He turned to me; his normal amber eyes were pitch black, barely visible with the incoming moonlight from the open windows. “Leave us.”
“What has happened?” I asked.
Grabbing the queen by her hair, he yanked her off the bed. She cried out and clawed at the air, trying to reach him. It took everything in me to not go to her and relieve him of his head.
“Where’s my son?” the king growled, pressing the blade against her throat.
I couldn’t glance at the queen and risk seeing what she wanted me to say. Instead, I did the only thing I could do.
“The young prince is safe.” I sheathed my blade. “He has been moved to a secured location.”
“And where is that location?” the king snarled.
There was no way of knowing how Kyros would act if I told him his son was sent to the realm of the dryads and even if I did, I would not betray my queen.
“I swore Tallis to a blood oath, and he’s bound to secrecy!”
The king released Moira and lowered the knife to point at her chest. “And why would you do such a thing? You know the magic tied to a blood oath is unbreakable.”
She reached out a hand to the king, her eyes pleading. “Something is happening to us. A third daughter gone. Kane is the last of our line. I begged Tallis to take him somewhere safe. He swore a blood oath so that only the two of us would know.”
Kyros grabbed the front of her nightgown and lifted her off her feet. “You would do this in secret? I am the king!”
His words ended in a roar, his tan skin rippling with black scales.
I took a step forward, my hand on the hilt of my blade. The queen held out a hand, warning me to stay back.
“I did what I thought was best,” she croaked, her face flushing red. “I’m terrified of something happening to him. He is our son.”
The king growled and brought her to his face. “Your grief is making you act reckless. The only blood oaths you should be making are with me.”
He tossed her to the bed, disregarding her as if she were a lowly servant and not the epitome of this entire kingdom. “Tell me where Kane is before I kill you for treason.”
She landed on her side. “Kane is in the dryad realm, and only I can call him back.”
My muscles tensed.
King Kyros leaned over the bed. “I will forgive this insolence because you are not in your right mind, but do not make any more decisions that involve my son without me again.”
“Your highness,” I said, forcing the king to focus on me. “I will discover the cause of the princess’s death and then we can safely return the prince to where he belongs.”
The king strolled toward the door, the night breeze whipping his long black hair forward. The darkening shift in color in his normally tan skin gave warning not to anger him further, almost as if the dragon inside wanted to jump out.
“How is it that three of my children have died under your watch?” Kyros narrowed his gaze, his lip curling in disgust. “Maybe I should have killed you when I bit off King Axias’ head. Did I make a mistake in keeping you on?”
I bowed my head. “There is no excuse for my inadequacy. Allow me to leave and I will continue my investigation.”
The king nodded and left the room. I did not dare look back at the queen, even though I desperately wanted to.
Chapter Three
Moira
As soon as the door shut, I ran forward and locked it. With my back against the hardwood, I grabbed at the sides of my hair and a violent sob ripped from my throat. Sliding down the door, I cried, my body shaking, my heart pounding, the pain too massive to conceive. With each cry, my breath hitched and the knot in my stomach intensified. I fell forward between my legs.
What should I do?
Through the haze of tears, I looked around my room, searching for answers that weren’t there.
