Page 18 of The Ruby Dragon Prince
“Did you explain what all of that means? That’s he’s only half-bred and needs to be relieved?” he asked.
I deflated slightly. “No.” I stood straight again, then insisted, “He should know. The knowledge is in his heart, too. He was happy to be bred, contented in my arms. He would not leave me for anything.”
“My cousin, he would leave you for his brothers,” Gildur pointed out. “He would leave you for the beloved omegabrothers that have been his only source of comfort or joy in the terrible life the six of them have had.”
“And what do you know about it?” I demanded. “You haven’t attended either of the dances when they were present. They have only just entered our kingdom.”
“Yes, but they have existed in their own kingdom for many years,” Gildur said. “Anyone who has spent any time at all in that kingdom knows their story well.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him. “How would you know?”
Gildur sighed. “Did I not just tell you that Mother has her agents in the cruel world, keeping an eye on things and keeping evil forces in check?”
“And you’re one of them?” I asked. Before he could answer, I shook my head and said, “If Mother is keeping such a close eye on the cruel world, then why is there so much evil in it? Why do men like King Freslik rule while people like my omega suffer at their hands?”
Gildur shrugged. “They do not call it the cruel world for nothing. There is so much evil there that Mother’s best efforts can only keep it at bay. And besides, eradicating evil entirely would take away every human’s free choice.”
“That is a lame and despicable argument,” I grumbled.
“And yet it is true,” Gildur said. “A human’s right to choose is his most sacred right. Except for when it comes to allowing other humans their own right to choose,” he said with a bit of a sneer.
I could have stood there and contemplated the sad and sorry state of the cruel world forever, but my omega had gone back to it, whether by force or a sense of duty, and I wanted him back.
“I am going to fetch my omega and bring him home,” I insisted, nearly stamping my foot with my determination.
“It’s a bad idea,” Gildur said warningly. “Emmerich wouldn’t approve.”
“Emmerich is only the ruler of this part of the kingdom,” I insisted, walking on and grasping the handle of my bedchamber door. “He does not rule the entire magical kingdom, and he does not rule me.”
I stepped into my bedchamber and slammed the door behind me in my frustration. I seethed when I heard Gildur laughing in the hall behind me. He didn’t understand, but he would one day. One day, he would find his own fated mate, and then he would realize the importance of claiming what was ours.
I washed and dressed as quickly as I could, then conjured a door into the cruel world directly from my bedroom. Such things were forbidden, but if I was brought before Mother for creating a door where I wasn’t allowed, I would explain Tovey to her and I was certain she would understand and forgive me. Mother had a kind heart. Mother wasthekind heart. As was always said, happy is the kingdom that is ruled by a kind heart.
The doorway opened into a remote part of King Freslik’s castle. I had no interest in taking any risks or wasting any time by opening it in the countryside beyond the castle. This mission would be a quick one in any case. If necessary, I would open a new door somewhere else, since dragon doors faded within an hour, unless some sort of magical aid was used to keep it.
My door was inside a broom closet. It clattered against a shelf containing scrub brushes, soap, and buckets as I opened it, upsetting a few brooms as well. I closed it carelessly and brushed a hand over it to make it invisible to humans, then fumbled for the handle of the closet and opened it into the servants’ hall.
I noticed with a frown once I stepped into the hallway that magic had dressed me as one of the servants.
If there was one thing I was not, it was a servant.
A gasp of surprise pulled my focus up from my clothing to the middle-aged beta woman who had just stopped at the sightof me. She dropped the basket of coal she’d been carrying and gaped at me.
I didn’t wait for her to recover or to scream and sound the alarm. “Where is Prince Tovey?” I demanded.
She made a frightened sound and turned to glance down the hallway the way she’d come. I had a feeling she was about to shout for help, so I raised a hand and used magic to soothe her.
Immediately, her shoulders relaxed and she let out a contented sigh.
“Where is Prince Tovey?” I asked again.
“In his Papa’s garden,” the woman said with a vague smile. “It’s the only place, other than their bedchamber, where the king will allow the omega princes to venture.”
I nodded once, then turned to go.
Ten minutes later, as I wandered the castle with a frown, searching down every hallway I came across, I cursed myself for not asking the woman where the garden was. I could hear Gildur’s voice in my head, laughing at me for rushing off impulsively yet again.
I ignored it, and after another ten minutes, I found the garden at last. Its main entrance was guarded by half a dozen, bored-looking guards, but with a little magic, the stupid humans didn’t notice me walk right past them and into the cloistered garden.
