His cronies guffawed as if he had said something hilarious.
“My lords.” Erich bobbed his head
“These woods are dangerous. Chimeras lurk in the shadows. Why not join us on our merry hunt? We can keep you safe,” Heinrich said, gesturing to their group.
They nodded with malevolent smiles, convincing no one.
“I prefer to hunt alone,” Erich said as they circled him like vultures, moving closer and closer.
“I insist. We never got to finish our chat from the masquerade after all,” Heinrich said.
Two men closed in from both sides. Instinct said to run, but that was prey mindset. It only gave them a reason to chase, and he’d already figured out that Erich was the man from the masquerade. Better to wait and watch.
“Drink?” The man to his right offered Erich a skin of wine.
Erich grasped it, not taking his eyes from Heinrich. Sniffing it, his nose wrinkled. Oaky notes of bad wine couldn’t disguise the acrid scent of a mild poison, not enough to kill a man but make him very sick. One of the few advantages of his dragon curse was resistance to toxins. It would have little to no effect on him, and so he gulped it down. A waste of wine.
Sniggering, the men jabbed one another with their elbows thinking themselves clever.
“Will you share a drink with me?” Erich offered Heinrich the wine skin.
“I’m not thirsty,” Heinrich replied with a smirk.
“A clever poisoner can drink from his own poisoned cup,” Erich replied.
Heinrich’s eyes widened. “You insult me by insinuating foul play. I merely wished to welcome you to court, even after your rude arrival, Prince Erich.” The way he said his name was like a curse. “We’ve met before, haven’t we? You were that arrogant boy who tried to punch me.”
“As I remember it, I did punch you, and you bled quite profusely.”
“You’re not in Sundland, Prince. It is I who rule here.” With a snap of his fingers, his men rushed forward, grasping ahold of his legs as they attempted to pull him from the saddle.
Kicking one in the chest on instinct, it sent him flying backward to collide with the man behind him, and they fell intoa heap on the ground. Another he caught in the nose, and a fount of blood poured down his face.
Then three more men grabbed hold of him, and he let them yank him out of the seat, though he could have fought them off with ease. He didn’t want Heinrich to see. He wouldn’t hesitate to turn him over to the guard. They forced him to kneel by kicking him in the back of the knees, and then Heinrich strode over, looking down his nose at him.
They held onto him, though he didn’t struggle. With one quick twist of his arm, he could rip his captors’ arms from their sockets and be gone into the woods, never to be seen again, but he’d also lose his chance at the sword. With a self-satisfied smirk on his face, Heinrich punched him. Blood filled his mouth, and he spat it out onto the grass.
“You’ve got a weak punch,” Erich said.
The dragon stirred, uncoiling like a massive serpent, tail whipping back and forth. Erich focused on his breathing, calming the dragon within. The scent of blood and fear had awakened him, but he wouldn’t lose control here, not now.
“You should know your place,” Heinrich growled.
Heinrich struck him in the gut, and Erich grunted as he doubled over, the wind knocked out of him, and the dragon roared. One of the chains holding back the dragon snapped, and phantom wings unfurled as his skin prickled, threatening a change.Erich tensed, trying to hold back, but if he was hit again, he’d lose control.
Heinrich pulled back his leg as if to kick Erich, and he bit back the rage threatening to boil over.
“What are you doing?” Princess Liane’s voice snapped like a whip crack, and Heinrich let his leg fall to his side.
The men holding him let go, but Erich remained kneeling, while panting and shaking slightly.
“We were having a little chat between men, nothing to worry about.”
“It doesn’t look like that to me.” Princess Liane placed her hands on her hips. Over her shoulder, her guard gripped the pommel of his sword.
Heinrich seemed to calculate his next move as he studied Liane; his gaze lingered on her glowering guard.
“Come, there’s no game to be found here.”
