Page 118 of Courting the Dragon King

Chapter

Fifty-Eight

Wraith lay on the cold stone floor, body throbbing. The room spun. The metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth.

He’d been shackled. He didn’t know why. The special shackles stopped dragons from shifting and meant magic users couldn’t cast. But it didn’t work on necromancers. However, he supposed it provided a defence against him, just in case he had powers no one knew of.

After all, Elias had not been shackled, as everyone thought him too weak to be a threat. Then he had killed a lot of people.

For a split second, Wraith considered calling Umbra. But unlike normal soldiers, necromancers might be able to unravel and destroy her. He couldn’t bear the thought.

With a groan of pain, he turned to face the altar.

“We will use you to control your father, King Konrad,” his mother said.

High Priestess Shade walked away from the altar and towards Konrad. She drew a ceremonial blade from its sheath that hung at her waist. She carried a small black ceramic bowl in her other hand.

Glaring, Konrad leaned away from her.

“Leave him alone!” Wraith croaked. He pushed himself upright. His vision blurred.

The high priestess lifted the knife to his face.

“Don’t kill him!” Wraith screamed.

She sliced his cheek. Konrad twitched. Blood trickled down to his jaw and dripped. She caught the blood in the bowl.

“Very good,” she murmured.

Konrad’s chest heaved as he scowled.

“By the gods of the beyond, you’re so pathetic, Wraith.” Vex sneered at him.

“Don’t kill him,” Harrow mocked.

They laughed.

The dread knights dragged Konrad back towards Wraith and shoved him to his knees.

Wraith shuffled forward, getting closer to Konrad. Thankfully, no one seemed to care what he did. The two dread knights watched him but did not stop him. Probably they knew Wraith was no threat.

Did his aunt have enough now to control King Alaric? They had the dead dragon king’s bones and blood from his first-born child, a man who was king. There was a lot of power in all that.

Still, Wraith doubted it would be enough. A dead dragon king would not be easily controlled.

High Priestess Shade returned to the altar. She dipped her fingers into Konrad’s blood. Then she pressed it to the skull’s forehead. She shivered and closed her eyes. Her lips moved as she recited an incantation.

“How dare you!” a voice bellowed.

Wraith startled. No one else did.

“I can feel King Alaric’s presence. He is here!” the high priestess proclaimed.

King Alaric stood beside the altar, glowering at the high priestess. But only Wraith could see him.

The necromancers’ chanting grew louder.

“I am king of Draconia. A great and powerful dragon. And you seek to control me? How fucking dare you!” The dead king’s eyes blazed with fury.