Thea did not even blink. It was like her lids had been clamped open and she was not allowed to glance away from the scorched body before her. The king's body was still steaming in the chilled air and the smell of his burnt flesh was wafting toward her.
This is what she had wanted. To kill the king who had murdered her brother. Who had caused her so much despair and hardship. And there he was, as dead as a roasted chicken.
With great effort, Thea turned her gaze to Aestus, whose eyes were still gleaming with fire. There was something so disturbing, so horrifying, that the killing blow had come from the dragon. Her dragon. Creasan's dragon.
They had never mentioned death to Aestus. They would have never dared to ask for such a thing. And yet, he'd murdered the king anyway.
When they'd discovered Aestus at the top of The Forbidden Mountain, she'd been frightened by him due to his enormous size. But now, Thea felt a different fear creep up inside her when she looked at the dragon. Not one of physicality but one of personality.
If he could get rid of the King of Creasan so easily, so callously...what would he be willing to do to the rest of them?
The silence of the courtyard was oppressive. Thea didn't want to speak for fear of disrupting it. She felt Isolde grab her arm, felt her squeeze, but she couldn't seem to find that urgency to take the lead as she always had. Perhaps it was the fear. Perhaps it was something else.
When Thea didn't move, Isolde whispered in her ear, "What do we do now?"
Thea shrugged.
Isolde practically jumped back at the unconcerned gesture. Thea had never been so nonchalant about anything. If there was ever a time for her mind to be going a mile a minute, it was now.
Yet Thea's mind remained quiet.
Now that's done, Aestus said, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you. The favor I would ask.
"Of course," Fendrel answered.
Thea found herself studying him closely. Where his mouth had hung open with shock not two seconds ago, his face now appeared utterly blank. Not a blink, not a clenched jaw, not a twitch of the lips. Nothing. Thea thought it was a rather odd thing; while she'd managed to goad his true aims out of him, she'd never thought of him as heartless or cold. Of course it would be absurd for her to consider the Prince of Creasan—and apparent war clan, according to Aestus—her friend. But she somehow thought she'd come to know him rather well.
The man before her did not seem like the Fendrel she knew.
He continued, "We can go to the garden. It's large enough—"
I wish only to speak to Wyvern. Aestus turned to Thea expectantly.
"Me?" It wasn't an exclamation of shock. It wasn't an emotional hope of acknowledgement. The word was asked as simple confirmation. Perhaps Thea was just as blank as Fendrel.
"I thought the payment was going to be asked of the entire group," Fendrel said, his eyes darting between Thea and Aestus.
You thought wrong, Aestus answered simply. I wish to speak to the next leader of Creasan.
Thea hardly even registered the pronouncement. She cocked her head to the side as she looked up at the dragon. Had he said the next ruler?
"What?" Fendrel's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "But she's not a Lance. She," he said, pointing accusingly at Thea, "cannot be the next ruler."
