When It Reigns (Cursed Reigns, #1)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"I'm going to find him a summoner soon," I vowed, "I think I was able to summon him just because he's unbonded now."

Emperor Nepheus blasted me with coldness as he wordlessly glided halfway down the stairs, stopping once his face was level with Rays'.

The dragon furled his lip, rumbling a warning growl in his throat as my father reached for his horns. Rushing down to them, I moved in front of my father and placed a gentle hand on the dragon's snout.

"It's okay, he won't hurt you," I cajoled. "Please take my father to Clear Water."

Rays relaxed under my touch and I rubbed my thumb in comforting circles as I discreetly reached behind me without taking my eyes off him. I grabbed my father's wrist and directed his hand to mine. A soft growl emanated from the dragon as the emperor's hand covered mine.

"See, he's not scary," I said, slipping my hand away.

I glanced at my father to find him already staring at me with a look of curiosity.

"What?" I asked, rubbing my arms under his harsh scrutiny.

He opened his mouth to speak, then shook his head as he changed his mind. "Nothing," he said. "We need to leave now."

I nodded at Rays and he lowered his neck, eyes tracking my father as the frightening man hitched himself onto his neck and grabbed a hold of his horns.

"Summoners are not allowed to ride other dragons," Emperor Nepheus stated.

"Yeah, well, Armaeda's not here and you just asked to ride my dragon anyway. There's no other way to get to Clear Water safely, so forget the damn rules," I retorted, handing him Rays' yellow dragon scale.

I hadn't meant to speak to him with such disrespect, but I was fed up with him and his attitude toward me. I couldn't please him no matter how much I tried to, so I figured talking back once wouldn't hurt the negative image he already had of me.

Brief appreciation and what I assumed to be pride dawned on his face. I wasn't sure I had even seen the quick uptick of his lip or slight nod before he replaced the emotions with his usual apathy.

"Summon your dragon," he said, pulling back on Rays' horn with his free hand. "We have to go."

Rays bent his legs and launched into the air, tail disappearing around the side of the castle as he started the decline towards Clear Water with my father even though the two of us could have fit together on the large dragon.

With a deep breath, I summoned Serene next. I needed to keep both dragons summoned at the same time for the entire journey to show my father I was capable of doing so. That had to show my essence was present and perhaps just dormant like Bastion had thought.

Serene burst from the blue flames of frost fire and bounded up the stairs to meet me. She dropped her head and I scratched the soft fur between her horns before climbing over her neck. She scaled the steps in a single leap with her wings spread and ran along the narrow pathway until she had enough speed to propel herself into the night sky.

Serene flapped her wings and took us around the castle, tilting to the right as she prepared to make the descent along the steep slant of the slope leading to Clear Water.

An overwhelming sense of fatigue overcame me and I learned forward as my eyelids drooped. Serene must have felt the same weariness because her wings missed a beat and we plummeted ten feet in a heartbeat.

I patted the side of her face, yelling against the wind, "I know, I'm tired, too! We're almost there!"

The shimmering lake of Clear Water came into view as we soared closer. The water was a sheet of inky blackness that mirrored the glowing crescent moon and surrounding trees of the Yurich Forest. The surface rippled as dragons and shifters landed along the shore, joining the throngs of Draconians already stationed on the docks with the pyres.