Page 3 of Dragon Awakened

My dragon settles back down into my chest, pacified for now. His breath still smolders, though, the scent of ash hot on my tongue.

At the base of the steps another guard is waiting for us, and my nails dig even deeper into my palms. "Your highnesses," the guard says. "The king is expecting you."

"For fuck's sake," Fury mutters, stretching his shoulders again.

The guard has apologies in her eyes. She's an Air Dragon--one who's served our kingdom for years. "He says it's urgent."

Fury huffs out a breath but leads the way to the throne room.

It doesn't matter that the Shadow King left weeks ago. The place still has the lingering stench of rot and decay. I tighten my abdominals, breathing shallowly and masking the way I want to retch.

Our father sits on his throne, flanked by guards and advisors, Shadow Dragons and Air Dragons alike. As Fury and I enter, he looks up and rises to his feet. "At last."

Fury bristles, barely containing his irritation. He must be really pissed off to let it show this much. "Father--"

"Our allies require our assistance once more." Our father flicks a finger, and one of the men in black robes standing behind him releases a cloud of black and purple magic.

The magic isn't malicious, but I'm never going to get used to the Shadow Dragon equivalent of an LCD projector. I suppress my flinch the best I can, but I still let out a rough breath as an image of the Shadow King's Citadel forms within the cloud.

Pointedly, my father tells us, "The hostile you two failed to subdue was captured while you were in flight, and delivered to the Shadow King."

My heart stops. They have Ember. My dragon rises in my chest once more, a hot, possessive rage burning up my throat.

"I assure you, Your Highness," Fury begins, "we searched tirelessly--"

"Save your excuses. She was found in another kingdom entirely."

There's a strange gravel to my father's voice.

"Where?" I ask before I can stop myself.

My father glares daggers at me, and then I recognize the odd grit in his tone.

It's fear. And there's nothing my father hates more than being afraid.

"That's no concern of yours," he promises before looking away. He nods again at the Shadow Dragon maintaining the scrying cloud. "What is your concern is that she escaped again, aided by traitors from the Kingdoms of Fire and Stone."

As he speaks, the image in the cloud shifts.

Brilliant light erupts from the tallest tower in the Citadel. And then, before my eyes, the tower crumbles into the sea.

"The Shadow King was unharmed, praise the gods," my father says.

My mind is racing, struggling to keep up. Ember is okay; she's free, at least for now.

"What about Aria?" I interrupt.

My sister. His daughter.

"The Shadow King's betrothed is also intact," another dragon in black robes supplies, and my skin crawls, my blood hot with anger.

Ignoring me, my father continues, "All available resources are being called in. The hostile must be apprehended, at all costs. She has a magical artifact that is of great value to King Erembour." My father finally looks in my direction again. "Seeing as you have--ahem--unique knowledge of the hostile, perhaps you can actually be of help for once."

I want to laugh--almost as much as I want to cry.

My unique knowledge of Ember stems from our relationship. It's the reason she was exiled. The reason she was thrust out into a world full of danger and intrigue.

Regret and guilt threaten to swamp me.

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