Page 113 of The Dragon Queen

“That overhang on the left side.” Draven’s words came out faster and faster. “Under the cliff where the old?—”

“Cannon ports are? I remember.”

I stared at the two of them with a growing sense of hysteria. It felt like everything before this was just children playing at war, but now…

“Perhaps we should sit down,” I suggested. Some queen I was. My voice wavered the entire time. “Map out all these ‘hidey holes,’ traps?—”

“Don’t worry, lass.” Soren seemed to realise his impropriety after he’d used that pet name, then reached out and squeezed my shoulder. It took a dark look from Rex for him to pull away. “This is what we’ve trained for.”

Except it wasn’t. We hadn’t dealt with a civil war in generations. Our threats came from over the sea and in small fleets at most. This was something else altogether.

“Be safe…brother.”

Draven pulled Brom into a rough embrace, the kind that friends often used, but I’m not sure if they were fooling anyone. When he worked his way down the line and hugged the other two, it felt completely different. They were comrades, but Brom, he was a lover. I was at least consistent because the thought of losing any of them broke my heart equally. My eyes ached, the evening sun way too bright, so I squinted hard, that way I could maintain some sort of composure.

“We’ll be back within the hour,” Brom said, stepping back, “with a full report.”

“See that you are,” Rex said, clasping his hands behind his back. “We’re relying on you, Emberly.”

But what I felt went far beyond necessity. Glimmer scrambledoff Darkspire’s neck as the other dragons rose to her feet. Under a semblance of going after her, I followed her progress.

They’ll come back. They’ll come back.

Her thoughts, emotions, were like a harsh wind, buffeting me back and forth. I felt like I was about to get swept up in them, my own desperation twining with hers, because as they took to the air, I felt like I went with them.

Except I didn’t.

“Highness,” Rex said smoothly, “would you like some tea?”

I did not, but I sipped a mug of it as we were all seated. The remaining officers clustered around the table, moving markers across the map of the peninsula in a way that set my teeth on edge.

“Sir, if we managed to hit the tip of the peninsula with dragonfire, that would bring the duke’s residence down.” The rider grinned at the others. “Force the bastard to go for a bit of a swim.”

That had the others chuckling.

“Perhaps the sharks could finish him off?” another said. “Though perhaps they’d just spit him out again.”

“Sharks don’t normally eat their own, do they?” All eyes went to Draven and their smiles faded. “No disrespect, Majesty.”

“None taken,” he replied, staring at the map steadily. “What love I might’ve felt for my uncle was extinguished before I reached ten years of age. I haven’t felt anything other than enmity for longer than I can remember.” His finger traced the shape of the peninsula. “Though as to your suggestion, it's a smart one.” The man beamed. “But not possible. A dragon would have to fly under the outcropping to unleash the dragonfire. He and his rider would likely die in the attempt.”

A sombre mood settled over the table, which had me shaking my head. I leaned forward, setting my mug down and staring at the symbols inscribed on the parchment.

“That wouldn’t just send the duke’s residence into the sea.” I followed the rabbit’s warren of streets, almost able to imagine the houses that lined it. “People’s homes, their places of business, they would be destroyed too.”

If I hoped to see concern when I looked up, I was severely disappointed. The rider who had proposed the reckless plan grinned.

“Can’t make an omelette without cracking some eggs.”

He looked to the others for support and got a slap on the back and confirmations.

“Highness, you have to understand?—”

That tone, every time Rex used it, I was driven mad. My teeth ground together until I couldn’t hold back.

“That people will die?” I snapped. “If not from the initial explosion, then from the collapse of the peninsula. Drowned, crushed by a landslide, or simply blown to pieces.” I regarded each one of them, refusing to look away until they did, if only with irritation. “Women, children, who have no role to play in this fight.”

“Pippin…”

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