Page 54 of The Dragon Queen

We must go, he said to us,now.

What’s going on?All of my concerns about gimbals were thrust to one side when I saw the red dragon was alone.Where’s Glimmer? What’s happened to Glimmer!

The queens are safe under Wyrmpeak, but some of the thieves have returned. They seek the king.

“We’re off, Da!” Ged called out as he hustled me towards the door.

“I can see that. That dragon of yours has flattened half the marketplace. I hope it’s for a good reason!”

We were about to find out.

What thieves?I asked, as I scrambled up Cloudy’s leg and onto his back.And what are they doing here?

The keep.

That was all the answer we got from Cloudy. Ged had barely settled into the saddle before his dragon started running down the path. People, horses, donkeys, even chickens threw themselves out of the way, all but one person. Marcus Lighthands stood in the middle of the path, a small smile on his face, it growing and growing as the dragon got closer. I went to shout at him to get out of the way, but Cloudy’s wings flapped out, raking through the air to gain altitude. I looked back to see that Marcus was in one piece, sketching a brief salute.

“Royce,”Ged snarled as we stared at the keep roof at the beginning of our descent. “What the hell is the bastard son of the Duke of Harlston doing here, along with one of his little toadies?”

Two dragons sat on the flat roof, their riders still in their saddles, as if they were waiting for orders, not coming back to the scene of their crime.

I can burn them from the saddle, Cloudy said, his tone just as hot as the fire that burned inside him.They’ll be soot on the wind in moments.

Not yet, lad. The general, he’ll kill me if we don’t find what these idiots want.

Ged stroked a hand down Cloudy’s neck.

More dragon eggs?Cloudy’s mind was a hot, hectic place. I felt like I was being whipped up into a firestorm, spun around and out of control.The queens? My mate?

He let out a loud bellow of challenge as we circled down, making clear what he thought of that idea.

They’d have brought far more of their number if that’s what they intended, I said, sitting forward, letting the weight of the wind keep me in the saddle as I peered at the two interlopers. A white flag hung listlessly from Royce’s shoulder as he waited for us to arrive, making clear their purpose.They are here to deliver a message.

One we wouldn’t want to hear, that was clear.

Cloudy landed on the rooftop, tail swishing, a low growl rattling in his throat, but Royce just sneered. I remembered him now. He was the fool who thought I would accept his offer of marriage because of who his father was. While he was a conventionally good looking man, the sneer on his face, the hectic light in his eyes made him ugly.

“Draven left a woman to look after things for him, did he?” Royce looked me up and down. “At least I think she’s a woman.”

“Your queen,” Ged snapped, yanking his sword free. “And you’ll show her the proper respect or?—”

“The keep doesn’t offer the customary courtesy to messengers anymore?” Royce sniffed. “Makes sense the place has gone to potsince we left. Well, as much as I’d like to sit here and argue, my father has a wedding gift for the queen.”

When he pulled out a swaddled bundle, I knew what it was. I was right back in my father’s hall, my stepsister raging. Royce hefted the oval-shaped bundle and then tore away the cloth covering, revealing a blue dragon egg, right before he threw it into the air.

I was moving, sprinting across the keep roof, despite Ged and Cloudy’s protests. I dimly heard their shouts, their roars, but I couldn’t focus on more than one thing at a time. The egg, in my heart, if not my head, it was Glimmer’s that spun through the air. My eyes were trained upon it, my hands outstretched, ready to capture it as I lunged forward…

Only for the shell to crack and collapse inwards as soon as my hands clapped around it.

I had saved an empty shell from being shattered on the ground, only to do that work myself. For a moment, there was only my frantic heartbeat, my staring eyes as I tried to make sense of this, then I heard Royce’s mocking laughter.

“Well, she might not be much of a queen, but I’d have the lass on my side if we were playing a game of football.”

“What the fucking hell did you do?” Ged stormed over, pushing in front of me, sword held across his body. “What the hell did you monsters do to that dragonling? It’s bad enough that you stole a clutch from the hatching sands, but?—”

“I’m in no mood to listen to your spluttering, peasant.” Royce’s eyes narrowed as he looked down his nose at us, before taking an exaggerated breath in. “You’ve still got the stink of the tannery on you. No amount of bathing will ever get that off you.”

“He’s a better man than you.” I stepped forward, taking him and his dragon in with a withering look. While Royce might be all hauteur, his dragon was blank eyed and staring. It was then I noticed the fine gold chain he wore over his leather tunic. Hanging from it was a pendant that was all too familiar. Raina, the old queen, had worn one just like it, because without it, she’d never have been able to control Zafira. “And a better dragonrider. He doesn’t have to mind rape his bondmate to keep his dragon by his side.”

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