The two of us exchange a look before turning back to him, Eveera's fingers drumming against the edge of the table. "No one else is in here. How could they possibly bereadyfor us?"
"It's no longer just the General and Caz; the rest of your guests have arrived."
"Everyone?!"
Armond nods, his uniform clanking together, "you're not one to keep waiting — I suppose they all got wind of that." She grows silent for a moment and gives him a subtle tip of her head before whirling on her toes, charging back through the passageway doors.
"Do we have a plan here?"I blurt into her mind. She doesn't give me a response as I chase after her, dodging the sharp curves of the walls.
The passage spits us back out into the throne room, and without her even needing to command it, the glass ceiling yawns open, and the ground begins to shake. From my right — I see the staff present in the room, flinch when Vada's large frame joins us, their fear obvious as they scatter.
And from my left, Eveera gathers her skirts into her arms and sprints up the dragon’s forearm, the two of them off and through the opening before I have a chance to stop her.
"Well, glad to see thatyouhave a plan."She hums in response, and I storm out of the room.
The halls are as chaotic and confused as my mind, with staff and court members alike flurrying around.
"Rorin!"
My ears prick up at the sound of Will's voice, and I turn over my shoulder. He and Bennett are at the opposite end of the hall,crossing the stretch to meet me where I stand. "What is going on?"
“I wish I knew,” I answer, keeping my pace quick.
"You wish you knew?!"
My shoulders shrug, and I hear his arms flail out to the side as he whispers something to Bennett. "Just keep up." The words come out sharper than I want, and guilt pangs in my chest. We wind our way through the castle, trying to follow any soldiers we can find, until eventually, we're spat out into the training yards.
Armond, Felix, and General Matthis all stand in a circle, their heads bowed, talking quietly amongst themselves. Armond catches sight of me first and motions for us to join them.
“I thought we were holding an audience? Where–” Felix swings out his arm, pointing over to where, in a stiff clump, stand the three Clan heads — the Matriarch of the Serpentes', Orik Chief, and the Shifter's Alpha. General Imir and Caz are in that direction as well, but there's a noticeable distance between the two groups.
"We are holding an audience.”
“Outside?”Will interrupts. “That’s hardly–”
Bennett clamps a hand over our friend’s mouth, muttering apologies while Will shoves him off and glares.
Felix’s head shakes, ignoring their outburst, “Eveera asked us to bring them outside.”
When did she have time to do that?I muse.
“Maxwell and…" His voice trails off with his attention, "King Eloden—" he finishes, clapping his hands together, “we're grateful you could join us, old friend." He bows curtly, then turns to me, "His Majesty—"
"Rorin Collier, King Consort of Obsidian… yes, I know all about you and your…gifts." King Eloden grits, dipping his chin in forced politeness.
I plaster a tight smile on my face and mirror the greeting, "well, thank you for joining us.”
"You can thank your guard, Maxwell, here. He pleaded your and the queen's case." My irritation ticks up at his tone, and I resist the urge to argue that he accepted because he knew that his kingdom would be wiped out without question if he didn't.
A sharp cry rings out overhead of us, interrupting and stunning our groups into silence as we all clamp our hands over our ears. My eyes lift to the sky, and though I hear the heavy beat of wings, I can'tseeany.
"What the bloody—" My attention turns to Caz's voice, where a pool of inky black magic has surrounded his – and the rest of our feet.
"Nightmare, I thought we were meant to be making deals here — not scaring them off."Her raspy laugh fills my mind, but she brushes me off, her only response being another one of Vada’s eardrum-bursting roars.
Rocks spray over the courtyard, our guests scrambling backwards as we all tilt our chins to see Eveera and her dragon’s imposing form grappling onto the top of the roof.
She’s nestled in between the beast’s spines, keeping herself anchored as Vada tips forward, opening her armored jaws. "Everyone needs to hit the ground —NOW!"I shout.
