Page 71 of Taloned Heart

Laughter filled the room and Lore settled in to tell him what Abraxas had been like while incredibly high for a dragon. She had Zephyr in stitches at the end while describing the moment Abraxas had tried to wear the smoke like a ballgown, and she had the distinct feeling that right now, this was where she was meant to be.

With him. With her family.

But tomorrow she would save them.

CHAPTER27

Abraxas knew it would be smart to calm Lore down before they approached the castle. But his horse was skittish the moment he swung his giant leg over its side. The forest worked against them, and Lore herself seemed more grumpy than usual.

And if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want her to go into this meeting calm. He wanted her to be angry at Margaret, to force the older elf to see just what her nonsense had wrought.

He also liked the idea of seeing Lore at her worst in a moment like this. She’d been holding herself so honorably the last few days and he knew they should all fear the avenging goddess version of her would kill them all. But the more he thought back to that battle the two of them had fought together, the more he realized she had become justice for this kingdom. He’d make sure it didn’t tear her apart.

And so he kept his mouth silent. He kept his words to himself and his thoughts quiet so that Lore could think and prepare herself for this battle of words that would set the pace for the rest of their journey in this kingdom.

Margaret would wait for them. The witch was probably waiting even now, knowing that they were moving toward her castle and placing themselves where Margaret wanted them.

The elf was nothing if not ready for every situation. He remembered how easily she had planned to destroy a king and upend him from his throne. He only hoped that Lore remembered as well. This would not be an easy battle of words.

He could only hope it became a real battle so he could taste the blood on his tongue once again.

The castle loomed in front of them, and he had forgotten how sinister it was. Dark stones that ringed the castle were now stained with black watermarks that leaked from the top. The clouds above it loomed heavy and dark, filled with water that would soon rain down upon them. Perhaps thunder rolled in the distance, or that was merely his heart kicking in his chest as he remembered all the terrible things that had been done here. All the suffering he had endured.

“Are you ready?” Lore asked, her voice floating over to him like a salve on a wound.

“No,” he replied. “That place is cursed. Only terrible beings live within it and even worse acts are committed there. I am not surprised she was corrupted within those walls.”

“Ah, but Margaret was corrupted long before she walked into that castle. She’s been planning this for a very long time, Abraxas.” Lore leaned forward, the reins loose in her hands as she balanced her elbow on the pommel of her saddle. “She lied to me. To all of us. She made us think we were safe and that our futures would flourish in her hands. Instead, she opened up this world to another war. I am tired of it.”

There was that anger he adored so much. The anger that had pushed her to come back here and to see what their people had wrought in the kingdom she had gifted them.

He sat up straighter in his saddle, staring ahead at their goal, and nodded. “Perhaps you should remind her how she won this kingdom in the first place. Make her see who she has to thank for the throne she sits upon.”

Lore’s gaze turned hard and flinty. “It seems as though she has forgotten that, yes.”

“And I believe she has forgotten who lived in that castle for hundreds of years.” Abraxas tapped his fingers on his knee, watching the movement of guards along the top peaks of the castle, certain that none of them knew the secrets he did. At least not yet. “Would you like to arrive unannounced?”

“It would leave a lasting impression if it seemed that we appeared out of thin air.”

“Could you do that without me, you think?” He was curious now. If she could teleport and bring herself all the way to that throne room without him, it wouldn’t be all that surprising.

Lore tilted her head to the side, considering his words. “Perhaps? I’m not sure how I would do it without splitting myself in two.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m here,” he replied before swinging off his horse. He’d let the beast find its way home on its own. The deepmongers always trained their mounts very well, for the rare moments when they used them.

Lore followed him with ease. And then watched him expectantly, as though she already knew this would turn in a direction that she might find intriguing. “What’s your plan, dragon?”

“Ah, nothing all that grand. I merely wish to see what they have done with my hoard.” He tilted his head back and took a deep breath in through his nose, already scenting the gold on the air. “Considering most of it was melted, I believe it is very likely that it is still where I left it.”

“Your hoard with the hidden entrance into the king’s chambers,” she whispered. “Zander hid that entrance very well.”

“He didn’t want anyone but his most trusted to know where it was. Therefore, no one but himself and me remembers where it was. And it would be rather difficult to find, considering the spell that hid it was created by a master magician who the world has never seen the likes of again.”

He held out his hand for her to take and then drew her through the edge of the forest. They stayed out of sight, making sure no one could warn Margaret that they were already here.

The waterfall still bubbled merrily, a mockery of what it hid behind it. Though it took them longer to walk up to his hoard in their current forms. But he still smelled gold in the air and gemstones buried beneath. He remembered when this had been the only thing holding him together. That the mere thought of such a hoard had given him peace.

Now, he wondered when he would build another. Or if perhaps he would have the opportunity to take what wealth he had already built.

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