“Don’t you start, too,” she grumbled. “Kaine has been driving me crazy with his fussing since I got pregnant.”
“Yzzy, I’m your sister, don’t try to bullshit me. You love being fussed over.”
“Even I have my limits, okay?”
I didn’t believe a word of it but decided to allow her to have her illusions. “Let’s get something hot to drink.” My smile froze as Donya came down the hallway toward us. She carried a letter and had a worried expression. “Please don’t tell me it’s another crisis.”
Donya grimaced. “I could tell you a bit later, after you have time to get warm.”
My shoulders sagged. “Please just lay it on me now. Otherwise I’ll worry too much to enjoy the respite.”
Donya held up the envelope to reveal the seal. “We’ve heard from the last person who King Uctor sold the kingdom to: the Dragon Emperor.”
The Dragon Emperor of Faan came by his name honestly: He could turn into a dragon large enough to eat our palace. He ruled an empire so vast that our entire kingdom would fit into a single province. Sure, we had Kaine, the last victor in the World Games, but the Dragon Emperor wasn’t even allowed to participate because he couldn’t fit into the ring. A massive fire-breathing lizard would never be afraid of my cheap villainess act. Back in my village, a common saying had been “as unlikely as a dragon forgiving a debt.” We were doomed.
My hands shook so badly, a bit of warm milk from my mug sloshed out, and I had to set down my drink. Kaine, Ysabel, Donya, Ari, and I were seated around the planning table. Ari had acquired a new black doublet and high boots, but even this dashing look couldn’t distract me from my anxiety.
Leaning over, Ari whispered, “Casual looks good on you, too.”
“This old thing?” I flushed, glancing down at my yellow wool dress. The neckline seemed awfully high, so I shifted it down a little. Huh, when had I gotten the confidence to do that?
Ari lowered his voice even more. “I adore how easy it would be to rip it off you.”
Suddenly I felt hot all over. I had an overwhelming urge to confess my feelings right here, right now. Screw waiting to get him alone.
Ysabel kicked me under the table and snapped me out of my daze. Nope, now was not the moment, even if near-death adrenaline was tempting me. We might all be about to die in dragon fire. Was it so wrong for me to want one last time before my painful demise?
Donya opened the letter. Her jaw dropped.
Ysabel sipped from her own mug with a coolness I could only admire. “Don’t keep us in suspense. How bad is it?”
Donya turned the letter to face us. “There’s only one sentence written:I don’t want your trash kingdom.”
Ysabel spat her milk across the room. It nearly hit me, but I ducked in time. Ari exhaled in relief.
“Is it a bluff?” I asked, afraid to believe good news. Good news never happened to me. “Maybe this is an elaborate ploy before he arranges a subtle invasion. Dragons have a bottomless capacity for greed. Everyone knows that.”
A huge smile spread across Donya’s face. “No, the more I think about it, the more I believe it. Arahasnor isn’t near Faan. We’d be a very inconvenient province for them to manage. If the Dragon Emperor took over our kingdom, then he’d also take responsibility for our debt. From his perspective, he’d be losing money instead of gaining it. You know how dragons feel about losing gold. We’re like a morsel too small to swallow.”
“This is good news.” Ysabel didn’t look happy, though. Her knuckles had turned white on her mug. “If the Dragon Emperor wants to be a fool, then let him. Arahasnor has many great assets. I can’t think of them at the moment, but—my gardens! The city has beautiful gardens and truly majestic walls.”
I understood how offended my sister felt. Was our kingdom truly so awful as to make even a dragon forgive a debt to get rid of us? “We’ve got treasure, too,” I insisted. “We have cultural heritage. I’ve never been a huge fan of Jdalj’s art, but we have the largest collection of it in the world. What about the royal jewels? Doesn’t he want to hoard the royal jewels?”
Donya cleared her throat. “Actually, I think the Dragon Emperor was after the Sacred Treasure of Ava. He’s tried to purchase it several times. The dwarven ambassador spread it around far and wide that the Blood Duchess destroyed it. I suspect the Dragon Emperor lost all interest in us after hearing that.”
“It was only a small chip!” I wailed. “It can be repaired … right?”
Ysabel raised a fist. “This is outrageous. That shitty dragon tried to take over our entire country to getone emerald?! Is the rest of Arahasnor worth nothing to that smug lizard? My homeland is broke, our nobility is useless, our farmland low quality, and our people will riot at the slightest excuse. But we are not complete and utter trash!”
Kaine had been dozing off with one hand on his elbow, but upon hearing this, he raised his eyes. “You know I’d conquer your homeland if you ever asked, my dear.”
Ysabel sniffled. “Yes, but you’d be doing it for my sake, not because you actually want Arahasnor. It’s not the same.” She turned imploring eyes on me. “Surely there are good points to being the ruler of Arahasnor?”
I couldn’t think of any at the moment, but I wouldn’t let that get in the way of my wounded national pride. “I’ve nearly been lynched a few times, but that just goes to show we have a very politically involved citizenry. The Dragon Emperor is too much of a coward to rule us.”
“Exactly!” Ysabel cried. “Where does he get off thinking he’s better than us, with his elite bureaucracy and efficient road system? Our rambling roads where none of the addresses make sense are part of our national charm.”
“You’re right, itisinsulting,” Donya said slowly. “Our nation is as tough as dirt. No other country could have survived as many trade embargoes as King Uctor’s poor diplomacy brought down on us. I’d like to see a foreigner decipher our insanely complicated recordkeeping and nonsensical tax system. To say nothing of balancing the politics of an independent church living within our borders that refuses to acknowledge our authority.”
