Page 4 of The Dragon Queen

Gods, this morning just kept on getting worse. Guards drew their swords as well, following Ged’s direction. Cloudy snarled in response, leaping to his feet, and Hadrian slapped a claw down in the midst of everything.

Step back, my queen, he growled at Cynane.I will protect you.

“No need to protect anyone from anything.” Marcus’ ready smile faded as he threw his arms wide, making himself a far more vulnerable target than the goats were. Hadrian noted this gesture with his steely gaze. “I am not a threat, but come to offer an alliance.”

And that’s when it all made sense.

I despised Draven’s mother with every breath in my body. Her treatment of me was merely a side note to her tyranny, the depth of her betrayal. The death of her eldest son, her husband, the king, then her attempt at murdering Glimmer, I could list every act of cruelty she committed from now until sunset and still have more to say. It wasn’t what she did that mattered so much now, it was the repercussions of her death.

Nature abhors a vacuum, that’s what I had been taught when I was still Lady Pippa Wentworth. In the absence of one power player, many rushed in to try to claim the surrendered territory, and that’s what I was seeing right now.

Something Draven no doubt anticipated.

He was cloistered in the war room with the people who needed to be consulted about what to do next, but that wouldn’t stop otherfactions from clustering close, seeking leverage. Sending me to get dresses made was like sending a soldier to an armourer. Draven wanted me to have all the protections of rank and position he could give me, and if I looked like a queen, then people would be more likely to treat me like one.

I’d need to act like one instead.

“Seems to me that a couple of unattached dragons like yourself…” Where the hell had Marcus got that information from? As soon as I had that thought, I knew. From all the people who lived and worked in the palace. Information could be bought for a pretty penny and rivers of gold would start flowing during a period of instability. “I represent the people of Nevermere,” Marcus continued. “The overlooked, those taken for granted by the nobs.” He nodded to the palace. “But what we lack in overt power, we make up for in number. The first human to land on Nevermere forged an alliance with the first queen dragon.”

Tanis.

At the sound of her name inside my head, my hands were thrust into my pockets, closing around the crystal eggs. I didn’t need them to prompt the memory, seeing the moment those bedraggled humans landed on a beach studded with dragonstone and pebbles, hoping not to be eaten by the dragons they met.

The first time a human bonded with a dragon.

Marcus had obviously heard something of the same story and was trying his luck now.

“Your gifts of goats and ale are appreciated.” My voice was crisp, my steps swift as I marched forward. “It is the least we can do for our honoured guests.” I bowed towards both dragons but straightened up swiftly. “I can either organise for gold to be sent as recompense to The Pickled Parrot.” My hands went to my hips. “Or I can have you locked away for trying to forge an alliance with royal guests on the king’s own doorstep.”

“You wouldn’t want to do that.” Marcus’ sly smile was back. “Not if you want to see those young dragons again.”

“As you can see,” I told them. He wasn’t what was important,the visiting dragons were. “This is not a good man. He uses young dragons as bartering chips.”

Something you all do to varying degrees.

I swallowed hard at Cynane’s rebuke, then forged on.

“You want answers. We all do, even bloody Marcus Lighthands,” I replied, Glimmer coming to stand beside me. My hand strayed to her head, feeling how the sun had warmed her scales, and that buoyed me up. “I can assure you that King Draven will deliver us from this situation, but I must request your patience. Nevermere hasn’t experienced a civil war since the end of Gloriana’s reign. We can act swiftly and hastily or take our time to find a way forward that harms the least of all of Nevermere’s citizens.”

Queen was an ill-fitting title. It was like someone had placed Raina’s crown on my head and it was tilting at an odd angle. However, I was born a lady and therefore knew the protocols for dealing with unexpected guests.

“Can I suggest that you rest in the caves of Wyrmpeak until the king is ready to address you?” I said.

“Pippin…” Ged growled, shooting me a meaningful look, but if I was to be queen in anything more than name, I needed to learn to trust my own counsel.

“I will personally ensure he takes the time to consult with you at his earliest possible convenience,” I told the two dragons.

You invite us to take up residence in the place you call Wyrmpeak?Hadrian said. His tone, then the shuffle of his wings were the first indication I may have misstepped.We accept your kind offer of hospitality. My queen?

To Wyrmpeak, Cynane said, her wings flapping open like a ship’s sail, her only response as she took flight.

“And you, Marcus…”

I spun around to deal with the thief, only to find that he had disappeared. All that was left to mark that he had been there were the barrels of ale.

“Perhaps we better get to the dressmaker,” Ged said between gritted teeth, eyeing the guards, even as he offered me his arm.

Chapter 3

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