“As long as we have an understanding,” Niall said. “Whatever happens in the future, we will expect Paragon to remember the generosity of Rogos.”
Gabriel gave him a deliberate and reassuring nod.
Raven took another bite of the scrumptious meal they’d been served in the high lord’s private dining room as the table plunged into silence. It was some type of poultry, she decided, going off the chicken-like wing on her plate. Only, unlike a chicken, the creature had four legs instead of two. She decided not to ask what it was. It was too delicious, and she was too hungry to spoil it with some story about it being a flying swamp rat or something even more hideous. Such a stomach-turning disappointment had happened before to her in Ouros.
Niall sipped his wine without ever taking his eyes off Gabriel. There was more, something he wanted but wasn’t saying. And then with a slight narrowing of his eyes, he added, “As your ally, I’d like to contribute the time of a few of our finest metalworkers to help rebuild the Obsidian Palace.”
Smiling, Gabriel bowed slightly over his plate. “You honor me with your generosity.”
Under the table, he squeezed her hand. They both understood that this offer came with strings attached. Anything built by elves would likely be accessible by them, a trap door into their kingdom should Niall ever need it. But Gabriel had done the only thing he could do in accepting the offer. Not only did Paragon need the help, but they were also building something here, something that would have to be repeated with the newly elected Chancellor of Everfield and Master Demidicus of Nochtbend. Every move they made laid the groundwork for the future, one they wanted to be marked by a long and abundant peace.
“What of the Highborn Council? Most of the representatives who still stood with Eleanor were killed in the uprising, but not all,” Queen Penelope said. “In Darnuith, we have imprisoned any surviving supporters of Eleanor. They will stand trial, and justice will be served. But we cannot control what happens in the other kingdoms.”
Raven raised her chin. “There is no place for supporters of the past regime in the future governance of Paragon. However, each kingdom should decide on their own what to do with their past representatives. Certainly, many supported Eleanor in name only. Stripping them of the title would seem enough to us. Gabriel and I plan to reestablish the Council of Elders as it existed before Eleanor and Brynhoff’s rise to power.”
“I thought Eleanor slaughtered the entire council, including her own parents,” Niall said.
“She did.” Gabriel nodded. “But according to traditional Paragonian law, when a council member dies, they are to be replaced by their eldest child. Many of those children are still alive, and what openings remain on the council, we intend to fill with representatives from the other kingdoms. Rogos will have a place, as will Darnuith.”
That made Niall’s smile grow broader, and he tapped his glass against Gabriel’s. “Already a true king.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “We would love to answer more of your questions, but many things are still to be decided. Raven and I have barely healed from our ordeal and will need time to rebuild the kingdom. Many changes will be made once the council is in place, and of course, there is the matter of our official coronation. The people of Paragon need to be united behind us, or all of our intentions are meaningless.”
“Of course. You need time.” Niall sipped his wine again. “I’ve been rude pressing you as I have.”
But Queen Penelope sniffed as if she wasn’t quite done being rude. Her ice-blue eyes shifted to Raven. “What about the book?”
“What book?” Raven gave her a guileless look, but of course Penelope was speaking of the golden grimoire. Colin had told her the witch had asked about it and used her influence to try to woo him into obtaining it for her. But Raven wanted Penelope to address it directly with her. She had to start the way she wanted to continue. Paragon and Darnuith had a long, unfortunate history of being at odds with each other. It was time to usher in an era of cooperation.
“The golden grimoire. Colin told me you’d obtained it. I assume that’s what Eleanor was after when she summoned you to her. What became of it?”
“Eleanor used it to kill the goddess and take her place. The goddess Hera helped her ascend in exchange for the grimoire. Eleanor succeeded. What she hadn’t counted on was that we would succeed in undoing her ascension.”
“The grimoire was once Medea’s, our queen. It belongs in Darnuith. It is a cultural artifact.” Penelope’s eyes flashed.
Raven schooled her features. She’d suspected this would be an issue. “Unfortunately, the grimoire was taken by Hera before Eleanor’s ascension. It’s gone for good.”
“You didn’t use it to awaken Aitna?” Penelope shot her an incredulous look.
Raven shook her head. It wasn’t a lie. She hadn’t used the book itself, only a spell she’d absorbed from its pages. “I didn’t need it, which was a good thing because I never got it back from Eleanor. My sisters and I performed the spell together to raise the goddess—without the grimoire. I do not believe it remains on Ouros. Hera seemed anxious to leave with it.”
Queen Penelope gave her a dark look, and Raven wondered if she sensed the book’s power within her. The witch most certainly understood now that Raven was her equal. She smiled sweetly. “I hope I can trust that if the book is ever found, you will deliver it to me at once.”
Those words dripped with honey. Raven placed a hand on her chest, completely immune to the witch’s influence, and gave Penelope her most authentic smile. “I will always hold a special place in my heart for your kingdom, Penelope. Our rule and my mating with Gabriel is a new beginning for our people. My daughter, after all, is both dragon and witch. I want Charlie to have more witches in her life. I want us to be friends.”
Penelope reached for her glass, wearier now but seemingly resigned. “I’d like that too.”
The infirmary reminded Raven of the hospital where she’d first met Gabriel, white-walled and with an herbal smell that might have been antiseptic in her human world. More sterile than she expected. Elves used magic to heal as much as witches did, but her understanding of their specific type of magic was limited. When Leena had created the key that had freed them from the dungeon, she’d used science and engineering, not magic. Perhaps the healers here fixed bodies the same way, almost like human doctors. Tobias would find it fascinating. She must show him later.
Marius had a separate room off the main hall, far from the other patients. There were plenty in need of healing. Any of Rogos’s soldiers who had been on palace grounds when the volcano erupted had either died or suffered terrible burns. Every cot was taken, and beds had been moved in to fill the entire ward. With so little room here, Raven wasn’t sure if Marius’s isolation had to do with his former royal status as the heir apparent or with his condition. Even elves, it seemed, were unsettled by the resurrection of the dead.
She found Marius propped up in bed, staring at a painting of the Mystic Wood. He didn’t turn to look at her when she walked into the room. She studied the painting that held his attention. In it, a snake dangled from one of the tree branches, and Raven couldn’t help but be reminded of the Garden of Eden, although the people here wouldn’t understand that reference. A unicorn pointed its horn at the serpent, its white coat gleaming in a ray of sun.
“It’s called The Reckoning,” Marius said in a deep voice lined with grit.
Raven’s head snapped around to find him looking at her, his strange silver eyes clear. “You’re speaking!”
He pointed to the painting. “It’s an elven myth. As the story goes, when elves first walked Ouros, they were powerless until they encountered a tree worm who bit one of the females and infected her with venom that gave her the abilities elves have today. Only, as the story goes, the power made her evil. She enslaved those who weren’t like her until the unicorn, the worm’s only natural enemy, stabbed her with its horn. Unlike the worm who gave her power, the unicorn gave her empathy, and that is
why the elves have always leaned toward peace, fairness, and neutrality. This painting depicts the two beasts facing off against each other from the perspective of the woman.”
“I’ve never heard that story before.”
“It was something I learned growing up, when it was assumed I would be king.”
The room plunged into silence. After a few moments, she realized she’d never introduced herself. “I’m Raven, by the way. I’m Gabriel’s mate.”
His eyes flicked to the doorway. “And where is my brother?”
“Taking care of some official business. He knows I’m here. I came to see if I could help you recover.” Raven took a step closer to the bed. “I have a few spells in my arsenal for healing. He thought they might help you, but it seems you don’t need help after all.”
“You’re the witch who brought me back.” His strange eyes met hers again, and she could not read his expression. Was he happy about it? Confused?
“Yes. One of the three anyway. My sisters and I. You were a… pleasant surprise when we resurrected the goddess.”
His eyes closed for a long blink, and she watched his throat bob on a swallow. “We were in the same place.”
A chill spiderwalked up her spine. “You were in the same place as whom?”
“The goddess. She was in the same place as me after she died.” He rubbed his forehead as if it hurt. “When you pulled her back, I came too. It felt as if I were tied to her somehow.”
Raven licked her lips. “It was the spell. The magic required all nine hearts. I linked all of you to the goddess. Since Eleanor had bound your soul to your heart, it brought you back as well.” She didn’t mention the part about Charlie’s blood being a catalyst. He didn’t need to know the details. “Do you know where you were… Before, I mean?”
“I was… in between.” He toyed with the edge of his blanket. “The goddess is a true immortal. She cannot die, only be forced into the place where I was—that in-between place. Everything there is black-and-white. No color at all unless someone from here accesses it by magic. Your spell was as red as blood.” He held a strand of his hair between his fingers, frowning at the white color. “It used to be dark, you know? Almost black.”
“Your brother told me.”
“Now I look like a ghost. Maybe I am. This is not the life I left behind.”
Raven rubbed her mouth, wondering how much she should say. He seemed lucid, but the trauma of what he’d been through was astronomical. She had so many questions.
“No. It’s not the life you left behind,” she said softly. “Now that you’re back, there are things we—Gabriel and I—want to discuss with you.”
He turned his head so he was looking at her straight on. “You want to know if I plan to challenge Gabriel for the throne. Try to force the old law.” He scoffed. “Trap Rowan into ruling by my side.”
Raven frowned. “You could, I suppose. Try it, I mean. Although the goddess made it clear what she wanted, and so has Rowan. She plans to return to New York with her mate, Nick. Royal life isn’t for her.”
“She never wished to rule, even as a child.” A great sigh left his lungs. “And I find I have no desire to pick up where I left off.”
Tension Raven hadn’t even known was there seeped from her shoulders.
Marius rested his hands across his stomach. “The goddess made it clear to me what she wants, and unlike my mother, I have no desire to go against her wishes. But I would like a life here, a role.” His gaze drifted to the painting again. “I find myself in need of a purpose for being here.”
“Of course, Marius. Gabriel and I want you to serve as our adviser to the Council of Elders. We’re reestablishing it to replace the Highborn Court.”
He licked his lips. “I can do that. I will do that, on one condition.”
Raven braced herself. “What condition is that?”
He pulled up the sleeve of his pajamas, showing her the red symbols on his body. “Tell me what these mean.”
Frowning, she stepped closer to the bed to get a better look, and when he indicated it was okay, took his arm in her hands. “The truth is, I don’t know. I can feel the magic in them, but it’s foreign to me. Do they… bother you?”
His throat bobbed. “I have dreams.” He frowned, his face suddenly becoming drawn. “All in black and white and red. Horrible dreams. I’m back there in the in-between. When I wake, the symbols itch.” He pulled the sleeve down. “This body does not feel like my own.”
Raven grimaced. She joined her hand with his and gripped it firmly. “I’m not sure what the dreams mean or the symbols, but I will help you. We will figure it out, I promise you.”
He met her gaze and squeezed her hand. “Then I am yours, my queen. Tell my brother congratulations on his rise to power and that I hope his coronation goes more smoothly than mine.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Colin? Open up—I need to talk to you.” Gabriel’s gruff voice and harried knock sent Leena flying out of bed. She reached for the purple dress the elves had gifted to her. It was the only clothing she owned. When she’d resigned as a scribe, she’d had to leave all her robes and other possessions behind. They belonged to the temple. Technically, she did have the robes she’d been wearing when she informed the Quanling of her decision—Marjory did not take the clothes off her back—but it would be wrong to wear the uniform of her past calling. She preferred this simple dress. It might have been a gift, but it was the only thing in her life that was hers and hers alone. The only thing aside from Colin.
“Keep your dragon in your skin,” Colin called.
He didn’t look happy about the interruption. His hungry male gaze raked over her body before she covered it in the dress. How he could still look at her like that after they’d made love so many times was beyond her. Her most sensitive flesh ached with overuse every time she moved. Then again, that look he was giving her made her blood run hot enough she would do it again if there weren’t someone at the door.
As much as Leena was not ashamed of her mating to Colin, she didn’t welcome Gabriel’s judgment. She pressed her back against the wall, out of sight, while Colin slid the small panel built into the door aside and made eye contact with his brother.
“This isn’t a good time.”
Leena’s eyes widened. It had to be important if the new king of Paragon was seeking them out. It was not wise to deny the king entry even if Colin was his brother.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Gabriel said. “But I have something important to speak with you about. Tell Leena she can come out from behind the wall. I can smell her all over you.”
Heat burned in Leena’s cheeks and neck, but Colin grunted for him to wait a second and slid the peephole door closed. He dressed quickly but paused and looked her way before he opened the door. She nodded. She wasn’t going to get any more ready than this. He flipped the latch and let his brother in.
Gabriel strode through the door and gave Leena a shallow bow before gesturing toward the small table in the room. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit for this. Niall has been running me all over Asfolk today, and I’m still recovering from our confrontation with Eleanor.”
Colin nodded and pulled out a chair for her, but Leena went to the pitcher on the side table and poured them all glasses of water before she sat. Her mouth was already dry as a stone. She was going to need it, and it seemed rude not to serve the two dragons. They both mumbled a thank-you at the gesture.
For as long as she’d known Gabriel, he’d always made her nervous. There was his size to contend with—he was as large as Colin but with a deadly sort of cadence to his movements that reminded her of a wild cat… some kind of predator. And his eyes—she always wondered how Raven could stand looking into those eyes. They were dark but always burning, red flecks dancing like sparks deep within. Colin was every bit of a warrior as Gabriel, but her familiarity with him, his gray eyes that always softened when he saw her, put her at ease. With Gabriel… Facing him felt like s
taring darkness itself head on. Like facing death.
Gabriel sipped his water and looked between Colin and Leena. “Am I mistaken, or are congratulations in order?”
Leena’s eyes darted to Colin, whose cheeks had taken on a red tinge. Was it possible that Gabriel could tell what they’d done?
“I don’t mean to embarrass either of you.” He glanced at Leena. “It’s a dragon thing. His mating scent is all over you and this room. And you’re no longer wearing your temple robes, so I can draw some conclusions.”
Now her face burned again. She pressed her cool palms against her hot cheeks.
“We are mated, yes,” Colin said. “Leena is mine. She will not be returning to the temple.”
A warm feeling came over her at the way Colin claimed her. She was not a woman who had ever longed to be possessed, but this mark of ownership was mutual. It was not a claim that threatened her freedom. Her mating was not a chain at all, but maybe a long elastic band. She could go from him as far as she wished, but there would always be that bond, always that subtle tug drawing her back to this dragon who made her feel whole again.
Gabriel nodded. “I thought that might be the case. I’m glad she’s here. This discussion concerns both of you.”
Now Leena squirmed. Was there to be a punishment for her leaving the temple? Would Colin be cast out, or would they both end up scraping by in the Borough?
“I’d like to offer you the position of Master of the Guard.” Gabriel studied Colin, his fingers toying with his glass. “I realize that after leading the rebellion, taking over Scoria’s position as captain may not be enough for you, but this new position as master will also serve on the Council of Elders. We need to remake the Obsidian Guard into something to be proud of again. A unit that serves the people in peacetime as well as war.”
The Dragons of Paragon Page 22
