Page 83 of Courting the Dragon King

“Someone must have left a window open.” Another monk checked inside a room, no doubt looking for said open window.

“Is she gone?” Konrad asked.

Wraith nodded.

“Then we should head off too. I want us back in our quarters. But first let’s see if the grand shield has found anything.”

When they got to the room, the grand healer’s body had been placed on a stretcher.

The grand shield exhaled when asked if she found anything of importance. “Nothing. Nothing of note, Your Majesties.”

“Thank you, Grand Shield,” Konrad said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

She didn’t respond.

Two warrior monks carried the grand healer out, the necromancer’s dagger still sticking out of her back.

Chapter

Forty-One

“As soon as the treaty is finalised tomorrow, we are getting the fuck out of here,” Konrad said.

Senta and Gerard nodded.

They had gathered in one of the Draconian sitting rooms, which had been converted into a strategy room. They gathered around a table, littered with papers and maps. Tea had been brought in by a servant. But the three of them hadn’t touched theirs.

Elias, however, sipped his tea, sitting away from the table on an armchair in the corner of the room. A pile of maps lay strewn on a table beside him. Elias had been studying maps of the White Monastery since the attack on him and Gerard, which had been possible because of the secret passage they’d known nothing about.

Gerard had told Konrad that sometimes, Elias disappeared for hours at a time with his maps, exploring the White Monastery.

Whilst Elias often had meetings with his stepbrother, Prince Matteo, Konrad had also noticed that Elias had started attending their meetings unofficially. Today, he sat silently with his tea, staring out the window as if just watching birds fly past. But Konrad knew he was listening.

Most of the time, it was easy to forget Elias’s presence, unless he had something he actually wanted to say. Then he’d speak.

“I can’t wait to get out of this monastery. It’s been a nightmare.” Senta rubbed her forehead.

The death of the grand healer two days ago had prompted them to send home most of the Draconian dignitaries and nobles who would not be required for sealing the peace treaty. This allowed them to assign more guards to those who remained.

“I don’t want to go. I belong here!” Leon had protested when they’d told him he had to return to Draconia. In the end, he’d obeyed, but he was clearly unhappy. He should be departing that afternoon.

Furthermore, all Draconians had strict instructions to no longer roam the White Monastery. Everyone was to keep to their rooms, unless it was an official event or if they had meetings.

Many of the other kingdoms had taken similar precautions. Except the necromancers, who as far as Konrad could tell, all still remained at the White Monastery. And since they’d kept to their rooms since the start of the assembly, there had been no real change there.

Konrad and his siblings had asked Wraith if he knew anything about their movements. But he’d said no one had spoken to him about anything. He had gone back to the Necros royal family quarters to see what his mother’s letter had been about and why she’d wanted him.

She’d said she didn’t need to speak to him anymore and no one had told him anything of use. He’d been withdrawn and quiet after that visit. When Konrad asked him what was wrong, Wraith had shrugged and said his family seemed displeased to see him.

Konrad may have changed his mind about Wraith, but he did not have a good opinion of Wraith’s family.

“Does everything seem secure?” Konrad asked, not for the first time.

“We’ve done everything we can think of,” Gerard said.

“Unless we want to launch an attack, take over the White Monastery, and lock everything down,” Senta added.

That would be one way to start Konrad’s ascension to the throne, by overpowering the monks who dedicated their lives to peace and taking over the White Monastery. This no doubt would restart the war with the other kingdoms, thus ensuring their bloodline would continue to weaken.