Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Queen Rolfe directed her gaze out the window, having nothing to say to that.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t your problem.”
“You’re a Rolfe. Your problems are my problems.”
“That’s…kind of you to say.”
Her hand reached for mine on the table, and she gave it a squeeze.
I looked at our joined hands, stared in disbelief at her touch.
“My daughter.”
I heard the words as loud as a ringing bell, but my brain could not process them.
Footsteps sounded behind me, and then her hand pulled away.
Huntley entered the room. He was behind me, but I could feel the way the room changed once he entered, the way the energy transformed. I was sitting in his seat at the head of the table, so he took the seat on my left across from his mother. “You didn’t eat your lunch.”
“Not hungry.”
He grabbed the plate and pulled it toward him. Then he helped himself.
I loved that he didn’t pester me to eat. When I was upset, he let me be upset. When I needed my space, he gave it to me.
He finished the sandwich in a few bites. “The game has changed. Now that they know both dragons are here, they’ll realize HeartHolme is unprotected. Ian wants to send one dragon back to defend it.”
I snapped out of my sadness. “They won’t separate.”
“Then you’ll need to convince them otherwise.”
“It’s impossible.” Pyre and Storm couldn’t be more different, but they came as a pair.
“Baby, we can’t abandon HeartHolme.”
“That’s not what I’m suggesting. The only way Necrosis finds out about the dragons is if they leave the Capital and travel south. So, if we take them down before that happens, the secret is safe.”
“Even with two dragons, that seems like a stretch,” Huntley said. “We can’t depend on that.”
“I should return to HeartHolme as soon as possible,” Queen Rolfe said. “If war is on our doorstep, that’s where I need to be.”
“Ian did say something cryptic in his message,” Huntley said. “He was obviously concerned that the missive would be intercepted, so whatever he’s trying to tell me must be substantial.”
“What was the message?” Queen Rolfe asked.
“They have a good chance of getting more of what we already had.” Huntley turned his gaze on me, as if I would be able to figure that out.
“He said nothing else?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Said HeartHolme is about to be strengthened. That was the last thing he wrote.”
I dissected that in silence.
Queen Rolfe figured it out the quickest. “The Ice.”
Huntley and I both turned to her.
“They found more of it,” she said, more to herself than to us.
“Elora said there was no more,” Huntley said.
“Well, that mysterious man obviously lied,” Queen Rolfe said. “And then revealed where we can find more. If that’s the case and the entire army is strengthened by these weapons, then we can take Necrosis head on in battle.”
Huntley rested his arms on the table, his body shifted forward as he held his mother’s gaze. When he was deep in concentration, he didn’t have the sternness of a king, more of a soldier ready to kill. “A war on two fronts. That’s our best chance.”
“What?” I asked in surprise. “You say they attack Necrosis while we take the Kingdoms?”
Huntley turned to me. “The Three Kings can’t be in two places at once. It’ll divide their attention. If what Ian says is true, they won’t need the dragons anymore. They’ll be equal in battle.”
“But they’re still outnumbered,” Queen Rolfe said. “They need the men of the Kingdoms in order to challenge them.”
The same thought crossed my mind. “I think we need to finish our work here as quickly as possible so we can join them. With the Ice, the men, and the dragons, Necrosis won’t stand a chance.”
Huntley continued to stare, his expression hard as he remained deep in thought. “I suppose you’re right.”
“If Necrosis attacks HeartHolme, we’ll be able to defeat a chunk of their army,” Queen Rolfe said. “That’ll make the next war easier to win.”
“Ian said they have a good chance of getting more,” Huntley said. “He never said it was a done deal. I suspect they know the outcome of that venture by now, but he sent this letter prior to that revelation.”
Queen Rolfe gave a nod. “I shall return to HeartHolme at first light. I’ll take a few men with me. My son has regained his birthright, so my job here is done.” She looked at her eldest son, the pride in her eyes.
Huntley held the look momentarily but dropped his stare when it became too much. “We should begin our acquisition as well. We’ve already wasted too much time.” He turned to me. “Has Pyre improved?”
“Dramatically.” He would always be more timid than Storm, but at least now he was confident in his own scales. Instead of seeing himself as a prisoner of abuse, he saw himself for what he truly was—a powerful dragon.