Light My Fire (Dragon Kin #7)(131)

Why didn’t her brother understand? Of course there were rumors about people wanting to kill her. There would always be rumors. With the Quintilian Provinces trapped in a power struggle between her brother and their cousins, she and her brother were obvious targets. But Aggie shouldn’t be forced to hide, like a child, while her brother secured his throne.

“Princess Agrippina!”

Aggie stopped and looked behind her. Marcellus, of her personal guard, was running toward her.

“What is it, Marcellus?” she asked when he was close.

“You’re in danger.”

She shrugged. “I thought that’s why I was here.”

“Assassins are here, my lady. I need to get you someplace safe.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled.

Aggie went with him, but at the same time she called out to her brother to let him know. When she got no answer back—and her brother never blocked her—Aggie immediately stopped, digging her heels into the ground.

Marcellus faced her. “My lady?”

“Where are the others?”

“Attempting to protect you. As I am doing.”

Aggie studied the dragon’s human face. “You’re lying,” she said softly.

“Princess—”

“You’re lying.” This was the same ploy cousin Vateria’s people had used to capture her the first time. But Marcellus wouldn’t know that. He had been just a soldier in the rebel army then.

The grip on her wrist tightened, and Marcellus said, sadly, “I wanted to make it as painless as possible for you.”

Aggie looked up at Marcellus through her lashes. “Yes. I’m sure you did.” With her free hand, she stroked his forearm. “I’m sorry I can’t do the same for you.”

“What do you mean, you can’t find Gwenvael or Briec?” Izzy demanded while she nervously readjusted her travel pack for the fifteenth time and continued to walk down the back road they hoped would allow them to cut in front of Annwyl before she got too far.

“I looked for them,” Éibhear explained, “but I couldn’t find them. But I brought the next best thing.”

“Mì-runach?” Brannie asked, pointing at the three dragons in human form. “You brought Mì-runach with you? We’re just going to fetch Annwyl. Not kill her.”

“Your tone is hurtful, Branwen the Awful.”

“Don’t think for a second I won’t kill you,” she shot back at one of the Mì-runach.

Izzy was in no mood to hear this bickering, so she asked Éibhear, “Can’t you do that thing . . . with your head?”

Éibhear frowned. “That thing with my head?”

“She means talking to them.” Brannie stopped, looking up into the sky. “I think it might snow.”

“Then it snows. Come on.” Izzy looked back at Éibhear. “Yeah. Talk to them in your head. Can’t you do that?”

“I’ve tried. They must have me blocked out for some reason.”

“Just wonderful.”

“We’ll find her, Iz,” Brannie continued to promise.

“Brannie!”

Hearing Celyn calling out to his sister, Izzy stopped and looked up. The dragon landed in front of them, his claws slamming hard into the ground.

Brannie pushed past Izzy and Éibhear. “What is it?”

“Have you seen Princess Agrippina today?”

“No, but—”

“I hear her,” Éibhear cut in. He pointed to some nearby trees. “I hear her voice on the other side of—”

Éibhear suddenly dove at Izzy, dropping them both to the ground.

Celyn watched his cousin throw himself and Izzy to the ground just as the hottest flames Celyn had ever experienced torched the trees close to them.

Trying to move out of the way, Celyn gave a painful yelp as flames lashed across his back leg. The fire was so powerful, it cut past his scales and into flesh.

Never. Not once in his existence, had Celyn ever been burned by flame. How could he be? He was made of fire.

Brannie ran to his side once the flame stopped. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Celyn realized he’d forgotten about Agrippina and scrambled to his claws. He ran to the woods, limping a bit because of his wounded leg, while the others followed behind him.

He found Princess Agrippina standing in the middle of a burned-out field, her eyes coldly watching one of her personal guards trying to crawl away from her. Her flame had destroyed half his body, but he wasn’t dead yet.

“I don’t understand,” she said softly as she stared at her fellow Iron. “Why would they kill me? I’m more valuable to them alive.”

“Are you sure that’s what he wanted to do?” Éibhear asked. “To kill you?”

“He said something about smiting me in the name of his god . . . whatever that means.”

“She’s right,” Celyn said. “She’s worth much more alive than dead. That’s why Vateria never killed her.” He glanced at Agrippina. “She kept control of your brother by keeping you a prisoner.”

“But then—”

Celyn held his claw up, and Éibhear immediately fell silent.