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“I will ask you one more time, Rose, will you come with me to awaken more dragons?” Aeron's voice is so close, I feel his hot breath on the back of my neck.
I whirl, my curls bouncing and hitting Aeron in the chest. “It’s Queen Rose to you, and I have already given you my answer. Learn to accept no and go back to whatever hellish hole you crawled out of.”
Aeron’s much taller frame shakes with mirth. I take a step back, only to run into a hard chest behind me.
Otis.
I didn’t even see him move.
“Unfortunately, My Queen,” he snarls, “that answer doesn’t work for us.”
Arms wrap around me, pinning me in place. I try to scream, but a cloth covers my mouth.
“This could have ended differently,” Aeron tsks.
That’s the last thing I hear before everything goes black.
Chapter 24
Malix
The Nephilim infestation is worse than the reports say. West of Dragon’s Keep is territory not claimed by any of the five other kingdoms and has been the imprisonment for Nephilim for the last century.
We fly high above the wandering Nephilim; careful not to alert the creatures of our presence. I’ve never seen so many in one place and never this close. They are tall creatures, about the size of two or three average men. Their brute strength and ability to dip into magic make them a deadly foe.
According to every text I’ve found on these creatures, Nephilim are a conquering species and have been since the discovery of Mescos. Under their rule, every other supernatural creature would be a slave to the Nephilim; beat, murdered, and assaulted for their sheer amusement. If the Nephilim were to ever succeed and bring down the six kingdoms, Mescos would no longer be a country where supernatural creatures lived in relative peace.
It would be a place of torture and death.
I can’t let that happen.
Vivia flies beneath me, taking in the same sight as me. Even from here, I can sense her fear. Not for herself but for her family and the life they created together. It’s exactly how I feel when I think about losing Rose.
“There are dozens of them, if not one hundred. How many did the guards report on?” Vivia asks through our bond all dragons share when in our natural form.
“The most? A dozen.”
“This is more than a dozen.”
“No shit,” I huff. Not mad at Vivia for pointing out the obvious, but upset the reported numbers have grown exponentially. Time to act is approaching rapidly and I wouldn’t be caught unawares.
“Let’s land. Kraken’s Lagoon is close by. We should be out of Nephilim detection range there.” I just hope the kraken king won’t mind the intrusion. He’s a good man, but a powerful leader. His people, like my own, come first. As long as he doesn’t feel his people are threatened, we shouldn’t have a problem.
I lead Vivia to the southernmost tip of Kraken’s Lagoon, landing with a loud thud reverberating the soggy ground around me. As soon as I get my bearings together, I switch forms.
Behind me, I hear Vivia do the same. “Stupid magic,” she murmurs, rummaging through the pack she carried for clothes. I smirk at her comment and silently thank my father for bartering with a Pixie for this particular magic that allows my clothes to transform with me.
So much more convenient.
Vivia is dressed in under a minute, slinging the pack over her shoulder. “Did you see Gadreel?”
One of our biggest reasons for flying all the way out here is not only to see how many Nephilim have escaped their imprisonment, but to see if their king has as well. Gadreel is easy to spot among the horde of giant creatures. He stands a few feet taller than the rest of his people and the entirety of the left side of his face is burnt to a crisp, thanks to my father.
“No. For now, he seems to still be in his prison, but it won’t be for much longer.” This problem will expand outside Dragon’s Keep if it has not already. Nephilim are tricksters as well as conquers. They invade in surprise attacks and thrive on chaos.
“We need to warn the other rulers of Mescos. Everyone must stay vigilant and prepare for war.”
“I agree with that, My King, but,” Vivia starts, “how do you expect us to get the word out to the other five kingdoms? Time isn’t on our side, and we don’t have messengers to spare.”
