Bane of Dragons

by Clara Hartley

  I threw the sheets off. It was getting too warm underneath them. I picked up my matchbox to light my lantern.

  I needed a walk to calm down.

  Insomnia was a vicious cycle. First, it made me unable to sleep, then I’d worry about not being able to sleep, which kept me awake. I’d had enough of tossing and turning. My limbs were too agitated to keep still.

  I left my room and went down the corridor, stepping past the rooms of the princes. They were all shut.

  I wasn’t sure where I was walking to. All I knew was that I needed to find somewhere to cool my head. The back door of the building creaked as I made my way out into fresher air. A lone girl shouldn’t be out late at night, but this was palace ground, which made safety not much of an issue.

  Cicadas played a rhythmic tune as my feet brushed across the cobblestone path. I meandered around, not going to anywhere in particular, with only my thoughts of the four princes accompanying me.

  I caught the sight of a silhouette standing next to the large lake I could see from my room. The figure was shadowed by the glow of the moon. He was tall, and only upon closer inspection did I realize it was Micah.

  His crimson hair was almost turquoise in the moonlight. He wore plain slacks—his nightwear, probably, but his tattoos and face were more than enough to make him look anything but ordinary.

  “Can’t sleep?” he asked.

  Apparently, he didn’t have to look at me to know who I was, likely due to his heightened scent of smell and hearing.

  “No,” I replied. “There’s too much on my mind.”

  Micah threw a rock across the lake. It skipped until it was so small I couldn’t see it. “Same here.”

  “Was it what Gaius said?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It bothered me, too.”

  “Nobody’s scolded him in a long while. It’s strange to see someone stand up to him.” A smile quirked up the corner of his lip.

  “You heard?”

  “We all did. You were scolding him so loudly. He probably deserved that.”

  Micah threw a few more rocks. He never failed with any one of his tosses. They skipped across the water as if they were made of feather, each of them never sinking too soon.

  “That’s… impressive,” I said, brows shooting up.

  “It calms the mind.”

  “Sorry you had to put up with him growing up.”

  “It wasn’t that bad.”

  “Oh? You got used to it.”

  “It’s not that…”

  There was another part of the story I had not heard. “Then what is it?”

  Micah tightened his jaw. “I used to look up to him instead of Rylan. He was my big brother. The big brother I could go to for any problems. After Josephine, it all changed.”

  “Josephine?”

  “The girl he loved.”

  “She must have been something.”

  Micah bent down to gather more rocks. “She was. She had the rosiest of cheeks, lips that could only belong to a temptress. Raven hair that cascaded down her, almost like how they had described the old goddess.”

  A pang of jealousy gripped my chest. I wasn’t sure why it was there in the first place. “It sounds like you liked her too.”

  Micah didn’t respond to my statement. “She had Gaius wrapped around her finger, but she never entertained the thought of marrying him, even though he asked again and again. If she asked him to kill, perhaps he might have. And then she fell in love. Not with him, but a man she’d grown up with. A smith’s boy. She probably already gave her heart to him before she met us and Gaius, and—” He paused, hesitated, then continued, “She told Gaius she could never be with him. That she had always belonged to someone else. She was lowborn, and so was the smith’s boy, and that cemented in Gaius’s head that those with low birth couldn’t be trusted. People like Josephine. People like me.”

  I studied Micah’s eyes. They were even more ethereal when lit by the soft blue of the moon. A wrinkle had formed between his brows, and I wanted to smooth it away with my touch.

  “It was at that point he stopped being my big brother, and he looked at me as a stranger. I lost him the day Josephine left.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “It’s not easy being the bastard child.”

  “I can’t imagine it would be.”

  “Queen Miriel hates my guts. That I’m still sticking around. She tried to get Gisiroth to send me away multiple times. Perhaps he would’ve, if not for my brothers’ protection. Gaius fought the hardest for me. It’s like, we’re family, but I’m always the outcast.”

  “I think I know how that feels,” I said.

  “I had a sense about that from you. I felt the same hunger in you. The same one I have.”

  “Hunger?”

  “For power.”

  “You want Rylan’s position?”

  Micah halted, and the last rock he threw didn’t fly across the lake as the others had, hitting the water at an angle that made it sink. “Is it wrong of me?”

  I thought over his question. What he spoke of was treason, and I was uncertain whether I should condone it. “No,” I said, finally. “Your wanting comes from the lack of legitimacy. You think that being the crown prince would make you accepted as well.” I paused. “But Rylan cares about you. Your brothers do. It’s not difficult to tell. And I wouldn’t want to see the lot of you get torn apart by politics.”

  Micah had stopped throwing the rocks, and he was now looking at me. “Perhaps. And you?”

  I shifted my gaze. “The same. My parents see me as an illegitimate child. Father especially.” I ran a hand down a strand of my hair. “That someone this cursed can’t be theirs. They had two daughters, but paid all their attention to Bianca, pretending I didn’t exist sometimes. Me fighting this hard is perhaps a way to show others I’m worth it.” I’d never told anyone else this before, but Micah sharing his past had made it easier for me to open up.

  This moment between us, despite its calmness and quietness, made a storm swirl around my insides. I imagined I’d remember it years later, because I’d never shared my insecurities like that. Not even to Frederick.

  “Do you want to try?” Micah said, opening his palm and revealing a slender rock.

  “Skipping rocks?” I smiled. “Sure, why not?”

  He moved closer and wrapped his arm around me. I hadn’t expected him to do that. He placed the rock in my hand and lifted it, guiding my fingers. I wasn’t wearing my gloves, and heat shot through me wherever he touched.

  “Feet shoulder width apart,” he said, nudging my legs with his own feet. I could feel his breath behind me, brushing my ear. He let go of my arm. “Make sure you bend your wrist the right way, then follow through.”

  “All right,” I replied. I tried to pay attention to his instructions, but all I could think about was how nice his touch was, and how comfortable his arms could be.

  I wound my arm back and threw the rock. It skipped once before sinking into the water. I grinned, despite how bad of a show it was compared to Micah’s. “I did it,” I said.

  “You did,” he replied, digging his nose into my neck. The sensations were suddenly too much. I ought to have pried myself away, but I loved his touch on mine. “Your scent is like a drug. Addictive. Bewitching.”

  “Micah?”

  “Kael told me he already kissed you.”

  “Did he?” I asked. Micah was holding me around my waist. I gripped his arm, not quite sure what to do with my hands.

  “I think he was trying to taunt me.”

  “And did it work?”

  “Yes.”

  I stiffened. “He says it wouldn’t affect the bet, however, because he made the first move.”

  “I’m starting to care less and less about that bet, and more about having you to myself.”

  My chest tightened. I wasn’t sure if all I wanted was Micah, because of my lust for everything. I liked them all, but perhaps having all the princes to myself w
as too far-fetched.

  But I shouldn’t want any of them. They were conflicting with my goals.

  “Should I try again?” I asked, gesturing to another rock. “I’ll aim for two skips this time.”

  “I have a better idea.”

  He pushed my face backward so it faced him, and then his lips covered mine. His sweet scent rushed through me, and then all there was in the world was Micah.

  I lost balance of myself, but Micah caught me, steadying me with his hold.

  He pulled back with hooded eyes. Then a smile brushed the side of his glistening lip.

  “There,” he said. “Now I’ve fixed that problem of having Kael’s taste on your lips.”

  I had to steady my breathing.

  “You make me want more,” he said. The way he said that, bathed in the glory of the moon, made my insides ache in ways they shouldn’t.

  I licked my lips, and his eyes traveled downward. “More? As in…?” My breathing had quickened, and it scared me to know that I wanted Micah to press on.

  A smirk brushed his face. “Perhaps another day.”

  He let go of me, but not completely. He hooked his fingers around my hand and led me along. “You really should head to bed. You have work tomorrow.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, letting myself get swept away.

  “I’ll walk you back.”

  I wasn’t sure what the dynamic between us would be after this, and what the interaction all meant, but excitement tingled through me, and I wanted to find out.

  Twelve

  How was it that Micah could make pouring syrup look so sexy? Any other dragon-kind would find Micah’s lathering of his waffles with syrup gross, but I found his peculiar taste with foods interesting, and it made me smile.

  Rylan cleared his throat. The sound of it bounced off the walls of the dining hall. “Micah, that’s disgusting.”

  “It’s delicious.” Micah put down his bottle and cut into his waffles.

  “Dragons are supposed to hate sweet foods.”

  Which was a bummer, because I was human and loved them. It was difficult to find sweetened desserts anywhere in Constanria, not even in Raynea, the city. The princes’ building and the councils, however, were filled with it, and I let myself gorge on desserts while working. I tried to not let how it affected my girth get to me.

  “Did something happen between you two last night?” Kael asked.

  “Uh…” I bit into my bread. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because you can’t stop ogling Micah.”

  Micah was more focused on his waffles than me.

  “No,” I lied.

  Gaius had his gaze fixed on his food. Every so often, he’d glance up and give me a death glare. I paid him little mind.

  “I kissed Sera yesterday,” Micah said, shoving more waffles into his mouth. “So now we’re even.”

  Kael set his cup down abruptly, and the glass chipped. “You what?”

  “You started it.”

  A maid served me the plate of waffles I requested. I reached over and took Micah’s bottle of syrup and began pouring it over my dish as well. I didn’t put on as much as Micah did, however. Even that was too much for me.

  “Sera,” Kael said to me from across the table, “who’s the better kisser?”

  My breath hitched but I tried not to show it. “Um… I don’t know.”

  “You have to know. One of us has to be better. Say it’s me so that I can flaunt it in Micah’s face.”

  “I honestly couldn’t tell.” Both instances had caught me by surprise, and my mind had been swirling too much for me to ponder a proper rating for both brothers.

  Kael tossed a charcoaled piece of meat into the air and caught it with his mouth. Chewing, he said, “I’ve thought of an idea to make you more open to this game. And for me to win.”

  “Your ideas are always stupid,” Micah muttered.

  “This one’s good. Sera’s worried we might toss her aside once this game is over. So what if I don’t?”

  “Meaning?” I asked. I probably shouldn’t be eating this many starches for breakfast, but it all tasted so good. Plus, staying up so late last night had made me exhausted. Carbohydrates were the best fuel for the mind.

  I picked up some jam and spread more over my piece of bread. Forget having me as the head of the Intelligence Council—give the position to the person who invented bread, because whoever did was a genius.

  Kael threw another piece of food into the air. It went so high up that it reached halfway toward the tall ceiling of the dining hall. I thought he’d miss and it’d drop on the ground, but he caught it with his mouth. “I’ve decided. If I win, I’ll let you marry me.”

  I dropped my spreading knife. “What?” That had to be the worst marriage proposal of the decade. And it came from a prince. Didn’t princes often ride their damsels off into the sunset with a stallion, before kneeling in a knightly fashion to propose? They weren’t known for playing with their food while doing so.

  Micah raised his fork, mid-chew. “See? Stupid.”

  Gaius snorted. “Can’t believe you’re even considering marrying the minx.” He picked up some overly crisped pieces of inca belly and munched on them.

  “How is it stupid?” Kael asked.

  “As if she’d pick you.” Micah shared a look with me that made my stomach uneasy. A half-smile curved up the side of his lips.

  Rylan charcoaled a cut of his steak by burning it with his fingertips. “We still haven’t decided who Sera wants.”

  “Wait,” I said. “Since when did this become something we had to ‘decide’ on?”

  Rylan looked at me with a gaze that could make any woman melt. “When all of us started taking an interest.”

  “You’re going to have to pick a favorite eventually,” Kael said.

  I shrugged, trying to hide my blush. “I already told you who he was. Frederick’s my favorite.”

  “Frederick?” Rylan asked, his face tightening.

  “Don’t worry.” Kael waved his hand. “Frederick’s not interested in women. Plus, he can’t compare to us.”

  I raised a brow. “Egoistic much? Frederick’s easy to talk to.”

  “You’re not someone who likes easy,” Kael said. “Well, you can’t marry Rylan. He’s crown prince and has to secure our royal line and all that.”

  Rylan shook his head. “That isn’t true. It might be best if I marry a noble girl, but Mother wasn’t exactly of high status when Father wedded her.”

  “She was still a noble.” Kael pointed at Rylan with his fork.

  “Are the lot of you done?” Gaius said. “I’m getting sick just hearing this.”

  As if on cue, a servant walked in with a full plate of meat. She placed it in front of Gaius. “Your Highness,” she said. “The head cook asked me to serve this to you. Ingor meat. He was quite insistent that this get to your table, and he tried a new, special blend with the seasoning. He asked around and found out you liked it ground up, so he prepared it like that. He hasn’t shown this new recipe to anyone else yet. He’s eager to know what you think.”

  Gaius stared down at his plate, looking a little at loss for words.

  The servant continued, “He couldn’t stop talking about how you treated him yesterday, Your Highness.”

  “I…” Gaius seared his dish. Gaius forked a helping of ground meat and placed it into his mouth. “Tell the cook I said thank you, and it’s delicious.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” The servant bowed and scampered off.

  The whole dining hall fell into silence.

  “Have you hit your head on something?” Kael said. “You’re sounding very unlike you.”

  Gaius shrugged. “Don’t know.” He peered at me, this time not with a death glare, but something else.

  Not certain how to respond, I just smiled. He didn’t return the smile, instead sniffing and reverting his attention to his food. And he was back to normal. What was I expecting?

  “We have to go to the t
raining grounds again today,” Kael said. “I still haven’t paid Gaius back for what he did to me.”

  Gaius rolled his eyes. “You lost. Fair and square.”

  “Not fair at all. You bound me with soul magic. How does that even make it a proper duel?”

  Rylan said, “As long as those in the cafeteria’s balcony didn’t notice, Gaius was within his right. There shouldn’t be rules when it comes to combat. You should know that the best, Kael. In the battlefield, anything goes.”

  Kael groaned and looked at me. “Sera, you have to come and watch us again. I need you to see me pulverize Gaius.”

  “Just make sure you do,” I replied, and took the last bite of my meal. I couldn’t believe I’d actually finished all that. I sat back and sighed. A food coma was taking over my mind, and it didn’t help that I hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night.

  “So,” Kael continued, “you still haven’t told us who you’d pick, Sera.”

  “What?” I said, jolting my head up.

  “You have to. You can’t have us dangling in anticipation like that.” A sly grin split his face. “Tell us which of us brothers you’d like to marry.”

  My heart stopped. “Which one?” They were all equal levels of gorgeous and intriguing. Rylan had a calm and collected disposition that made him feel sturdy—someone to lean on. Micah carried himself with mystery, but was actually sweet on the inside. Kael? Kael was just fun. Every woman needed some fun in their lives. And Gaius was handsome. Yeah—just that. I couldn’t find any other redeeming qualities about him.

  “I can’t decide,” I said.

  Gaius wiped the last of the seasoning off with his final scoop of ingor meat. His plate looked as good as new by the time he’d finished. How good did that cook make it? “Well, that wouldn’t be the first… that someone couldn’t pick.”

  Josephine. I knew Micah had hidden more about her from me. She seemed like a wound the brothers had stitched up long ago. I didn’t have it in me to pry it open.

  Kael leaned into his chair. “Sera thinks it’s me. She just doesn’t want to hurt any of your feelings.”