Page 58 of Realm of Wind and Vines
Dragging in an unsteady breath, I try to force those black waves back by sheer force of will. It works. Barely.
Once again blocking out all of my emotions, I try to pullmyself together as efficiently as Draven did while I walk back towards our friends as well.
We have a job to do.
Gremar is on his way.
The plan is set.
Now, we just have to hope that we’re not about to get screwed over.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Torchlight burns in the main entrance hall, right inside the closed doors that lead into the Golden Palace. I watch the light dance over the pale walls, which makes them shimmer like gold. I have no idea what this room looked like before the dragon shifters conquered our court, but now, there are no decorations in here. No royal carpets. No furniture. Nothing. It surprises me since most of the castle remains unspoiled, but I think the Icehearts might have deliberately stripped this first room bare as a cruel reminder that this beautiful castle is now a deserted relic.
I flick another glance at the closed doors. My heart beats nervously in my chest. We have four contingency plans, but I still can’t entirely suppress the worry that ripples inside me. Out of all the clan leaders, I know Gremar the most since he and his clan have been responsible for maintaining order in our court all my life. He is ruthless, prideful, and he hates fae with every fiber of his being. Which really doesn’t bode well for this conversation.
The doors are yanked open.
“It’s the bloody middle of the night,” Gremar Fireclaw growls as he stalks into the room. “What’s so important that youcouldn’t?—”
He jerks to a halt as he finds Draven standing there in the middle of the gold-glimmering entrance hall. The torches cast flickering light over Gremar’s brown hair and red dragon scale armor as he just stands there for a moment. Behind him, the doors that he so violently yanked open swing shut again with a thud.
The sound seems to snap him out of his surprise. His expression darkens, and he begins summoning his lava magic.
Draven lets out a huff of amusement. “I really wouldn’t, if I were you.”
With his gaze still locked on Gremar, he nods in our direction. Gremar casts a quick glance around the room.
By the left wall, Isera and I summon our magic while Alistair and Orion do the same on the opposite side of the room. Orion and I don’t do anything with ours, for now, but Isera and Alistair let their ice and fire magic crackle along their arms.
A hint of genuine surprise pulses across Gremar’s face before he manages to hide it. Indignant rage roars up in his eyes instead as he glares at us for another few seconds before shifting his furious stare back to Draven. However, he does the smart thing and lets his lava magic fade out.
“Oh, you really have sunk low, haven’t you?” Gremar says, shaking his head at Draven in disapproval. “Consorting with the fae.” He practically spits out the final word. “Have you no pride left?”
“Says the guy who is forced to make parts of his clanlivewith the fae,” Draven replies, a cruel smirk on his lips. “Haveyouno pride left, Gremar?”
Anger flashes in his brown eyes. “My clan doesn’t livewiththem. We rule over them.”
“Bane and Jessina rule over them. Not you. And they rule over you as well. Which is why you’re forced to spend so much time here in the Seelie Court even though you hate it.”
He opens his mouth to retort, but since Draven is right, heapparently can’t figure out how to refute that statement, so he just closes his mouth and grinds his teeth instead.
Draven lets out a long breath, and the vicious cruelty bleeds away from his features. Instead, he meets Gremar’s frustrated stare with serious eyes. “Your clan shouldn’t be ruled by a different clan. And neither should mine. Or any of the other clans. Youknowthat.”
“You talk of treason.”
“Yes.”
“The Iceheart Dynasty has dominated this continent for millennia. It’s the natural order.”
“Natural order? Just because our society is structured like this now doesn’t mean that this is the way itshouldbe structured. Just because we were born into the time and age that we were, we think that this is the normal way to live. But what’s normal isn’t always right.”
“And what do you want to do instead?” Gremar shoots a look full of disgust at the four fae around him. “Trust the fae? They enslaved us! They used dragon steel to control our minds so that we had no free will. Have you forgotten that?”
“They’re not the ones with a boot to your throat now.” Draven gives him a pointed look. “In fact, they are the ones who will help us all overthrow Bane and Jessina and take back authority over our own clans.”
“Overthrow the Icehearts?” He lets out a scoff of utter disbelief. “Have you lost your mind? It’s because we are united that we are strong. Without a united force of dragon clans, without the Dread Legion, the Seelie Court would try to rebel and the dryads would try to take over the woods again and the Unseelie Court would be attacking us instead of cowering behind their wards like whipped dogs.”
