When Sasha received the bond, she’d been honored and excited until she met her bonded. The king was a vile man with hatred in his heart and an arrogance that didn’t belong in a position of power.
She despised him and how he treated his own son.
It had surprised her that the gods did not bond Amos to a dragon. At midnight on the boy’s true fifteenth birthday, she had linked the other dragons of the den, asking who it was.
No one responded, and she knew Phillip would make Amos wish he were dead. She’d had a few weeks to formulate a planto save the boy. It didn’t take much to see the boy was breaking, and she didn’t know how much more he could endure.
Sasha stopped the king’s assaults when she could, telling him that beating the future heir would make the others view him as weak. A lie. Anyone who survived what the king bestowed upon that boy would gain respect in their eyes.
Phillip then started punishing Amos in the palace, where Sasha couldn’t reach him, or he’d wait until she returned to the den.
One thing that worked in her favor was that Phillip put too much stock in the dragons. He knew a single dragon could destroy his precious capital and every village in his kingdom, and he feared upsetting them–a common theme in a long line of heirs.
What he didn’t know was the dragons would never hurt innocents, and to destroy the villages would mean to kill everyone in them.
If Sasha could kill her bonded, she would, but the magic prevented it. She’d tried once and it was as if an invisible barrier protected him. Ember refused, knowing what killing another’s bonded meant.
“I don’t know,”she replied to Phillip.“It is unheard of.”
“Hisfamiliaris a fucking fennec fox,”the king spat.
Another surprise and disappointment. Sasha had hoped Amos would bond to something that could protect him. A fennec fox couldn’t hurt an ankle.
“This does not sit well with the dragons,”she lied.“They know none of ours bonded with him, and our council has come to a decision.”The dragons didn’t even have a council.
The rage searing their bond tasted like poison, but then again, everything from the king did.
“What is their decision? Do I need to kill him and remarry to try for a new heir?”
Sasha froze.“No,”she replied quickly, shocked that he had no qualms about killing his only heir.“The gods will not grant you another heir. They will pass the power on to someone of a different bloodline.”Another lie, but Phillip had no way of knowing that.“You must send him to Dragon Village and have him deliver the sacrifices.”She hesitated.“Every month. They demand them every month to make up for this blunder.”
She’d spoken with the other dragons, explained the situation, and they’d agreed. All they needed was for Phillip to agree.
He scoffed.“How am I supposed to keep the capital in check from Dragon Village?”
The capital held the majority of highborns and had the largest battalion. With the exception of the four oases, the other communities throughout the kingdom were quite small.
“You cannot accompany him,”she replied coolly.“The dragons will not respect him if he requires his father’s supervision. He must do this alone. The Dragon Village highborn can oversee his duties.”
“Very well,”Phillip conceded.“I will send him immediately with a fresh round of sacrifices this month.”
“Good.”Sasha fought to keep her relief from traveling down the bond.“The sooner the better.”
6
TWO WEEKS LATER
Clover eyed the fennec fox in Amelia’s pocket, knowing exactly who it was from the letter she’d received from Amos the day before. The little animal had arrived last week and followed Amelia everywhere and, by default, Clover too.
After two days, Amelia had worried he’d freeze in the cold and insisted on carrying him in her pocket or bundled in her arms. She even snuck him into the orphanage at night and had made him a little bed hidden under one of the sofas because he refused to stay in her room.
Clover figured it was because thefamiliardidn’t want to watch Amelia undress or something.
The fennec fox, as cute as it was, ended up being the perfect type of animal to send to as a spy. Clover couldn’t resist reaching over and scratching between its giant ears.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Amelia asked, grinning down at the little animal. “I’m going to call him Eddy.”
His name was Roland, but Clover couldn’t tell her that without explaining how she knew.
