Dax’s wings popped out with a snap and caught the air. Dragon and rider slowed, floating down like a feather, and with gentle ease, Dax’s legs touched the ground with a rumbling clatter.
“Next time can you not try to kill me?” Layala said, finally letting go of the spike, her arms stiff and achy from the tight grip she held.
He grunted and shot steam from his nostrils. Layala watched him for a moment. Dax couldn’t speak, could he? The other two male dragons landed lightly and shifted into their human forms. They each wore blue-gray robes tied at the waist and loose pants that reached mid-calf and brown sandals on their feet. With wings spread wide, a red dragon insignia was embroidered above the left breast. So dragons did possess magic. How else could they appear in clothes?
The sapphire female dragon who’d taken a nasty downturn shot at them like an arrow and just before she impacted, she shifted into a human form and her boots hit the ground. “Where is Prince Ronan?” she demanded. Her hair was as blue as her dragon scales, tied back into a tight bun on top of her head, and her skin as white as Dax’s pearl. She touched her hip and a sword appeared in her palm. Layala balked. It had somehow been veiled before.
A low rumble came from Dax but that was all. Sapphire put a hand on her hip then threw it into the air in frustration. “You will see punishment for this Dax. I don’t care if Prince Ronan gave you permission to bring in an outsider. It must be cleared with Crown Prince Yoren, King Drake or Queen Nyrovia.” So Ronan was a second-born prince perhaps? Third or fourth? How many children did dragons have? She held out her hand and curled her fingers. “Give her to me.”
Dax rose up a little higher, pushing out his big chest and shook his head. At least he had Layala’s back, or the word of his prince at least, however far down the line he may be.
“Utter fools,” Sapphire turned to the male beside her, with salt-and-pepper hair. “You deal with Ronan today. I don’t have the patience.” She whirled around on her heel and stomped away. Layala’s gaze followed her; the shifter marched toward a castle. Gold pillars wrapped around the front, holding up an overhanging balcony with creeping vines and flowers blooming along the railing. The beige color reminded her of sand. She looked up, and up and up. The castle seemed to go on forever until it reached the clouds. Dragons flew in and out, from different balconies. Others sat tall and erect on perches, staring out over the rest of the city; sentinels, she presumed. At the base level, wooden doors large enough to fit a dragon as large as Dax, opened inward to allow the sapphire shifter to enter. In comparison, she looked no bigger than a pixie walking inside the average elf-sized doorway.
The sound of beating wings lifted Layala’s sights to the sky, the bronze dragon carrying Thane landed gently beside them. And Prince Ronan, in his winged human form, dropped down with Piper in his arms. The others were close behind. Layala wasn’t sure but she thought she saw Leif slapping at a sparrow diving at his head.
Ronan grinned at the salt-and-pepper-haired shifter standing with his arms tucked behind his back and an expression of clear annoyance. Ronan set Piper on her feet and strode ahead. “Where is my father? I have some exciting guests.”
“Eating lunch with the queen and your brothers. Where you should be,” he answered.
Ronan patted him hard on the shoulder. “No one expects me to eat every meal with them at my age. Almost six hundred years of the same old boring conversations. It’s absurd.”
“They do when it’s your mother’s birthday,” the male clipped.
“Dragon’s piss,” Ronan murmured, rubbing his chin. He turned around and faced Dax. “Why didn’t you remind me?” he waved a hand in a sign of dismissal and pointed at Vaper. “You should have reminded me.”
Thane slid down the dragon’s shoulder, onto his elbow and then landed gracefully on his feet. Layala peeked over the edge. The distance to the ground made her feel a little woozy, but she slipped out of her vine and prepared herself to get down. Thane’s dismount made it look simple. With a deep breath, Layala lifted her leg over and prepared to slide down. Without warning, the dragon’s body vanished from underneath her and she was free falling. Layala clawed at the air reaching for something, anything to hold onto until she slammed into Dax’s human arms. His smile told her he knew exactly what he did.
Layala smacked his chest. “You scared me on purpose. Prick.” Her heart beat so loudly she had no doubt everyone could hear it.
Thane chuckled quietly beside them. He was seriously laughing? She looked around and they all were. Even the stiff guards broke their looks of annoyance. Maybe he’d done it to break the tension. Layala wiggled out of his arms and shoved him away from her when she was on solid ground again. “Some warning would be nice.”
“I like her,” Prince Ronan said. He clasped his hands together. “Let’s go interrupt lunch, shall we? And wish mother dearest a very happy birthday.”
Thane quietly cleared his throat. The sun beat down on him, bringing out the flecks of gold in his dark-brown hair. It was wind swept and falling loose from the ponytail at the nape of his neck after the dragon ride. “I’d rather make a good impression, if you don’t mind, Prince Ronan. Perhaps it would be better if we waited to be invited in by the king and queen.”
“Well, you’re no fun.” In two strides he was before Layala. He wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her along beside him. “Fine, I’ll just take your betrothed…”
What is he doing? Layala walked beside him but gave Thane a questioning look. His clenched jaw rippled, and the harshness set to his eyes reminded her of the fury of a gathering storm.
Ronan grinned. “I’ll tell mother and father that she’s my betrothed now.”
Layala jerked her hand out of his grasp. “We’re definitely not doing that.” She was under the impression this prince was a troublemaker and she didn’t want any part of it. Not to mention Thane looked like he was about to say some things they all might regret.
The guard with the gray-silver hair rolled his eyes. “Don’t ruin the queen’s day by telling them you’re betrothed to an elf, Prince Ronan. You cause her enough strife.”
“Oh, but she’s much more than just an elf.” He shoved his hand into the middle of Layala’s back driving her toward the male. “Smell her.”
Layala scoffed. Smell me? Could he scent her magic?
“That is improper, Ronan,” he said sharply, keeping his stiff posture. “And who are these people? Why have you brought them here?”
Layala rolled away from Prince Ronan, but he caught her waist and tugged her flush against his side. “This is Layala Lightbringer, betrothed to the… disputed King Thane of the elves of Palenor.” He winked at Layala and turned to Thane with a sweeping arm. “Said king. And their companion Piper Fireheart, and the trio, we’ll call them.”
Fennan looked more than annoyed with the prince. His scowl was hot enough to burn.
“Then you should take your hands away from King Thane’s betrothed before you start a war.”
Ronan chuckled and flicked his wrist. “Oh, he knows it’s just fun and games.”
Did he though? And was it fun and games? They met Ronan not even an hour ago and knew absolutely nothing about him other than he was almost six hundred years old and forgot his mother’s birthday. Layala shoved his hold off her waist and stepped to Thane’s side. His magic radiated again but only a whisper of it. “If he touches you again, break his hand or I will.” Then they’d really start a war, except Thane didn’t have the backing of his father’s military, but they didn’t know that, did they?
“If you insist on propriety, Vaper and I will go tell them you’re here. Dax will stay. The rest of you may go.” He waved off the other dragons who escorted them in like they were children. “Dax won’t say much. Poor Daxy lost his tongue about a century ago.” Dax lifted his middle finger at Ronan. The apparent universal sign for “piss off”.
Salt-and-pepper sighed and started for the castle. “I will go inform your father. At least if it’s from me, he won’t think it’s another one of your tales.”
“I resent that comment,” he said, stepping beside the shifter. “And you’re not taking credit for my discovery.” They disappeared into the massive doorway leaving the elves with Dax and another guard.
The guard in the blue-gray robe gestured to the left where a three-tiered fountain quietly trickled water over each golden lip into a bigger pool at its base. “You may have a seat over by the fountain while you wait.”
Thane took hold of Layala’s hand, intertwining his fingers between hers, and in a casual stroll they started for the fountain. Piper fell into step on Thane’s other side. And the trio kept a close pace behind. The three Ravens looked around, eyes narrowed and bodies tense as if a threat might come at them at any moment. Layala felt much safer knowing they were around.
“Prince Ronan informed me he has a twin, Yoren,” Piper said. “I have a feeling they are more rivals than close allies.”
“Did he tell you anything else useful?” Thane asked. They came to the sand-colored stone edge of the pool and sat. Thane leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs waiting for Piper to answer. Layala placed her hand against his back and then slid her fingers along the leather straps that held his swords. A large pine tree offered shade from the afternoon sun though it wasn’t warm enough out here to need the coverage.
Piper nodded. “There is a ball tonight for his mother’s birthday.”
Layala’s eyebrows furrowed. “So he didn’t forget.”
“Nope.” Piper watched the entry of the castle acutely. “He asked me to be his date.”
His date? Already? Layala turned to see Fennan’s reaction. He kept chatting with Siegfried, acting like he didn’t hear but she knew he did.
Thane sat up tall and ran his hand over his stubble. “What did you say?”
“I said that it would depend on a lot of things. Like us being invited, and not to be the main course. He thought that was funny.”
“I’m sure the rumors that dragon shifters regularly eat elves and humans are exaggerated. We never see dragons in Palenor,” he held up a finger, “with the exception of Varlett.” Thane slid his hand around Layala’s waist then lifted her onto his lap. He rested his chin on her shoulder and hugged her around her middle. His lips grazed her ear. “Just in case they forget you’re mine.” He lowered his voice. “It makes me crazy when other males touch you.”
“I’m proud of you for not losing your temper,” Layala said with a smile.
“I contemplated ripping the heart from his chest.”
Piper looked over, bouncing her legs nervously. “And then we’d all be dead. I estimated at least five thousand dragons in the city with the houses I could see from the air. We are at their mercy.”
Thane grew an arrogant smirk. “You underestimate me, Piper.”
She scoffed and shook her head. “Oh, so you think you can take on an entire legion of dragon shifters by yourself? Ones that are clearly capable of magic. Need I remind you Varlett nearly got the job done all on her own.”
Ouch, even Layala winced at that one. Thane grunted and nuzzled his face into the nape of Layala’s neck. The scruffy hairs on his chin tickled and she laughed, pushing him away. “Stop it. You’re making me look like a lovesick teenager.”
He nipped her earlobe. “Oh, you definitely have Thane-fever. Maybe I should take you somewhere to see if we can cure it.” His wandering hands slid up and cupped her breasts.
“Thane.” Layala pushed his hands back to her waist. “Now isn’t the time to be thinking with your rod and berries.”
Piper let out a loud “ha” then slapped her hand over her mouth. “The public display of affection is a little disgusting,” Piper said, but she smiled through every word. “And yeah, keep the rod in check, would you? We have scheming to do.”
“I’d think a lot more clearly if—” Thane pushed up, arms still firmly around Layala, bringing them both to their feet.
Prince Ronan appeared in the massive doorway, leading a host of guards, effectively cutting off Thane’s statement. They all wore those same blue-gray robes, cropped pants and sandals. But these guards had their wings on display and spears in their hands. The prince held out his arms with a grin, rushing down the steps. “I hope you like to dance because you’re cordially invited to attend the royal ball of House Drakonan. Special guests of King Drake, himself. You’re going to need new attire.”
