Page 26 of In the Embrace of Dragons

When the king in my memories finally lets go, I do, too, and my seed gushes down my hand, thick and white.

The next morning,though everything has fundamentally changed, life in the castle returns to a decided normal. In the morning, I wait outside King Vizarios’s door until he emerges, and then he silently leads me down hallway after hallway until we reach his workroom. Here, Syzari is waiting, and the two of them sit down at the table to go over everything that’s happened in the month we were away while they eat breakfast.

The two of them are locked up for most of the day, seeing to matters unending. Lunch is delivered and then taken away, and the candles burn low until it’s nearly time for dinner.

I watch Vizarios the entire time, how he hunches over hiswork and scribbles his name on sheaf after sheaf of paper, reading them aloud so he and Syzari can discuss it before agreeing. His mother taught him well, and he took her lessons to heart.

He may be a surly dragon now, but ruling his kingdom well and fairly is of the utmost importance to him, and I know he wants nothing more than happiness for his people—even if he refuses it for himself.

When evening arrives, Syzari finally speaks up.

“You ought to retire to your queen, Your Majesty. I’m sure she’s waiting to take supper with you.”

Vizarios snorts. “I hope not. We will go about our lives, yes, but separately.”

Syzari cocks her head. “You don’t plan on conceiving an heir?”

The king’s whole body stiffens, and he curls his hand into a fist. “I do. We will wait and see if the first time took, and if it doesn’t, we will try again.” He shoots a look at me, so brief that Syzari won’t have noticed it, but I did. “Hopefully it does not come to that.”

The advisor watches with her eyes narrowed. “I see. A queen in name only.”

Vizarios doesn’t answer, but she doesn’t need him to.

“Poor woman,” Syzari says. “I’d hoped it would be different after you?—”

“We willnotdiscuss it any further.” The king rises to his feet and heads past me toward the door. “Rag. Come.”

I follow him out of the room, leaving Syzari behind. Shetsks as the door closes.

When I deposit the king in his rooms, he waves me off. “Go get dinner. I’ll stay here tonight.”

I don’t question it, and nod in understanding as he shuts the door behind him.

Doing as he asked, I fetch myself a meal before heading to the queen’s quarters. When I knock, the door opens immediately—revealing Nissia dressed in her pants, tunic, and a pair of solid boots.

“Ready when you are,” she says with a white grin. The bluntness of her teeth always surprises me, but they nicely complement her smile.

“Then follow me.”

I lead her down the hallways, out one of the side entrances to the castle. It puts us in the soldiers’ quarter, where a few other dragons spar in the training yard. When they see me, though, they retreat, leaving the space open for us.

I take one of the smaller swords off the wall, which I give to Nissia. She wields it with surprising expertise despite its size, spinning it in her hand to get a sense of its heft and shape. I take a sword for myself, then usher her to follow me into the training yard.

“Is that the queen?” I hear one of the soldiers whisper to the other.

“I think it is.”

We both square up, then begin circling one another. Nissia arches an eyebrow when neither of us moves to start the fight.

“You’re not afraid of hurting me, are you?” she asks, smirking. “Or are you scared of a girl?”

I chuckle at her barb and lunge forward. I make sure to move slower than I would if I were fighting someone like Tralazan, aiming for an easy spot.

Queen Nissia parries me, her smaller sword darting out to protect herself. Then she laughs at me.

“Is that so, Captain? Treating me like a kid?”

Her immediate attack is so quick that I almost miss it. Idodge at the last moment, then spin around to block her next lightning-fast attempt. She jumps to one side and attacks again, and again I block her.