Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19) Page 2

  Her transition did not go as smoothly, but eventually an orange dragon stood in the ring of rocks. Taking to the air, she tried to make her victory lap above the throng, but she crashed heavily and rolled across the grass, knocking into a huge group of people before she was able to stop her forward momentum. Human again, she sheepishly made it back to her spot while the crowd grumbled and dusted themselves off.

  The next few drakelings became dragons without incident. Aleksander, his cousins, Brogan, as well as a young man named Juri, were soon the only ones left. Although Aleksander did not know Juri well, it was impossible not to see that he was petrified. Juri’s eyes were rounded with fear, and his gait was far from steady as he slowly headed to King Boian. The crowd grew tense after several minutes passed, and Juri was still shivering in the cold. Duke Drogo offered Juri encouragement as he tried to rein in his terror and allow his beast out.

  Several more anxious moments passed; then a pale-yellow dragon finally emerged. The beast appeared jittery as he spread his massive wings with a series of roars and tried to become airborne. Murmurs and gasps spread throughout the gathered mass as the dragon left the ground and furiously rose high in the air. In the blink of an eye, he shifted back while still in flight far above the earth. Juri was likely dead before he hit the ground. A pall fell over the crowd as Juri’s father came forward to collect what was left of his body for his pyre.

  King Boian gestured for the next shifter to enter the circle. Offered no words of comfort by his king, Juri’s parent left the cliffs, sobs wracking his frame. No one would ever accuse King Boian of being a compassionate man. With another impatient motion from the king, Noirin lifted her gaze to Aleksander briefly and entered the circle. Aleksander was grateful that he had been ordered by his father to shift last. It would be impossible to find his calm and allow his beast control if he had to worry about Noirin, Dravyn, or Brogan experiencing the same fate as poor Juri.

  Aleksander’s nerves were spiraling out of control, making him grateful that Noirin was quick to be replaced by her dragon form. Applause rose from the crowd as they took in her dark-violet scales. It was highly unusual for a female dragon to be such a deep color, and she would now be the highest-ranking woman in their court. Aleksander hoped it would get her out of the kitchens where his father had banished her.

  Circling above the crowd to thunderous cheers, she softly landed and shifted back seamlessly. They exchanged grins when Dravyn experienced no difficulty becoming a beast of deep forest green. Brogan was next, and he was a rich navy blue. Both Dravyn and Brogan were destined to be dukes of considerate power.

  It was finally Aleksander’s turn. Walking to the ring of stones, he met his father’s gaze. King Boian Ethelindraconis said nothing as Aleksander stood there for what could be his last moments. After removing his clothes so they would not get destroyed, Aleksander’s lashes slid to his cheeks, and he emptied his mind. Letting out a deep breath, he heartily welcomed his beast. To his shock, pain radiated from every part of him as his body grew and stretched. His dragon trainer had assured him it would not hurt, but it did and horribly.

  His arms and legs lengthened and thickened with layer after layer of muscle, and giant wings sprouted from his back. Skin hardened, and scales erupted as his spine elongated to form a heavy tail. The process seemed to take hours instead of seconds as the shift took over him. Aleksander opened his eyes for the very first time as a dragon and knew something was profoundly wrong. Dragons were large beasts, but Aleksander was enormous—easily twice the size of every other beast he’d ever seen, or perhaps larger. Unable to process the significance of that, his father’s voice rang out.

  “Cursed! He is cursed! Look at his scales,” King Boian shouted. Aleksander had no clue what his father was speaking of, so he glanced down and held in the humanlike desire to gasp. Aleksander’s scales were jet black, but the edge of each scale was rimmed in navy. Struggling to process what it meant, the refrain repeated in his mind that dragons did not have more than one color.

  “Shift back,” his father commanded, and Aleksander quickly complied. Donning his clothing in a rush, he ignored the crowd pressing closer to where he and the king stood.

  “Your Highness, Prince Aleksander is both black and blue. How is this possible?” Duke Drogo, King Boian’s most trusted advisor, asked.

  “It does not matter the why. You saw his scales. They are unnatural.”

  “Your Highness, his scales are unusual, but you saw for yourself his great size. Prince Aleksander is a very powerful dragon,” Brogan dared to comment.

  “His size goes against nature as well. Look there, Fate has even marked his human form to warn us all. His hair now has the peculiar mix of black and blue as his scales. Aleksander, gather your things quickly. You must leave the castle at once,” King Boian ordered his son grimly without meeting his gaze. Aleksander had no chance to respond. Boian turned on his heel and headed toward the castle. Standing just outside the circle of rocks that had changed his fate, Aleksander wondered if his father would truly banish him from the only home he had ever known.

  “Prince Aleksander, I’m to escort you to your room to collect your belongings.” Duke Drogo said gently as he walked over to him. Aleksander supposed that answered his question about whether his father was throwing him out. Woodenly, Aleksander followed Duke Drogo as they silently made their way inside and found King Boian in front of the stone staircase that led to the upstairs chambers.

  “Take only what is yours when you go, Aleksander,” King Boian warned. Aleksander managed a nod as his father walked away from him again. Since his youth, Aleksander had contemplated if his father had any affection for him, and he now had the answer. Straightening his spine, he took the stairs up to his quarters. Pleading his case or begging to stay was out of the question—his pride was too great to allow it, and his father wouldn’t be swayed. After entering his room, Aleksander took his time in collecting his things. Returning was impossible, and he wanted to ensure he left behind nothing. Thankfully he had some coin, but he had no idea where he would go. Would any king wish to have such a strange dragon in their court?

  “I have gathered everything,” Aleksander informed Duke Drogo, who whipped his head both left and right to search the hallway. Apparently satisfied, he entered the room and closed them inside, then crossed to Aleksander’s side.

  “Aleksander, when you leave the castle grounds, you will no longer be a part of Court Ethelin. You must go directly to Emperor Drystan and Emperor Conley to ask them to find you a new home. I fear your father will send someone after you to end your life if you do not,” Duke Drogo told him in a soft tone as he shoved some gold coins at him that Aleksander took most gratefully.

  “Your Grace, you have my thanks. I will go to the emperors.”

  Aleksander had no desire to see if his father would follow through and have him slain. With Duke Drogo still at his side, Aleksander made his way back down the stairs to leave his old life behind him. While he wished for a few moments to see Brogan or even his cousins, that courtesy would not be given to him. Aleksander was almost through the grand castle gate when someone shouted his name. Brogan ran toward him with Dravyn and Noirin trailing not far behind.

  “You did not think to leave without us, did you?” Brogan asked with a bright smile.

  “All of you, please think of what you leave behind. I can promise you nothing, not even your safety,” Aleksander cautioned.

  “We go with you,” Noirin replied with determination in her voice. Aleksander did not wish for them to be in danger, but at the same time, he was relieved he would not have to depart without his best friend or the cousins he’d missed since his youth.

  “Go now and heed my words, Aleksander. Head straight to Emperor Drystan and Emperor Conley,” Duke Drogo warned, then strode away toward the castle.

  “We will go and seek their aid. Be well, Duke Drogo,” Aleksander called after him. Not even a single step out of Court Ethelin, Brogan stopped him with a hand on
his arm.

  “We cannot go yet.”

  Aleksander lifted a black brow as he worried over the consequences of them taking any longer to leave. “We must hurry, Brogan.”

  Brogan opened his mouth to argue but stopped when they caught sight of two female shifters running toward them. Although Aleksander did not know the pair, he recognized them from the ceremony. The taller of the two had been the first of them to shift into a brilliant blue, and the slightly shorter woman at her side had been the clumsy orange dragon.

  “I am Madeline, and this is Larissa,” the azure dragon greeted him.

  “They are coming with us, Aleksander,” Brogan informed him.

  “I know not how the four of us are to survive, and now you wish to make it six?” Aleksander asked him incredulously.

  “They will be forced to go against the wishes of Fate if they remain.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “They are mates,” Brogan said gently. Madeline and Larissa were picked by Fate to bond heart, mind, and soul, but they were both female. They would not be allowed to complete their matebond because Court Ethelin forbade two people of the same gender to be together. Although the emperors were both men and sought to punish anyone who inhibited Fate’s choices, many far-reaching courts like their own were able to disregard the law, and King Boian was not an accepting man.

  Aleksander would not leave them behind—he did not want the two dragons to miss out on being together any more than Brogan did. His best friend was sure his mate would be male as he’d never been attracted to a woman in his life, and though he’d never told a soul due to his father’s prejudice, Aleksander shared his desire for men.

  “We must go,” Aleksander stated with a wave of his hand to lead his little group out. The moment he stepped past his father’s gate, he clenched his jaw as a burning pain started in his eyes and his vision grew blurry. Unable to understand what was plaguing him, he blinked rapidly to try and clear it when an intense burn started on his forearm.

  “Aleksander, what ails you?” Noirin asked as the small group of dragon shifters formed a circle around Aleksander. Dragging up his sleeve to find out what was causing the searing pain on his arm, he gasped at the word emblazoned on his skin.

  D’Vairedraconis.

  Aleksander barely had time to read it when it faded, and the discomfort subsided. Glancing at Noirin to answer her question, he was stopped by the stupefied expression on her face.

  “Aleksander. Your eyes,” Noirin whispered reverently.

  “What is wrong with them?”

  “Nothing, King Aleksander. In fact, they are quite beautiful,” Brogan responded with a saucy smile.

  “King?” Aleksander asked, confused at the address.

  “Yes, Your Highness. Your eyes have the silver rings that demark you as a king,” Dravyn informed him. Before Aleksander could respond, Larissa took his face in her hands and tugged his head down so close to hers that their noses touched.

  “Definitely silver, but there is also a bit of gold. Small rings of it,” Larissa enlightened the group, then took a step back releasing him.

  “I thought only emperors had gold,” Madeline said sounding quite perplexed. The six of them pondered her words, but none of them commented. The strange gilded rings aside, Aleksander was immensely grateful Fate had chosen him to be a king. Along with the five that had followed him, Aleksander would now have his own court. They even had a name and somehow, he was now King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis. The emperors would give them land, and they’d build something magnificent. Aleksander glanced at each of the dragons that had been willing to risk their lives to stay at his side, and from the happy smiles upon their faces, he could see that they too were most pleased with this development.

  “Kneel,” he commanded, and they quickly obeyed. Placing his hand on the shoulders of the ladies, he wished he could give Noirin a title, but it was forbidden by dragon law. Theirs was a solid patriarchal society, so he quickly welcomed each of them officially into his court. Pulling his sword from its scabbard, he designated Brogan and Dravyn as dukes, and they eagerly repeated their oaths in unison.

  “I swear to protect the Draconis Court of D’Vaire and shall raise my sword to protect my King and all the inhabitants of this Court should it be a just and true fight. I will conduct myself with honor and never stray from the values that govern our people. I vow I will uphold the laws of the Emperor Drystan and Emperor Conley and never muddy the reputation of dragons.”

  “Rise,” Aleksander directed, and the group hastily complied. Someday, he would give them the rings of rank they deserved. Without a word, they disrobed so they could shift for their journey. They snatched up their belongings with their giant talons and took to the air to seek out the emperors. Aleksander could not have guessed when he woke that he’d by a king by nightfall and wondered what type of destiny awaited the new Draconis Court of D’Vaire.

  Chapter 3

  1370 AD

  Draconis Court of Varius, Market Day

  “We have much to sell today; we should make plenty of coin,” Noirin said as she loaded up their table with fresh food from her brother’s remarkable garden.

  Aleksander was assisting while trying to drown out the comments people made loudly as they walked past him. Those that were not murmuring about the cursed king were staring at him so intensely, he wondered if they could see his thoughts. It was unnerving and happened each time he left his land. Somehow, the differences in his dragon had spread far and wide after his father had kicked him out, and he’d had the misfortune to be in the castle the night the emperors were murdered. No matter what court the D’Vaires journeyed to, it was always the same.

  “They never give us enough room,” Larissa bemoaned as they laid out the dragonskins she’d worked. The colors in their court were remarkable, and they sold nearly all the shedded scales their beasts provided, only keeping the barest essentials for themselves. Although people liked the rarity of the D’Vaire dragons, their family no longer bothered putting Aleksander’s out for sale—they’d never found a single customer interested in his two-toned skin.

  “He’s over here,” someone shouted. Aleksander did not have a moment to collect himself before someone spat on his once-clean boots, then threw something solid at his shoulder. “Get out of here, you freakish fiend!”

  “Your Highness, come ’round the other side of the table,” Noirin ordered sharply as she tried to shoo away the oafs ruining Aleksander’s day.

  Although Aleksander wanted to obey her command and seek shelter under the tent, he was frozen. The clown who’d spat at him had gathered more people to gawk and curse at Aleksander, though the roaring in his ears prevented him from hearing the words clearly. His hands shook as his heart raced in his chest so loudly, he feared it would explode. Rigidity seized him, making it difficult to breathe as terror rushed into his brain. Would they gather up weapons next, and could he find the strength to survive their attacks?

  Sweat rolled down his face, and he trembled as his fright rose to a level that he wished to run from, but he was still unable to move. There was no way to know how long he stood there with his back curled to protect himself from whatever blows might rain upon him, but when a hand was laid on him, his entire being clenched.

  “Aleksander,” Noirin whispered as she rubbed his spine. “Just get some air into your lungs, love.”

  Gritting his teeth, he wanted to do as she said, but it seemed impossible. All he could do was summon enough air to barely remain upright.

  “Move on,” Brogan shouted at the people laughing and calling Aleksander horrid names.

  “You heard His Grace; return to your stalls,” Dravyn roared.

  “You see this?” Madeline yelled. “It’s a hot poker fresh from my fire. If you wish me to stick it in your backside, then do stay close.”

  “Oh, that’s well done. You’ve scared them off,” Larissa told her mate.

  Noirin’s palm was warm as she continued to move it
over his cloak, and Aleksander managed to get a full breath, though it was shaky. Tears escaped from the eyes he’d squeezed shut as Aleksander’s brain kicked into gear. Shame flooded him; he’d made a spectacle of himself by locking up when Fate had supposedly picked him to lead a court.

  “You’re fine, Aleksander, just keep on breathing,” Noirin coaxed.

  Lifting his head, he was finally able to gain some control. Her fingers went to his face to wipe away the wetness. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as his heart continued to pound heavily and panic still raced through his mind.

  “You’ve nothing to apologize for,” Noirin stated in a brisk tone. “Now, you’ve had a fright. Are you able to walk yet? Let’s get you ’round the table.”

  With some aid from his cousin, he managed to get under the canopy of their small tent stall and sat heavily on the stool they’d placed inside. The fabric around him provided protection from what still felt like a million eyes prodding into his soul.

  The side of it was whipped back, and Brogan soon filled the space. “What happened? You had such dread on your face.”

  “I know not,” Aleksander responded in a soft voice that sounded hoarse to his ears. Exhaustion engulfed him as he struggled to get his wayward body under control. “I was overcome with fear, I guess.”

  Brogan let out a huff. “These fools carrying on about you simply because you’re different. I fail to understand the logic.”

  Dravyn gently shoved Brogan so he could see Aleksander; then as usual for the shy dragon, his gaze dropped to the ground. “There’s no need for us all to be here. I was planning on going to our sleeping tent. I think it would be quite safe for you to join me.”