Page 72 of Earth Dragon
“Who are they?” Ewan asked
“You shall see,” the lord smiled. “Shannon,” he added. “What a displeasure it is to see you taking sides against your own family. I thought I had taught you better than this.”
She spat on the floor as a reply.
The lord’s face lost its smile and anger flared. It was a good sign that he did not have every inch of himself as under control as he would seem. It was good because it meant that there was every chance he would look left while nefarious things were being prepared on his right.
Focus on us, Ewan thought.Keep your entire focus on us.
“Do not trouble yourselves sneaking around out there,” the lord shouted. “I can hear you.”
Ewan grasped Shannon’s hand, squeezing. She squeezed back.
“Stop this,” King Ellard said. “Let them go.”
Lord Taggart threw his head back and laughed heartily. “You know, you were my favorite out of all the monarchs because you never treated the crown as anything but decoration. It was why I could stand being around you, while the others… Oof. They felt such duty, such weighty duty, to be the good ruler. Even when they were failing spectacularly. Elemys was always the worst offender, of course. Neglecting its people. But Fawha is slipping.”
“You do not know of what you are speaking,” Malcolm’s voice sounded, and he appeared to Ewan’s right, stopping at the edge of the central circle of stones. “You take it upon yourself to undo something that nature itself has declared to be right?”
“Right?” Lord Taggart asked. “What do you know of right, king?”
“What do you know of it?” Malcolm retorted sharply. “There is a man tied to a chair next to you.”
The lord looked at King Ellard, thinking for a moment, but had to concede. “True,” he said, a smile splitting his face again. “Tell me, Ewan, is it also true that we can all shift in here? Is that the play? Surprise me in dragon shape?”
“There is no play,” Ewan lied easily.
“Then why is everyone so shy? Let them show themselves. I do not bite,” the lord said.
“Father,” Shannon said. “You do not know what you are doing.”
He gave her a look, squinting his eyes, but replied, “I’ve spent my lifetime preparing for this moment, so I shall have to disagree with you on that point, daughter. This is a glorious day. A new beginning. Is that not what this bell symbolizes? The end of toil and trouble, the start of a time of reflection and rest? Is that not what we all deserve? Some rest from this dull, structured existence?”
“Peace is dull?” Malcolm asked.
“Peace is a lie!” the lord yelled, his voice echoing through the space, rattling the glass panes gently. “Peace is mere compliance masking itself as something else. Compliance is death. It is complacence. It is blindness. It is not knowing how much better it could be because you cannot even bother to look for it.”
Ewan shook his head slowly. “You are mad,” he said.
Lord Taggart smiled again. “No,” he said. “I have only lived for a very, very long time. We are constrained by the crowned heads. We are restrained by borders that should not be there and laws that none of us wrote or agreed to. It is high time for a change.”
“Whoareyou?” King Ellard bellowed, incensed at having been taken advantage of. Ewan felt for him, but Shannon’s hand in his steadied him.
Focus on us, he thought.Focus on us.
King Greer walked out between two potted plants to Ewan’s left, coming to stand at the edge of the circle as well. “You cannot win this,” he said. “The elemental magics are crying out to be released. Can you not hear them?”
“Yes, I can,” the lord smirked. “They can cry all they want for their vessels, for their Keepers to keep them. They are where they belong, and they shall remain there.”
“No, they shan’t,” King Hugh disagreed, his inner dragon lighting up his veins with a golden glow.
“Do not tempt me into a confrontation with you, crownless king,” Lord Taggart said. “Any second we shall be joined by others who share in my power. You do not wish to poke me.”
“But we do,” Queen Blair said, joining Hugh’s side as both Ionna and Maize did the same. “Especially when you poked us first.”
The lord scoffed, looking around at those now surrounding him. There was the smallest waver in his expression, perhaps because whoever was meant to arrive were taking longer than expected. Then the choice of words seemed to dawn on him and he turned his gaze on Ewan. Ewan offered him a small smile.
“No,” the lord said. “That’s not possible.”
