I sat down. “I liked hearing you read, Vince.”
Vince quickly closed the book, his cheeks going red. “Uh. Yeah. I’m going to head out.”
Before I could tell him not to go, he jumped up, mumbled a goodbye under his breath, and hurried out the door. I frowned. Had I offended him?
“He’s a good boy,” Cassius said.
“Did I upset him?”
Cassius shook his head sadly. “No. He’s always had a hard time with his public speaking. I’ve been tutoring him by having him read out loud. His father has no patience for it, so I took it upon myself.”
I stared at the man across from me. He was the king of a hidden kingdom whose people were on the verge of a devastating war, and his enemies had taken his son hostage, yet he still took the time to tutor Vincent.
Cassius gave me a rueful smile. “You think I have more important things to worry about than helping an autistic boy learn the ways of a nobleman?”
Now it was my turn to blush. I averted my eyes and muttered, “I didn’t say that, Your Majesty.”
Cassius let out a small bark of a laugh. “You didn’t have to. Why do you think we came here to this old library? Vincent wasn’t the only one who wanted to be away from prying eyes. Sometimes duty is exhausting.”
“Heavy is the head?” I asked with a grin.
“That wears the crown. Indeed,” Cassius agreed. “Since…uh…since Aurelius was taken hostage, I’ve had nothing but meetings and strategy sessions. I swear if I have to hear Titus or Benedictus tell me what we need to do one more time, I’ll scream. I wanted some time alone, Vincent needed practice-therefore it made sense for us to do that together.
“What Itruly wonder,” the king continued, “is how you came to be here. Did you get turned around? Not many people venture this far into the old castle. Most prefer the newer wings we built in the early twentieth century.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Actually, Titus sent me here.”
Cassius sighed and put his hand to his forehead. “He didn’t send you to find me for another meeting, did he?”
“No, nothing like that. I came for some peace and quiet too.”
“Oh, good. Like I said, I can’t handle more of that. I need to mentally recharge first.” Cassius glanced out the window, then back at me. “Would you like to take a walk outside? There’s an old exit we could use. We won’t have to see anyone.”
I thought about saying no. I had come here to be alone, not talk with the king. But he was sad, stressed, and in need of a friendly ear. Plus, my family had taken his son. Although I was in love with Aurelius, the connection between us was far newer and not as strong as the bond between father and son. Besides, it would be rude to refuse the company of the king.
“Sure. Some fresh air sounds great.”
Cassius led me to a door at the rear of the castle, near where the young dragons had been born back when the numbers of their kind were higher. Heavy metal slide bolts and some type of spell held the door shut. Cassius waved the royal seal of his ring over the lock, and it unlatched with a snap.
Outside, the cool wind flipped my hair up, sending a chilly breeze across the back of my neck. Thankfully, I was wearing a thick, cable-knit sweater, otherwise I would have been uncomfortable. Cassius, on the other hand, was at home with the cold, his dragon metabolism keeping him warm against the frigid air.
We walked through the manicured grounds at the rear of the estate in silence for several minutes before Cassius finally spoke.
“I’m sorry you can’t return home.”
“Huh?” I frowned in confusion. Why on earth would I want to go back to my parents?
“Your apartment in the city,” he explained as he plucked a maple leaf from a tree. “We discussed it, but we felt it was simply too dangerous right now. I don’t want you to feel like a prisoner here, but it’s the best way we can keep you safe.”
“Oh,” I said, understanding dawning on me.
In truth, Delphine and I most likely wouldn’t have felt comfortable there anyway. My brother and the rest of my family had already shown they were willing to kill me. Who knows what they might do now?
“I kinda like it here, honestly,” I said after a moment.
“That’s good to hear,” Cassius said, and the expression on his face told me that he meant it.
I chewed at my lower lip for a second, not sure if I wanted to broach the subject, but after a bit of indecision, I went ahead.
“Your Majesty, I know?-“
“Cassius, dear. No need for the formalities.”
“Sorry, uh,
Cassius, I know you said you didn’t want to talk about political things, but I’m really worried about Aurelius. Can you tell me what’s being done about the kidnapping?”
He sighed heavily. “I figured you’d ask. Truth? We’re sending word to everyone. You heard me when I gave the order. Envoys have been sent to every single dragon house on earth. We’re amassing the biggest force we can muster. Still, it won’t be anywhere near as big as the wolves’ forces. All of us together won’t number what the Laurents can call up from the western portion of the U.S. and Canada. We’ll do what we must, though. For my boy, I would move heaven and earth.”
“Aren’t you worried about the consequences? The Laurent forces will outnumber you, and any fighting will probably take place in and around their land. The way everything is set up, a lot of innocent people might get hurt or killed. Your numbers will be depleted even more than they are now. Humans might see or hear the fighting. It will be a disaster even if you’re successful in getting Aurelius back.”
“It is something I’ve weighed heavily,” Cassius agreed. “But it must be done. Bastien has shown that he’s willing to escalate things to a higher degree each day. Things have been like a tinderbox between our races for decades. My relationship with your parents was already strained, but ever since your brother took up the reins, it’s grown much worse. I have no doubt that if we do not fight now, he will bring the fight to us. My son is quite fond of diplomacy, as am I, but things change. When they’ve struck your cheek, you can turn the other, but what do you do when that cheek has also been struck? A person can only be pushed so far.”
We walked in a sweeping arch through the woods and angled back toward the castle. What Cassius said was true. Any animal would lash out and fight if they were backed into a corner.
A distant cry echoed toward us, drawing my gaze toward the sky. A dark gray dragon swooped through the clouds overhead, its wings outstretched and flexing with each flap.
“Who is that?” I asked.
Cassius glanced up and grinned. “Titus. He likes to fly when he’s stressed. It’s one of the benefits of living here at the estate. We can fly here without human eyes spotting us. Although, we do still have to be careful.”
“How do you think the fighting will go?” I asked as we made our way back to the castle.
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