He reaches forward and tips my chin up, studying my face.
“Come with me?” he asks gently, and I suck in a fortifying breath. “Just through there; the courtyard,” he clarifies, as if sensing that I’m close to retreating inside of myself if pushed too far.
I take his hand and nod.
He guides me through the sea of people and out one of the side doors to the cool, dark gardens outside.
I sigh at the soothing feel of the night sky above me and the cool breeze whispering across my skin. Dederic sits me on a stone ledge and crouches down in front of me.
“I think we need to talk,” he murmurs, and my breath catches.
He knows. I’m caught.
“I’m sorry-” I blurt but he lifts a palm and stops me.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” he says and wraps my hands in his.
The breath whooshes out of me and my brow creases in confusion.
“I’m sorry. That night… Odin delivered the news of Sarvos’ death and I didn’t handle it the way I should have. I knew you weren’t aware of what was coming, but I didn’t take the time to talk with you about what was going to happen, and I’m sorry. I let you down in that.” He cups my cheek and I lean into the touch and feel of his skin, still reeling at the direction of this conversation.
“You never let me down,” I whisper, the ache in my heart at my own duplicity making me sick to my stomach.
“You’ve been avoiding me. I don’t know if it’s because you’re angry that I didn’t prepare you for the rite, or scared, or put off ̶ but I’m so fucking sorry.” His eyes are dark and intense. “I love my people. I know that I can lead them, do well by them - and you. And I don’t want this to change what’s between us,” he says.
My heart cracks at his words and I lean forward and plant a fierce kiss on his mouth. I slide my tongue over his and feel the initial shocked tension in his body melt away before a growl of pleasure rumbles through his chest. I inhale Dederic’s warm smell and revel in the feel of his skin on mine.
I break the kiss and stare into his beautiful face. He looks handsome and commanding and regal tonight. He reaches behind me and pulls his large fingers through my hair, leaving a trail of goosebumps all up and down my spine. I grasp his free hand and give it a squeeze.
“Nothing about the past few days changes anything about my feelings for you,” I say honestly, but for the first time I realize just how terrified I am of losing him.
I’m afraid that my betrayal today will kill the warmth and adoration in his eyes. And once the full scale of Alderon’s vengeance and the High King’s wrath is upon us, I’m afraid that he will look down at me and realize that I am not worth the amount of trouble I have caused.
A group of men comes walking out the door beside us, laughing and happy and calling greetings to Dederic and I. He smiles and acknowledges them from where he is crouched before me and then turns his attention back to me.
I cup his cheek and kiss him gently, wishing that I was not so distracted with fear and worry.
“Can we dance for a bit? Enjoy the night and maybe we can talk some more after the party?” I whisper.
He smiles and rises smoothly to his feet, holding out a hand and wrapping my fingers in his.
We move back inside to where warmth and music and family fills the room. He presses my back to his front and lifts my arms to wrap back around his neck as we sway together. His warm hands slide around my waist and caress the exposed skin of my stomach.
I try and forget the guilt and nervousness that have been lodged in my gut since seeing Alderon in the woods, but it burns around the edge of my consciousness, reminding me over and over that this isn’t done.
Council
At the first meeting of the new High Council, I sit quietly while Dederic introduces me to everyone and thanks the men for their service to Ruarden.
There is Hector; fair-skinned and fair-haired with a pleasant and easy-going demeanor that serves him well as the Herald of Arms. Odin; Dederic’s mostly silent and imposing second. Moris; my least favorite Dragon with wild dark hair and a gruff bearing who oversees security and patrols. Ademar; elder and adviser who lives and breathes history. And Duran; dark-skinned and heavily decorated, is the new general of Ruarden’s armies.
“I think the most obvious place to start this meeting would be the overarching issues revolving around the humans,” Duran blurts out gruffly.
The other men nod and look hesitantly towards me. I sit up straighter and try and offer a small reassuring smile for them to proceed.
“Seda,” Dederic says from the head of the table, “you’re welcome to observe and get a feel for the tone of the meetings if you’d like. Speak up if you feel comfortable, though. I know you have thoughts on what our first steps should be when it comes to healing things with the humans.”
I lock eyes with the king and nod gratefully.
The rest of the team starts calmly discussing the details of the days before and after Eira’s abduction. I listen closely but remain mostly silent, getting a feel for the timeline and the details that have been made available.
Moris snarls and hisses over the top of everyone as they speak, and I have to grit my teeth in annoyance. He’s loud-mouthed and harsh when he finally manages to string more than two words together.
“Have we pushed Eira on what she remembers? Names or people or places or any talk of how exactly they have managed to kidnap nearly all of our surviving females?” he growls.
I bite my lips together, glancing up and locking eyes with Odin.
Tell them, he insists with a wordless lift of his chin.
I’m grateful for his silent, subtle movements as I swallow hard and look for an easy entrance into the discussion around me.
“Of course we’ve asked her. It’s understandably difficult for her and she insists that many of the details are still unclear,” Hector answers patiently.
Moris scoffs and throws up his hands. “Bullshit.”
“What would you have us do, Moris? Hold her down and remove her fingernails until she speaks?” Duran’s deep voice rumbles through the room and his disdain is evident.
“I’m not suggesting that we hold her down and pry it from her. But if we’re really counting on Warin to push her about what she remembers… we’ll die of old age,” Moris snarls.
The two of them snap back and forth for a moment and I catch Odin’s eye again across the table. He lifts a brow and I steel my spine.
“We need to be looking at the green river,” I interrupt sharply.
The men all fall silent and five pairs of eyes slide over me in question.
“What green river?” Hector asks curiously, leaning forward in his seat.
“The one you showed me out near that large bluff,” I say, looking over at Dederic.
His brow is heavy and serious, jaw clenched.
“Does she mean the Reseda?” Hector asks and Dederic nods slowly.
Odin leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for more.
“Why do you say that?” Ademar inquires, scribbling furiously in one of the large journals in front of him and flipping through a large book.
“Seda had a… reaction a few nights ago when we flew through the area. She was hazy for a bit but came out of it fairly quickly once we got her back to the castle,” Dederic confirms.
“Eira told me that the river ̶ the Reseda ̶ it was the last place she remembers being before she woke in that cage,” I tell them, and a heavy weight of shock seems to blanket the council while they listen intently.
“I… we think it’s a trap. Some kind of magic that ensnares you and lures you out and away from Dragon territory.”
“Impossible,” Moris grunts. “We fly patrols through there at least once a day. I think we’d notice if we were losing soldiers by the dozens on that route.”
“Not necessarily,” I say, and the bearded Dragon huffs an exasperated sigh.
“Oh?” he drawls.
&nbs
p; “When I first arrived, Ademar indicated that males and females in Dragon form have some very unique protections and vulnerabilities. Perhaps females are more susceptible to the magic,” I say.
“Is that possible?” Duran asks and Ademar nods slowly.
“Yes, it’s possible,” he says slowly.
“Then perhaps we can disable the magic and prevent anyone else from being lured away,” Hector muses and tilts his head in earnest.
“Well, that depends,” Ademar murmurs. “We need to know if it’s static or if there is a constant flow of magic from the source to hold it in place.”
“I didn’t sense any physical anchors or weak spots when I went through,” I say and avoid looking at Dederic or Odin.
“That might indicate that it’s being fed from somewhere,” Ademar says thoughtfully.
“Do you know who might be feeding it?” Hector asks, and I swallow and glance around the table while six pairs of eyes all swing to me. I’m walking such a fine line here between hurting my new family or my old one. Guilt and fear and shame are gnawing at my stomach and I wrap a hand around my waist to stem the discomfort.
“The High King has an arsenal of humans with magic abilities working for him - all who would be powerful enough to supply magic like that from whatever distance they need,” I say.
Odin crosses his arms over his chest and gives me a hard look that says I don’t believe you.
Apparently Moris shares the sentiment.
“If we’re talking about the Reseda,” Moris says and stands to sweep a hand towards the large map on the table in front of us, “look at the placement in relation to the human cities. It has to be controlled by either the River City or the Cave Dwellers. Either one is in position to capture the females flying through the area.”
“The River City is too small to guard and house a Dragon,” Duran says and strokes a hand over his stubbled jaw.
“The Cave Dwellers makes sense…” Hector acknowledges grudgingly.
There is a pregnant pause while all five of them seem to glance between Dederic and me, trying to determine if I will offer information or if he will request it from me.
Moris saves us both from the decision.
“This is a waste of time!” he snaps and slams a hand down on the table, making me jump.
“She knows! She knows who. She knows where. And she knows how. Make her tell us!” he growls at Dederic.
The room goes completely silent as Dederic’s green eyes slide menacingly over the patrol commander.
“Seda is the only reason we have any idea of what is going on. Do you really think that she’d risk her own life to free Eira and then stay to help us rebuild if she wanted to watch us fail?” His deep voice is deathly quiet, and I swear I can smell the smoke-laced anger on his breath as he fights for calm and speaks again.
“If she knew for certain who was responsible and how to solve it… she would tell us, Moris.”
Moris clenches his jaw and pushes on, refusing to back down.
“If we suspect it’s the Cave Dwellers, then we have a decent idea of where the city is located. I say we give them a taste of their own medicine. Lure them out and pick them off one by one until those responsible are ready to answer for their crimes,” he snarls.
“There are hundreds of innocent people living in that city who have absolutely no idea that this is occurring, let alone who is responsible!” I shout.
“Well maybe it’s time for them to wake up,” he says viciously.
I huff out a cold, humorless laugh.
“So you plan on butchering an entire generation of humans just to-”
“I’m not interested in the civilians. But perhaps they ought to understand exactly what the people they put in power are doing with it,” Moris says.
I rise slowly to stand and lean over the table so that we are eye to eye and just inches from each other.
“And what you don’t seem to understand,” I say quietly, “is that those in power at Illburn would gladly sacrifice every man, woman and child to your sword if it meant saving their own skin. They would feed you their own family’s heads if it meant avoiding facing punishment for their crimes. So if you think to play to their sense of honor… you are sorely misguided.” I hiss out the last part between clenched teeth, my fingernails digging hard into the palms of my hands.
“Illburn?” Moris tests the name and smirks.
I don’t break his stare.
“Even if we wanted to approach this offensively, which I don’t recommend, there is no scenario where our people are not put at heightened risk,” Duran rumbles from my right.
“And if we want there to be any chance at restoring relations with the humans, Moris, you know that we cannot go in there and be the monsters they have been led to believe we are,” Ademar says from my left.
“Why are any of you concerned with what these humans think of us? If the citizens of Illburn have been the ones kidnapping and killing our women, then who the fuck cares about taking the high road where they’re concerned,” Moris snaps.
“I do,” Dederic snarls, and my gaze shoots to the head of the table where his dark green eyes are locked on mine.
I sink slowly back into my seat and listen to the quiet, menacing pitch of his voice as he addresses the entire council.
“From what we know, their master is a human piece of shit who treats his own people as badly as he treats ours. He is the one orchestrating the kidnappings. He is the one orchestrating the killings. And I believe that his people are innocent of the knowledge of these goings on. We will not take our revenge on innocents. And we will not risk our own people unnecessarily by throwing together a blood bath mission.”
“And what about the band of humans roving just beyond our territory? Should we catalog their sins before defending our people as well?” Moris says, and my breath catches in my chest.
This is the first I have heard of humans moving through the area. I suspected as much, but now, knowing for sure that Alderon has a horde of soldiers with him this far from human lands, there is no denying his intent.
The growl that rips through Dederic’s chest echoes through the room and sends chills down my spine. Even Moris looks like some of the fire has died in his eyes.
“Do. Not. Condescend. Me.” Dederic stands slowly and the air seems to go static as everyone stills and quiets. The dominance and command in his voice, his posture, his gaze ̶ it’s an answer to Moris’ challenge. And Dederic has him beat in every respect.
“We will continue the usual protocol to deal with anyone who comes onto our land. We will use our intelligence, not our emotion, to determine whether they are a threat or a passing inconvenience. The only thing I would add is that we take extra care to preserve anyone who appears high ranking and bring them in for questioning.”
Duran nods in agreement and Moris’ eyes are pinned low in submission.
“I appreciate your desire to act, Commander. And I know the pain you feel. We all do. We have all lost a great deal in the last few hundred years. But we will act in a way that allows us to heal and move forward instead of burning bridges and sealing our fate.”
A long beat of silence fills the room as Dederic’s reason and command settle heavy over each of us. Hector clears his throat and gently steers the conversation back on track.
“Should we limit access to the Reseda and surrounding area for now?” he asks, and a collective exhale ripples through the space.
“Increase patrols but put the word out that that area should be avoided otherwise. And notify me immediately if anything changes with the humans in the area,” Dederic says.
Hector and Moris both nod quietly in agreement.
“Of course, My King,” Hector says.
Dederic’s green eyes flick to mine for a moment before he clears his throat and leans back in his chair.
“What’s next?”
Two days later, after the evening meal, I linger in the great hall and help Ismeina’s crew to gather dishes
and package up leftover food.
I am wiping down a table when I see Hector come storming through the door. He drags the cold, crisp scent of wind and earth into the room as he marches towards the other end of the hall. Amis, who is wiping down the table next to me, meets my gaze and we both quirk an eyebrow at the sight of Dederic’s disheveled commander storming through the room. I toss my rag down and Amis smirks knowingly as I hurry to follow Hector and spy on whatever news is being delivered.
I follow Hector out the door and barely catch sight of his green cloak floating around the corner down the hall to the right. I hurry along behind him, trying my best to move silently along the stone floor. He twists and weaves through various hallways and I realize that we are moving toward the north tower.
I come careening around one last corner before quickly pulling myself back out of sight. Dederic and Hector stand about ten feet away and I can see the grave look on Dederic’s face as he receives the news from his messenger.
“…half a day’s flight from here. They’re officially on our lands and moving quickly inward.” Hector’s voice is low and intent.
“How many?” Dederic asks.
“Forty. Maybe fifty. Nothing we cannot handle. Minimal artillery and only one long range weapon that we saw, though at least half are riders on horseback,” Hector says, and Dederic nods.
“Did there appear to be any civilians?”
Hector shakes his head, no. I exhale a quiet sigh, relieved for the people of Illburn and completely panicked for my Dragon family.
“All male. All soldiers - uniformly outfitted,” Hector tells him. I back against the wall and the let the coolness of the stone and the breeze from a nearby window sink into my skin.
Hectors smooth voice vibrates down the hallway again as he cautiously speaks to the king.
“Perhaps Seda-”
I freeze and listen for more but Dederic’s gravelly voice cuts him off instantly.
“No. We will not put her at risk by parading her out there ̶ nor will we force her hand on the matter. Do not raise it again.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Have Duran post teams at thirty-minute intervals. No fewer than three together. We do not strike until they do. We will not kill those who surrender, and we will take every precaution to capture officers. No one shifts to human form outside of these walls.”
Song of Smoke: A Dragon Shifter Romance (The King's Series Book 1) Page 20
