Page 44 of The Final Battle

“Oh Dragon Queen, did you really think you could hide the fact you went home from me? That my dragon wouldn’t sense yours coming into our lands? How does it feel to be an orphan?“

I gasped, nearly falling off the stool as I jolted awake. My heart pounded in my chest as fear clawed at my throat making it hard to breathe. Had Henry just spoken to me?

“Cassy-bear, what just happened?“ Dayson asked, crouching down before me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.“

“He spoke to me, the Lost King, he spoke into my mind,“ I said, stumbling over my words.

Shoving to my feet, I moved to the balcony and threw open the doors, gasping in the fresh air. A hand landed on my shoulder making me scream and lash out, clipping whoever it was on the cheekbone.

“Shit,“ Paxton swore. “Look, I’m all for taking hits that I deserve, but that one I did not.“

Tears pooled in my eyes as I realized what I’d done. “Pax, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you. My mind was elsewhere and I panicked.“ Reaching out, I ran my fingers lightly over the pink skin where I caught him.

Pax grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss to it. “Please don’t cry about it, spitfire. I’m glad that your first reaction is to defend yourself. If I really was a bad guy coming after you, I would know messing with you wasn’t going to be that easy. Now that you’ve calmed down some, do you want to tell me what just happened?“

Hearing those words playing over in my head, I lost the battle against my tears. “The Lost King, he spoke to me. I was almost asleep while Dayson was working on my hair and he spoke to me. Henry knows that I went home last night, his dragon sensed Vasin and the others.“

“That would freak me the fuck out too,“ Pax murmured as he pulled me against his chest. “You are safe, he isn’t here and whatever trick he used, I bet it cost him a lot of power to do. Reach out to Vasin, see what he has to say about it.“

I wrapped my arms around Paxton’s waist, holding him tightly as I reached out to my dragon. “Vasin.“

“Yes, my dear Cass… What has you so worried?“

“Henry spoke to me in my mind, like we are right now. How could he do that?“

Vasin didn’t answer right away, but I could feel him in my mind as if he was searching for something. “When he dragged you into his dragon’s consciousness he somehow managed to leave a piece behind. Almost like a hook, to make a connection easier. He shouldn’t have been able to use it though from so far away.“

“What if he isn’t? What if he’s closer than we think? This has to be tied to whatever he hid here in Creisal, it adds to his power.“ That thought fueling me, I shoved off of Pax and strode across the room, yanking open the door.

The palace attendant who was standing down the hall spotted me and hurried over. “Can I be of assistance, your Majesty?“

“I need to see the king right away,“ I ordered.

He quickly bowed and gestured for me to follow. “Right this way.“

“Queen Cassarah,“ Dayson bellowed as he exited the room. “What is going on?“

“I need to see the king right away,“ I answered, not bothering to stop and explain myself.

The attendant led me into a sitting room. “Wait here and I will inform the King’s aid you are here.“

“No, it can’t wait,“ I said under my breath, charging past the man into the inner chambers of King Thomas’s rooms.

“Your Highness!“ the aid gasped as he saw me rush past. “This is highly improper!“

“Where is he?“ I demanded. “I need to know right now or I’m going to search every room until I find him.“

“Please, calm yourself, he isn’t here,“ the aid explained. “There was something urgent he needed to deal with before your lunch that isn’t for another hour.“

Pausing, I looked at the man and something about the way he couldn’t hold my gaze told me he was lying. “No, he’s here, you just don’t want me to see him.“

“Your Majesty, there is a simple explanation, but I’m not permitted to share the king’s personal life,“ the aid explained his tone begging me to understand.

“We are at war and this man is supposed to be my ally. If I can’t count on him when I need him then what the hell good is any of this?“ I demanded throwing my hand in the air. “I will find the king and speak to him regardless of his secrets, this can not wait.“

“Cassarah!“ Cole snapped from behind me as the rest of them caught up to me. “What the hell are you doing?“

The palace staff gasped at the way he was addressing me, but I didn’t care, I had bigger issues to deal with. I spotted a set of double doors that I would guess would lead to a bedroom. If I had a secret or meeting with someone that would be the kind of place it would happen for a king in my logic. Marching up to the doors, I flung them open and found the king on all fours getting rammed from behind by none other than Sir Roulf .