Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

" P lease. Just kick this ass already. Anything but seeing how tormented our women are," Malachi stated with dismay.

I snorted a laugh. Malachi and these horse puns were just too much.

I had to heal Zaire that afternoon with Malachi. The others were getting back to work in a few days with the adjusted lottery. Then in a few weeks, we had the Yule celebration. I needed this as much as Malachi did, but I was stuck with Dex, because I wouldn't hurt Malachi while he was still recovering from the attack. He could shift back and forth again, but I didn't want him to go too hard, too fast.

Esta needed her warriors now more than ever.

Dex grinned at me and moved. I had to stop chatting with Malachi to spar with him.

Minutes later, we stopped in a draw, both of us grabbing for our knees. It was clear to see we had both trained with Owen. But where Owen would gladly take a hit to win, Dex and I both avoided pain when we could .

"You sure you don't want me to heal Zaire?" Dex asked between pants. "Very few people give me the visceral reaction of wanting to pummel them, but he is one of the rare few."

I shook my head, though I agreed with that last bit. "I'll do it. Still not sure it's not a waste of magic though."

"But you'll still do it," Malachi noted.

I sent him a look. Hadn't I just said as much?

"For Esta."

I stood up and tossed the training sword I had been using to the ground. "Let's go get this over with, shall we?"

"Says a lot about your character that the guy has been nothing but rude to you, and you'll still personally heal him and do what he asked."

"It's not about me," I snapped. "None of this has ever been about me ."

"Yet you are the reason we are healing," Malachi reminded me gently.

"I'm sorry," I said stopping beside him. "It is not you I am frustrated with, brother."

"Me too," Malachi said with a shrug. "I didn't mean to remind you of all the horrible things he's said to you."

We looked at one another and burst out laughing at the same time. After a good laugh, I finally blurted out what had been bothering me since dawn. "Do you really think he is loyal to Dra Skor? Or am I about to heal yet another suspect?"

He thought for a moment. "I think he values himself as the biggest drake more than he values anything else. He clings to that too hard to be our culprit. Not that it excuses all the shady things he has done, but still."

I inhaled deeply. "Okay."

"How about you heal Zaire and then I'll fly you to the shore for some wave riding?"

I swallowed hard. "Without Savanna? "

"It might cheer Kian up?" Malachi countered.

"Fine," I acquiesced.

Later, in the purple water of The Drak, I stood a moment and inhaled deep. Esta had flown me here before heading directly for her lair. I was giving her space to deal with the loss of her cousin, but I was also worried about her. She was struggling. We all were.

My eyes went to Serkan's empty cave.

Dra Skor had already lost far too much.

"Prince Keiran," Zaire said from behind me.

I turned my head over my shoulder.

"Thank you for this."

I exhaled. "If I do this for you and you do not do everything in your power to help her, if you end up knowing even a speck of information about who the real traitor is here, I am going to flay your skin."

"I would let you," Zaire said with a nod.

Malachi was suddenly between us, in his human form. "Before we get started here. I have to know. Why the change of heart? Keir might not have known you our whole lives, but I have."

Zaire's eyes darted away before they went back to Malachi. "Look. I have messed up. I have messed up a lot. Being kept from my drake form... it made me a person I am not proud of. Now that Dra Skor is healing, I want to be on the side of things that is helping, not hindering." His eyes went to mine. "I know it's too late for me to get Esta back, a fact I will grapple with and deal with on my own, but it isn't too late for Dra Skor. Let's end this civil war and heal."

"And if we heal you and I ask you to keep an eye on Morana?" Malachi asked. "Also your ex?"

He gave him a nod. "I'm not involved with her anymore, I'll do it. Whatever it takes. Dra Skor will heal." His eyes went back to mine. "We may have been at odds vying for Esta, but we are not at odds when it comes to Dra Skor. It took Serkan's death and you putting up a mirror to my actions for me to see that. I am sorry, Prince."

I let my magic flare and roar to the surface. I was still angry and grieving my friend. I hadn't known Samori as well as Esta, but I had known Savanna. Savanna who had helped save me the day we rescued Kian. I let the power pulse and take over, flaring even in my eyes. And then I unleashed it to Zaire.

I didn't let him try it out. I didn't reassure him. I just wasn't in the mood to be kind.

It took me a few minutes to seek out all the poison, it seeming to be everywhere, just like with Amory. "When you see me begin to yank on the magic, try to shift."

"If I remember how." Zaire shifted his weight.

Was he nervous?

"It's not something we forget," Malachi said kindly before shifting, ready to help me like he did with Amory.

The weight of the poison was enough to make my forehead sweat. I wanted to hiss out from the heaviness of it, or let out a groan, but for Zaire I would do neither. He did not deserve even one bead of sweat upon my brow.

The moment I had it all, I began yanking, Malachi shoving at my chest. Nyx looked on curiously.

I heard a roar at the same time I sent more magic out to destroy the black mass in the water.

Zaire was formidable, I would give him that. For as smooth and handsome as his human form was, his dragon one seemed to be more like his soul, jagged around the edges. What looked like two horns were pinned back on his head adding to his sinister look. While Esta was smooth and beautiful, Zaire looked more like Serkan had. Rough. Built for destruction. The iridescent hue to his scales was red, adding to that even more. He looked birthed from hell, ready to unleash it upon us all .

Zaire put out his wings and spun around, clearly pleased. Had he been a canine, I was sure his spiked tail would be wagging.

And then just as soon as he shifted, he shifted back, sinking onto his knees as he did. "Thank you."

I was exhausted, but I let my Enchantment flare one last time. "Do not make me regret this, Zaire."

"All of the men from your ship have been interrogated and cleared," Amory told me.

Esta had put Zaccai and his team in charge of that. I didn't trust many people in Dra Skor, but Zaccai was one of them. I wished I had the time to interrogate all the crew members myself. Yet there just wasn't enough time in the day. I couldn't be in two places at once. Unfortunately. "Good."

Esta was asleep in my bed while Amory and Malachi checked in after the evening patrols. Zaire was healed and in his lair. I was doubtful he'd be able to keep it a secret until we needed him; I felt it was going to be too hard for him to resist the urge to go flying.

Though we had seen Kian in Keld today, he was still grieving and not in the mood to wave ride. We'd just sat with him for a while instead. Between healing Zaire and a trip to Keld, it had been a long day, but a worthwhile one.

"We are going to need to make a decision about our Agrian spy in custody before Agria gets any more suspicious than they already are," Amory added.

I looked to the balcony, wishing we could go back to moments before the news of Savanna and Samori. The moment Esta was happily flying in the dark with my magic lighting up her scales. The moments we had stolen in the sunset and sand to just be.

"Keir?" Amory asked.

"Just let him go." It seemed the logical answer. "Agria deserves to know what is going on here. Maybe then they will be willing to work with us."

"Dra Skor traditionally does not like our Agrian neighbors," Malachi explained. "But with current events and tensions, you are not wrong. Reyald won't like it though."

"I think I am more worried about an entire country of people who are missing than I am about Agria right now."

Malachi gave me a nod. "Understandable."

"We can talk to Esta about it tomorrow. See what she thinks," Amory suggested.

Esta sat up in bed and stretched. "I think whatever Keir thinks is best."

"Es," I chided.

"What?" she yawned. "I trust you."

Amory and I exchanged a worried look. This wasn't the first time Esta had told us whatever we thought was fine. We'd heard it a lot the past few days.

"You can't put me in charge of things," I argued.

"But you're right. The Agrian spy can go. Release him tomorrow. We have more than enough going on in Dra Skor without figuring out Agrian strategy."

There was a knock on my door in the silence, as Malachi, Amory, and I didn't know what to say. Esta was off. But she had every right to be. We'd all been trying to fill in the gaps for her. That was the thing about grief. It took up space when it wanted and how it wanted. It didn't wait for anyone.

Another knock. This one sounding different.

"Keir?" Dex's muffled voice asked, making my steps to the door move quicker.

"What?" I asked as I opened up the door a crack to find none other than Esta's grandmother standing there. At the door to my room.

"Nana Mallick?" I asked with wide eyes .

Rather than use the cane which I determined had just been knocking on the door, she patted my cheek. "Hi, Prince Keiran."

She pointed the cane at Malachi. "You stay." Again at Amory. "You stay." The cane swung its way over to Esta. "You."

Esta swallowed, her watery eyes going from me back to her grandmother.

"I did not bust my tail for two decades in passing all the laws required for a woman Mallick to be the rightful heir for you to just hand the crown off to your damn brother when things get difficult!"

"What?!" I snapped.

Nana's eyes went to mine. "She didn't tell you? That she was considering abdicating to her brother?"

Malachi was now standing next to Nana. "You what ?"

"I—" Esta's voice sounded so damn shredded as she got out, "I am tired ."

I moved to walk over to her, but the cane stopped me. Her grandmother moved over to her instead. Her voice went more gentle as she said, "My darling girl, look around you. You have everything you need right here to build Dra Skor back up. Everything you need right here for a long and healthy reign."

Esta's face distorted as she tried to keep it in, but then a few tears slipped out as she looked down at her hands.

"When did you start considering this?" I asked. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Because I knew you'd tell me it was a poor idea," she got out. "That you'd tell me I was the best queen for Dra Skor."

"Because you are," Amory said strongly.

I tried to make my voice softer. "Did you consider this before or after the other plan you had?"

Her eyes finally met mine. "After. I just spoke to my parents this morning. Right before you were forced to heal my prick ex-fiancé. "

"Never liked him," Nana stated matter of fact with a wave of her hand.

"I hadn't decided anything, I just wanted to know my options," Esta explained. "Maybe Jagen is more fit for all of this than I am."

The cane thumped the ground lightly. "Don't fool yourself. None of us are fit for what the last week brought us. The brutality of what happened." Nana paused. "Now tell me about this other plan. I know nothing of it, but I already like it better."

So Esta did. She told her everything. About how we were going to Wylan. How we would become bonded there. How she felt safer in a country that she'd never been in because she trusted me to keep her safe.

Nana wiped at one of Esta's tears as she finished explaining it all. "When do you leave?"

"I wanted to go after all the Yule celebrations," Esta admitted. "But I don't think with everythi?—"

"I will serve as queen in your stead," Nana offered.

Esta shook her head. "You don't like court life anymore. I would never ask that of you."

Nana wiped at another of her tears. "My darling girl. Something is going on in this family. Go to Wylan. Bond with your prince. I will deal with Dra Skor in your absence."

"That's actually perfect." Amory grinned. "You know she'll get more done than your father will."

"And it keeps you away from Jagen, Morana, Oziel, and Lennix, none of which I currently trust," Nana agreed. "But please, no more talk of abdicating. Things are hard now. I understand that. Your cousin Samori was—" she had to pause, her voice wavering, "so full of life. So young. A pure soul. But don't let the weight of this keep you from seeing Dra Skor back stronger than ever. Something you have worked so hard to make happen."

Esta gave her a nod. "Okay."

The cane stomped onto the ground more firmly. "And stop trying to carry so much yourself. These three will help you, child. They are worthy."

Esta looked at her hands as she admitted. "I am tired of constantly feeling like I am failing Dra Skor."

Nana moved her chin up to look her in the eyes. "You haven't. Not yet. You are the reason Dra Skor is healing. You and your Wylan prince. So bond to him. Be with him. We will all handle this threat to Dra Skor, but there will be no running from it. We will run toward it. Together."