The dragon dives for the courtyard, a blur of gold.
Even with the nascent bond, Lucien’s first instinctive reaction to an incoming dragon is fear. He lurches to grab Kazia out of the way.
But the collar locks his muscles when he’s five feet from the prince.
Kazia jumps, hand on his knife. “What the fuck are you—”
The dragon pulls from the dive with a thunderous wingclap, and chaos erupts. Drasgard shout, and Kazia scrambles backwards.
Only Lucien remains motionless as the dragon hovers just beyond the edge of the courtyard. It’s his first clear look at her, and she’s gorgeous. White scales scattered with gold, a golden tint to the spread of her wings. She’s small, probably still growing, like a human teenager still due a final growth spurt.
I’ve been dodging the pet palace dragons all day, she says smugly.But I’m far too clever for them. Oh, wyrmshit!
She turns in midair, and Lucien shatters into motion again. This is his chance. He can escape. If he can just reach—
He takes one step before Kazia’s order stings like the crack of a whip: “Stop.”
Lucien jolts to his senses, feet firmly, horribly planted on the scuffed stone. Armored footsteps rattle towards them. Shadows swoop overhead, and Lucien catches four colorful shapes arrowing past. Four larger dragons wing towards the young wild dragon, driving her away, before Kazia snaps, “Look at the ground.”
“Let me look,” Lucien snarls.
“Don’t talk,” Kazia says instead, more quietly. “Don’t try to escape. Follow me, between five and ten feet away.” He raises his voice as the drasgard approach. “Is there a problem?”
“The courtyard is closed now, Your Highness,” a woman says urgently. “I must ask you to go inside.”
“We were already leaving.” Kazia snaps his fingers. “Come along, dog.”
The collar has never weighed so heavily. Every instinct at war with the compulsion, Lucien has no choice but to follow Kazia back into the castle. Away from the open sky.
Away from his dragon.
Each step gets easier. Lucien resents that, until they’re deep enough in cavernous Ostomar for his head to clear. By the time they return to Kazia’s chambers, Lucien can think again.
They stop in a small, square hall Lucien hasn’t seen before. His rough memory of Kazia’s chambers places it behind the parlor. Part of Kazia’s private quarters. The walls are deep red, the doorknobs all carved into snarling faces.
“You can talk again,” Kazia says.
“Nothing to say.” Lucien doesn’t understand Kazia’s motivations, but Kazia did him a favor shutting him up in frontof the drasgard. The last thing he wants is for the Draskorans to know he and the dragon have a new bond. “Thanks for that.”
Kazia scowls. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, peasant. Now, remember, don’t escape. Don’t damage my people or property. Don’t remove your bindings. Don’t touch the wards.” Kazia gestures to the accompanying drasgard. “Salarin, put him away.”
The insults roll off like water, leaving Lucien wondering—what wards?
Kazia vanishes through one door as Drasgard Salarin ushers Lucien across the hall to a musty but well-furnished bedroom. Four-poster bed, geometric gray wallpaper, even plush violet rugs.
It would be an ordinary noble guest room if not for the warding enchantments carved into the walls. The patterned paper curls away from the slices like bark peeling from a tree.
“His Highness moved you in here,” Salarin says. Her dark red hair is cropped close above her ears, and her every movement says she knows how to use her sword. Not that her skill matters when Lucien can’t fight back.
“Did he say why?” Lucien asks. When Salarin glares, Lucien sighs and enters the room. The door shuts, leaving Lucien alone with his whirling thoughts.
The change of cell leaves him even more unmoored. Not that he misses the old cell—this is clearly an upgrade. But it’s just one more change he has no control over. He’s closer to Kazia now—why? Is this a reward or a punishment?
Lucien fixates on the carved-up walls, because ruined wallpaper is easier to face than anything else.
That also didn’t go how I intended,the dragon says.
Lucien sighs. “I hope you aren’t hurt. I was happy to see you.”
