Chapter 34

With the rifles trained on her back, she crossed into the great hall. From his throne, King Midac stared at her. “Why is the prisoner out of her cell? Why are you consorting with her?”

Lucius strode up to the king’s throne. “Sir, I believe the girl speaks the truth. That there is an immediate threat to the kingdom.”

The king cocked his head, his lip curling. “I decide when there is a threat to the kingdom.” He rose from his throne, “Am I not the king?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Lucius, casting his eyes down.

The king glared at the shifter, then pointed at Grisial. She tossed her white hair over her shoulder in what looked like an act of defiance.

“Who is that?” the king bellowed.

“That is Grisial,” said Lucius.

Midac’s face blazed with rage. “You captured the White Dragon, and you did not immediately tell me?”

“Your Majesty,” said Lucius. “I was in the process of interrogating?—”

“It is my job to determine the fate of our prisoners,” Midac shouted. He pointed a thin finger at Grisial. “Bring her to me.”

The guards leveled their rifles at Grisial’s head. Slowly, she walked up to the edge of the throne.

“Why did you try to kill me?” growled Midac, rage palpable in his voice.

Ursula was impressed at how genuine Grisial was able to make her smile. “I came to deliver important news. News crucial to the survival of the kingdom. The Darkling?—”

“Do not speak of the Darkling!” A vein throbbed on his forehead as Midac yelled, “He does not exist, and even if he did, we are perfectly safe here in Mount Acidale. I have a legion of dragons to protect us. We repelled the last attack, when the shadow demons tried to slaughter us.”

This guy has drunk too deeply from the goddess’s fires, and he’s lost his mind.

Ursula took a step closer to the king. “I have seen the Darkling, and you have too. Here in your kingdom. He was part of the attack that killed the queen. He abducted me from New York to try to force me to join his cause. He is building an army in the Shadow Realm. If he’s able to bring them to earth, he will overrun your realm?—”

“Who are you to interrupt me?” Emerazel’s fire blazed in Midac’s eyes. “I am king of this realm. You are but a—” King Midac froze as he looked at her. “Y-you—” he sputtered, his voice quavering. “This girl. I recognize her.”

Oh bollocks. Ursula’s stomach dropped.

“The queen slayer’s daughter. How dare she speak to me with such insolence?” The king’s face had gone red, spit flying from his mouth. “Her mother murdered my wife. She was a traitor.”

King Midac gestured to Lucius, who dragged Ursula up the steps to his throne. He stepped closer to her, Emerazel’s fire streaming from his right hand in great gouts of flame. His eyes burned with insanity, crazy as the gods themselves.

“You will burn for what your mother did,” he roared.

Before Ursula could step away, the king grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her toward him. Then he pressed his hand, blazing hellfire, into her face.

Heat and pain exploded into her vision. Midac’s palm must have been a thousand degrees as it pressed against the bridge of her nose. She screamed, fighting to escape his grip. Midac held her for what must have been at least a minute, until he dropped her to the marble flagstones.

“No!” Midac gasped. “That is impossible.” He stared at her in horror.

“Wh-what?” Ursula stammered, her heart slamming against her ribs.

“Your skin. It didn’t burn.”

Ursula touched her nose. Her skin felt smooth under her fingertips. His flames hadn’t actually burned her.

“Emerazel’s flame immolates all flesh. Unless—” Midac’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. “Unless the goddess’s fire flows in your veins as well.”

Ursula began to step away, but the king grabbed her. His fingers wrapped like manacles around her bicep. With a jerk, he tore her shirt open, exposing her collarbone. “Just as I thought. She carved herself.” Still gripping her bicep, he drew a small dagger from his belt and held it to her face.

“Remember this?” he asked. The blade was kinked, its golden handle melted.

The same blade she’d seen in her memory. “I don’t think so?—”

“This was once the athame of infernos. Emerazel’s dagger. Only the chosen were allowed to taste its power.” Unadulterated rage contorted the king’s features. “You stole this from me. You illegally carved yourself. Then you destroyed it.” The king lifted the broken blade so its point was inches from her right eye. “You are a thief, with purloined fire in your veins,” Midac hissed. “The penalty for this transgression is death.”

Lucius moved into the corner of her vision. “Your Majesty, she came to us at her own peril. She has not attempted to harm the kingdom. Death is not an appropriate punishment.”

Releasing Ursula, Midac turned to glare at Lucius. His eyes blazed with the heat of Emerazel’s infernos, and Ursula finally understood the source of his rage. The goddess’s blood filled his veins, her fire driving him mad. Of course—because the gods themselves had lost their minds.

The king jabbed the dagger at Lucius’s face, but the shifter dodged it effortlessly. Midac’s hands began to glow with hellfire.

“Stay back, dragon,” Midac shouted. “Do not forget that you are bound to protect Mount Acidale.”

“It is a duty I hold with great honor. Now tell me, Your Majesty,” said Lucius. “Was my oath to you or to the kingdom?”

King Midac sputtered, his eyes flashing wildly.

Lucius leaned closer, so that his eyes were on the same level as Midac’s. “That’s right, Your Majesty. My oath was given long before you were even born. It binds me to the kingdom. To Mount Acidale. Not to a particular king.” Releasing Ursula, he grabbed the king by the wrist. “Your Majesty, the pressure of your job is affecting your judgment. You will take a brief sabbatical from your duties.”

“Noooo!” shrieked the king, as Lucius’s other hand clamped around his remaining wrist. Emerazel’s fire erupted from Midac’s fingers, and he tried desperately to burn Lucius.

“Sir,” Lucius continued. “May I also remind you that I am a dragon and am immune from Emerazel’s fire?” Like a python coiling around its prey, Lucius’s arms slowly wrapped around Midac’s chest. “Have you ever seen my chambers, Your Majesty? I believe you will find them exceptional. Fully provisioned and decorated most tastefully. A few days in my rooms away from the stress of this court will do wonders for your well-being.”

Turning to the entrance of the throne room, Lucius began to drag King Midac from the room.