Page 122 of Courting the Dragon King

“You are both sick and twisted fuckers!” Konrad shouted. “You don’t deserve Wraith. He is far too good for you. You both deserve nothing but to burn!”

He turned to Wraith, who stared back at him. “I’m so sorry. You were too good for them and too good for me. I let you down. I’m so sorry. I care for you, and I should have never⁠—”

He cried out as a dread knight kicked him in the back.

“Thank you, Dread Knight Barok,” the shadow king said. “Now enough chatter. Let us continue.”

Then the shadow king and queen turned towards the altar. The grand monk stepped forward and replaced the necromancer at King Alaric’s skeletal feet. Two more monks joined the necromancers to the left and right of the altar.

The monks began to chant in the ancient tongue of Lorentath. It was different to the necromancers’ chant. But rather than being incongruous, the chants melded and merged, seeming to fit together in perfect harmony.

“Oh no. It’s working,” Wraith whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“Your father can’t keep resisting.” Wraith turned to Konrad, eyes wide. “He’s being forced back into his skeleton. I think with the signed contracts, they will have enough to be able to control him.”

His father’s bones rattled and shook on the stone. They lifted into the air, pulling together and assembling. Shadow wrapped around the skeleton, swirling and twisting. Embers and fire burst amongst the shadow. And his eyes were balls of flame.

“No!” Konrad shouted. “Leave my father be!”

Konrad had seen many human skeletons. But none had looked anything like this. This was intolerable! His father was a king! He should be allowed to rest, not become some sort of twisted undead horror!

Then the skeleton opened his mouth. “How dare you!” King Alaric’s voice echoed through the crypt.

Konrad’s mouth fell open. “Father?”

“I am the dragon king! I will burn you all to ash! You will suffer! You will know more pain than you thought possible! You will die screaming!”

“Tell him to be silent,” the shadow queen snapped.

The grand monk lifted a hand. “Silence!”

The skeleton’s mouth snapped shut.

No one spoke for several seconds. Then laughter from the necromancers rang out.

“It works! Good. Very good.” The shadow queen clapped. “Now make him walk forward, towards the window.”

“Walk!” the grand monk commanded.

His father stepped down from the altar. The necromancers, undead army, and monks moved aside. King Alaric’s skeleton stumbled towards the window right at the front of the crypt. A dread knight walked towards the window and turned a handle. The window swung outwards.

“Tell him to shift,” the shadow queen said.

“Shift,” commanded the grand monk.

The skeleton trembled. The bones pulled apart. They rearranged, changing shape, form, and growing larger. His eyes remained balls of flame.

Wraith gasped as the bones turned from a human skeleton to a dragon.

“No,” Konrad whispered.

Applause broke out in the crypt.

“They did it. They really did it,” said Wraith.

The shadow queen gestured to the open window. “Now make him fly!”