The Dragon and the Queen by Kaitlyn Davis
Malek
Relief washed through Malek as the dream around him shifted. This was his third visit from a dormi'kine tonight, and it had to be Kasiandra. She'd made him wait. She'd had her fun. But she was here. She—
A sneer curled his lip as the scene solidified. Dark stone walls and damp gray skies filled his vision, lacking both the creativity and the finesse of the woman he sought.
"My liege," a man's voice said.
"What?" Malek snapped as he spun.
His spy sank into a deep bow. "Apologies for the disturbance, but I thought you would want to hear my report posthaste."
"Well…"
If they'd been anywhere but in this specific dream, the man would have toppled from straightening so quickly. "Yes, of course, my liege. My ship is currently at port in Karthe. Not an hour ago, a trade ship docked next to us, nearly burned to a crisp from a dragon attack. They barely got away with their lives."
"Not unheard of, in these waters."
"Of course not, my liege, but it's the manner of their escape that I think you’ll find of interest." The spy paused to swallow, his hesitation obvious, as though he was afraid to be the bearer of this news. "They said a man with dragon wings appeared suddenly through the fog and landed on their ship. He communicated with the beast somehow. They faced off, and within moments the dragon flew away."
A frown thinned Malek's lips. "A man with dragon wings?"
"That's what they say."
"And do they say anything else?"
"Not yet, but it's past dawn in Karthe, and I wouldn't be surprised to find the gambling halls ripe with rumors by this evening."
Malek folded his hands behind his back to hide the way they clenched, keeping his face serene. "And did a ship by the name of The Wanderer also happen to dock in Karthe around the same time?"
"Another ship anchored just outside the city. I believe they towed the burned ship to port, but I'm not sure of its captain."
He would bet his life her name was Captain Audezia'd'Rokaro—the once-loyal leader of his best dragon-hunting ship, turned deserter by a common raven. The very thought made his blood boil. What pull did the boy have? Malek was the savior. He was the hero. He was the aethi'kine. So why did people keep abandoning him for a man with a power useless to everyone else? How could an invinci save the world? It was ludicrous, laughable even, though it made him want to scream.
"Keep an eye out tonight," Malek ordered, his voice devoid of the emotions rifling through him. "I suspect Captain Rokaro or her crew will make an appearance in the city after sundown for supplies. The man with the dragon wings is a fugitive on their ship, and he is of extreme importance to me. My top priority is to see him returned to Da'Kin. If the moment presents itself to strike, do not hesitate. Use the remaining crew as leverage if necessary, and don’t worry about the use of force. The man is extremely difficult to kill."
"Yes, my liege."
The dream dissolved.
Malek rolled to his feet. The fog outside was just beginning to lighten with the sun. The hour was early, but not too early to begin the day. As he stepped before his mirror, he hardly recognized the image staring back. Dark circles stained the undersides of his eyes, and his hair stood on end as though he'd spent the night gripping it between his fingers.
This wouldn’t do.
A bath first, ice cold to shock his system back into place, and with his composure restored, he'd find his mages. They needed to hear this update, and they needed to know the castle was no longer a safe place to speak. No one would mention the boy outside his presence. No one would speak of dockside rumors unless he was there to hear. These walls now had ears, and only he could sense when Kasiandra might be listening. She hadn't come to his dreams, which could only mean one thing. His dormi'kine had shifted her loyalties to the queen.
Lyana could never know what Malek had seen that night. The rumors would come, he was sure, now that Rafe's new body had been seen. But gossip was one thing.
By magic and by prophecy, he was her king.
One way or another, she'd return to him.