Chaos erupted. Dragons roared. Some Wingless screamed. Rhys raised his hands and waited for quiet. “You’ve wondered why we asked you to move into the mountain and leave the outer islands. This is why. The Council, Clan leaders, Seeress and I orchestrated this fight. We’ve been preparing for weeks.”
More cries of outrage, many directed at the Council. At least, Kai thought, they weren’t just mad at Rhys this time.
“It’s frightening.” Rhys raised his voice above the crowd again. “But we are in control of this situation. All of those too old and too young to fight will be evacuated. All of the islands except this one have been filled with traps. Plans are in place. When Owain’s forces land, we will be able to capture them with minimum danger to them or to ourselves.”
Kai fisted her hands in the fabric of her dress. This did not appease the people.
Rhys let his hands fall, his voice go quiet. “Many of you have not heard that Princess Aderyn was poisoned.”
Little gasps of surprise and grunts of disapproval rippled around the assembled dragons.
Rhys continued. “It was a coward’s tactic. I could return the favor, but I refuse. Poison has too much risk of collateral damage. That mead was a gift from a councilmember I thought I could trust, despite our differences. He is in the cells now, awaiting questioning. I could let this make me paranoid. I could ask one of you to become my food taster. I could decide to disband the Council and rule alone, as Owain does.”
He let that sink in for a moment, and Kai saw fear dawn on some of the faces in the crowd.
Rhys continued. “But I won’t. I refuse to retaliate against Owain and kill him dishonorably, the way he murdered Deryn. I refuse to fear, suspect my friends and take away your power. I refuse to give in to the temptation to see the world only as I want to see it, and to ignore or belittle dissenting voices.
“The end of this war could be at hand, but victory will not come without a cost. A cost that most of us are already far too familiar with.”
His voice broke, and Kai took his hand.
“Eryri is our home. It is our place of strength. Owain broke the Eryri of my father’s time. I don’t believe he can break us. My sister was a warrior, a counselor and a friend—as strong as the mountain that is our home. With her death, Owain has sealed his own. We cannot allow the man who murdered our princess to become king. We decided to go to war weeks ago because it seemed we had little other choice. Our people have become divided, fighting among ourselves. We’ve forgotten that we share the same cause. Deryn’s cause.”
Rhys paused, breathing hard. Then, in a quiet, carrying voice, he said, “A wise friend told me recently that we have become embers, scattered and dying. If we cannot come together, our future is lost. We must unite. In cause. In memory of those we have lost. In hope for the future. Deryn told me once that birth gave me the mantle, but the people give me power. She was right. When Owain comes, do not let him take it from you.”
A cheer went up from the crowd. For the first time since Kai had been in Eryri, everyone seemed to agree.
She couldn’t believe things were actually going according to plan. Owain was on his way. The last battle was inevitable. But Rhys’s army was still depleted, and the white dragon’s soldiers would outnumber them.
If only Kai could convince Rhys to allow the Wingless to fight, they would have a chance.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Unsworn
Seren pretended there was not a headache throbbing at her temples, sitting on her dais with late-afternoon sun setting the golden lattice around her ablaze. Not that the day had been particularly hard. Most dragons—perhaps remembering, for once, that Deryn was her sister—had stayed away. The ones who had come were mostly seeking a blessing for the battle to come. Not that Seren had the power to bless—she was no deity. Normally, a day like today would have been wonderful.
If grief and worry hadn’t entirely prevented her from getting any sleep.
Seren resolved for the thousandth time not to look at Cadoc. Since he’d come upon her in Deryn’s rooms he’d been different. Distant. He refused to make eye contact and answered all of her attempts at conversation with monosyllabic muttering.
He wasn’t muttering at the moment. Nearly half an hour ago, he’d been joined by a pretty Wonambi girl. He seemed more than happy enough to talk with her. Flirt with her. Smile when she reached up to brush some imaginary speck from his shirt.
Seren was beginning to understand why Rhys sporadically set things on fire.
“Lady Seeress?”
Seren snapped her attention back to the man in front of her. She could not let herself wallow. She was the Seeress. “I’m sorry. Please, continue.”
The man, a Draig Seren knew she’d seen ready to follow Ceri on the awful day the former Councilwoman had taken over a hundred dragons and flown off to Ancients knew where, ducked his head. “It’s my mate. She’s Wingless, and she’s saying she wants to come to battle with me the way the king took his mate to battle. But we all know how that ended. It isn’t right, my lady. It isn’t good or helpful to allow the Wingless to ride to battle. What if she dies?”
Seren kept to the low, even, nearly singsong tone she’d developed over the centuries. Always serene. “Dragons who are heartsworn to dragons risk their mates.”
“Yes, but the Wingless—they might as well be human. Too small and weak. It’s like allowing a rabbit to ride a wolf into a battle between packs. The rabbit is only going to die. Maybe get eaten...”
Seren snorted. “Why do you bring this to me, brother? Wingless are forbidden in battle by decree of the Council. Queen Kai is the exception.”
He made a sour face. “The new queen...she’s changing things. Mair might have brought us war, but she never tried to change our traditions. I want my mate to swear that she won’t try to ride into battle with me, even if the Council allows it. I want you to bind her to her promise.”
Seren stilled, allowing her rage to roll over and around her like waves against a stone. She could not be moved. She would not publicly chastise this man. All dragons had the right to seek her help as they would.
But it was her choice whether or not to do what they asked. She smiled and tucked her hands into her sleeves. Beneath the gold fabric, she knew, her knuckles had gone white. “I don’t think binding your mate to this promise would be wise. If you’re afraid for her, speak with her. I will not take her agency.”
She turned to Cadoc. “I believe I’m finished with audiences this evening.”
The man pressed his lips into a thin line. “My lady—”
“Cadoc,” Seren said imperiously.
In a blink, Cadoc was next to the man, his left hand resting casually on the man’s shoulder. “Prynhawn da, my friend. Time to go.”
“But—”
Cadoc’s easy smile didn’t slip, but the man flinched away from him abruptly. Grumbling, he bowed. “Your light illuminates.”
Seren dipped her head.
Cadoc sauntered toward the gate after the man, the Wonambi woman trailing after him. When he reached the pair of guards who stood at the outer door, he spoke to them. Then he went outside to address the line of dragons still waiting to speak to her, dispersing them. He moved to reenter the audience chamber, but the girl caught his arm. He turned back toward her, leaning down, smiling.
Seren, who had stood to stretch, moved toward the golden lattice. The girl tilted her head up and put a hand on Cadoc’s cheek. Before Seren could process what was happening, she’d pulled down Cadoc’s head and was kissing him. Kissing him. Right there, in the hall outside the audience chamber.
Cadoc didn’t wrap his arm around the girl, but neither did he break off the kiss. They lingered, and after a moment, he straightened and brushed a knuckle over her lips. She said something, and he laughed softly. She stood on tipto
es, pressed another quick kiss to his lips and was gone.
Iolani sighed from her plush chair to one side of the dais. “You’re bending the design, kaikamahine.”
Seren started. Her fingers were wrapped around the delicate golden wires of the lattice, which was, indeed, bending under the pressure. She released it and stepped back, examining her fingers. There were red lines indented in her skin.
“You are not for him, Seren,” Iolani said, her voice infinitely gentle. “Cadoc ap Brychan is who he is—loving all women, but never one.”
“But the way he looked at me when he found me in Deryn’s rooms...I swear, makuahine, he wanted me.”
She snorted. “A man wanting your body in his bed is not the same as a man wanting you.”
Cadoc came back into the room, the guards locking the gate behind him. Seren reached up under the veil to dab at her eyes with the overlong sleeve of her dress.
“You are not meant for him,” Iolani repeated softly.
Seren bit her bottom lip and willed the burn of tears away.
Iolani pushed herself up from the chair as Cadoc approached. “I’m going to find something to eat.”
Seren fished a keystone out of her pocket, unlocking the gate and leaving the golden cage. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Seren...” Iolani gave her a warning look.
“I’ll be there,” Seren said, a slight plea in her voice.
Iolani walked off, muttering in Hawaiian about the idiocy of young girls around handsome men. Seren ignored her.
“Someday I’ll have to learn that language,” Cadoc said, approaching.
Seren folded her hands into her sleeves. “Perhaps your Wonambi friend will teach you.”
He gave her an odd look. “I don’t think she speaks any of the Mo’o languages.”
Seren shrugged. “Well, you’re the one who’s...intimate with her. I’m sure you would know.”
“Intimate?” Cadoc’s voice was half confusion, half amusement.
“I saw you, just now.”
He rubbed his jaw, smiling ruefully, and shrugged. “Nothing but a kiss between friends. It’s been a difficult few days.”
“He is not for you.” She would never heartswear to Cadoc. She’d never heartswear to anyone.
But weren’t they friends? The odds of them being heartsworn were so incremental. Surely, he wouldn’t begrudge her something as simple as a kiss. Nothing but a kiss between friends. And—perhaps—he could just hold her for a while. The way he used to.
She wanted so badly to be held.
Seren reached up and pulled the veil from her head. It slid to the floor in a tinkling, sparkling wave. She sighed in relief and smoothed mussed hair back from her face.
Cadoc’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
Seren stepped forward. Fear swirled inside her. Fear that he’d reject her, or laugh at her, or be disgusted at the very idea of her. Fear that she was about to ruin everything. “You are my friend, are you not?”
Cadoc licked his lips. “Uh...”
She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Well, there’s nothing to a little kiss between friends, is there? I can’t heartswear. That doesn’t mean I want to live untouched. Unloved.” He had almost kissed her in Deryn’s rooms. She knew he had.
“I—” He stepped away. The metal of the lattice clinked as Cadoc’s back came against it.
Seren moved forward. There were only inches between them now. The air sparked with a heat that made her forget herself. Her fear. Her duty. She could be bold. Determined. Like the Wonambi girl had been.
Cadoc’s breathing had changed, going shallow. His beautiful eyes went dark and clouded, and he wrapped his good hand around her arm, apparently frozen between pulling her close and pushing her away.
He did want her.
She closed her eyes and stood on tiptoe, tilting her face up, waiting.
Cadoc’s hand tightened painfully. “Put that veil on.” His smooth voice was rough and cold. “You’re the sundering Seeress. Act like it.”
Seren stumbled back, eyes flying open. His rejection was a knife, sharp and merciless. “You kissed that girl. You kissed Kai, for Ancients’ sake, and Rhys was heartsworn to her. Why won’t you kiss me?”
The muscles along Cadoc’s jaw jumped at the mention of Kai. “I was an idiot when I kissed Kai. And yes, I kissed Merri. I’ve kissed hundreds of women. But you aren’t a woman, Seren. You can’t—” He stopped, as if he couldn’t breathe. In his eyes, she caught a glimpse of agony. “You can’t be a woman. Not to me.”
If he’d hit her, he could not have hurt her more.
Not a woman.
Not a woman.
What was she if she couldn’t even be a woman to this man?
Seren found her voice. “I’ve watched you chase girls for half a millennium while I’ve been trapped behind the veil. I don’t want to be trapped anymore. I love you, Cadoc ap Brychan.”
Cadoc went very still. “You love me?”
Seren flushed. Ancients, she hadn’t meant to say it. The day had been too long, she was short on sleep and still swimming in grief. She did love him, and perhaps if he knew, he’d be more willing to see her as a person instead of her brother’s crystal ball. “Yes.”
“You love me.” He said it again, and this time his voice was a mix of wonder and despair. He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Sunder me. This can’t be happening.”
His words were like a razor to her heart. She felt it open, start to bleed.
She pulled on the veil and turned to flee.
* * *
She loved him. Ancients, the woman he’d loved for centuries loved him. She was his heartsworn. She was begging him to kiss her.
She was the Seeress. He could never have her.
But he couldn’t let her walk away.
He grabbed her by one veil-draped shoulder and spun her around. Suddenly, he knew exactly what he had to do once he left this room. But he couldn’t—wasn’t brave enough to walk that path without one more memory.
He pulled her against him slowly, their bodies coming together a little at a time, savoring every instant. Every sensation. Forgetting his maimed hand, he pressed it against her back to bring her closer still.
The veil, like her gloves, was made of lace. He might have worried about skin touching skin through the tiny holes in the fabric, but like the windows of Eryri, they’d been magicked so nothing but air could pass through.
So he kissed her, the thinnest barrier of gossamer between their lips. She melted against him, and he reveled in her softness, in the sweetness of her scent. He slid his hands up her back, and she arched closer. Her teeth closed over his bottom lip through the fabric, and suddenly he was the one melting.
Seren. Compassionate, stubborn, duty-bound, beautiful. Supple curves so female they made him groan.
The veil denied him the heat of her skin, the satin of her lips. Her arms came around his neck, pressing them closer.
And then it became too much. He could never touch her, not truly. Even if he could become heartsworn, it would be to someone else. Not Seren. He didn’t want a life like that—stuck with someone he couldn’t love. Neither did his potential mate deserve it.
Alone. For the rest of his long, long life.
Well, with what he had planned, perhaps it wouldn’t be so long after all.
He broke off the kiss. From beneath the veil, she looked at him with half-closed turquoise eyes.
Stars give him strength for what he was about to do.
“Seren—” He couldn’t think with her molded to him like she was. Iolani could come back. Someone passing through the hall might see. He didn’t care. He was taking this moment. “There’s something you should know.”
“What?”
Her voice was dazed. The damp fabric over her lips was sheer, revealing how full they were. How pink.
He couldn’t help it. He kissed her again. His hand went behind her head and he turned them so he could press her against the lattice of her golden cage, leaning into her.
She gasped, and he almost lost control. He broke off, panting. “That night, on the trip back from Cadarnle. You told the rogues the story of what happened to you during the battle. How Owain captured you.”
She nodded, her eyes coming back into focus.
“You said Mair hit you. One of her rings cut your cheek and you bled.”
She nodded again.
Cadoc wrapped his fingers in the lattice to steady himself, but didn’t let her go. “Her ruby ring?”
“Yes.” The word was no more than a whisper.
“That ring was my blood charm. You broke my curse.”
“Me? But I thought only family could do that. Or...or... Oh, Stars. Oh, Ancients. Cadoc?”
One more kiss. “My heartsworn.”
Cadoc sank to his knees, grasping her gloved hands in his good one. He couldn’t let go. Not yet. Not long ago, he had pitied the Unsworn. He couldn’t understand what would drive a person to that life. It wasn’t inescapable—Seren’s magic couldn’t make a dragon impervious to heartswearing, only bind them to their promises to put the lives of sworn dragons ahead of theirs.
But being heartsworn didn’t mean love or monogamy. He’d never seen the use of putting his life on the line when technically he could have—in many ways—been with the person he loved whether they were sworn or not.
Then he’d fallen in love with the Seeress of Eryri.
He understood now. Sometimes, life was just too hard.
Choking on the ritual words, he spoke. “Golden Lady, I wish to declare myself Unsworn.”
Her eyes went wide. She tried to pull him up. “Cadoc, no!”
He pressed his forehead against her hands. “I’m here so that I may fully understand the consequences of my decision.”
She wrenched her hands from his grasp. “I will not—I refuse to do this. You must give me a minute to think. We... You are my heartsworn? You.”
Truth of Embers Page 29