Page 67 of Crown and Dragon

“I suppose so,” Marius said. “We wouldn't want to hold anything back that would come out later. They need to know a portion of the challenges we encountered and the changes in plan we were forced to enact.”

As they approached the Witch’s door, the heavy piece of oak and metal swung open on its own. Tahlia leaned around Marius to look at the strange blue lighting of the house as she trailed him inside. The Witch and King Lysanael stood at a cauldron in the center of the room. Sparks flicked from the black pot like little stars. Scary little stars.

Tahlia bowed and Marius joined her in the movement. The whole place smelled like danger, and it did absolutely nothing to soothe Tahlia’s nerves.

Though this mission was over, it felt like a new one had already begun.

What would the king do when he found out that she and Marius had compromised information and pretty much negated the entire agreement? Could the king remove them from the order of the Mist Knights? Technically the king and queen were in charge of the order, even though he took little action in the day-to-day activities and lived far, far away from Dragon Tail Peak and the heart of the Mist Knights’ operation. He could put them to death if he wanted to, but the king didn’t seem like an unfair male.

Tahlia gulped and wiped sweating palms on her dress. She truly hoped her guess was accurate.

The Witch opened her mouth to speak, but King Lysanael cut her off. She gave him an irritated look, her eyebrows flicking together and her cloudy eyes darting left and right.

“Lady Tahlia,” King Lysanael said, “I would like you to report in full what progressed in the city of Midhampton. I see that you have the crown.”

Why was he asking her to report and not Marius? As Commander, Marius was the one responsible for reporting to the king. A thought shimmered through Tahlia’s mind. Oh. It was the fact that she could lie. Though Queen Revna had acted as if the king knew nothing of their escapade, obviously the two were exchanging information of some sort. Perhaps the king was aware that some information would have to be altered or withheld. And so he had asked Tahlia, hoping she could do the job using the human half of her blood.

Hoping she was doing the right thing, she detailed most of the happenings, but left out pieces of the tale here and there to avoid angering the humans and the Witch who loved the human high queen like a daughter.

The back door of the Witch’s house opened, and Tahlia thought Queen Revna had returned. But instead, a slight young girl who couldn’t have been older than fifteen walked in. Behind her, a tall woman with silver-shot hair pulled tightly back and wrinkles at the edges of her eyes entered. This was the human high queen and her regent.

Marius inclined his head, not bowing as far as he did for King Lysanael, and Tahlia mimicked the movement. The Witch bowed to no one. The king nodded his head respectfully, a shallower nod than Marius’s or Tahlia’s.

“Thank you for saving my people,” the young queen said.

Her voice was sweet with the newness of youth, but it was steady and strong and gave Tahlia the idea that someday she would be a good queen.

The regent merely pinched her lips together and glared at the king, Marius, and Tahlia in turn.

“And where is the crown?” the regent asked.

King Lysanael lifted it up. “Right here.”

The regent’s eyes glittered with the look of one plotting something unpleasant. “What are we planning to do with it?”

“Destroying it, as we discussed,” the king said, his voice calm but packed with power.

Clasping her hands at her waist, the regent gave the young queen a simpering smile. “Are we sure that is the best course of action? With this crown, we could solve a great many of the world’s problems.”

“Could you?” the Witch asked, her voice haunting and quiet, though every ear heard it clearly, Tahlia was sure. Anytime the Witch spoke, it was like one had no choice but to listen.

The tension in the room increased so much that it almost felt as though the air buzzed. She blew out a breath, wishing she could tell a joke to lighten the mood.

King Lysanael handed the crown to the Witch. “Destroy it. Now. As we all agreed.” He looked over his shoulder at the young queen, ignoring the regent entirely.

“Yes,” the young queen said, not a quaver in a single syllable.

Tahlia liked her very much. She smiled at the queen and gave her a nod. The queen grinned back.

The Witch held the crown over the cauldron. “I prepared its destruction. Now, stand back.”

She dropped the crown into the steaming mixture. Bright, green light flashed and Tahlia winced, shutting her eyes. When she opened them, red stars filled the air—pinpricks of floating lights that for some reason she didn’t want anywhere near her. She shifted her feet to avoid one that floated near her shoulder.

The Witch chanted sounds that were likely magic words and the red stars stilled. The stars shot toward the cauldron. A cracksounded from the bowl’s steaming depths. Tahlia held her ears as they rang.

The Witch eyed the cauldron, which had stopped steaming and was only popping lightly. “It is done.”

The regent blew air through her nostrils and turned away, her jaw set, while the young queen nodded approvingly.

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