Page 4 of To Sway a Prince
Blade in hand, I twisted my wrist. It was easy to spot the central knot where the energy of the sigil was hosted. It pulsedwith an angry purple-red light. Four central threads inside had been bound so tightly there were no gaps. Hmm. This sorcerer had made these with far more strength, and he'd managed to hide them as well.
"Wretched magic," I muttered to myself, channeling my magic as best I could. Something in the sigil repelled my energy, making the blood in my head rush and pound. Thread rot! My blade focused the energy, but this time the strands did little more than whinge.
Zephyrus's tail swished back and forth and chuffed again. Some friend he was. I glared at him, comforted that he didn't seem to be in distress but confused at his lackadaisical manner. None of this added up.
Straining, I fought to get a better angle. Hopefully his relaxed manner meant there wasn't anything too dangerous nearby.
As I focused on the sigil, it flared brighter. Still it resisted.
More dragons awakened. They chirred and coughed and grunted, calling back and forth between one another. Zephyrus offered a few chuffs and growls.
With a frustrated grunt, I channeled another burst of energy through the blade. My magic hummed and seared along my veins, singing its way up. But whatever was in the sigil combined with my awkward position and…only the edges of the threads frayed. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and a stitch formed in my side. My breaths tightened.
Then one single strand on the outside of the sigil frayed.
Really? That was all!?
Furious curses rose to my lips, but Zephyrus's head snapped up. His attention was no longer on me. It was on the heavy wooden door at the far end of the chamber. His nostrils flared. The other dragons also fell silent.
Thread rot.
No sound reached my ears, but a sharp frosted silver and cedar scent reached my nostrils.
There was no simple way to explain my presence here or like this, and I couldn't pulseport out with that horrid chain wrapped around me. So if I didn't figure a way out soon?—
The door thudded open and struck the wall. Dark-violet eyes glowed in the darkness for a moment. A tall figure strode forward, silent as if his feet did not touch the stone.
Zephyrus pressed his snout through the bars, huffing warm air against my face. His amber eyes flicked between me and the newcomer.
The other dragons remained motionless, watching in a silence so complete it chilled me.
"Well, well, dare I ask what you're doing in my tower?" His deep voice rumbled low, far more pleasant than I had expected.
I twisted around in the chains, my muscles protesting the awkward angle. They clanked, but at least I didn't spin. "I'd rather not have this conversation while in such a position." I kept my fingers wrapped around the gold blade.
"Hm, is it wise for someone in your position to make such demands?" He stepped closer. His dark boots now made the faintest of clicks. That frosted silver and cedar scent followed him. The torchlight shone in his long silver hair, making it seem to have undercurrents of purple. "Then again, I suspect you might be one who finds it exceptionally easy to outrun wisdom. So let's try this again. What brings you to my stable, woman?"
I flashed him the best cold smile I could manage. "Well, it's a funny thing. See, someone stole my dragon a couple nights ago, and I just so happened to be passing through and I saw him down here all caged up. What a coincidence. I'm sure you had nothing to do with it. So get me down, let Zephyrus and me out, and I promise no harm will come to you." My long golden hair brushed the flagstones.
Zephyrus snorted.
I shot him a sidelong glare. He wasn't being as helpful as he should have been.
His well-formed eyebrow arched as he studied me. "Do you intend to have a serious conversation with me, gnat?"
"I'm serious as a blade through your chest: if you do not let both Zephyrus and me go, I will make you rue the day you met me." The energy I focused on the sigil continued to pulse and cut slowly. A second thread had frayed free. At this rate, I'd be down in a few hours. If he had noticed my attempt to escape, he wasn't acknowledging it. Once I was free of the chains, I'd pulseport out if I couldn't get Zephyrus free, and then I'd launch a counterattack.
"Well, I already rue your existence. You're like an insect in the wine. Small, annoying, and pointless except for getting on my nerves and using up my time and a perfectly good glass of wine. Do you even know who I am?"
My upper lip curled, and my head pounded. "One of the Sentinels probably." I couldn't remember the names of the individuals, but I'd heard of them in passing. Guardians over the Chasm. Technically, this land was theirs and they ruled themselves because no king tied to a people could ever have ownership of a liminal rift that theoretically could reach other worlds. The Sentinels were loyal to their purpose, which was the Chasm and all it held.
"I am Ramiel, Prince of the Sentinels." He now stood directly in front of me. The torchlight made the lavender notes in his hair all the more apparent and highlighted the dark circles beneath his eyes as if he had not slept in a long while. Even so, he was quite striking in appearance, his features elegant and sharp but pleasant. He clasped his hands behind his back as he stood before me now. "And aside from being an intruder and a dragon thief, you are?"
"Astraia."
His eyebrow lifted. "Just Astraia?"
"Just Astraia." My throat tightened. I never told anyone about my family these days if I could help it. Part of me still felt as if I had betrayed them by not speaking of them, but it was for the best. No one needed to know. It always led to the same conversations anyway. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, release Zephyrus and me at once."
