The Kings: The Dragon Kings Book 5 Page 5

Val clenched his fist. “No. I made the right decision. We need to focus on the fire dragons.”

  “Are you scared of what you’ll find?”

  “Yes. Fire dragons are good fighters, but they don’t stand a chance against those canyon dragons. You saw how they demolished Las Vegas. They don’t fight fair. I can’t believe Sid didn’t tell me.”

  “I’m not saying it’s right, but he did what he thought was best.”

  Val glared at her. “Those are my tribe, and he didn’t think for a second that it was possible they could all die. He sent a freaking eagle. They probably won’t even listen to him. We should’ve gone there before Vegas was even attacked.”

  “So what happens when we’re done with the fire dragons? Are you going to abandon Sid?”

  Val hadn’t thought past rescuing his tribe. They needed him. Whatever happened after that would happen.

  “I don’t know. Can we focus on the problem at hand?”

  “Okay, then let’s make a plan.”

  He snorted. “That’s hard to do since we don’t know what we’re going to find.”

  “But we can at least think of the possibilities.”

  “You know, I’d rather not. Let’s wait until we get there.”

  Hazel crossed her arms and stared out the window. He’d made her mad. But really, think of the possibility—a massacre. He couldn’t see any others.

  Hazel swiveled in her seat. “No. We need a plan. What are you going to say? How are you going to persuade them to follow you?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, I think the arctic dragons will try to recruit the fire dragons.”

  “No. They’re going to kill them.” Val didn’t know how to convince Hazel of this. He wanted to believe her, but he didn’t see how after what they did to the woodland dragons.

  “Maybe. Maybe not. But we have to prepare for the possibility that we are going on a recruiting mission. Not a rescue mission.”

  “You really think that?”

  “Yes. I do. They have no reason to kill the fire dragons. They need more dragons on their side if they expect to win the war. Do you think the fire will listen to you?”

  Val shrugged. “Maybe. I’m a king. That will stand for something. On the other hand, I was never in leadership. They may not respect my position.” Especially if they assumed he’d abandoned them when he became king. He hadn’t been back since.

  “I’m sure they will. They’ll see the urgency, especially if you tell them about the woodland dragons.”

  Val hoped so. War was a serious decision, and they had to make it quickly.

  “But what if they are all dead?” He worried that they were too late, and it would be all Sid’s fault.

  “Then there’s nothing we can do. We need to hope for the best. If they are all slaughtered, we fly to the mainland, and we fight to the death.”

  Hazel met his gaze with fierce eyes. He’d never seen that part of her before. She was not the same girl who flew with him last time. Though maybe she was, singular in her mission to return to the mainland and find Rowan. He loved that about her. She was turning out to be so much more than he had realized.

  “Thank you for being my queen.”

  “I wouldn’t want to be anything else.”

  “Really? I thought you wanted to be out on the waves surfing.”

  “Oh, I’d give anything to be out on the waves. When this is all over, we’ll rent a house on the beach and stay there for an entire year.”

  He grinned and leaned in to kiss her. “That’s definitely worth fighting for.”

  Val flew over the top of the volcano with Hazel on his back. She had her arms grasped tightly around his neck. She didn’t like flying on him, but could handle it for short trips. Across the Pacific, forget it. Flying on an airplane was slower, but he was willing to do it for her. So far he hadn’t seen any fire dragons. This time of day, dragons should be all over the volcano. This was not good.

  He flew to his family’s cave, but there was no one there. He checked Eros and Hoa’s caves as well. A sick feeling settled in the bottom of his stomach. It was looking more and more like the worst case scenario. Though he hadn’t seen any dead dragons either.

  He sat on his haunches, not sure where to go.

  “If all of them are missing, could they be at a meeting or something?” Hazel asked. Val hadn’t thought of that, but it could mean they weren’t dead, so he clung to that thought.

  “How many are we looking for?”

  Several hundred. When we hold tribal meetings, they are usually in the valley. Let’s go check it out.

  He hoped Hazel was right because it felt as if everything was going wrong. As he flew toward the valley, he breathed in the comforting mix of sulfur gasses and the sea air. The Hawaii air was heavy and warm too, not like near Yellowstone, where everything was frigidly cold and dry.

  He flew over the peak, and sure enough, hundreds of fire dragons gathered in the valley. He let out a breath of relief when he saw them all still alive. He hovered near a cliff so he could watch before intervening. He froze. A gigantic arctic dragon and a couple of canyon dragons were leading the meeting. Val wasn’t sure what to think. Recruiting the fire dragons was better than the alternative, but this wasn’t good. If the fire dragons decided to side with the arctic dragons, Val would have to fight against them, because his tribe or not, he would never join the white witch. Not after what he saw in Vegas.

  He dropped behind a rock, and Hazel scrambled off of him.

  “Looks like they are recruiting,” Hazel said.

  Yes, it does What are we going to do?

  Hazel gave him a wicked grin. “We should interrupt their meeting.”

  That’s risky. The arctic and canyon dragons could kill us on the spot.

  “No, I don’t think they will. If they’ve been telling the fire dragons they are the good guys, they won’t want to make it seem like they are evil. They’ll be diplomatic.”

  Has anything they’ve done been diplomatic so far?

  “True. But I can’t see them killing us on the spot and facing the possible retribution from the fire dragons. But that begs the question. If they were all heading down here, where are the rest?”

  We flew around most of the island. They aren’t here. Maybe this was always a recruiting mission.

  Val ran different scenarios in his head. Yukio could kill them, but like Hazel said, that was unlikely. He could be taken captive. Maybe not right away, but if the Yukio made it seem like he was a traitor, his own tribe could turn on him. Or Val could just convince the fire dragons to side with them. He liked that option best, but he didn’t know if it was realistic.

  He wasn’t going to stay here like a coward because that part of the prophecy bothered him. Sid was obviously the leader. That meant Val was either the coward or the betrayed. In a way, he resented Sid for getting the easy part. Maybe that was why he yelled at him, but he also didn’t want Sid to fulfill the negative side of that. He wouldn’t let him become a tyrant. Val was a king, and he would fulfill his duty as such.

  If his mission was to either be a coward or brave, he would choose brave. He would convince the fire dragons to side with him.

  Let’s go.

  Val wanted to make an entrance, so he came in from the back of the gathered dragons. He flew low so they would all see him and landed in front of Yukio. Val wanted to show them that he meant business.

  Leave, you aren’t welcome, Val said. This was the moment of truth. He could die if Yukio tried to show his strength.

  Yukio snorted two white puffs of smoke. Excuse me, Your Majesty, but you hold no power over these dragons. They have pledged their allegiance to us. Go back to your royal dragons and prepare. Your time is over. The war has already begun.

  Eros stepped forward. We have not made any promises to
join you yet. We’ve only promised to consider it.

  Val spun around. Consider it? Do you have any idea what these monsters have done?

  He had to put a stop to this. If the fire dragons aligned with the arctic, that would be the end of his ability to call them his tribe. Not to mention that he and Hazel would have a very difficult time getting out of Hawaii alive.

  Val turned so he could address the whole crowd. Most of them didn’t even know who he was. Ultimately, Eros and Hoa would make the decision, but having the rest of the dragons on their side would be beneficial. Surely Eros remembered what happened to the woodlands.

  I am Valentine, and I am the second dragon king. The prophecy is being fulfilled. The arctic dragons have slaughtered the woodland dragons and have declared war on the royal dragons and the humans. I watched them incinerate Las Vegas. It’s time to stand and fight. There is no middle ground. Will you stand with the arctic dragons or will you stand with me?

  Eros stepped in front of Yukio. You told me you had nothing to do with that, that it was a rogue group of dragons.

  The canyon dragons crept closer to Yukio as he spoke. I lied, and you bought it. Candide will rule. You can be on the winning side, or you can lose with the kings. Your choice. We will return tomorrow at dawn for your decision. But be warned, if you make the wrong one, you will die.

  He flew off with the canyon dragons trailing behind. As soon as they were far enough away, Val turned to Eros.

  Someone should follow them. They could be planning an ambush.

  Eros shook his head. We saw them come in. It’s only the three of them.

  Val’s stomach clenched. He had a bad feeling about this whole thing. He looked out amongst the fire dragons. Did you not get the warning from Obsidian? Everything the arctic have done so far has been in secret. They come in without warning and attack the defenseless, including the humans.

  We got Obsidian’s warning. We were surprised when there were only two dragons with the arctic. We almost killed them without asking questions, but Hoa convinced me to hear them out. If we had murdered those three dragons, we would have been in the wrong. They are not here to fight.

  Val didn’t know how to make them understand. They didn’t get it. You have not seen the carnage. I have. Will you side with me, or will you join them?

  Eros cowed away from him for a moment. He met Hoa’s eyes, and Val assumed they were having a conversation.

  Then he stood tall. Welcome home, Your Majesty. He bowed deeply, and Hoa followed.

  We are proud to call you our king, Eros said.

  Every single fire dragon on the ground fell into a bow. Val was shocked. He’d imagined his homecoming many times, but this far exceeded anything he expected.

  Eros rose from his bow. Forgive us for doubting you. We did not know you would return to us. When Obsidian sent the eagle, we feared you’d forgotten us.

  I could never forget my tribe. I’m proud to call this home. Val’s heart swelled.

  Very well. What do you need from us?

  We should kill the arctic and canyons. I know it seems harsh, but they will take reports to their leaders. We are at war. It requires sacrifice.

  Is that necessary? Let us send them on their way. We will not join them.

  The canyon and arctic dragons will not take no for an answer. Val’s chest tightened. At least when Yukio attacked Val, he’d have hundreds of backups. Eros turned and addressed the crowd. You are dismissed. Return here tomorrow at dawn.

  There was a whoosh of wings, and hundreds of dragons took off at once.

  Eros nudged him. We will stay here tonight. I expect we have a lot to talk about.

  Val was grateful they respected him as their king. He might not be able to lead like Sid and the other kings, but his tribe was his own. Before he had time to think of his next step, he was nearly bowled over by his Uncle Rojo.

  Look at you. Came into your own. And who’s this? Rojo glanced at Hazel.

  Val didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, so he changed into a human and took her hand. “This is my queen. Her name is Hazel.”

  A smaller red dragon pushed Rojo out of the way, and Val smiled.

  “Fuchsia, it’s great to see you.” She was his cousin, and they spent a lot of time together growing up. She reminded him a lot of Runa, but he assumed Runa would eventually outgrow her childishness. Fuchsia didn’t.

  Eros and Rojo turned their backs to her. So did the rest of the dragons. This wasn’t good. Val had only seen this once before. Fuchsia had done something to be shunned but not bad enough to be kicked out of the tribe.

  Fuchsia barely noticed the actions of the dragons around her. She had eyes only for Val. You too. Then she swiveled her neck around and brought her head down to Hazel’s level. Hazel, it’s so good to meet you.

  Hazel smiled and waved. Val knew she still wasn’t terribly comfortable with all the dragons, but Hazel surprised him by circling around Fuchsia.

  “You have a blue mark,” Hazel commented.

  Val followed her. “How’d that happen?” Val asked. Fire dragons looked down upon those who sealed with another race. Well, female dragons were anyway. Male dragons could do what they liked. Val never quite understood the double standard.

  It just did. Fuchsia would not meet his eyes. He hated that she was suddenly ashamed of herself. She shouldn’t be.

  Rojo spoke up, but would not turn around and face them. Yes, we are not happy with her.

  It’s none of your business who I love.

  It is when it affects our family.

  “How’d you meet…” Hazel looked at the marking on Fuchsia’s ankle. “Marlow?”

  Val immediately swelled with pride. Hazel not only went out of her way to make Fuchsia comfortable, but she completely ignored those who were angry with his cousin. Maybe Hazel would come to love the dragons after all.

  Fuchsia shuffled. We were fighting over the same shark.

  Val chuckled. “Who won?”

  We shared.

  “Can I meet him?” Hazel asked. Val wasn’t sure what had gotten into Hazel. She’d never expressed interest in meeting another dragon.

  Fuchsia stood up tall. Yes. Uncle, can I go get him?

  Absolutely not.

  Hazel laid her hand on Fuchsia’s side. “That’s okay. Why don’t you take me to meet him?”

  “I think that’s a good idea. I have a lot to discuss with Eros and Hoa. Boring stuff. You’ll have more fun with Fuchsia.” Val turned to his cousin. “Hazel is scared of flying, so be careful with her.”

  I’ll make sure she’s safe. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.

  After they left, Val waited for the remaining fire dragons to turn around to face him, and then he turned into a dragon.

  Was shunning her really necessary?

  You know the rules, Rojo said.

  Uh, I’m sealed to a human. Are you going to shun me as well?

  She’s your queen. It was necessary.

  And hypocritical. When the war is over, we will discuss shunnings and bannings. Maybe the rules need to be updated.

  Eros fluttered his wings. Perhaps, but now we need to make some decisions. Our people are scared.

  Of what?

  Of war. They do not want to fight.

  Of course not. Neither do I, but war is upon us, Val said.

  Yukio was here for a full day before you arrived. He made it seem like the humans were attacking us and that the royal dragons were helping.

  What? Really?

  I don’t think we’ll fight with you, but we will not join the arctic dragons.

  You don’t believe them, do you?

  Val wanted to scream. He’d told Eros everything, and now Eros was backtracking.

  To be honest, I don’t know who to believe. Perhaps it would be best if you left before t
he morning. I want to believe you, I do. But I just don’t know.

  Eros, I need you to stand by me. We need to unite. They bowed to me. What makes you think they won’t follow me?

  They were simply following my lead. You have not won their hearts.

  Then take me to them. Let me win their hearts. I’ll talk to every damn one of them personally if that is what it takes.

  I don’t think that is a good idea.

  Why not? He’d had such high hopes that they would side with him. Now things weren’t looking good.

  Because there is not enough time. Eros was hiding something.

  What are you not telling me?

  Eros took a long pause. He looked as if he’d rather be anywhere but there.

  I am your king. Answer me.

  Eros let out a long breath. You have to understand. The message from Sid was cryptic. All he said was that the canyon dragons were on their way, and they were planning on killing us. Then when they showed up, they spun such a different story. Many dragons believe them. You showed up just as we were about to give them our allegiance. We don’t want the humans killing us or the royal dragons telling us what to do. We’ve worked so well with the kings in the past. But three kings. They would have no more use for a council. They would reign without checks and balances. That’s not right. Plus, rumor is the sea dragons have aligned with the royal dragons. We will not pledge the same allegiance as the sea dragons.

  Val let out a deep breath. This would be harder than he thought. Let me put the sea dragon rumor to rest now. We have not aligned with them. Yes, one of the kings is a sea dragon, but she was also half royal. We haven’t been in contact with the sea dragons at all. Now take me to a few of those who wield influence among our people. Let me convince them.

  Are we really going to war? Eros’s eyes were wide.

  Murdoc watched his entire race die. I saw the canyon dragons kill thousands of humans in a heartbeat. War is here. I don’t see how we can avoid it. Will you help?

  Let’s see what you can do amongst the others. If they agree to fight, then I will as well.

  Val and Eros spent the next few hours flying around and talking with the leaders of families. At first, most were cold and hostile, expressing concern that the humans were going to kill them. Val did his best to convince them otherwise, and by the time they’d visited with every family, they’d agreed not to join the arctic dragons, but they still hadn’t committed to fight. When they returned, dawn was nearing.