Page 44 of Song of the Dragon Rider
The twin flames burn eternal, their bond none can sever,
The dragon and his rider, bound in legend forever.
“Oh,she blazes through the heavens, a flame in the dark,
The ancient king beside her, with a fire-bound heart.
Twin flames reunited, their destinies aligned,
The dragon and his rider, one heart, one mind.
“So sing of the legend,let her tale be known,
Of the queen who found the king and claimed the skies as her throne.
With fire and with fury, they blaze across the night,
The dragon and his rider, legends burning bright.”
“Jacob!”I caught up to him and grabbed his arm with wide eyes.
His eyes mirrored mine as he faced the direction of the singer and musicians who had captivated the guests of the banquet. “Arya,” he whispered, “thank the immortals you’re here. Stay by my side.” He tightly gripped my hand. “I have a feeling things are going to take a turn for the worse.”
When the song ended, you could have heard a pin drop in the otherwise silent ballroom. My nerves frayed, sweat beaded on my forehead and pooled in my armpits, which wasn’t helped by the fact my dress had long sleeves to hide my tattoos, or that this damn corset was so freakin’ tight it was constricting my breathing.
“Jacob—”
Before I could sayLet’s get the fuck out of here, the crowd parted like the Red fuckin’ Sea.
“The emperor has arrived!” a steward announced. And just like magic, Emperor Valenor made his entrance.
Decked out in his finest robes and blinged out in a mountain of jewels, the man walked in with his head held high, a gold crown atop his head, and icy blue eyes directed solely on the singer.
Emperor Valenor walked straight toward her, ignoring everyone else. His children trailed along behind him as he strode toward the front of the ballroom.
“Young lady, what is your name?” he asked, his deep voice booming throughout the ballroom.
The singer, who couldn’t have been older than twenty, gulped loudly. Her hazel eyes widened as she dropped to her knees before the emperor. “Brianna, Your Majesty.”
He smirked. “Is that so? Tell me, Brianna, what is the name of the song you just sang?”
Hesitantly, she peered up at the emperor and answered, “Song of the Dragon Rider, Your Majesty.”
The emperor chuckled softly at first, but it quickly grew into boisterous laughter. “Song of the Dragon Rider, you say? And why have I not heard of this folk song before?”
“I-It’s n-new, Y-Your M-Majesty,” she answered.
“It’s new? The only way someone could come up with such a song is if they had actuallyseena Dragon Rider. Now tell me, has anyone seen a Dragon Rider?” he shouted, raising his voice and swiveling his head toward the terrified crowd.
No one said a word as they all lowered their heads and tried not to attract the emperor’s attention. And of course, I did the same, because I had a funny feeling that song was about me and Damien. Someone must have seen us last night when we burned down the underground fighting ring and got to work writing a new song.
Jacob tightened his grip on my hand, his knuckles whitening as the emperor’s chilling laughter echoed through the ballroom. The air suddenly felt colder, denser, as if the very atmosphere had condensed with tension.
“No, Your Majesty,” Brianna replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s merely a creation of folklore, inspired by the legends of old.”
The emperor’s gaze lingered on her, unblinking and piercing. Then he slowly turned, his eyes sweeping across the room, over the heads of his subjects who dared not meet his impenetrable gaze. His presence was a palpable force, and you could feel the collective breath of the room hold.
“Legends of old, you say?” Emperor Valenor mused aloud, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. “Or perhaps a careless whisper about current events? Secrets are not so easily kept in Dragon Valley, not even by supposed Dragon Riders.”
