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“Harlow.”
The guard came downstairs again. “I apologize for the interruption, Princess Harlow, but King Rolfe has returned. His dragon has been sighted in the distance.”
A jolt of relief rushed through me, relief so potent I released a gasp. It made me forget about Aurelias, made me forget the entire conversation we’d just had. I left the cell and moved to the stairs—forgetting about the man I was leaving behind.
20
HUNTLEY
I sat in my mother’s study as the fire burned in the hearth.
She sat on her throne and stared at me.
Ian sat in the other chair across the room, his eyes on the floor like he couldn’t focus.
“What does this mean, Huntley?” Several moments of silence had just passed after I’d told her about Harlow. It pulled her deep under the surface, made her drown in misery just the way it did with me. There were no words of condolence—because it was impossible to console a terrified parent.
I stared at the fire, my lungs aching every time I took a breath. “It means war is upon us. A war that we can’t prepare for, because we don’t know the enemy.” I continued to stare at the flames, but all I saw was my daughter’s face. I hadn’t slept. Wouldn’t be able to sleep for a very long time. “A couple decades of peace is too short for us to enjoy. I expected a much longer period of serenity than this.”
“You speak as if we’ve already lost the war,” my mother said.
“The Teeth wouldn’t challenge us unless they were certain they could defeat us. Whoever their enemy is, I know they’re formidable.”
“We’ll need to send dragons to the east as scouts,” Ian said. “We need to figure out what we’re up against.”
“We only have so many dragons,” Mother said.
“We have no other choice,” Ian said. “There’s no other way to access the east—unless we travel by ship.”
“And that’s even more dangerous,” I said.
“We must use the dragons,” Ian said. “And do our best to stay out of sight.”
Mother continued to look at me, her stare piercing. “We’ll gather what information we can. In the meantime, we prepare our army, ask for volunteers. Elora will need to make new armor for the remaining dragons.”
“That’s assuming they agree to fight for us,” Ian said. “Which they may not.”
“We rescued them,” Mother said. “Have given them land and peace these last twentysomething years. They owe us.”
“But we did that without expectation,” I said. “Ian is right. I’d rather have a dragon that wants to fight for us than one that is obligated. I know Storm would give his life for mine—and that’s because he wants to.”
Mother nodded in agreement.
I’d come to this conclusion almost immediately, and I knew it was unlikely I would have another option. “Depending on what we discover, I’ll travel to the east alone—and offer myself in exchange for Harlow.”
Both of them looked at me.
“Ian.” I looked at my brother. “I’d like you to be King of Kingdoms if that happens. Ivory will be unable to lead under those circumstances. So will my son and daughter.”
Ian lifted his chin and looked at me, his face devoid of emotion.
Mother didn’t object, because she would do the same for her sons.
And Ian didn’t object either—because he had a daughter of his own. He finally gave a nod. “Let’s gather our information first. Perhaps we’ll find another way.”
21
IAN
