Page 125 of Iron Hearts and Dragon Magic

Did she expect Naia to say she didn’t know? Was she meaning to humiliate her or something? It wasn’t going to work. “I want you to lead me to a place where we can talk and won’t be heard. You know this castle better than I do.”

She bit her lip. “Of course.”

They climbed three sets of stairs and went to her bedroom, that same room where they had talked before, when things had been so different. The guards remained outside.

Once they were alone, Anelise scowled. “Was it a plan? Were you and River—”

“No. I had no idea he was going to kill his father—and neither did he.”

The fae blinked slowly. “What do you mean?”

“He’s…” It felt strange to say these words out loud. “At that time he was being influenced by this… immortal dragon who lives in another realm. Dragon lord, as you call them. Now this evil dragon has completely taken him over. And it’s disastrous.” There was a chair on the corner, and Naia collapsed there, unable to hold it any longer. “And your city is all dry, and everything is wrong.” She took a deep breath and pushed down the tears threatening to come out. “You care about River, I know it. I need help.”

Anelise stared at her for a while, then said, “So you mean that it wasn’t really River who killed our father?”

“I… It was partly him, had to be. But something changed in River, it was as if he was no longer himself. The moment he walked back, all dressed up, with those daggers.” Naia recalled that detail. “The red one, it did something. Do you know that dagger?”

A shadow crossed her eyes. “Maybe. We had objects like that, but tucked deep within…” She stared at Naia. “The vaults in the library.”

“It’s where he said he was going…”

Anelise swallowed. “Before we go on, swear that you had no intention of stealing our throne.”

“No! I didn’t know he was going to do that. And if you think about it, it’s horrible. From what I understand, your king has tremendous power over you, which means this immortal dragon could have access to your people, your warriors, your resources, weapons… And you wouldn’t be able to do anything. Unless there’s a way to remove River from the throne, without…” She looked down. Perhaps the easiest way would be to kill him, and perhaps her hesitation would put too many innocents in danger.

“Killing him.” Anelise had the courage to spit the words Naia could not. “I wouldn’t want that either, and we can’t even do it. Not without a good reason. The magic binding us to our king—and protecting him—is quite strong.”

That magic could have horrific consequences. “Which is a problem, considering he’s no longer himself. And then we still need to at least find a temporary solution for your city. I don’t want you all isolated and dying here. I need a strategy to at least… mitigate this mess.”

Any trace of anger was gone from Anelise’s eyes. “Tell me more about this evil dragon, and I’ll tell you what we know. That dagger… if it is what I think it is…” She bit her lip. “I might have answers for you, but I don’t think you’ll like them.”

* * *

Fel rememberedthe dome over the castle in Frostlake as something delicate, brilliant against the snow around it, alive with the lights of the castle and the houses at night. This was a city he had seen from above before.

What stood before him was something completely different.

Dark tendrils of smoke spread within the dome. The circle itself, around the city, shone with a subtle but strange reddish glow. There was no doubt that he’d need to destroy that dome, but then, what exactly was inside it? For a moment, he feared tearing down that dome and unleashing unspoken horrors upon Aluria. But that made no sense. The city was the most inhabited place in a large radius. If anything, they had to try to protect the people inside it.

Leah’s anxiety was palpable, even if he couldn’t see her. She asked, “Do you know what’s happening?”

He was about to reply when he realized the question was for the other dragons.

“They…” Tzaria’s voice was quivering. “They opened it. He already opened it.”

Ekateni then said, “They look like they’re from the fourth realm. Not the worst yet. We need to destroy the circle, so that we won’t see more of these things.”

“We’ll need to fight them too,” Leah said. “These things are dangerous.”

From that distance, it was hard to make out their shapes, but perhaps… The magic was not that alien. They were like the creatures Leah had summoned in Umbraar, the creatures which had helped them win for a short period, but then could have taken their lives.

“Cynon will be here,” Tzaria said. “This won’t be easy. Isofel, you should turn back.”

What? “That makes no sense. If I’m supposed to make a difference because of my iron magic, if it was something that was foreseen, why would you stop me from using my ironbringing when it’s needed?”

He got no reply, only silence, until Ekateni said, “Let’s be careful.”

“I will.”

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