Page 12 of Empire of Death
This time, Hawk reached for my wrist and tried to squeeze reason into my flesh. “Lily.”
“My father is the most powerful king in the known world. He could easily conquer you and everyone else in his vicinity on a whim. But he’s allowed neighboring kingdoms to maintain their autonomy despite the fact that you didn’t help him regain the Southern Isles over twenty years ago. Lucky for you, he’s neither greedy nor combative. I, however, amdeeplycombative anddeeplyspiteful.”
“And unnecessarily hostile.”
“You’ve treated me as a resentment rather than an ally from the moment I arrived here. You’ve continued to pry for information for your own gains rather than offer aid in this delicate time. Not once have you extended condolences for my father’s injuries, as if you’re secretly gleeful that it is I who visits you instead of him. And because I have tits and an ass, you assume I’m inferior to you both physically and intellectually, and you can take advantage of this opportunity to wrest power from my hands when I have an iron fucking grip. That doesn’t sound like an ally to me—but an opportunist. So my hostility is very much necessary.”
Instead of staring at King Ithaca, Wrath stared at me, dark eyes glued to my face with an intensity that I could feel without having to see.
Hawk dropped his hand from my arm.
“So if you’re finished trying to undermine me, will you answer my call for aid or not?” The blood of my ancestors, generations of kings, burned white-hot in my veins. I felt like they were all in the room with me. Felt like my father was there, the thump in my heart with every beat.
King Ithaca finally took a step back, his hands coming together at his front. “Yes, Queen Rothschild. The Empire Colonies will answer your call for aid.”
I took a step back as well, dousing the flames of my hostility once I’d secured what I’d come here for. “Thank you, King Ithaca.” I turned away, feeling my cape gently lift when it got a rush of air in the spin. “A messenger will deliver your instructions imminently.” I felt Hawk beside me a second later, his footfalls in tune with mine, our boots tapping against the tile floor in perfect unison.
When we made it out the double doors, raindrops struck the cobblestone courtyard in a heavy deluge. It splashed down the windows, soaked the uniforms of the guards who kept their stations. The sound of a million little rivers filled my ears as we walked to our dragons, their scales shiny from the downpour.
“I’ve never seen this side of you, Lily,” Hawk said as we approached our dragons.
“Get used to it, because you’re going to be seeing a lot more of this side.” I climbed onto Zehemoth’s back with ease despite the falling rain, knowing King Ithaca watched our departure from one of his windows. I needed to command the courtyard and the castle with my physical presence until I was gone from his sight.
Our dragons launched from the ground and opened their powerful wings as they caught the air. They quickly left the ground, and as if Zehemoth could sense my anger because it was so potent he could feel it without a fuse, he released a mighty roar, a reminder of the power of the Southern Isles—and the Rothschilds who would always rule it.
5
LILY
We landed somewhere along the way to Skull Island, a busy retreat for pirates between expeditions. Despite the general lawlessness of pirates, they abided by a strict code under the Brigandine Empire, so even if two rival fleets were in port at the same time, they would conduct themselves under a banner of truce.
My father always said that pirates were some of the best men he’d ever met because they were transparent about their intentions. Said what they meant, meant what they said. And they could pause a blood feud and drink together in the same bar for a night before they were at one another’s throats at sea the next day.
The temperature was certainly warmer this far south, but the rain continued to pour down on us as if a sea of clouds took up the entire sky. The dragons continued to fly until they found a rocky outcropping that could provide some relief from the rain. A shallow cave was visible in the shadows, and that was where both dragons landed, the sound of the rain immediately muffled once we’d found shelter.
The second Hawk dismounted, he verbally rushed me like he’d been thinking about what had happened with King Ithaca for the last five hours of our ride. “I’m not sure if we handled that the best way.”
“Not we.” I dismounted and ripped off my gloves. “Me. And let’s get a fire going before we hash this out because I’m cold, wet, and tired.”
Hawk gathered drenched firewood and placed it on the bed of rocks I’d built. Wet firewood would normally be impossible to light, but one huff from Khazmuda was enough to set it ablaze. Flames shot high, and our silhouettes were visible against the stone wall, the two of us and our dragons.
I sat on the log that Hawk provided and started to strip myself down to nothing but my underwear.
He kept his eyes averted as he removed his boots. “You mind?”
“If these clothes stay wet, we’ll both get the lung disease. And get over it.” In my bra and underwear, I hung my clothes over the fire so they would dry and be comfortable to wear in the morning.
The loss of my clothes gave me a chill at first, but as my skin dried in front of the fire and the heat of the flames replaced my clothing, I felt better. When I was somewhat dry, I grabbed my bedroll out of my pack and smothered myself with the blanket.
The dragons circled us with their bodies, one curled on one side and the other curled on the other, making a wall that forced the heat to bounce back inward, acting as a house without a roof. My muscles started to relax, and my hair stopped sticking to the back of my neck.
Hawk rummaged for food in his pack and ate some stale bread and dried meat. “I’m not sure if you handled that right.”
“What should I have done otherwise?” I asked with forced calm, knowing he wouldn’t have an answer.
The quiet continued on and on, no end in sight.
I knew I was right.“I don’t like him, and I don’t trust him.”
