One of Helmut’s fleet members picked up. She took her brown hair up into a roll.
“Matt,” she greeted, and her eyes grew when she saw me. “Blake?”
“I need to speak to King Helmut, immediately.”
She nodded, and I could hear the call being made. “You are going through,” she said, and the screen went black before his face popped up, sitting in his office.
“Blake? Where is your father?”
“Protecting the mission.”
“What is the mission?”
“You won’t believe it?”
“What?”
I leaned with my fists on the table. “Jako Lemuir and King Albert and Queen Catherine’s daughter. It’s why Tanya and him left. She gave birth a year before their deaths. I have a rider.”
Both of them stared at me. Matt standing next to me and Helmut on the screen.
“A true royal of Paegeia. How sure—”
“A dragon always knows. She looks like her father, had that same disappointing look, and green eyes.”
“Holy fuck!” Helmut cussed. He never cussed. “Your father said it was something important to Paegeia’s survival, but I never imagined this. When are you coming home?”
“We need backup. There is a colony of dragons—he doesn’t know how many—that keeps pushing him back, further inland, away from Paegeia. This colony tried to kill them many times.”
“Give Matt the coordinates and we’ll send a fleet, Blake. How do you feel?”
“Okay, I guess. Nervous. You know me. I already messed up beyond repair.”
“Hey, don’t think like that. Dragons always think about the worst of the worst because of how deep they feel. Humans forget quickly if you nurture them right.”
Matt chuckled as I stared at the king.
“What, it’s the truth? I’ve been one for a long time. We will see you soon. It’s time for them to come back home.”
“You knew?”
His face slacked. “Does it look like I knew?”
“No, why didn’t he tell anyone?”
“I don’t know, but that is not important now. We can speak about it more when you get back with the package and Jako Lemuir. He needs to come home too.”
“He wasn’t part—”
“I know, but he is still a royal dragon, Blake.”
I nodded. The connection broke.
“You have a rider?” Matt asked.
“Yeah, one that is not very impressed with me now?”
“Just show her your cool features.”
