Joy surged to my chest, filling my lungs to bursting. If she could exhale, she had to be alive!
“Fyri?”
“A-alba? I thought I’d never see you again.”
My knees collapsed with relief. I would have fallen to the ground if it hadn’t been for the warriors holding me in place.
“Master Roopal, if you please?” said King Magnar.
“Dragons… Warriors… We are gathered here on this Saturn’s Day noon—”
“There’s no time for preamble,” snapped King Magnar. “Get to the important bit!”
Master Roopal furrowed his brow. “Princess Alba of the Noble House of Bluebeard, do you take King Magnar of Savannah to be your lord and wedded husband?”
I craned my neck toward the Great Lake. Fyrian lay on her side, heaving out bellyfuls of water. A dagger-like pain in my heart made me and Fyrian flinch. With her so weakened, the damsel denial was affecting us both.
“I-I do!” the words tumbled out of my mouth.
“And do you vow to serve and protect your lord husband in valor and faith, obey his authority, guard his honor, keep his faith, and speak truth to him at all times?”
I clenched my teeth. These vows were ridiculous! How could I ever gain a modicum of freedom if I agreed to all of that?
“Princess Alba?” snapped King Magnar.
The damsel denial magic twisted my heart. In the distance, Fyrian roared with pain. I gasped out, “I do!”
And King Magnar, “Do you take Princess Alba of the House of Bluebeard to be your wedded wife?”
His face twisted into a smug smile. “I—”
Thunder rumbled through the air, and milky, white droplets fell from the sky. Rain!
My shoulders drooped, my head fell to my sternum, and I exhaled. “Finally.”
Lightning flashed across the sky, and rain battered down on our heads. It soaked my hair, got into my eyes, my ears, my mouth, but I didn’t care. The dying weathervane had done its job, and now the elixir would rain down on every single person standing outside.
Moments later, Master Roopal rubbed at his temples and blinked. “How… peculiar.”
“I do!” said King Magnar. “Finish the ceremony and announce us man and wife.”
The dragon master stepped back, cyan eyes flashing. “I will do no such thing!”
Around us, dragon warriors shook the confusion out of their heads, glanced around and muttered their discontent. Even the dragons who had settled around the Great Lake did the same.
“You did it, Alba!” Fyrian’s reed-thin voice echoed in my mind. “The dragons are free from the loyalty elixir.”
My heart flip-flopped. “Fyri! Are you all right?”
“I’ll live,” she replied.
Master Roopal’s cyan irises turned silver, and the slight male seemed to expand. “King Magnar. Under your orders, my comrades and I battered Master Fosco to unconsciousness for daring to suggest you had dosed us with a loyalty elixir. Explain yourself.”
I clapped a hand over my mouth. Poor Master Fosco!
King Magnar balled his fists. “I didn’t dose anyone!”
The dragon warriors surrounded him, fists clenched and looking like they would tear him apart with their bare hands. I wrapped an arm around my middle. If I did nothing, they might kill him. The males were acting out of vengeance for the loyalty elixir, so the damsel denial wouldn’t punish me the way it had when Niger had attacked King Magnar.
His face turned the color of sour milk. “I-I-I can explain myself!”
“We have heard enough of your false words!” snarled Captain Caiman. “You are a plague upon the Known World!”
The men roared their agreement.
Guilt twanged at my heart. Nobody, not even King Magnar, deserved to be beaten to death by an angry mob. While he didn’t make or distribute the loyalty elixir, he had certainly taken advantage of the dragon’s weaknesses and tried to force them into a war they probably didn’t want.
“Wait!” I pushed my way through the warriors. “We can’t kill him without a hearing. Let’s find out why he did this and if there are any more threats to Mount Fornax.”
To my surprise, they backed off. Phoenix, in his human form, pushed his way through the crowd and seized King Magnar by the arm. “Come on, your royal dungeon awaits.”
The warriors roared with laughter, and I rushed to where Fyrian lay on the bank.
Evolene stood at her snout. “After the blue dragons pushed her out, I removed all the water from her lungs. The healers are taking care of her broken wing bone and are keeping her warm and pain-free with their magic.”
Fyrian’s eyelids peeked open, revealing a glimpse of crimson. “I feel better already.”
Warmth filled my insides, and I leaned on her snout, wrapping my arms around as much of her as I could. “Thank goodness. For a moment, I thought…”
“I’m fine,” she said with a weary sigh. “Now that everything’s worked out, I’m going to sleep for a bit.”
I stepped away, grinning like an idiot.
Master Jesper hurried out of the Healer’s Academy with General Thornicroft, Madam Maritimus, and Dr. Duclair. The four of them looked like they had been battling since I had left them in the laboratory.
“Gather around, everybody,” shouted the troll. “I can explain.”
The warriors turned to face it.
“We have a quartet of cadets to thank for the liberation of Mount Fornax: Rufus Griffon, Stafford Perrault, Madam Evolene, and Albert Bluford, who you see standing before you.”
The warriors all turned to me, wide-eyed.
My breath caught. Now they all knew my secret. As soon as the relief died down that they were no longer under the influence of the loyalty elixir, they would remember that Mount Fornax was a brotherhood. Witches were allowed. Our society couldn’t survive without them, but women like me, who couldn’t wield magical staffs, were only good for making heirs.
“That is Princess Alba.” Albens pointed at my face. “I smell her.”
“I recognize her from the opening ceremony,” said a rider. “That’s the Prince Regent’s daughter!”
The males all rumbled their agreement.
Master Jesper shook its head. “The cadets used a combination of cunning, brute strength, and Madam Evolene’s ability to cast magical glamors.”
I bit down hard on my lip and nodded.
“Madam Evolene helped Cadet Bluford disguise his identity after he was caught having organized the robbery of King Magnar’s crown.”
“Then who was the little girl?” asked Albens. “She did not smell like a witch.”
“The librarian. One of the alchemist ringleaders. When he discovered King Magnar had taken over Mount Fornax, he returned from his hiding place in Westeport to help enact our plan.”
“What plan?” bellowed someone from the back.
I raised my brows. This was something I wanted to confirm, too.
“To make the antidote, we needed two ingredients: gold and blood.”
“King Magnar’s blood!” shouted someone else.
“Indeed,” replied Master Jesper. “That’s why the librarian went in disguise as his sister in need of a blood transfusion.”
I nodded. I’d already worked that one out.
“Then we hang the alchemists and their rotten King!” shouted a voice in the crowd.
General Thornicroft stepped forward. “We do not. The dragons of Mount Fornax are facing their most serious threat since the banishment of their creator. It is unclear why, but dark fairies wish to obtain dragons to release their master from his banishment.
“We will liaise with the high fairies on this matter, but these alchemists claim to have developed substances that will cause damage to these rogue elements. We need to be prepared for when they come after Mount Fornax, because in time, they will.”
A hush filled the air. I didn’t even want to consider what would happen when the spriggans ran out of patience and attacked Mount Forn
ax.
General Thornicroft inclined his head. “Now, everybody, go to the mess hall for a late lunch.”
The crowds dissipated, and I headed toward where Evolene crouched on the banks of the lake with Fyrian lying on her side.
“Princess,” said a voice from behind.
Niger shoved his way through from the crowd, wearing his usual grin. A purple bruise covered his face from brow to cheekbone. My breath caught. Somewhere in the periphery of my senses, Evolene squealed and sprinted toward a figure behind Niger. I could only assume she was pleased to see Stafford. Right now, the sight of Niger took up my attention.
He closed the distance between us and murmured, “You are free.”
“For now.” I placed my fingertips on his bruised cheek. “You’re hurt.”
Niger grinned, and his arm encircled my waist. He glanced down at my lips, making my heart skip several beats. “It was nothing.”
“Niger,” snapped an unimpressed voice.
We turned around to find Albens standing with Rufus, two other Griffon brothers, and a scowling Gobi. A crowd of perplexed-looking warriors stood behind them.
Rufus pointed at my face. “Despite appearances, the woman you are embracing is our classmate, Bluford.”
“B-Bluford?” Niger let go of my waist and stepped back. “I am confused.”
Albens clapped him on the back. “Where were you? Master Jesper just told us what Bluford did. He escaped punishment for treason by getting Evolene to disguise him to look like Princess Alba. Then he stole the secret of the antidote straight from under King Magnar’s nose.”
Niger narrowed his eyes. “I see,” he said in a voice that meant the complete opposite. “Very… clever.”
Albens roared with laughter. “Risky, more like. The brave little fool nearly got himself married to King Magnar! Imagine what would have happened when Magnar kissed his bride.”
The males all snickered. I gave Niger a half-smile. He gave me a wink back. So far, I’d evaded a marriage, even though the pesky damsel denial was still in place, averted a war, and with the help of Master Jesper, gotten the whole of Mount Fornax to still believe I was a boy.
My secret was safe… For now.
END OF BOOK FOUR
Prisoner of Dragons
Dragon Mage Academy Book Five
Chapter 1
If misfortune ever struck Mount Fornax again, not only would I consult the proper authorities, but I would also not take matters into my own hands. I stood at the bank of the Great Lake, folding my arms over my leather bodice, unable to help poor Fyrian. She had taken the brunt of our last adventure, and I couldn’t let her get hurt again.
Fyrian lay further up on the bank, resting her head on her forelegs. Healers placed their hands on her limbs, infusing her with their magic while she slept. Water glistened on her scales, which had turned a dull green from having spent so long under water.
A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed hard, blinking away droplets of milky-white, antidote-infused rain falling from the overcast sky. It soaked into my platinum hair, which hung loose over the cape of my ridiculous wedding outfit. I couldn’t look at Fyrian in this weakened state. She’d suffered so much. A broken wing bone was bad enough, but nearly drowning and then experiencing the pain of the damsel denial enchantment was more than a dragon could bear.
The other side of the bond was dormant, and I didn’t dare disturb her rest.
Niger wrapped an arm around my waist and sniffed the top of my head. “What happened to Fyrian?”
“Where are your brothers?” I glanced around.
Moments ago, dozens of dragon warriors had stormed the lawn, baying for my traitorous blood. They now scattered in all directions, leaving only the healers, Master Jesper, an embracing Evolene and Stafford, and the dragon masters.
“They went to the mess hall to celebrate breaking free of the elixir.” He brushed a stray lock of hair off my face. “Will Fyrian be all right?”
“I think so.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Evolene and I went after the weathervane.”
He shuddered. “That thing is a menace.”
Wrapping an arm around his back, I gave him a sympathetic smile. Earlier, Fyrian had shown me an image of Niger lying on the ground in a healing bubble after being electrocuted by the magical bird. “I threw my Slowsilver Sword at the weathervane, and its explosion broke Fyrian’s wing. She fell into the Great Lake and nearly drowned.”
“You fell with her?”
“No. One of the purple dragons snatched Evolene and me off her back beforehand.”
The arm around my waist tightened. “I am sorry.”
“There’s only one group of people who owe apologies.”
He growled. “King Magnar and the alchemists.”
“Cadet Bluford,” said a cultured voice. Master Jesper’s hood slipped off its head, revealing disapproving features set within a wrinkled face of elephant-hide skin. “Is it wise to appear like a courting couple with Cadet Griffon in public? I took great pains to concoct a story to explain your feminine appearance.”
My cheeks flamed, and I stepped out of Niger’s embrace. He gave me a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck.
Master Jesper said nothing to Evolene and Stafford, who continued hugging each other, but I supposed Evolene wasn’t a girl pretending to be a boy, glamoured into a Princess.
“You’re right,” I said to Master Jesper. “Thanks for covering for me. And thanks for creating the antidote to the loyalty elixir.”
The troll smoothed down the front of its cloak. “It was the least I could do, considering Henri Bacon was my assistant.”
I turned in the direction of the Healer’s Academy, which stood at the other side of the lawn beyond the Great Lake. Its pristine, white walls were now blackened by dragon fire, and someone had melted its wrought-iron gates. The damage must have arisen from the battle that had taken place between General Thornicroft’s group and the warriors addled by the loyalty elixir.
“What are you going to do with the alchemists?” I asked.
Master Jesper sighed. “I magically bound them to the laboratory cots. Although they helped tremendously to free Mount Fornax, they cannot escape justice for their misdeeds.”
Evolene stepped out from Stafford’s embrace. “Um… A-aren’t we forgetting something?”
I tilted my head to the side. Phoenix had taken King Magnar to the jailhouse, the antidote was raining down on everyone’s heads, and the witches had been awoken. “What?”
“D-didn’t Master Roopal say he and his friends battered Master Fosco unconscious?”
Master Roopal spun from where he was deep in conversation with Masters Klauw, Solum, and an indigo-haired male wearing a white tunic, whom I had never seen before.
“Fosco!” With a speed that belied his elderly appearance, Master Roopal sprinted past the Great Lake toward the single-story sandstone buildings that made up the reception of Mount Fornax. The three other males chased after him at top speed.
My stomach dropped. “Oh, no!”
“Bluford?” Niger placed a hand on my shoulder.
“I sent Master Fosco out with two vials of antidote and asked him to save the others. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have sent him out on his own!”
He tilted my chin up, and our gazes locked. Warmth shone in his obsidian eyes. “If he had stayed with you, he might be lying injured alongside Fyrian on the bank of the Great Lake.”
My lips tightened. I doubted that. As a purple dragon, Master Fosco could teleport away from trouble. I glanced at Fyrian, who still lay fast asleep, surrounded by healers. She would be fine without me for a little while. “We’d better see if he’s all right.”
“Run ahead,” said Master Jesper. “I will call upon some healers to check on Master Fosco.”
With a sharp nod, I picked up my leather skirt and ran across the lawn. Niger jogged alongside me, keeping his steps slow so as not to overtake me. “A war hero like him will be fine.�
��
“Not against angry dragons.” I turned to Stafford, who ran on my other side, holding Evolene’s hand. “Did either of you two see anything?”
“We were too busy fighting alongside General Thornicroft and the witches.”
I put my head down and picked up my speed. Even though Master Fosco couldn’t stand me, I still had fond memories of riding on his back with Aunt Cendrilla when I was little. Back then, I’d called him Fogo, and I had no idea until last week that he could turn into a man.
We reached the sandstone buildings of the reception area and ran through the archway that led to the courtyard. A Fornax Flying Float lay on its side with its wings slashed and strewn on the ground like a mangled parasol. Beside the vehicle, the males crowded in a tight circle, obscuring my view of whatever they surrounded.
The jailhouse doors on the right creaked open. Phoenix stepped out and ran his fingers through his chin-length, burgundy hair. Like the rest of us cadets, he wore a brown, leather uniform. His gaze swept up and down my body, taking in the headdress, long platinum hair, bodice, and full skirt the exact shade of moonlight.
His brows drew together. “Bluford, shouldn’t you be back in uniform?”
My cheeks heated, and I glanced away. “Ummm….”
The indigo-haired male I didn’t recognize from before pulled away from the crowd, revealing Master Fosco lying on the ground, his face so swollen and bloody, it was almost unrecognizable. Blood flowed from deep gashes over his body and from the wet clumps of long, burgundy hair fanning out onto the ground.
Despite the warmth of the overcast afternoon, all heat drained from my body, replaced by a cold shudder. I clapped my hands over my mouth and gasped. If this were a human, he would have died of these injuries. I knew nothing about dragons in their alternate forms except that they were stronger than ogres. Poor Master Fosco didn’t even look like he was breathing.
Evolene cried out and buried her face in Stafford’s chest.
Niger hissed through his teeth. “You all did this to him?”
Dragon Mage Academy Box Set Page 85