Chapter 16

KNOX SAT IN THE CORNERof the tavern and watched the rest of the patrons get drunk. He nursed the same mug of ale that he"d gotten over two hours ago when he"d arrived.

Ashur nuzzled up with a bar maid on his lap, and her giggling was bloody annoying. He was anxious.

Eirwyn should be here soon, unless their little infiltration and drugging of the entire castle caused a bigger problem than he thought.

Why hadn"t he gone upstairs to search for her? He"d searched the ground floors and the main reception floor and ballroom.

When they"d left, the back gate guards having been put to sleep as well, they"d all split up into pairs. They were to rendezvous at the tavern in a few minutes. Knox and Ashur had arrived hours ago.

Knox finally rubbed his temples and accepted that she wasn"t going to show. The drunken revelry just grew louder and louder, so Knox checked the clock above the bar and went outside. He had a few minutes before the rest of the crew showed up, and he needed some air.

He wasn"t used to the closed spaces of town. Even after years of going in and out, he still didn"t feel comfortable with so many people around. If someone saw his head, they"d panic and run him out of town. It"d happened before when he was younger. Different time, different town, but still painful.

He"d been careful to stay cloaked in public ever since. Only three people knew what he looked like without the hood, and that was fine by him. He frowned and stared up at the stars. Well, four now, if he included Eirwyn"s maid.

He walked around the tavern, checking on the horses in the stable. He tried to work out the tension and worry about Eirwyn"s absence, but something about it made his stomach twist. Then he walked around the square.

An old woman sat rocking in front of the apothecary shop. He walked a wide arc around her on his way back to the tavern, but his feet grew heavy.

He turned to look at the woman as if pulled like a puppet on a string.

She looked up at him with her rheumy eyes as she stopped rocking. She stared into his eyes, and he felt uneasy as she didn"t blink.

"I know you," she said softly.

He looked behind him. Perhaps she meant someone else.

"Yes, you. Knox. You"re Olive"s boy. Except you"re no boy, are you? I met you when you were just a few days old. Olive sent for me. My, how you"ve grown."

His mind spun. Why would Olive send for this old woman?

She turned her head as if peering through him. "Do you know who I am?"

He shook his head, his feet heavy and rooting him to the ground even as he wanted to leave her presence.

"They call me Lailant here, but I"ve gone by many names in the past."

His eyes widened. "I"ve heard you can cure any curse."

She cackled a laugh, her head thrown back and revealing a missing tooth. "For most, yes. For you? No."

He frowned, his spine straightening. "What does that mean?"

She shrugged and started to rock again. "It means you"re not cursed like you think you are. But if you want more information, you"ll need to give me some of your venom."

He clenched his fists at his side. "No," he said. Who knew what kind of dark magic could be used from the venom? No, it was safer to keep him far away from others who could die from it.

"Don"t you want to know about the princess?" Her voice was smooth and hypnotizing.

He swayed on his feet, feeling the pull of her magic.

"What about the princess?"

She held out a small vial. Where it came from, he had no idea. "Hand over the venom."

He wrapped his hand around the tail, shifting it into a barbed deadly weapon. It was shaped like a dagger tip with notches on the sharp edge. It didn"t hurt him though, as he dripped the gooey liquid into the vial.

He frowned at the old woman and held it up, just out of her grasp. "Swear an oath that it will not be used to harm, hurt, or kill anyone."

She sighed and shook her head. "I can"t do that, but I"ll swear that it will only fight against evil in the realm."

A hot wind swirled around them and then she said. "There. Are you happy now? Come on, you don"t have all night. It"s already past the witching hour."

He handed it over, and she slipped it into a knitting bag at her feet. When she just started rocking again, he rubbed his temples and scratched his scales.

"Well?"

She chuckled. "Still impatient, I see. At least that hasn"t changed. I knew you had the venom just as I know you. It"s time for you to go to the heart of the forest and find your destiny."

He nodded, picturing the blank spot on the map. "Hartsgrove?"

"Exactly."

"But not even the druids go there. It"s forbidden." Olive had warned him away from that place for years. He"d tried a few times decades ago when he"d been a rash youth. But the forest had stopped obeying his command, and he"d been forced to give up.

She pointed the vial at him. "Are you going to let that stop you?" She snorted. "I thought not. The protections that have been in place for hundreds of years are no match for you. Once you reach Hartsgrove, you will find your home. There, you will find love. There, you will break what you think is a curse."

He blinked and rubbed his chin. "What will I find when I get there?"

She arched a brow. "Answers. Eat the golden apple and find answers. Come see me when you"re done. I will tell you more after your blinders have been removed."

He frowned, feeling his feet loosen. "You—I," He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You mean to tell me that I could"ve broken this curse years ago if I"d only gone into the most dangerous part of the forest and eaten a snack?"

She began to rock again, unwilling or unable to answer him. His hands fisted at his sides and he spun on his heel, stumbling the first step.

Then the old woman said, "Oh and one more thing. Ask Olive about fated mates among dragons, will you?"

His spine straightened, and pressure built on his chest. His mind swirled. Why would she have him ask Olive about dragons when they"d been hunted down and driven from the land hundreds of years ago?

He raked a hand along the side of his head. The memories and stories of his birth made his gaze shoot to the old woman with raised brows. He"d hatched from an egg, but only Olive and Scarlet knew that. Olive had always told him he was a drakin, and he needed to avoid the royal family.

Hells, he needed to avoid regular people too, as they"d force him into politics or try to take out their anger at the king on him.

He"d always been so careful to keep his head covered with the hood and cloak. For years, he"d thought about what kind of being he was. The scales, the poisonous breath, the venom barbed tail. He"d tried to learn all about the drakin royal families of Glathen and Busparia, had read all the books he could find in the nearby villages and towns. He hadn"t had the money to search the magic school"s libraries further into Busparia.

There had been no records of anyone with similar magic and abilities to his. But if he was a dragon, not a drakin...

"Is it—am I..."

She chuckled again. "Talk to Olive. Tell her I said hello and the time is right. Now run along back to the tavern. Your men are there, and they need you to save the princess."

She held up the vial and waved it at him. "The men that attacked her a few days ago? The one that was hit with your venom is dead, and the other two are running for their lives. The attack wasn"t random. You must protect her."

Knox" heart jumped at the mention of the princess. What did the princess need saving from? Who was behind the attack? He strode away, his mind reeling between the princess and dragons.

Only the royal bloodlines were descended from dragons, from both Glathen and Busparia. Eirwyn was one of them, the darling drakin princess whom everyone loved.

Drakins were supposedly weaker than actual dragons. Yet the king was one of the most powerful mages in the land. All drakins were. It was why they ruled.

What would they do if they realized he was one of them too? Would Eirwyn accept him, scales and all? Would her brother try to assassinate him?

No, first thing"s first. He had to find answers and that included finally identifying what fucking species he was.

His head began to hurt as the questions and possibilities went through his mind. He walked into the tavern, several people singing a bawdy ballad by the hearth.