Page 33 of The Dragon King

Really? He knows the rules.

A sliver of tension curls up my spine, but I take a deep breath. The sooner I deal with Kudrer, the sooner I can move on with my day.

12

TATHA

After finishing my breakfast, missing Kem the entire time, I enter the wardrobe, tossing my wet towel into the bathroom on the way. Finger-combing my hair, I pick out a soft pair of stretchy gray pants and a form-fitting sleeveless top in black. I take the time to write down several books I’d love to have copied, doing my best to keep the list short. Tucking it in my back pocket, I slide into my boots and head out of Kem’s rooms.

There’s a new guard at the doors, and he follows me as I stroll down the halls. The castle grows brighter as the sun climbs the sky, refracting light through the crystal walls. Rainbows dance across my skin, and I lift my hand as I walk, dancing my fingers through the beams of light.

It really is beautiful here.

A man with metal-gray hair passes with an armful of papers and books. He bows quickly before hurrying past. Turning the next corner, I almost slam into a woman with burnt-orange hair, and she fumbles to her right to avoid colliding with me. To keep from falling, I press a hand to the wall, the cool crystal grounding me. Frustration clenches my teeth at still having these moments of clumsiness in this form. But the woman simply smiles. “So sorry, my Lady. Please excuse me.”

She hurries past, and the guard at my back presses his hand to my shoulder. My muscles stiffen at the contact, but he doesn’t seem to notice as his fingers squeeze slightly. “Are you alright, my Lady?”

Stepping away from the wall and out from under his hand, I nod, continuing on. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

My stride slows, then stops as I pass a pair of open doors. The library. Shelves line the room, every space filled with books. Large wood tables divide the room down the center, and cozy overstuffed chairs occupy light-filled nooks. Sunlight spills into the room from the large windows, and through a pair of glass doors, a covered balcony leads toward a part of the castle gardens I haven’t seen before.

Stepping into the room, my footsteps go silent as I sink into a plush rug that spreads from bookshelf to bookshelf. A short man with violet hair, some grey threading through his trimmed beard, pauses with his arm raised, a book in his hand halfway pushed into its place on the shelf. He bows his head before shelving the book and grabbing a stack of books from a nearby table, shuffling down a row of shelves.

Movement catches my eye from a far corner, and a man with ochre hair bows to me as he crosses his legs, sinking deeper into a large chair, a book propped in his lap.

The guard comes up to my side, standing too close. His fire-red hair flashes in my peripheral. “Is there anything in particular you’d like me to help you find, my Lady?”

I look around, biting my lip. How I’d love to spend the entire day exploring this library. But I don’t think I could enjoy myself with this guard breathing down my neck, so I shake my head. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the list. “I do have this I’d like to get to Sabine.”

He takes the paper, lifting his head as he turns, shouting, “Dindris!”

I wince at his tone. Didn’t anyone ever tell him not to yell in a library?

The violet-haired man speed-walks around a line of shelves. “Yes, sir?”

“Deliver this to Sabine.”

He nods, taking the paper and nearly running from the room.

I reach out, fumbling. “Oh, no. That’s okay. I can bring it myself. I didn’t mean …” But he’s already gone.

The guard smiles at me, and it feels a bit patronizing, though I can’t say why. “You are the King’s Mate. You don’t have to run errands.”

Ugh. This guy.

With a huff, I turn to leave the library. I’ll come back on my own sometime.

I wander the halls once again, looking for something familiar that can lead me to the stairs to the training room. I’d like to work off some of the tension that’s coiling tighter in my gut. The impending Challenge hangs over my head and weighs down my steps, as if each passing moment settles another heavy coil of rope around my shoulders.

After an hour, I internally admit I’m hopelessly lost. I don’t want to ask my guard, afraid he’ll take it as an invitation to draw close to me, or worse, touch me again. So I keep walking.

Everyone I pass bows to me before going about their business, and I don’t bother interrupting their day to ask for directions. I’m used to a certain degree of deference as the Lady of the Mountain clan, but this is on a whole other level. My neck is getting sore from the little bobs of my head in answer to all the bowing.

Maybe I should go flying. That would be nice. I saw a large lake at the eastern edge of the valley the other day, and maybe a swim through the freezing water will distract me. My body goes from tense at thoughts of the Challenge, to flushed at thoughts of Kem and me dancing in the clouds. But if things don’t go well during the Challenge … and I’m back to tense again.

The first door I find leading outside, I aim for it, my guard hot on my heels. I barely hold back my eye-roll. He’ll probably shift and follow me into the skies. Doing my best to relax my shoulders down my back, I remind myself he’s just doing his job.

The crisp winter air smacks me in the face, and I take a deep breath. The scents are muted in this form, but I’m learning the subtleties my human can pick up. A hint of lilac carries on the breeze, and under that, there’s a dampness that suggests snow is on the way.

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