Aspen (The Dragon Kings #2)(28)

“Yeah. Sid wouldn’t have pursued her otherwise. He’s an idiot but not that big of one.”

Pearl sank onto the couch. “Let’s hear this plan of yours to keep you two alive, because I can’t see any way out of this.”

Sid sat down next to Pearl. “What I’m about to tell you is a big deal. I need you swear you won’t say a word to anyone else. If the council finds out about this, I’m a dead dragon.”

Skye scowled. “You’re already a dead dragon.”

“No. I’m not. Not if this works.”

Pearl sat back against the couch. “What on earth could you do that would…” She stood and backed away from Sid. “Please don’t tell me you…”

“This was the only way.” He pulled off his shirt, and Pearl stared at the marks on his chest. Aspen grinned at the sight. Again.

Pearl backed in the wall and covered her mouth. “This is treason.”

“I’m the king.”

“Not yet.” She studied the marks for a second. “Not only have you sentenced yourself to death, but you’ve also made sure Skye, Damien, and…and…Dad. How could you do this?”

“Because I’m the king. I shouldn’t answer to anyone, let alone a stupid council. Now, are you going to keep my secret or ensure my execution?”

Her face softened a little. “Of course. I don’t want you to die, but…” She laid her hands on top of his marks. “But I hope you know what you’re doing. Otherwise you’re going to leave me without my brother and father. How long do you think you’ll need?”

“I’m not sure. I’m hoping only a few weeks, but if the canyon and arctic dragons refuse, it could take a few months.”

“That means I’ll have to carry on like nothing is wrong. That includes continuing the search for a queen.”

“Seems silly, but you’re right. We’re going to see about the woodland dragons today. Mom and Dad are coming with us.”

Aspen jerked around. “Are you sure about that? Don’t we need to find the human killer first?”

“Unfortunately, this can’t wait. But this is two-fold. My father is the best tracker alive. He retired a few years ago, but this is important enough to pull him back into the game. They’ll come with us to see Jolantha, and then he can start searching for the murderous dragon.”

Pearl spoke up. “Well then, you better get going. The sooner you round up enough dragons to support you, the better chance you have of this working out.”

Theo stood up. “I’m bushed. I’ll see you this afternoon. That is if Aspen survives the visit to your folks.” He winked and left the room.





“Can I bring my camera?” Aspen asked.

“Why?” Sid wondered why she would think of that in a moment like this.

“Because I haven’t been close to many dragons, and today I get to see two royal dragons and a woodland one. Seriously. This is an awesome opportunity.”

Aspen would someday be the death of herself. Sid shook his head at her. Skye and Theo weren’t far off. Sid’s mother would be furious with her.

“Let’s leave the camera here. But we need to go. I want Dad searching for this dragon, and he needs to help us do this first.”

Aspen followed him out the front door. He stopped dead when he saw what was on the front porch. Two eagles, both dead. Bavol and another Sid didn’t know.

Aspen recoiled. “What happened?”

Sid reached down and fingered Bavol’s feathers. “It looks like his neck was snapped. They saw something they weren’t supposed to. What’s bad about this is that whoever did this also wanted to send a message to me. We’ve got to get rid of this dragon. Wait here.”

Sid spun and headed back into the house. He took the stairs two at a time and flung open Theo’s door. Theo froze just before climbing into bed.

“Did you see any dragons when you were coming home?”

Theo shook his head and pulled his blanket up around him as he lay down. “Why?”

“Because the eagles I had out searching for him are on the front stairs, dead. It had to happen between the time you came home and now. That wasn’t much time.”

Theo frowned. “I came in the side door though, so they could’ve been there already.”

“Dammit. I was hoping maybe you’d seen something.”

“Sorry, but when I get up, I’ll check the surveillance cameras and see what I can find. I’d do it now, but I’m exhausted, and I’ll probably miss something. I’ll have it done by the time you get back.”

“I didn’t think of that. I’ve never looked at the cameras before. Don’t worry about it. I’ll check it myself.”

“No, dude, you’ve got bigger things to do. Your dad is the best at what he does. He can find that dragon. You go talk to him, and I’ll check the cameras. If we find anything on them, then we can update your dad.”

Sid nodded. Theo was right, he should get going.

He found Aspen and Skye outside with the dead birds.

“We should give them a dragon’s requiem. They died serving you,” Skye said and wrung her hands.

“We should.” Sid turned to face Aspen. “You are about to witness a dragon’s requiem. No pictures.”