Page 78 of The Cursed Queen

I sighed heavily in annoyance, seated on the floor of my balcony, my feet dangling over the edge as I leaned back against my hands. My eyes were on the now-darkening navy sky, flexes of orange, gold, and pink, still lingering from the sun.

A gentle breeze whistled along, carrying a chill in its wake, but it did nothing to my naturally hot body.

I sat alone, wondering if I would ever find a sense of normalcy again. To no longer be surrounded by the ghosts of my past. I wondered if Sera had ever asked the same question to herself. Was she adjusting to life in the den easily, or was she still struggling to find her normalcy, too?

What about the druid boy?

Virgil seemed to fit right at home here in the den. Especially when he was out training with Andriel. He was like every other warrior I knew. His place was out of the field. That was his senseof normalcy. I still didn't trust him, but my respect for him grew the more I saw him. He wasn't getting any special treatment, or rather, not the pleasant kind, but he never lost his composure. He kept his head high and stayed focus on what he was doing.

It was impressive, but I still wouldn't have him around. Though he was the one who saved my life, him and Andriel.

But he was still a dragon rider. Accepting him would mean accepting all dragon riders.

"Ladon!" I perked up, then turned around just as Ryu bolted into my cave with the druid boy behind him. A dragon rider was in my cave. The realization worked its way up my body, trying to get me to tighten up and go into a state of panic. I pushed the feelings down with all my might, all while keeping a brave face.

"What?" I barked out.

Ryu's eyes were wide as he looked out in all directions. "Ladon, have you seen the princess and the others around here?"

My eyebrows shot up. "They're not here?"

"I don't think so, but they should've been back by now."

"Should've been? You mean they left the mountain?" I asked as I stood up, my nerves tightening with concern for the princess.

"They left to hunt for more food. Baxus told them it was an order from Lord Igneel," Virgil said, his expression showing his discomfort. Either for the princess' absence or being inside my cave, I wasn't sure.

Lord Igneel told them to hunt? That didn't sound right to me. Why wouldn't he ask the usual team to go instead? Plus, I was certain we had enough meat for the meeting already. Unless Lord Igneel didn't make the request.

"When did they leave?" I asked, while mentally wondering where Baxus could be.

"Two hours ago," Ryu answered.

Normally two hours wasn't that off, but the princess would need to be here, so I was certain they wouldn't spend too much time out on the hunting grounds.

"You think they might be in danger?" I asked.

Ryu shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't picked up any distress calls from Sera or Drayce. Have you?"

I shook my head. When I first received her plea for help when she and Ryu were under attack, I was surprised. I didn't think she intended to reach out to me, but I felt her fear. It was tempting to ignore it, but I couldn't shake the panic I felt knowing she was in danger. I never admitted to it. Only now there was nothing but silence through our bond. Maybe they were falling behind, or hadn't collected enough kills yet.

But the fact thatBaxus told them to make this errand didn't sit well with me. I didn't know anything beyond his wanting to challenge Lord Igneel. He never mentioned doing anything more, much less to the princess and her mates.

"We should go look for them," I said, already preparing to shift and fly off to where they should be.

"We can't," Ryu protested. "What if Baxus tries to sabotage Lord Igneel or something while we're gone?"

"He never said he would do something like that." But that didn't mean he wouldn't. He may be omitting things from me since I never agreed to join him.

"We can't all stay here. Not if the princess and her mates are in trouble," I said.

"You're right. I should go after him," Ryu said, with Virgil stating he was going too.

That would leave me to find Baxus and figure out what he was plotting. "Bring her back as soon as possible. If she's not here by the time Baxus issues his challenge, Lord Igneel will have no choice but to accept the challenge."

That meant even if he revealed Sera as Daenerys, he wouldn't be able to crown her dragon queen. Not unless he won the challenge first. Lord Igneel may pull it off, but it may be too much for him.

Ryu jumped off the ledge and shifted into his dragon form. He hovered below the edge, allowing Virgil to safely jump onto his back. I looked away, hoping it wouldn't trigger my anxiety, but it didn't help. Imagining him riding on Ryu had me thinking of the other dragon riders, like the one who used me.

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