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Once the ceremony was complete, the new king led the procession out. The royal party stood next to the door as everyone filed out and back up the stairs, led by the deputies.
Sam lingered toward the back of the line, watching, easing aside to allow others to pass.
As the last dragon exited the tomb, King Mountainside closed and locked the door, sealing his sire in for eternity.
Shame. So much power in that sacred space. It belongs to everyone, and the king keeps it locked away.
Sam blinked, returning her thoughts to what was happening now as the new king disconnected first the emblem that was the key from the door, looping its chain over his head, and then removing the crown and replacing it on his head.
Done, he brought up the rear of the procession.
Sam resumed her place, casting glances over her shoulder as she plotted how to access that emblem.
The Seal. The Key.
Thrill rippled through her. After decades, it was right there. She mentally ran through the route to the closest tunnel access from her current position.
No, the best thing to do is return to the library.
At the first shadowy alcove, she ducked into it, using her ability to darken her hair and skin so that she would blend in.
Once the king passed her hidden position, she followed behind on silent feet, waiting for an opportunity.
He and his Aeleftherian dragoness exchanged low murmurs.
“I’m going up to rest while you’re in the dining hall with your tribe,” she said, reaching up to caress his cheek.
He caught her hand and kissed her palm. “Our tribe. You are my queen, and one day, maybe we can unite all the tribes again.”
Ambitious. And not in the Consortium’s best interest.
Sam’s duties within the mountain had been to incite discord among the male dragons. Unity didn’t work well for the Consortium. They needed their enemies fractured and distracted with rivalry. They’d succeeded in causing the Great Divide and had worked to ensure its continued success over the centuries.
A reunion of tribes could not happen—not yet. Not until the Consortium had all the seals, and sole control over what they guarded.
Then, if the tribes united, they would also be under the control of the Consortium, which was crucial for the next phase.
Sam remained behind them.
They finally reached the corridor beyond the Great Hall. The couple lingered, alone.
Sam held back in the nearest bank of shadows, listening.
The king removed the crown and the chain bearing the key.“ Shall I bring those up to the council room?” the dragoness asked the king.
He nodded, handing them to her. “I’ll ask Eamerson to collect them so they can be cleaned, and store them away later.”
He bent and kissed her. They exchanged a few whispered words that Sam couldn’t hear and parted ways.
The king joined his tribe in the dining hall, while his dragoness headed for the elevator.
Sam waited, fingering the vials she always kept on her person. She ensured that the king’s Aeleftherian had entered the elevator, then confirmed she was still alone in the corridor.
Rifling through the vials, she found the correct one. Eamerson’s tincture. More valuable than all the others, because he had more access than anyone else in this mountain, and his remnants were the hardest to obtain.
She could shift enough to pass as him at a distance, but Sam needed to be in close proximity and could not risk tipping her enemy off if the details were off.
She swallowed the vial’s contents, controlling her gag reflex with a soft cough and a deep breath as she waited out the process. Each time was quicker than the last. Her body retained some memory of the shapes and colors required for the changes.
