Page 22 of Mad Dragon of Chaos

“We have been hearing some disturbing reports regarding New Rosanthe and Damardor, and we thought—rather than letting this escalate straight into war—we would come here and have a civilized conversation to get to the truth of the matter. You know, instead of just killing everyone first and sorting out the rotting corpses later.”

Nori cleared his throat, and Caelan snapped his mouth shut before taking a step back. Yeah, maybe they should have grabbed Rayne and left Caelan behind.

The old dragon took a step forward and offered a shallow bow of his head. “I am Omari Nori, head of the Omari Clan and spokesperson for the Isle of Stone dragons. This is my advisor, Omari Megumi. You have spoken with King Caelan Talos of Erya. This is Crown Prince Shey Thrudesh-Vo of Caspagir. We are here to have a calm conversation.”

Captain Hawley hadn’t enjoyed an easy life. Scars and pockmarks riddled his face from a life that was hard fought, and his attitude didn’t seem bent toward making his continued existence any easier. His fat upper lip, already split from an old, poorly healed wound, curled into an ugly sneer, and his dull brown eyes lit with unholy delight.

“How convenient that the Order’s three greatest enemies have gathered themselves together for easy capture.”

The air around Caelan crackled. “New Rosanthe may try to repackage itself under a new banner, but it sounds like you’re prepared to commit the same old war crimes. It wasn’t enough to slaughter the queen of Erya while under the banner of truce, but now you’re threatening Erya’s new king as well as the heir to the Caspagir throne and the leader of the dragons.”

Shey reached out and placed his hand on Caelan’s stiff shoulder, trying to calm the man, but that was easier said than done. While Caelan had killed the military leader who’d ordered the death of Queen Amara in a battle, that didn’t mean the wounds caused by New Rosanthe were healed. Caelan had lost both of his parents, and his kingdom had been usurped that day. Shey knew he wouldn’t be anywhere near as calm if their roles had been reversed.

“Captain Hawley, I think it would behoove us to remain calm and sensible. Let’s not escalate matters further. We have heard that Damardor and New Rosanthe have combined to form the new country of the Federation of Order under Chancellor Rati Feng’s leadership. Can you confirm this information?”

The captain grunted, and a few of his officers whispered behind his back, but it was hard to read from their expressions whether everyone thought this was a good or a bad development. Right now, Captain Hawley was giving a good appearance of being a stout company man, ready to support whatever decision the new chancellor made.

“That is correct. And the first command of Chancellor Feng has been to retaliate against the invaders on our sovereign soil. That is why the Order has declared war on the kingdom of Caspagir and the Isle of Stone dragons.” Captain Hawley narrowed his eyes and slid them in Caelan’s direction. “As of yet, the declaration of war does not include the kingdom of Erya. However, if you should intervene where you are not welcome, I am sure that the chancellor will have no problem facing Erya in a fight. We will defend our sovereign soil.”

Shey clenched his fist at his side, preparing to punch this pompous asshole in the face. It didn’t look like it would be the first time he’d driven someone to that act. Yet, it was Nori’s even voice that helped Shey to regain control of his emotions.

“I do not understand, Captain. What is this invasion that you speak of? Dragons have not invaded your territory, but you are racing to invade our sacred lands without so much as a by your leave.”

The man’s sneer returned, and he lifted a hand, stretching his fingers back toward one officer behind him. A second later, a tablet was slapped onto his palm. After a couple of taps, he swung it around to face Shey, Caelan, Nori, and Megumi, where it played a video of the events that had occurred in Bellcairn.

The video was grainy and messy, appearing as if it had been lifted from a series of security cameras tucked away outside of businesses and as part of traffic surveillance.

“As you can see, Prince Shey, an unknown dragon, and two other suspects engaged in a battle in the middle of the capital, resulting in the ruthless murder of several innocent Damardor citizens. This is after your presence was traced to the murder of Ruben Deinum, one of Damardor’s most beloved private citizens, and the destruction of his property.”

“Wait a minute!” Shey snatched the tablet from his hands and forced the video to play over from the beginning. “This is bullshit. It didn’t happen like this. Where’s Cirina? We were fighting her to protect your citizens. She’s the one who killed them. She’s the one who drove them to jump in front of cars and leap off buildings.”

He might have avoided all comments about Ruben. Sure, they’d murdered the asshole, but he’d more than had it coming after killing so many innocent people with his interrogations and unlawful imprisonment. There was no point in getting into all that complicated information when it was clear they were twisting the truth into a bunch of ugly lies.

“So, you admit to invading the country intending to sow discord and murdering our citizens. Not only that, but you brought along a dragon accomplice to aid in your endeavors,” one officer with blond hair and a youthful face snapped. Shey almost pitied him. If he continued down this path, he was going to end up twisted and bitter, just like Captain Hawley.

“Invasion? Are you telling me that Damardor doesn’t allow people from foreign countries to enter their borders? Because we both know that’s bullshit!” For now, there was no mention of Adrian, so Erya wasn’t tied to this mess at all, but there was nothing he could do about Haru being linked to him.

“All people—especially foreign dignitaries—must register when they enter the country, and yet we have no record of Prince Shey Thrudesh-Vo ever entering Damardor legally.”

“So, the Federation of Order has declared war on Caspagir for a perceived invasion of one?” Shey scoffed. This was nonsense. Complete and utter nonsense.

“How do we know that you have not led an entire army within our borders for a sneak attack to slaughter more of our people? We’re seen your underhanded methods with Mr. Deinum. There are other unexplained deaths all throughout the area formerly known as Damardor.”

“What? You can’t pin random deaths on me because your police force is too lazy and inept to solve crimes!” Shey raged.

“Don’t bother,” Caelan growled. “You can talk to New Rosanthe’s goons. Their leaders twist the truth, and their followers blindly gobble it up because they don’t want to think for themselves.”

Captain Hawley flushed bright red and pulled himself up even taller. “By order of Chancellor Feng, Prince Shey Thrudesh-Vo is under arrest for the slaughter of innocent citizens of the Federation of Order. You will be held until your trial in Aswa for your crimes.” Captain Hawley’s head snapped to the left, and he glared at Nori. “You are to hand over the unknown dragon who caused catastrophic damage in Bellcairn, resulting in the death of our people. The creature will be put down for its crimes.”

Nori tipped his head up, meeting Hawley’s glare with cool calm. “No.”

That was it. No explanation. No argument or negotiation. Just a simple no.

Hawley’s mouth bobbed open and closed several times, as if he couldn’t believe that anyone would dare to tell him no.

“Arrest these men and monsters!” Hawley shouted.

“What?” Caelan squawked, though he didn’t look all that surprised. “What the hell have I done? You have no cause to attack a member of the Erya royal family!”