Kingdom of Dragons Read online

  Kingdom of Dragons

  Queen of Dragons Book 3

  Melody Rose

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  6. Kehn

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  12. Kehn

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  17. Kehn

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  20. Kehn

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  26. Kehn

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  30. Kehn

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  34. Kehn

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  A Note from the Author

  1

  My hands were coated in silver. The light from the moon brushed them with the most pristine color. I turned my palms upward to examine my lifelines in the moonlight. If only the answers to my series of spinning questions were written out there like destinies were supposed to be. Suddenly I found myself wishing I had the gifts of a seer, like the stonemason’s oldest daughter Julei, so I could see what was coming. What I was supposed to do.

  My gaze drifted from my hands out onto the landscape before me. The view stretched for miles. Barren trees stuck out of the ground sharply, like an army preparing for battle. The closer ones swayed ever so slightly in the cold wind. The moon kissed their branches, turning them a delicate silver too. The snow littered on the forest floor glistened back up at the stars. They winked at each other, the stars and the snow. I wondered what they could possibly be saying to one another.

  Beautiful night tonight.

  Yes, the last one before Eva must hunt down King Reon.

  Ah, yes. Only so many more nights before she becomes a murderer.

  Even the personified environment warned on my impending fate. Though no one explicitly said I had to kill the false king, the man who had turned his bond with a dragon into a terrible corruption of this world, we all knew it to be true. It was the only way to guarantee that the contamination would stop, and the land of Andsdyer could be saved.

  There was little time to waste. The kingdom had only barely escaped an outbreak a week ago when the contamination infiltrated the court. While I managed to heal everyone with my gift of healing, I knew this couldn’t continue. My abilities could only do so much. It took me so long to heal someone that there would come the point when the illness spread faster than I could heal. Then people would die. And it would be my fault.

  I tried to correct this thinking. No, it was not my fault if people died of the contamination. While I had the only ability to save others from the plague, I didn’t start this outbreak. It was the fault of those who created the contamination in the first place, Reon and his followers, like Jae.

  My head fell at the thought of my former friend, now a traitor to the crown. The young noblewoman and I had grown close over the past several months, while the seasons changed, and we prepared to be introduced to court. However, we discovered that Jae was responsible for sneaking the contamination into court. As a result of her treasonous acts, she was set to be executed tomorrow, which was one of the reasons I had chosen to leave in the morning. I had no desire to watch her die.

  I spent most of the past week healing the court and planning a way to end this war on Andsdyer once and for all. I hadn’t spent much time processing my grief over Jae’s betrayal. For some reason, I still had trouble believing the whole thing even though I had seen her deception with my own eyes. For so long, Jae had been my friend and companion through the stress of the noble introduction process. I thought I could trust her, and the sting of that loss still hurt my heart.

  Though, Jae’s determination to destroy her homeland scared me. I was amazed by the sheer hatred she had for the kingdom and her desire to build a whole new one, at the expense of whoever got in her and Reon’s way. It was enough to light a fire under my ass. It solidified my belief that the contamination had to be stopped. For good.

  So the next morning, my clan of dragons, my friends, and I would head out to search for Reon. No one knew where he was. We had a theory that it was in a destroyed mountain, but other than looking for a bunch of rubble, I didn’t know how to find that. The journey seemed directionless, both figuratively and literally, but we had to do something. Too many lives were at stake to sit by and await another attack. It was our turn to attack.

  I just didn’t know if I could do it.

  The night air hardened around me, and I clutched at my jacket in response. It seemed to be ushering me inside. “Stay warm while you can!” it whistled in the wind.

  But I wasn’t ready to go in yet. Something was intoxicating about the evening, the glow from the moon, and the view of Andsyder that comforted me. Plus, solitude was a privilege I wouldn’t get to enjoy for much longer.

  I sat atop the Menagerie and looked out onto the kingdom, with its most populous city outside of the castle walls. There were smaller villages farther out into the Cross Woods and paths that led to them. At this time of night, the roads were deserted, and no light shone from any of the houses.

  I only discovered this perch recently. When nobles clambered to my door after healing their daughter, their nephew, their husband, or whoever, I could barely get a moment’s peace. Hannan, the stand-in Lead Caretaker and one of my dearest friends, snuck in and promised me some true “alone-time.”

  “They’re just going to find me again,” I protested as I sat crossed-legged on my bed, an apparent pout on my face.

  “Not here, they won’t,” Hannan said as he pushed his glasses up his nose. “I promise.”

  He’d been right. Hannan was pretty much always right. I needed to remember that more often.

  This nook at the top of the Menagerie had been the perfect getaway over this past week. The glass dome curved beneath me as I stood out on the balcony. Below me were a variety of animals, bonded to nobles in the court, all housed in the zoo-like building.

  A large golden spire pierced the air above me. A circle with a jagged line down the middle sat at the top. The symbol of the first queen, Irena, guarded over Andsdyer. It cast a lengthy shadow on the earth, a consequence of the moonlight. The symbol of Queen Irena was my only company at this place that felt like the top of the world. I took the opportunity to soak up the solitude once more before I would be on a long journey across Andsdyer with the same seven people and the same seven dragons.

  However, it seemed the universe had other plans for my evening. Just then, a large shadow hovered over the moon and blocked out the light. My vision drowned in darkness, though I wasn’t afraid. The sensation only lasted a moment before a blue-green dragon flew down and interrupted the picturesque landscape.

  “Excuse me,” I said, coating my voice in sarcasm, “you’re blocking my view.”

  Obnoxiously, Montgomery “Monte” Verleugel of the Teine Clan stretched his lean body out farther. He spread his enormous wings out to their maximum length. He shook out his white, wispy hair so that it fell gracefully over his neck.

  “Is this view not as satisfying to look at?” Monte said smugly.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to stroke your already inflated ego.”

  “It would not kill you to give me a compliment,” Monte huffed.

  It was an innocent enou
gh comment, but for some reason, it gave me pause. His use of the word “kill” wasn’t in the same context, but it sent my thoughts spiraling back to my main anxieties about the upcoming journey. The cycle repeated itself.

  Monte must have seen something on my face because he dropped the pretentious ruse and softened. His muscles relaxed as he drew closer to the balcony.

  “What is on your mind?” the dragon inquired gently.

  I scoffed and crossed my arms across my chest, pretending to be cold rather than defensive. “You don’t want to know.”

  “Have we not gotten past this point yet?” Monte said with a dramatic sigh. “I would not have asked you if I did not want to know. Perhaps I can help.”

  “It’s this journey tomorrow,” I said as I looked back up at the sky. “Something about it feels wrong.”

  “Do you not want to do it?” Monte questioned.

  I didn’t feel like playing the guessing game with him. I knew I needed to come out and just confess my plights about the whole thing. It would save us both time, but the words lodged themselves in my throat and stayed there.

  “No,” I croaked. “I mean, I don’t really want to do it, but I know it needs to be done. But…”

  “But?” Monte prompted.

  “But we don’t even know where we’re going,” I complained. “Supposedly, this mountain is north of here, which is a start, but this whole thing is annoyingly ambiguous.”

  “I agree,” the dragon said as he flapped his wings to stay upright. “Would you like to go for a ride and talk about it?”

  “I guess,” I said with a shrug.

  I really did enjoy flying with Monte, and there was a benefit to talking with him since we didn’t really have to talk. Because the two of us were bonded, we were able to communicate with one another using our minds. So, in a way, we could enjoy the ride in a sort of silence. It also helped that I could keep my mouth closed while flying in the air. Fewer bugs that way.

  I clambered over the railing with less grace than I would have preferred. The iron stung my hands with cold as I clung to the edge. Monte sauntered up to the top of the Menagerie, close enough so I could climb on his back. I slid into my usual spot and found comfort in the familiarity of his scales, the contours of his body, and the heat from being a living creature.

  However, something felt different under my hands when I laid them on his neck. I peeled my palms away and found pale specks, like dandriff, sticking to them.

  “Monte?” I said worriedly. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Oh yes,” the dragon replied casually. “I am simply shedding my skin.”

  “That’s rather gross,” I said with a frown. I tried to swipe the flecks off onto my pants but by stubbornly clung on, like spiderwebs.

  “It is only natural for a dragon,” Monte defended. “I also lose a scale or two when this occurs.”

  “Does it hurt?” I asked.

  “No,” Monte responded simply. “You should take one.”

  “One what?” I wondered, still grossed out by the whole process.

  “One of my loose scales,” Monte answered. “As a token.”

  “That feels…” I grimaced, unable to find a nicer word. “Weird.”

  “Eva,” Monte said, almost scolding. “It is an honor to be given a dragon scale. They are a rare commodity. Most people will crush it down into a powder, to be used in a variety of potions. If you keep it intact, it is a way for you to always be connected to me.”

  “I thought we already had that covered with the whole bonding, mind-reading thing,” I said, stalling. I really wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of carrying around a physical piece of my djer.

  “Yes,” Monte said slowly, thinking. “However, this way, if we ever got separated, it would ensure you a way to get back to me.”

  “Again,” I said, “we can communicate. In our minds. And as far as I know, that service has unlimited range.”

  “Please,” Monte asked kindly. “It would be a comfort to me to know you have it.”

  I held back an eye roll and a dramatic exhale. Instead, I rubbed my fingers together nervously. “Okay, then. Where do I take it from?”

  “There is a loose one on the side of my neck, on the right. You will know it when you feel it.”

  I did as the dragon instructed and ran my hand up and down along his massive and thick neck. The scales rippled beneath my fingers like a sequin pillow. Until I came to a section that stopped me cold. One of the scales shook too much underneath my gentle graze.

  I tucked my fingers around the top of the scale, getting a good grip on it. I gave it a little test pull, and the thing wiggled like a loose tooth.

  “You ready?” I asked the dragon.

  “Fast and quick is better than slow and prolonged,” Monte informed me. “I do not need a warning.”

  I closed my own eyes and yanked upward. The scale made a squelching noise as it detached from his skin.

  Suddenly, Monte howled, and I panicked. “Oh my God! I am so sorry. You said to do it fast, so I just went for it--”

  Monte’s cries of pain quickly dissolved into a rapid-fire laugh, complete with hiccups and a cough. My worry transformed into hot irritation at his stupid prank.

  “You asshole!” I whacked the dragon. “What was that for?”

  “It was too easy!” Monte jeered. “You were so worried, and it was nothing more than a minor sting for me. I should have turned around and seen your face!”

  I grumbled and stuck my tongue out at Monte even though he couldn’t see me. I peered down at the scale, which was about the size of my whole hand. It curved slightly, not flat. It remained Monte’s blue-green color, more blue than green in this moonlight. I held the scale, close to my chest as Monte flew onward.

  Monte pushed his powerful wings down, and we bolted upward. I welcomed the rush of cold air on my face. The higher up we went, the farther away my trepidations seemed to be. I enjoyed the sensation as Monte leveled out and traveled forward.

  We settled above the clouds where the moon shone brightest. A sea of stars glowed above our heads, and a ripple of gray clouds floated below. The sight of such magnificence and beauty would never fail to amaze me. I breathed out a sigh. The dragon felt my exhale and mirrored it.

  “I sense a fear in you that has nothing to do with the journey at hand.” Monte spoke the words in my mind, starting the impending conversation.

  “That’s not ominous at all,” I joked back. It was a weak attempt to deflect the question, and we both knew it.

  “Do you not know the source of the fear?” Monte asked wisely.

  Sometimes my djer was so in tune with me, I wanted to kick him. While most times it was a comfort to have a bond with Monte, other times I hated his ability to read me so easily.

  “No,” I admitted. “I’m pretty sure I know what it is, but it makes me uneasy.”

  “Fear has a tendency to do that,” Monte added unhelpfully.

  “I had no idea,” I said with an eye roll.

  “There is no need to be indignant,” the dragon scolded. “I am only trying to help.”

  “You’re right,” I conceded. I huffed out a breath of air that came out as a pretty puff of steam. “I’m sorry.”

  “It is alright,” Monte relented. “I know you get defensive when you are troubled. I take no offense.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Eva,” Monte replied. His tone smoothed out and sounded warm, like a concerned parent. “What are you afraid of?”

  Now, wasn’t that the question of the hour?

  “Of failing,” I started. I bit my lip and then continued. “Of not being able to defeat Reon.”

  “We have no doubt in your abilities, Eva,” Monte commended. “You should not, either.”

  “I don’t have any doubt that I have the power to do it,” I said slowly. “I mean, I’ve got everything from a badass sword to bursts of light to rock hard armor.”

  “Then…?” Monte trailed off and waited pat
iently for me to finish.

  “I don’t know if I can.” I thought the words quietly, almost more scared of admitting this. Of it becoming real when I did. “Like as a person. I don’t know if I’m capable of killing another person.”

  “Even if he deserves it?” Monte growled.

  My djer had little to no forgiveness when it came to Reon. He had a valid reason. The false king sent the contamination to destroy all other dragons save for the seven in my clan, and the one Reon bonded too. Not only that, he had destroyed Monte’s home. The contamination ruined the land and made it uninhabitable. Reon took everything from Monte, and it was understandable why the dragon would want vengeance.

  “See…” I paused so I could choose my words carefully. “I don’t know if anyone deserves to die.”

  “Eva,” Monte said my name so sharply, I jumped a little, “you know what this man has done.”

  “Yes but--”

  “He seeks to destroy all of Andsdyer,” Monte reminded me. As if I needed reminding of Reon’s plan for the future. “He already has destroyed my home. You cannot let him destroy yours.”

  “Right,” I started, unsure of how to continue. “But I don’t know if I can kill him. I’m not a killer.”

  “He is the killer, Eva, not you,” Monte said, his tone staying harsh and definitive.

  “Not if I murder him,” I reasoned. “Then I become a killer too. I don’t think I can do that.”

  “I do not understand.” The dragon shook his head. “He deserves to be punished.”

  “I don’t dispute that,” I argued. “He definitely deserves to be punished. And harshly. But death? I don’t know. And even if he doesn’t, I don’t know if I can be the one to deliver that punishment.”