Page 74 of Crown of Draga

Now that she knew she could hold her own with her family when she needed to, Adelina felt her confidence rising until Raena was the first to look away. “She’s alive and on a return trip with Lord Sirus as we speak.”

Adelina nearly collapsed with sick relief. Nadyah caught her arm subtly before she could stumble and fall, her knees were so weak. The courtesan escorted her into her own, smaller throne, and then stood behind her chair in a comforting show of solidarity.

The chatter resumed and it gave Adelina a moment to take in who was in the council room, who had answered the summons. Joslynn looked sick and her face was slightly green, but Raena had said her fiancé was alive. Adelina was eternally grateful for her friend’s sake. They’d known it could be dangerous, but no one had considered exactly how deadly the border would be.

Nash was there as well, his face grim as he looked at Raena. Not once did he glance at Adelina. She was always impressed by how well he managed to hide his affection for her.

There was a warning she felt deep inside, churning her stomach. One that said this was the end of whatever relationship they’d had.

“The report from Princess Giselle and Lord Sirus is dire,” Raena said clearly, addressing the entire room. “They’ve caught the traitors, but reported that the Neprijat were there waiting. They suspect a spy in our midst, one who reported our movements to the Neprijat. Those forces wanted a royal. We were lucky Lord Sirus and the Seprilles forces were able to keep her safe.”

Raena stood and looked towards Sirus’s brother and bowed slightly, then again to the Seprilles representative. “Your people did well, and the entire royal family thanks you.”

There were claps from the rest of the council and Adelina wondered what the solution would be. They couldn’t just leave the border undefended.

“The rest of the report states the Neprijat warriors were minimal. Only one male to a ship, two or three on the larger starships and the rest were their hounds. These Neprijat have powers strong enough to convince anyone to do anything, I want our best scientists figuring out how to prevent this from happening in the future.”

The science guild stood and bowed, tapping out notes as soon as they sat.

“Treon is barren,” Raena said, turning to address Lord Lucas. “The surviving citizens have been evacuated to Seprilles. A few thousand are on their way here for medical care. The traitorous soldiers have been eradicated, and the Treon forces who surrendered are also on their way to Draga Terra to be tried. You may contact your loyalists, Lord Lucas. We need to settle the matter of your people and planet as quickly as possible.”

Lucas bowed and Adelina felt terrible for him. Everything he had was stripped from him – his people, his planet, and his family.

Nash stood from his chair and Raena acknowledged him. In that moment Adelina knew she’d been right. “Princess Raena, I request your permission to leave with my forces today. We can help fortify the border until more soldiers can arrive.”

Her sister nodded. “Granted, leave as soon as possible.”

For the first time Nash’s eyes flicked to Adelina’s. It was a mere nanosecond but his gaze told her a thousand words and more in that time. “I can leave in a few hours. There is not much I have to pack, and the sooner I leave the faster I will be there.”

“Excellent. I want half our forces heading to the border before noon. Find and destroy those ships. Patrol our space to the shield and protect the outposts at all costs.”

Adelina looked and saw at least five generals stand from their chairs and they all bowed. It was difficult to absorb it all, everything happened so fast.

“Ready your soldiers and gather your supplies,” Raena instructed the generals. “I want you on your way to the outer rim within two hours’ time. Make sure you have the medical equipment and physicians you need for your own soldiers as well as to assist with the civilians.”

The generals bowed once more and then left the war room when the King nodded his approval of Raena’s commands.

Suddenly the meeting was over and Adelina felt dazed by the information. She had to do something to help. There should be crates of protein cubes ready to go. It wouldn’t be the entire shipment, but some was better than none. Perhaps Nash could take them. He would arrive in the outer rim faster than the rest of the Draga forces.

Adelina stood and walked behind the others in the council. As soon as she crossed the threshold into the empty hallway, Adelina sagged against the wall. Nadyah was at her side, like a shadow. The courtesan whispered words of encouragement but Adelina’s mind was on one thing, and one thing only.

“Find a way for me to speak to Nash one last time before he leaves?” she asked her courtesan.

Nadyah nodded and then disappeared.

This would be good-bye.

The small bit of time they’d had together was at an end. Adelina’s heart hurt, like a shard of glass lodged deep, cutting further whenever she moved. Her hand pressed to her chest and she tried to breathe through the pain. The anxiety she’d had since she was a child tried to rise up and choke her, but she pushed it back down. This was no time to lose her head.

Then Nadyah reappeared with an anxious look on her face. “Princess, come with me now.”

Adelina didn’t question her courtesan. She simply followed. Nadyah led her through the maze of the palace until she tugged her into a strange alcove behind a tapestry. Adelina hadn’t even known the small place existed and when she noticed the screen in the wall, she peered through and saw the royal parlor behind the Throne Room. The same room where Raena had stripped her marriage rights so ruthlessly.

A second later Nash was shoved through the tapestry. He hadn’t even had time to activate his stealth shield. It was a huge risk, but at that moment Adelina didn’t care. She threw her arms around his neck and he squeezed her so hard she could barely breathe.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Nash murmured into her hair.

“You have to.” It was the very last thing Adelina could possibly want, but they both had obligations they couldn’t ignore.

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