Page 102 of The Broken Prince

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead…which is any day now.”

She regarded me with sympathy, her eyes kind and motherly. She looked to be about my age, maybe a few years younger. “We’re unable to build ships without drawing their attention. Otherwise, we would have set sail long ago. But with your dragons, you can usher us to your realm, and then we can board your fleet and sail somewhere safe.”

I had the same idea myself. “Somewhere safe? The world is a big place. We could land on the shores of other monsters…and end up prisoners or dead.” I grabbed the ale and finally took a drink. It tasted like piss, but I didn’t react.

“We could send scouts ahead.”

“I don’t think we have time for that.”

“The fleet could remain at sea until the scouts return—”

“You’ve obviously never been on a ship before, because the ocean is fucking dangerous. We lose half of our fishing fleet every year due to storms and unexpected tides. The ocean isn’t the same in every place. Sometimes it’s deep and frigid, and other times it’s shallower than it appears, with rocks lurking just beneath the surface to rip your hull in half. There’s an island nearby that houses the worst criminals who have been exiled from the Kingdoms. These demons might be unbeatable, but that option isn’t much better.”

“But at least we have a chance,” she said. “Against these demons…there is no chance.”

“What about the prisoners in the camps?”

“What about them?”

“You’d abandon them?”

Her gaze hardened as she looked at me, and the wince in her face told me I’d said the wrong thing. “They can’t be saved.”

“They live in huts made out of mud. All they do is work and sleep—”

“Stop.” She closed her eyes, the information too painful.

I turned quiet, quickly realizing the source of her heartbreak. “I’m sorry.”

Her eyes remained averted, her face as emotionless as stone. “He would want me to run rather than risk my life to save him…risk the lives of the only survivors we have left.”

I knew Avice wouldn’t abandon me. Ivory wouldn’t abandon Huntley. Even if we both wanted them to. But I kept my opinion to myself.

“We risked our lives and our location to help you.” She looked at me again once she regained her composure. “It’s only a matter of time before they realize where we are. The least you can do is give us your dragons—”

“Look.” I held up my hand to silence her, her words deeply offensive. “The dragons aren’t ours to give because they don’t belong to us. They’re free beings who choose to help us. We liberated them from imprisonment and gave them land to occupy in the south. To show their gratitude, they’ve volunteered to serve with us. They’re not required to do anything they don’t want to do. They’re not like dogs or cats. They have their own minds.”

Mary hung on every word. “You can communicate with them.”

“Yes. They speak with their minds.”

“Fascinating…”

“So, I can’t give them to you. Even if I personally asked, none of them would oblige because you are strangers, and therefore, they don’t trust you. But what I can do is…” Jeremiah and Nightshade had probably nearly crossed the mountains now. It was just a few hours before dawn, and once they landed, Huntley would know that disaster had struck. “My brother will come for me with a fleet of dragon riders. They’ll probably be here by this time tomorrow. One dragon can carry many people, so I can ask them to chauffeur you to our lands in the west. Depending on how many people you have, it might take many trips. If we fly above the cloud bank and only at night, the demons may not know what we’re doing. Once you’re in our lands, you can take a ship wherever you want to go.”

Mary processed all of that in silence, her eyes glued to my face. “How do you know your brother is coming with more dragons?”

“Because I just know.” My brother should remain in HeartHolme and prepare for war, but he would abandon his duties and obligations for me without hesitation. Even though I’d betrayed him by disobeying his orders, he would still come for me. There was no reason whatsoever that he wouldn’t come for me.

“Who are you? You must be important…”

“My brother is the King of Kingdoms, and I’m the steward of HeartHolme, our largest kingdom to the south. But the title isn’t what makes me important—it’s the blood that we share.”

Her hand remained on her glass, and she didn’t take a drink. She was too focused on my words. “If that’s true, then we need to prepare for his arrival. The last thing we want is for the demons to notice a fleet of dragons. They may consider us a bigger threat at that point and come to finish the job.”

“Nightshade will bring my brother to my last location.”

“Who’s Nightshade?”

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