added Adal. “I am worried about her now.”

A few hours passed with no news.

Close to noon, we heard a commotion coming from the front of the house. A single voice spoke in a loud, commanding tone. I recognized it to be Ren’s.

“Let’s take a look,” said Norvin, getting to his feet.

We joined a crowd of servants headed to the front foyer. Before we’d reached the spot, four women walked past us carrying a female body. Even though the limp figure’s face was veiled, I could easily tell it was Daria.

Ren followed after them, effectively ignoring us.

My hand shot out to prevent Norvin following them. “Wait until the crowd clears up,” I said under my breath.

“Master Ren is highly favoring the new maid,” a woman whispered to her friend. “He got a palace palanquin to carry her home.”

“But what’s wrong with her?”

“Who knows? Probably a fever or something.”

Within minutes, the maids and servants took their whisperings back to their stations.

“Let’s go,” said Adal. “No one will notice us now.”

We headed towards Daria’s bedchambers. Anxiety coiled around my chest tightly. What had Ren and Daria been up to that would lead her to become unconscious? My dragon urged me to go to her quickly. The mating bond had grown stronger between us.

Adal pushed the door to her bedchambers and strode forward. I followed after him and the first thing I noticed was Daria’s body on the bed. Ren had removed her veil, revealing her pale face and the streaks of dried blood that had dripped from her nose.

“What happened to her?” roared Norvin, stomping past me to reach Daria’s bedside.

“She was okay for a while,” said Ren in a tight voice. “But I suppose the effects of poison didn’t fully leave her body yet.”

“What poison?” I demanded. My dragon wanted me to tear into Ren for letting Daria get hurt.

“Daria and I went to the palace,” explained Ren, turning his attention to us. “She insisted we take a look at Ivan’s private garden. Only there was nothing there except a field of weeds. She got sick there. She believes the weeds are poisonous to her.”

“Then why aren’t you affected?” asked Adal.

“Daria believes it only affects dragonborns. She suspects that’s the place Ivan used to grow them secretly so he could poison her father and the other dragons fifteen years ago. She asked me to go back and collect more of the herb.”

“It looks bad,” said Adal in a low voice. He was seated on the edge of her bed and gently caressed her hand. The skin there looked raw and bloody. It was only a minute before he started itching at his own palm. “It’s affecting me too.” His worried blue eyes met mine and Norvin’s. Glancing at Ren, he said, “Did Daria touch those weeds?”

“They might have brushed her,” said Ren. “But no, she didn’t touch any particularly. The breeze might have also caused some of the pollen to enter her body through her nose. She bled from her nose earlier.”

“This is a potent poison,” said Adal in a grim tone. “Just touching Daria’s hand is making me want to peel my skin away. Can you imagine what would happen if one of us consumed it?”

“Why did you take her to the palace?” asked Norvin with a narrowed gaze. “You must have already heard the great things your father did.”

“He is not my father.”

“But why did you both go to the palace?” asked Adal.

“I asked her for a personal favor. She agreed.”

Norvin strode forward and clutched the front of Ren’s tunic. “How do we know you didn’t do this to her?”

“If I wanted to hurt her, she would be dead already,” said Ren, matching Norvin’s angry gaze. “It wouldn’t have been hard when I first found her with an arrow sticking out of her chest.”

Norvin pushed him away with a grunt.

“I am going back to the palace,” said Ren. “I’ll get some of the maids to look after her. In the meantime, I suggest you don’t touch her.” Tying his cloak around him, Ren left the room.

“Could you get me a basin of cold water?” said Adal through gritted teeth. “I can’t bear the way it’s burning my skin.” His hand was beginning to like Daria’s. Bloody scratches had appeared on them.

A soft murmur caused us to look towards the bed. Daria was slowly sitting up.

Blinking her eyes open, she met our gazes.

“Did you touch me, Adal?” she asked at once, staring at the red scratches on his hand.

“Yes. Looks like I got affected too.”

She frowned, despite looking like she was going to be sick. “Have you ever read about such a potent poison?”

“Something that specifically targets dragonborns?” said Adal. “No.”

“How are you feeling Daria?” asked Norvin, reaching her bedside. He was about to touch her hand but she snatched it away.

“Don’t touch me until I’ve gotten rid of the poison. It will take me an entire night to get rid of it. I will be greatly weakened though. I already lost too much energy healing Helena and a couple of maids.”

“What? Why would you heal Helena?” I demanded.

“It was a favor I owed Ren,” she said in a bitter tone. She put up her hand before I could ask her to explain herself. “Come here, Adal. I’ll heal your wound.”

“No. You need to preserve your strength to heal yourself.”

She shook her head. “It won’t take much to cure you. After that, make sure no maid or servant bothers me in these chambers. I will be in deep meditation and a disturbance can cause me to injure myself.”

“We’ll protect you,” I vowed to her.

Adal moved closer to her. Daria didn’t touch him but merely placed her hand over his. Before our eyes, the red scratches on his skin disappeared.

“Thank you, love,” said Adal.

Daria leaned away from him. “Now go. I’ll be fine by tonight.”

I gestured at both Adal and Norvin and together, we left the room.

Once we were outside, I turned to my companions. “We’ll speak to her about our decision when she gets better.”

They both agreed.

“We’ll watch over her until then,” said Norvin, leaning against the wall.

5

Daria

The sun was close to setting by the time I was able to get the poison out of my system. It was extremely minute but the effect it had on me was devastating. I didn’t want to think what would have happened if someone gave me a concentrated dose of the venom.

The clothes on my body were drenched in sweat. I shivered with cold shudders, trying to get on my feet. My head throbbed painfully. Somehow, I managed to reach the pewter jug nearby and poured myself some wine. After a few gulps, I felt a little warmth spreading through my veins but not enough to make me feel any better.

I headed for the door and opened it.

Three figures stood guarding the passageway. Their heads turned in my direction the moment I stepped out.

“How are you, Daria?” Cain’s deep voice spoke up.

“The poison is gone but I still need time to recuperate.” I leaned heavily against the wall to support myself.

“You need to lie down,” said Cain, reaching me. Bending down, he easily swept me in his powerful arms and walked inside the room. Adal and Norvin followed after him.

“We need to get you out of these clothes,” said Adal just as Cain laid me on the bed. “They’re damp and you will catch a chill if you stay in them.”

“I’ll get some hot water to bathe her,” said Norvin. “In the meantime, strip her out of those wet clothes.” He hurried out of the room while Cain began loosening the ties and hooks of the dress I wore.

Weak as I was, warmth flooded my cheeks. While I’d been intimate with both Cain and Adal and it didn’t matter whether they saw me naked at a time like this, it never happened with both of them present at the same time.

I remained quiet as both Cain and Adal stripped me of the maids’ uniform. Their whole focus was on getting the dress off me as gently as possible. Neither realized they weren’t alone with me.

Norvin arrived in the room with a steaming basin of water. His gaze zeroed onto my naked form before meeting my shy glance. Moving forward, he placed the basin on my bedside table.

“Look for a washcloth,” said Norvin.

Adal moved away to rummage in the bottom drawer of the wooden cabinet in the room, coming back with a stack of neatly folded linen towels.

Each of my princes took one and dipped them in the hot, steaming water.

Without a word, they began washing my arms, face, chest, and legs.

The headache tormenting me before disappeared as I succumbed to the three pairs of hands on my body. Soft, pleasurable moans escaped me. My core throbbed each time I met one of their intense gazes on me. Arousal pooled between my legs.

I pressed my thighs together tightly.

“Loosen up,” said Norvin in a rough, husky voice. He parted my thighs and sensuously swiped the warm, wet linen towel on my inner thigh. His purple-hued eyes glanced into mine. “You’re dripping, woman.” My cheeks burned hotter as Adal and Cain followed Norvin’s gaze. My core pulsed with desire at the sight of them gathered around my naked body. Weak as I was, I needed my mates to take me right then.

Norvin’s warm finger slid through my slit, causing a shudder to ripple through my body. “She is so ready for us.”

“She needs to rest,” said Adal. He averted my gaze but I’d noticed how his eyes had darkened when Norvin touched my sex. “She is still too weak.”

“Yes, but we can help her relax,” said Cain. He sat down on the edge of the bed and lifted my body onto his lap. I leaned against his broad, hard chest, feeling completely safe as his arms came to hold me protectively.

“Keep her like that,” said Norvin, proceeding to part my thighs once more and dipping two of his fingers inside my wet, pulsing core. I moaned out, thoroughly enjoying the feel of his digits stretching my walls.

“Adal,” I murmured. “Don’t stay so far away from me.”

He hesitated for a moment but came to sit on my other side on the bed. Leaning into me, he whispered, “I can never stay away from you.” Angling my head towards him, he captured my lips between his. At the same Cain, placed his mouth on one of my nipples and sucked it hard.

“Ahhh.” I moaned into Adal’s mouth as his tongue swept over mine.

With Norvin’s fingers working deep inside me, I felt my core tighten deliciously.

Cain and Adal held me to them tightly as Norvin worked me to a climax. My inner walls clamped around his fingers, urging him to move deeper inside me. His thumb brushed over my clit, making my pleasure rise higher.

I moaned into Adal’s mouth as heat rushed through my veins to warm me to the very tips of my toes and fingers. My awareness of each of their touches was fuelling my desire to new heights. My fingers clutched onto the bed sheet underneath me as my pleasure became unbearable.

Suddenly, all my control came crashing down. A soft cry escaped me as my body trembled against Adal and Cain’s. Waves of pleasure cascaded down on me and I was left to gasp and moan, feeling thoroughly relieved and energized at the same time.

“Better?” asked Norvin, looking deep into my lust-hazed eyes.

“Yes.” My head fell against Cain’s chest.

“She needs to sleep,” said Cain, lowering me among the pillows and covering my body with a thick quilt. “We’ll bring you some food. After that, you can sleep.”

I nodded, lying down completely. The nausea and sickness I’d been feeling earlier left me completely. For the first time, I was becoming aware of the energy my mates could suffuse within me. The pleasure I derived from them was more healing than any medicine.

“We’ll watch over her until you get back,” said Adal.

Cain walked out of the room and Norvin followed him with the basin of water. Adal lay down next to me and gently caressed my hair.

“I have never been so pampered before,” I whispered, looking up into his vivid blue eyes.

“This is nothing. You deserve much more.” He left soft kisses on my forehead.

“Did anything happen while I was away this morning?” I asked after a while.

The anxiety settling into his eyes gave me the answer to my question.

“What happened?” I asked when Adal wouldn’t speak.

“Ivan killed my brothers,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut. “I don’t know if the children are safe. Mother and Kora might be in danger too.”

“When did this happen?” I asked.

“On the night we were in the dragon temple. The following day, Ivan burnt an entire province in Redfall because the people failed to pay taxes after years of drought.”

Anger and frustration rose within me. The old feeling of being helpless against the emperor was coming back to me. When I achieved my true dragon, my confidence rose. I’d vowed to never let such atrocities happen again. While I was basking in the achievement of my personal powers, Ivan was back to being a ruthless emperor.

Covering a sheet to my chest, I climbed out of bed.

“Where are you going?” asked Adal.

“I am putting on some clothes.” Opening the cabinet in the corner, I took out a loose woolen gown. Donning it, I went back to pour myself another glass of wine.

“We think it’s time to stand up against Ivan,” said Adal in a low, grim voice.

I nodded, taking large sips of the sweet wine. “I am going to be ready soon. Ren can get me information on Ivan’s schedule in the palace. Once I find an opportunity, I will attack him.”

“No, Daria.”

Adal stood before me now. “We are canceling the mission we gave you.”

“What?”

“Let her at least eat something before springing it on her,” said Norvin, entering the room. Both he and Cain carried massive trays full of food. “We brought up our meals too,” he added, noticing me staring at the mountain of roast meat on the platters.”

They arranged the trays on the small table in my room.

Pilling up a plate with roast meat and vegetables, Cain handed it to me.

I wanted Adal to explain himself but the sight and smell of the food made my stomach groan with hunger. Picking up a rib, I tore into the meat, savoring the taste of fresh venison.

My princes settled around me with their food.

For a while, we were silent. We ate, each lost to their own thoughts.

When my plate was wiped clean, I poured myself another goblet of wine. Settling down on a plush chair, I looked at the princes. They all looked grim with resolve.

“Tell me what you meant, Adal,” I said.

“We don’t want you going against Ivan,” he said. “The three of us should be able to defeat him. We want you safe. So, we’ve decided to cancel the contract between us that bound you to kill Ivan.”

“But why? I can fight against him too. I am a true dragon now.”

“We don’t want to put you in any more danger,” said Cain. “Back when we went to ask for assistance from Lady Elga, we had no choice but to employ an assassin who could do the task quietly. Of course, it was a far-fetched mission in the first place. We didn’t think it would be possible until we met you.”

“I can still carry out the task quietly,” I said. “I am still an assassin.”

“No, Daria. It’s too dangerous,” said Norvin. “We’d rather handle him ourselves. Between us, we agree it must be done immediately. We can’t wait any longer and have him crush more of our people and family.”

“We need more time to prepare,” I said, my voice rising. “What if Ivan has more of the poison made from the weeds I saw this morning? He might have the antidote to it but you will die if you’re affected by it. Just breathing in the same air as those plants was enough to make me bleed and scratch the skin off my hands. Can you imagine what the distilled essence of the herb will do to you?”

“Ivan won’t have the time to poison us,” said Cain. “We’ll draw him to battle in the mountains on the outskirts of Fuvaros. The citizens should be safe from the dragons.”

I shook my head. “I don’t agree with this plan.” My heart squeezed with fear as I saw the determined look on each of their faces. Even Adal was adamant. None of them wanted to involve me in the fight against Ivan.

Frustration rose within me. Why were they suddenly treating me like a fragile woman?

Cain rose to his feet. “Rest for now. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Stay with me,” I insisted. “We haven’t even had a proper discussion on the matter yet.”

“We are heading to the mountains,” said Norvin, going to stand next to Cain. “We’ll practice flying around in our true forms and build up some defensive moves between us.”

“If you wait another day or two, I could join you in your exercises,” I said, grabbing at whatever excuse I could to stop them from making up their minds about going up against Ivan by themselves.

As far as I knew, the emperor was far too conniving to be defeated by the sheer strengths of three dragons. He’d murdered an entire group of dragons without even achieving his true form. We had to take the time to be fully prepared against him.

I looked towards Cain. “You are being too hasty about this.”

“Perhaps,” he said with a nod. “But I am determined about one thing. We won’t put you in any more danger. You’re our mate and we’ll protect you with our lives.” He pushed open the door before another retort could leave my mouth. Adal and Norvin swiftly left after him, leaving me to fume alone.

6

Daria

That night, sleep eluded me.

My mind refused to calm down ever since my princes told me they didn’t want my help to defeat Ivan anymore. While their dragon forms gave them absolute power over ordinary mortals, it would barely give them equal footing with an experienced beast like Ivan. The emperor was older and more aware of our strengths and weaknesses than us. His cold cruelty made him a lethal enemy.

Ren didn’t come to my quarters last night. The princes must have prevented him from seeing me while I was trying to get the poison out of my body. I wanted to get my hands on the weeds that seemed to be lethal to dragonborns alone. Combined with the tomes we’d stolen from the dragon temple, I might just be able to concoct an antidote to it.

As far as I could read into the mind of the dragon emperor, he would definitely use the poison as a weapon against the princes. All these years, he never expected another dragon to rise up against him. He’d made sure to be the last one in the realm. Fate decided differently and here we were. However, with the little time he had to prepare against us, he was sure to use the last weapon he used on the other dragons.

I climbed out of bed as soon as the first rays of the rising sun entered through the shafts of the window.

My energy seemed restored despite my sleepless night.

Wrapping myself in a plain woolen dress, I walked out of my quarters to look for Ren. On the way to his bedchambers, I took a quick look at the place the princes were staying.

It was a modest room with three cots and a single cabinet to hold their possessions. The place was empty and from the looks of the beds, they hadn’t been slept in. My gut squeezed with worry as I shut the door behind me and hurried towards Ren’s chambers. I had to know what those weeds were and find a possible antidote to them before my princes got too impatient and attacked Ivan.

I pushed open the door to Ren’s chambers without knocking.

He was sprawled on the bed, snoring lightly. Shafts of sun rays fell on his vivid ginger hair, lighting the strands like fire. He looked so peaceful I almost didn’t want to wake him up. Almost.

Marching forward, I called out his name loudly.

“What’ssamatter!” He moaned, sitting up, his eyes too heavy with sleep to open them fully.

“Wake up!” I said loudly, moving around his room and opening every curtain to let in the morning light. “It’s morning already.”

“I could have been naked,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes and frowning at me. “There could’ve been naked women in here.”

I chuckled. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“How roguish of you, princess,” he said with a pout. Running a hand through his hair, he stared at me. “How are you feeling now? Yesterday, the three brutes wouldn’t let me come near your chambers.”

“I am better now.” Taking a seat at the edge of the bed, I said, “I needed to meditate to re-vitalize my life energy and force the venom out of my body. It’s an intense process that requires my utmost concentration. A break in focus could’ve led to a greater injury.”

Ren’s frustration with being woken early disappeared. He looked anxious now. “Is the poison gone now?” he asked, glancing at my hands. Smooth skin stretched between my fingers now. I’d healed all the rashes there.

“It is gone.”

He exhaled a long breath. “That’s good. I got so worried when you passed out a second time in the carriage.”

“Did you get the weeds?”

“Yeah. They’re over there.” He pointed to a desk in the corner. “I’ve wrapped them in cloth. Wear gloves when you touch them.”

I nodded. “I definitely won’t be touching them with naked skin.” Getting to my feet, I walked to the desk and found a long package wrapped in red silk. “I will start studying them today. Will the servants mind if I set up a small stove area in my chambers? I am hoping to concoct an antidote for it.”

“You can do whatever you like here,” said Ren. “Although, your humble servant begs that you don’t burn his house down. It would attract a lot of attention. The bad kind.”

I chuckled. “Thank you.” I let the humor pass away before turning to more serious matters. “Do you know what Ivan did in Baledonia and Redfall?”

His face paled at my question immediately. “You heard?”

“They told me. You kept it from me so you could get me to cure Helena.”

He averted his gaze. “You caught me.”

“So, is she any better?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Not really. I told her about a miraculous healer I’d come across who claimed to be able to heal deep burns. His only condition was that he would do it by keeping his identity a secret.” He let out an exhausted breath. “Helena wants to meet this mysterious doctor now. She wants to know if he can heal a severed dick as well.”

A cold, amused chuckle escaped my lips.

“There’s the spoiled princess I recognize so well,” I said scathingly.

“I see it differently,” he argued. “She got healed fully and now wants the same for her brother. Yes, she is demanding more than she’s supposed to get but at least, she is thinking of her brother.”

I shook my head. Ren would never see her as a villain. In his mind, she was a poor orphan who got twisted into a cruel, heartless woman because of the influences of Ivan and his sons. I wondered how much he would pity me if he knew I was raised among assassins and what I had to go through to become one.

“Keep the servants away from my quarters,” I said, moving to the door. “That’s all I need for the time being.”

He gave me a mock salute from where he sat on the bed before slumping back among the pillows.

Taking the herbs, I went back to my quarters.

Before opening the cloth package, I collected leather gloves from the wardrobe in my room. Remembering how even the fragrance of the flowers affected me, I cast an air spell around my head. It supplied me with a steady supply of fresh air that wasn’t tainted by any odor or dust surrounding me.

Thus armed, I placed the package on a table and unfolded the length of fabric concealing the herb.

The plant that Ren dug out was wilted by now but the purple hue of its blossoms remained intact. It looked like any wildflower plant that grew in a forest or the valleys. There was nothing distinguishable about it except for the tiny flowers and the licorice aroma that wafted from it.

I wracked my brains to remember about such a poison but nothing came up in my memory.

Of course, the books on poison available in Linmoor Valley were all about killing human adversaries. No one ever thought to confront a dragon. However, if I could find something about this particular weed I knew assassinating a dragon wouldn’t be much of a problem. Perhaps, this was the bit of knowledge that helped Ivan kill the other dragons of his time.

Leaving the weed, I went to the corner where the tomes from the dragon temple were stacked up together. Adal and I had decided to go through them together. A sliver of annoyance snaked through me. My mates were away honing their skills while the secret to defeat Ivan lay in the books.

Muttering a curse under my breath, I picked up a tome on poisons. When I’d cast a spell on the books, this was the one that held the least amount of dust on its surface, meaning this was the book Ivan used the most.

It was a thick volume.

I heaved it to the table and sat down in a chair to read.

The morning sunshine grew brighter as the day progressed, illuminating the thick yellowed parchments of the tome. To my surprise, the book was full of illustrations and notes on various plants and poisons available in the mountains and valleys of Drakhaven. If I wasn’t in a race to search about the particular purple-blossomed weeds, I would have leisurely read through it and added the herbs to my arsenal of poisons.

It was close to sundown when I reached the middle of the book. Eyes feeling heavy with exhaustion, I was about to turn a heavy page when a full-sized illustration of the mysterious weed jumped out at me. The writer had done a wonderful job of adding every detail to the tiny blossoms, slightly upturned leaves, and thick stem and roots.

Scraping my chair closer to the desk, I began reading about the plant.

Dračí kosť, more commonly known as Dragon’s bane, is a common weed growing in the foothills of the mountains of Drakhaven. They have no effect on ordinary mortals but are a potent toxin to dragonborns. For this reason, dragon royalties actively sought the destruction of this commonly growing plant. Other than deep woods where no one ventures, it is extremely hard to come by.

The chapter went on to discuss how every part of the plant was toxic to dragonborns.

Ivan had built an entire garden to house these toxic weeds. He’d kept them concealed, saying it was his private sanctuary and even got my father to keep me away from it. If only the late King Helmut knew what his brother was concocting in there.

Closing the tome, I walked to the window. The last rays of the sun were disappearing below the horizon, leaving behind a crimson sunset. I was certain what caused the deaths of all the royalties fifteen years ago. What I needed to know now was how Ivan stayed protected from the effects. If he brewed a potion to concentrate the toxin, he had to be affected too.

I went back to the corner where the tomes from the dragon temple were stacked up. Part of me missed Adal terribly. He would have been so helpful in finding answers to the riddles. Instead, he was still away with Cain and Norvin, practicing his newfound powers.

I wanted to join them too. The underground chambers in the dragon temple had barely been able to contain me. I wanted to spread my wings to their fullest span and experiment with flying too.

But that won’t help defeat Ivan, I told myself. I have to get to the bottom of his tricks to overpower him.

Among the tomes gathered in the corner, I found one on dark magic. One look at the blood-stained leather-bound book and I knew what it was meant for. Knowing someone like Ivan would be instantly drawn to it, I picked up the tome and carried it to the table.

A low headache throbbed dully in the back of my head.

Deciding to take a break, I went into the kitchens to look for something to eat.

Ren’s maids were busy at the moment, working to make bread and stir a pot of stew. They stared at me with open curiosity. Ignoring them, I looked around and found a basket of ripe pears nearby.

Taking the whole thing, I walked out of there.

I released a breath of relief when no one stopped me.

Going back to my quarters, I munched on the fruit. The sweet juices ran down the corner of my chin as I thought of my princes. They hadn’t come back yet.

Anxiety swirled in my stomach but I decided to ignore it. If people had seen them anywhere close to the city, there would have been a hue and cry about it already. Even the streets surrounding the house seemed quiet as night fell.

I went back to the book on dark magic. Sure enough, the pages were filled with gruesome illustrations of cut-up animals and humans, all chopped in a way to aid in rituals that would bind dark spirits to you. One could command these spirits to carry out your orders or ask for a boon in exchange for release.

I was able to turn the pages of this tome quickly as I was aware of most of the rituals. Elga taught us most of them in theory, always cautioning not to use them unless we were desperate. Capturing a dark spirit always brought calamity to the one who used them. Only when one had nothing to lose, would they go about conducting dark magic.

Towards the end of the book, I came across a marked portion. There were several handwritten notes in the corners of the yellowed pages. Looking closely, I found it was a ritual for binding a spirit to you that could protect you from the effects of poisoning.

Taking the book with me, I headed to Ren’s quarters. He would be the only one who could tell me whether the handwritten notes belonged to Ivan.

A shaft of candlelight shone from the gap underneath his door. Glad to know he was still awake, I knocked on the door before pushing it open.

“You look tired,” he said as soon as his gaze fell on me.

“I was reading the whole day,” I said, striding inside the room and closing the door firmly behind me. “I came across something interesting.”

He beckoned me towards his desk where he sat writing something on a long length of parchment. Placing the book on his table, I opened it to the marked spot.

“Do you see these scribbles?” I asked, pointing to the handwritten notes.

“Yes?”

“Do they look familiar to you?”

Ren bent down to take a closer look. “It looks like the emperor’s hand.” He turned his head to look up at me with wide eyes. “Ivan used this ritual?”

I nodded.

“It is horrendous,” he said in a disgusted voice. Glancing back at the text, he said, “He slaughtered a hundred live pigeons and two men, and then drank their blood. It’s grotesque!”

“It’s a small price for what he got in return.”

“Mysterious gardens of poisonous weeds, sacrificing birds and men…how come no one knew what he was up to?”

“My mother suspected him but she was too worried about the reputation of the royal family to bring his deeds to light,” I said, remembering the memories where I’d seen her confront Ivan. “If she took the courage to speak to Father, she could have saved her own life and the lives of the other dragons.”

“Being a queen is a difficult matter,” said Ren in a grim voice. “It couldn’t have been an easy decision to make.” He released a heavy sigh. “So, have these tomes been helpful to you?”

I nodded. “They give a glimpse into the dangerous knowledge Ivan came across in the library. No wonder, he’s been scared of books and had most of the older texts burned. He didn’t even spare the scholars versed in the Ancient Tongue, fearing they could bring his downfall.”

“He did so much to suppress wisdom and knowledge,” said Ren. “He had the whole Fire Clan massacred so there would be no more dragons but somehow, four true dragons have appeared in the realm.”

“His time is over.” A defeated sigh escaped me. “I just wish the princes would return by tomorrow so I can tell them about everything I’ve found out.”

Ren chuckled. “You sound annoyed with them.”

“I am! They made up their minds about not needing my help without even speaking to me.”

“They want to keep you safe,” he said in a soft whisper. His grim gaze met mine. “In this matter, I agree with them. Let them handle Ivan. I’d rather have my future queen safe in the battle to come.”

“They need me, Ren!”

“That’s what you think.”

My nostrils flared with anger. Picking up the book, I closed it shut. “I’m going to bed,” I declared.

Ren’s amused laughter followed me as I stomped out of the room.

7

Ren

It was another chilly day despite a weak morning sun shining overhead. Nestling deeper into the sheets, I wondered if Daria would march into my chambers today as well. The hopeless romantic in me kept dreaming up impossible scenarios with her, but after the favor I forced out of her, I doubted whether she’ll ever see me the same way again.

I was grateful to her for curing Helena but guilt settled in my gut. Instead of feeling relieved about Helena’s recovery, I felt guilt weighing down my chest. She’d gone against her will to repay my kindness. It irked me to think she considered my help as a debt she owed me. Everything I did for her and the three princes, I did willingly.

I worried our relationship would get more complicated in the days to come.

If Helena refused to accept Daria as her queen, things would become even more strained between us. I just hoped Helena would be sensible enough to drop her hatred towards her future queen.

Even though it was early morning, I could hear a commotion outside in the corridors. As the effects of sleep slowly disappeared, I became aware of the noise coming from the streets. What was happening?

Before I could proceed to climb out of bed, someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” I demanded in a tight voice.

“Me, Your Highness.”

It was the voice of my personal valet.

“Come in, Paery.”

The middle-aged man entered the door, looking pale and shaking.

“What is going on? Why are people shouting?” I demanded immediately.

“Three dragons were circling overhead us,” said Paery in a wavering voice. “I saw them myself, Your Highness.”

“What did these dragons look like?”

“One was a gold-scaled one and the other a silver. The third was a water dragon, I believe. Blue scales like shining sapphires, Your Highness.”

I could feel my own blood draining from my face. The silver dragon and the water snake dragon belonged to Cain and Norvin respectively. I’d seen them transform only a few days ago near the temple site.

“What were these dragons doing?” I asked. “Did they harm anyone?”

“No. They were flying around the market square, egging the soldiers. So far, they haven’t harmed anyone or set fire to anything.”

“Get my clothes ready immediately,” I said, jumping out of bed. “Hurry, Paery.”

My valet rushed to get my things ready while I washed my face in a basin of water. Donning whatever he got for me, I bound the long length of my ginger hair with a leather tie and headed out.

Daria would want to know what was going on.

The princes went ahead in attacking Ivan without telling her anything. They probably wanted to get things done before Daria would even know about it. Even though they were full-fledged dragons, I had to wonder whether it was really wise to go up against the emperor without any sort of plan. For their sakes, I hoped they’d thought things through.

Reaching Daria’s quarters, I pushed open the door without bothering to knock.

She was still in bed, sleeping soundly but stirred as my footsteps echoed loudly against the wooden floor. Opening her emerald-green eyes slowly, she blinked at me.

“Why are you here?” she asked, sitting up in bed. The sheet covering her body slipped off her and revealed the thin nightgown she was wearing. The treacherous man within me ogled at the display of her ample cleavage before meeting her curious gaze.

“You need to get dressed quickly,” I said, averting my eyes from the beautiful sight before me.

“What’s wrong?” She halted for a moment. “Why is it so noisy this morning?”

“It’s the dragon princes,” I said. “They revealed themselves to the entire town before heading to the palace. Ivan might already be engaged in chasing them away.”

Daria froze, her wide green eyes set on me.

“Tell me it’s not true.”

I shook my head. “Forgive me, Daria. We should have expected this to happen. Neither Prince Adal nor Prince Norvin would sit back when their families and lands were attacked. Iorna would be next. I am sure Cain wanted to take action before Ivan turned his attention to his kingdom.”

“Why couldn’t they tell me?” she demanded, rounding on me. “Did you know what they were going to do?”

I put up my hands in the face of her fury. “Of course, not! It’s my conjecture but it explains their hastiness.”

Daria crossed the room, reaching the cabinet on the other side. Throwing it wide open, she rummaged among the clothes, taking out of a pair of leather breeches and a simple woolen tunic.

“I am going after them,” she said, moving away from me. “You can leave.”

“Daria, wait.” I held onto her upper arm, matching her angry stare. “Promise me you’ll be careful. No matter what happens you have to be safe. You’re the only hope for Drakhaven’s future.”

“Nothing will make me forget me that. I’ve suffered for fifteen years with no memories of my past,” she said in a low, biting tone. “It ends today.”

I loosened my hold on her. The fierceness in her gaze told me she was ready to tackle an impossible foe like Emperor Ivan himself. Stepping back, I bowed my head before proceeding to leave the room.

Once outside, I waited in the corridor.

The door opened fairly quickly. Daria stood at the threshold, dressed in a pair of breeches and a long, woolen tunic. A belt of tanned leather was tied at her waist securely. The length of her long, dark hair was twisted in a simple braid. She looked like a local huntress in her attire.

I met her resolute gaze.

“I’ll be waiting for you,” I said, moving forward to hug her once. “Be safe.”

She gave a nod and strode past me.

My chest swelled with a hundred emotions as I watched her go. If she and her princes could really bring an end to the emperor’s rule, they would create history today.

“Your Highness,” called a voice from up ahead.

“What is it, Paery?”

“Will you be riding to the palace, Your Highness?”

“Are you mad? Tell all the servants and maids to stay indoors today. Ordinary mortals like ourselves must preserve our lives while the dragons engage in their battles.”

“Are those three dragons really going up against the emperor?” asked Paery with wide eyes.

Actually, four, I thought in my head. Aloud, I said, “Bring me some hot wine. I’d rather not be this wide awake and anxious waiting for news.”

As my valet hurried away to carry out my order, I silently prayed for Daria and her mates.

8

Daria

Heart pounding with fear and adrenaline, I strode through the corridors of Ren’s house until I came out on the streets.

People spoke in loud voices, gesturing to the sky every so often. The air was heavy with terror and panic. The citizens of Fuvaros had seen the rumors of dragons coming to life that morning. My gaze swept around the street and for a moment, I breathed a sigh of relief. Cain and the others took the fight away from the city, ensuring the safety of my people.

I approached a group of adolescent boys in the corner who were animatedly talking about the dragons they saw. They spoke of a blue-scaled water dragon and a gold-armored dragon, flying westward towards the mountains.

Stepping in front of them, I asked, “Are you sure they went that way?”

The five of them nodded. Their wide eyes stared at me unabashedly. “Where did you come from?” one of them asked, moving uncomfortably close to me.

“Did you see the emperor’s dragon following them?” I asked, stepping backward.

“No. The Great Dragon was chasing after the silver one,” said a second boy, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I struggled to suppress the urge to break his wrist. They were basically telling me that Cain was being chased by Ivan. Brushing off his hand, I asked, “Did they all go westward?”

“Aye.”

“You are welcome to stay with us until we know what’s going on for sure,” said the first boy. He gave me a salacious grin and winked at me.

I rolled my eyes.

Turning around, I walked down the street in search of a quiet and abandoned nook to shift into my true form. To my annoyance, two of the boys I’d spoken with earlier followed me. Ignoring them, I kept up my search.

Soon, I came upon a narrow alley between two shops that was completely deserted.

“I told you she’d be willing to have us.” I heard one of the boys say to another.

Turning around to face them, I grinned at them.

Smiling back with relief, they walked towards me but before they could get closer, I let the shifting magic run through my veins. In the blink of an eye, my body changed its form, pumping pure power through every muscle. My vision sharpened and I tasted the heady scent of sulfurous smoke in my lungs.

Two frightened teens stood frozen before me. From my vantage point, they looked amusingly small. A snort escaped me. Thick gray fumes rose from my nostrils, making the boys scream in terror.

Now you’ll remember never to follow a strange woman into a deserted alley, I thought, unfurling my wings to their widest span.

Stretching the long length of my neck, I prepared for flight. It was surreal how my body knew exactly how to poise before lifting off with my feet. The flap of my massive wings gave me a pleasant lift, raising my entire body off the ground.

The sound of people’s screams and shouts reached my ears as I flew over the town. Looking down, I saw the children cheering and clapping and then older men and women watching me with awe and confusion.

They were probably wondering where we’d come from. Our sudden appearance must be puzzling and terrifying at the same time. Hopefully, they would realize we didn’t mean to hurt them. We were there to protect them from Ivan.

Soon, I’d left the city of Fuvaros behind me. With the sight of people gone and nothing but the snowy mountains on the horizon, my thoughts went back to Cain, Adal, and Norvin.

Ivan would surely use the poison from the dragonsbane weed to injure my princes. While he was immune to it, Cain, Adal, and Norvin would be fatally wounded even if a little went into their bloodstreams.

I struggled not to let the rising panic overpower me.

From what I’d gathered through the tomes we’d collected in the dragon temple, I would be able to defeat Ivan by breaking the magical bond he’d formed with the dark spirit. It won’t be a difficult feat because the spirit would need only a little nudging to start resisting Ivan’s commands. However, it would be useless if Ivan managed to injure the princes before I even got there.

Elga’s cold voice flitted through my mind.

Even if the princes withdrew their orders to kill the emperor, Elga still held me to the promise that I’d protect Cain, Adal, and Norvin with my life. You have to stay strong, I prayed desperately in my mind, steadily crossing the distance to reach the mountains in the west.

Smoke from a distant peak caught my attention. Thick, dark clouds rose from the snow-capped hill. Urging my wings to beat faster, I rushed towards the spot.

I’d barely gotten closer when I saw two dragons battling over the mountains. One was a large black-scaled dragon, similar to me while the other was a blue-scaled water dragon. I glanced everywhere but Cain and Adal were absent.

I hovered over my spot, watching the battle taking place.

Ivan’s dragon was trying to get closer to Norvin. He flew better and more agilely than Norvin, managing to get his maw dangerously close to him.

Norvin shot streaks of lightning at Ivan’s dragon, thwarting his every attempt to get close to him.

The lightning strikes were useful, momentarily stunning Ivan but it wasn’t enough to stop him completely. I could see Norvin’s dragon panting and gasping for air after each attack. He wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long.

Ivan was waiting for the exact opportunity when Norvin would get tired and then find the opening to attack him.

As I watched them battle, I wondered where Cain and Adal were. They should have been there to watch Norvin’s back while he fought with Ivan.

Giving the two battling dragons a wide berth, I flew at a lower altitude, keeping my eyes on the ground down below. Just as I passed a low jagged peak, my gaze fell on two slumped figures down below. Even from this height, my keen eyes caught the sight of stark crimson patches among the glittering snow.

My heart skittered to stop.

Heart thundering in my ears, I swooped towards the figures on the ground.

As soon as my massive hind legs touched the ground, I shifted back to my human form. Cold winds hit me hard as I ran against the draft to reach the figures lying several feet away. Even from the distance, I could recognize the particular shade of Adal’s henna-dyed blond locks.

A cry rose up inside me.

Reaching Adal and Cain, I saw the blood pooling from wide gashes on the side of their torsos.

“No,” I whispered, unable to withstand the sight before me. They couldn’t be dead. Not this soon.

Tears ran down my face in steady streams as I stared at Cain and Adal’s unmoving body. Slowly, I let my knees fold. Coming to sit beside Cain, I gazed into his pale face.

“Cain.” A ragged whisper of intense pain escaped my lips. My hand reached out to stroke the dark curls of his hair.

“Daria.”

Had it been my imagination or did Cain really call out for me?

“Cain,” I spoke louder. “Cain! Can you hear me?”

A steely-gray eye opened up to stare at me.

“It’s really you, my heart,” he whispered. A hacking cough overcame him then. Blood spurted out of his mouth, drenching the snow in dark crimson.

He’s alive! I thought with sudden giddiness.

Crouching down beside him more comfortably, I placed a hand on his frigid forehead. It never boded well for a dragonborn’s body to go cold. Closing my eyes, I focused on the energy streaming inside him. Thick dark miasma flowed along the veins of his life energies, choking them out.

“You’ve been poisoned,” I whispered, knowing exactly how it happened.

“Daria…”

“Sshh. I am going to save you but you’ve got to preserve your energy. I am going to be back.”

Next, I turned my attention to Adal. Heart pounding with dread, I desperately hoped he was still alive despite the gaping wound at his side and the fatal poison running through his veins.

“Adal,” I spoke out in a hushed whisper, shaking him by his shoulders.

He moaned, barely having the energy to speak out or fully open his eyes. He was in worse condition than Cain, barely holding onto life.

“Hold on,” I said, clutching at his wrist. Closing my eyes, I channeled a stream of healing energy into his body.

“Daria?” My eyes fluttered open to see Adal staring up at me. His wide blue eyes were full of panic. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Neither should you.” Pursing my lips, I struggled to control my rising panic. Both Cain and Adal were in bad conditions. My life energies wouldn’t be enough to heal both of them of the wound and the poison. And even if hell froze over, I wasn’t going to be choosing between my mates. “I am going to save you both,” I vowed. “Lie still and wait for me.” Adal’s eyes squeezed shut in pain as he turned away from me.

I was about to get to my feet when an ear-splitting scream shattered the silence of our surrounding.

My head whipped towards the sky to search for the source of noise. What I saw broke my heart…

Ivan’s black dragon had sunk its jaw deep in Norvin’s belly. The water dragon writhed and coiled, trying to get the scaly black beast off him but Ivan held on strongly. Blood spurted from the wound, the droplets falling like rain on the ground below.

Intense heat raced through my veins as rage coursed through me. Shifting in the blink of an eye, I hurtled forward and attacked Ivan’s dragon. He was so busy injuring Norvin, he left his flanks unguarded, giving me the opportunity to easily sink my jaw into his right wing and then tearing a chunk off it.

Screams of rage and pain erupted from Ivan’s black-scaled dragon. He let go of Norvin, struggling to make his wings beat hard enough to keep him airborne. With another shriek, the beast hurtled towards the ground, part of its right wing torn to shreds.

“Guard Adal and Cain,” I said, hoping Norvin could hear me through our mental link.

“I don’t know if I’ll be of any use,” Norvin’s exhausted voice rang in my mind. “There’s some kind of venom in his bite. It’s the poison that’s injured us more than the wound itself.”

“I know. I am going to heal all of you but I am going to need something from Ivan to do so.” I glanced down to see Ivan’s dragon on the ground. Blood from his torn wing drenched the snow underneath him. His glowing scarlet eyes focused on me. “Get to Adal and Cain now,” I said urgently.

“But Daria…”

“Go!” I hissed.

Norvin obeyed, gently floating away to join Adal and Cain on the ground some distance away from Ivan. The way his body moved through the air, I could tell he was in intense agony already.

Focusing my attention back on Ivan, I glided down to the ground. Once my feet touched the soft, cold snow, I shifted back to my human form.

His glowing red eyes narrowed as they focused on me.

“Who are you?” he asked, his voice a deep tremor that reverberated through my mind.

“Don’t you recognize me, Uncle?”

The slit of his pupil contracted as his eyes widened. Without another word, he shifted back to his human form. Ivan’s tall frame stood before me. His right shoulder blade bled profusely while his obsidian-black eyes stared at me. Clutching at his shoulder, he took a few steps towards me.

I stood my ground.

“You have Eibhlin’s delicate features but have Helmut’s green eyes…” He stopped short as a blast of air hit him sharply in the face. I’d slapped him without needing to touch him. Stumbling backward, he glanced at me with stunned eyes.

“Don’t speak those names with your filthy tongue.”

“Daria.” His dark hair blew in the wind as he stared at me with a vulnerable look in his eyes. “You are really here…my lost princess. Where have you been all these years?”

“I was dead and forgotten, Uncle.”

Shaking his head, he closed the distance between us. With a sudden move, he clutched my hand and brought it to his lips.

“You have no idea how much I searched for you in every corner of the four kingdoms. I took you to be dead these past few years.”

I snatched at my hand but he held onto it strongly. “If I knew you’d grow up to resemble your mother this closely, I would have made sure to keep you bound to me. Now that you’re here, we can finally start something new. You can come back to be the princess of Drakhaven. I shall marry you and make you my queen. Together, we’ll rule over the four kingdoms.”

It was my turn to be surprised.

“Be mine, Daria,” said Ivan. “We’ll rule the four kingdoms together and so will our children.”

“I see where Zane gets his sick fantasies about women from,” I said, twisting my wrist fast enough to break free from his grip. “I am your niece. Your own brother’s flesh and blood.”

“We are dragons. Our nature doesn’t consider such restrictions between uncles and nieces.”

I scoffed. “It’s always been so easy for you to give up on your humanity, Uncle. You raped my mother, the woman you claimed to love. You murdered your own brother. Even animals don’t do that to their families.”

“You’ll speak with reverence when you address me,” he said through gritted teeth, grasping my chin in his large hand.

I laughed in his face but there was no humor in my tone. “I have no time for chats, Uncle. You’ve injured my mates and I need to heal them as fast as possible.”

“Mates? You mated with them all? That’s the reason they were able to achieve their true forms?”

I let a cold smile lift the corners of my lips even when he squeezed my chin painfully. “Yes to all your questions.” Meeting his dark gaze, I said, “You need to treat me better, Uncle. I am the queen of this nation, after all.”

He smiled satisfactorily and loosened his grip. “So, you agree to be my bride?”

Wrenching myself out his hold, I took a step backward. “I agree to punish you for the crimes you committed, starting with the murder of King Helmut and the royals of Iorna, Baledonia, and Redfall.”

Rage flared in his gaze. “You dare?” he questioned in a thunderous voice.

I moved closer to him, looking deep into his eyes. “You will die today, Uncle. I wish I could prolong your suffering. There are thousands of souls who would want that too but right now, I want to claim my throne. I want the other three kingdoms to have their rightful kings ruling over them. We need to heal the land and the people. I’ll give up on vengeance for their sakes. You shall have a quick death, Uncle.”

Ivan made a grab at me but I shifted out of his reach. “Come here, Daria!” he shouted. Even though his right shoulder bled, he pulled his sword out with his left hand.

“Have you no shame, Uncle? You want to kill your niece as well?”

“You have Helmut’s blood in you,” seethed Ivan. “It is best I get rid of you.”

Cold rage coursed through me at his words. Ivan left no room for doubt. He would never repent for the things he did. Everyone in this world was supposed to play to his whim. If they didn’t, he simply used his powers to eliminate them. Being the only dragon in the four kingdoms for so long had empowered his ego even more.

With a curse, Ivan swung his sword at me.

I dodged his strike but he didn’t stop coming after me. From the apathetic coldness in his expression, I could tell he didn’t care for me. He would have bothered to treat me well only if I agreed to be his bride. It wasn’t that he found me attractive. He would claim me just to mock the memory of my mother who’d rejected him. Relationships and love meant nothing to me. He only craved power over every living creature.

“Enough!” I hissed, striking out with a needle to his neck.

He came to a halt immediately as the effects of a paralyzing poison overtook him. “What have you done to me?”

“I have poisoned you. Isn’t that your favorite weapon, Uncle? I favor them too. It’s a common trait between us.”

“Release me at once!” he demanded.

“No. I need you still so that I can extract the dark spirit residing within you.”

Ivan’s eyes widened. “How do you know about that?”

“I’ve learned a great number of things since I was forced out of home.” I struck him with another needle, effectively making him shut up.

I’d already wasted enough time on him. Cain, Adal, and Norvin were fighting for their breaths at that very moment. I had to hurry.

Keeping my eyes on Ivan, I focused on his heart. Elga always warned us from using spirits to do our bidding. It went against nature to force them into submission. She warned us of the tricks they played against us, all in a bid to reach for their freedom.

Muttering the chants Elga taught me, I started making the connection with the entity residing in Ivan’s heart. In my mind’s eyes, I could see it drawing energy from Ivan’s powerful dragon heart. It’d grown strong but Ivan’s will still overpowered it. The process of wrenching out the spirit away from Ivan would be a difficult feat.

“But I’ve got to do it”, I said through gritted teeth. “They need me to do this.”

Closing my eyes, I channeled my forces towards the spirit. In my mind’s eye, it looked like a coiled snake of black smoke. Its ethereal form moved around the energy I threw at it, tasting it with amusement and curiosity.

How interesting, a cold, grim voice sounded in my head. Your energy is pure. This is the first time you are using your powers in the dark arts.

“Yes,” I responded aloud. “I need you within me.”

Your spirit is so much tastier and potent than this black-hearted monster. You mustn’t mind if I feed on you.

“I won’t mind. As long as you did my bidding, you can feed on me.”

Your bidding, it asked in a soft, curious voice. What might that be?

I knew it would agree to do whatever I wanted to be done. The spirit would lie just to get inside me. However, I was going to make it do the only thing it could do. I would have it heal my princes from the lethal poison of the dragonsbane.

“Come inside me then,” I said, creating a bridge of energy that the spirit could use to travel from Ivan’s heart cavity into mine.

Ivan’s body trembled as he stood paralyzed. He was experiencing tremendous agony as the spirit wrenched itself out of his body. His eyes were wide open but he couldn’t shout or scream for help.

I felt a new energy pulsing within me as the dark spirit nestled itself in my heart cavity.

Next moment, blood spurted out from Ivan’s mouth. Rivulets of blood streamed out of his nostrils, ears as well as eyes.

He is getting affected by the poison he’s inserted in his bloodstream, the dark spirit spoke with amusement. Without me, he is exposed to its effects.

I stared at my uncle’s body as it fell to the ground. There was no remorse or guilt in me. Only a cold acceptance that I’d done what needed to be done.

The dragon emperor was at the verge of death now.

While it was no longer my mission, I’d still managed to do it.

I sat down next to Ivan’s body on a patch of frozen ground, watching him slowly bleed to death. The rage in his eyes had dimmed by now. They seemed to plead for mercy now.

“How long will he live?” I asked the spirit.

A few more hours. Dragon hearts are amazingly powerful.

I didn’t have the time to wait that long. My princes needed me.

Getting to my feet, I reached for Ivan’s sword that lay a few feet away from him. Picking it up, I went back to complete the job.

Ivan looked terrified to see me poised with his sword, ready to swing it at him. His fear and pain didn’t affect me at all. He was nothing but a monster I was about to assassinate.

Raising the sword high, I brought it slashing down to cut off Ivan’s head.

The dragon emperor terrorizing the four kingdoms was finally dead.

9

Daria

Leaving Ivan’s decapitated body, I ran across the vast snow-covered field to reach my princes. The foreign energy within me swirled, sending shocks of power through my limbs.

Heart pounding in my chest, I reached the spot.

Norvin’s dragon wrapped its massive snake-like body around Cain and Adal’s bodies. A groan of relief escaped him as soon as he saw me.

“Thank the goddesses you’re safe,” he said in a slow, anguished voice in my mind.

“How are you holding up?” I asked.

“I don’t think I can keep up much longer.” He was panting hard. Blood drenched the ground where he lay.

“I am going to heal you,” I said.

“You can’t heal us all, Daria.” A sorrowful sigh rose up in my mind. “I always kept asking you to choose me over my companions but not today. You don’t have to choose me this day. If possible, save them.”

“I will never choose between my princes,” I said in a determined voice. “Never.”

“Daria…”

“Stay still.”

Walking closer to the spot where his wounded abdomen lay exposed, I sat down near it.

“I need your powers to cleanse away the effects of the poison from his body,” I said internally to the dark spirit within me.

Just the poison? It asked.

“Yes.”

Placing my hands on Norvin’s body, I waited for the spirit to work its magic.

“Do it now,” I commanded.

The spirit’s power funneled through my palms and entered the dragon’s body. In my mind’s eye, I could see the dark indigo aura slowly vanishing from Norvin’s body. In another ten minutes, his aura had completely cleared.

“How do you feel, Norvin?” I asked aloud.

“Much better.” His voice sounded surprised in my head. “The wound still hurts but I don’t feel like my whole body is dying.”

“Good. The poison’s effect is gone.” Getting to my feet, I checked the wide gash in his side. “It will take time to heal but you’ll be all right.”

“I would ask you what you’re talking about but perhaps we’ll leave that discussion for another day. For now, I need to lie down a bit more.” The dragon’s body relaxed some more and his large purple-hued eyes closed.

Walking through the spaces between the coils of his body, I reached Cain and Adal. They opened their eyes tiredly at the sound of my approach.

“Ssh,” I said, putting a finger to my lips. “Preserve your strength for now.”

“Get the poison away from these two men,” I commanded the spirit. Sitting down beside them, I laid my hands on both Cain and Adal.

I waited until the spirit worked its magic through my bond with the princes.

Gradually, some color returned to their faces.

“Don’t spend too much energy,” said Cain in a pain-filled voice. “You cannot sustain us both.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, hoping the confidence in my voice would help to relax him.

“A lot of the weakness has left me,” whispered Adal. “Are you sure you’re feeling all right, Daria?”

“Yes.” Looking up, I realized Norvin’s dragon had disappeared. He was back to his human self. Clutching the side of his stomach, he walked towards us.

“This is a different kind of magic,” said Norvin, meeting my gaze. “I could feel it being different from your energies.”

“You should be resting,” I said in a tight voice. There would be time to explain about the dark spirit that had latched onto me but for now, they had to stop worrying about me and give their bodies a chance to heal.

When I was sure both Adal and Cain were free of the poison’s effects, I took my hands off them. Their wounds weren’t as deep as Norvin’s. Most of the bleeding stopped as soon as the toxin was driven out of their bodies.

I pressed a hand on Adal’s forehead. He didn’t feel so cold anymore. Feeling relieved at the good sign, I lay down on the ground beside him. The frozen ground and the cold breeze whipping around us didn’t bother me one bit. Being a dragonborn was incredible.

“What happened to Ivan?” asked Cain after a while.

“Dead.”

“Good.”

“Tell us how you did it,” said Norvin from my right. “It will keep us from going insane with curiosity.”

“I have half a mind to let you succumb to it,” I said with a frown. “You went ahead without me. All of you. Do you know how disappointed I felt, Adal?”

“You’re angry with Adal alone?” asked Norvin with laughter in his voice.

“I am angry with all of you but a bit more with Adal. He promised to go through those tomes with me.”

Adal’s hand found mine and squeezed lightly. “Sorry, love.”

Tears seeped out from the corners of my eyes. “If you’d just waited…” A sob choked my throat with the mix of emotions bubbling through me. The dark spirit greedily fed on them all. “What if I didn’t get here in time?” I asked in a broken voice. “What if I didn’t know what to do to defeat Ivan? We’d all be dead, instead of him.”

Cain turned to me and gently pulled my body against him. “It is my fault, Daria. I instigated them to do it.”

I scoffed, hitting him in the chest. “Stop taking the blame for your friends.” His silver-gray eyes were glowing with emotion. “Neither Adal nor Norvin needed a reason to attack Ivan.”

“We’re sorry, Daria,” said Norvin. “We never intended for you to get hurt. All of us knew Ivan had something up his sleeve. We’d rather have him hurt us than you.”

“Do you have any idea what I went through? The uncertainty and panic were almost enough to choke the air out of my lungs.” Taking several deep breaths to calm myself, I said, “Promise me that you’ll never take such drastic steps without a thorough discussion with me.”

“I promise,” whispered Cain. One by one, Adal and Norvin murmured their vows.

Deep calm washed over me. As the last of my fear and panic left me, my body and mind relaxed. Wisps of snow fell on my closed eyelashes as exhaustion swept over me.

It was dark by the time I opened my eyes again. My body was pressed on all sides by Cain, Adal, and Norvin at weird angles. Flurries fell thickly now, covering all our bodies with a layer of snow. For a moment, I wondered what had woken me up from the deep slumber.

The reply came with a massive heave of my stomach.

Pressing a hand to my mouth, I got to my feet quickly and ran away from the slumbering princes. Reaching a group of low jutting boulders in the distance, I threw up whatever remained in my stomach. I’d gone the whole day without eating anything, so nothing much came out but my gut continued to heave.

“Are you okay, Daria?” a deep, gentle voice asked from behind me.

It was Cain.

“It’s all right,” I said, leaning against the boulder as a sudden bout of weakness washed over me. As the feeling of being sick slowly left me, I wondered what could’ve brought on the episode. Closing my eyes, I focused on the energy pattern in my body. Everything seemed normal until I caught the faint flutter of a new entity. It wasn’t the dark spirit. This was a completely new being…

I staggered on my feet as a new realization dawned on me.

There was a new life growing inside me.

I was pregnant.

Cain moved forward to support my body. His eyes glowed in the dark of night as he watched me anxiously. “Did you spend too much power to heal us?” he asked.

I shook my head.

Getting my balance, I straightened up. Cain looked much healthier than before. When he held me, heat seeped through the fabric of my clothes and sunk into my skin. His dragonborn abilities were quickly healing him. Without the effects of the toxin, he would be fully cured in a few days.

A smile tugged the corners of my lips as relief washed over me.

“You are acting strangely,” said Cain, watching me closely.

A mirthful chuckle escaped me but on the heels of that happy thought, another worry pricked my mind.

I couldn’t let my child be influenced by the darkness residing in me. His or her life was a mere flutter compared to the beating of my heart but once the spirit recognized the unborn child, it would start feeding on the purely innocent being.

Sinking onto the ground, I assumed a cross-legged position.

“What are you doing?” asked Cain, sitting down beside me.

“I have no time to explain,” I said in a hushed whisper. “There’s something inside me that I must get rid of. Watch over me, Cain, but do not interrupt my meditation even if it looks like I am harming myself.”

“Daria…”

“Please…”

He gave a nod. “I trust you.”

Relieved, I closed my eyes. Nudging the dark spirit within, I woke it up.

What now, she-dragon? It asked in a disgruntled tone.

“I am going to set you free.”

Annoyance leaked out of it. You don’t need to do that. I am far more useful to you bound than free.

“I want you gone,” I said in a determined voice.

The spirit stayed silent for a moment. I sense another life growing within you.

Dismay spread through me. “That’s none of your business. You’re free to leave, so go.”

I don’t think so.

Its tendrils hooked deeper into my heart, drawing my life forces out. It wanted to weaken me so that I would stop trying to force it out of my body. It wanted to latch onto me until it’d sucked enough power from me and my unborn child. I would never let that happen!

Gathering the forces within me, I attacked the spirit. Since it was no living being, you couldn’t kill it. The only way to make it leave me was by sheer power.

Pain lanced through my chest but I kept concentrating all my energies into banishing the spirit.

The ache in my chest became unbearable but I had to get the evil out of my body. I would never allow it to feed off my unborn child. The depth of my maternal instincts astonished me. So even when blood dribbled down my chin, I continued to hound the spirit to leave.

Do as you please, selfish wench! I am never returning to you again! The spirit cried, causing my heart to spasm but leaving my body at the same time.

A hacking cough rose up in my chest, followed by me vomiting copious amounts of blood.

I became aware of Cain’s strong arms holding me close against him as I slumped into his chest. Despite the weakness washing over me, I smiled. My child was going to be safe.

“You need to explain yourself,” said Cain in a grim voice. “Why are you hurting yourself when our enemy is dead?”

“This particular enemy was mine to battle,” I whispered weakly.

Picking my limp body in his arms, he carried me back to the spot where Adal and Norvin slept. We must have been really exhausted to simply sleep under the open sky with the hard, frosty ground underneath us.

“We should wake them up,” I said, still remaining in Cain’s warm lap as he sat down on the ground with me in his arms. “Dawn will be upon us soon. I better explain some things before you all leave.”

“Leave?”

I nodded. “Ivan is dead. I’ll proclaim it to all of Drakhaven. You should do the same in your individual kingdoms. Take back your powers and get stronger. Be prepared for resistance but know it will be useless. No mortal can ever stand up against a dragon.”

“You’ve already thought things through.”

“Not really but I feel it’s best to consolidate our powers as soon as possible. The four kingdoms have suffered enough these fifteen years. It’s time we took the reins into our hands and banished the corrupt ministers and generals.”

The sound of our voices woke up Adal and Norvin. With soft grunts of pain, they heaved themselves to sit up straight.

“What are you two chatting about?” asked Norvin, running fingers through the strands of his hair. “I can’t believe I’ve been sleeping on the hard, cold ground. I am sore all over.”

I stared at him. He had his gut wrenched out by another dragon and he was complaining about being sore from sleeping on the ground. A chuckle escaped me as I shook my head.

“Daria wishes to speak to us before we leave,” said Cain.

Adal and Norvin turned to look at me. I nodded.

Cain explained my reasoning for wanting them to return to their kingdoms immediately. They listened, silently agreeing to my suggestion with slow nods of their heads.

“How do you explain the blood?” asked Norvin, gesturing at the front of my tunic that was soaked.

“You seem much weaker than before,” said Adal in a worried tone. “Is it because of healing us?”

“No,” I said at once. Guilt was already spreading through his beautiful features.

“There’s something else I haven’t told you about.” All three pairs of eyes gazed at me. Taking a deep breath, I began explaining them about the things I’d found last night in the books, how I stole the dark spirit from Ivan to kill him and how it gripped its hooks into me too.

“Then what’s with all the blood?” asked Adal. “Is the spirit hurting you?”

“It did when I was trying to make it leave my body.” I met each of their gazes before dropping the most monumental news of our lives. “You see, there’s a new life growing within me. I didn’t want the dark spirit drawing power from my innocent unborn child. It doesn’t matter how much I bleed but I won’t let anyone hurt my child.”

Three pairs of eyes blinked at me. Then, they looked at each other, like their companions would clear the matter. At last, they glanced back at me.

“Are you saying you are pregnant?” asked Adal slowly.

I nodded.

He immediately moved towards me, staring at me with wonder in his wide, astonished eyes. Cain and Norvin followed him, their eyes lingering towards my flat belly.

“You have a child inside you?” whispered Cain, touching me gently with the tips of his fingers. “Are you sure?”

“I am sure. It’s fine to hold me,” I added with a chuckle as Cain continued to caress me in an odd way. He was behaving like I was made of spun glass.

“Move out of the way,” said Norvin, shoving Cain out of the way. He pulled me against him and claimed my lips hungrily. I reciprocated, pouring every emotion going through me at the moment. This was my first kiss after Ivan’s death. Our biggest enemy was gone and we could finally start healing our kingdoms and ourselves.

Norvin pulled away, staring at me with shining eyes. “This child of yours, Daria…This child is ours too.”

I met their gazes and nodded. It was hard to tell exactly when I got impregnated. The three princes mated with me in the span of a few weeks. The child definitely belonged to each of them equally.

“Your child will be the future of the four kingdoms,” said Adal with a gentle smile. “He or she will unite the entire realm.”

“Her children, you mean,” said Norvin. “Because I plan on giving her many more.”

“We will give her many more,” said Cain, fixing his intense gaze on me.

The sky to the east was slowly turning gray. Dawn was upon us.

“I am so exhausted,” I said, slumping against Norvin. “Because of the stunt you pulled, I didn’t even get to eat breakfast. Now, I’ll have to go face Helena with an empty stomach.” My mouth formed a pout at the thought.

“This won’t do,” said Cain at once. “You are pregnant now. Our child needs to eat well so he or she grows up to be as strong as her fathers. Stay here. I’ll be back.” Getting to his feet, he jogged away several feet from us before transforming into his true form.

Cain’s silver-scaled dragon rose high into the sky. Within a minute, it disappeared in the southern horizon.

“I could do with some food too,” said Norvin, stretching his arms over his head and wincing.

“You need to be careful with your wound,” I said at once.

“I hope Cain comes back with a good amount of food,” said Adal. “I want us all to have a good meal before parting ways. This dream of ours has finally come true. Let us enjoy this moment before we go back to tackling the pieces Ivan left for us.”

“True,” said Norvin in an unusually grave tone. “I can finally go home without fear. My people will never be terrorized again. I’ll make sure of that.” He leveled his gaze on me. “What do you plan to do with your cousins?”

“They will be punished according to the laws of the kingdom.”

“I still worry for you, Daria,” said Adal. “Zane and Mekhi are cunning and merciless. You must be careful of them.”

I nodded. “They won’t get away with anything. I will punish them for every atrocity they’ve committed towards the people of Drakhaven.”

“How do you plan to tackle Helena?” asked Norvin.

“Ren would want me to show her mercy,” I said with a frown. “I plan on banishing her from the capital. That would be punishment enough for her.”

“She’s killed so many people,” said Adal with a faraway look in his eyes. He was remembering the townspeople Helena murdered in her attempt to be seen as a sacred saintess.

Anger rose within me at the thought but I knew that banishment would cause her more pain than prison or torture. She’d always been so proud of being the princess of Drakhaven. When she realized the man who conferred her the title had no right to the throne in the first place, she would know how ridiculous and fake her identity had been.

After another half an hour, Cain returned with three deer carcasses clutched in his gigantic maw. Throwing them on the ground several feet away from us, he let loose a stream of fire and ash. It took only a few blasts for the meat to get cooked and give off an enticing roasted scent.

“Let’s go and eat,” said Norvin, helping me on my feet. He was wincing and ignoring the pain in his abdomen.

“Are you sure you can fly to Redfall in your condition?” I asked as we reached the hunk of roasted venison. “Cain and Adal already seem in better condition but your wound is still not healed.”

“Nothing can stop me from going home today,” he said in a low, determined voice. “I’ve been banished from my kingdom for far too long.”

Cain transformed back to his human self and joined us in the feast. The venison was still hot and steaming but our dragonborn abilities allowed us to touch and eat the sizzling meat without the fear of being burned.

For a while, we simply tore at the meat and ate in silence. I gorged on the delicious venison, filling my empty belly. Strength and vitality spread through me. Most of the exhaustion left my body too.

The first rays of the sun shone from the horizon.

It was a monumental dawn, one that would change the course of history for the entire realm.

As light returned to the mountaintop, I noticed how haggard each of the princes looked. However, their eyes shone despite the shabbiness of their appearances. They were determined to take control of their kingdoms. It wouldn’t be easy. We would face a number of oppositions from the ruling nobles but I knew no one could bully us into submission ever again.

“It is time,” said Cain, facing south where Iorna lay.

I let him kiss me, savoring his taste on my tongue. His strong arms held me gently while I breathed in his familiar scent. Tears seeped from my closed eyelids as he parted from me.

“Let us meet again soon,” he said. His beautiful silver eyes were warm as he looked down at me one last time. “Good luck to you both,” he added, glancing at Adal and Norvin. “I shall see you soon too.”

They bowed to him and watched Cain walk away.

Adal came to me next, kissing me gently and sensually before saying his goodbye. Parting from him, I watched Cain’s dragon steadily flying towards the south.

“I hope we won’t be parted from each other for too long,” said Adal, kissing me one last time.

Giving a nod to Norvin, he headed towards the east where Baledonia lay.

“Promise me that you’ll look after yourself and our baby,” said Norvin, laying a gentle hand against my belly. “I cannot wait to meet our successor.”

“We must make a better world for the child to come into,” I said.

“We will.” Holding me close, he captured my lips. His kiss was more desperate than Cain and Adal’s. “Thank you for everything, Daria,” he said in a low, raw voice. His purple-hued eyes were suddenly full of pain. “If you didn’t save me back then, I wouldn’t be standing here with you. I vow to you, beloved. In all my life, you’d be my only woman and queen. My loyalty to you will never waver.”

I smashed my lips against his, hoping I could convey all my feelings for him that way. Words were never my forte. Assassins were taught to kill. Never to speak.

“I love you,” I whispered as he parted from me.

“I’ll see you again very soon,” he said. Turning away, he jogged towards the western horizon. When he’d created sufficient distance between us, he transformed into his blue-scaled water dragon and soared through the sky towards Redfall.

I was left alone on that mountaintop with nothing but venison bones scattered around me. Ivan’s decapitated body lay somewhere close by. Taking a deep breath, I went in search of it. People at the palace would want proof of the demise of their great emperor.

10

Daria

It was a while before I could spot Ivan’s corpse in the vast expanse of snow and ice. His decapitated head had frozen during the night, causing the permanent expression of cruelty to be etched on his face even after death. Not a single citizen of Drakhaven or the other three kingdoms would be sad to see him dead.

Part of me was thoroughly disgusted to be touching the corpse but I held it in and picked up the head by the lock of his dark hair. Clutching onto it tightly, I transformed into my dragon. The black scales on my wings gleamed orange, reflecting the rising sun’s rays. Spreading them wide, I took to air, flying towards the city of Fuvaros.

Unlike yesterday, the town was completely deserted. On a normal day, it would already be busy with the day’s activities with people milling around shops and vendors. Flying at a greater height, I circuited around the city, coming across a number of soldiers marching through the streets. Had they been responsible for forcing people off the streets? Were they expecting trouble from their emperor?

Soldiers in maroon uniforms began pointing at me. They’d spotted me but from their reaction, they didn’t seem too fearful of me. After all, I resembled the Great Dragon. Our scales were the same shade of glistening black.

Spotting a group of soldiers gathered at one of the roads that led out of the city, I headed for them. They shrunk away from me but no one pointed their spears and swords at me. After a moment’s hesitation, they bent their knees and bowed to me, chanting their salutations. They still thought I was Ivan.

I glanced at one of the soldiers to my right. The young man immediately flinched.

I threw Ivan’s head at him.

He caught it but screamed the next moment, realizing he was holding a dead man’s head. His shaking hands dropped it. I cringed at the way it rolled around the feet of the soldiers.

Chuckling to myself, I rose up in the air once more. Once they recognized whose head that was, they would spread the news about the emperor’s death to the whole garrison soon enough.

Turning my gaze towards the west, I set out for the palace.

Reaching my destination, I found the whole place crawling with soldiers. Mekhi had fortified the entrance to the palace, making sure no one other than the emperor could come in. An entire day had passed since he last saw his father. I could sense his fear already. Why else would he set a curfew on the town and have an entire army guarding the palace?

Good, I thought. Perhaps, he would be reasonable when I told him the news of his father’s death and would bow down to receive my commands.

The soldiers had already raised an alarm on the ground by now. They were all watching me from their posts and bowing down to me. They all thought I was their emperor.

A lone figure in a bright crimson gown rushed out onto an open terrace. Even from the distance, I could recognize that raven-black hair and the expression of intense relief on her pretty face. Helena called out to me, thinking I was her father.

I lowered myself onto the wide expanse of the outdoor terrace. Helena stared up at my form fearlessly and called me ‘father’. That soft, happy expression brought an astonishing change in her. Did she look at Ren with the same open adoration on her face? It would explain why he thought her to be so pitiful and kept asking me to show her mercy.

Exhaling a long breath, I let the shifting magic wear off me.

Helena blinked several times like she was making sure the vision before her wasn’t a hallucination.

“You?” she whispered with a disbelieving expression.

“I’m not the person you were expecting,” I said in a calm, measured voice. “Apologies for the surprise.”

Helena’s face distorted with rage. The ugly expression marring her beauty was the one I was familiar with.

“Guards!” she shrieked. “Capture this woman.”

For a moment, I simply stared at her and wondered whether she was right in the head. Only seconds ago, she saw me morph into a human from my dragon form. She should at least be a little scared.

“Capture that woman!” she shouted as soon as a group of guards came on the terrace.

The soldiers looked at me curiously but no one approached me.

“What are you waiting for?” she shouted, stomping her feet on the ground.

“How did she get in here, My Lady?” asked one of the guards. “There is no way anyone can surpass the security down below and come up here.”

“Stop asking stupid questions and arrest her right now. She is full of tricks but if she escapes I’ll have all your heads!”

They inched forward, looking wary.

I stood still, letting them approach me. Another minute later, they fell upon me and put heavy manacles around my wrists.

“Get Mekhi and Zane to see me,” I said as one of the guards gave me a push to make me walk. “They would want to know their father’s dead.”

The soldiers looked between each other.

“Take her to the Fat Priest’s Tower,” said Helena. “Get her on the stone throne and make sure to chain her down well.”

Fat Priest’s Tower was located far from the palace grounds. It was the place reserved for the punishment of dragonborns. The manacles and torture instruments available there were imbued with magic that suppressed our powers to burn and melt through our bindings.

Helena thought she was being smart, chaining me with iron that would suppress the fire within me. She didn’t know those trinkets had absolutely no effect on a true dragon.

I let the soldiers drag me away.

One more confrontation with my cousins and I could put an end to this episode. Walking through the paths that led to the torture tower, I thought of Cain, Adal, and Norvin. They must be on their way to their kingdoms and preparing for new battles. I worried most for Norvin. He was still badly injured. Would he able to stand up against his treacherous brother who sold him out to Ivan?

Stay strong, I prayed silently in my mind. Norvin’s handsome face flashed by my mind, making my heart squeeze painfully. It had only been a few hours but I was already missing my princes.

The guards took me up the tall, narrow staircase that led to the Fat Priest’s Tower. Once I gained my throne, I’d have to ask someone the reason behind the ridiculous naming of a torture tower.

“Make sure she is bound tightly,” said one of the men. He was overlooking the process of having me chained to a large chair. The material was made of dark stone. As soon as my bottom was forced on it, I could feel the wisps of magic rising from it. Too bad for Helena, they had no effect on me.

The tight manacles they put on my wrists chafed my skin but I kept silent. I needed the soldiers to complete the task quickly and call for my cousins.

I was left alone in the dark room. Not a single ray of the afternoon sun came through the cracks, making it a really dismal chamber to get locked up in.

Closing my eyes, I decided to take a nap. It was the only thing to do in that darkened tower room. The hard stone chair was uncomfortable but I could sleep in worse condition.

It was a while before anyone disturbed me.

When the door to the room was thrown open again, I saw three figures silhouetted against the light. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I sat up straighter.

Torches were lit around the chamber. As the glow from the flickering flames washed over the surrounding area, I found my company to be Helena and her brothers. Zane snarled at me and was about to get nearer but Mekhi stopped him.

“Not yet, brother,” said Mekhi in his cold, detached voice. “I need some answers before I can give her up to you.”

“Then ask,” barked Zane. “I am going to chop her body in little pieces and feed it to the dogs!”

Helena smirked at me. I grinned back, making her frown again.

“Look here.” Mekhi stood before me now. His pale gray eyes stared into mine as he gripped my chin in a painful grip. “Tell me how Prince Adal changed into a dragon. I might just spare your life if you do so.”

I chuckled. “Your word has absolutely no worth to me. Chances are you’ll kill me as soon as I tell you. Your father would have done so. In fact, he did do so. He murdered every scholar who could read the Ancient Tongue in the four kingdoms.”

“Tell me.”

“You’ll never know the secret, Cousin.”

Something flickered behind his eyes. “Why did you call me that?”

“Because we are cousins, Mekhi,” I said in a soft whisper like I was telling him a secret. “I am more of a sister to you than that street urchin over there.” I gestured over the spot where Helena stood.

Mekhi’s hand fell away from my chin. “You are that Daria?”

“I am.”

Mekhi took a step backward and stared at me closely.

“She is playing with your mind,” shouted Helena, marching forward. “Don’t let her trick you.”

“Your father is dead,” I said, keeping my gaze on Mekhi. “I and my mates killed him yesterday. You will have his head in your possession soon enough.”

“Shut up!” he spat out.

As Mekhi walked to and fro in the chamber, too lost in his thoughts, Helena approached me.

“Is Prince Cain one of your mates?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“And he is a dragon?”

“A silver-scaled one,” I said cooly. “You must have heard the rumors about him.”

“Step aside, Sister,” barked Zane, pushing Helena out of the way. “I want to cut up her cunt so badly she can never mate with another man again.”

Helena smiled at his declaration.

“You know, I’m going to bear him an heir soon,” I said, keeping my gaze on Helena. “You can forget about becoming his queen or concubine. It’s never going to happen.”

She moved forward to strike me but Mekhi stopped her. While they remained locked in a brawl of fists and nails, the sound of a sword leaving its scabbard rang out in the chamber.

Zane stood before me with a raised sword.

“Enough with these mindless talks,” he said in a low voice.

“Don’t you dare,” I warned coolly. “Stop him, Mekhi, or I will rip your head off too.”

He stopped his skirmish with Helena and came to stand beside his seething brother. “Tell me how Cain transformed into a dragon and I’ll let you live.”

“You don’t negotiate with your queen, Cousin.”

Helena scoffed. “She’s either lost her mind or doing a horrible job of tricking us.”

I nodded. “Ivan seemed invincible, didn’t he?” I said softly, looking between her and Mekhi. “But it was him against four dragons. This time there was no chance for him to play an underhanded trick like last time. He died by my hands.” Taking a deep breath, I continued. “Bow to me now and accept your punishment for all the crimes you’ve committed against the people of the four kingdoms. It is the only way to preserve your life.”

“I’ll never bow to you!” spat Zane. He raised the sword and rushed at me. Something rippled within me. The shifting magic within me was triggered without me calling for it. My dragon had taken over at that moment. She was enraged with the man trying to hurt the baby in her womb.

The chair, manacles, and chains that bound me shattered like glass as my true form emerged into the small chamber of the tower. Helena, Mekhi, and Zane stood frozen before me.

With a roar that shook the foundations of the building, I snatched the two men in each of my clawed arms. Their screams of terror meant nothing to me as I swished my tail hard at the wall. Bricks and mortar broke apart at the impact, creating an aperture in the small room. I hit the wall again and again until a wide chasm, big enough for me to crawl through, opened up.

I soared high into the sky. The cool, fresh air of the afternoon felt liberating after the dark, congested tower room. My glowing red eyes fixed on the two men before me. They screamed for mercy but I had none left. Loosening my grip, I let my cousins slip out of my talons.

Mekhi and Zane shrieked helplessly as they fell through the air.

With two sickening thuds, their bodies hit the hard ground down below. Soldiers standing near that area glanced up at me as I hovered over the spot.

A few of them checked my cousins’ bodies. They remained motionless and in a broken, bloody mess.

Swooping down, I reached the ground and folded my wings. The soldiers fell to their knees immediately. Shifting back to my human form, I looked down at them. They were far more sensible than my departed cousins.

“Clean this mess up and arrange the bodies to be cremated,” I said in a strict, commanding voice. “And you,” I added, pointing at a young soldier who’d glanced at me that moment. “You are going to be my valet for the day. Prepare the best room in the palace for me to rest in.”

“What?”

“I am Princess Daria of Drakhaven,” I declared in a strong voice. “Obey me and I’ll protect you from all harm.”

They stayed quiet but the young soldier I’d pointed to earlier got to his feet. Staring at me with wide, curious eyes, he said, “This way, My Lady.”

I followed after him, desperately hoping for a private hot bath and a clean, warm bed. The task to consolidate my power had started but my exhausted body needed a respite.

11

Daria

“Tell someone to notify Prince Ren,” I said after a while. We’d entered the palace by now. “He must come to see me at the earliest.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What is your name?”

“Yejita, Your Highness.”

We walked along the palace corridors until we reached the area where the kitchens were located. Men and women in maroon uniforms worked busily at their chores. No one glanced at us.

Yejita stopped a young maid on her way to the stoves. “Where is Jarina?”

“Over there,” she said, extending her arm outward. Following the direction of her gaze, I saw an older woman in a neat maroon dress. Her head was covered by a white scarf and she looked like she was in charge of the place. In a moment, I recognized her. Jarina used to stuff sweets into both my and Ren’s hands when we were children.

Jarina walked towards us. A frown deepened the wrinkles on her face. “What are you doing here, soldier?” she asked. “The kitchen is not a place to be playing in.”

“I am not playing,” said Yejita in a low voice. He glanced at me and then back at Jarina. “We have a new princess now. She needs the best place to stay in. You’re the only one I could think of who could help with that.”

“New princess?” Her gaze fell on me. I must’ve looked terrible at that moment. My clothes were dirty with caked up blood and sweat. I could understand if the head of the maids and servants didn’t look impressed with me. Instead, Jarina moved nearer and looked closely at me. Her mouth trembled as she continued to stare at me. “You look just like the dead queen,” she whispered.

“You recognize me?” I asked.

“Yes. Even as a child you resembled the queen but how are you here? This must be a trick of some kind.” Her gaze shifted from me to Yejita.

Before she could start berating him, I said, “This is not a trick. I am Princess Daria, the lost daughter to King Helmut and Queen Eibhlin.”

Jarina’s hand rose to cover her mouth as her eyes widened. “No one has uttered that name in a decade now.”

“My old quarters have been taken up by the fake princess,” I said in an annoyed tone. “Of course, it’s not her fault. The fake emperor handed it to her.” Taking a deep breath, I fixed a grim stare at Jarina. “I will deal with Helena another time but for now, I need a hot bath and a private chamber to rest in. You can manage that, can’t you?”

“I don’t know.” A worried look came over her. “The emperor would want to know about it first.”

“The emperor is dead,” I said in a cold, detached voice. “So are his sons, Mekhi and Zane. You don’t need to follow anyone’s commands but mine from now on.”

All activity in the kitchen suddenly stopped. People stared at me openly now. Only the crackling of wood and bubbling of a stew sounded in the otherwise quiet kitchen space.

“My Lady is a true dragon,” said Yejita from behind me. “Don’t mess with her. Just tell me where to take her and I will.”

“Well then,” said Jarina, struggling to get her bearing after hearing the news I’d just divulged to the whole kitchen. “Come this way…Your Highness.”

Picking up her voluminous skirts, she hurried to the staircase that would take her to the upper levels of the palace. I walked after her with Yejita following behind me.

She led me to the second floor of the palace in the western wing.

“No one comes up here much,” said Jarina, striding along a deserted corridor. “I know nothing about what is going on but even an old woman like me can sense something has happened. The emperor is dead, you say? The Great Dragon is gone?” She came to a sudden halt and turned around to face me. “If you are truly Princess Daria, tell me what your favorite sweet was.”

“Almond and date pastries dipped in honey,” I said, looking into her suspiciously-narrowed eyes.

A soft moan escaped her as she covered her face. “This is too much for me.” She swayed on her feet. Moving forward, I held her by the waist to steady her on her feet.

“Oh, my princess!” she gasped, holding onto me. “Only you and Prince Ren could know of this! The number of times I had to complain to the queen because you were stealing the pastries from the kitchen!” The elderly woman’s breaths grew heavy and erratic.

“Calm down, Jarina,” I said in a soft voice. “Breathe. Everything is going to all right.”

Yejita patted her back soothingly.

“For the life of me…I can’t…” She was heaving. “Oh, come this way. Let me show you the room and arrange for some hot water to be sent to you. It will take me time to get used to this incredible news.”

Jarina muttered under her breath but showed me into a vast bedchamber. It was smaller than the one Helena was occupying but it was fine for now. At least, it would give me the privacy to arrange my thoughts and rest while I waited for Ren to come.

“I am sending you some food too, Your Highness,” said Jarina, hurrying out of the room.

“Go after her,” I told Yejita. “See to it they prepare me a bath immediately and make them get me some clothes. I don’t mind a simple dress for the moment but tell them to hurry.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Closing the door after Yejita left, I walked to one of the tall windows on the other side of the room. Sunlight was quickly fading, leaving a crimson sunset in its wake. It seemed like a fitting way to commemorate the bloody day.

All my blood relatives were dead.

An exhausted sigh escaped me.

There was no remorse or sadness within me at the loss. They were the reason the four kingdoms suffered for fifteen years. They were the reason I was beaten and burned down in Linmoor Valley and reshaped as an assassin. This day was their own making.

Closing my eyes, I searched for Tuto. To my surprise, he was quite close to me. Entering his mind, I saw him perched on a tree branch in the woods behind the palace.

“Come to me.” In the quiet melancholy of the room, Tuto’s presence would be a familiar comfort.

Within a few minutes, Tuto flew through the open window and flopped down on the large bed in the corner. He hooted excitedly.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I caressed the soft feathers of his folded wings. His hoots became softer as he closed his amber eyes to enjoy my touch.

“You will have to fly a long way for me,” I said in a low, gentle voice. “The mission my master gave me is finally over. The emperor is dead and the three princes lived through it all. I am never going back to Linmoor Valley again.”

Tuto hooted.

“Stay with me and guard me through the night. I don’t have the energy to be vigilant tonight.”

A knock sounded at the door. Tuto ruffled his wings at the intrusion but I calmed him.

“Come inside,” I said loudly.

Jarina entered the room with four women. Two of them carried pails of steaming water while the other two stood there with linen undergarments and a luxurious gown. The maids walked past Jarina and wordless carried all the items across the room to reach a door at the far end. Beyond it, lay the bathing chamber.

“They will help you bathe, My Princess,” said Jarina.

I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary. They can stand outside and wait and clean up after I am done.”

Jarina’s gaze fell on the ghost owl beside me. She was about to say something but stopped herself. Instead, she bowed her head and walked inside the bathing chamber to oversee the maids.

They came out after a while. “Everything is ready, Your Highness,” said Jarina.

“Thank you.” Leaving Tuto perched on the bedpost, I headed towards the bathing chamber. “Before closing the door, I said, “If Prince Ren comes, bring him to my chambers. Also, keep a watch over Helena. I don’t want her to escape just yet.”

Jarina bowed her head in agreement.

I closed the door to the bathing chamber. Several stubs of candles lit the space up in a warm glow. A modest tub of copper stood in the center. My heart swelled at the sight of the steaming water filling it up.

It had been a while since I had the luxury to take a proper bath. Stripping out of my dirty clothes, I hurried to dip myself in the warmth of the clean water.

A hiss of pleasure escaped me as I lowered my body into the water. There were no special herbs or poultices available there but the feeling of the clean water on my skin was good enough. I soaked in its warmth for a long time.

From time to time, the green of my irises turned to tawny gold as I shifted inside Tuto’s mind. Jarina had gone out of the room but the maids remained stationed outside the bathing chamber. They whispered between themselves but other than that, all seemed safe and secure outside.

When the water began cooling down, I hurried to rub off the dirt that still stuck to my body.

Once I was cleaner than I’d been in weeks, I climbed out of the tub and rubbed myself dry with a linen towel. The clothes the maids left me were simple but elegant. It would do for now, I told myself, donning them.

I was certain the news of the emperor’s death hadn’t spread through the palace just yet. It was understandable the maids would be resistant to do anything without receiving more confirmation.

Stepping out of the bathing chamber, I commanded the maids to get me food and wine. Night was falling outside. In the time I was gone, someone had lit a fire in the fireplace. Stretching luxuriously, I moved forward to soak some of its warmth. The room was filled with the crackling of wood and Tuto’s soft hoots.

Feeling more relaxed than before, I looked for parchment and quills. The sooner I sent Elga the news, the sooner I could break all my alliance with Linmoor Valley. With no more assignments from my master, I could finally be free to rule my kingdom.

Before I could find the materials to write my letter, the doors to my chambers opened. Ren stood at the threshold, breathing hard. As soon as his gaze fell on me, he came running towards me and pulled me into a tight hug.

“You are alive!” He sounded intensely relieved. Letting go off me, he let his eyes rake me from head to foot. “You don’t seem injured.”

I shook my head. Despite the injury the dark spirit left within me, I could feel my body healing itself at a rapid rate. “I am fine.”

He let out another long breath. “Is he really gone?”

I nodded.

Cursing loudly, he ran his fingers through the wild locks of his vivid ginger hair. “It’s fucking unbelievable.”

“That has been the reaction so far,” I said dryly.

Three maids entered the room with platters of food. Leaving them on a nearby table, they excused themselves. Before I could move towards it, Ren caught my wrist.

“Are you sure it’s not poisoned?” he asked.

“Why would the kitchen maids poison it?”

He shook his head. “The women who came to deliver the food work for Helena. I have seen them before.”

Fixing my grim gaze on him, I said, “I can’t let her stay in the palace. You understand that, don’t you?”

“I understand. I’m just grateful you didn’t kill her at the same time as Mekhi and Zane.”

“She wasn’t a threat to my dragon when it happened but I can’t promise anything. There’s another part of me that is uncontrollable when it comes to the safety of my child. If Helena lifts a finger to hurt me, my dragon will kill her. It is best I banish her from Fuvaros.”

Ren blinked several times. “Can you repeat what you just said?”

“I am with child,” I said, knowing that was the part that must have surprised him. “The dragon within me won’t stay still if someone threatens me and in turn, the child. You know your sister too well already. She can never keep her mouth shut and will inadvertently invite her own demise.”

Ren stayed quiet and sank onto a chair. “I need a week to myself to sort through everything I’ve heard so far. The emperor is dead,” he said, counting on his finger. “His sons are dead. And you are pregnant with a child. Who is the father?”

“They all are,” I replied. “Cain, Adal, and Norvin. It is impossible to tell whose it is.”

Ren groaned. “The nobles will go mad with this information. They will force you to choose a mate for yourself.”

“They can’t force me to do anything.”

“It won’t be as easy as you think.”

Anger flared inside me. “Why not? All these years, Ivan did whatever he wanted. Why can’t I?”

“The nobles supported the emperor’s cause because they stood to gain something. They’ve all grown fat from forced taxes. I don’t see them supporting you if they don’t see profit in it.”

“Keeping their lives should be profit enough,” I answered coldly. “They have committed crimes too. Once I take the throne, they will answer for them.”

“One thing at a time, My Queen,” said Ren. “For now, you need better security. The news of your accession to the throne must also be declared.”

“Take care of it all for me.”

Ren looked up at me. For a moment, he looked lost but his gaze turned determined next second. “A new battle is about to start. Be prepared, My Queen.”

12

Daria

Despite being exhausted, I woke up with the rising sun. Tuto’s hoot from the top of a cabinet comforted me. I hadn’t sent him off to Elga just yet. Knowing Helena would do her best to kill and hurt me through the night, I let him stay and guard me. It was almost surprising no one came attacking me.

My stomach grumbled. The basket of fruit Ren brought me last night hadn’t been enough to satiate me.

Stretching my arms over my head, I went to open one of the windows in the room. Everything inside and outside the palace was quiet and still. As Ren said, there would be more battles to fight. I was ready for every confrontation but a full stomach would help me do it with grace.

Knowing I couldn’t trust the staff just yet, asking for breakfast was useless.

As a chill breeze blew by, the irresistible urge to fly overtook me. Stepping onto the ledge, I looked down at the ground several feet below. Calling the shifting magic, I jumped.

My stomach swooped as I hurtled through the air but just before my body hit the ground, I shifted into my true form and with one beat of my massive wings, I was soaring upward.

The feel of the cold breeze against my heated scales felt wonderful. Soaring high, I left the palace behind and headed for the mountains outside of Fuvaros. In all my life, I never felt this free.

I let my dragon’s instincts take over. She was able to smell the scent of prey through the fragrance of the pine forest. As if settling back and watching, I let her do the hunting.

In the matter of an hour, we were able to eat two whole deer and a mountain bear.

My stomach felt comfortably full after the meal. My dragon settled down for a nap in a clearing but I urged her not to sleep. The sun was rising beyond the horizon. I would have to be back at the palace to tackle matters.

We flew back to the palace.

Soldiers and guards stationed around the perimeter of the palace as well as the inner grounds stared up at me as I flew low over their heads. They all bowed to me.

Landing on a free patch of garden, I shifted back to my human form and hurried back to my quarters.

Jarina and Ren were already present there. They rushed towards me as soon as they saw me crossing the threshold.

“Where have you been?” Ren scolded at once. “I was going mad wondering where to look for you.”

“Why were you looking for me this early?”

“The nobles want to see you. In fact, everyone wants to see and meet you. They have already gathered in the courtroom since dawn. Jarina didn’t want to wake you up, so we held off from telling you anything, but when we came here this morning, you were gone.”

“I went out to hunt,” I said, looking between Ren and Jarina. “The food in the palace isn’t safe to eat. Do you want me to starve?”

“Starve? Why isn’t the food safe?” asked Jarina at once.

“Helena’s maids delivered my dinner last evening,” I said.

She frowned. “From now on, I will deliver and serve your food myself, My Princess.”

I nodded. “I’ll leave it to you, then.”

“You need to get dressed and come to the throne room,” said Ren. “Everyone is waiting for you.” He gestured towards a corner. A luxurious gown of dark crimson silk hung there. On the dresser beside it, lay a number of boxes. From their intricately carved surfaces, I could tell they contained jewels. “I can send a few maids to help you get dressed.”

“No need for them,” I said at once. I needed to fill that dress with a layer of my needles and darts. Strangers didn’t need to know about that. “Give me some time. I will be ready soon.”

“What about breakfast?” asked Jarina. “I can bring you some pastries right away.”

I shook my head. “I have eaten.”

Once both Jarina and Ren left the room, I closed the door behind them and stripped out of the simple dress they’d given me yesterday. It barely looked regal. The lavish dress that hung in the corner, however, would suit a queen.

Taking it off the peg, I donned it, reveling in the feel of the lush silk against my skin. As I inspected the fabric, I realized it was made with a special blend of spider silk that was imbued with magic. Its specialty was that it wouldn’t burn in fire, making it the perfect material for the use of dragonborns.

Tightening the laces at the back and sides, I turned to look at the mirror.

A smile rose up on my lips as I took in the vision before me. The change in my looks was drastic. The dress itself was enough to make me look like royalty.

I sat down to do my hair next. It was easy enough without the aid of a maid. At Linmoor Valley, every assassin was taught the arts of beautifying ourselves. Within minutes, I was done putting my hair up in an elegant bun and studding it with jeweled gold pins. Similarly, I used the rouge and black camphor poultices to highlight my features.

It took me almost an hour to get ready and arm myself. The nobles could wait. I wasn’t going to be at their beck-and-call, so they might as well get used to a monarch who wouldn’t bend to their whims.

Opening the door to my chambers, I found Ren leaning against a wall. His vivid blue eyes widened as they fell on me.

“My Queen,” he whispered, walking close to me and getting down on his knees. “Tell me I’m not dreaming.”

I chuckled. “You’re not.”

Straightening up, he hooked a finger under my chin and lifted my face. “You are breathtaking, Daria. Even in all my fantasies, I couldn’t imagine you to grow up to be so beautiful.”

I smiled at that.

“The court awaits you. Ready?”

I nodded. “Let’s give them back their lost princess.”

Ren led the way forward.

Power swirled within me, not letting a wisp of anxiety bother me. After all, the men gathered to see me were all corrupted, supporting Ivan’s regime and sucking the lifeblood of the kingdom. To me, they were worse than worms. There was nothing to fear from them.

The doors to the throne room were thrown open.

My first impression was that of a crowd of richly-dressed old men. As soon as I appeared at the threshold, their beady eyes fell on me. Silently, they assessed my mettle.

Taking a deep breath, I crossed the threshold and walked forward, keeping my back ramrod straight and my head thrown back. I was mimicking the memory of my mother when she attended the affairs in the courtroom. If I could look half as dignified as her, I’d consider the battle won.

No one stopped me until I reached the raised platform that held the throne.

“Don’t you dare!” a woman screeched from the side.

I turned around to face the crowd. They watched me attentively, monitoring my reaction to Helena’s impotent rage.

Helena marched forward and came to stand before me. The long lengths of her dark hair were a mess. Her gown looked crumpled and dirty. While her black eyes flashed with rage, her face remained sickly pale.

“You are banished, Helena,” I said quietly.

“Banished?” she shouted. “Who are you to banish me?”

“I am Princess Daria, the daughter of King Helmut and Queen Eibhlin, and the rightful heir to the throne of Drakhaven. With that right, I banish you immediately. You must leave the city of Fuvaros by this evening or face death. I’ll leave the choice to you.”

Helena turned towards the gathered men. “Will you let this street whore dictate what happens in this throne room? My father will burn your entire families to death if you succumb to her trickery.”

“Have you forgotten the fact that I can burn too?” I whispered, soft enough for her ears alone.

She looked fearful momentarily but scoffed. “My brother will heal me.” She thrust the left side of her face towards me. “The burn you gave me is healed.”

“Be quiet, Helena.” Ren had finally spoken up. “Accept the queen’s command and save yourself more punishment.”

She stared at him disbelievingly. “The queen? How can a whore like her be queen?”

“Get down on your knees!” shouted Ren, his face hardening.

“Brother!”

“Daria is the one who healed your burn. She didn’t want your gratitude in return, so she had me put you to sleep when she cured you. She was generous enough to me. I already asked for mercy for you once. I can’t do so again. So, please…bend the knee to her.” The toughness in his voice vanished. “Please stay alive. It’s the only way you can have hope for a new life.”

“I’d rather die!” cried Helena. Turning her gaze towards me, she lunged at me. Easily sidestepping from her outstretched hands, I hit her hard in the back with my elbow. She fell to the ground at my feet.

“Guards!” I called out. “Take this woman away.”

Two soldiers marched into the throne room and grabbed her. Helena screamed, fighting against them but the men were far stronger than her. They easily dragged her out.

I watched for Ren’s reaction. His eyes were full of tears but he didn’t shed them. His fists were tightly balled at his sides as he breathed deeply in a struggle to calm himself.

“Anyone else has any doubts about who I am?” I asked. Not waiting for a reply, I climbed the short steps to the dais and sat down on the throne.

“There are so many rumors floating about,” spoke out an elderly man in robes of indigo velvet. His fingers were full of jeweled rings and thick chains of gold adorned his neck. “Some say you are a dragon yourself. Others say you were only a mate to the others who were seen.” He looked all around the gathered crowd to add to his dramatics. “Most important of all, where have you been all these years?”

“I am a dragon,” I said loudly. “And I am mated to the three dragon princes. As to the question of where I’ve been? Of course, I hid until I could gain enough power to topple the fake emperor who stole the throne from my parents.”

“Who are the dragon princes?”

“Before addressing me further, tell me who you are.”

The old man looked around at the crowd with a smug expression. “Well, everyone knows me. I am Lord Tasher.”

My gaze narrowed at the man. “So you are the man who bought every common medicine available in the kingdom and held it off from common folk, causing several deaths throughout the land.”

His smugness vanished instantly.

“Your coffers are overflowing with gold and silver,” I continued. “How much have you been hiding from the government? I am assuming a lot.”

“Nobles don’t pay taxes,” he said. “My wealth is mine alone.”

“Not anymore, Lord Tasher.”

The throne room burst into loud murmurs.

“I command the treasury to confiscate all the wealth you’ve squirreled away in those guarded storehouses,” I said in a loud voice. My voice was carried over the entire room, booming in every corner.

“You can’t do that!” shouted Tasher, his face turning an ugly shade of puce.

“I am the queen.”

“How do we even know you are who you say you are?” he demanded. “You could be just a whore like Princess Helena claimed.”

I swept my gaze over the men gathered below me. They all stared at me, some with apprehension but most of them with open hostility.

I conjured up my magic, letting flames cover up my entire body. Shocked gasps and high-pitched screams sounded in the throne room.

“I can burn you all in a single breath to prove my legitimacy,” I said in a cold voice. The flames continued to leap all around me. If my dress hadn’t been made of the special fabric, it would have been burned and turned to ash, leaving me exposed to the mob. The gold jewelry on my body was hot enough to scald a mortal if they dared to touch it.

The crowd fell silent and one by one, the men dropped to their knees.

13

Daria

Over the next week, I’d set up my office in the small bedchamber that Jerina provided me during my first night at the palace. It was not as grandly furnished as the other rooms but the free space allowed for a bigger desk and cabinets to be brought in.

Before starting my vendetta on all the corrupt nobles, I needed to go through the reports they’d submitted over the past five years. I was going to employ men of my own who would be traveling throughout the kingdom to match the information given by the nobles. Any discrepancies would be severely punished.

Ren was working twice as hard as me, making sure all my commands were being followed.

For a moment, I got distracted from the report before me by a cool breeze that brought in the fragrance of lavender and primroses growing wildly in the unkempt grounds outside my chambers. Their subtle scent took my mind away to a place that had been covered in the most exotic blossoms. And just as the image of the magnificent palace of Huadu flashed in my mind, my heart squeezed painfully.

It had been a week since I last saw Adal or any of the princes.

So far, no news had reached us from any of the three kingdoms.

Out of all three princes, I was most worried about Adal. While Cain and Norvin held the positions of ruling princes for years, Adal had kept himself away from politics. By nature, he was calm and gentle. I was sure he was facing the same kind of retaliation as I was from his nobles. While I never backed from showing them who held real power, Adal might not be as aggressive as me.

My gaze went to the open window.

A sickle moon was visible in the darkening sky. Another day had passed while I was buried among all the reports. With a sigh, I got to my feet and stretched my arms.

Walking to the window, I looked out. There were no views of magnificent gardens. Only the edges of the woods that stood at the back of the palace were visible.

I took a deep breath, savoring the freedom coursing through my veins.

Lady Elga cut me away from Linmoor Valley, giving me back my independence. Of course, the condition of utmost secrecy was placed upon me. In the letter she sent through Tuto, she warned me about the spell she’d placed on me. Other than the three princes, I couldn’t speak of Linmoor Valley to anyone else.

As another gust of cold wind shifted the strands of my dark hair behind me, a new thought flashed in my mind. Now that I could fly, it would only take a few hours to reach Huadu from Fuvaros…

I glanced back at the pile of government reports on my desk.

Those can wait, I decided, climbing onto the ledge of the window.

I jumped down, letting my body fall through the air and then transforming into my dragon form mere feet from the ground. Beating my massive wings, I took to air, steadily making my way towards the southwestern horizon.

Being a black-scaled dragon was perfect for night time flying. If the moon wasn’t too bright, my form easily melted in the dark.

Cold air rushed past me, bringing me the ecstatic sensation of being absolutely free. I smiled inwardly as all my restraints fell away and I eagerly looked forward to reaching my destination.

The terrain began changing after an hour’s flying.

The tall mountains fell away, leaving vast plains in my view. The air turned warmer and I was sure Baledonia was closer than ever before.

Changing my direction to the west, I flew for another hour. Suddenly, my keen eyes spotted flickering pinpricks of light far below me. Flying lower, I recognized it to be flames from lit torches. Huadu was only minutes away.

Soon, the vast palace of Huadu came in view.

Gliding soundlessly around the grounds, I flew lower. It was astonishing how stealthy my dragon could be despite her vastness.

Having stayed at the palace for a few weeks, I’d learned about every corridor and passageway that led to Adal’s quarters. Shifting back to my human form, I dropped to my feet on a terrace garden. If my memory served me right, Adal’s chambers were located beyond the glass-fronted doors.

Excitement coursed through me.

Jogging forward, I pushed open the door. The pervading fragrances of lavender and lotus instantly reminded me of my stay there. Everything was silent in the corridors. Hoping Adal wasn’t in the astronomical tower (which was his favorite place), I tiptoed towards his study.

Before I could push open the door, a sharp voice stopped me.

“Who’s there?” Adal’s tight voice sounded through the gap.

“Me.”

Adal whirled around instantly. His beautiful blue eyes were widened in astonishment as he got to his feet and rushed to the door. Throwing it open, he simply stared at me.

“I have missed you,” I said in a gentle voice and placed my hand against his cheek.

His hand closed over mine. “Am I dreaming?”

A soft chuckle escaped me. “No. I’m really here.”

He pulled me into a tight hug, pressing me to his hard chest. He breathed in my scent deeply, burying his face in the side of my neck.

“It’s not a dream,” he said with a wild laugh. “You are really here. I can feel your warmth and smell your irresistible scent.”

Loosening his hold over me, he looked down at me with anxiety swirling in his sky-blue eyes. “Is everything all right?”

Before I could reassure him, he grabbed my wrist and led me towards the parlor room.

The familiarity of the place further helped to relax me. Adal cast a raking glance at me before pouring wine into two silver goblets. Handing me one, he took a sip from his cup.

The sweet, floral wine felt good against my dry throat. It warmed my belly, suffusing me with energy, instantly taking away the exhaustion from flying this far.

“Tell me what happened after we left Drakhaven,” he said, taking a seat on one of the plush sofas.

“Mekhi and Zane are dead. I gave out the order to banish Helena but for the moment, she is locked up in the dungeons. She’s refused to go anywhere.”

“You want to sentence her to death too.”

“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “It would hurt Ren deeply if I killed her. He knows not to ask me for mercy and he hasn’t, but I don’t want to hurt him like that. As for Helena, she’s lost all power and recognition. She is a kitten without claws.”

“I can understand how difficult it is to manage family matters.” He looked tired and crestfallen. “My nephews blame me for what happened to their fathers. They have refused to come back to live in the palace.”

“Where are they now?”

“They are staying with their mothers’ families.”

“What about Lady Jifa and Kora?”

A gentle smile rose on his lips. “They are absolutely fine. Mother and her maid escaped the palace on the night we left. They came back only after the news of my arrival reached them.”

A long breath exhaled out of me.

“That is good to know. I’ve been so worried about them.”

I sipped more wine, letting its warmth lull me. My back leaned against the plush couch as I watched my mate. It’d been so long since I felt this relaxed.

“How is the court handling matters to your accession to the throne?” I asked after a while.

“They have no choice but to accept me. I am the direct heir of the late king. Rightfully, the throne belongs to me now. The achievement of my true form further cemented my claim.”

“Have any of your nephews opposed you?”

He shook his head. “My eldest nephew is barely twelve years old. He might blame me for his father’s death but he has no wish to take up the throne. I think he and his mother want a quieter, peaceful life away from court and politics.”

“How have the nobles been treating you?”

Adal looked thoughtful for a moment. “Most of them seem to be glad. They believe the taxes will come down if they just have to pay to the crown of Baledonia alone.”

“The nobles in Baledonia pay taxes?” I asked, surprised.

“Of course. They had to pay to the crown and a large portion would go to Drakhaven.”

I drank more of the wine. Since Ivan made the other three kingdoms pay him taxes, the nobles in Drakhaven could easily go without paying any. Suddenly, I could see why the nobles were so resistant to my rule. As long as I was queen, I would be fair and not charge tithe from the other three kingdoms. It meant they would have to pay taxes to the crown which they hadn’t done in fifteen years.

“Why so glum, Daria?” Adal had come to sit next to me. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on the side of my neck, drawing a shiver out of me. All thoughts of conniving nobles left my mind. Adal’s warmth spread through the fabric of my clothes, heating up my skin.

Turning towards him, I looked into the depths of his eyes.

I’d been craving for such a moment. There was no threat looming over us now. We could afford to relax and enjoy each other’s warmth without fearing a thing in the world. I was no longer an assassin of Linmoor Valley but a princess of Drakhaven.

There was nothing separating us anymore.

Leaning in close, I brushed my lips with his.

“Daria,” he murmured against my lips. Next moment, he pressed his mouth to mine. One of his hands held my waist while the other twined in my hair.

I moaned into his mouth, losing myself to his touches.

We deepened our kiss, letting our tongues swirl around the other in a languid dance.

Heat coursed through my veins, bringing with it an insatiable throbbing ache between my legs.

Adal’s hand moved to rest on my belly. Parting from me, he looked at me with an intense look in his eyes. “Your stomach still feels so flat and soft.”

I giggled. “It will be another few months before you can notice a change. The life within me is still a little more than just a seed.”

“So, it would be all right for me to be inside you?” The blue of his irises darkened with that question.

“It would be fine.” To make my point clear, I grabbed the lapel of his tunic and pulled him close for another fiery kiss.

Soon, he’d pushed me against the backrest of the plush chair. His mouth devoured mine hungrily while his hands deftly loosened the ties of my satin gown. Within minutes, the dress was slipping off my shoulders.

“Let us go into my bedchambers,” he breathed. “We’ll be far more comfortable.”

I gave him a nod. Adal got to his feet and with a sudden movement, he hauled me in his arms. I gasped out, hurrying to hold onto his neck while my dress further slipped down my breasts. He carried me away in that state to his chambers.

The fragrance of blooming lotuses hung in the air as he laid me down on his bed. Closing the curtains of embroidered silk that hung around the bedposts, Adal moved into the enclosed space with me.

Lying down beside me, he turned me to face him. Capturing my lips once more in a hungry kiss, he rekindled the fire within me. Wanting to feel the searing heat of his skin against mine, I began pulling at the strings of his tunic.

Within minutes, we’d gotten rid of all our clothes.

Adal trailed kisses down the slope of my neck to reach my breasts. Shivers ignited throughout my body as he took a nipple in his mouth, sucking hard.

A moan escaped me as my fingers clutched at the soft strands of his hair.

His other hand slowly made its way down my stomach, reaching further down to close over my mound. My sex throbbed in response to his touch.

I moaned his name, urging him to take me. Delicious shivers ran through my body but I wanted more.

“You are making me lose my patience,” said Adal in a hoarse voice. His hardened manhood lay against my inner thigh. “I want to make it last the whole night.”

I chuckled softly.

“I’ll have to be back in Drakhaven by dawn,” I said. “No one knows I’m here.”

“All the more reason to keep you to myself,” he whispered, thrusting his tongue into my mouth to stop me from arguing. My mind was soon lost in the feel of his tongue on mine, the floral scent that enveloped me completely and the feel of his throbbing cock against the softness of my thigh.

Lifting his body over mine, he positioned the thick head of his shaft at my entrance.

“You’re always so ready for me, Daria,” he whispered, rubbing his head inside my slippery slit.

“Come inside me,” I pleaded. “Please, Adal. It’s been far too long since you’ve been inside me.”

“No more separation,” he whispered hoarsely and pushed inside me with a hard thrust.

The sudden breach of my tight channel made me gasp out. My nails dug into the skin of his shoulders as I was being stretched to my limit. He kissed the column of my throat, easily distracting me from any discomfort.

Pulling out, Adal thrust inside me once again, burying himself fully in my warmth.

“It feels amazing to be inside you,” he whispered against my ear.

I moaned in response and raised my hips to meet his slow, steady thrusts.

Adal was a gentle lover on most occasions but tonight, he wasn’t holding back. His strokes became long and hard. He closed his mouth over a nipple as he plunged inside me. My body burst into a hundred different sensations. Fire coursed through my veins and concentrated in my pulsing core.

My navel tightened, the throbbing pleasure in my sex becoming stronger than I could bear. Just as Adal’s lips pressed against the spot beneath my right ear, I felt my control crumble and wash away with an explosion of fiery pleasure.

My cries of ecstasy rang out in the quiet room.

Adal came to a halt but remained buried inside me. Pulling out, he helped me on my stomach. Before I knew it, he’d switched our positions.

Grabbing my thighs, he raised my hips towards him. Positioning the throbbing head of his cock at my entrance, he thrust in once again. I moaned out his name as he slipped inside my slick channel.

As another mountain of pleasure built inside me, I rose on my knees and pushed my hips backward, making his cock impale me deeper.

One of his hands squeezed my breast while the other palmed by sex. He was claiming my entire body as he thrust into me with hard strokes.

“I love you, Daria,” he said in a rough voice.

“Adal,” I moaned, leaning backward.

His hand squeezed my mounds while the hand over my sex rubbed over my clit. The heat inside me grew into a raging inferno, smoldering me from inside out.

Rough moans escaped me as Adal’s grunts grew louder.

The intensity of my pleasure rose higher than before, making my back arch against Adal’s chest as he continued to thrust inside me.

“I am close,” he gritted out.

His thrusts became harder and faster. I tried to hold onto my climax. My hands grabbed at the sheets beneath me as he plunged into me.

Our cries of pleasure mingled together as we reached our peaks simultaneously. Our joined bodies trembled with heat and ecstasy as we gasped for breath. Strands of dark hair stuck to my sweaty neck and back as my heart thundered in my chest.

Adal gently pulled out of me and lay me against the pillows.

I looked up at him, my body deliciously spent.

“You’re beautiful, Daria,” he said, his eyes hazed with love and lust.

“So, are you,” I said, resting my hand on his cheek.

Lowering his body next to me, he pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I don’t want to let you go,” he whispered in my ear.

“Sshh.” Closing my eyes, I let my head rest against his chest.

Adal covered both our bodies with a light sheet. In the balmy Baledonian night, even that was unnecessary.

As my heart slowed and my body cooled down, my eyes drooped closed. Sighing contentedly, I nestled closer to my mate and let slumber take over my senses.

14

Daria

My eyes slowly fluttered open.

Adal’s bedchamber was still dark, telling me I hadn’t slept longer than a few hours. His breathing sounded relaxed. I stayed pressed to his body for another moment before forcing myself to move out of his warm embrace.

He grunted, grabbing onto my wrist. In the darkness, I could see his eyes shining as he looked at me.

“I don’t want to let you go,” he said in a low voice. “Can’t you stay with me one more day?”

“I wish…”

Adal sat up as I tugged at my wrist. He loosened his hold, letting me pull my hand away.

“My court isn’t as peaceful as yours,” I confessed in a low voice. “The nobles don’t agree with me. They are grabbing onto their powers by sheer force. It won’t be long before they rebel against me.” A sigh escaped me. “They believe they speak for the people.”

“Is it safe for you there?” His hand came to close upon mine, holding it tightly once more.

“It doesn’t matter. As the one to sit on the throne, it is my responsible to rid my court of the corrupt and evil.”

“Still,” he insisted. “It makes me anxious to leave you all alone among those who would harm you and our baby.” His hand rested lightly on my belly. “I want both of you to be safe.”

“Don’t worry. My dragon is extremely protective of the baby.” My mind went back to the moment when Zane had marched forward to attack me. My dragon had taken over back then without my urging. Even if I was slow, she was fast enough to protect the life growing within us.

Strengthening my will, I moved out of Adal’s hold and picked up my clothes that lay scattered over the large bed. In the dim light of a few lanterns, I hurriedly pulled on my gown and tightened the laces.

Adal watched me with a forlorn expression.

“It’s hard for me too, you know,” I said after a while.

He must have sensed the anguish in my voice because a moment later, he was off the bed and beside me. Bringing me into an embrace, he stroked the long length of my hair.

“Forgive me for being selfish,” he whispered. “It must be the effects of being a king. Before, nothing belonged to me and suddenly, everyone bows before my whims.”

I smiled up at him and pecked his lips. “It is exactly as it should be.”

He leaned down to capture my lips in a deeper kiss.

My body reacted to the searing touch of his lips on mine. Delicious shivers raced all over my body but I willed myself to suppress my desire. I had to get back to Drakhaven before dawn.

I stepped away from Adal, breaking the kiss suddenly.

“We’ll see each other soon,” I promised.

Donning his clothes, Adal led me back to the terrace garden.

The stars overhead told me dawn was approaching. I had to hurry back before anyone knew where I’d gone. It was imperative for my enemies to not know there were times when I was missing from the palace.

With one last kiss, I shifted into my dragon form and took flight.

Ren found me in my office chamber at midday.

“I need to talk to you about something,” he said, marching through the doors. He settled himself on a plush chair on the other side of my desk. The expression in his deep blue eyes was grim.

“Yes?”

“The bodies have been recovered,” he said. “We can cremate them today.”

I let out a breath of relief. Ren hadn’t suspected a thing about my escape last night. For now, I sat in my corner in a fresh gown of fuchsia silk with my hair neatly set in a simple but elegant bun at the base of my neck. No one would know of the sleepless night I’d spent.

“We can get done with that today,” I said with a nod.

“There’s another thing…” He hesitated, averting his gaze from me. “It’s about Helena.”

I waited for him to continue, already knowing he wanted me to help her.

“Do you have to force her into banishment?” he asked.

“Should I kill her instead?”

“Couldn’t she stay in the dungeons for the rest of her life?”

“What?” I took a closer look at Ren. “I can’t believe you’d say that. You want her to rot away in the dungeons when she could have a free life somewhere else?”

“It’s not what I want,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’s just…Helena’s mind has broken. I went to see her yesterday and she was deliriously talking about arranging a banquet for Ivan’s return. She believes he will come back any day now.”

“Are you sure staying in the dungeons isn’t having that effect on her?” I asked. The dungeons underneath the palace of Fuvaros were cold and dark. Not a single ray of the sun shone down in its depths. It was a lonely, miserable place to be confined in.

“It’s not the dungeons, Daria. Everything that’s happened since last week has played havoc with her mind. She can’t even differentiate the fact she’s in a cell and not in her chambers.”

I got to my feet, collecting my thoughts as I considered Helena’s circumstance. The burning anger I felt towards her had cooled by now. There was nothing she could do to me anymore. No way she could hurt my princes or my people.

“I will meet her,” I said, turning to face Ren. “Let me decide whether she is faking her mental breakdown or whether she is really ill. In the meantime, prepare the cremation grounds. I will be there shortly.”

He nodded and walked out of the room.

Straightening my skirt, I strode out of my chambers and into the corridor. A pair of guards bowed to me as I passed by. Every maid and servant that came on my path, bowed to me. It was a new unnerving feeling for a person who hid from plain view. Now, I was placing myself in full display in my regal gowns and jewels.

I made my way down to the dungeons. The security was stricter here.

To my surprise, most of the cells were full of prisoners. Were they really criminals or innocent people captured to be sold as slaves? I made up my mind to inquire about them.

For now, I had to meet Helena.

She was being held in one of the furthest cells. The temperature dropped considerably low. The flicker of flames from torches at the gates didn’t reach that part. As much as I hated her, it was punishment enough to spend days in that dark, desolate corner of the dungeon.

Coming to stand before her cell, I looked out at the figure that sat against the wall.

“Helena.”

The sound of my voice stirred her. Raising her head, she stared at me with wild eyes.

With a cry, she jumped to her feet and lunged at me, stretching her arms through the bars of the cell. Her long fingers clutched onto empty air instead of my throat as I stepped back in time.

“I will kill you!” she screamed. “My father will burn you to ashes. My brothers will peel the skin off you. Just you wait!”

There were dark hollows under her eyes. She’d gone gaunt and the coarse woolen dress they gave her hung off her bony shoulders. In the matter of a week, she’d wasted away.

“Your father and brothers are dead,” I told her. “Only Ren is alive.”

“Ren!” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “He brought in the healer who cured my burn. He made me beautiful again.”

“He is the only person who cares for you now.”

Suddenly, she burst into tears and fell against the bars. Sliding down to the ground, she wept, ignoring me completely. I was beginning to see why Ren thought she was losing her mind.

Turning away from her, I walked out of the underground prison.

Helena didn’t have any more strength to hurt anyone. I’d wanted her far from Fuvaros but it looked like sending her into the wild would certainly kill her. I needed more time to think about what to do with her. In the meantime, she could stay locked up as Ren had requested.

Leaving behind the damp and cold dungeon, I made my way outside the palace, reaching the spot where the cremation for Ivan and his sons would take place.

Ren stood with a group of soldiers. They each carried torches in their hands even though it was close to noon and the sun was shining brightly. Bowing to me in unison, they chorused, “Your Highness.”

I glanced at the three pyres set up there. The bodies were buried under the pile of logs and twigs, making it look like a mound for a bonfire.

“All of you stand as witnesses,” I said, walking towards the closest pyre.

A soldier moved forward to hand me the torch but I waved him off. I didn’t need it for the purpose of setting the wood on fire.

Conjuring my magic, I made the logs on all three pyres flame up at once. The dry wood combined with the breeze blowing by lit up the mound. Within hours, the bodies of Ivan and his sons would be reduced to ashes and scattered to the wind.

While some may think it was a somber funeral for the dead emperor and his sons, the dragonborns knew it to be the greatest insult to be burned in death. That was the way I was sending the man away who’d murdered the royal dragons of all four kingdoms. No one was going to be sorry for him.

Except for the filthy nobles of Drakhaven. They would be drowning in their tears as soon as they heard their emperor had been reduced to ashes.

“Come away,” I said. “Have the servants clean up the remains tomorrow morning.”

I was going to make sure no trace of these evil traitors would be left in Drakhaven.

15

Daria

Ren nibbled on a piece of fruit he’d picked up from a platter. He’d come in at the same time Jarina was laying the table with dishes for my dinner. I knew he wanted to talk about Helena, so I waited for him to start the conversation.

“Tasher is conspiring with the other nobles,” he said, popping a piece of melon in his mouth. “You’ll have to watch your back.”

That was surprising.

“Are they daft?” I asked. “Don’t they know better than to go up against a dragon?”

He shrugged, spearing a piece of roasted potato and eating it. “They are dead either way. Once your people come in and tell you their reports are full of horse dung, you’ll take away their titles at the very least. It’s their last stab at keeping their power. They don’t mind the risk.”

“I’ll be away from the palace over the next two days,” I said, taking a sip of wine. “It would be a good time to burn the entire field of dragonsbane weeds while I’m gone. I suspect the ashes and smoke to be poisonous too.”

He nodded. “Where will you go?”

“I am planning on visiting Norvin and Cain.”

“Baledonia is closest,” he remarked. “Why not go there first?” I hid the flush creeping up my cheeks by pretending to drink my wine. Ren caught on it immediately. “Unless, you’ve already been to Baledonia.”

I nodded sheepishly.

He grinned. “Even I didn’t suspect a thing. You’re great with stealth.”

We ate for a while before a new thought struck me. “I think we should re-start the scholar competitions, except this time, most of the government posts will be open to them. Since the nobles won’t last long, it’s best we start recruiting people who will do the jobs the noble were meant to.”

“That’s a good idea. You’re getting better at this job.”

I threw a sugared cherry at him and settled back in my chair with my goblet of wine.

“You didn’t want to talk about Helena?” I asked after a while.

“I did but didn’t know how to broach the matter.” A grim look settled over him. “She won’t last long. Let her stay here so I can at least watch over her.”

The image of Helena’s gaunt face rose up in my mind. While she hadn’t let go off the hatred she’d felt for me, it was easy to tell she was wasting away.

“All right, then,” I said with a small sigh. “I’ll leave her in your hands but if she causes any trouble, it’s your head that will be rolling.”

“My head is already yours,” he said in a serious tone.

We sat a while longer, eating and drinking through the spread before us.

Once dinner was cleared away by Jarina and a handful of her trusted maids, I turned my attention back to Ren.

“Burn those weeds and tell the workers to break that damn wall. Get some gardeners to plant some rose bushes there. I want all memory of those weeds obliterated.”

“It will be done tomorrow,” he said, getting to his feet. “I’m guessing this is goodbye for now?”

I nodded. “I’ll leave for Redfall tonight.”

“Be careful on your way there as well as presenting yourself to the foreign courts. You’re not crowned as queen yet, so be aware of technicalities when they address you.”

“I’ll take care.”

When Ren left the room, I walked inside the bathing chamber where the maids had placed a full-length mirror. It was the only space to put it because my room was already crammed with stacks of ledgers and rolls of parchment.

Standing before the mirror, I took in the length of my skirt made of lush green silk. The hem was richly embroidered with silver threads. Silver jewelry studded with emeralds glittered at my throat and ears. A smile rose up on my lips. My days of being a vagabond were over. I had a permanent home now and I was going to be the queen of my nation.

Pride and gratitude swelled inside me, making my heart feel lighter than ever before.

There were a lot of things to be done before my child arrived in this world. I was willing to work hard to make it a better place for her with loyal aides surrounding our family instead of the corrupt, venomous nobles.

Walking back to the main chamber room, I closed the door.

It was time to fly to Edard, the capital of Redfall.

Opening one of the tall windows in my room, I climbed onto the ledge and jumped down, shifting in mid-air. With a few rapid beats of my massive wings, I rose higher and within a minute I was soaring over the palace grounds and towards my destination in the west.

It would be my first time to visit the kingdom of Redfall in the west. From the texts I’d read, the country was full of mountain cliffs and raging waterfalls. In fact, most of the rivers in the four kingdoms had their origin in the mountains of Redfall. It also happened to be the wettest place in the whole realm, causing hundreds of smaller waterfalls to build up during spring.

My heart soared as I flew towards my destination, hoping to surprise Norvin.

It was a while before I was able to locate Edard, the capital city of Redfall. While Huadu appeared in plain sight, Edard was hidden by peaks of mountains all around it. A large river gushed through it, winding its way from one of the high cliffs. It was there that I noticed the tall towers rising up against the horizon.

I’d had a glimpse of the palace once in Norvin’s psyche.

A whiff of cold slithered down my spine. It was the spot where he’d been forced to jump from into the churning river down below. Mekhi had made him choose between his life and the lives of his people.

It had been an easy decision for Norvin.

He’d chosen his people, allowing Makhi to torture him and then, throw his body into the river.

Mekhi thought it was enough to kill him but somehow, Norvin shifted into the form of a small water snake and drifted down the river to reach the stream flowing through Linmoor Valley where I’d picked him up as a pet.

The memories of our first meeting flashed in my mind as I flew over the palace of Redfall.

Another problem surfaced up. I had no idea where Norvin’s quarters were.

Your surprise will be a little bigger than I intended, I decided, flying lower over the grounds. It wasn’t long before some of the soldiers spotted me and created a ruckus. That should get his attention, I thought with a smile.

As I continued to circuit around the palace towers, the crowd of guards swelled all around me.

A high-pitched growl erupted behind me. Turning around, I saw a gigantic water dragon circling all around me, its blue-tinted scales glittering in the moonlight.

“Daria,” Norvin’s voice sounded in my mind. “I can’t believe it’s really you. These stupid soldiers thought it was Ivan and raised an alarm.”

“Unfortunately, my dragon resembles his,” I thought back, hoping he would hear me too.

“Let me get you out of here,” he said, leading the way towards the tallest tower of the palace.

I flew after him, coming to hover over a small, rounded terrace on the roof of the tower. Norvin shifted back to his human self. I followed suit.

My gaze lingered on Norvin, noticing how different he looked from his usual self.

He was dressed in long robes of maroon velvet, richly decorated with threads of gold. The henna was washed away from his hair, restoring it to their usual midnight-blue. His hair was tied up high on his head and a band of solid gold held it in place. Sapphire-encrusted jewels glittered at his neck and ears.

Norvin looked regal. He’d changed from the exiled prince to a king in the time we’d been parted.

I noticed him staring at me too, taking in my royal robes and jewelry with the same kind of awed interest.

“You look beautiful,” he said in a soft voice. Stepping closer, he pulled me into a hug and held me to his chest. “I’ve been so anxious for news from Drakhaven. Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s complicated,” I said, holding onto him. “But I’m not here to talk about that. I came to spend the night with you and listen to news from you. After all the disgusting politics of my court, I sorely needed a break.”

Norvin stepped back to take in my frown. Grinning, he said, “You’ve come to the right person.” Giving my hand a tug, he said, “Come on!”

He led me through a narrow staircase that took us to the depths of the palace. My gaze took in the beautiful sandstone that built up the walls. They were a natural shade of red. Lit torches lined our way.

“Where are we going?” I whispered after a while. “Why aren’t there any guards around?”

“These are my private quarters,” he said with a squeeze of my hand. “The guards are stationed outside.”

Pushing open a pair of tall doors, he led me inside a vast bedchamber.

Canopies of gossamer curtains flowed around the bed. Sheets of golden silk lay over the thick mattress. If possible, the royal chambers of Redfall were even more impressive than the ones in Baledonia.

“What are we doing here?” I asked, looking up at him.

“I am tying you up here tonight,” he said with a sudden darkening of his eyes.

“What?”

He grinned evilly, tightening the hold over my wrist. With a sudden move, he swept me off my feet and into his arms. A cry of surprise escaped me as he rushed to get me onto the bed.

Throwing me onto the mattress, he proceeded to tie up my wrists with a long length of a silken handkerchief he’d conjured from the folds of his sash.

“What are you doing?” I shouted as he raised my arms over my head and started tying the spare length of the cloth to the headboard. He pushed down my shoulders, making me lie on the bed.

“There,” he said in a satisfied tone. “All tied up and mine.”

A giggle rose up in my throat. “Seriously, Norvin. What are you thinking of doing? You know it won’t take much for me to get out of these flimsy bonds.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me, coming to position himself over me. “Don’t spoil my fun.”

“Fun?” The word barely left me when Norvin swooped down on me and captured my lips. The kiss seared my skin, drawing out a sliver of heat from deep within me. I moved my hands to hold him but a tug at my wrists reminded me how he’d tied me up.

Heat spread through me as Norvin’s hands trailed down my body. The slight bit of helplessness added to the “fun” as he teased me by lifting the hem of my skirt over my thighs.

“Be all mine tonight,” he said, raising his head to look into my eyes. “Be bound to me. For one night, let me pretend.”

Heart pounding in my chest, I gave a nod of my head.

My core throbbed in rhythm with my heartbeats as Norvin slowly began to undress me. The sense of helplessness that came with my wrists being bounded made a thrill shoot through me.

I moaned as Norvin closed his mouth over an exposed nipple and sucked gently. His hand roamed my naked body, marking a trail of heat. Raising his head, he glanced at me.

“I want to hold to you too,” I whispered.

“Not yet,” he replied, sensually kissing a line down the column of my throat. My skin felt extra sensitive as his warm breath spread across it. My entire body was coming alive with throbbing sensations.

Norvin’s exploring hand dipped down to my sex. His fingers swiped my slit, making me gasp out as they as my clit pulsed with the need to be touched.

“Touch me there,” I said through a choked-up breath.

Norvin obeyed, sliding two digits inside my slick channel. “You’re already so wet, darling,” he crooned, letting his thumb press on my clit. “And so very tight.”

I moaned, shifting my body while the length of cloth binding me tugged at my wrists. The desire to touch Norvin was so great, I kept pulling at the makeshift rope.

“Such impatience,” he whispered with laughter in his voice.

“Please, Norvin,” I begged, but next moment I was gasping as unbearable pleasure took control of me. My body went taut as he stroked my clit and continued to slide his fingers in and out of me.

My mouth opened wide in a silent shout as waves of ecstasy cascaded down my body. The bindings bit into my wrists as my body trembled with the effects of a massive orgasm.

I stared at Norvin with lust-glazed green eyes as he pulled his fingers out of me.

“I am going to take you this way,” he said in a measured tone.

The deep baritone of his voice left me breathless. Heart thudding with anticipation, I waited for him to get rid of his clothes. Mercifully, he was quick about it.

My body quivered with eagerness as he lowered himself onto me. The touch of his naked skin against mine seared me instantly. I loved the heat that radiated off him.

Positioning himself at my entrance, Norvin captured my lips in a distracting kiss. Half-lost to the kiss, I felt the thick head of his cock stretching my tight opening.

I squirmed and moaned as Norvin pushed inside me. His initial thrusts were hard and forceful, but they became gentler once he buried himself fully in my warmth.

Norvin was being immensely patient, kissing me deeply all the while his shaft thrust into me at a slow but steady rhythm.

It wasn’t long before he was the only one trying to kiss me. My mouth was wide open as orgasms built inside me one after the other. The throbbing in my core made me lose my mind to everything else around me. I was lost to the pulsing pleasure that was radiating throughout my body, letting fire roar through my veins as I lay under him.

“It feels incredible to be inside you,” he whispered in a ragged breath. His pace had picked up now and he was plunging into me with hard and fast strokes. “I love you so much, Daria.” Burying his face in the side of my neck, he thrust into me.

My walls pulsed around his throbbing manhood, clenching onto him hard. My moans and soft cries of pleasure rang out in the silent room as he kept thrusting into my tightening channel.

Norvin’s body went taut just as my control broke. His teeth sank into the soft skin of my neck as his body shuddered against mine. Next moment, his hot seeds exploded inside me, filling me to the brim as he held onto me tightly.

My wrists must have been bruised by now despite the soft fabric that bound me. My arms ached from the strain of pulling at it.

“I love you so much it hurts at times,” Norvin whispered against my neck.

We were both panting hard, our hearts thundering in our chest. Gently pulling out of me, he removed the bindings from my wrists. Bringing them close to his face, he kissed the dark lines that had appeared on the flawless skin there.

Pulling me against him, he smothered my face with light, feathery kisses. Next, he covered our cooling bodies with a blanket.

A sigh of complete bliss escaped me as I nestled against his hard chest.

Opening my eyes the next morning, I found Norvin’s side of the bed empty. Bright sunshine filtered through the curtains at the window, illuminating the bedchamber. My clothes and jewels were gathered and placed on a low stool at the foot of the bed.

Clutching a sheet to my chest, I climbed out of the bed and headed towards one of the windows. Removing the curtain aside, I gazed out an extraordinary scenery. Dappled sunlight fell through gaps in low hanging gray clouds, illuminating a sea of dark green.

“You are awake.” Turning from the beautiful sight, I found Norvin by the door.

“Where did you go?” I asked, turning back to look at the green woods stretching as far as the horizon.

“I gave my valet strict orders not to let anyone come into my private chambers today.” His arms slid around my waist as he lowered his chin onto my shoulder. “We’ll spend the whole day together.”

I smiled and grasped at his hands. “Redfall is beautiful,” I said in a soft voice. “I haven’t seen such dark green woods anywhere.”

“The constant rains help them grow strong and sturdy.” A heavy sigh escaped him.

I turned around to gaze at him. “What’s wrong?”

“My kingdom will take a long time to heal,” he said with a pained look in his beautiful purple-hued eyes. “Ivan extorted as much as he could from the people while I was gone.”

“Your brother was just a puppet in his hands.”

Norvin nodded and led me back to the center of the room. Making me sit at the edge of the bed, he took the spot beside me. “Noya ran away the moment he heard news of a new dragon flying over the palace. No one has seen him since the time I returned. He’s left behind a broken kingdom, disgruntled officials and a harem full of women.”

My eyes flashed at the last phrase. “Women?”

“I tell you about the sorry state of my nation and that’s what you get upset about?” Norvin grinned at my frown. Placing a hand over mine, he added, “No woman will ever compare to you. It’s not even a thing you should worry about.” His hand shifted over to my belly. “We’ll have a child soon. There’s no one in the world I care about as much as you.”

Warmth spread through me at his words.

Giving my hand another squeeze, he got to his feet. “I’ve arranged for some fresh clothes for you,” he said, gesturing towards a corner. I hadn’t noticed it before but an entire sofa was covered with boxes of jewelry and selections of beautiful dresses. “Your clothes are over there,” he added, showing me the stool by the bed’s foot. “Whatever you prefer.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll wait for you in the main parlor room. There’s hot breakfast waiting for us there.”

As if on cue, my stomach grumbled.

I started getting dressed in my own clothes as soon as Norvin left. The traditional gowns of Redfall were more extravagant with wide, flaring skirts but I’d need help to wear them properly.

Letting the long length of my hair stay loose, I walked out of the bedchamber. A wide corridor led the way forward to other rooms but as I kept going forward, it opened up to a large, spacious room.

The floral notes of nettle tea wafted to my nose, followed with the delicious smells of roasted meat and freshly-baked bread.

“You commanded an entire feast for us?” I said, gazing at the food that had been spread over three consecutive tables.

“It’s been months since I got to enjoy a feast,” he said in a grim voice. “All those times when we had to pretend to be poor merchants and not even eat meat at a tavern. I’ll never forget those days. Since you are here with me today, I got them to bring me a feast. Without good company, it’s not enjoyable at all.”

“I suppose I’ve been lucky in that regard,” I said, taking up a plate. “Ren is a trusted, loyal friend at my side. I don’t know where I’d be without him.”

“He’s still hanging around you?” He asked with an annoyed expression.

I nodded, loading up the plate with bread rolls, slices of roasted meat and sweet fruit pastries. “He is the only one I trust in the palace. And perhaps, the old kitchen maid who knew me since I was a child. The rest of my officials would be happy to see me dead.”

“If you need help, you only need to ask,” said Norvin.

Anxiety settled over his beautiful features, giving me pause. “It’s a complicated situation at the moment. They can plot as much as they want against me. In the end, they will fall in their own traps. Circumstances are tense at the moment but I will get rid of every corrupt official from my court.”

“That’s the kind of fire that’s needed to forge a new realm,” he said grimly. “People have already been extorted too badly. We need to give them a way to regain their livelihoods.”

I nodded. “I believe we’ll each do our best.”

Norvin began the feast by delving into a platter of saucy ribs. I ate from my plate, letting our light banter chase away the grim thoughts that always circled my mind. Let me enjoy my break without worrying, I told my brain. There will be enough time to get anxious once I go back home.

A light drizzle fell over us as Norvin and I stood on the roof of the tower where I’d landed last night. The sky was completely covered by gray clouds now. It deepened the color of the woods down below.

“Take care of yourself,” said Norvin, bringing me into a tight embrace. “I worry for both you and our child.”

“You must remember to look after yourself too,” I said, my voice muffled against his chest. “And make sure to send all those harem women home!”

His sniggers rumbled through his chest as he placed a kiss on the top of my head. “That shall be my priority, My Queen.” He captured my lips in a slow, languid kiss.

I felt dizzy with the effects of his kiss as he parted from me. My heart wanted to stay with him longer but with a tight schedule, I had to say farewell to him for now.

“We’ll meet again soon,” I said, stepping away from Norvin. “Wait for my word.”

He tilted his head to me in a salute as I faced forward.

Conjuring the shifting magic, I transformed into my dragon form and took flight.

The drizzling rain continued to fall on me as I crossed across the vast ocean of green down below me. It was a pleasant sensation to feel the cold droplets against my hot scales. Veering towards the south, I headed for Gweryn, the capital of Iorna.

It was a shorter journey to reach the borders of Iorna. The climate changed sharply as I flew over the hills, welcoming the cooler breezes that skimmed past my scales. This was the kingdom where I spent most of my life. A sudden bout of nostalgia affected me as I flew over the familiar terrain.

As I soared over Gweryn, people pointed at me. Street vendors, as well as stationed guards, stared at me with awe and fearful fascination. Being daylight, my dragon form must have made quite an impression on them.

After circling around the palace grounds a few times, I found an empty plot. Making it my destination, I flew lower.

I shifted back to my human form as soon as my feet touched the ground. A cool breeze blew by, fluttering the skirt of my gown.

Before I could decide in which direction to go, a well-dressed man approached me with four guards behind him. His gentle smile calmed me from reacting.

“Welcome, Princess Daria,” said the stranger with a low tilt of his head. He seemed middle-aged with a scholarly appearance. “Welcome to Iorna.”

“You know of me?”

“Of course, Your Highness. Our Majesty has spoken of you and your aid to us.” He bowed again. “Please follow this humble servant so he can show you the way to His Majesty.”

Jealousy pinched at me. If only my nobles were just as courteous to me!

“Thank you,” I said with a hint of gratitude. “Please lead the way.”

My heart soared as I walked through a pebbled path towards the palace’s main building. Cain was so close by, I couldn’t contain my excitement. As I followed the scholarly man, the guards flanked us, escorting us through the grounds. I already felt like an honored guest in Gweryn.

16

Cain

The crowd before me consisted of my entire harem as well as my court officials. Standing on the lower steps that led to the dais where my throne stood, I watched them staring at me with open hostility.

“There is no more discussion needed,” I told them. “My mind is made up.”

“All I’m requesting Your Majesty is that you don’t act with haste,” said Lord Farei, whose daughter ruled the harem of my palace. “Wait a few more months before implementing your command.”

His manner was cajoling but I could sense the underlying force in his words. He still thought he could sway my decisions. The days when the nobility held power over the ruling princes were over. They had to be reminded that Ivan was dead. Only the will of the dragon king (me) mattered now.

“I want my command implemented immediately,” I said in a hard, unyielding tone. “Leave now.”

“Please don’t do this to us!” cried Tarial, a young woman of the harem and the daughter of Lord Farei. She threw herself at my feet and started a tantrum, shouting for mercy. “We’ve been unworthy of your affections. It is our fault. We deserve death, Your Majesty!”

The women chorused their agreement.

I stared out at them, wondering how much easier it had been to topple the dragon emperor than making these women leave me and my palace. Unbidden, Daria’s face flashed in my mind. Without her, everything would have been impossible. Part of me wished she was by my side. I really believed she could have solved this problem for me.

“You won’t even look at me!” shouted Tarial, proceeding to clutch my ankle.

I bit my tongue from hurling out a curse at her. What was the matter with these women? There was no love or affection between us. I’d always been wary of them and the information they passed onto their fathers. Most of these women had forced their way into the palace, hoping to gain power by becoming my queen.

I was no longer a spineless monarch who bent to the whims of their fathers. I had to wonder why they were so convinced I would hold on to my honor and not turn them to ashes for behaving like harpies? Did they no longer fear me despite me being a dragon?

An exhausted sigh escaped me as Tarial continued her assault on my ankles and knees.

“Stop that immediately!” said a hard, loud voice.

My heart pounded in my chest as I searched the crowd. It had been an achingly familiar voice but she couldn’t really be here.

The crowd parted and all gaze shifted from me to the figure standing behind them.

I could feel my eyes widening as the vision walked forward.

Daria strode forward, keeping her back ramrod straight. The lush green gown she wore swished alluringly around her hips and long legs as she approached the bottom of the dais. Her green eyes glittered like emeralds as she glared at Tarial.

“Move.” That one word was uttered with a sharpness that could cut iron.

Tarial’s face paled and she stood up at once.

Daria raised her gaze to meet mine.

“Daria…” I climbed the last few steps and stood before her. “Why are you here? Is everything all right in Drakhaven?”

She nodded. “All is well.”

Unable to hold myself back anymore, I pulled her into a tight embrace. “The goddesses know how much I’ve missed you,” I whispered. Her familiar scent wafted into my nostrils, making me breathe in deeply.

She pushed at my chest and glared at me. “What’s happening here?”

It was hard to suppress the grin that threatened to lift the corners of my lips. Daria was jealous. Holding her wrist, I turned us both to face forward. The women of my harem were staring at us with astonished gazes. They’d never seen me behave so warmly towards anyone.

“W-who’s this?” Tarial blurted out.

“This is Princess Daria of Drakhaven,” I declared proudly. “She will be my queen.”

Daria glanced up at me. I smiled down at her. There was no doubt Daria would be my queen. In fact, she would be queen to all the four kingdoms.

“Perhaps, the princess could help you with your decision, Your Majesty,” said Lord Farei.

“What decision is he talking about?” asked Daria, turning her attention to me.

“I have declared for my harem to be dismissed.”

She gave me a nod before turning back to Lord Farei. “You should carry out your king’s command,” she said. “Why have you gathered even after the command has been given out?” There was a bite to her voice now.

“It’s only been a week since he’s returned to us,” said Lord Helia, a conniving look on his wrinkly face. Two of his daughters were in the harem. “Isn’t it too rash to be taking decisions this early?”

“And who are you to question your king? He has made his intentions very clear. Carry them out like loyal subjects instead of trying to impose your will on him.”

“You shouldn’t even be speaking here,” spit out Tariel.

“Really? Even after your king proclaimed to make me his queen?” She turned her fiery gaze on the leader of the harem. “Are you trying to rebel against His Majesty?” she added in a softer voice.

“That’s-that’s not what I meant!” Tariel straightened her back, intent on pushing the issue to the last of her breath. “Before you came, he was enamored with us. We’ve been his companions all this time. Simply because you claim to be a princess of Drakhaven, we cannot give up on our king. We don’t even know if your claims are legitimate!”

Daria’s eyes flashed but a cold smile came upon her lips. “You’ve been spying on your king and relaying information to your father,” she said in a cool, calm voice. “They, in turn, relayed those things to the traitorous man who made himself the emperor of the realm.”

Every face in the mob paled at her words.

“The traitor is dead, slain by me and the kings of Iorna, Baledonia, and Redfall. It was no easy battle, I’ll tell you that much.” She stepped down a step and let her gaze sweep over everyone. “But the fact is we won. We are claiming our thrones and power. If you know what is best for yourselves, bow down to your king and show him your loyalty. Right now!” she shouted out the last words.

There was so much force in her words, the whole crowd bent their knees to us, even the reluctant Lord Farei.

“What about our hearts?” said Tariel in a soft, wavering voice. “We have served His Majesty for so many years now. It would kill us to leave him. And most of these girls,” she added, gesturing at the women behind her. “Their families refuse to take them back. They will starve on the streets if His Majesty doesn’t show them mercy.”

“The harem is dissolved,” said Daria in a strict voice. “However, if their families won’t take them back, they can stay at the palace as kitchen maids. Of course, we won’t be as cruel as to throw you out on the streets.”

It was getting harder to keep up my impassiveness. Daria landed a fatal blow on them all. I doubted any of these spoiled women from the nobility would agree to stay in the palace as maids. They would rather take their chances on the streets.

I was amazed by how calmly Daria handled the whole situation. It was almost a struggle not to grab her and kiss her fiercely right then.

“I want every woman in the harem to declare whether they’ll leave tomorrow or be staying back to serve in the kitchens,” said Daria in an authoritative voice. “Either way, I want you all to clear the harem quarters by tomorrow afternoon.” She gestured towards the door. “All of you can leave now.”

Tarial gnashed her teeth but turned around to stomp out of the throne room. The other women followed her with the nobles herding them all out.

I exhaled out a long breath as the doors closed after them and silence settled in the courtroom.

“Thank you,” I said, drawing her to me. “I needed you to save me again.”

She chuckled against my chest. “I can’t believe you let those harpies bully you like that.”

A mock sigh escaped me. “It’s not honorable for a dragon to be harsh to women.”

She scoffed and punched my chest. “No wonder you need me to do your dirty job.”

A laugh rumbled out of my chest. The carefree hum surprised me. It had been years since I laughed so freely. Taking a deep breath, I nuzzled my nose to the side of Daria’s neck.

“I always need you by my side,” I whispered, letting my lips move against her sensitive skin.

A shiver trembled through her body.

She raised her head to glance up at me. Taking the opportunity, I captured her lips between mine. A soft ‘aah’ escaped her as she opened up her sweet mouth to me. My tongue delved in, reveling in the taste of her honeyed sweetness as she pressed her body against mine.

My hands roamed all over her body, drawing shivers and moans of pleasure from her.

A throbbing ache in my balls turned my attention to the raging monster between my thighs. Daria’s scent and soft moans had made it go painfully erect.

My hands played with the laces holding up her gown to her luscious curves. She didn’t even seem aware of it as I kissed her thoroughly. Her fingers dug into the braids of my dark hair, her eyes closed.

It was only when I was tugging at the dress, pulling it down to reveal her milky globes, she realized what I’d done.

“What are you doing?” she said, her cheeks blushing a deep crimson. “Anyone could come in.”

“They won’t,” I said, snaking my arm around her waist and pulling her against me. My head dipped down so I could plop a plump, pink nipple in my mouth.

Daria’s head tipped backward as she moaned loudly. My hands tugged at the dress again, making it fall off her completely. The layers of fabric pooled around her ankles, leaving the rest of her body bare to me.

“Cain,” she moaned. “Someone might…”

“Sshh,” I breathed against her neck and pressed my hardness to her thighs. She half opened her gleaming green eyes to look up at me. With a sudden move, she began loosening the belt around my waist. A smile rose up on my lips as I helped her, getting rid of my clothes quickly.

“I have missed you, love,” I whispered, pulling her against me. The feel of her soft breasts smashed against my hard chest lit a raging fire inside me. She was the strongest, most powerful lady in the four kingdoms but in my arms, she was a soft, pliable woman. My woman.

The violently possessive thought had me pushing her against the wall behind the throne.

“Cain,” she moaned as my arm wrapped around her waist. Positioning myself behind her, I let my thick head prod her buttocks.

“It has been far too long since I’ve been inside you,” I whispered hoarsely in her ear.

Her body trembled against mine.

“Take me.” Her voice was a rough whisper. She was ready for this too and no longer cared if anyone entered the throne room. I knew no one would come in without one of the guards announcing a presence from outside the closed gates.

Both our dignities were quite safe from prying eyes.

Kissing a line along her shoulder, I positioned my head at her slick entrance. Gripping her hips, I pushed inside her, entering with half my length. Holding her to me, I thrust in once more to bury myself in her heated core.

Daria moaned out, gripping the wall before her.

I waited, giving her time to adjust to my thick girth in her tight channel.

A few seconds later, she rolled her hips. It was my turn to groan as her walls pressed against my hardened shaft. Burying my head in the side of her neck, I began thrusting inside her.

It felt amazing to be inside her tight, heated core. Her soft moans urged me to keep going, drawing out low grunts of intense pleasure from my lips.

My shoulders went rigid and my ass muscles bunched as I continued to thrust inside her. It was slowly shifting from sweet lovemaking to rutting. I was fucking her and fucking her hard and fast. My hands squeezed her breasts.

Soon, my strokes became short and powerful, making her ass jiggle with each of my thrusts.

In my frenzy, I placed my mouth against the side of her neck. My intention was to kiss the soft skin but I ended up biting it hard.

Daria cried out and suddenly went taut before losing all control. Her body trembled against mine as a massive orgasm shuddered through her. I groaned loudly, feeling the delicious pressure of her walls clenching around my rigid rod.

I held her body tightly as her knees shook from the cascading pleasure. Part of me had half a mind to make sure she had no chance of getting away from me. My aggressive possessiveness for this woman shocked me. I’d never felt this strongly for a woman.

For one single moment, I was doubly grateful to her for ridding me of all the women in my harem. There was no way any woman could bring out such powerful emotions within me. Daria would be the only one to whom I’d surrender my heart, body, and soul.

I plunged inside her faster, slamming skin against skin. Her inner muscles pulsed around my throbbing cock. Her body was coiling tight once again, preparing her for another climax.

My own pleasure took control of me even though I wanted to make it last longer for us. Desperate to reach my own high, I thrust into her with hard, fast strokes.

I knew it wouldn’t be long now.

My muscles tightened, coiling into that moment of pleasure, ready to explode.

“Come with me, love,” I whispered, my voice grating out from between clenched teeth.

A soft cry escaped her lips as she threw her back and braced herself against the wall.

Next moment, I shattered inside her. My hot essence exploded inside her in thick streams. My hips bucked a few more times, making sure I emptied myself inside her completely.

My mind swam with pleasure as she pulsed and throbbed around me, intent on milking me to the last drop. Her body shuddered against mine, her breathing erratic.

She turned her head to glance up at me.

Daria was beautiful at that moment.

Her lips were swollen from my kisses. A flush rose up on her breasts and neck, her cheeks a pretty shade of crimson against her peach-soft skin. The long strands of her dark hair stuck to her sweaty skin and her emerald-green eyes were hazed with lust and utter satisfaction.

“You’re gorgeous,” I said, capturing her lips between mine.

My arms held her tightly, keeping her on her feet as I thoroughly kissed her sweet mouth.

Gently pulling out of her, I turned her to face me. “You make me go crazy.”

She smiled shyly, throwing her arms around my neck.

“You could have at least offered me a drink before…” Her gaze moved around the ground where our clothes lay scattered.

“Sorry, darling,” I said, resting my forehead against hers. “You make me forget about hospitality and honor. With you, I’m nothing but a wild beast.”

“Just the way I like it,” she said, placing a warm hand against my cheek.

Her tender gesture made me kiss her once more.

As my lust cooled, I realized Daria was right. She’d traveled miles to come and see me and must’ve been exhausted. She was indeed in need of refreshment.

Bending down, I collected her clothes and handed them to her. “Let me take care of you, Daria.”

“Thank you,” she said with a shy smile. Taking the dress and her linen undergarment from my hands, she began dressing up.

I hurried to get clothed too. There were commands to be sent to the kitchen for food and wine.

17

Daria

I woke up in Cain’s bed the next morning.

My eyes slowly fluttered open as I stretched my arms and legs luxuriously under the sheets. Bright sunlight streamed through the curtains at the windows, telling me it was late morning. Suppressing a yawn, I sat up, clutching a sheet to my chest.

The bedchamber was empty.

Wrapping the sheet around me, I walked to one of the windows and looked out. An ornamental garden with a splendid marble fountain came in my view down below on the ground. The palace of Gweryn was second only to the royal residence of Huadu in terms of beauty.

Turning away from the sight, I let my gaze sweep around the room. Fresh clothes were stacked up neatly in one corner. Smiling, I went to look at the lush lavender-hued gown Cain had chosen for me.

Before putting it on, I went into the private bathing chamber that was through a narrow door in the furthest side of the room. Last night, I’d taken a luxuriously hot bath there.

This morning, I decided to soak myself in the hot water again.

The water came in through taps that were positioned around a marble bath that had been sunk into the floor of the bathing chamber. A network of pipes brought steaming hot water from a nearby hot spring. All I had to do was open the taps and let the bath get filled to the brim before taking a dip.

I waited until the bath filled up.

Steam wafted over the calm surface of the water as I turned off the last tap.

Shedding off the blanket, I dipped a foot into the hot water. A hiss of pure pleasure escaped me as I lowered the rest of my body into the delicious heat.

As I relaxed in my bath, I couldn’t help feeling a nip of jealousy. My mates were so much better at managing their courts and affairs than me. Their maids and servants listened to their commands without question. While I had to be wary of every single person that approached me, Adal, Cain, and Norvin seemed quite lax about the people serving them.

Part of me didn’t want to go back to the hostile atmosphere of my palace. It would be amazing to just fly between the three kingdoms and spend each night with one of my mates.

An exhausted sigh escaped me.

I would have to leave Iorna in the next few hours to journey back to Drakhaven. It won’t be long before your palace is cleaned out of the nasty nobles, I told myself. Once the evidence of their treachery surfaces, you can punish them to death instantly.

My dragon seemed pleased with the promise of violence and blood.

They want to subdue me, I realized. Wear me down bit by bit, but I won’t give up. Drakhaven will rise to its earlier glory once again.

Energy pulsed through my veins followed by a loud grunt from my stomach. I was hungry.

Getting to my feet, I climbed out of the bath.

Water dripped down the curves of my body in rivulets. Covering my body with the sheet, I went back to Cain’s bedchamber to dress up and hunt for food.

I didn’t have to be worried though. Cain already waited for in the room. His silver-gray eyes lit up as soon as they fell on me. The intensity in his gaze left me breathless and blushing.

“I am about to get dressed,” I said, clutching onto the sheet that had gone wet and was molded to the shape of my body. “You need to leave for a bit.”

He shook his head. “Let me look, love. It will be a while before my eyes can feast upon you again.”

Cain looked so grim with that idea that I let the blanket fall off me. A hot blush crept up my neck as I busied myself with getting dressed in the gown he’d left for me. Even though I didn’t glance at him, I could feel his gaze on me.

With a sudden rush of heat, I felt his fingers on my skin.

“Let me help,” he said, tightening the laces of the lavender-hued water silk gown. The fabric cascaded down my waist in ripples, giving a stunning effect each time I walked.

Next, he helped put on the matching jewels he’d arranged for me. Hooking a heavy choker to the back of my neck, he turned me around to face him.

“Beautiful,” he whispered and leaned down to kiss my lips.

My stomach took the opportunity to grumble at that exact moment. Cain halted, looking at me with amused silvery eyes. The corner of his lips twitched as a smile hovered there.

“My queen is hungry,” he said. “Forgive me for my selfishness, love. I forget you have needs too.”

I nodded. “My appetite grows bigger each day,” I said with a soft, knowing smile. My hand went to rest against my flat stomach but I knew life was rapidly taking shape within me.

Realization seemed to dawn on him too. “You are pregnant.” Taking my hand in his, he led me out of the room. “I should have come to fetch you for breakfast much earlier.”

He led me out of his bedchambers and down a corridor. We passed several corridors and passageways with servants and guards, bowing down to both of us. While I’d stayed hidden with Adal and Norvin in their quarters, Cain was openly showing me off to his people.

We went down to one of the lower levels of the palace. After a minute’s walk, he pushed the door to a room. At once, I was greeted with the sight and smell of a small banquet.

“Come,” he said, leading me inside the room.

I smiled at the spread before me.

There were a variety of roast meats, baskets of fresh fruits, and platters of freshly baked bread and pastries. The smell wafting from them made my mouth water.

“Let us eat,” he said, drawing a chair for me. He sat down beside me and quickly filled up my plate with the choicest selection from the feast before us. “Here you go.”

I accepted the plate and attacked it with full gusto, my hunger urging me to eat as much as I could.

Cain sighed from beside me. His silvery eyes were laden with anxiety. “You need someone to look after you,” he said in a pained voice. His hand came to rest on my head. “Let us set things right as soon as possible. I want to be able to spend as much time as possible with you and our baby.”

I nodded, making up my mind to hurry up with the restoration of my government. Ren would have to be rushed with the selection exams for the new state officials.

Once our meal was over, I got to my feet heavily. This was the moment I hated the most. Each time I had to say farewell to my mates, my heart broke a little.

“We’ll be together very soon,” said Cain, brushing away the single tear that flowed down my cheek. “It’s only a matter of time.”

18

Daria

It was dusk by the time I reached the perimeters of the palace of Fuvaros. Circling overhead, I took in the city as well as mountains surrounding it. From this height, everything looked peaceful.

Finding a lone spot in one of the gardens, I landed on the ground. Shifting back to my human form, I strode forward, making my way to one of the entrances that would get me inside the palace. The wind felt especially cold tonight. Just before I entered through a doorway, I looked up at the sky.

Black clouds were gathering on the western horizon and steadily making its way towards us. From the looks of it, a storm was approaching. A shiver of warning slithered down my spine. I was no good with foresight but I always followed the signals I received.

I hurried through the corridors to reach my chambers.

A few soldiers and maids lingered nearby but the passageways seemed unusually deserted that evening. The journey from Iorna to Drakhaven had been the longest I’d had to fly. Exhaustion made my limbs feel heavy and weak. I should’ve probably gone to see Ren or Jarina but decided to rest in my chambers for a while first.

Reaching my room, I poured myself a goblet of wine. Its warmth flooded my veins, lulling me to relax further. The cot in the corner suddenly looked inviting.

Without bothering to remove the dress, I climbed onto the bed and covered myself with a blanket. Only a few minutes, I told myself, laying my head on a pillow.

My exhaustion must have been severe because I woke up hours later with a sudden start.

Shrill shrieks sounded from somewhere above me. In the dark, Tuto’s ghostly white wings were stretched wide as he hooted in alarm. Next, I became aware of the heavy rain falling outside. The whole room was suddenly lit up by a tongue of lightning flashing in the sky. At that moment, I caught sight of the black shadows scattered all around the room.

I was up on my feet in an instant. With a curse, I realized my usual weapons were missing from my person. The gown I wore now had been a gift from Cain.

Heart pounding, I tried to calm myself. These men were mere assassins. Nothing I couldn’t handle even if I was weaponless for the moment.

Conjuring my magic, I lit every lantern and candle in the room. As the place came alive in the glow of their soft flames, I counted the men who were poised ready to attack me from different positions.

“Who sent you?” I asked in a cold tone. “Confess now and I’ll spare you torture and death.”

One of the men thew a large scythe in my direction. Ducking, I let it rush past me and embed itself in the wall behind me.

My dragon almost got out of control, bristling with rage as she targeted the men who’d come to hurt us and our child. “Not yet,” I told her. “I need a few of them for confessions. It is the only way to bring down those who’ve tried to hurt us over and over again.”

“Burn,” I whispered.

At once, flames leaped up on the dozen men standing around me. They gasped and cried out in unison.

Next moment, their piercing screams of pain shattered the heavy silence of the entire palace. The flames covered their entire bodies and no matter how much they beat at them or rolled on the ground, they couldn’t douse the magical fires burning them alive.

Choosing three men over the rest, I extinguished the flames on them.

They gasped and panted, trying to catch their breaths but their wide gazes were fixed on their companions who were still screaming with the agony of being burned alive. If there were more assassins stationed outside in the corridors, they would know not to venture in.

A few minutes passed.

The sound of clanging armor plates came from outside the doors of my room. There were shouts and screams, followed by the sound of metal on metal. Casting a glance at the weeping men, I headed to the door.

Wrenching open the door, I found the guards in close combat with other men who were clearly part of the mercenary that was sent to kill me.

“Capture them all!” I shouted, my voice rising over the sound of the clash.

Two men rushed at me with raised swords. Throwing a cutting gaze at them, I set them on fire too. Their screams of pain and shock, made the other men halt. Guards as well as the assassins, watched in horror as the two men burned before their eyes.

“Anyone else wants to try attacking me?” I asked in a cold voice that was audible over the screams of the burning men.

The men in black garb let their weapons drop to the floor. Next, their knees hit the ground.

“Arrest them,” I said, gesturing at the open-mouthed soldiers.

They rushed to capture the men cowering on the floor. The stench of burning flesh hung in the air.

“There are three men inside my chambers as well,” I said, nodding that way. “Arrest them too.” I looked around for the leader of the guards. Once I’d caught on the sight of an older man in more sophisticated armor, I beckoned him to me.

“Yes, Your Highness?” he asked, reaching me.

“Where is Prince Ren?”

A worried look came over him. “He is injured, Your Highness. The assassins attacked him and you at the same time. We were fending off the attackers in his wing of the palace when we heard the shouts and screams coming from this way.”

Cold washed over me. “Where is he right now?”

“He is in his chambers, Your Highness. I had a few men call for the healers.” His gaze went to the far side of the corridor. “But I don’t know how soon they can get someone in this weather.”

My fists balled together at my side. “I’ll go to him. In the meantime, round up every one of these mercenaries and get them to confess the names of their benefactors. Threaten them, torture them. I don’t care. I just need the names as soon as possible.”

The man’s face hardened. “Yes, Your Highness. We’ll find those who don’t want your reign to flourish. They’d rather trap the rest of us in the dark ages despite the emperor being dead.”

I gave a tight nod. “Get them to confess. I’ll be in Prince Ren’s quarters. Find me as soon as you have the information.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The man tilted his head in a respectful stance and strode inside my chambers. Leaving them to deal with the assassins, I hurried to find Ren.

My heart pounded in my chest as I ran down the hallways to find Ren. He neither had any magic nor was he a dragonborn. Most of the time, he was easygoing and cheerful. I doubted he even had the ability to defend himself with a weapon that could save his life against an assault.

Anger slithered in through the thick fog of anxiety that clouded my emotions.

I would punish every single noble who’d plotted against him. Ren was my strongest ally. They must’ve thought to break me by killing him.

The nobles knew of my powers. If I could defeat Ivan, it was more than obvious I was more powerful than their dead emperor. Their desperation grew so great, they threw all caution to wind and attacked me.

The storm outside lashed on the palace walls.

Reaching Ren’s quarters, I found several soldiers standing guard at the entrance of his chambers. The sight gave me a slight notion of calm.

The men moved away as I approached the door and pushed on it.

Chairs and torn cushions lay scattered on the floor. Broken vases, shards of glass and porcelain, and patches of the curtain littered the path as I walked towards the bed in the corner.

Blood drenched the blanket and bed sheets where Ren lay. His eyes were closed but his breathing was dangerously erratic. Without my intervention, he would be dead before the night was over.

“I am here, Ren,” I said in a soft, choked voice. Sitting down at the edge of the bed, I removed the blankets that covered him.

A gasp escaped me at the sight of blood dripping from slashes to his torso. The soldiers had merely laid him on the bed and covered him with the sheets. No one had done a thing to bind the wounds.

I pulled away the blanket completely, revealing his entire body to me.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. Do you hear me?” I demanded despite the angry tears that pricked my eyes. “I’ve been far too soft with everyone around me. That’s the reason they had the courage to plot against us. No more. It’s really isn’t just Ivan who bled the realm. It was every person who supported his reign.”

Placing a hand on his cold forehead, I closed my eyes in an attempt to study the flow of life energy in his body. To my panic, the pulse of his life force was fatally weak.

“No, no, no,” I moaned, preparing to channel my own magic to heal his wounds.

My goal was to close the three deep slashes that were dripping blood. Taking a deep breath, I forced my magic, willing it to heal the wounds.

My head swam with exhaustion but I kept sending him my magic. After what felt like a long time, I opened my eyes. The three slashes had new skin over the cuts. They looked raw and red against the pale skin of his torso but at least he’d stopped bleeding. His breathing sounded regular as well.

Getting to my feet, I tottered to a fallen chair nearby. A little rest would help restore some of my strength. Even though I was tired, I wouldn’t be falling asleep that night. Setting the chair straight, I sank down on it and closed my eyes, letting my mind get into a pattern of meditation that would calm and energize me from within.

A few hours passed away without any interruption.

However, my eyes opened up at the sound of approaching footsteps combined with the clamor of metal armors. Sitting up straighter, I glanced at the door.

“Your Highness.” A familiar voice called from outside.

“Enter.”

The leader of the palace guards marched inside. Stopping a few feet from me, he bowed low.

“I have carried out your commands, Your Highness,” he said in a tight voice.

“You have the names of all the traitors?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Good. Divide the soldiers into groups and have the heads of the families arrested. Get it done immediately. Assemble them in the court room and notify me when things are set up. I shall stay here until then.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Despite the air of doom and violence, part of me felt wide awake to the power I was exercising at the moment. The soldiers and their commanders were carrying out my instructions well. Before the night was over, I would have all the traitors destroyed. Tomorrow’s dawn would herald a new beginning for Drakhaven.

Closing my eyes, I fell back into another meditative state.

Perched on the throne in the courtroom, I looked down at the men gathered at my feet.

For the first time since I faced them, they looked fearful. Almost all of them were aged, exceeding at least sixty years of age. They shuffled on their feet and glanced at each other with panicked looks in their eyes. Dressed in nothing but woolen undergarments, the nobles of Drakhaven appeared little better than beggars on the streets of Fuvaros.

Guards lined the entire length of the courtroom, standing in attention.

Ren’s life was no longer in danger. At least fifty men were stationed outside his chambers, protecting him.

The stage to confront the nobles was set up.

Getting to my feet, I took a few steps forward and gestured at myself. “As you can see, your treachery is foiled. Neither I nor Prince Ren is harmed.”

A low murmur rose up from the gathered men. In unison, they fell to their knees before me.

“Mercy, Your Highness,” they cried in wavering voices.

“You never showed any to me,” I said in a cold, emotionless voice. “Why should I extend it to you?

None of them made any coherent replies. Instead, they groveled on the ground, wailing for mercy.

“Your families will be stripped off all wealth and property,” I said in a loud, clear voice. “Henceforth, they will be banished from the capital.” Drawing another breath, I declared, “As for you, you shall all be punished according to the laws of the kingdom. You plotted against the royal family. You’ll be punished to death.”

Most of the men nodded, accepting their fates. They averted my gaze.

A few, however, still had the gall to shout and plead for mercy.

“In cases of such treachery, the perpetrator’s entire household is punished to death. Be grateful that your wives and children get to retain their lives.”

I motioned for the soldiers to march forward.

They obeyed, binding the traitors with chains and manacles. From here, they would be marched down to the dungeons. It would be a few hours until daybreak and their execution.

I sat back on the throne, watching the proceedings with a keen gaze. Once the courtroom emptied of soldiers and prisoners, I exhaled a long breath.

Early morning sunshine filtered through the fluttering curtains at the windows of Ren’s chambers. Some of it fell on him, making his natural ginger hair light up like strands of flames. He was still unconscious but his face had lost its paleness. A healer had come at dawn and bound his other injuries. From what I could see, his body was recovering well.

The door to the room opened.

One of the guards stationed outside walked in and bowed to me.

“Your Highness, Lord Genry wants to see you.” He hesitated before saying, “He is being quite insistent.”

I wracked my brain for the person the guard spoke of. “Who is he?” I asked after a few seconds.

“He is the master of horses, Your Highness.”

“Was he or one of his family members indicted in last night’s assassination?”

“No, Your Highness. Lord Genry’s family was not indicted. In fact, he’d been barred from stepping into the palace by the late emperor. It is only now that you are ruling us that he can dare to venture in.”

My curiosity rose. Ivan stopped one of the nobles from entering the palace? Intrigued, I got to my feet. “Make sure Prince Ren is guarded at all times,” I said, walking towards the door. “I’ll meet this lord of the horses right away.”

Striding out of the door, I looked around the corridor. Apart from the soldiers stationed there, I found a tall man standing away from them. Even though he was supposed to be a “lord”, his long robes of cheap wool made him look like a commoner.

Getting nearer to him, I found something familiar about the long strands of his fiery ginger hair. He was far older than me but sported a well-built muscular stature. His face was tanned and weather-beaten.

“Are you Lord Genry?” I asked, reaching the man.

The man made an elegant bow despite his appearances. “Your Highness.” Before speaking further, he looked around the guards patrolling the corridor. “May I request for a more private audience?”

I raised an eyebrow but something about the grim expression on the man’s face told me I should listen to him. “This way,” I said, leading the way further down the corridor. Pushing open the door to a spare room, I gestured for him to enter with me.

Once we were inside the room, I fixed my keen gaze on him. “Talk.”

“How is Prince Ren doing, Your Highness?” he asked in a choked, helpless voice. “I heard he was gravely injured in last night’s assassination attempt.”

“He will recover,” I replied. “But why are you concerned about him?”

“Your Highness, what I’m about to say might get me killed for slandering the royal family but I can no longer keep this weight on my chest. If today is the day I join my beloved, so be it.”

I schooled my expression to be impassive. “Say what you have to say. You are already standing on thin ice for requesting this audience with me.”

He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. “Prince Ren is my son.”

This was beyond anything I’d have expected the stranger to say. My gaze raked his features from head to toe, trying to match them with Ren’s. And then, it hit me.

The similarity between the two was uncanny. Genry’s eyes were the same as Ren’s. Even the fiery shade of their ginger hair was similar. The only difference was that Ren was a polished, younger version of Genry. One was a prince and the other seemed to run in the wild with the horses.

“How?” I asked. Ren had already me he wasn’t Ivan’s son. While his mother was Ivan’s wife, his father was an unknown stranger.

“I was Lady Renata’s lover,” said Genry in a low, grim voice. “Back then, I used to be the minister of commerce and was the head of the royal treasury. It wasn’t hard for us to meet. We spent some wonderful years together until Ivan learned of the truth and killed her.”

“Did he know you were the one involved with his wife?”

“He knew but he couldn’t really charge me with any crime. Despite being a dragon, his ego was as fragile as glass. He didn’t want the world to know how his wife had chosen to surrender to one of his ministers. He quietly threatened me and demoted me. I was barred from entering the palace and approaching Prince Ren.”

“Why did you suddenly decide to tell me the truth?”

“Prince Ren was the target of last night’s assassination,” said Genry, matching my gaze. “It’s easy to guess your relationship with him. You have been close to him since you were a child, Your Highness. Even I remember the days when you both played together, using the whole palace as your playground. Ren must have already told you about the truth of his origins. He has been loyal to you instead of Ivan and his sons.”

I nodded. “He is my most loyal aide. Without him, I’d be lost.”

“With your permission, Your Highness, I would like to see my son.”

“Come with me, Lord Genry,” I said, walking across the room to head out of the door. He followed after me, keeping a respectful distance from me as I led the way back to Ren’s chambers.

The guards moved away to clear the doorway for me.

“He is still unconscious but if you can wait in his room,” I said, entering through the door. “I have guards protecting him even though I doubt anyone would dare to breach the palace walls after last night’s attempt.”

“News is spreading,” said Genry. “The people are rejoicing in the fall of the nobles who’ve sucked their blood dry.”

I stepped aside and gestured towards the bed. “You may stay as long as you like. From now onward, you may enter the palace. I am looking for people to fill the government posts. If you’d like to help in that regard, I’d be grateful for your help.”

Genry bowed low to me. “I’d gladly help you, Your Highness. You only need to ask.” He glanced at Ren on the bed. “I hope my son wouldn’t turn me away for abandoning him all these years. It’s just that I feared Ivan would hurt him if I did.”

“He will understand,” I said, giving him a soft smile. “Ren is one of the most considerate people I’ve ever met.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

I walked out of the room, hoping to manage the rest of the activities in the palace while Ren got a few days to rest. With Ivan and the last of his shadow gone from the kingdom, I could finally begin my reign without any obstacles.

19

Daria

Three months later

I mulled the cool water over my slightly protruding belly. Over the past month, I was enjoying the cooling sensation of the fresh spring water that was brought into my bathing chamber through a network of pipes from a nearby hill.

I felt the joyous emotions emanating from my child as I splashed some more water on my belly.

A smile lifted the corners of my lips. The child growing within me was happy with the simplest of things. She loved it when I spent time playing in water or settled down to read or sing to her. She joyously cheered when I ate almond pastries made by Jarina.

“Your fathers will be so happy to meet you today,” I said in a soft voice. “They haven’t seen us for so long, I am aching to see them.”

Over the past three months, we had only corresponded through letters.

All four of us got busy managing the affairs of our kingdoms. Ivan and his cruel advisors left so much destruction to the people and the land around us, it was taking all our effort to reverse the effects. In a bid to heal the people, we’d stopped levying taxes on our citizens over the next two years. We hoped they could use the time to build back their lives.

All the spots in my government were also filled up now. The selection exams we set up brought us scholars from all over the four kingdoms. They’d already started working diligently, helping to rebuild Drakhaven. Even though I was kept busy from morning to late evening every day, it felt good to see the progress happening in all corners of the kingdom.

It would take years to build roads, local hospitals, and granaries in every village of the kingdom but at least we’d started. By the time, my daughter was old enough to reign the kingdom herself, it would be a different world. I was determined to wipe away the dark memories of Ivan’s rule. Peace and prosperity would be the norm of the four kingdoms.

“Your Highness, it is time,” a tentative voice said from the doorway of the bathing chamber.

“Time to get ready,” I whispered to my belly. Getting to my feet, I climbed out of the marble tub carefully. Donning a linen bathrobe, I walked out into my chambers where a dozen maids waited for me. On most days, I dressed by myself but today was a special occasion.

It was the day of my coronation.

My gaze moved around the room. The maids had set up everything I would need to get ready for the occasion. My royal gown, jewels, and mantle were laid out before me.

“We’ll start with your hair, Your Highness,” said one of the maids.

I gestured for her to continue.

One of the women came forward and gently wrapped a linen towel around the long length of my dark hair. Making me sit on a plush chair, she began drying my wet strands while another aide worked on lighting a fragrant incense.

When a heady smoke wafted from the bronze bowl, they brought it under the length of my hair so that the fragrance could seep into my damp strands.

Once my hair was sufficiently dry and perfumed, they proceeded to oil it and comb it. I sat in my place, letting them fashion my tresses into an elaborate bun at the back of my head. Several gold pins were used to keep the braids in place. Lastly, they added a number of jeweled ornaments.

By the end of the hour, my head felt weighed down by the weight of all the gold in my hair. However, each time I glanced at the mirror, the image of a queen was reflected in its surface.

Two maids stepped forward to dab rouge on my cheeks. Next, they added thick swipes of black kohl to line my eyes. Lastly, they rubbed crimson-tinted rose balm to my lips.

My features came alive.

The sun rose higher in the sky as they got me to step into my royal robes. The maids laced and buttoned the dress tightly to my body, making sure it hugged my curves snugly. It showed off the small bump on my stomach. Resting a hand on it for a moment, I looked to the mirror, hoping the child could see how majestic we looked through my eyes.

Heavy, embellished gold ornaments were added to my neck, ears, and wrists. My body felt weighed down with their weight but the effect they produced couldn’t be denied. I looked like an image of a goddess, decked up in gold and jewels, ready to offer the people the gift of prosperity.

“Your Highness, Prince Ren wishes to see you,” said a maid by my side.

“Ask him to come in.”

Ren strode inside the room, looking extremely opulent in his robes of lavender silk. Sapphire earrings glinted at his ears. His ginger hair shone in the sunshine that poured in through the windows.

His vivid blue eyes widened as soon as they fell on me.

“I barely recognize you,” he said in a hushed whispered.

A soft chuckle escaped me.

“The kings have arrived,” he said. “They have been accompanied to the dragon temple.”

I nodded, feeling anticipation rise inside me. Of course, I kept my expression blank in front of the maids who were still hanging around us.

“Are the rest of the preparations complete?” I asked.

“Yes. Everyone is waiting for you at the temple. Your palanquin is ready to take you there. How much longer will you need? It’s close to noon already.”

“I’m almost done.” I gestured for one of the maids to bring forward the ermine-trimmed mantle of maroon velvet. “Wrap it carefully and bring it with you. I’ll wear it just before stepping into the temple.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I glanced at Ren. “I am ready.”

He led me out of the room and into the corridor outside. A battalion of guards, garbed in ornamental armor, waited to escort me down the hallway. The clang of their metallic attire sounded behind me as I followed Ren through the network of passageways that would lead to the front foyer of the palace.

More soldiers and men waited for me there.

A richly bedecked palanquin was visible as well.

“That will take you the temple,” said Ren pointedly.

A pair of maids came forward to help me enter the large, velvet-lined box that would be carried by a dozen men. They lowered the curtains, sealing me from view until I made my appearance at the gates of the temple.

Journeys in enclosed palanquins were always uncomfortable. My body rolled with every movement of the box. Within minutes, I was nauseous. My child didn’t like the ride either and caused a deeper sensation of sickness to roil within me.

It was a relief when we came to a halt after an hour’s torturous ride. I schooled my features and hoped the layers of rouge on my cheeks would hide the greenish paleness there.

“We are ready for you, Your Highness,” the soft voice of a maid spoke from outside the palanquin.

I moved away the curtain. At once, two women stepped forward to help me step out. My movements were slightly clumsy due to the flaring gown and the weight from all the gold jewelry on me. Steadying myself, I waited for them to pin the regal mantle on my shoulders.

Ren wiped all humor from his face and stood stiffly at my side. The change in him almost made me giggle.

He led the way towards the entrance of the temple. The guards fell in place behind me, only stopping when I entered the cool, dark interiors of the sacred chambers.

In the flickering light of a thousand lamps, I found the people I was looking for. Cain, Adal, and Norvin stood in the far corner. They were each decked in their royal garbs with glittering crowns on their heads. They were already the kings of their nations. Now it was my turn.

A group of priests was lined against the altar where a granite statue of four coiling dragons was erected. Their leader stepped forward with a bowl of oil. Dipping his finger in it, he coated it with the herbal oil and made a sigil on my forehead.

Chants rose up in the enclosed cavernous chamber.

They prayed for the land, the people and me, their new queen.

The main priest sprinkled me with the ashes of certain woods as well as the waters from the rivers that flowed in Drakhaven. I stood erect as he continued with the rituals.

I could feel a growing energy pooling at my feet. In my mind’s eyes, I could see the swirls of energy rising up from deep within the earth. It might have been invisible to all who were present there but everyone could feel the effects.

“My queen,” the priest murmured and placed the crown of golden roses on my brow. It had once belonged to my mother and instead of preparing a new design, I decided to wear it in the honor of my parents. At least, it would always serve as a reminder any time I got complacent of my responsibilities.

I caught Ren’s eyes. His blue eyes were glowing with fierce pride. Next, I glanced at the three handsome men in the far corner. Their faces were hidden in shadows but I could feel their gazes on me. A heated blush rose up on my cheeks. My body craved their touch.

The priest beside me gave a soft cough. Tearing my gaze away from my mates, I turned around so he could lead me outside the temple.

“Your Majesty,” said Ren, coming to stand beside me. His voice rang with pride and solemnity.

The palanquin waited to take me back to the palace where a feast would be held for all my royal guests as well as every noble and official who worked for me. With a resigned sigh, I let the maid help me inside it.

At the feast, my place was set on a raised platform so I could watch over my court officials enjoying a good meal of roast meat, freshly baked bread and good wine. Cain, Adal, and Norvin sat around me, having been given guest-of-honor places on my table.

Away from the rest of the crowd, we were able to talk with some privacy. We still couldn’t touch each other intimately but at least, we could exchange news between ourselves.

“Now that you’ve been crowned queen in Drakhaven,” said Cain in a low voice. “It’s time to be crowned as the queen of Iorna.”

“And the queen of Redfall,” said Norvin, lifting his goblet of wine.

Adal smiled at me. “It is time you ruled over all the four kingdoms.”

I shook my head and suppressed a chuckle. “I am barely able to handle the responsibilities of Drakhaven.”

“We’ll be there to help you,” said Norvin. “You just have to be our queen.”

“How long must we stay here?” asked Cain. “I am dying to touch you and take a closer look at the baby bump.”

Adal and Norvin turned their gazes on me.

“We could leave now,” I said. The court officials were sufficiently drunk now. Their chatters and wild laughter grew louder as the minutes passed. It would be easy to slip away. “Come.” Getting to my feet, I led my mates through a sealed entrance to reach a corridor.

I didn’t stop until we’d reached my quarters. There were guards and soldiers stationed at every turn and corner, but they all bowed to me respectfully. No raised eyebrows followed us.

Pushing open a tall door, I led them into my private chambers.

A long breath exhaled out of me just as Adal closed the door behind us all.

Cain and Norvin reached me and both hugged me at the same time. Adal waited for his turn, and then he swept me into a gentle hug and kissed my lips. My heart beat with joy as my mates showered me with their affections.

“How about we get onto your bed?” suggested Norvin.

“Go ahead.”

Norvin climbed onto it and lay down among the pillows. Cain and Adal looked more hesitant but followed him to sit on the edge of the bed.

I went to the corner where a vast table was set up along with a gilded mirror over it. One by one, I started taking off my jewelry.

It took longer to get rid of all the pins in my hair but a sigh of contentment escaped me as my hair fell freely past my shoulders.

Next, I took off the lavish gown.

Cain, Adal, and Norvin had their gazes on me. Fighting a hot blush, I stepped towards them in nothing but a long, thin shift that I’d worn underneath my dress.

They shifted to make space for me.

One by one, they moved closer to kiss me.

Cain lay a gentle hand on my protruding belly. “Our child is growing up fast,” he said approvingly. “It feels like mere days have passed since your stomach was flat.”

“Three months have flown by like a breeze,” said Adal. “We’re so busy through the day we barely notice time passing us by.”

“I hate having to spend time apart,” said Norvin. His purple-hued eyes looked between Adal and Cain. “I have to admit. I miss you both as much as Daria.”

Adal chuckled. “Yes. I do miss the days when our companionship was the only thing holding us together. We’ve gone through near-death experiences with each other. It’s a very different kind of bond.”

“Did you think we’d ever be able to have this moment?” Cain’s silvery-gray eyes looked at each of us in turn. “It feels like a dream to be here like this.”

“It is no dream,” I said, squeezing his hand. “At least when I am arguing with a dozen court official it doesn’t feel so dreamy.”

We all sniggered at that. Arguments and discussions with our officials were always exhausting.

“Ren seems to be doing quite well,” said Norvin. “Who was the man with him? They have the same ugly shade of ginger hair.”

I laughed. “It’s not ugly!”

“That shade looked ugly on you alone, Norvin,” said Adal in a light, mocking tone.

We all burst out laughing at that, remembering the time when I’d dyed Norvin’s hair with henna in an attempt to hide his identity.

“That man is Ren’s real father,” I added once the chuckles stopped. “He came to me and told me the truth the day after the assassination attempt.”

Norvin swore loudly. Adal and Cain turned stiff.

“I can’t imagine how desperate they must have been,” said Cain. “It was cowardly and barbaric.”

“They wanted to see if they could kill me in my sleep. Thanks to Tuto watching over me, they never got the chance.”

“I declare the owl to be the royal protector,” said Norvin. “I will present him with lots of meat for his services to my queen.”

“Those old nobles even murdered Helena,” I said in a bitter voice. “Their greed for control grew so much they wouldn’t even let Helena live.”

“She was never banished?” asked Cain.

I shook my head. “She was already wasting away from the shock. Ivan was dead and so were her brothers. Ren wanted me to let her be imprisoned in the dungeon. I never thought she would be in any danger from the nobles. She would have happily supported their decision to kill me.”

“It is good it was taken care of,” said Adal in a grim voice. “All those who had connections with the evil traitor have perished. Let this tale stand through the ages to serve its lesson. No matter how strong evil gets, there will always be those who fight it.”

A large yawn escaped me.

“She is tired,” said Norvin, laying me down on the pillows beside him. Gazing at me with a gentle expression, he said, “I wish I could stay with you and take care of you every day.”

“I feel the same,” said Adal. “I want to be around you and our baby.”

“I can barely concentrate on anything I miss you so much,” said Cain.

“Then, come live with me,” I said, meeting each of their gazes. “You can rule your kingdoms from here too. And you can fly back to your nations any time you need to.”

“I have been thinking about that,” said Adal, lying down on my other side. “I want to set things up in such a way that I can stay away from administrative roles as much as possible. That way, I can stay closer to you.”

“You must help me,” said Norvin. “Whatever grand ideas you have, do share. I can’t stay away from Daria. And once the baby is born, I’d never want to apart from them.”

“It will be hard work,” said Adal.

“We have six more months,” said Cain. “We can do it. In fact, we have to do it.”

Soon, my eyes drooped closed. As I was lulled to sleep, I could feel the presence and warmth of my mates all around me. In the back of my mind, I knew they would have to leave soon but I desperately hoped they could come and live with me without having to go back so quickly.

20

Daria

Three years later

The night was lit up by the glow of a thousand lanterns.

Dareena, my two-year-old daughter, rushed past me towards a vendor selling floating lanterns. Norvin and Adal ran after her, shouting for her to slow down. I stayed back and suppressed a laugh as Cain supported me with his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

“Are you sure you should be here?” said Cain in a grim voice as he kept his gaze all around us. One of his hands lay protectively against my large protruding belly. I was pregnant with my second child.

His protectiveness was growing each day. If possible, he would have stayed back in the palace with me, letting Dareena enjoy the lantern festival with Adal and Norvin.

“It’s not good for the baby to be cooped up all day inside a room,” I reminded him, watching Dareena skip away while Adal and Norvin were paying the lantern vendor. Adal shouted after her while Norvin had to run after to catch up. “Children like a little excitement,” I said indulgently as I watched Dareena ask for sugar candies from a vendor.

We were all dressed in simple peasant clothes to blend in with the crowd around us so we could move around freely without needing guards to escort us. It gave us a rare opportunity to be a family without the bonds of royal etiquette.

Tonight, we were free to be as wild as the children on the street.

There was a general air of festivity all around us. Children played all along the street, laughing cheerfully. Their voices were strong. No shadow of sickness lay over them.

The past few years, we’d stopped levying taxes on our citizens. It gave them a chance to rebuild their lives and come out of the abject poverty they’d been subjected to. As prosperity spread around the towns and villages, the rate of crime also decreased.

As rulers, we could see our burdens lightening.

“This is delicious! Try it, Mother!” Dareena had come back to me with a sugar candy molded in the shape of a swan. Two curly ponytails on both sides of her head bobbed as she shivered with excitement. Her jade-green eyes glowed with happiness. My heart swelled to see my child looking so healthy and happy.

I took the sweet and bit into the hard caramel. “Mmm. It does taste good,” I said, handing the rest to her. Looking up at Adal and Norvin, I grinned.

“You only have eyes for your mother,” said Norvin in a mock upset tone. “Your fathers buy you the sweet but you run to your mother with it.”

Dareena looked slightly peeved. “For you, Father,” she said, offering her piece of candy.

My heart melted at the gesture.

Norvin swept her off her feet and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.” Taking the candy, he held it to her mouth.

“Are you crying, Daria?” asked Adal, glancing at me.

“A little,” I said, wiping my eyes. Lately, my emotions were strong. From anger to love, it was doubly strong. Right now, my heart was overflowing with so much love, it was aching.

After years of neglect and unimaginable pain, I was standing here with my complete family. My child was loved by me and her fathers. She would be protected by all of us and one day, she would rule the realm with her brothers and sisters. We would help her grow stronger, but for now, we were satisfied to let her innocence stay intact a little longer.

Even though peace and prosperity had come to us all, I was always on my guard.

A ghostly white shadow flew over our heads. Tuto’s screeches were drowned by the noise of the street, making him melt into the night more effectively. From time to time, I would let my irises turn a tawny gold from green and take in the aerial view my familiar provided.

The assassin within me was ever vigilant, ever present…

Did you enjoy Daria’s journey?

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for reading until the end.

This is the last book in this fantasy series. I hope you enjoyed the adventure of Daria and her dragon princes in this tale.

Would you like me to write more realm fantasy like this series or do you prefer your fantasy in a modern, urban setting? Let me know!

For now, I am working on a contemporary academy series. It is a reverse harem story as well. If you like the genre, please check out the first book in the series.

Lastly, I hope you enjoyed the story and would consider leaving a short review on Amazon. Even a simple “I liked it” will make my day.

If you’d like to stay updated, please join my newsletter or ‘like’ my Facebook page. You can join my Facebook group too.

About Ivy

Ivy is an Electrical engineer by profession. She started writing fanfiction in her spare time and after a whole year of writing; she decided to start writing an original series with her own characters.

Although, work and tight deadlines often have her drinking coffee, she is a tea-lover at heart. She loves to read, but keeps taking trips to Hogwarts now and then. (Who could miss JKR’s lovely invitation?) Her favorite current TV shows are Game of Thrones and Pretty Little Liars.

Table of Contents

ASSASSIN’S REIGN

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Did you enjoy Daria’s journey?

About Ivy