Page 144 of The Queens and the Kings
Understanding settled.
“Oh,” she breathed. “You brought me because of . . .” She touched Denerfen. “Because of Den. You know that I can be invisible. You know about draguls? But . . . how?”
As the dawning realization took root, a slamming door reverberated through the arena floor. A raucous laugh from the Keeper's door followed.
Wyverns lifted their heads. Others lowered to the ground, wings spread, mouths hissing in defensive gestures. Chains clinked, but the wyverns' focus remained intent. Two retracted into the shadows and out of sight. The younger smallest ducked below a stone.
Breathless, Britt spun to the wyvern leader. He lowered, hiding behind a low rock wall jutting from the ground.
“You’re not supposed to be here, are you?” she murmured, tapping a finger to her cheek. The Keepers had given her an unexpected boon of advantage. The wyvern’s tail snaked close to her.
She threw an arm out, hissing, “Don’t you dare touch me again or Iwill scream. I don’t care if you’re a Wyvern King or not, I will happily sell you out if you hit me or my dragul again.”
The tail paused.
Her mind was too cloudy to make sense of her own thoughts. Would there be ramifications of a decision like this? Absolutely. Could she accept those ramifications?
She must.
It wasn’t like the Keepers could help her. They’d be just as frightened by the wyverns. And, anyway, if theywereWyvern Kings, she could benefit if they owed her.
A warning growl resounded in the wyvern’s chest.
“Fine,” she hissed. “But you must make one promise: don’t attack The Isles. I’m not releasing you to pillage and destroy my people. I’m here to keep the islands safe from bullies. You, sir, are definitely a bully.”
The wyvern huffed.
“I’ll take your surly response as an agreement.”
Another shout came from the Keeper’s door. Two different voices, both loud, guffawed over a joke about weak coffee and rancid meat. After their comments died away, two additional voices joined them. Four total.
Crouching behind the rocks, she whispered, “Den, I’ve got a plan to set them free.” He twirled, giddy. Confirmation enough that her plan was the right one. If her dragul felt the wyverns were worth it, they must be.
“Load up your venom. We’re going to need it.”
Chapter Forty
PEDR
Pedr’s pleasto Himmel went unanswered, despite shouting until his voice turned hoarse. Where could she possibly have gone that the wind didn’t greet her? Or she didn’t listen? Midnight swept through, then sunrise, then another day. He sailed as fast as he could without irritating his arcane.
What felt like an eternity later, Klipporno elevated onto the horizon, as if he’d pulled the white washed buildings, bright-tiled roofs, and people from the sea. The storm had swept Rosenvatten farther west than he’d expected.
Pedr’s upper lip curled as he considered his options. If the Wyvern Kings were truly returning to full intelligence, the wyvern would probably fly to the Westlands before returning to the mainland. The Siren Queens wouldn’t let it close, but that wouldn’t stall the wyvern’s attempt to show himself.
Then what?
Freedom for the other Wyvern Kings, he’d wager. Once the Wyvern Kings showed themselves to the Siren Queens, they’d need to gather and fight. Every hour freed a little more damma from their bodies, allowing more understanding into their thick skulls.
Time to speak to the Wyvern Kings.
Pedr gripped the railing with both hands. He hadn’t left the ship in fifteen years. No dry land. No civilization. No swimming in sapphire waters. Yet another part of the Siren Queen’s curse. Or was it separate?
Did curses exist as one, or many?
Himmel insinuated that curses were the most complicated arcane.Layered, she had said. The highest tier, wielded only by those able to tolerate pure arcane. Nothing an Arcanist could do. Only the Siren Queens, the Wyvern Kings.
Speaking of Himmel . . .
