by Chandra Ryan
“You, you did this,” Raven hissed at her.
“I came aboard naked. Where, pray tell, would I hide Heartsbane?” Still watching the group of men, she saw them frantically try to aid the flailing man. All except Collin. Instead of rushing to help Isis, he took advantage of the confusion—kicking the crystal chalice that had housed the poison off the side of the ship.
“But you knew.”
“I still have the senses of a dragon. I did smell the poison.”
“And you said nothing.”
“Isis was a good man and you were right. He would’ve been the obvious choice for king. But he was neither cunning nor devious. If not tonight then it would have been tomorrow or the next day. I couldn’t watch over him this entire journey.”
“How can you be so callous?”
“Don’t confuse self-preservation with callousness. I showed you that out of compassion.”
“Compassion for whom?”
“For you. So you would understand the danger you would be in if Collin decides you are a threat.” She paused to let her words take root. “And for your people. True, having someone who is vilely corrupt as a king isn’t something I would relish, but your people’s fate under his leadership wouldn’t be much better than mine, would it?”
“Collin?”
“Regrettably, yes.”
“Never. I would never bow to him. No one would.”
“If he is the only one left to bow to…”
“Why have you taken an interest in me?” His eyes sparkled shrewdly. “Why are you telling me these things?”
“You are not dim, captain, please do not pretend to be.”
He shook his head. “You’re telling me for the same reason you sought me out, because I have the misfortune of being over here instead of over there.” He nodded toward the group of men who were drinking again having, apparently, already forgotten their fallen comrade. “But I don’t see what you expect of me.”
“I wish to broker an alliance.”
“You’re our servant. We already own everything you have to offer.”
“The king—and only the king—will own everything I possess. Including my knowledge of whose blood is strong with the magic.” She said the words carefully, hoping he’d take the bait.
“Strong with magic? Why would that matter?”
Her stomach fluttered with joy at the victory, but she kept her expression blank. It was only one small battle. She needed to win so much more from him before she could celebrate. “It matters, dear Raven. Collin does not have any dragon’s blood, does not have any magic. How long do you think it would take him to convince his subjects that it’s time to cleanse the human race of those corrupted with it?”
His face paled at the question. She’d gained a foothold, now all she had to do was exploit it.
“It would not be a difficult task. Anyone born second generation is more dragon than human. And we all know how much humans hate dragons.” She snorted as his skin paled yet another shade. “You’re third generation. That’s a rarity. I’m guessing those of your strength would be taken in the first wave of the slaughter.”
“My great-grandfather, grandmother, and mother were all…dragons,” he said, looking away from her uncomfortably.
“And one was Orlara. That is not going to win any sympathy.” As their commander, Orlara had become the icon of the rebellion. And the humans despised her for the betrayal they had felt when her true identity as a dragon was revealed.
“Orlara was my mother. How—”
“I can see your abilities.”
“You can see my magic?”
“Any pure dragon could. Telepathy has a particularly lovely green haze to it,” she said. “I would never willingly tell anyone, of course. You’re a good person. I have no desire to see you killed. If the new king asked outright, however, I would be obligated under the terms of my sentence to tell him.” She paused to give him a second to digest her words. “But, if that new king were you, you’d have nothing to worry about. Would you?”
“Still, the only way to prevent him from becoming king—”
“Would be to kill him.” She wasn’t one to mince words. If he was going to broker an alliance with her, he needed to know what he was agreeing to.
“I won’t kill him just to wear the crown. That would make me no better than him.”
“But it wouldn’t be for the crown. Not for you.” She almost had him, she could feel it. “You would be protecting the people. People just like you. It wouldn’t be fair to sentence them to death for something they had no control over.”
“Even if Collin dies, there’s no guarantee I would rise to the throne.”
“If there’s no procedure for selecting a king, what’s to stop the crown from going to the person with the strongest blood magic?”
His brow wrinkled and his mouth twitched, warning her that he was about to argue the point. But she stopped him, saying, “Think about it. Your greatest weakness would suddenly be your strength. The very thing that would have you hunted would protect you. And your ability, the abilities of all those dragon born, could be used to help the people. Isn’t that what you want? To help?”
“How would we know who was the strongest? How would succession be determined?”
“I can tell how pure a dragon is. It’s how I knew you were third generation. It would be part of my servitude.”
“But the others would suspect me if I tried to claim the throne on the heels of another’s death.”
She had him. Now it was just a matter of details. “The others wouldn’t care. Not if you present it correctly. Most of them have some dragon’s blood. I would think they’d be indebted to you for coming up with a way to protect them. And if the crown goes to the strongest, their children or grandchildren might have a chance at it. No one else is going to offer them that. Besides, if you are with the others when Collin dies, you would be above suspicion.”
“How?”
Taking a moment, she smoothed a wrinkle in the blanket she wore before turning her attention back to him. “I could help you, if you would agree to help me.”
“But your sentence,” he said, immediately picking up on the implication.
“In the grand scheme of things, are eleven lives any different than ten?”
He looked around the ship quickly then turned back to her. “Would forty-one lives be much of a difference, in the grand scheme of things?”
“I want this over as quickly as possible,” she said honestly. “Thirty additional lives is something I would definitely try to avoid.”
“And what would you want in return? If I were named king, that is?”
“We’re a long way from home and not many know what was said at the trial. If my role was one of an advisor as opposed to slave, that would be enough.”
Chapter One
Three hundred years later
Sara knelt as she placed the last flower in front of the marble statue of Lyman.
Seven. There were seven blooms lying at the feet of the god of justice. One for each year that’d passed since her family had been murdered and her home burned to the ground.
Shaking her head, she stared at the offering. Had it really happened so long ago? The years had passed so quickly that it almost didn’t seem possible. But when she stopped to think back to that time, to the time before the raid that had put an end to her gilded childhood, it felt so distant it was almost as if she were looking at someone else’s life.
And maybe that was for the best.
She ran a hand over the cheap material of her servant’s cloak and then to the severe bun that held her black hair in neat order at the nape of her neck. There had been a time when she wouldn’t have been seen in anything less than the finest silks, with her hair adorned in pearls and rare stones. But not anymore.
She would never be that girl again.
True, she was the Lady Raven. She was still royalty. But it was in title only. And what good did a title do if one didn’t
have the gold to back it up?
None.
She sighed at the hard truth. It was one that had taken her years to admit. And her life had been better for its acceptance. But it wasn’t the reason she’d come to the temple that day, she reminded herself.
Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind and concentrated on her breathing, on finding the celestial rhythm around her. It was rumored that through the exercise one could find peace, patience—even universal wisdom if one achieved the proper discipline.
The universe, however, didn’t seem to want to cooperate. Even after she had sat long enough for her legs to start cramping, she had found neither peace nor wisdom. Only silence.
Not that she really expected enlightenment from a statue of a god that dated back to the Great War. He was little more than a relic of a three-hundred-year-old religion. But it would’ve been nice to have gleaned some insight from the religious rite. Apparently, though, she was to find her answers elsewhere.
Rocking back on her heels, she tightened her cloak around her shoulders as she felt the presence of another. She didn’t turn to acknowledge the person, though. Letting anyone know she could sense them, feel their thoughts brush against hers, would give too much away. Even if the person was her best friend.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding. I’ve been searching for you everywhere.”
Sara smiled at Liv’s teasing tone. There was no one she’d rather see right now—no one at Keep Drake, at least. “Not hiding. I was laying flowers.” Sara stood and then turned to face Liv so her friend could see the dark purple flowers that stood out against the stark white of the marble temple floor.
“Oh gods.” Liv paled as she brought a hand to her forehead. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay, Liv.” There was no way her friend could’ve known she had chosen this day to lay flowers for her family. Sara hadn’t even known she was going to until she’d wandered through the gardens that afternoon and caught their heady fragrance on the breeze. It reminded her of her mother’s favorite perfume.
“No, it’s not. All that you’re going through—”
“I’m fine.” It was mostly true, if you didn’t count the way her stomach cramped every time she thought about the feast the keep was preparing to hold that night in honor of the Lord Hunter’s visit. “I just wanted to pay my respects. Too much time has passed since I did it last.”
It’d been so long, in fact, that she couldn’t remember the last time she had. And with her twentieth birthday just past, it was time. Her family had been on her mind constantly for the past week.
After taking one last lingering look behind her, she forced the memories of her family to the back of her mind. “Did Aster send you to fetch me?” Thinking of the cook, Sara couldn’t help but smile. He might be a demanding boss, but he was always fair. And fair she could respect.
“He said you could take tonight off, if need be.” Liv wrapped her arm around Sara’s shoulders as they started walking by the massive columns that supported the temple roof.
For one brief moment she gave the idea thought. It would be nice not to have to be servant to the man who had once been her betrothed—who had slammed his door in her face when he realized she no longer had anything to offer but the clothes on her back. It would be nice to never have to look upon Devin’s cruelly handsome face ever again.
But she quickly dismissed it. “Tonight is too important,” Sara said, shaking her head defiantly. “This far out, we don’t get many high-ranking guests. Everything needs to be perfect. They need me tonight.”
“The Lord Hunter’s visit be damned. You don’t owe that bastard anything. Not after the way he treated you.”
As nice as it was to have a friend argue for her, this was something Sara had to do. “You’re right, but I’m not doing this for Devin,” she challenged. “It’s for Aster. He’s always been there for me, even when I was new and just learning how to be a servant.” A faint smile touched her lips as she remembered the time Aster lied to the Lady Drake about how an entire batch of truffles had spoiled. It would’ve taken Sara five years to pay the Lady Drake back for the expensive delicacy on the meager salary she earned, but he’d covered for her. “Now it’s my turn to be there for him.”
“Gods, it’s not like you’re the only one who can skin a potato or carry a dish around here, Sara. Aster will manage with or without you.”
Sara took a deep breath as they stepped out of the temple and into the courtyard. The air held an early autumn chill, but the sky was such a brilliant blue she refused to let the coolness of the day bother her. “Maybe. And it would be easier to hide in my quarters until that snake slithered back to whatever rock he’s currently hiding under. But if I did that—if I hid instead of facing him—people would think it was because I’m ashamed of what I’ve become. And I’m not.” It may not be the life she had planned, or the one that had been planned for her, but it was a good day’s work. It was an honest day’s work. And it was a hell of a lot better than the other positions she had been offered after the raid.
“Nor should you be,” Liv insisted. “You’ve done well here. Come a long way from the spoiled fourteen-year-old that showed up on our doorstep, you have. Oh, that reminds me.” Stopping, she pulled a small package out of her sleeve. “Happy birthday.”
Sara stared at the small box in genuine shock. She’d thought her friends had forgotten. Not that she could blame them. They had no idea of the significance of a royal’s twentieth birthday. Had no knowledge of the magic that manifested on that day.
“Well, are you going to open it or just stare at it all day?”
“Sorry.” She tore the tissue off the box and opened the lid. A squeak of childish delight escaped her as she spied the sugary confection inside. “It’s a snowdrop.” After picking the treat up carefully, she closed her eyes as she bit into it. She let its sour-sweetness wash over her, bringing with it childhood memories.
“I know it’s a week late, but you wouldn’t believe the favors I had to call in to get that thing.”
“Where did it come from?” The Central Realms treat was virtually unheard of in the northeastern tip of the kingdom that Keep Drake occupied.
“Aster got a shipment in honor of Lord Hunter’s visit. Had to convince half the kitchen staff they wanted to be looking at anything but me for a few minutes.”
Knowing Liv’s definition of convince was to either bribe or threaten, Sara smiled. “Thank you.”
“Gods, Sara, it’s just a candy.”
“It’s more than that. It’s the best gift I received.” It was, most certainly, the least complicated gift.
“That’s because it’s the only gift you received,” Liv quipped smartly.
Sara had to fight against the urge to tell her the truth. It would be wonderful for someone else to know. But there was a code—even for outcast royalty. One never discussed the magic with those who did not possess it. Besides, as much as she loved Liv, did she really want the keep gossip to know she could read minds?
Her stomach flipped with anxiety. No. She never wanted anyone else to know.
“Would you like to try it?” She held up what was left of her treasure, hoping her friend would say no.
“I couldn’t.”
“Your loss.” She quickly popped the rest of it into her mouth before Liv could change her mind.
“And you’re sure about tonight?”
Licking the powdered sugar off her lips, Sara nodded. “I’m sure.” She would never be able to live with the disgrace of hiding, not to mention the court gossip. “And we should probably hurry. As early as it is, Aster’s going to need a million things done to get ready for this evening,” she said as they stepped through the massive arched doorway that led into the busy keep.
Unfortunately, the comment brought up a long list in her friend’s mind. And just hearing Liv think about all the things they had to do was quickly making Sara exhausted. “I heard Shanti’s seeing Sir Lore,” she said,
hoping to distract Liv.
It didn’t take long for her friend to turn her attention from work to the tidbit of gossip. “Maybe between the sheets, but that’s the only place he’d be caught with that trash. I did hear that…”
Sara smiled as her friend delved into the latest keep news. Over the last week she’d learned that people rarely thought when they spoke, and Liv was no exception. Keeping her friends’ thoughts silenced was an art form she was quickly becoming adept at.
Not that she had much of a choice.
She shook her head as they passed a group of ladies dressed in silken, embroidered gowns. She’d learned the hard way that no one actually wants to know all the things their friends try so hard to keep hidden.
Of all the gifts she could’ve been given, why telepathy?
“What do you think?” Liv asked, pulling her back into the conversation. “Sara? Are you even listening to me?”
“Sorry.” Sara looked up quickly, trying to bring her focus back to Liv. “I guess I’m just a bit distracted tonight.”
“Oh well, I guess we’re here anyway.” Liv pushed open the large swinging door to the kitchen. “We can talk later tonight.”
“Thanks.” Sara followed her into the bright kitchen and found the frantic rhythm that greeted her almost comforting. They’d just reported to their station when she heard the blustering voice she’d come to love and hate over the years.
“There you two are,” Aster cried, sending a group of workers scattering in all directions.
Sara had to bite her tongue to contain a laugh as the short, stocky man came charging toward them. The normally calm, impeccably dressed cook looked one mishap from a complete breakdown.
“I swear, I don’t know where Lady Drake scraped up the extra help, but if it were up to me they would all be rotting in the Black Woods.” He wiped his hands on his once white apron, adding yet another streak of color to it. “Liv, I need you to run to the butcher and tell him to add thirty pounds of venison to tonight’s order. Sara, you’ve a guest. I would tell you to make it quick, but I don’t think he’d appreciate it. And I’ve come to enjoy the simple things, like breathing, too much to upset one such as him.”
