165
Two hours before the ball was set to start Archibald knocked on my door once again and led me out of the castle to their official ceremony hall. The King was standing with his back towards us and Archibald closed the doors behind him.
“Ryder, come join me,” Rex called from the stage.
“I guess we’re going to the dragon realm now,” I said and he smiled at me.
“If you don’t mind,” he said.
Abeloth separated from me and flapped his wings once. He bowed his head in front of the King and in return Rex also bowed his head to Abeloth. The King handed me a knife and I cut our palms and pressed them together.
“My blood will grant you entry to the dragon realm,” Abeloth said.
I smelled the dank cave first and then I started feeling the pull. Rex looked ready to throw up and then the dim darkness enveloped us. I heard faint scratching against the cave wall and a few pebbles fell to the ground.
“Lord Typhon,” I said loudly and looked down.
“I see you’ve brought a friend,” Typhon said and his voice echoed around the cave.
“I present King Rex de Haviland, King of Dragons,” I said.
“Yes,” Typhon hissed and Rex staggered back two steps as Typhon exited the shadows.
“It’s an honour to be in your presence,” Rex said.
“One day the son of the Chief will kill the new King and exterminate the whole Royal Family,” Typhon said.
“What?” Rex asked in disbelief as he looked at me.
“Why?” I asked Typhon. Why would Wynter kill the new King and make himself a traitor.
“It is his destiny,” Typhon said. “You won’t remember this vision halfling King but you also won’t leave empty handed.”
We were back in the grand ceremony hall and Abeloth merged with me as he settled down and we both replayed Typhon’s words. Wynter would become a traitor and kill the King, kill the whole family until nobody was left to carry the line on. We would have no King and our society as a whole would crumble.
“Thank you Ryder,” Rex said as different emotions etched themselves into his eyes.
“What did Typhon tell you?” I asked him.
“My son will become King just before his twentieth birthday which means I have less than three years to live before a spoiled royal brat takes over from me,” he said.
“It means you have three years to mold him into a good leader,” I said and Rex smiled at me.
“You’re right, I have time,” he said.
We left the ceremony hall together and used the back entrance of the castle as cars were lined down the driveway to drop off their esteemed travelers. King Rex was surrounded the moment we stepped into the castle and herded down another corridor.
“Mr Grey, you can make your way to the ballroom, the King will make his appearance in ten minutes,” Archibald said.
“Thanks Archie,” I said and smiled at the shocked look on his face.
The ballroom was filled to capacity. Tables of ten stood near the front of the dais with a dance floor at the back. Servers walked among the guests with trays of champagne as people slowly took their name cards from a table and went in search of their seats.
I took my name card from the table by the doors and flipped it open. I was at the table nearest to the King’s table on the dais. When the Queen sat down, the noise in the ballroom visibly lowered as people took their seats.
“Good evening,” I said as I sat down at the table.
“General Tom Birkland, I’m head of the King’s army, my wife Theola and my daughter Reese,” the first man introduced himself.
“Chief Ryder Grey, nice to meet you,” I said.
“Chief of what exactly?” his wife Theola asked.
“Alphas lead their packs, Masters their covens and Sires their lairs, I’m Chief of a tribe,” I said and his wife started to laugh.
“But you're dragonkin,” she said.
“I was placed in exile while Sire to a lair back home and then taken out of exile by the King,” I said.
“I’m Clark Winters, financial advisor to the King, and this is my wife Margaret,” another man introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
“Marshall Hemmings, my wife Lynette and my two daughters Leona and Macey,” he said. “I’m the King’s lawyer.”
“Nice to meet you all.”
“You must be of importance for the King to pull you out of exile, that doesn’t happen, ever,” Marshall said.
“The King and I have some shared interests,” I said.
“So why have a tribe and not go back to your lair?” Lynette asked.
“My tribe consists of dragonkin, wolves and vampires and I gave the lair to my second in command just before my exile,” I said.
“That is most amazing,” Margaret said.
“Why were you exiled?” Leona asked me.
“Leona! We don’t ask such personal questions,” Lynette reprimanded her daughter.
“A misunderstanding surely since the King never grants anyone asylum,” Clark said.
The doors of the ballroom opened and a hush settled over the crowd. Another man stepped forward and everybody turned towards him. “King Rexton de Haviland, King of Dragons!” the announcement came followed by a trumpet sound that felt medieval to me as Rex entered the ballroom with a crown on his head.
We bowed our heads as the King walked past us and his family stood up as he walked to his seat in the middle of the ornately decorated table on the dais. The King remained standing in front of his chair and smiled when he saw me.
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we celebrate the seventeenth year of my son, the Crown Prince of dragonkin. May your days be blessed with wisdom, may you be filled with greatness and may you one day rule with a kind heart. Happy Birthday Florin and may the merging with your beast later on be as painful as possible,” he said and took his seat.
Florin smiled and raised his glass to his father and I picked up the champagne flute and drank to Prince Florin. A younger boy sat next to Alexandra and looked completely bored with the evening. Servers appeared again as conversations resumed and dinner was served.
It was during dessert that I spotted the man on the photograph. Missy saw me looking intently at him and she leaned in closer. “That’s Lord Summerton, he used to court Princess Alexandra, something happened and the courtship ended abruptly although no rumours were ever circulated about why,” she said.
“Court? What about being bonded?” I asked her.
“That depends on your station, rejection amongst the royals are fairly common and it’s the norm that the King and Queen needs to approve the future half of their children,” she said.
“That’s sort of sad,” I said and she laughed.
“I take it you’ve found yours,” she said.
“Couldn’t be happier and I wouldn’t trade her for anyone,” I said.
“Not even Princess Alexandra?” she asked me.
“Not even her,” I said.
“Perhaps you should tell her that, she’s on her way here, good luck, I hear she’s a man eater,” Missy said and turned away from me.
“Mr Grey, would you care to dance?” Alexandra asked me.
“I don’t really dance,” I said as everyone at the table turned to look at us.
“It’s deemed quite rude to refuse your princess such a menial task,” she said as she held out her hand and I stood up.
“I guess we’re dancing,” I said as she took my hand and smiled up at me.
We walked past other dancing couples and quite a few people looked at us as she placed her hand on my chest and we started dancing. “You’re taller than most dragonkin men,” she said.
“Not in my family,” I said.
I felt uncomfortable dancing with her, like I shouldn’t be this close to another woman. I knew she was flirting with me but I kept my expression stoic and hoped that she would get bored when I didn’t flirt back.
“The ball officially ends at midnight and at eleven pm my brother will move to the ceremony hall with our Elders and my father for his merging, my room is directly above yours,” she whispered and bowed her head as the song ended.
I made my way to the bar having no intention of going up to her room. Lord Summerton was standing there and I ordered a scotch and downed it. He gave me a look as I left the ballroom and I knew he would follow me.
“The gardens are exquisite at night,” he said from behind me.
I had ventured out of the ballroom and into the gardens. It was exquisite, peaceful and the scents of dragonkin was almost overwhelming. “Yes they are.”
“Forgive me, I’m Thomas Summerton,” he introduced himself.
“Ryder Grey,” I said and started walking deeper into the gardens where it was darker and Thomas decided to follow me.
“Where are you from? I don’t think we’ve met before,” he said.
“America,” I said and he smiled briefly.
“Forgive me again but we hardly ever mingle with commoners at these balls,” he said.
“I hardly ever accept the invitations,” I said and looked him in the eye.
“What is your connection to the King?” he asked me.
I didn’t answer him immediately but my hand had morphed into a claw as I turned to face him and his eyes bulged as I ripped his heart out and let it fall to the ground. I washed my hands in the nearby fountain and left Thomas Summerton to enjoy the view of the garden as he lay on his back, his open eyes staring at the starlit sky.
“I’m the King’s Assassin, that’s my connection,” I said softly and made my way back to the ballroom.
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