Page 20 of Dragon Awakened

"Prince Rafe, your associate Cael was able to evacuate the rest of Prince Jianyu and Ms. Ember's party from the Crimson City. They are safely en route to the neutral territory of Unity."

"Thank the Gods." Exhaling hard, I sag back into the wall. "Can we talk to them?"

I never had much in the way of girlfriends--back in the Air Kingdom, my only friend in the world was my cousin Brynn. Meeting sweet, hyper-enthusiastic Amy in Unity was a turning point in my life, and not just because my association with her family was what brought me to the Shadow Queen's Bracer in the first place.

She was my confidante. She helped draw me out of my shell when I was heartbroken over Storm, and she risked her own safety to tag along when I decided to follow my mates to the Stone and Fire Dragon Kingdoms.

While it's healed my soul to confess everything to Rafe, Jianyu and Malik, I can't wait to dissect it all with my friend.

"Too risky," Zahra says, dashing my hopes.

Obi nods. "This safehouse is completely off the grid. It needs to stay that way."

"Not for long," Malik tells them. He darts a glance my way before addressing his friends. "We stay here only long enough to recover and regroup--then we must find our way to the Air Kingdom."

Zahra's eyes just about bug out of her head. "Your Highness," she barks sharply.

Malik holds up a hand. "This is not a discussion."

"If we can't discuss this," Obi says, "then perhaps we should move directly into discussing your funeral arrangements."

Before I can stop myself, I laugh. "You really are a ball of laughs, aren't you?"

There wasn't any humor in his tone in the first place, but somehow, there's even less there now. "The Air Kingdom's warmongering is worse than even that of the Fire and Stone Kingdoms."

Zahra adds, "And the sources I tapped into on our excursion have reason to believe that King Zephyr's court may have been infiltrated by the Shadow King's minions."

And I can't help it. I laugh again. Seriously, what's wrong with me? I guess a girl can only get almost killed so many times in a week before she loses any sense of propriety.

"Wait--" I lift my hands in front of my chest, trying to keep my tone in check. "You're only hearing about this now?"

"The Air Kingdom is notoriously closed off," Zahra says defensively.

"You're one to talk," Rafe mutters.

Malik is hearing none of it. "We still must make our way there--in secret."

"Even if that were possible, we're in no position to pull off such an operation," Zahra protests. "If we had the resources of our kingdom..."

Malik's eyes flash a brighter blue, and the magic of his tattoos ripples with energy. "We do not."

"Of course." Zahra visibly takes a breath, as if to calm herself. "I did not mean to suggest..."

Glancing between Malik and Zahra, Obi takes an unusually conciliatory tone. "Until the Shadow King's influence has been removed from the Water Kingdom, we are on our own."

Zahra nods, her jaw flexing.

Jianyu has finished putting away supplies, and he comes to stand beside me. Quietly, he informs me, "She was commander of the Water Kingdom's forces." When I look to him, he clarifies, "We met her while you were sleeping." He shrugs. "She's having a hard time with the revelation that the Water Kingdom's been accepting help from the Shadow Kingdom for a decade."

"Yes," Zahra says, grinding her teeth and shooting Jianyu a look that makes it clear she's heard every word. "She is." She exhales roughly. "The evidence was clear, though. I will support you in driving the Shadow King's influence from the Water Kingdom court."

"No matter the cost," Obi agrees.

Malik nods. "Then it's settled. We head to the Air Dragon Kingdom."

"It will not be easy," Zahra warns. "Their security is higher than any other dragon kingdom save our own."

"That's true," I chime in. As all eyes look to me, I cross my arms over my chest. "The entire kingdom is locked down, with wards in the air space and on the ground."

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