Page 34 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

Oh god, what had he gotten himself into?

Lisette had mentioned something about a clan meeting and that he should attend. She had made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal, but now he was standing near the front of the hall, looking around at all the people. There had to be more than fifty here. Fifty freaking dragons in one place! That was exciting and sad at the same time. Less than a week ago, he’d been sure they were extinct.

But his history class had taught him that at one time there had been thousands of dragons. Now Alric’s clan was down to just fifty.

And there were even fewer mages.

It was a miracle and a tragedy all wrapped into one.

His mind tossed that aside when he realized nearly every eye in the room was trained on him. No one looked hostile. Just extremely curious.

“Are you sure I should be here?” Cameron whispered when he leaned closer to Lisette.

“Oh, most definitely!” she replied with her usual warmth and cheer. “You don’t want to miss this.”

Cameron turned his eyes away from the people watching him to take in the vast room he stood in. He was in an honest-to-god throne room. It was enormous, with enough space to comfortably hold three times as many people. The walls were a pristine white while the ceiling soared at least three stories above his head. Dragons could have flown into the room if not for pillars that rose up at regular intervals. Pennants and banners hung from the ceiling similar to the ones he saw at the restaurant, but where those looked worn and faded with time, these looked brand new. No wonder Alric was so familiar with them and all their symbols.

Down the center of the room was a long red carpet with gold edging that looked like a line of tiny gold dragons in flight. It all led up four short stairs to a dais and a black throne easily three times the size of Alric.

Cameron leaned close to Lisette again. “Is…is that throne made of onyx?”

Lisette grinned broadly at him. “Solid obsidian.”

Of course, he thought, smirking at the throne. Obsidian was volcanic glass.

He wanted to make a comment, but the sound of doors opening at the back of the room had everyone turning at once. He couldn’t see who entered but he had a guess. Silence fell over the room, but it only lasted a couple of seconds and then it started.

Softly, like a low rumble, the chanting steadily grew. He couldn’t understand what they were saying. Did dragons have their own language? He’d never learned about that in school. It sounded old. Older than the stones that made this castle. Older than the mountains and the sky. He could feel the weight of the words down in his bones. The sound caused goosebumps to break out across his skin and his breath to catch in his throat.

The chanting grew louder as Alric walked slowly down the center aisle, his head held high and his shoulders back. A golden crown gleaming with rare gems winked in the sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Cameron was speechless.

This was the man who’d walked through the festival, talking about dragons as if he didn’t have a care in the world. This was the man who’d treated him to a private dinner. The man who’d teased him until he blushed. Who’d rescued him, risking his own life.

He was a king.

A king to all of these people. No, dragons and mages.

A leader.

And it took only a brief glance at their faces as they watched their king approach the dais to see that they loved him. They respected him. They trusted him with their future.

As he reached the front of the room, Alric turned his head just slightly and looked straight at Cameron. The tiniest of smiles grew on his lips, and he winked. He fucking winked at Cameron as if he just knew Cameron’s knees were weak and his head was spinning. This was the man he’d daydreamed of kissing.

Holy shit! This was the man he’d shouted at.

The chanting stopped as Alric reached the top of the dais and turned to face the assembled people. He smiled at them for a moment before lifting his lovely voice so it carried across the vast room.

“My people, thank you so much for joining me today. I know you have busy lives you wish to return to, so I will keep this brief. I have two announcements to make that will have a great impact on our people.” He paused, and his smile turned into more of a smirk. “As they like to say, I have good news and bad news. First, the good. We have, at last, found a mage.”

The silence instantly turned into a roar of conversation as everyone started talking at once in what looked to be shock. Several people turned their gaze back to Cameron, and he desperately wanted to hide behind Lisette, but he was way too tall for that.

Alric let the conversation stretch for a couple of seconds before he lifted both hands above his head to get their attention. To his shock, Lisette grumbled something under her breath, glaring at him. It only took him a moment to realize she was glaring at his left arm. Cameron never saw him using it, but he had a feeling it had something to do with his scars. Yet, if he was in pain, it never showed in his face.

“People,” Alric said simply before lowering his arms again. Silence returned, and he smiled. “I would very much like for you to meet him.” Alric turned toward Cameron and extended his hand to him.

Oh, he could not possibly be thinking…

Lisette pressed her hand into Cameron’s back, giving him a little push toward the dais. “Go on. It’s okay.”