The Dragon's Gift

by Anastasia Chase

  Dominic’s face came into view over her, unfocused and spinning.

  “What are you doing all the way up there, Dom?” she slurred, then giggled.

  Only he wasn’t laughing. Had her joke really been that bad?

  “Jen, you have to get up.” He cast furtive glances at the crowd around him. When he wanted to celebrate, this wasn’t what he’d had in mind.

  “I will once everything stops spinning. And it stops being so hot in here.” She drunkenly waved her hand over her face, ignoring his attempt to pull her to her feet.

  He was prepared to haul her across his shoulder and carry her out of there when he noticed a rash across her arms and chest. It was small, barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but was quickly growing in size and spreading across the rest of her skin.

  No, Jen wasn’t drunk at all. Someone was trying to kill her.

  Chapter 13

  Dominic sat near her bed, his forehead pressed to his white knuckles. He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, but it felt like forever. And he would continue to sit here even longer until he got the answers he wanted.

  He wracked his brain for any culprits, tried to recall anyone who might have been near the refreshments table to poison Jen’s drink. But there were too many faces to recall. There was no way he was going to work out the answer from memory alone, and it would take ages before he interrogated everyone there. Jen would likely be dead by then.

  One name definitely came to mind, however.

  She continued to groan in her sleep, writhing from side to side. It wouldn’t be long before he had to issue another dose of medicine; something to take the pain away so she could go back to sleep instead of scratching her skin raw and puking her guts out.

  He had stripped her of that elegant dress hours ago. The sun had long set and the crowds had gone their separate ways, likely gossiping about the events at the pavilion. Drunkenness had been the obvious one, but there had been inklings of an attempt on her life. Others had seen the rash across her chest too and were spreading rumors as to who and why someone would do such a thing.

  Only one person came to mind, and Dominic had called him hours ago.

  A light knock at the front door signaled his arrival. It wrenched Dominic’s heart to rip himself away from Jen’s side but he knew it had to be done. Someone was going to have to confront the culprit.

  “Father.” he muttered through gritted teeth when he opened the door. The king looked just as tired, if not more so, than Dominic felt. Which honestly seemed like an impossible task, but that was his father, always stealing the spotlight one way or another.

  “Today has been a perfect debacle thanks to the both of you and your ruinous choice. Do you know how much damage control I have had to exercise just to keep you two from–”

  He didn’t get to finish his statement because Dominic dug his fingers into his father’s robe and pushed him against the wall.

  “You don’t get to come in here and blame us for what happened.”

  Dominic knew better than to hit his father, even if he deserved it. There would be too many inquiries, too many speculations that would all lead back to him. And he wanted to be better than his father. To sort things out with words rather than violence.

  “Why? Why did you poison her?”

  The king’s expression faded from surprise to incredulity.

  “Is that what you really think of me? You think I have time to waste with just one woman? If I wanted her dead, she would be already.” The king folded his hands behind him and lifted his nose up at Dominic. “You already know that.”

  Dominic seethed at his tone. It was obvious his father was still bitter about Dominic’s discovery of what he had done with the other women who refused him.

  “None of them would be dead if it wasn’t for you!” He was right in his face.

  “How about instead of being a fool and blaming me, we find an antidote to this problem? You forget, I wasn’t even there today.” He was right; fighting with him would not change Jen’s condition.

  “Do you have what she was poisoned with?”

  The goblet. So stupid. In his frantic state and getting Jen back home, he hadn’t bothered to contain the scene, the people, or the very thing that had led to her poisoning.

  “You didn’t think this through,” his father’s droll words pierced his thoughts. “Lucky for you, I took the precaution of making up for your lack of insight.” From within the sleeve of his robe, he produced the very goblet. It still stunk of the perfume-y wine.

  Dominic’s first thought was that this was all a ruse until the threads of common sense made him realize this was not his father’s style. Everything beforehand had been in secret; there was no reason for such a public display. Plus he was right. He hadn't even shown up to the event. Maybe he paid off someone else.

  “Primweed poisoning,” he uttered under his breath as he swiped a finger through the droplets of wine left behind. “Someone wanted to go to great lengths to ensure she wouldn’t recover. How many drinks did she have?”

  “Two. No. One and a half. She didn't finish the rest of her second one.”

  Dominic rubbed his forehead as he continued to wrack his brain. Who would want her dead and why?

  “It was lined into the goblet, if you care. That’s why no one else became sick.”

  The goblet. If he hadn’t taken her first cup from her, he would have been drinking from the poisoned one. They both would have been fine.

  This was all his fault.

  “Before.” The king placed a hand on his shoulder, sensing he was about to do something impulsive. “You start blaming yourself, the antidote. Then you can spend the rest of your life dwelling in your guilt and blaming yourself. If you really care for that woman, then time is of the essence.”

  His father was right, yet again. He didn't have time to sit here and gripe while Jen remained in her bed, writhing in pain.

  “Can you watch over her for me?” It was both an aggravating and humbling moment for him, asking his father for anything.

  The king sighed, glanced toward the closed door of her bedroom, and rolled his shoulders. Dominic whispered a thank you before sprinting out the door, the goblet in hand.

  He took to the skies with a mighty roar and spread his wings to their full span. He wanted the culprit to know he was looking for them and that he was angry. He wanted them to know there was no escape, no matter how far they went. He wanted them to tremble in their boots until they made themselves sick and eventually gave themselves up. And if not, he would delight in making them pay for what they had done.

  His need for retribution continued to fade throughout the night, however, as vendor after vendor informed him that they either knew of no such poison or didn’t know of an antidote. How he could he go back and tell Jen he failed her, after all the promises he made to keep her safe? What kind of lousy spouse was he that he couldn't even get his own bride home safe and sound before the day was over?

  Lost in his thoughts and dreading the inevitable outcome of his failure, he collided into someone else. He muttered an apology but they continued on their way as if nothing had happened. That’s when he noticed a piece of paper slip to the ground from their belongings.

  “Excuse me. Hey, you dropped this.”

  But the figure hurried away, intent on getting out of there as fast as possible, it seemed. He decided to open it up to figure out who it belonged to.

  “Come to the pavilion in an hour.” Was written on it.

  Had that note been meant for him all along or was this just coincidence? He had nothing left to lose except more precious time, which could be afforded if this brought him closer to a solution.

  Dominic tucked the paper into his shirt and sprinted toward the pavilion, taking the shortest route he knew. Once there, he slowed down to look around for the familiar shape of the person he had bumped into.

  He didn’t have to look very long, however. A lone figured waved to him from under the arche
s, and one he got closer, he noticed a length of red braid.

  The figure was Wendy.

  Chapter 14

  “You.”

  “Me,” she replied sheepishly, her hand wringing together. She looked even worse than she did earlier that day. “Look, I know what you think but you have to–”

  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t slit your throat right here and right now.”

  Wendy squeaked and recoiled. That was exactly the reaction he wanted. Keeping her in fear reminded her there was no room to screw up or to deceive him. That he would tear her limb from limb if she didn’t give him what he wanted.

  “No talking your way out of this, no bargains. My wife is dying and I don’t need your blood to add to the mix, though that would be nice.” He smiled playfully at her to make his point.

  “It’s them, okay?! They asked me to do it, told me I would be richly rewarded if I did. They said they would even grant me freedom, let me go where I wanted, when I wanted. You have to believe me.”

  “So you’re just their whelp. That doesn’t excuse you.” Dominic’s hands shifted into large talon-tipped claws as he reached for her neck.

  “They said, they said…” She leaned as far away from his hands as she could, desperate to get out of reach. “They said it was what she deserved and that if I didn’t do it, they would kill me and have someone else do it! I swear! You have to get me away from them!”

  Dominic hesitated. The twins had a bad reputation but he didn’t think they would resort to something like this, not murder.

  Unless.

  “Do you know if they have an antidote? Or at least more of this primweed we can use to make one?”

  “I don’t know, but I can get you inside, you can take whatever you find. Please, just take me with you when you’re done. I can’t stay with them anym–”

  Dominic felt the warm spray of blood on his face, saw Wendy’s gaping expression and the waterfall of red running down her front. The faint light of the twin moons reflected off a rather large blade, the edge of it stained. It had pierced her throat clean through, leaving her speechless as she collapsed to the ground.

  “This all could have been avoided if you had said yes all those years ago, little Dom.”

  Slitted yellow eyes appeared from behind the columns, glowing with a sick coldness that chilled even him down to the bone.

  Dominic could recall the face of the sister – Daji – so many centuries ago, when they were both much younger and impulsive.

  She had been beautiful then, so full of life. Their recklessness was what had brought them together. That, and the overbearing dispositions of their parents’ expectations weighing down on them.

  The tiny pebbles bounced off the glass one by one. Dominic’s heart shook against his ribs as he waited patiently for the window to open, fearful he would get caught and punished for being out this late at night. It would be even worse if they told his father about any of this.

  But his heart alighted when he saw the pair of glowing yellow eyes in the shadows, peering out.

  “It’s me,” he whispered, his hands cupped around his mouth to preserve the noise.

  “I know it’s you. I’m just wondering if I should tell on you or let you in.”

  Oh. It was the brother, Jardin. Dominic hated that they looked so much alike. Hated it even more when he would be teased for his affections towards Daji.

  “Don’t. Come on, be nice. I haven’t seen her in over a week.” He hated how much sway Jardin held over his and Daji’s relationship, always threatening to tell if he wasn’t bribed enough.

  Dominic toyed with the idea of just letting it happen. Everyone knowing would make it so much easier than having to sneak out at night all the time.

  Jardin propped his chin up in his hand, looking smug.

  “For what you two pulled off last time, I’m surprised they didn’t give you a month.”

  Dominic was proud of the little prank they had pulled off. It had been the talk of the town all day, it was so hard not to beam with pride. But that would give them away and they preferred to have this secret to themselves.

  But someone, a certain brother, couldn’t help but brag about it – despite not being a part of it – to Dominic’s father. Oh, what a scolding Dominic had gotten that night.

  “Will you just go get her, please?” He couldn’t stand there all night and he wasn’t leaving without getting what he came for.

  Jardin rolled his eyes and whispered out of earshot back into the room. In a few seconds, she was there, the sight of her inspiring a warm glow within his chest. Oh, if only he were old enough to belch a proud flame into the air to declare his love for her.

  She would sneak out and they would spend the night holding hands, walking around the garden, whispering their secrets to each other. Once, he even dared to kiss her on the cheek, which she pridefully returned. It made him feel invincible.

  And then they got older.

  The more and more they snuck out together, the more he took notice of her cruel streak. The way she spoke, the thoughts she said out loud. This wasn’t the sweet girl who had taken his heart, his childhood crush. She was becoming a severe woman who delighted more in inflicting pain than fostering kindness.

  Dominic couldn’t say for sure whether this was the result of her parents’ doing, but he wanted no part of it any longer. He ended things with her that night; after she plucked the limbs off a foxtoad one by one without a care in the world, as if she were pulling petals off a flower. The idle way she’d done it and the lack of any recognition on her face made his blood run cold.

  “You’re doing all this because I slighted you?!” He did nothing to grab at Wendy’s dead form, knowing there was nothing he could do for her now.

  “What? Is that too petty?” Daji neared with her hands clasped together and a mock sympathetic look on her face. She nudged Wendy’s shoulder with her foot to roll her onto her front,

  “I was getting tired of looking at her face anyway. You really can’t find good help these days. But that’s the fate of traitors.”

  Without Wendy to provide him with an antidote, he knew he needed to get out of there.

  “Nuh uh. Leaving so soon?”

  Jardin had managed to worm his way behind him. Dominic could practically feel his hot breath against his neck and he didn’t dare turn around. They weren’t going to let him go that easily.

  “And here we just wanted to talk.”

  “It’s unfortunate that things happened this way. That goblet was really meant for you.” The sound of ripping flesh filled the air as Daji retrieved her blade, sliding it out of Wendy’s neck. Without it in the way, the pool of blood grew even faster.

  “To end a bloodline so that our family could rightfully take the throne. Not a bad exchange, don’t you think?” With a flick of her wrist, droplets of blood splattered on the pristine white ground before Dominic.

  “You. What happened to you? Why are you doing this?”

  The lip quiver gave away his emotions; Daji pursed her lips and traced her slender fingers along his jawline.

  “It’s sweet of you to think that something cruel had to happen for me to become this monster you think I am. But it was nothing, sweet Dom. I was never really yours from the start.”

  Jardin tangled his fingers in Dominic’s hair and wrenched back, exposing his throat for his sibling’s blade.

  “You really are quite naive, you know,” he whispered in Dominic’s ear once more. “We saw how smitten you were, thought we could turn you to our cause. I mean, the cruelties of your father should have helped ensure that too. But you just had to be so–”

  “Loyal?” Dominic tried to finish.

  “Nice. We thought you would see things our way, join us in converting this city into the marvel it should be. Instead, you had to bind yourself to stupid things like duty and honor and caring about the people.”

  “You wanted to use me.” How could it have taken so long for him to realize that
fact? He should have known sooner, should have told himself that what they had was too good to be true. That no one could ever truly…

  Jen. She said she did. She truly meant it and had stayed, through thick and thin and despite his father’s treatment of her. The longer he dawdled here with them, the closer she crawled to death.

  “Ding ding ding, look who’s finally come to his senses.” Daji tapped the flat of the blade against his cheek then pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “That’s what I loved about you. How easy it was to string you along. Too bad things didn’t work out, though. We could have made some beautiful children together.”

  Before his very eyes, her face began to elongate, her skin becoming an emerald green as she shifted into her dragon form.

  He felt Jardin doing the same behind him as the size of the fist in his hair grew. If he didn’t change now, they were going to squash him like a bug.

  Roars filled the sky as the three shifters took to the winds, wings spreading and clashing against each other. Dominic was going to have to fight on two fronts, and he wasn’t sure which was deadlier. An attack on one left him open to the other and they wouldn’t give him the opportunity to get out from between them, matching his pace at every escape attempt he made.

  With a twist of his body, however, he managed to worm his way beneath Jardin and latched his teeth into the membranes of one wing. Dominic held on like a savage dog and refused to let go, thrashing his neck back and forth tearing it to shreds.

  Jardin turned and he could feel the slowly-growing heat baking his scales; he couldn’t hang on and let go just as a stream of burning acid narrowly missed his side.

  He couldn’t let up. Giving either of them the chance to recuperate would leave him at a disadvantage. He needed to maintain the assault and take one out before he grew tired.

  The people watching from below were just mere ants from this height. They knew not to get involved, despite being shifters as well. They recognized the silhouettes of clan leaders; houses that none of them were a part of.