Page 31 of Empire of Death
I serve whom I wish—and you are the queen of my heart, my kin, and my kingdom. It’s unwise to take this voyage without us to protect you.
“I won’t risk you two, Zehemoth.”
And we won’t risk you,Sunieth.Another plume of smoke arose.
Hawk watched our interaction in silence. “I can guess how this is going.”
“Hawk will be with me. And you know I’m an expert sailor?—”
The sea almost claimed your life the way it claimed the rest of your crew. You have the protection of two fiery dragons, and it’s foolish not to use them. You do this to earn allies for the Southern Isles. Well, we’re part of the Southern Isles. Let us help aid you.
I turned to look at Hawk. “He’s being stubborn.”
“I can tell by the smoke.”
I turned back to Zehemoth. “I want to earn the loyalty of the pirates on my own?—”
We’re loyal to those who are loyal to you. That is a powerful bargaining chip that you’re refusing to use.
“I can’t risk either of you being attacked by cannon fire. I can’t risk your lives for a war that’s not our own.”
You can’t command us to remain behind.
“You just said I was your queen. So yes, I can command you to do exactly what I want.”
This time, the plume of smoke was a cloud so thick, it momentarily hid Zehemoth from view.
“And I command you both to stay behind until the battle is won.”
Groooooowwwwlllll.
Hawk released a sigh. “A pissed-off dragon…that’s great news.”
The only way I’ll let you sail off alone with strangers is if we’re fused—and I can hear your call for aid wherever you are in the world.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
“What is he saying now?” Hawk asked.
“Um…wants me to fuse.”
“That’s probably something we should do anyway,” he said.
“But Father wanted us to wait.”
“Our circumstances have changed, Lily.”
I stared at Zehemoth, unsure what to do now that I was cornered by the request. I didn’t have a good reason to refuse the offer, not when we were at war, not when I needed all the protection I could receive. “How about you trail behind us from a safe distance? If I need your help, you’ll be able to intervene.”
Hawk side-eyed me.
The smoke immediately cleared from his nostrils, and he raised his head slightly.I agree to your terms,Sunieth.So relieved to be able to accompany us, he didn’t question why I rejected his offer to fuse our minds and souls.
“Alright, we depart in an hour,” I said. “I want you at least half an hour behind us. Take breaks at spots on the way and catch up later. Make sure you rest and feed to keep up your strength.”
Be careful,Sunieth. If something goes amiss on your journey, Movack and I will destroy that fleet with our fire and our talons. They’ll regret the day they challenged Queen Lily Rothschild of the Southern Isles.
We boarded the galleon with our bag of supplies and set sail. Jack was the captain of our ship, a change of pace for him, and issued orders to the sailors. We had a full crew, so Hawk and I didn’t need to help, which was disappointing because I wanted to prove to these men that I could sail better than any of them.
