Page 90 of Dragon Eternal (Dragon Kings 4)
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
Soldiers blocked every way Nia went. Fear clawed at her, burning a hole through her chest and sinking into her bones. She wasn’t getting out of Stonemore. She probably wouldn’t get out of the citadel alive. Worse, she dreaded that something had happened to Shaw in the explosion. She kept glancing at the night sky in hopes of spotting sapphire scales, but there was no dragon. She kept reminding herself that he couldn’t be killed by anything but another King, but she couldn’t stop the worry.
Nia flattened herself against the fence. She could hear the soldiers both inside and outside the citadel patrolling. They cut down anyone they viewed as a threat. She glanced toward the citadel. Had they found Amsden? Was he looking for her now? She didn’t want to wait around to find out. She had to get out of the city, but first, she had to get past the soldiers at the gate.
“Ma’am?”
Her head jerked toward the sound. Relief surged through Nia when she saw Sadie. She grasped the servant’s hand and pulled her against the wall. “What are you doing here?”
“Soldiers brought us. Told us this was the safest place.”
Nia shook her head. “I don’t think any place is safe. We need to leave the city.”
“Why?”
“Look around.”
Sadie shook her head. “The Divine will protect us.”
Nia realized she couldn’t force Sadie. She smiled and nodded. “Good luck.”
“Wait,” Sadie said as she grabbed her hand. “Where are you going?”
“Far away.”
Her brows drew together. “The Divine owns you.”
Nia pulled her arm free. “We had a deal. I delivered a Dragon King. I’ve won my freedom.” She turned and started walking away without waiting for Sadie to reply.
“Stop her!” Sadie screamed to the soldiers. “She’s a slave, trying to run away.”
The soldiers descended upon Nia like a swarm. They grabbed her arms, and no amount of fighting and kicking got her free.
“She’s responsible for all of this,” Sadie told the soldiers, stirring their already fever-pitched anger to new heights. “She brought the Dragon King here.”
Fury darkened the soldiers’ faces.
Nia glared at Sadie. “On the Divine’s orders. Let me go.”
But the soldiers’ bloodlust had been agitated. Everything she said fell on deaf ears. She struggled against their hold as they roughly dragged her up the steps to the entrance of the citadel. Their fingers bit into her flesh and yanked on her hair and clothes. Sadie continued egging them on. Nia could no longer hear what her servant said, but it didn’t matter. The soldiers did, and they believed her.
As they dragged Nia toward one of the balconies, she caught sight of Amsden with a group of soldiers. His smug look made Nia want to kick him in the groin again. Amsden soon fell out of sight as they took her outside once more. Terror made her stomach drop to her feet when she spied the balcony.
* * *
Shaw ran through the citadel, shouting for Nia. He heard the screams from below as well as the shouts of the soldiers within the fortress. All hell had broken loose in Stonemore. He prayed that Nia had gotten free and was with Merrill even now, but each time he tried to speak to Merrill, his friend didn’t answer.
Whether it was because something blocked their communication or Merrill was in trouble, Shaw didn’t know.
“Nia!” he bellowed.
His heart pounded an erratic beat against his ribs. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in trouble. It was the look Amsden had shot her that troubled Shaw the most. The steward was a problem, and Shaw would take care of that issue once and for all.
Shaw slid to a stop when he spotted Amsden. The steward motioned six soldiers around him toward something. Shaw inwardly smiled at finding Amsden alone. He started toward him. Amsden did a double-take when he spotted him. Satisfaction filled Shaw when the steward’s face paled.
As he approached, Shaw saw the four slashes down Amsden’s face that were no doubt from fingernails. Anger roiled violently inside him. Shaw didn’t need to ask who had made Amsden bleed. He knew it had been Nia.
Images of all the things Shaw wanted to do the steward flashed in his mind. He wanted to make Amsden scream in pain and beg for death. Shaw fisted his hands as the rage built. He stalked to Amsden.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” the steward asked as he stumbled backward.
Shaw smelled the fear on him. “Did you really think I would succumb to a trap? Even one with Orgate warriors? That just proves you know nothing about Dragon Kings.”
“I-I wasn’t part of it.”
Shaw scowled at him. His next response would determine how he died. “Where’s Nia?”
Despite the fact that he shook uncontrollably with fear, delight filled Amsden’s smile as he pointed in the direction the soldiers had gone.
Unease shot down Shaw’s spine as he turned his head. He caught a glimpse of the soldiers lifting something. His heart clutched when he spotted brunette hair—Nia’s hair. And then they threw her over the balcony.
Shaw bellowed as he started running. He shifted before reaching the balcony, knocking every soldier off the side. Shaw somehow had the wherewithal to use his power so the residents didn’t see him shift into his true form. Instead, they saw a bird. Shaw tucked his wings and dove toward Nia as the soldiers shrieked while they plummeted to their deaths.
* * *
