Page 5 of Crown of Draga

Chapter Two

Nash

Draga Royal Palace

Planet Draga Terra

The medicinein the Draga galaxy was better than anything Nash had ever seen. It took him only two days to heal internally from the blast that had struck him down. The skin on his shoulder was still tender and raw, but with another treatment he should be back to fighting condition. The shimmer of scar tissue would look cycles old.

The gift of healing was rare among his people and never allowed one to heal their own self. Nash would need another of his own people who was a healer to do what a simple, common Draga procedure had been able to accomplish. The Khara medical science was barbaric in comparison.

It had been days and he hadn’t seen Adelina since. If she’d tried to visit him he wasn’t aware of it, but he knew it was too dangerous. Raena’s decree to keep them separated hadn’t disappeared simply because they were allies now.

Nash would never forget that brief moment in time when he’d been able to hold Adelina in his arms as if they were lovers, as if she hadn’t sacrificed everything for him. Then that courtesan had ushered her out in such a hurry. Moments later the king and the crown princess had visited. Nash hadn’t dared seek Adelina out since.

He’d been released from the hospital that morning. Just in time to attend Adelina’s coming-of-age party. The physicians had been worried about his slow healing, but Nash had pushed them into a follow up instead of monitoring him there. They were nervous as he was the only Corinthian they’d ever treated.

Nash tugged his shirt on, careful of his wounds. After the reigning monarch and heir had ensured his health and safety, they’d left him with one of their royal guards. The male had been permanently assigned despite having arrested the bastard who had shot him. The guard made using stealth tech damn near impossible until the sun set. And the blasted thing didn’t set until midnight during the summer apparently. The first night Nash had thought he was going mad when the sun began to rise again only a few hours later.

Despite the constant presence of light and heat, the palace stayed relatively cool. Carved, lattice windows shaded his small sitting room and the shadows cast a beautiful pattern on his floor. Nash buttoned the light spidersilk shirt as he contemplated how to talk to Adelina before the party.

Princess Adelina’s coming-of-age party was only a few hours away and would begin the moment the sun set. Nash glanced out the window and noted the way the shadows had already begun to lengthen. Nash buckled on his plasma sword. He was finally able to wear it now that he was vetted and granted sanctuary from his longtime allies, the Royal Dragas.

Knowing their shield closed around him made Nash itch to leave. He didn’t like being trapped inside a bubble that could burst at any moment. The shield was nothing more than a tomb, holding them all until the Neprijat cracked it open like an egg and sucked out the sweet contents like the weasels they were.

Now that he had full access to his starship and equipment, including the contingent of warriors he’d been on patrol with, finding out information on his people had been easier though not simple.

The Princess Kaita was on the planet Seprilles and in hiding. He hadn’t been able to contact the thief Varan for more information on her. The genetic ping he’d sent out didn’t have the range for Nash to get accurate intel on her precise location, and every day that passed the shield around the Draga galaxy closed even further. Soon it would shroud the entire galaxy, closing them off from the Neprijat as well as any potential allies.

Nash would have to decide what to do about the prince and princess in the Hai galaxy hiding among the dragons, and soon – before he was trapped in this galaxy without the option to return.

When he exited his room, the Draga royal guard outside his door followed. Maybe he could get the crown princess to agree to let his second-in-command guard him and not some male he didn’t know. Nash glanced down at the guard. He doubted the male could actually protect him – being half as small as Nash himself.

An idea came to mind. It would grate, but it would get Nash close enough to Adelina they could talk. “Could you take me to the royal guard, Alpha? I owe him my gratitude for saving my life.” It annoyed Nash that Alpha had been the one who had saved him – the same male who looked at Adelina as though she were his.

With a nod and a quick request through his implant they were on their way through the west wing of the palace, out of the guest area, and heading towards Alpha’s location. Alpha was almost always by Adelina’s side, and if he wasn’t he knew where she was. As soon as they found the guard, Nash would find the princess.

The massive, twelve-story dome in the center atrium of the palace always bustled with servants, nobles, courtiers, and a thousand other people busy doing their jobs. Nash remembered his first visit to the Draga Royal Palace clear as day. He had been a few cycles younger and in awe of the delicate architecture, the dome, the lattice windows, and the curved arches. The beauty of the Draga Palace was beyond compare, even to his own home. The entire palace was covered in marble, gold, and gems worth a thousand kings’ ransoms. Nash shook his head. The opulent lifestyle the Dragas had was beyond him.

Oh he had luxury, but technology had always been the luxury of his galaxy.

“Guard Alpha is in the Opal State Room,” Nash’s assigned guard said, indicating the double doors in front of them. With a wave of his hand they swept open of their own accord and he stood aside to let Nash pass.

Nash’s eyes swept over every detail, detecting all the exits and entrances, the windows and where exactly they were located on the palace grounds. Nash knew the plas-glass was nearly indestructible but some of his tech could shatter it with a specific frequency if the need arose.

There were only three other people in the State Room and one of them Nash didn’t recognize. Instantly he tensed, on alert.

“Here is the piece you requested,” the old man said. He was borderline rude as he thrust a black velvet box towards Princess Adelina. “The other order has been delivered to the servants as requested.”

Adelina accepted it with a warm and friendly smile. “Thank you, Calix. I appreciate you taking the time to do this yourself more than you could ever know.”

Nash almost growled as she went to open it. He stalked forward. How dare her guard not even check? It could be poisoned or rigged to explode. “Allow me, Princess.” Nash snagged the box. Adelina merely raised an amused brow and allowed him to take it from her.

With a feral smile he ran his hand over it. The implant in his hand detected no poisons or explosives. He turned it over to be sure and then handed it back to Adelina. “Can never be too careful,” Nash said as he grinned at the old man.

Oddly the stranger didn’t even blink. He simply rolled his eyes and waved an aged hand for the princess to open the box. “You always have such enchanting friends, Lina,” Calix muttered.

Nash zeroed in on Calix’s eyes and face. There was more to their relationship than some old jeweler she’d purchased something from. ‘Lina’ was only called that by specific people who were either family, or who knew of her secret life outside the palace.

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