Page 100 of Oath of Rebellion

Krys cleared his throat, his cheeks reddening more. "Uh, I might've gone through your saddlebags and read your books. Are you a drakin?"

Ashur waved his hand and frowned. "Come on, Krys, what else could he be?"

Knox crossed his arms and leaned back. "I'm a dragon, not a drakin."

Silence settled on the crowd again, then Ashur scowled and reached into his pocket. He handed a few coins to Krys, who was grinning widely.

Knox' brows rose, and Ashur shrugged.

"They said you were, but dragons died out ages ago. Who would've thought you were a full dragon? Sorry, mate, but not I."

Knox snorted a laugh and shook his head, rubbing his temple. "It's fine. It is rather hard to believe."

"What can you do? Can you turn into a big, hulking dragon like that skeleton in your memory?"

Knox winced and stood, picking up his bowl and tankard. "That dragon skeleton was my father, so maybe. I haven't tried, although in the past few days, I seem to have grown more scales and can shift my hands into claws."

Knox took a deep breath as memories flitted through his mind. If Eirwyn were here, she'd be humming while she cooked and cleaned the kitchen. What he wouldn't give to hear her voice again, see her smile, watch the way she danced with the birds in the grass outside Hartsgrove.

The pressure on his chest increased, and the emotions threatened to drown him once more.

Knox cleared his throat and turned away from the sink. "We need a plan. We'll ride to Vidrland to rally the troops after you're finished eating."

Krys stood, gathering his own bowl. "I can help with the plan. When going through Eirwyn's memories, we saw how she could sneak out of the palace."

Ashur nodded, and Knox swallowed past the lump in his throat. He wanted to go through all of her memories, see everything she'd ever seen in her too short life.

He turned to face Krys, blinking rapidly as a thought made his heart race. "Do not bury her," he said. "I'm going to go take care of this drakin king and save her people, then I'll be back. Leave her in there until I return?"

Krys nodded and frowned as he put his own bowl in the sink, but he didn't argue. "We'll keep her alive and in stasis, but whether she wakes up from the Beyond..."

Knox turned to walk to the stables, his legs shaking from emotion. He left Krys and Ashur talking in the kitchen.

He leaned on the workshop table, his thoughts racing and his heart aching. Somehow he had to find the strength to leave her here, even though his entire being was telling him to stay by her side.

He didn't want to leave Eirwyn here, but he couldn't just do nothing when the people suffered. They were counting on him. His saddle bags lay on the work table, and he dumped everything out.

His father's necklace shone bright, cleaned of dirt. The emerald brought a sense of peace, and he slipped it over his neck. His mother's ring began to heat on his finger, and he pulled it off and placed it on top of the book.

He'd barely read half of one book while at Hartsgrove, but there was no need to read anything else. A book wouldn't bring Eirwyn back, and that was all that mattered. Did he really even need answers to who he was anymore?

He picked up the golden apple, a single bite marring its side. His heart skipped a beat, and he caught his breath. What if the answers to save Eirwyn were in the apple too? He threw all caution to the wind as a flare of hope drove him to desperation. He sniffed it, then took a bite too.

"What the hell are you doing?" Krys asked.

Knox chewed as the flavors burst on his tongue. It tasted nothing like a regular apple, but all the flavors in the world wouldn't bring him a measure of joy in the delicious fruit.

He shrugged. "I'm doing the only thing I can do. I'm sticking to the original plan. Eat the golden apple and get fucking answers."

He took another bite, but nothing happened. The pressure in his chest burned, and he screamed and threw the apple at the wall. It broke into multiple pieces.

"Fucking thing isn't working." He rubbed his temples, his breathing labored as he tried to calm down. His tail wavered behind him, shaking slightly at his heightened emotions.

Krys' stare bored into him from across the room, but Knox refused to meet his gaze. He didn't want to face anyone but Eirwyn's smiling face, and now she was going to die. He couldn't do anything to stop it.

Well, he could do one thing.

He turned to Ryder and led him out the side door of the workshop stables. It was time to kill a king.

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