Page 46 of The Dragon Queen

“The dragons have confirmed that Bern had nothing to do with his son’s treachery,” Draven informed him, “but yes, his position is untenable. He’s agreed to withdraw with what remains of his family to one of his more remote estates, eschewing a place at court. Brom, all wing commanders will be attending a briefing at first light. Every wing will be reporting for duty in Miller’s field.” A knock at the door indicated that the servants had arrived. Draven instructed them to come in. “So eat well, because tomorrow will be a long, arduous day.”

As if every one before it hadn’t been the same. We’d been so hellbent on bringing down Raina and ending her terrible reign, not realising that nature abhorred a vacuum. When she and King Magnus were shoved off the board, we were put in their place, expected to shoulder their responsibilities.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Perhaps that’s why a headache throbbed at my temples as we all slid into bed hours later. I followed the thread of pain down into the darkness and hoped tomorrow would somehow be easier.

Chapter 23

So, this was how we were going to retrieve the stolen dragon eggs.

Miller’s field was a piece of land far from the city, surrounded only by rolling hills and a few trees. Now dragons flew in, the currents created by their passage ruffling my short hair as Glimmer and I walked closer. We were forced to stop abruptly as a dragon landed just in front of us. “Apologies, Highness,” the rider said with a sheepish grin and a nod, but he didn’t wait for a reply. There was an air of excitement about him, about all the riders, and I knew why.

Draven had done his job, inspiring each one of them as he blew up the old ship. Each rider had to have seen themselves in his place, flying across the crowd and dropping the explosive on the hulk. Perhaps it was the crowd’s cheers they heard in their ears now. Not for long, it appeared, as General Rex spoke to the crowd.

“Men, every training exercise we complete is of the utmost importance. Whether it’s ensuring our dragons can hit their targets with fire, electricity, or ice or flying in formation.” He regarded the riders, appearing to meet each one of their eyes. “We do so to better protect Nevermere.”

There was a low rumble of approval, but people fell quiet again quickly.

“Up until now, the threats have always come from outside of our borders. Greedy fools from the continent who think they can sail across the channel and claim what’s ours.” The mutters now were ones of discontent. “Today, we face an internal one.” Rex strode back and forth, his hands behind his back. “The Duke of Harlston’s avarice far outstrips those of the continent. He used the upheaval of the queen’s death to steal the next clutch of dragons.” He paused then. “Our future. Those dragons should’ve been raised in the hatching sands of Wyrmpeak, kept safe until the time came for their bonding.”

My eyes found Glimmer’s. My dragon was already staring at me, not at all interested in the general’s speech. It might stir the men, the thought of fighting to ensure the next generation of boys could bond with dragons, but… I felt like a traitor in their midst, because I knew I’d fight just as hard to keep that from happening.

“Today we take the first step towards retrieving them. You’ve seen what our dragons are capable of when armed with these new weapons.”

The sounds from the crowd became more animated. Who wouldn’t be, wielding such terrible power? The trouble was, I didn’t see flotsam washing up on the shore as it did yesterday, but other, more grisly things.

“Your wing commanders have been briefed on the manoeuvres we must learn. You’ll break from here and into wings. The theory of what we are doing will be explained to you, and then you’ll have an opportunity to put what you’ve learned into practise.”

“With dragonfire?” one rider blurted out, then looked instantly abashed.

Rex fixed him with a steely gaze before smiling.

“Not yet.” The mumbling grew louder. “I think we can all agree that allowing untrained riders access to potent explosives while still learning how to use them would be a mistake.” Rex looked around him with a theatrical air. “There wouldn’t be much left of Miller’sfield by the end of it.” A few chuckles at that. “But also, it could end in the injury or death of some of you.”

That had everyone falling silent, because that was the reality that they were facing. My eyes searched the crowd, finding each one of my men amongst them. Brom stood to one side with the other officers, his hair turning reddish at the tips from the direct sunlight. Flynn nudged Ged in the ribs and the two of them shared a smile, but there was an edge to it. We’d seen too much death, and now we were about to face more. Soren was grim faced, none of the tender lover evidenced now.

Then there was Draven.

He stood beside Rex, every inch the king. I didn’t know Prince Felix, had no idea what kind of leader he would make, but somehow I doubted he would do this better than Draven. My king was a man of action, born to serve in the dragon corp, and so he was in his element.

“No death is acceptable to me,” he said. “I do not want to see a single one of you fall in this fight, even though I know that is a real possibility. If you do, if you are injured trying to right this wrong, then I want you going into that fight as best prepared as you can be. You will no doubt be disappointed to know that today you will be asking your dragons to carry pots of dyed soil and be asked to hit those targets.”

Everyone turned to stare at the neatly marked concentric circles on the grass.

“Nowhere near as exciting as blowing up ships, I understand.” Draven’s smile was wry. “But, to make things interesting, each wing’s pots contain soil dyed to represent their team. The wing that gets the most pots on target will have a night at the tavern of their choosing, their drinks and entertainment paid for entirely by the crown.”

Instantly, the mood changed. Men looked at each other, grinning like lads, not soldiers. Elbows were shoved into ribs and excitement grew, something Draven acknowledged with a nod.

“So, to earn bragging rights and a sore head tomorrow, report to your wing commanders for further details.”

Which had us moving. Glimmer and I were forced to weave our way through the crowd, bringing us into the path of riders.

“Apologies, Highness!” one said, gesturing for us to precede him, but moving forward had us colliding with another rider.

“After you, Highness.”

This rider went to bow, but Draven appeared beside me.

“Try to focus on the job at hand, not my queen.”

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