The bindings around my wrists fell to the ground. Neyil wasn’t holding a knife, at least that I had seen, but somehow he effortlessly cut the bindings. I stared at my wrists, noting the red marks around them from fighting against the restraints.
“Aren’t you scared I’m going to run?” I asked.
Neyil raised an eyebrow. “When you do, let me know where you go. I am curious as to where one who does not know where they are will go.” Humor had slipped into his voice as he talked. “You are untrained, without knowledge of where you are. Running will only get you killed and not by the Fae. The wildlife is dangerous enough to eat someone as precious and soft as you.”
He tried to touch my cheek, but I stepped out of reach, unable to handle contact from him. He was too nice, and that set me on edge. I kept waiting for a viper to attack. Even Neyil’s smile was patient and kind as he dropped his hand to his side. He acted like he had all the time in the world to comfort a cornered, wild animal.
“I will not hurt you. My search for you has been too long.”
“Raping me will hurt me. Killing me too.”
“You do not even understand what you are truly capable of doing. Rayna, I do not want to rape you or to kill you. I want you so we can end this long, exhausting war. It was pointless from the start, and you have the power to end it all.”
2
For a moment, all anyone could hear was the rustling of clothes moving. I stared at the king, trying to piece together what he meant. Me being the key to stopping a war that transcended generations sounded all too impossible. It had to be a joke, or maybe I was dreaming. I had wanted adventure in my life but not to this extent.
“What are you talking about?” I finally asked.
Neyil smiled, getting exactly what he wanted—my attention.
“The stories around the first Divine are not correct, but they are not necessarily wrong either. The first dragon was most definitely born in the Crotlyn mountains. There was even a reason for such an existence to come about.” Neyil’s expression turned into something gentler still. “Nature is about balance, and she is very good at making sure to keep it. If something in the Earth is off, Nature will be sure to do what she needs to make sure the problem is eradicated.”
Neyil talked about Nature as if it were a living being greater than any of us, his voice full of reverence. His expression was even similar to how Aylia had looked at him, nearly worshipful. Neyil truly believed in Nature’s existence as something cognizant.
“The animals did run from the mountains. An animal’s instinct will always be superior to ours only because they always react to said instincts while we’re prone to questioning them at times. So when danger came, they ran down. People did go into the mountains, realizing there had to be something to push them out. They found the dragon and quickly decided that was the issue. They even tried to kill said dragon, until they realized one of theirs could tame it, so to speak. Out of the dragon came a half man-half dragon form with power. Men do love their power.”
Neyil moved away from me, making it easier to breathe. He moved over to a small sapling tree only a few feet away and pressed his hand against it, his eyelids lowering as if he were feeling something as he did it.
“Aylia told me the version you are most familiar with behind the legend of dragons and riders. It is not such a love story. Reality is a bit grimmer, as is common with such romantic legends. They went into the mountains and found a beast. They tried to kill it, but he only slaughtered them. Within one of the groups that went was a woman with white hair. Her hearing was definitely sharper, and she was a strong woman. She was not kind; she was more of a mercenary-type.” His lip curled up as if he had known her personally. Maybe he had. “Greedy type. But she had the traits and the ability. While they fought, he reverted into the humanoid dragon-shape you are familiar with today. They bonded fairly quickly. But the story does not end there, not with that happily ever after. Rayna, did you ever wonder why the animals were so anxious to run away from Crotlyn Mountain?”
“I’m assuming it isn’t because of the dragon anymore,” I whispered.
“Correct. Not because of the dragon.” Neyil stepped away from the sapling and stood in front of me again. A soft breeze went by, making his long hair wave slightly, giving him an even more ethereal feel. “There is something else in those mountains, something far more vile and dangerous than dragons and Fae. Nature recognized the danger and tried to combat it with dragons and riders, but humans are corruptible. Our first dragon and rider, while they probably would have been best for the job, were not fit for the responsibility that Nature sought out. That Nature imposed on them.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Neyil’s smile stretched wide. He knew he had me with this story. There felt more truth in what he said rather than in the tales we were fed growing up. “Crotlyn Mountains is home to a dangerous entity that cannot be defeated unless we all work together, and we definitely will not win against such an entity with how things stand now between the dragons and riders. The dragons’ method of stealing magic from riders is absolutely vile and only cripples riders like you.”
“What?”Stealing magic?“Makes no sense, old man.”
“I make a lot of sense; you only need to learn to listen. But maybe you will see when the time comes. I really am glad you are finally with us, Rayna. It is time to end this long-standing war.”
My nose scrunched in disgust, and I spat at him, needing to shock him. “I refuse. Besides, I’m useless to you. I can’t exactly ride you and help you breathe fire.” I looked him over slowly as if to show how lacking he was. I refused to fight on the side of the people who’d killed my dad. “My mates are going to come and save me, and they’ll destroy you all while they’re here. That’s all I have to say to you.”
The smile on Neyil was too peaceful, like he didn’t care that I spat at him or that I was ready to kill him. He looked at Aylia. “Take her to her room, please.”
Aylia, her cheeks reddened, curtsied. “Of course.”
3
The rest of the castle matched the throne room. It was like walking through a forest. The ground felt soft every time I stepped in it, as my shoes sank in. I was tempted to take my shoes off, so I could feel how squishy.
Aylia was barefoot as she walked ahead of me. She was completely comfortable here, familiar with the twists and turns, as she easily led me to my new prison.
“You should have left me to rot in prison,” I whispered.
She paused, glancing back at me briefly before continuing to walk. “You know you wouldn’t have rotted. Your mates, maybe, if they didn’t kill them. But not you. I couldn’t let the dragon king use you like that. I like you too much.”