Page 5 of No Ordinary Drakeling
“The Arch Lich resurrected a race of men and women called the Order of the Fallen Knights, Your Grace. Their duty is to uphold laws, and nothing is more sacred to their leader than that of mates. In the Council, anyone who comes between two people chosen by Fate faces a punishment of death. We do not question the way Fate selects rulers either,” Baxter added.
“You’ve an entire race of people raised from the dead, Arch Lich?” Costas asked. “Please do not think my words are an insult as I have not yet met someone who was once alive.”
“You have, Your Grace, for my race too is resurrected, though the current Arch Lich was not our creator,” Baxter said. Chrysander stared harder at the blond man to find anything that alerted him to the fact that he’d once been dead, but he spotted nothing.
“Will you consider the offer, Your Majesty?” Chander asked.
“I will, Arch Lich, but I must warn you—there may be many more questions.”
The Arch Lich stood, and a stack of parchment appeared in his hand. “These are magical missives, Your Majesty. If you write my name on the back, they will be sent to me directly. I will answer all the questions you have. I wish to see the Council taken over by you. I would propose the name be changed to the Council of Sorcery and Shifters.”
“Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you, Arch Lich, and you as well, Mr. Daray,” Chrysander said as he rose. The men were escorted out, and Chrysander considered the three faces he trusted more than life itself.
“Gather our kings,” Chrysander ordered.
“Even D’Vaire?” Costas asked.
“Foolish men call him cursed, and we’ve done our best to shield him from the rumors by moving him about. His presence may be a distraction, but Fate made him a king. Send him a missive.”
“He will ignore it—he has done the same for every other invitation you’ve sent him,” Damian said.
“If you had a man like King Ethelin telling everyone who would listen how dangerous you were, you’d be wary of people as well,” Zane stated.
“Indeed,” Chrysander said, then sat back down to pen letters to the rulers of other shifting communities. A large council might be just the thing they needed to bring them together, and he liked the idea of a single race tasked with crime and punishment. It would keep the dragons from being forced to come between squabbling factions as so often happened in the past few centuries; being the most powerful beasts was both a blessing and a curse.
* * *
Andriana Latsisdraconis adjusted her voluminous skirts, and Chrysander waited with what he thought was a great deal of patience as she arranged herself on the seat. In addition to his twin, there were two other men in the office. Both were mates of Andriana, but only one of them was bound to her by dragon bite.
Since she met the second over seven hundred and fifty years ago, Chrysander could offer no explanation for why neither she nor the first man hadn’t bothered to complete their matebond. But then, Andriana and Gelon did a great many things Chrysander found hard to fathom, like the reason he’d summoned them to his home.
“Why are you three not yet mated?” Damian asked, clearly not so willing to allow questions to go unanswered.
Niko’s gaze never raised from the floor, but Andriana frowned severely. “Damianos, it is none of your concern.”
“Mother, you met Niko the same year Chrys and I shifted. That was a long time ago,” Damian retorted. His expression was like hers as he resembled her a great deal. She was stunningly beautiful and charismatic just as his brother was. Chrysander supposed he was more like the sober-looking Gelon, though he did not have such a distance from the world as his father. The man did not appear to be attached to anything, not even Andriana and Niko. He was, as usual, staring out the window and thinking things privy to no one.
“You are impertinent, Damianos. It is our matebond. Gelon and I have our reasons,” Andriana shot back. It was telling to Chrysander that she did not mention Niko’s thoughts on the matter. Niko was barely eighteen when he met the pair and as far as Chrysander knew, a spoiled child who was doted on his whole life.
Chrysander was forced to admit, though, he only had his parents’ words to take on the matter since he wasn’t familiar with Niko. Once Damian and Chrysander had shifted, they left the firestorm of their parents’ matebond to work as dukes to a neighboring king who was thrilled to find two black dragons on his doorstep. There they’d been taught by Costas what it meant to be noble and had concentrated on helping others.
“Let us focus on the point of this meeting,” Chrysander demanded. “I have received your letter and I wish to discuss it. We have come to an agreement with the Council and all but three kings are ready to start over in North America. Your king is among those who will be going, so I do not understand how remaining here will benefit you.”
“I did explain all this in my letter, Chrysander. We’ll need coin sent each month since we will not have a king. We simply cannot stomach the idea of leaving our home,” Andriana replied.
“You insult His Majesty by staying here and you expect him to pay you each month?” Damian asked caustically. “You would dare?”
“Whether you like it or not, you are our sons. You have a duty to us. Andriana and I wish to stay here. I will not join the court of Ethelin, Kestle, or Varius. I have heard no good words about those three,” Gelon said.
Chrysander lifted a brow. “And Niko. Will he be going with the Council?”
“Niko’s mine. I decide his fate, and he will stay with us,” Gelon snapped.
“I think Niko should get to make his own decisions,” Chrysander responded.
“I agree, Chrysander, but your father won’t hear of it. He’s been obsessed with Niko since they met, but I do believe it would be best for you to take him,” Andriana commented.
“He’s your mate too,” Damian barked. “You should both care for his feelings.”
