A Tale Of Two Dragons (Dragon Kin 0.2)(25)

And since she didn’t see how any of this could get worse . . .

“My Queen!” Brigida greeted Addiena when she finally arrived before her throne. “How good to see you looking so well.”

“And you . . . you look . . .” Addiena let out a breath. “So what brings you here, dear Brigida the White?” Only the title one received at hatching was used while in the Queen’s chamber. But Braith was sure everyone was thinking “foul.”

“Ahh, my dear sweet Majesty. I’ve come here to offer my assistance in such a trying time.”

“Trying time?” the Queen asked.

“The betrayal of Elder Emyr. How horrifying for you. That such betrayal was going on here, right under your beautiful snout.”

The Queen’s eyes narrowed into slits and Braith began wondering again if anyone would actually claim her headless corpse or if it would be tossed off the side of Devenallt Mountain.

“Even his poor daughter, Braith here, has no idea why her father did this. Or that he was about to do it. She was trapped in his horrible web of deceit and lies.” Brigida reached over and patted Braith on the shoulder. She’d flinched away, but a claw on her opposite side from Bram kept her from moving anywhere. “He’s betrayed us all, my lady.”

“And what do you suggest we do about that?”

“He must be caught and brought back for trial as soon as possible. There is no other way. You must try and convict Elder Lord Emyr. No one else can do it but you, Your Majesty . . . and Elder Lord Emyr himself must know the true wrath of your domain.” Brigida’s head tilted to the side and the entire chamber cringed at the sounds coming from her old neck. “Don’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

The Queen studied Brigida for a long moment, her mind turning, searching—desperately, by the looks of it—for a way out of this. She wanted an execution and she wanted one now. But Brigida the Foul had made a very good point. To execute Emyr’s daughter—who hadn’t been caught while escaping with her kin, but debating what to do next with the loyal Cadwaladrs—rather than Emyr himself, would put a dark stain on Queen Addiena’s reign.

Since, Braith was guessing, there would be many dark stains Addiena had to worry about during her reign, she was most likely weighing whether having Braith’s head now would be worth it later.

Braith, however, wouldn’t bother to get her hopes up. She had no faith in . . . anything at the moment. So she just stood there, waiting for the ax to fall—literally and figuratively—until she felt something brush against her spine. She glanced behind her and saw Addolgar. He gave her a small wink and the tiniest smile, and, Braith would be forced to admit, she’d never felt so . . . safe before. Not safe in the sense that her head would not go rolling across the chamber floor, but just that someone, other than herself or her still-missed mother, actually cared for her. That someone was watching out for her.

And that someone was Addolgar.

“You have a very good point, Brigida the White,” Addiena finally stated. “But what will I do with Braith the Blue?”

“My liege,” Brigida practically purred, “that’s very simple.” She focused those cold, dead eyes at Braith, sending a chill down her spine. “We send Braith the Blue to bring back her father—dead or alive.”

Addolgar had his claw on Braith’s back so he felt her entire body go rigid at Brigida’s words. And he understood why. He wouldn’t want to have to hunt down his father either. Mostly because his father scared him a little and Addolgar was quite sure the old dragon would kick his ass, but still . . .

“Me?” Braith said. “You want me to hunt my father?”

It was the perfect reaction, wasn’t it? The perfect reaction for the Queen. To see Braith’s fear, her absolute horror at the prospect. If she’d been eager, the Queen would have immediately said no. But there was no eagerness there—and the Queen loved it. She lived on others’ misery.

“Aye,” the Queen said, her smile so wide, her bright white fangs nearly blinding everyone in the entire chamber. “You will hunt your father. Hunt him down and bring him to me. Or,” she added for good measure, “I’ll assume you were part of all this.”

The Queen leaned in a bit, the tip of her tail eagerly scratching against the stone flooring. “That you were a part of it . . . and anyone who may have helped you was part of it as well.”

Braith’s mouth dropped open in shock that the Queen was openly threatening all the Cadwaladrs who’d been at Ailean’s castle during her stay, and she immediately looked to Addolgar, then Ghleanna. She glanced at Bercelak, but quickly sneered, before moving her gaze back to Addolgar. She stared at him for several seconds before focusing again on the Queen.

“Your Majesty—” Braith began.

“She’ll do it,” Addolgar quickly said for her, terrified she was going to do something stupid and “honorable.”

Braith glowered at Addolgar. “What are you doing?” she demanded between clenched fangs.

“Stopping you from being an idiot.” He grinned at the Queen. “She’ll do it, Your Majesty. And I’ll go with her to assist in bringing this traitor to justice.”

“I cannot hunt down my own—”

Braith’s eyes grew wide, her claws reaching for her throat.