“You sure, brother?” Kael said. “You look spent.”
“I can do this one more time.”
Gaius picked up the soul beads I’d flung on the ground and placed them back on the table. “We’re almost out of souls. We have one last attempt. One. And we have to make sure it works.”
“And what do you suggest?” I asked. I was already at my wits’ end.
“Maybe you and Micah weren’t enough.”
A moment of understanding stilled between us.
Kael groaned. “You want me to fight both you and Micah off? At the same time? Are you crazy? And I thought I was the one with a few screws loose.”
Gaius stiffened. “You can handle it.”
“Uh, I’m not sure I can. Maybe if Rylan were around…”
“He’s not coming,” Gaius said. “And we don’t have any time left to try and convince him. We have to do this.”
Kael dragged his hands over his face. “Sera, what do you think?”
I thought this might end up with me getting ripped to shreds, but as always, I was curious. “I trust you, Kael.”
“Can all of you stop trusting me this much?” Kael said. “Because I certainly don’t. Remember that time when you managed to pull off my pants?”
“We won’t be thinking straight,” Micah said. “I’m so blinded by… by urges that I don’t think I’ll be able to fight properly. So you’ll have that to your advantage.”
Kael sighed. He drew his daggers. He probably saw the doubt in my expression, because he said, “I’ll try not to hurt them too much, but with this, I’ll have to be serious.”
“All right,” I said.
Gaius cracked his knuckles. “Let’s do this.”
I had half the spell memorized, but looked at my reference just in case. Gaius and Micah didn’t seem to need it.
My stomach churned as the words left my mouth. This could all go horribly wrong. Tension prickled my skin as magic swirled around us and poured over the seeds.
I didn’t dare look at them as their guttural sounds began to reverberate around me.
“Get out of the way!” Kael pushed me, and I fell next to the table, knocking my ribcage against it. I winced as a sharp ache shot up my torso.
Kael stood between me, Gaius, and Micah. He lunged at them, pushing them down with his arms and forcing them to the ground. He let out a yell and tossed Micah as far as he could. White wings spread out from Kael’s back as he attacked.
But Kael couldn’t deal with two of them that easily, and he had left Gaius unguarded.
“Gaius…” I said, as he stalked toward me. I backed away, feeling a lump in my throat. Gaius’s eyes had shifted into slits and his talons were lengthened. My heart lurched as I looked at his new claws. If that pierced my skin…
I thought I saw blood spraying from Micah. I yelped, shocked that Kael had gone that far.
But I had no time to worry about Micah, because it looked like Gaius was about to skewer me alive. I didn’t even have time to blink, and he was on top of me, his weight pressing down on my legs.
The rumbling from his chest vibrated through my body. He hadn’t hurt me with his talons. Instead, he rested his hands beside my face and studied me with his yellow eyes. Even in this form, and in the throes of dragon lust, Gaius was still Gaius, and his hard-lined face shone in the moonlight. He was handsome, even when this terrifying, and the scent of rough earth still emanated from him.
And then he made to tear my robes off.
I hadn’t shared any sexual experiences with any men. I didn’t want my first time—
Kael stopped Gaius before the worst happened. My robes, even though a little ripped, were still intact when Gaius flew from me. He hit the ground at a strange angle with a crack. But it didn’t seem to faze him, and he got up swiftly.
Where was Micah?
I darted my gaze around, searching for him, and saw him lying flat in the distance. Aereala’s teats, what did Kael do to him? I pulled myself to my feet and rushed to Micah, still hearing magic whirring in the background, and the sounds of the two hidrae princes battling it out.
“Micah, can you hear me?” I bent down next to him. A large gash ran through his body, from his lower abdomen to the top right of his chest. He had been knocked unconscious. I needed a rag—something—to stop the bleeding. I tore off my sleeve, which had already been half ripped by Gaius, and pressed it over Micah’s wound. The white of my makeshift rag was stained with crimson. It was deeper than the shade of Micah’s hair.
“Chill,” Kael said, coming up behind me, his breath heavy. “It’ll stitch up in an hour.”
“Kael? Where’s Gaius?”
“Lying over there. He’s come to his senses but he needs to have a breather.” Kael slumped to the ground. Sweat beaded over his temple. “That really was a huge mess.” He swept his hair back, sighing loudly.
“Are you sure Micah’s going to be fine?” I’d probably die from a wound like that.
“He will. He was going to tear my head off. I couldn’t be gentle about it. It won’t even leave a mark.”
I grabbed Micah’s arm and tried to lift him up. He was as heavy as a boulder. I couldn’t even make him budge. “A little help?”
“Just leave him there.”
I flashed Kael a look.
Kael groaned. “I’m spent, but whatever.” He got on his feet, moved toward his brother, then threw Micah over his shoulder, letting the blood drip down his own torso.
“Not like that!” I reached out, wanting to stop Kael but not quite knowing how.
“You’re worrying too much.”
He strolled back to the outbuilding. I trailed after him.
Kael kicked the door open.
A wide-eyed Frederick greeted us.
“Trouble cropped up, didn’t it?” Frederick said as we entered the building. He’d made popcorn and was crunching on it. We had kernels for him to pop?
Kael set Micah down on my bed. I couldn’t stop worrying. Kael said he’d be fine, but Micah looked like he was about to drop dead. I fetched an empty bucket, filled it with water, and proceeded to bend down next to Micah and wipe him off.
“I told you to relax,” Kael grumbled.
Gaius entered. “Guys? Sera? You’ll want to see this.”
I turned toward him.
He was carrying a huge sapling in his hand. It hadn’t been potted yet, and a healthy system of roots dangled from its bottom. Tiny branches and green leaves sprouted from its stem. Gaius summoned fire from his hands and hovered it over a leaf. The embers danced over the leaf, but when he removed the flames, they remained as pristine and unharmed as before.
My jaw slackened with shock. I threw the towel into the bucket and strode up to Gaius. “It worked?”
“And we’ve got a whole bag of seeds worth of these plants.”
I threw my hands around him and drew him into a big, wet kiss. I couldn’t contain myself. I didn’t care that Gaius had blood dripping from his temple—damn Kael for being so rough with his brothers, but I supposed he didn’t have a choice, and Gaius didn’t seem the least bit bothered.
It finally worked!
If I could dance without looking like a total fool, I would have done a happy dance right there and then.
Kael pushed me away and kissed his brother on the cheek.
Gaius peered up at Kael, stunned. “You’ve never done that before.”
“Sorry,” Kael said, wiping his mouth. “My mind got fogged up from all that excitement. I think that was meant for Sera.”
Frederick interrupted, “Okay, when is my turn? I need me some of that brotherly love.” He had his arms out and was ready to receive.
I gave Frederick a hug so he didn’t feel left out, though he still looked disappointed that the princes didn’t kiss him. Tough luck with that. I was too possessive, and the princes didn’t seem keen.
“What the hell?” Micah said, sitting up. He let out a groan. My gaze lingered over his torso, which was still covered in blood, b
ut as Kael predicted, it was already stitching up.
I sped to his side. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a mountain just crashed into me. Did you really have to be that rough, Kael?” He rubbed the back of his head.
Kael nodded. “Yes, yes I did. And I’m not going to apologize, because I did warn the three of you.”
My attention went back at the sapling. I took it from Gaius. I smiled so hard that my cheeks hurt.
We’d finally done it. I could show this to the council and Gisiroth tomorrow, and I wouldn’t have to leave anymore.
Twenty-Five
A drizzle seemed too anticlimactic for my moment. We’d been trying so hard to give me something I could use to prove my worth to the council and the king. It was supposed to be a big reveal. A thunderstorm or a glowing sun would have been a better fit for my current mood, but Aereala had decided to bless us with a light drizzle.
Micah set me down in front of the council headquarters. We were flanked by Kael and Gaius. The light pattering of the rain tickled my skin. Gaius was holding the sapling and the seeds.
Part of my mind was numbed by the fact that we’d actually managed to make it work.
Frederick strolled up to us—he’d gone home last night and agreed to meet us in front of the council headquarters before the vote.
“You’re early,” I told Frederick. We still had fifteen minutes before everyone had to gather.
Others were early too, including Mei, who was shooting glances my way from across the courtyard. She was standing next to Vancel, and surrounded by scholars, as she often was. Sometimes I wondered whether people stood by her because they liked her, or because they wanted favors from the Gavril family.
Frederick said, “Tensions are high. Some people have been placing bets, and from what I heard, some pretty risky ones. There’s one for you, too. They’re calling you ‘the Dark Geckari.’”
“Did you place a bet?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“You bet on me, right?”
“Uh.” His gaze darted to the side. “Sure.”
“Okay, tell me honestly, who did you place your money on?”
He gulped. “Mei.”
“Mei!”
“She was the safest option! It wasn’t much. Just a couple silvers.”
“You put an entire week’s earnings on Mei?”
Kael smiled. “Is it too late to place my bet on her too?”
“You too?” I growled.
“I’m kidding!” He backed away, hands raised.
“Anyway,” Frederick said quickly, clearly wanting to avoid the topic. “The five—now four—candidates will be able to make one final speech before the votes are cast. You might want to ask Gisiroth if you can join in before all this starts.”
“Have you seen the king anywhere?”
“No.”
I turned to the princes, looking for answers.
“Don’t look at us,” Kael said. “We don’t know the whereabouts of our father most of the time.”
“He’ll be here,” Frederick said. “He’s always around when it comes to important matters like this.”
“Are you sure you three should be standing around me?” I asked the princes.
Gaius turned to me. “They’re not going to think of you the same way after this. It’ll be all right. Let’s hope it gets through Rylan’s stubborn head.”
There were people pointing fingers and gossiping, as usual. The conversations likely were along the lines of “Should she even be here?” or “Is she seriously still running for the vote?”
Or maybe I was being too self-conscious, and they were discussing more important things. I wanted to believe that.
Fifteen minutes passed too quickly. More people arrived. A bell rang, signaling everyone to enter the council building. The courtyard emptied as people drifted away. I steeled my nerves, stood up, and followed my ex-colleagues, with the princes and Frederick trailing behind.
Two guards were situated in front of the council. They were tall, but shorter than the princes, and had long spears at their sides. They wore the king’s colors—bright blue. And they lowered their spears, forming a crisscross, blocking our way.
Gaius’s eyes darkened. “What’s this?” One thing I could credit Gaius for was his pissed-off face. He probably had the best one I’d ever seen—with the right amount of abrasiveness and menace.
The guard on the left said, “We can’t let her in, Your Highness.”
Micah narrowed his eyes.
“And why is that?” Kael asked.
“Uh… because.” They looked at my gloves again. Always my curse. “She’s not part of the council anymore. You four are free to enter, but she’s not.”
Kael raised his right hand, forming it into a fist, and rubbed it in his left. “Are you sure about that?”
The guards exchanged nervous glances. They looked like they were about to drop their spears, when a woman’s voice interrupted them.
“Yes, they are,” the woman with the velvety voice said.
Queen Miriel, the princes’ mother, strode up to us. She didn’t show up often, only for large hearings, so I’d never seen her up close before. Next to her were her queen’s guard. She likely didn’t need them—she was rumored to be a powerful white-winged hidrae herself. But those guards made her look more important and regal.
She was beautiful. In every sense of the word. Long, flowing, dark hair cascaded down her oval face. She looked like Rylan, but a feminine version, and with dark, almond-shaped eyes. Adorning her tall, slender frame was a rose-gold gown that fanned out at the bottom and had silver details at their hems. She wore bracelets and crystal earrings—perhaps too many, but she managed to carry them in a way that didn’t make her look gaudy, but elegant.
I glanced down at my plain robes. I felt like a tree stump standing next to her.
Queen Miriel narrowed her eyes at me. “Sera Cadriel hasn’t been given permission to enter the council headquarters. She might cause a scene.”
Gaius started, “Mother—”
“Have you two been so infatuated with this girl that you’ve lost your senses? It seems like my poison didn’t do its job.”
Kael growled. “It was you?”
“She is an inconvenience. A liability we should get rid of.”
I noticed how she didn’t acknowledge Micah. The crimson-haired prince seemed to stand a little less tall, his stature less confident, after Miriel strode in. I smoothed my hands over his. He looked at me and tried to smile reassurance, but I could sense the tension bubbling off him.
“Mother, please,” Gaius said. “Sera has important information and findings involving the high summers. She needs to use this opportunity.”
“What is it?” Miriel asked.
Gaius showed her a sapling. “We’ve designed a new plant that can withstand heat and fire.”
“Impressive.” Miriel took the plant from her son. “Then we won’t be needing her anymore, will we? Guards, take her away.” She made a nonchalant gesture, as if she’d just called for tea.
The sounds of metal on leather—weapons being drawn—pierced the air. The princes surrounded me in their fight stances.
“Don’t hurt my sons,” the queen said.
“Uh, but Your Majesty,” the broadest-shouldered guard said, “we’re afraid we’re going to be the ones getting hurt.”
“Mother,” Kael said, exasperation lacing his voice, “you’re being difficult. Again. We’re seeing Sera into the council no matter what. For once, can you not cause a scene?”
Miriel’s lips curved down. “You’re calling me difficult?” A whiny quality had taken over her words, which was jarring. “I’m just thinking about what’s best for my sons and family. This girl has been distracting you both from what’s important. She’s tearing us apart!”
Gaius sighed. “We promise to visit more often.” He still had his axe drawn, but a certain understanding had taken over him, and annoyance, instead of antic
ipation for a fight, showed on his face.
“It’s not about the visits!” And that was when I saw a little bit of Kael in her. Her tantrum reminded me of his childishness.
“I promise to take you out to the city tomorrow,” Gaius said. “And we can bring Anatolia.”
“Really?” Miriel said, letting her hardness slip. Then she put it back on. “It’s not about the visits,” she repeated. “Sera’s cursed. She’s a bad omen for the lot of you.”
“And I’ll help you pick out some jewelry from that store you keep talking about,” Kael said, flashing a smile at his mother. Kael had the most disarming grin.
“You remember?” Miriel said.
Kael rolled his eyes. “Of course I remember. You haven’t stopped talking about it.”
“I’ve been wanting you to go there with me for a month.”
“I’ve been… preoccupied.”
“With Sera Cadriel.”
“It’s about the visits,” Gaius added.
She scowled. “It’s not about them! But it’d be really nice if you looked for me more often. Your father’s always so busy with Constanria and all that…”
Gaius yawned. “Yes, yes.”
She flashed disdain toward Micah and me. “They’re my sons,” she told me.
“I understand, Your Majesty,” I said, feeling her gaze prickling my skin.
“Don’t toy with them.”
“I assure you, I’ll never do anything of the sort.”
She passed the sapling back to Gaius.
The broad-shouldered guard said, “Does this mean we don’t have to fight them, Your Majesty?”
She waved her hand again. The guards visibly relaxed and sheathed their weapons. If a fight had broken out, I didn’t doubt that they’d have their bottoms thoroughly kicked, by Kael especially. One of the guards actually smiled in relief.
“Let them through,” Miriel said to the guards who had previously blocked our way.
I tried to understand where the queen was coming from—she simply seemed like a mother who wanted attention from her children. But she had slipped poison in my food and almost killed me.
The guards finally lowered their spears, giving me a clear entrance into the council.
Kael looked at his mother. “Sera will need to talk to Father.”
Bane of Dragons Page 27