Page 29 of Crown of Slumber

“Perhapslittle emberisn’t the right name for you,” I said in her ear. “Perhaps I should call youlittle sparrow.Because you belong in the sky.”

“Why must I be alittleanything?” she asked, glancing at me over her shoulder. Despite the challenge in her tone, her eyes were alight, burning brighter than the sun.

She truly belonged here in the sky.

“Firebird,” I said. “You’re a firebird. It accounts for your flaming temperandyour need to fly.”

She grinned at me, the motion lighting up her whole face. It pierced through me, igniting something low in my belly. Icleared my throat and slid my gaze away from her glowing features before the sight of her undid me.

I could never resist a beautiful woman.

It didn’t take long for the gleaming emerald spires of the castle to come into view, but that wasn’t what snagged my attention first. A massive form rested next to the palace. I would have mistook it for a mountain had I not distinctly remembered there being no mountains this close to the palace.

“Is that… adragon?” I asked, my voice weak.

“Her name is Kade.” Pride laced Aurelia’s voice.

My mouth hung open as I stared, wide-eyed, at Kade the dragon. Her gleaming jade scales were just as luminous as the castle, but a few shades darker. A large, rotund belly protruded from her torso and rested against the ground. Sleepy black eyes blinked in our direction. Her enormous wings were tucked against her chest, and as we arced lower, I realized she hadtwosets of wings. No doubt they were necessary to keep such an enormous weight airborne.

Mal gave her a wide berth, swooping to the other side of the castle. I noticed several trees were felled, likely from Kade getting into a comfortable position.

A small price to pay in order for the castle to be protected.

Once we were under the cover of the trees, Mal landed and ran the rest of the way, returning us to the nesting grounds. Aurelia dismounted immediately, rushing over to a fenced-in area I hadn’t noticed before. She leapt over the fence and crouched to her knees, muttering words I couldn’t hear.

I slid off Mal’s back, nearly falling on my face in the process. As I drew nearer to the fence, I noticed a small, blue creature curled up in the soil like a snake.

I stopped short. This must have been the Blue Amethyst. My throat turned dry, my stomach sinking with dread. The creature was so small. Her wings were translucent and frail; certainly not strong enough to carry her. No scales covered her thin membrane of flesh, and several bones were visible underneath, as if she was starving and wasting away.

I swallowed hard, guilt and concern wrestling within me. Thiscreature was dying. And she was the only key to saving Aurelia’s kingdom.

Meanwhile, my mother fought vehemently for access to these dragons, even going so far as to threaten war if our demands were not met. I had come here in her name, prepared to use my fae magic if necessary.

My stomach soured. What kind of person was I? Aurelia was not the vicious princess I thought her to be. And she was certainly not as heartless as Mother claimed.

After a few moments, Aurelia stood, brushing the dirt from her hands and climbing over the fence. “Mal can fly us to the border, but any further and he will be outside the protection of our land,” she said, striding past me to where Mal waited, his head lifted and his golden eyes shrewd as they watched Aurelia. “Besides, we’ll need his help defending the castle. It’s too risky to take him with us, and Kade will only last a week before she needs to enter deep sleep again.”

“You forget, princess, that we have yet to strike our bargain,” I said softly.

Aurelia turned to face me, her expression wary. “The dragons need their orders. Can’t you see how restless they are?”

Mal’s wings twitched. Behind him, three dragons pawed the ground nervously. The silver one who was so fond of me kept turning his head back and forth as if expecting enemies to appear on either side of us.

“Jorey, go catch some fish for Kade,” Aurelia instructed. “She’ll need as much nourishment as we can give her.”

Jorey, the silver dragon, grunted in acknowledgment before bounding down the forest path and disappearing. My heart gave an unexpected twist at his departure.

“They can understand you?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said shortly, making her way to a pair of auburn dragons. “I need you both to look after Azure while I’m gone. Can you do that?”

Both dragons inclined their heads and shuffled toward the fenced-in area where the Blue Amethyst rested. I frowned after them, remembering how Aurelia had mentioned the Blue Amethyst’s mother had been taken or killed.

I remembered the rumors in my court that we had managed to capture a dragon. But I hadn’t believed them, especially since there was no proof. Seeing the tiny Blue Amethyst, helpless and frail from the loss of her mother, made me reconsider this…

But no. It couldn’t be. Mother had told me it was nothing more than idle gossip. And besides, if Motherhadmanaged to capture a dragon, she would not have sent me on this mission. We needed Dragonfire, and if my court somehow had a dragon hidden away, they would have used her fire by now.

I was certain of it.

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