AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then war it is,” Iokul said. “My father will send an army.”
“The humans’ movement might have spread to your kingdom as well,” I said. “Even if we win the war, it might not be worth it. And I have no intention to be a dictator and rule over a people who don’t want me.”
“Don’t you love your home, Daisy Danaenyth?” Elvey asked.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “With all my heart,” I said.
I’d prevailed over nine centuries of misery and overcome my insanity, only because I’d held the hope that one day I could go home. Though some of my friends had Faded and my grandfather had abandoned the realm and Adrian had gone away, the Dragon Realm would always be my home. I would rebuild it for myself, my mates, and all who wanted peace.
Adrian would come home one day, as would the other dragons.
I didn’t say it, but my eyes spelled it all out.
“The human cities—Amethyst,Turquoise,Jasper, Heliotrope, Sodalite, and Chrysocolla—have been part of the Danaenyth dynasty since ancient times,” Elvey said. “The land has always been tied to your bloodline by the sacred blood vow sealed by Goddess Arianrhod. If you abandon them, the magic in the land will catch up and leave the cities as a barren wasteland, and no technology can save it.”
I blinked. I’d never heard of the link between the realm and my bloodline.
“I thought it was a legend that Goddess Arianrhod appointed Danaenyth royal house as the guardian of the Dragon Realm and the six cities.” Iokul said.
“You thought Daisy’s ancestors fabricated the tale?” Rosalinda said with amusement.
“Arianrhod hasn’t spoken to any dragon or Fae for an eon,” Iokul said. “The immortal races on Inanna are declining.”
“Arianrhod always watches.” Elvey gazed at me and asked, “When you first stepped on the Dragon Realm again, did you feel a magical tug, like the land was calling to you?”
I nodded, tears stinging my eyes. “I felt home immediately. I felt a familiar magic reaching toward me and brushing me with its warmth as if welcoming me home. I felt a new bond that’s different from my bond to my mates.”
“What do you think that is?” Elvey asked.
“I haven’t had a chance to think about it. I was distracted by the burning of the realm and the damage my grandfather caused.” I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know about the link between the Dragon Realm and me? You are not even a dragon.”
Iokul also narrowed his eyes. “Yes, Elvey, how the heck do you know all about this? This is the dragons’ secret and affair.”
Elvey ignored Iokul but smirked at me. “You know what I am.”
Iokul glanced between Elvey and me suspiciously, and I flushed.
I knew what Elvey was. I’d sampled him through a kiss.
“The realm knows that you’ve returned, Daisy,” Elvey said. “It now awaits you. You need to officially be its Keeper. Will you watch, guard, and protect the land that’s yours and the people on it who don’t know you?”
“It’s my duty and honor,” I said. I’d known that in my bones even as a child, even though my grandfather hadn’t taken the time to prepare me for my future responsibilities as the crown princess. Had he simply waited for the curse to take me away and finally kill me? “But I’m also trying to be reasonable. I want to give the people what they want.”
“The problem is the majority of humans don’t know what’s best for them or what they really want,” Elvey said. “For eons, I’ve been watching how they destroy each other in games and bloody wars. Kingdoms rose and fell, and many civilizations were wiped out before new ones formed above their ash and bones. Lives were lost and weren’t valued. Now they choose a witch who reeks of black magic and evil. She’s polluting the land.”
“The humans don’t know Lysandra is a black witch and that she works for the dark Fae Queen,” Rosalinda said. “They don’t know she’s been using mind control on them. I believe she has eliminated the ones who could resist her power. Among the six cities, two mayors who are loyal to the Dragon King are missing. Lysandra nominated two new mayors, both her minions, to replace them. There aren’t any dissentients in the High Council anymore. She controls all of them now. She promotes those who call the dragons the monsters.”
Iokul snorted. “Some dragons might be monsters, but humans always forget to look at themselves. Humans can be the cruelest monsters. They do evil, twisted things that no real monsters can match up to.”
“What about the Fae race?” I chimed in.
Dragons and Fae were immortal enemies. The feud probably started at the beginning of time. And here I was—I had two Fae allies, and according to Elvey, there were many more, who were loyal to me. I wondered why; I was only half-Fae after all.
“Rosalinda is one of my intelligence agents in the human cities,” Elvey said. “It’s hard for Fae to stay among humans. They Fade quicker and eventually lose their Fae magic, but I can’t let her go yet.”
“As long as that bitch queen rules us in terror, I have no home to return to,” Rosalinda said, eyes dimming. “I have to make the human realm my dwelling place now. It’s not on you, Elvey. It’s never on you.”
Elvey’s eyes darkened as if he’d carried all the burdens for too long. He looked at me. “Will you let the black witch have your dynasty and your people? Won’t you protect your own?”
