“They can’t come with us?” Isi asked, watching her companion leave.
“Not today.”
Heads turned as we entered the aerie, and I felt the shift in the air, that subtle tightening of attention. They bowed, though not from fear. This was earned respect, the kind that made my chest swell with quiet pride. I greeted each by name, because a king who did not know his people was no king at all.
“Elias, how’s that new hatchling settling in?” I asked the grizzled trainer with his miniature pig companion sniffing the stone floor by his feet.
“Well enough, Your Majesty. Stubborn as they all can be, but this one has fire.” He dipped his head, but his gaze flicked to Isi with open curiosity.
I pulled her closer, sliding my arm around her waist in a move that screamed possession. I dared the world to try taking her from me. She didn’t pull away, but leaned into my side, her body fitting against mine like it had been waiting for her to take this spot all along. The feel of her there made me want to forget the dragons and drag her back to my chambers.
The way my people’s faces lit up when they saw me told her everything about the kind of king I was trying to be, the one who fought beside them, bled with them, and remembered the names of their children and the scars on their hides. But the way they looked at her, with respect and hope, told me they saw their future queen.
Whispers rippled like wind through the stalls, eyes widening as they noted me holding her close. They saw the shift in me, the way she was softening my edges without dulling my blade.
“Your Majesty.” The head of the aerie, Helena, approached and gave us a bow, her gray-streaked hair tied back in a knot, a small owl companion blinking amber eyes from her shoulder. Her gaze locked on Isi.
“Helena, meet the woman who’s going to change everything.” I didn’t bother hiding the affection in my voice. “Isi.”
Helena’s eyes sparkled, and she bowed deeper to Isi, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “It’s an honor, my lady.”
“We’ll take Kyreth today,” I said. “Lakast is no doubt tired from the battle.”
“Of course. I’ll grab tack.” Helena hurried to the room built into the front wall.
“Wouldn’t Kyreth be tired as well?” Isi asked with a frown. “Since you took all the dragons with you.”
I tilted my head. “We have plenty dragons. More than riders, actually. Kyreth remained here, along with many others.”
Anger flashed in her eyes, and she growled. “Now, isn’tthatinteresting?”
“Tell me what’s happening.”
“Never mind.” She shook her head. “It’s nothing I can’t handle on my own.”
The fates help anyone who tried to stand in this woman’s way.
I guided her deeper into the aerie, past the bowing figures and eyebrow-lifted glances, my pride growing with every step. This was my domain, the sky-bound heart of Syllavar. Showing it to her felt like I was baring my soul. She watched everything, and I wondered if she saw me differently now, not as the rebel king she’d mistrusted, but as the man who’d do anything to protect what was his.
Including her.
We stopped at a stall on the right, and I released the bars, swinging the gate open.
A dragon waited inside, her deep emerald scales flecked with gold, like sunlight piercing a forest canopy. Her eyes fixed on us, and her rumble vibrated through the sand-strewn floor.
“Is this your dragon?” Isi asked, her voice full of awe, her hand tightening in mine. She didn’t flinch or pull back.
I shook my head. “Lakast is resting after the battle. He’d earned it yesterday. This is Kyreth, one of our strongest flyers. She’ll take us where we need to go today.”
Kyreth’s nostrils flared as she inhaled our scents, her breath hot and tinged with the bite of fire.
“Kyreth, this is my—” The word queen hovered on my tongue, but I could not say it yet. “This is Isi. She’s precious cargo.”
The dragon huffed, sending a gust of warm air and sparks down the front of my leathers. I stepped closer to Isi, every instinct screaming protect. Nothing—not dragon, not enemy, not fate itself—would harm what was mine.
Easing to the side, I watched Isi’s face for fear but found wonder and the same fearlessness that made her infiltrate my court and steal my heart. Her eyes widened, but she reached out a tentative hand toward the dragon.
Kyreth lowered her head, delicately sniffing Isi’s outstretched fingers. The size contrast was staggering. Kyreth’s snout alone was larger than Isi’s torso, her teeth curved swords glinting in the light. Yet the dragon remained careful, her breathing soft now, almost affectionate, as if she sensed how fiercely I’d protect Isi.
