Dragon Blood (Completed)

Balaan's Army

Chapter 20

In the workroom, they took their places at the long table while Lilly once again sat closest to the head of the table, grilling Zane for details while they waited for the others. Once everyone was assembled, Ryder offered to wake Paige. Zane let him, knowing he needed to find a way to get on Paige's good side. If he ended up being her only chance for a cure, it meant they would be sharing a heart. They would be inseparable companions, so they needed to work on finding some common ground.

Though Zane was cringing a few minutes later when he heard Ryder say, "I wasn't the one who hit you so you don't need to retaliate against me." He then stalked back into the workroom, looking angry and rubbing the side of his head.

"Does she always have to be so aggressive and make everything so difficult?" Ryder growled, sitting in his chair from yesterday.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention that she sometimes wakes up swinging." Zane was mildly amused, having been on the receiving end of Paige's sudden awakening fist.

"Ryder, I'm sorry, but you startled me," Paige apologized as she walked into the room, followed by Ash. She took her seat at the head of the table—a place of authority, but when Paige sat down, Zane didn't see a regal queen who sat upon her throne looking down upon her subjects. He saw a young broken girl who was pushing herself beyond her limits. There were dark circles under her good eye. Her cheeks were pale, and when he watched her hands, he could see them tremble. In this moment, she seemed so much younger than her seventeen years, well, almost eighteen according to Dean. She was like a child playing as an adult. Though her words were always strong, her slight frame and ghostly appearance screamed that she was not ready for this. His twenty-four years seemed a vast difference from her current age.

Ryder didn't answer her apology at first, and for a moment, Zane thought he would ignore Paige completely. Then he said, "Of course, Highness, it is your right to strike anyone you choose, but only at your command does anyone strike you."

Ryder, without knowing, had struck a nerve, as Paige's eyes flashed with pain and anger. Zane knew Ryder had no clue what the queen had once suffered. He considered telling him, but quickly pushed the idea away. It was Paige's story to tell, not his.

"Ash," Paige said, turning away from Ryder. "You look as tired as I feel. I'm safely back in the castle, so if you'd like to go get some sleep, I give you leave."

"Thank you, My Queen, but I'd like to hear what you've learned first."

Paige nodded and took a deep breath, while Zane leaned forward in his seat, eager to hear what she had to say. "I suppose the first order of business will be for the guard. Spencer, the assassin, said he was tipped off about Dean's flight by a member of the castle staff, a dragon by the name of Aled."

"He works on the maintenance crew. We interviewed him yesterday regarding the attack on your transformation ceremony," Alva spat.

"Did he have an alibi for that attack?" Paige asked.

"Yes, My Queen. He and some others were repairing the bridge that connects the castle to the mainland on the southwest side."

"So we still have someone else in the castle who's working for Balaan." She drew in a long, slow breath. "Do we take Aled into custody and try to question him? Or do we watch him and try to figure out who he's working with?"

"You can't have him wandering around now that he knows you questioned the assassin," Ryder argued.

"But he doesn't know what Spencer told me."

"Wouldn't he assume you'd learned everything you wanted?" Byran asked. "Aled may be fleeing as we speak."

"Not necessarily. If Aled knows Spencer, he might trust that Spencer didn't tell me anything."