Page 89 of Oath of Rebellion

Chapter 31

EIRWYN SMILED WIDE as she walked to the kitchen door. "Knox, there you are! Just in time for lunch too."

He smiled as he settled the saddlebags on Ryder, cinching them in place. It was good to see him so relaxed in this place. He'd not put his hood on today at all, and his shoulders remained relaxed.

"Leopol doesn't want us to leave," he said.

Eirwyn sighed and went into the kitchen, spying Leopol leaning against the table. "I don't want to leave either, Leopol. I like it here."

"You do?" Knox sounded so vulnerable as he came inside behind her, and her heart melted.

She nodded, washing the berries and then adding them to a pan to boil. "I do. It's peaceful here, and the company's pretty good."

She winked at them both, and Leopol grinned. It made him appear less the stuffy manservant and more the noble rake. He'd been very vague about his background, and she had a feeling there was more to him than met the eye.

But she hadn't wanted to pry too much. Most of his time was spent talking with Knox and searching for answers. So she'd cooked, cleaned, and explored one room at a time. After she'd tidied the kitchen, she'd gone to work on the parlor then the foyer.

Leopol crossed his arms and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I like the company too. Now that I'm awake, do you think once you leave, I'll go back to sleep? Or will I just be wandering around this old place alone until you come back?"

Eirwyn frowned and shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't pay attention to the necromancy classes. My brother spent a lot of time in them, and I preferred avoiding him. You're the only ghost I've ever seen actually, but I don't like the idea of you being alone."

Leopol snorted. "Me neither."

They sat down to eat, the conversation flowing smoothly between the three of them. Eirwyn had just served the berries and honey for dessert when the ground rumbled. The table and chairs began to shake, growing more and more until the pan on the counter crashed to the floor.

"Shit," Eirwyn said, leaping up and heart racing. Knox stood, his feet widening as the ground continued to shake.

"What's happening?" Leopol asked, a frown marring his ethereal face.

A crash sounded in the foyer, and Knox walked unsteadily to the kitchen door. Eirwyn followed close behind, her hand on the small of his back.

When they rounded the stairs, Eirwyn gasped. Knox' spine tensed under her hand. A complete and animated dragon skeleton now stood in the foyer, a cloud of dust and debris settling around him. Eirwyn recognized the necklace around its neck.

She shook her head. "By the gods, the necklace. It's him!"

Terror shot through her spine, and she stepped closer to Knox' back.

She wasn't a weak helpless princess anymore, but this dragon was huge. It stood tall, its head barely grazing the two story ceiling. Its head bent, and Eirwyn shivered as it looked at them through empty eye sockets.

Leopol whispered in awe, "The king."

Knox' head dipped down as he glanced around the foyer. The front door had been ripped off its hinges. One wrong move, and it would rip her in two. A wave of apprehension washed over her, twisting in her gut.

It was a skeleton, yet the chandeliers and walls rattled as it breathed. Knox kept Eirwyn behind him and inched back toward the kitchen. She hoped it hadn't seen them, wasn't sure how skeletons could see without eyes, but held her breath anyway as she stepped back.

The great dragon's head lowered, and it opened its mouth. A red glowing flame where the heart should be began to glow brighter as it inexplicably drew air inside, pulling energy into its core. Eirwyn felt the air sweep toward it as it breathed in, and her body froze.

She was all too familiar with that type of energy core, the flaming orb, the sudden rush of air toward it.

Eirwyn screamed, "Run! Fire breath!"

The air shimmered like a wave and a stream of fire slammed into them. They hit the wall of the hallway. Eirwyn fell to her backside, and she cried out as the back of her shirt caught fire. Flashbacks of her brother's temper tantrums from when she was a child threatened to choke her.

Terror came gasping up her throat in a cold, panting fear. She fought against it, but it seemed hopeless. Still, she rolled to put out the fire just like she'd done all her life.

Knox stumbled and grabbed her hand, pulling her up and shielding her from the dragon. She took a deep breath, finding strength in his arms to battle the fear. If she gave into it, who would help Knox, who would defeat her brother?

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