Page 131 of Courting the Dragon King

Wraith ignored the question. “You said it was in the East Tower?”

Elias nodded. Then his face twitched. “Blast and lightning. Why won’t you just die?”

The dread knight Elias had already shocked had gotten to his feet again. Elias threw lightning, and the dread knight crumpled once more. “My lightning just won’t fucking kill them!”

Suddenly Konrad darted forward to the fallen body of the shadow king. He grabbed something from his body and then ran back. Wraith saw he held keys. Konrad also had the shadow king’s sword tucked beneath his arm.

He was trying the keys in his shackles. One turned, and the shackle released.

“Yes!” Konrad said, and he undid the other one. “Give me your wrists, Wraith.”

Wraith did, and Konrad tried each key until one worked. He quickly removed the shackles from Wraith’s wrists.

“Thanks.” Then Wraith took a breath and stood. “Okay.” He stepped forward, eyes fixed on the bone dragon, who kept his offspring at bay. “Umbra. Come to me. Come to me now.” Her form materialised beside him. “Protect me.”

She rubbed her body against his. “Always and forever!”

“And we will protect you too.” Konrad held the shadow king’s sword.

Elias nodded and lifted his hands. Sparks danced along his fingers.

Wraith took a shaky step towards the bone dragon.

Chapter

Sixty-Four

Wraith’s body tensed as he approached the dead dragon king. Shadows swirled and fire burst along his skeleton as he kept his children out of the crypt.

Wraith glanced at the monks. The grand monk’s face glowed red. His bald head shone with sweat. His lips moved, and his eyes remained fixed on the bone dragon.

He’s struggling to control King Alaric. That’s why he hasn’t turned his attention on us. All his attention is on making the bone dragon attack the other dragons.

The grand monk didn’t seem to have noticed Wraith moving. Hopefully he wouldn’t.

The warrior monks held out their swords, their gazes fixed on the undead army. But the undead still did not attack them. Crashes, shouts, and the clanging of metal rang out from the back of the crypt, the undead fighting those who’d come to save Konrad and Wraith.

And right behind him, Umbra had grown to four times her usual size. She lunged at a dread knight, teeth sinking into decayed flesh. Konrad swung his sword and yelled as he fought a reanimated corpse. Lightning crackled and struck. Elias ran up beside Gerard, and they fought side by side against the undead army.

But Wraith had to tune all that out. He needed to focus on King Alaric.

The dead dragon king shot dragonfire at one of the dragons. The dragon roared as it hit their tail.

Wraith took a deep breath and closed his eyes, sensing King Alaric’s spirit.

Wraith’s forehead creased as he concentrated on the bindings. Wraith could feel King Alaric struggled against the bonds imprisoning him. But the dead king lacked the ability to break them. Wraith stretched out his mind, testing the bonds. They felt like rope, pulled tight, almost to the point of breaking.

It was different from the bindings Wraith had used to create the dread knights. Those had been simple bonds that had been easily created and strengthened because the dread knights had entered willingly into said bond. But this, this was far more complicated.

Bonds ran to the multiple necromancers who’d resurrected King Alaric. And another, different bond connected directly to the grand monk. These bonds all wrapped, tangled, and knotted together, convoluted and confused.

It’s a mess.

Still, Wraith thought he knew how to break it. Or he hoped he could.

He lifted his arms forward, hands open and outstretched towards King Alaric. He breathed steadily. He pictured gripping the ropelike bonds in his sweaty palms. His arms trembled.

“Please let this work,” he whispered.