~Florence

  “Explain,” Prince Andrelandros demands as soon as I open my eyes.

  “Your Highness.” I hear another familiar voice—Thorne?? No, that would be impossible. I turn my head to see Lord Trevor. Wait, why on earth would he be here? “Please, give her a moment.”

  The prince huffs and turns away, and it’s only then that I notice the glowing sword stabbed into the floor, with Felix kneeling at its side. He looks awful.

  “Felix!” I shout. “Are you alright?”

  I try to get out of bed, but Lord Trevor stops me.

  “Sit. Drink,” he says. He hands me a cup of water. “I’ll take care of Cleric Felix.”

  The water is clear and cold, and it washes away the cloudiness in my mind. I remember…I remember…

  “How much did you hear?” I ask. “What did I say this time?”

  I can't quite keep the panic out of my voice, not when I know exactly what kinds of vile things I've screamed the past seven years I was asleep. My family has a record, after all.

  The prince saunters back to the bed.

  “Raius, your ‘mate,’ is in some kind of danger,” the prince states, his voice cold. “Who is this ‘Raius’ and what does it mean that he is your ‘mate’?”

  Thank the saints! I hadn’t revealed he’s a dragon. The prince’s eyes narrow, and I nearly sink into the pillows under the focus of his harsh scrutiny. Had my face given something away?

  “What else?” he asks. “There’s something more, isn’t there?”

  “Please, Your Highness,” I say, trying to think of something believable, “Raius is…a friend I’ve made in the hellscape. He called us ‘mates’ as in, um, pals, or chums, or…”

  “I detest lies, Lady Florence,” Prince Andrelandros says, glaring down at me.

  “Well, I can’t tell you the truth, Your Highness. Not unless you promise to keep it a secret.”

  “Lady Florence!” Lord Trevor shouts. “What are you doing?”

  “That’s what I would like to know,” the prince says, his gaze calculating. Yet, for a brief moment, I swear I saw him smile. Just a slight lift of his lip, but it certainly softened his next words. “You do realize I could imprison you for what you're saying, do you not?”

  The thought of Raius being captured by anyone, even the King, makes me nauseous.

  “It’s worth it, to me, Your Highness,” I say, clutching the blanket to my chest. “Either promise me you’ll keep it a secret, or…take me to the dungeon.”

  I lift my chin, all but daring him to do it, and meet his gaze.

  “Ha!” the prince’s icy face finally cracks. “Who knew you were prone to such dramatics, my lady? Alright, I promise. And both of you promise, as well. This secret stays in this room. I swear upon my name, Andrelandros Constantine deh Doran, that your secret is safe, Lady Florence.”

  I wait until Lord Trevor and Cleric Felix have sworn as well.

  “Raius is…” I sigh, resigned. It’s almost a relief to share this secret, but at the same time, I feel scared. What if something happens to him because of me? “Raius is…a dragon.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Ha!” The prince laughs. I admit I hadn't expected outright disbelief. Felix’s eyes are focused far in the distance, and Lord Trevor’s brow is scrunched, as if he is thinking hard. “This is a joke of some kind, isn’t it? The dragons are gone, Lady Florence. Long gone.”

  He looks around at the other two and realizes they do not share his mirth. Only then does he sober. “Wait…Felix? Do you know something? You know something, don’t you? Has my father sworn you to secrecy?”

  Felix, whose lips had parted, snaps his mouth shut in response, telling the prince what he needs to know.

  “That bastard!” Prince Andrelandros shouts. My own mouth drops open in shock at him calling his own father such a thing. “He knew? What else does he know?”

  “Y-y-you know I cannot tell you, my prince,” Felix says, backing up to a wall.

  “Your Highness,” I say, drawing his attention back to me. “Do you believe me now?”

  He stares at me for a few seconds before replying. “Yes,” he says. “But now what? What’s this business with him being your ‘mate’? Where is he? And why shouldn’t we tell my father about him?”

  Truthfully, I wish I knew why Raius thinks I’m his mate. I wish I had more time with Aurora to ask more questions…

  “To be honest, I don’t know about the first thing, but if I find out, you’ll be the first to know,” I begin, my cheeks burning because I do have an idea about what it truly means. “Secondly, all I know is that they were concerned about a group of men breaking into a mountain, or a cavern of some sort…where Aurora’s bones rest. They want to steal Raius’ egg.”

  “Egg? He’s an infant?” Lord Trevor asks, baffled.

  “No,” I sigh. I rub my forehead and feel exhausted. “Dragons can shapeshift…and he’s fully grown…older than any of us…”

  “She’s been through so much, Landros,” I hear Lord Trevor say, but his voice sounds so far away.

  “Back to ‘Landros,’ now, is it?” the prince shoots back, but a small wave of warmth gently creeps over me in response to his teasing Trevor, and I can’t fight sleep any longer.

  Leave the cavern, Raius, Aurora had told him just before I left the ?thermind. Build a den, grow strong, my young one. Go north. Hide.

  Remember. I must remember.

  Find Raius.

  ?????

  ~Ursula Feiknagandr

  Kirva (North of Dorandia)

  “He will survive,” the cleric said, silver hair clinging to his forehead with sweat. “I believe we are past the worst of it.”

  Ursula sank to her knees beside Hágan’s bed, clutching his hand and pressing it to her lips.

  A while later, after Hágan had been bathed and fed some watery soup, Ursula and Russo sat down near the fire with bowls of their own.

  "I never thanked you," Ursula said, staring into the flames. "For saving us. Why would you go to such lengths for strangers?"

  Cleric Russo glanced at her, then Hágan, and then back to his bowl. "I'm under the King's command to discover anything and everything related to Lady Florence LaVelle's sleeping curse. The trail led me here."

  He wasn't explicitly saying he suspected her, but all the warmth she'd slowly absorbed from the fire after years in the dungeons suddenly left her bones once more. It was just as good as an accusation. Had they traded in one prison for another?

  "Please don't be alarmed," he continued, sensing her distress. "I'm not here to arrest anyone—I don't have that kind of authority. But you know something, don't you?"

  Oh! How her eyes burned as the tears prickled and shed. She did know. She knew almost everything now. And it was all her fault.

  "As a repayment for your kindness," she ventured, "I will answer what questions I can. But if I sense any of this is putting Florence in danger, I will cease cooperating. I don't care what happens to me."

  Cleric Russo glanced at her again for a moment, then back to the flames.

  "I really am not here to harm you, Lady Feiknagandr, your niece, or anyone else, honestly," he told her. "I didn't know what to expect once I arrived, other than a standard welcome at your estate. I simply…adapted my plan once I'd learned about everything else. However, you should understand that Lady Florence is important to King Roark de Doran. The last thing he wants to do is punish her, or give her a reason not to cooperate."

  He paused then, rising to take care of the dishes, before rejoining her at the fire. Cleric Russo certainly seemed trustworthy, but Ursula knew that mattered little when it came to true intentions. But...he'd done so much to save her and her husband. What if he truly wanted to help Florence?

  "I also have this," he said, producing a worn scroll with an edict from the Dorandian King. Ursula didn't know much about the current seals of the country she no longer called home, but it looked official enough. "So, please tell me—were you the one who placed the sleeping curse on Lady Florence?"

  It had been over seven years ago. Ursula had truly thought she was protecting Florence, but in the end, she'd ruined everything beyond repair.

  "Yes," she finally said, her voice a harsh whisper. "Yes, it was me."

  ?? Now then, what does Florence's aunt mean that it's all her fault? Why would she do that to her own flesh and blood???

  Perhaps we'll find out next week! Thank you so much for following along.

  Lots of Love,

  xo??kb