Page 22 of Court of Dragons and Crowns (The Dragon Crown)

He rips away from me with a feral growl that sends shivers down my spine. “I asked you to help me, not to question me. That wasn’t part of our deal.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Enough,” he growls, moving away like an injured animal. His eyes flash green, the silver melting away. “This was a stupid fucking idea.”

“No, it wasn’t, Gray,” I protest.

His eyes narrow. “Gray? My name is King Grayson, and I’m not your friend.”

I want to tell him it’s all going to be okay, but I feel like my words would be completely fruitless right now in this state that he’s in. He shakes his head and turns away, walking out the door at the back of the room and slamming it behind him, hard enough that the ground underneath shakes with his power. I blow out a breath. I shouldn’t be feeling bad for my kidnapper. I shouldn’t want to fix him. He literally kidnapped me. I wrap my arms around my chest, looking at the castle around me. The walls are glowing slightly, and I get the sense the castle is listening. “Any chance you know the answer to what happened to Grayson?”

The room just goes slightly colder, right before another door appears to my left. I walk over and open it, stepping out into the prison. “Wait, no!”

I look behind me as the door slams shut of its own accord and disappears. Not this shit again.

I turn to look at the woman in the cage, and a deep part of me knows I shouldn’t be here. Something in my chest feels so wrong. Feels completely wrong. The woman is crying, weeping loudly, vines still wrapped tightly around her limbs. Her dirty, muddy hands are covering her face as she weeps on her knees, weeping so loudly, so violently that I don’t think she even notices I’m here until I take a step forward, causing a small rock to roll from my foot across the floor and clink on the bars.

Her head whips up, her eyes, red, puffed and swollen, meet mine. “Are you going to help me? Release me from here. Please. I can tell you how. It’d be so easy. Just come in here and let me out.”

I’m not that stupid. “Those vines. Is it the earth king that keeps you bound down here? Did you do something to him?”

I wonder if that’s the reason the castle brought me here. To give me the answer. She shakes her head “No. Yes, I am bound here by earth magic, but it was not the king that bound me here. I’ve never met those kings.”

Something makes me believe her. “Why would you want me to get you out? I haven’t got any magic. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. There’s no lock on these bars.” I cross my arms. “Plus, I don’t know you. I don’t know why you’ve been trapped in here. You are most likely dangerous.”

“Yes, I am, like all creatures in this world. The dragon kings’ fathers locked me in here a long time ago. They were cruel to me and wanted to trap me forever because I was a threat to their thrones. The dragon kings you know now were only children when I was brought here. I was falsely imprisoned. All I was ever trying to do was save this world and be free. They punished me for it. Punished me dearly. I’ve lost everything, just like you did. But you can help me, and I will restore what you lost. I didn’t lie before. You’re special.”

I’m confused. “What I lost?”

Her eyes sparkle. “You don’t know? Oh, how sad.”

Silence drifts between us before she giggles like a child. “I need one drop of your blood. That’s all it would take for you to release me. I can tell you everything. I can get you back to your home and tell you all the secrets you don’t know.”

I don’t answer her, stepping away. Her eyes are so bright, and she looks at me greedily. “There’s potential stirring in your blood. You could differ from the rest. You just have to listen to me and let me out of here.”

Suddenly a door opens, and I don’t willingly go into it as a rush of air pushes me through, and the door slams shut behind me. I fall straight on my ass on the other side, only to be somewhere new. I stand up, looking at five crowns on cushions in the middle of the dusty, cobweb-filled room. Each of the crowns are elements, but the one in the middle is black, shiny, and spiked. I walk over to it, gently raise it, and I swear I feel something rush through my blood as a song plays in the air. A familiar song. I drop the crown, backing away and falling through an open door, my heart racing. This time, I land on my ass outside my classroom door, and it takes everything in me to stand up, calm my racing heart, and go inside.

CHAPTER 9

“Where are you from then?” I question, leaning back in my chair. Livia and I have been left alone in the dining room after dinner, and it’s quiet, way too quiet. Arty was tired, and she went to sleep easily, and Hope was gone early. I don’t feel like sleeping early. I’m too restless, and Livia just stayed.

She’s usually with that dark-haired girl who she saved from the first test, and I’ve got to learn her name. She didn’t die in the last test, but there’s only a few of us remaining, and the room seems emptier than usual now that they’re all sleeping. We should be sleeping, I know that, but every time I close my eyes, I find it hard to not remember everything that’s happened recently. I wonder if I ever will be able to just live without these memories. Without seeing Finley, Katherine, and the nameless others die in front of me.

Livia spins a fork on the table. “London. Can’t you tell from my accent?”

“I guessed south,” I respond, “but I never really left North West England, so I’ve not heard all the accents. Are your family missing you?”

She snorts. “No. I have six siblings, and I was the oldest. My mother got pregnant with me when she was a teenager, and my dad, who’s not my biological dad, took me in as his own because he loved her. He tried, but it was clear I wasn’t like the others, not like their children together. I always felt different, out of place,” she admits. “I was planning on leaving myself, getting a job somewhere else, just far away from where I was brought up. I love my mum. She tries her best, but I have a lot of siblings, and one person can only be stretched so thin. Plus, I think I remind her of my biological dad, who left her pregnant as a teenager. My grandparents kicked her out because of me and never spoke to her again. She didn’t have it easy.”

She puts the fork down. “I don’t particularly look like my siblings.” She raises a hand, gesturing towards her face. “I’m slightly Korean, and that all comes from my father’s side. I didn’t know about this race, and I bet it’s my father’s blood who got me stuck here. One more thing to never thank him for.”

“What about your siblings? Surely, they would miss you?”

She blows out a breath. “Maybe.” Livia looks down and then says, “I’m going to find Florence. The rest of her room died in the last test, and she hasn’t been taking it well.”

“You seem awfully close to her,” I suggest.

She grins and winks at me. “She’s gorgeous and kind. Of course I’m trying to get close to her.”

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