Page 81 of Kingdom Of Veil And Vow

I wonder if they can tell I’m not mage. That I don’t possess any magic.

“Thank you.” The guard’s words hold a reverence for his king.

Nox’s hand holds Rhea’s tightly as he asks, “When did the attack start? And how far into the kingdom have they gotten?”

Seeming to shake off whatever shock he felt, Daje moves to listen in on the conversation, but my attention stays on Rhea, watching as she looks at the shops that surround us. Most of the storefronts are damaged, shattered glass and broken doors hanging loose on hinges relaying just what kind of melee occurred here.

“They had no warning,” she says, sadness heavy in her voice.

“How could they? By the time they realized what was happening, they would have been under the sirens’ song.” Nox’s jaw works, his eyes taking in the destruction. “It’s an effective way to kill.” My eyes narrow at his words as I look back at Rhea, tension gathered between her brows. “Daje, I need you and Xander to go to the palace. If the sirens’ mission was to find Rhea, I can’t imagine they wouldn’t go there.”

Irritation rips a path up my throat. “What about you two? I’m not leav—”

“Your Majesty!” I’m interrupted when another guard shouts, a note of panic in his voice that sends us all sprinting in his direction.

The guard kneels next to a body, the pooled blood indicating he’s been gone for a while now. The man’s tunic is shredded, the claws that tore through it also mangling his skin. Tracing my eyes up to his face, I note the dark wavy hair and harsh line of his jaw, familiarity stabbing me in the gut. Oh, fuck.

Nox doesn’t move, nothing beyond the quick rise of his chest and a slight twitch of his hand. Rhea reaches for him, her own devastation painted clearly across her face when a thumping sounds, like that reverberation of a heart except it’s everywhere.

Clutching my sword more tightly in my hand, I ready my stance and look out to the forest on the opposite side of the square, unsure of what I should be preparing for. The shadow comes first, wide enough to stretch from one side of the square to the other, my breath catching in my throat as the treetops surrounding us sway. The heat comes next, a wave of it blasting us where we stand as the massive animal swoops low, blocking the sunlight for a second as screams sound from around us.

Rhea staggers back a step, Nox protectively curling over her, while Daje and I duck to avoid the giant claws mere feet from us. Chunks of wood go flying as the dragon’s wings clip the front facade of the buildings, the claws that were just above us now digging into the ground and shattering more stone as the beast attempts to slow its descent. There isn’t any time for the guards left from the attack to take cover, nothing beyond pressing themselves to the crumbled earth as the dragon crashes to a halt.

Tucking its wings in with a tight snap, its black scales ripple beneath the sunlight as it positions its massive body to face us, leaning forward slightly over its two front legs.

“Dragon.” Though Rhea whispers, it summons the creature’s attention anyway. Yellow eyes snap in her direction, lips peeling back to reveal teeth large enough to easily eviscerate every single one of us. Shadows begin to slide across the broken stone towards Nox and Rhea, but she lays her hand over his chest, giving a slight shake of her head. The shadows halt, though Nox tugs Rhea closer, holding her to him like he alone can withstand the might of a dragon.

“Shit,” Daje grumbles, his own magic glowing a bright yellow in his palms as he glances from Nox to the dragon and back again.

My sword feels useless in my hand, but I clutch it anyway as I work a sulfur-smelling swallow down my throat. The dragon’s lips rumble over its teeth as it lowers closer to the ground, those snake-like eyes predatory.

My focus gets drawn to the dragon’s back when something moves, a dark blur that isn’t part of its wings or tail. “What is that?” The question slips before I can help it, and then the full attention of the dragon is on me, a growl like I’ve never heard before barreling from its throat as it extends one leg and the dark figure moves towards it. Fucking gods above. It’s a person. At least, I think it is. Cloaked in black, it’s hard to make out any of their identifying features. They stumble, clutching something large in their arms, before dropping and sliding down the dragon’s leg.

“Nox,” Rhea breathes in awe, attempting to take a step in the dragon’s direction before he tugs her back to him.

The being, fae I assume, hits the ground hard on their knees, but their body absorbs the collision as they carefully lay what they are holding down on the ground. The fabric slips and reveals a sliver of dark brown skin and a flash of ruby hair. They lift a hand to the hood of their cloak and tug it back, dark eyes immediately locking on our group as the dragon behind her lets out another warning growl.

“Bring her—” The fae falters, swaying slightly as she seems to fight the urge to collapse. Regaining her composure, she forces her next words out through gritted teeth. “Bring her to Rhea Maxwell.” There’s a single breath, a single second where the world stills, and then she falls to the side. The dragon lets loose a roar that shakes the surrounding buildings and trees, my ears ringing by the time it’s done.

No one dares to move, not until Daje takes a deep breath and looks at Rhea. “Any idea why a fae female would know your name?” It’s said in a lighthearted manner, but I know the same question is dancing in all of our heads. How could it not be? Rhea, as far as I know, has never interacted with a fae before. “Or why the hell they crossed through the Spell to talk with you?”

When she doesn’t answer, Nox looks her way, reluctantly dragging his gaze from the dragon. “Rhea?” Her mouth hangs slightly open, her brows furrowed as she moves to step forward, only to once again be held back by Nox. “Rhea, what is it?”

“That’s—” Her voice breaks, and the dragon’s eyes narrow in her direction. “That’s my sister!”

I look back to where the fae collapsed, remembering when King Dolian had revealed how he betrayed his own brother into being lured by the siren queen. How we learned that an offspring had been conceived that night.

“I need to go to her—” She tries to tug herself out of Nox’s grasp, but he holds on tightly, shaking his head.

“Rhea, you can’t—”

“That’s Aria!” she yells, spinning to face him, her green eyes wide and filled with panic.

“I hear you, Sunshine, but there’s also a dragon right there. I can’t let anything happen to you again. I can’t.” His gaze falls to the dead body a few feet away.

“Nox,” she says gently, her hands framing his face as she draws him in closer.

I avert my attention back to the dragon as it lets out a keening sound, its snout nudging the felled fae far more gently than I ever would have thought possible.