Power flooded me, pumped up by my dragon, and small flames licked at my skin as we slowly made our way. They ran from me to Nyfain and back, traveling over our bodies as though dancing between us. Behind us, colorful light swirled and shed from Hannon, who had a much easier time accessing it now that his animal had made the final transition.
As expected, people stopped and stared, looking down at us with wide eyes. The hustle and bustle ceased entirely because everyone was staring at us.
A bald man with deeply bronzed skin and a pristine white suit walked forward to greet us in the middle of the space. His smile was slight and didn’t meet his eyes, and a waiting team of staff, also dressed in white, waited behind him.
“King Nyfain.” He bowed. “So good to see you again. I was sorry to hear about the late king of Wyvern.”
“Porfino, hello. Yes, thank you. Let me introduce you to Queen Finley.”
He offered me a bow. “Hello, Queen Finley. Your reputation precedes you, of course, but descriptions of your beauty are but a pale representation of your lovely bloom.”
I tried really hard to make my grimace into a smile. Really hard.
“Nice to meet you,” I lied, inclining my head.
“And Hannon, whom we’ve lately learned is the mythical phoenix,” Nyfain said, separating from me for a moment to allow Porfino a glimpse between us.
Porfino’s eyes glittered, and his bow was just that bit lower. “Yes, the news reached me. Honored, of course. I hope you’ll grace us with your flight.”
Hannon didn’t respond, and I guess it didn’t really matter. He was a fucking myth come to light. If others were insulted by his actions, that was their problem.
I’m annoyed that I’m jealous of him, my dragon grumbled.
This time I tried not to snicker. I really did.
“And you remember my mother, the former queen of Wyvern.” Nyfain waited for Hannon to step to the side a bit, allowing Porfino to welcome Arleth, before stepping closer to me again.
“Well, fantastic.” Porfino clasped his hands behind his back. “Our people will take you to your wing. You’ll find the itinerary in your rooms. We’ll have the formal meet-and-greet tonight. If there are any problems, please let one of our servants know immediately, and I’ll handle it personally.” He bent at the waist a little but didn’t step to the side just yet. “I would like the opportunity to mention that I heard about the trouble you had while staying at King Starvos’s castle. I assure you that nothing of the sort will be tolerated here by any party. This is a neutral zone, as I’m sure you remember, and we’ll be very careful to watch all food and monitor all areas for any hostile activity.”
Nyfain’s stare could’ve cut stone.
He didn’t comment, just inclined his head and waited impatiently for Porfino to bow once again and step out of the way. Once we were walking, I asked him quietly what was wrong.
“He was warning us against retaliation,” he replied, not looking around as we walked the halls and took the stairs up to the third floor.
“And why should that make you angry? You knew they wouldn’t want us retaliating here.”
“Because of the way it was handled,” Arleth said, pushing up next to Hannon. “He made it sound like we were upstarts here to cause trouble.” I could hear her anger. “He must assume the other kingdoms intend to ignore the attacks on us and back the demon king if we try to retaliate.”
Her mouth firmed into a straight line, and she kept silent until the castle staff showed us to our rooms and then receded. Weston, Micah, Vemar, and Hadriel ducked in with us, obviously eager to take part in whatever conversation went down about the council.
Arleth went and stood by the windows, looking out over the grounds. “This is why Dolion has been able to get away with his shady dealings for so long. He is operating under the correct assumption that no one will want to upset the status quo. They’re all afraid to push back.”
“They are afraid of war,” Nyfain growled, stripping his livery collar as Leala stripped mine. “Which is understandable. War is disruptive and expensive, and everyone knows the demons are ruthless and cunning. Dolion has been bullying them into silence and acquiescence by being the biggest threat in the room.”
“Dolion is no longer the biggest threat in the room,” Weston said, standing in front of the door with Micah. The others had made themselves at home, Vemar loitering in the corner while Hadriel wandered through the room, looking in drawers and opening cupboards. “Even without Starvos, soon everyone would see that there is a new game in town. Us. And we will have our vengeance.”
“Fuck yes, we will,” Micah growled, flexing.