Page 16 of Crown of Betrayal and Blood

The opulence of the throne room astounds me every time I enter. From the marble floors to the marble columns, the space reminds me of one of the many palaces of the gods I once read about in an old history book.

Sterling sits on the dais amidst his courtiers. They all seem very invested in detailing their points to him and buttering him up while browning their noses.

Agnar and Blair are at his back, their faces neutral as they keep an eye out for anything and everything.

The majority of the crowd has left already, and more filter out as I wait.

As if he can sense my presence, Sterling’s possessive gaze finds mine across the room.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have the same reaction, though now is not the time to acknowledge my desire.

This man is mine.

I signal for him to get rid of the courtiers so we can talk privately.

His lower lip curls, betraying his apprehension, before smoothing into resolve. He gives me an almost imperceptible nod, and with a few quiet words, the throne room empties, leaving just the six of us in the vast expanse.

“What in the name of the gods happened to you?” Sterling stands abruptly. “Why are you wearing Bastian’s coat? From the state of your hair, you look like you’ve been battling a wind user.”

I raise up a hand. “Before you start worrying, I promise you, I’m fine. I went for a dragon ride after, um…getting kidnapped.”

“Fuck, Lark.” Sterling rakes a hand through his hair and prowls toward me. “And you’re only just telling me?”

“You didn’t mention anything about that.” Leesa exchanges a glance with Bastian, then she appraises me like she’s scanning me for any unmentioned injuries.

Frowning, Agnar whispers something to Blair, but he seems to know better than to voice his concern.

“It’s not a big deal. And I would have told you before now,” I focus on Sterling, “but you’ve been busy. I didn’t want to interrupt anything.”

“You’re more important than anything else.” Sterling closes the short distance between us, taking my hand in his. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m okay.” When Sterling raises an eyebrow, I hurry on to explain. “I know I look rough, but I’m unharmed. Truly.”

I go on to tell them the quick version of what happened, starting with being drugged and then waking up in the cottage, and ending with Dame taking me to see her newly laid eggs in the cavern.

Reaching into my dress, I pull out the ancient paper. “The man who kidnapped me claims he wants to help but couldn’t do so with all the nobles and council members around. He acted like he wasn’t sure who he could trust.”

I raise an eyebrow at Sterling. Only he and I know of the royal deceit and my true lineage. He sits amongst us, a crown prince cloaked in borrowed majesty, while I stand, the last daughter of Queen Aero’s forgotten line, plotting a return to a city lost to time and memory.

Sterling glances at the throne, then drops his gaze. “Some of the noble families of Tirene do have a checkered past.”

That’s such a nice way of saying they betrayed their oaths of fealty and killed their queen after she risked everything to save them. “Considering he gave me a map showing the location of the Lost City and didn’t harm me, I’m inclined to believe him.”

That gets everyone’s attention.

Bastian comes up to my side immediately, trying to peek at what I’m holding. I unroll the ancient map and adjust it so everyone can read it, tapping the marker for the city we’ve searched through legends and myths to find with my finger.

Sterling’s eyes flicker to the map. “Start at the beginning and walk me through what happened again. I want you to tell me everything you remember. Every little detail. We might still be able to catch him if the guards are alerted.”

While Leesa and Bastian pore over the map, I offer a step-by-step timeline of what happened, including all that I recall about the man and his cottage.

“The Lost City is north of the Impassable Desert? I didn’t think there was anything up there except wilderness.” Sterling leans forward, inspecting the map.

A lock of Blair’s sandy brown hair falls into his eyes as he studies the terrain with us. “The desert doesn’t stretch to the coasts.” He taps the clear margin along the northern edge. “We could skirt the sands. It’s longer but safer.”

“Nobody ventures there.” Bastian folds his arms across his chest, drumming his fingers along his bicep while he thinks. “Nothing to find but wilderness, they say. But then, I did track the dragons that way when they fled in fear. I thought they’d gone into the desert. It’s possible they went past the desert. They can fly through areas we normally wouldn’t approach.”

“Sounds like we need to go up there and find out. Maybe the city still exists. Maybe it doesn’t.” Blair shrugs, as if the unknown is just another adventure rather than a threat lurking in the shadows.

---