Light My Fire (Dragon Kin #7)(132)

“We have a problem,” Celyn said as he faced the small group. “This wasn’t the only assassin sent out today. Boys in town saw messages given to others. Messages like this one.” He held up the scroll that Robert and his friends had given him. “This one had Agrippina’s name and a time. I think there are other attempted assassinations taking place at this very moment.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Izzy demanded. “Let’s go—”

“I don’t know who the others are. And I can’t reach anyone.”

“What do you mean you can’t reach anyone?” Brannie asked.

“I’ve been calling you since I realized what was going on. Did you ever hear me?”

Brannie shook her head.

“Do you hear me now?”

“No.”

“Then I can’t reach anyone.”

“He’s right,” Agrippina chimed in. “I can’t hear my brother. And he never blocks me.”

Closing his eyes, Celyn started to talk out loud as his brain quickly sorted through the information they had. “Annwyl said that it felt like Abertha was trying to get her to kill her.”

“To turn Abertha into a martyr,” Éibhear said.

“Right. Even the guards who challenged Annwyl . . . I don’t think they actually tried to kill her. They wanted Annwyl alive. Yet this time they wanted Princess Agrippina dead. Why?”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Izzy said. “Annwyl and Rhiannon are war queens. They should be the first to die, because if something happens to any of their allies or someone close to them—”

“Gods,” Celyn breathed. “That’s it. They want war. They want to cleanse the lands of what they consider the Abominations. Those who don’t follow their beliefs. Their god. And they know Annwyl, Rhiannon, and with the death of Agrippina, King Gaius will bring that war even if we’re not ready.”

And they weren’t ready. Not even close.

“But you said there were others,” Brannie reminded him. “Other targets besides Agrippina. We need to know who they are.”

“The assassins are going after the ones whose deaths will start a war and those . . . who can prevent war.” Celyn faced the group again. “Brannie, go to Da’s house.” Without waiting, Brannie shifted to her dragon form and took to the air. “Izzy and Éibhear . . . you need to get to Dagmar. Now.”

As his cousins charged off, Celyn focused on the confused Mì-runach. “You lot, you’ll stay with Agrippina. Protect her with your lives.”

“And what are you going to do, Queen’s Guard?” one of the Mì-runach asked.

“I should go with my sister, but . . . I feel like I’m missing . . .”

“Are you actually going to finish a sentence?”

“The queen.”

“Yeah. Our queen. The one you are sworn to protect. Remember her?”

“My mother’s with her. No one will be able to . . .”

“You need to finish a bloody thought,” the Mì-runach complained.

But Celyn couldn’t be bothered as he took to the air once he realized there was one other dragon he needed to protect if he was going to ensure that the Salebiris didn’t get their way.

Elina watched the wild boar charge away, her arrow missing the damn thing by a mile.

“I’ll get him,” Kachka said, running after the animal.

Disappointed in herself, Elina sat down on a tree stump.

“That was pitiful,” she told Var.

The young boy was busy reading a book, paying no attention to what Elina and Kachka were trying to teach him.

“It could be worse,” he said, turning the page. “Your mother could have taken both eyes.”

Elina nodded. “I like you, Var. You are not whiny and constantly sobbing like that brown one.”

Var glanced up from his book. “Auntie Talaith?”

“No, no. She is strong like all Nolwenn witches are. I mean her daughter, Rhianwen.”

“I haven’t met her yet, so I wouldn’t be able to agree or disagree on that statement.”

“You are strange child. But I still like you.”

Elina yawned and scratched the back of her neck. That’s when she realized something.

“No birds.”

Var looked up from his book. “Pardon?”

“No birds.” Elina nocked another arrow in her bow and stood. “They have stopped their singing.”

Kachka walked out of the woods. She had no wild boar carcass with her, and Kachka never missed a shot.

Staring at each other, the sisters said together, “No birds.”

A twig snapped behind her and Elina spun to her left as she always had, her bow raised, the arrow loosed without thought. It slammed into a man’s chest. He stumbled back, eyes wide in disbelief, staring at Elina in shock before he crashed to the ground.

“What have you done?” Var screamed as he jumped up, tossed the book away, and ran to the man’s side.

“Shoot first,” Kachka said for Elina. “Mourn loss second.”

“He came up on my blind side.”

“Gods,” the boy said. “I know him. He’s . . .”

Var suddenly ran at the sisters, his hands out. He pushed them, hard, attempting to shove them back. “Move. Please. Quickly!”