Page 62 of Fire and Fate
"Kaia is alive," I say firmly, my voice carrying across the space between us. "She's here, in my castle, safe and well. She came to Embrath of her own free will, and she stays of her own choice."
The king stays on his horse, clearly using the height as a power trip, looking down at us like we're insects beneath his notice. His eyes are cold, calculating, nothing like Kaia's warm brown gaze. "You have stolen so much from me," he says, his voice low and dangerous. "Riches, power, magic that should rightfully be mine. You choose to hoard it all here, holing up in your fancy castle while kingdoms around you struggle and starve. You owe me. This entire kingdom owes me what I'm due."
I stare at him, incredulous. "What are you talking about? Embrath owes you nothing! If anything, you owe us. You stole one of our own, King Frederik. You kidnapped a dragon, kept her prisoner for years, and then sent warrior after warrior to kill more of us. Any debt that exists flows in the opposite direction."
Gasps ripple through the Valorian forces. I can see confusion on many faces, soldiers and nobles exchanging glances. They didn't know. Frederik never told his people that his queen was a stolen dragon, that the monsters they've been taught to fear are actually the victims of their king's crimes.
"You're lying," Frederik says, but there's less certainty in his voice now. "My wife was an Omega from a neighboring kingdom. She was human, not a beast."
"Her name was Isolde," I say clearly, making sure every person in his army can hear me. "She was one of us, a dragon of Embrath. She disappeared nearly four decades ago during what should have been a routine patrol. We searched for years, mourning her as dead when we could no longer sense her magical signature. But you had her all along, didn't you? You captured her, suppressed her magic, forced her into a marriage she never wanted. And when she died, you blamed us for not giving you the wealth you thought you were entitled to through that forced bond."
The Valorian army is shifting now, uncertainty replacing their earlier confidence. Soldiers are murmuring to each other, questioning. Some of them look horrified, others skeptical but clearly shaken. This isn't the story they were told. This isn't the mission they thought they were on.
"Where is my daughter?" Frederik demands, sliding off his horse. He steps forward, his hand on the sword at his hip. "If she's truly alive, bring her to me. Now."
Kaia
Ican feel Solace's fear through our bond like it's my own. One moment I'm drifting in pleasant exhaustion, wrapped in silk and satisfaction, and the next I'm jolted awake by the surge of emotion pouring through our connection. Not just fear but also confusion, anger, the need to protect mixing with uncertainty about what threat she's facing.
"Sol," I gasp, sitting up so fast my head spins. "Something's wrong. She's scared."
Alessia is already moving, throwing clothes at me as she dresses herself. "Get dressed. Now. We need to get down there."
"But Zara said to stay put," I protest even as I'm pulling on the dress she handed me. My fingers fumble with the fastenings, still clumsy from exhaustion.
"Zara can lecture us later," Alessia says firmly. "Right now, our mates need us. I can feel it too through my bond with Zara. Something's very wrong."
I manage to get the dress on, not bothering with shoes because there's no time. We run through the castle corridors, following the pull of the bonds connecting us to our mates. Servants scatter out of our way, their eyes wide with alarm. The warning bells are still ringing, their sound echoing off the stone walls in a way that makes my heart race faster.
As we get closer to the main gates, I can hear voices. Shouting. My father's voice rising above the others, filled with rage and accusation. Then Solace, trying to defend herself, confusion and fear making her voice shake despite her obvious attempts to stay calm.
We burst through the doors leading outside just as my father's voice rings out again. "You murdered my daughter! You're a traitor and a murderer!"
I can see them now in the fading evening light. An entire army of Valorian soldiers spread out behind my father, easily a hundred strong. Zara and Solace stand before them with just a handful of guards, completely outnumbered. My father is off his horse now, advancing on Solace with his hand on his sword.
Alessia grabs my arm, holding me back. "Wait," she hisses. "Let Zara handle this."
But I can feel Solace's terror spiking, can sense her confusion about being accused of murder when I'm very much alive. My father keeps advancing, his face twisted with rage as he draws his sword.
Zara roars, the sound inhuman and terrifying. Magic explodes from her as she shifts, her body expanding and reforming into her dragon shape. Black scales shimmer with iridescent green as she positions herself between Solace and my father, her massive form blocking his advance. Her wings spread wide, making herlook even larger, more imposing. A clear warning that says touch my mate and die.
Everyone goes silent. The Valorian soldiers freeze, staring up at Zara with expressions ranging from terror to awe to complete shock. Several of them stumble backward, their horses whinnying in fear and dancing away from the massive predator suddenly before them.
"They're shifters?" someone shouts from the back of the Valorian ranks. "Wait, I thought the Draconian race was dead! The legends said they died out centuries ago!"
Confusion ripples through my father's army. Soldiers are talking over each other, questioning, trying to understand what they're seeing. Some of them look like they want to run. Others grip their weapons tighter, preparing to fight even though they clearly have no idea what they're up against.
"Silence!" my father roars, his Alpha command cutting through the chaos. The soldiers quiet immediately, though I can still see the fear in their faces. "I am owed a part of this! Having that dragon at my side meant that I should have access to this wealth, this magic, this kingdom!"
Alessia moves before I can stop her, stepping forward so the army can see her clearly. "No," she says, her voice carrying despite not being as loud as my father's. "You stole a piece of us. Isolde was ours! She belonged to Embrath, to her people, to her family. She never consented to your bond, never agreed to be taken from her home. You kidnapped her, imprisoned her, and kept her from us for decades. You don't get to claim you're owed anything when you're the thief."
I step out from behind Alessia then, unable to stay hidden any longer. The moment the Valorian soldiers see me, gasps ripple through their ranks. Several of them point, mouths open in shock. My father's head snaps toward me, his eyes widening as he takes in my appearance.
I know what he's seeing. The marks covering my skin from the claiming ceremony, still visible despite the dress. The confidence in my bearing that I never had in Valoria. The way I stand beside Alessia without fear or shame, claiming my place among these dragons.
"Kaia," my father breathes, and for just a moment, something that might be relief crosses his face. Then it hardens into anger again. "What have they done to you?"
"No one killed me, Father," I say clearly, making sure every soldier can hear. "Although a few creatures in the Shadowlands tried their best. I left Valoria of my own free will to go find the dragons you kept telling me were monsters. Only to discover that they're not monsters at all. They're people. Shifters like us, just a different kind. And I found out that my mother was one of them, that half of my blood comes from the very people you've been trying to exterminate."
