Page 77 of Born into Darkness

Flare and Phantom lifted Shadow, carrying him inside the cave.

Soldiers stood to attention, holding their spears tight. Flames flickered in the bowls fashioned in recesses in the walls, highlighting the rich colors of the dragon’s emblems in the silk tapestries hanging everywhere. Dragon gargoyles snarled at us from their perches atop arches.

“Second era stonework!” Phantom exclaimed. “Completely intact. If only my father could see this.”

Flare chuckled. “Careful you don’t get a boner, pup.”

Phantom slapped Flare on the back of the head, and they laughed.

The sigil of the king, a flying dragon, featured in the center of a silk tapestry, divided into five parts, one for each dragon type. Brown and greens for the earth dragon. Blue for the water dragon. Silver for the metal dragon. Orange for the fire dragon. Yellow for the air dragons. The king had been blessed with a child of each type, unheard of in the history of dracos, leading my father to say there was something special about this king, his dear friend since he’d been a teen.

We descended deeper into the palace, where marbled surfaces, rugs of the finest cotton, vases, lamps, and other decorations inlaid with jewels all spoke of the dragon king’s wealth.

“Goddess!” Phantom’s mouth fell open with amazement. “So much history!”

Cute.That was kind of how I’d felt the first time I’d visited the dragon’s palace, too. I’d touched everything I could get my hands on, explored every recess, every curve, every nook of the palace with the princess and princes.

Finally, we arrived in the throne room, where generals, council aides, and the dragon king huddled around a long table with a map sprawled across it.

What a sight the king was in his cape, fashioned out of dragon scales from all the previous monarchs before him. It must have been so heavy, but he bore the weight as if it were nothing more than a feather. Scales of every color winked in the firelight: greens, blues, purples, iridescent white, yellows, oranges. Beautiful, like a rainbow, and if you were a curious child like I had been, you might be granted permission by the king to touch it.

“Pardon my intrusion, sire,” said the liege. “A guest has arrived seeking your audience.”

The king slammed a palm on the table. “I told you not to interrupt me.” His face flushed a deep red.

“Forgive me, sire,” I said, catching the king’s attention. “I would not have come unless the situation were urgent.”

Anger diffused from his expression. “My dear, what a surprise.”

The king flicked his hands to dismiss his advisors, and they bowed, eyeing the panthers and me as they drifted from the room.

Arms wide, the king embraced me as if I were one of his beloved children. Every nerve in me screamed to resist his grasp, but he pulled me closer, resting his cheek on the top of my head.

“Where is your father?” Disappointment stained his tone. “Did he not teach you that it’s not wise to travel these roads?”

Words crammed in my throat. News of Papa’s death had not reached the dragon king. I lost it then, the tears falling like a river down my face. Being here, surrounded by so many happy memories, and the mention of my father brought back all my pain.

Phantom explained the story of my father’s demise for me.

“There, there, my child,” the king said, holding me so tightly, I could barely breathe. “This is most grievous news. How it hurts my heart to hear it.”

I clung to the king’s powerful words, remembering when he’d bounced me on his knee and told me stories about how he’d met his mate and sprouted his wings. He’d even described the first time he’d learned to fly. My father and I would clap and laugh. Such joyous memories helped dry my tears but also left me with an ache deep in the center of my chest.

“Who are theseshiftersyou bring with you?” The way the king saidshifterssuggested he did not welcome them into his kingdom. “Hunters bearing collars like these have ventured into my lands and have attacked my people, killing the young and weak.”

Every part of me tensed, and I slipped free of the king to go and stand beside Phantom. “Phantom here was rescued by and the dwarves and me…”

“Dwarves?” The king flashed his teeth, and his chest glowed with the power of fire.

Shadow interrupted, raising his palms, even though they shook from fever. “Great king, please. We mean you no harm.”

The king’s top lip lowered slowly.

“We all have been forced together under dire circumstances,” Shadow continued, wiping away a thick sheen of sweat from his brow. “I met Snow after her escape from her stepmother. Snow’s presence brought the witch to my plantation in search for her. As punishment for stowing her, the witch stole my family’s plantation and surrounding farms, forcing us and our employees into slavery.”

The dragon king’s fierce gaze flew to me. “Your stepmother has appointed herself Ward of Tritonia?”

My throat clogged, and I couldn’t get a word out.

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