by Imogen Sera
She was laying down, her cheek pressed to Helias for warmth, when he shuddered violently. She sat up and looked around as huge black talons closed over her and plucked her from his back. She screamed loud and long, but it was drowned out by a roar of flames directed right where she had just been. She watched, wide eyed, as two strange amber colored dragons slammed repeatedly into her mate, claws ripping and great streams of dragonfire erupting from them. She realized how quickly the scene was moving away from her and looked up at her captor, flailing uselessly. When Helias was a tiny speck in the sky the great beast holding her descended. She was dropped from just a few feet above the ground but without any warning she stumbled to her knees. She got to her feet as quickly as she could and ran. She knew it was foolish, knew that she had no hope of outrunning a dragon, but she didn’t see any other options.
“Ingrid!” she heard behind her, barely comprehending it. “Ingrid, stop!”
She froze at that and whirled around wildly. Caelian strode toward her, and realizing she wasn’t in danger, she turned back to watch the dragons in the sky. They were gone. Helias was gone. She spun frantically, looking, and jumped when a large hand patted her on the shoulder.
“Sorry I scared you back there,” Caelian said. “Good running, though!”
She looked at him incredulously. How could he be so at ease? They’d been attacked out of nowhere and his brothers were missing, and he still wore a small smile.
“Will he be alright?” she asked, turning her attention back to the sky. “Will they be alright? Where did they go?”
“Helias and Tarquin are probably finishing them off,” he said, pointing off in the distance. “It’s easier to do closer to the ground. The two that attacked were small and weak, I think it was just meant as a message.” A low roar rumbled across the ground, follow by an unearthly scream.
Goosebumps rose along Ingrid’s spine.
“That’s Tarq,” Caelian said. “They’ll be over here in a minute. How are you doing?”
She couldn’t even muster a smile. She threw her satchel at him, ordered him to put on pants, and then sat where she was, leaning forward and hiding her face in her hands.
Everything had happened so quickly. It couldn’t have been two minutes since Helias had initially shuddered, warning her that something was wrong. She hadn’t even comprehended that she’d been plucked from him for a moment, and although this time it was Caelian whisking her to safety the ease with which it had been done made her shudder. It would take no effort at all to kill her. She thought of the dragonfire that had been aimed at Helias’s back, right where she’d been a moment before. She thought of the ripping teeth and sharp claws and the heat so intense she could still feel it. She thought of Helias disappearing from the sky and her nauseating terror. Despite Caelian’s assurances, she wouldn’t be able to breathe freely until she saw him for herself.
Ingrid lifted her head from her hands, scanning the sky, and there they were; green and black and great wings flapping as they soared towards them. She felt numb. They landed a short distance away; Helias rushed to her and knelt in front of her.
“You’re unharmed?” he asked, looking her over and taking her face in his hands.
She nodded mutely, slightly dazed.
“And how are you feeling?”
She paused and stared at him. “I don’t know,” she whispered.
.....
Helias held Ingrid to him, feeling her quick breaths and thundering heartbeat. He had known that combat was a possibility and warned her of it, but the quiet gasps of breath under his hand told him that she could never have been truly prepared for it. He thought of the amber dragon who’d aimed fire right at where she’d been seated. Caelian had grabbed her to safety by then, as Helias knew he would, but he’d taken pleasure in ripping that particular foe’s throat out.
She stayed tucked against him for a minute more before looking up at him and getting to her feet.
“Shall we keep going?” she asked as he stood, and when she smiled at him it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
He nodded and draped his arm around her. “If you’re ready, love.”
“Yes,” she said quietly.
At that moment, Tarquin called for their attention. Helias looked up and his heart sank; four dragons weer unmistakably coming for them. He couldn’t tell if they were friend or foe from this distance. Then again, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to tell friend from foe at any distance.
“Caelian,” Helias said quietly, “be ready.”
Ingrid looked up at him as Caelian nodded. Caelian was the fastest flier he’d ever encountered, and if he was ready to take off with Ingrid then Helias knew she would be safe.
The four landed and shifted nearly a quarter mile away, showing they weren’t a threat. Helias relaxed slightly, holding Ingrid next to him.
“Reis!” Caelian called suddenly. He turned to his brothers. “It’s Reis!”
Helias sighed and relaxed his shoulders. “You’re safe, love,” he murmured to Ingrid.
Reis had been their father’s general, and sometimes more like a father to them than the old king ever was. He’d taught them hunting and combat and loved them all like sons. Reis had had his own son, once, but Helias shrugged off the memory. They had been close friends and he didn’t want this meeting colored by emotion.
As Reis approached he swept an easy bow.
“King Helias,” Reis acknowledged, then stood with a grin and embraced him. “We are glad you’ve come home.”
Helias found himself grinning back, and turned to Ingrid. “My love,” he said quietly to her, “this is Reis. He worked for my father and is an old friend.”
Ingrid gazed at the new man levelly, for a moment longer than necessary, and then broke into a reluctant smile. “A pleasure to meet you,” she said faintly.
Reis bowed to her then and her cheeks burned pink and eyes widened. “Queen Ingrid,” he said, almost reverently.
“Enough of this,” Tarquin barked suddenly. “We were just attacked, I think it would be wise if we save pleasantries until we’re at the palace.”
Helias nodded and watched Reis’s eyes widen in surprise. “We’re only half an hour away by air,” he murmured into Ingrid’s ear.
She nodded and turned to Caelian. “Please help me up,” Helias heard her whisper, pleadingly. “I don’t want them to see me stumble.”
Caelian nodded and Helias felt gratitude toward his brother. Helias stripped quickly and shifted, followed shortly by the other men as Caelian lifted Ingrid onto Helias’s back.
“Thanks,” she told him, and he saw Caelian’s grin in response.
A moment later they were all airborne and headed for the palace.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ingrid felt strange. She supposed it was due to the events of the day, which had all happened in quick succession, but she didn’t feel like herself and it made her nervous. Or maybe she was nervous which made her not feel like herself. She was glad to be back riding on Helias, because she wasn’t sure how well she could keep her balance if she were walking right then. She stretched out on his back, content to be hidden from the sight of the others by his huge wings, and pressed her face against his leathery skin and hard scales. She shut her eyes, worried but exhausted.
A moment later she was in his arms, and he was asking her if she was alright. She frowned up at him, confused.
“Did I fall asleep?” she murmured.
He nodded, his face worried.
“Just tired, I think,” she said, getting to her feet and leaning against him. “I’m sorry.”
He took her hand in his and brought her knuckles to his lips. “No need to be sorry. I’ll get us to our rooms as fast as we can.”
She smiled up at him and opened his hand that was clasped with hers before pressing a soft kiss to his palm.
“What do you think of the palace?” he asked eagerly, gesturing behind her.
Ingrid turned slowly, Helias’s hand still in hers. It w
as breathtaking. It was huge, so expansive that Ingrid had trouble comprehending the scale of it. She looked up and became dizzy. Sweeping turrets shot up so far that she could hardly see the tops. The palace itself was gleaming white with gold around each window, and there were hundreds of windows that she could see, densely covering the massive building. The grounds were tranquil and lovely; ornate white fountains were spaced evenly as far as she could see and tidy paths wound between them bordered by dense flowers of every color.
Ingrid unconsciously clutched at Helias’s wrist and he settled his arm over her shoulders. She relaxed at the touch and allowed herself to be guided inside. It was no less impressive than the outside, the room they entered into was at least three stories tall and big enough that Helias and his brothers’ dragon forms could all fit comfortably inside it. The ceiling was bright and inlaid with gold filigree, and the walls were completely covered with murals of soaring dragons and clear skies. Ingrid glanced down at the floor, an elaborate tile pattern of all white, and noticed that her worn leather shoes were tracking mud behind her. She looked up at Helias, whose arm was still around her, and he looked so poised, so regal, so at ease here. She glanced back at her shoes and felt inadequate in a way she never had before.
Her head felt fuzzy again while Helias spoke with the gray haired man, whose name she couldn’t recall, about something that she couldn’t quite pay attention to. As they spoke quickly about something that seemed important she found herself swaying on her feet. It was Tarquin who came to her rescue.
“Brother,” he began, interrupting the gray haired man, “I think our queen needs rest.” He shot Helias a meaningful look.
Helias turned to Ingrid and looked concerned. She briefly wondered why before she returned her attention to the murals, smiling slightly at the big green dragon depicted there. “Are our chambers prepared?” she heard him ask from far away, and was surprised that he was still right next to her, arm around her, as he began to guide her across the enormous room.
They climbed stairs that seemed endless, Ingrid becoming progressively more dizzy with each step before Helias lifted her gently and carried her the rest of the way. They crossed through a series of rooms before Helias opened the door into a dark green room with an enormous bed. Ingrid smiled at it, thinking that her mate would surely fit comfortably there, but when she turned to tell him her thought it was already gone from her mind. She gazed at him, blankly, and he lifted her into the bed and covered her.
“It’s alright Ing, it’s just oversaturation. Get rest and you’ll— ”
As soon as she heard his assurance she relaxed into the soft mattress and knew no more.
.....
“So who’s against us?” Helias and his brothers, along with Reis and an old human mage named Morwich sat in a large chamber outside of the room where Ingrid slept. It was fashioned as a sitting room, couches and chairs centered around a large fireplace that was being stoked quietly by a servant, and along the perimeter of the room were writing desks and drawing tables and musical instruments. This had been his mother’s favorite room, but as he looked around he couldn’t see a trace of her in it.
Reis took a deep breath. “Lord Renaud, to the north. The magi in the west, my intelligence leads me to believe. Perhaps other great families, it’s hard to tell. Communication has been spotty.”
Helias nodded. “I thought as much when we had no response from you.”
Reis’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Did you write? We’ve heard nothing.”
“So we’ve been pointlessly writing for weeks,” Caelian said, teasingly. “My wrist thanks you, Helias.”
“We didn’t know what we would be facing,” Helias said, returning his attention to the general. “The only information we had was what Augustus had learned from you.”
“How is he?” the older man asked, looking crestfallen. “I was horrified when I learned of their imprisonment. How’s the child?”
“Excellent, he was born a few weeks ago,” he responded. Reis grinned, and Helias tried to return to the point. “What happened to my father?”
Reis’s face fell, and he rubbed at his cheek distractedly. “It was a sickness. It came on suddenly.”
“More like poison,” grumbled the old mage from the corner where he’d been seated silently. “Everyone wanted him dead.”
Reis shot the old man a disgusted look. “Poison is a possibility, yes, but nothing points to that right now.”
Helias turned his gaze on Morwich. “He’s been hated all my life. If it was murder, then why now?”
“He was a power hungry tyrant all your life, but he was predictable. He was easily manipulated by the nobles who understood what he wanted. These last years, though, he’d been erratic and dangerous. No one wanted someone they’d piled power onto who wasn’t able to be controlled.”
Helias nodded.
“I wouldn’t think anyone would dare,” Caelian said quietly.
“It’s beside the point right now, anyway,” said Helias. “We have as much time as we need to discover the truth. Morwich,” he said, turning his attention to the mage, “you still maintain the wards around our land?”
The wizened man nodded. “I assume you crossed the border without difficulty?”
“We did, but all of our letters have seem to gone astray. Could the wards affect them?” Helias asked.
The mage’s brow furrowed. “Not to my knowledge. I’ll look into it.” He rose from his seat then, slowly. “My bones ache, majesty. May I take my leave?”
Helias nodded, and as the old man left Reis rose to his feet. “I should let you tend to your mate.” He smiled warmly as his eyes lit up. “A human mate! I truly thought Augustus was mistaken. It’s welcome news.”
He clasped Helias on the shoulder, pride in his eyes, and turned to leave.
Helias waited until the door was shut, and then released a long breath. “Why does no one know what’s going on?”
“I don’t trust Morwich,” Tarquin said bluntly.
“He’s been here longer than any of us,” Caelian murmured.
Helias pushed his hair back from his forehead and stared into the fire. All he wanted to do was climb into bed next to Ingrid and hold her close. “I’d like to meet with the advisers in the morning. Will you arrange it, Caelian?”
“I will.”
“Tarquin, speak with our cousins and old friends. I don’t necessarily trust anyone inside this palace right now, but I do trust your judgment. Discover who’s actually pleased that we’re home.”
Tarquin nodded.
Helias rose from his seat. “I’ll see you both at breakfast,” he said, and then crossed the room into the bed chamber.
He undressed quickly and tucked Ingrid against him, shutting his eyes and focusing on her warmth, her slowly rising and falling chest, her soft form under his fingertips. He wasn’t sure what to do next. His conversation with Reis and Morwich was sitting very wrong with him. To be so unsure of his position was deeply unsettling; he didn’t intend to be the type of ruler who could be bought and sold. He gave into his exhaustion as he buried his face in Ingrid’s neck, kissed her softly there, and hoped she would recover quickly.
CHAPTER SIX
Four days passed without Ingrid stirring. Helias spent his days meeting with advisers, appointing people to positions, and wishing he was in Ingrid’s bed. Tarquin was constantly at his side, while Caelian stayed in the queen’s antechamber, nearby in case Ingrid awoke. She would be alright, Helias knew, but he missed her quick mind and sage advice. She would know what to make of the situation.
He sighed heavily as an adviser droned on about some situation with a great family to the north. He was seated at the head of a huge table, one he’d spent time playing under with his brothers and sisters as a child. His father had put a stop to it upon learning of it, forcing him to instead sit in quietly on the endless meetings, with many of the men currently sitting in this room. He’d had trouble sitting still, and remembered the pain of be
ing rapped on his knuckles for fidgeting. He was nearly as bored now as he had been then.
“The Renauds are in open rebellion, then?” Helias asked, and the man nodded. Helias paused for a moment. “I’ll meet with them as soon as my mate is recovered.”
“Your majesty, is that—”
Helias watched the man as he stopped himself. “I am not my father,” he said for what must have been the millionth time since his arrival. “Say what you will.”