Apex [Imperial: Book 2]

Chapter 13

Lord Carlos stepped closer to me, not bothered by my low growl. Instead, that seemed to only add to his curiosity as he peered at me, silently examining me.

My tail swept behind my uneasily as the lord reached out towards me, as though to touch one of my scales. Snapping my fangs in his direction, I glared at him furiously. Did he think me a mere prize; powerless and tame around all humans? Surely he realised that I was under no one's control - and could end his life with very little effort!

To my satisfaction, to the human flinched away from my gaping jaws.

"Oh, she's a feisty one, isn't she?" Lord Carlos sneered, casting a dark glance towards me. "But don't worry, Your Majesty. Give me a few months, and she'll be as tame as the rest of them!"

I froze.

In just a few sentences, he'd confirmed my suspicions. The queen had lied; dragons were still held captive, forced to labour for the humans. Were still being captured, given the way Lord Carlos was so expectant that I'd be handed back to him.

That would explain his arrogance; his lack of care. If he thought that I would soon be his...

A shudder ran down my spine. Had I just walked into a trap? If the queen was still commanding that dragons be captured, would she let me leave the city? She had seemed so keen to establish an alliance the dragons, where she was in utmost control, but -

"She's not for you; she's a free dragon," Lord Raffael hastily stated, although I could have sworn that his voice trembled slightly. As though he did not believe his own words. He ran his hand through his dark hair, not meeting his brother's gaze as he added, "We need to talk in private."

Never had I seen him so anxious.

"Why don't you both go now?" The queen asked, her voice polite. But I knew better. From the way both brothers stiffened, the way that Isaella ruffled her wings uneasily, I knew it was more than just a mere question as was implied, but an order. A command. "I'm sure Argentum would appreciate a few less humans around her."

I snorted. A few humans wouldn't make a difference if the queen wanted to capture me. As much as I wouldn't mind Lord Carlos to go away, I would have preferred Lord Raffael to remain here. At least I could trust him - even if only slightly.

Raffael hesitated. "Of course, Your Majesty," he agreed reluctantly, before gesturing towards me. "But I think that she should be returned to her wing. The sooner she does, the sooner she can confirm our alliance."

The queen stiffened, her brow furrowing slightly. Coldly, she asked, "you are certain that the dragons will agree?"

"Of course!" Raffael nodded hurriedly, confidently holding the queen's gaze. "Its too tempting for them. To not need to worry about being captured ever again? To be protected by law? Not to mention the services that we can provide! They wouldn't need to hunt again! Yes, Your Majesty, I'm sure."

I stared at him in shock. Did he really believe that? We'd already warned him that we wouldn't do anything else for the humans; that we owed him nothing!

But then Lord Raffael turned towards me, and suddenly, I knew that I'd been wrong. He knew that I wouldn't agree to the alliance - meaning that he'd lied to the queen. But why? Why would he do that?

Confused, I stared at him, trying to know why he would lie to Queen Azist. Surely there would be serious consequences for him if the queen found out that he had lied!

"Very well," the queen exhaled slowly, before twisting around to face me. "Go tell the rest of your wing about my offer. I will be expecting your return tomorrow, when the sun sets. That should be plenty of time."

Fire burned at the back of my mouth. For her to be so arrogant to think that we'd accept such an offer; to think that she could order us when to come see her! I shook my head furiously, glaring at the queen through slitted eyes.

If the queen noticed my anger, she did not seem to care. Instead, she raised her head, haughtily glancing across at the lords, then back at me. Without so much as another word, she turned around, and stalked away.

After a moment's hesitation, the guards followed her, leaving the lords, Isaella and myself alone.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Lord Carlos scowl as he glared after the queen. Then, with unconfined frustration, he whipped his head towards Lord Raffael. "Making deals with dragons?" he snarled, and his gaze darted towards me. "This isn't your doing, is it? This will end in a disaster, I tell you!"

"If it were up to me," Lord Raffael murmured, his voice quiet and calm, and yet, just as frustrated as his brother's. "The dragons would be left alone, to do as they pleased..." His voice trailed away, before he shifted his attention towards me. "Argentum. You should go."

It might as well have been a command. The demand in his voice, the way he regarded me - it was as though he wanted, no, needed me to go.

But why? Of course I wanted to leave the city, and return to the safety of my wing, I could not see why the lord would want me gone. Did it have anything to do with the lie he'd told the queen?

Hesitantly, I unfurled my wings. Tearing my gaze away from Lord Raffael, I examined the city. Making sure that no one would try to capture me as I left - especially since more and more humans were starting to emerge from the buildings.

With a sudden beat of my wings, I launched into the air. Hastily, I climbed into the sky, rising above the city. Beneath me, I could see the up-turned faces of people watching me, but I could not bring myself to care now that I was beyond their reach. Unless they still somehow had dragons hidden amidst the city, capturing me would be impossible.

Screeching loudly, I swerved back towards my wing. By now, most were circling around the sky above what was left of the attacking army. Very few continued to swoop after the humans, breathing fire.

"Argentum!" a voice called out, and I instinctively shifted my head towards whomever had called my name. Within moments, I spotted the three dragons speeding towards me - with Soriak in the lead, flanked by both Thorak and Rutilus.

"We need to go," I blurted quickly, watching the three of them carefully. Although that had been our initial plan to begin with, my encounter with the humans only seemed to make our escape more urgent. "I went to the city."

Rutilus's golden eyes gleamed. "What happened?"

"Later," I grunted, casting a glance towards Erakor. Even from afar, I could see humans pouring out onto the streets, hear their cries of joy and relief. Somewhere among them, Queen Azist would likely be watching. "We have to go. Now!"

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1222 words

Right on time this week! Not as early as I would have liked - but hey, better than late, right? The next chapter should also be on time too, most likely being released next Monday. 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you did, please do drop a vote and a comment!