“I don’t understand,” I said slowly. “Why didn’t you show your true form to me before?”
“Would you have let me share your bed if I did?”
My mouth fell open at the question as my cheeks grew hot. “No.”
“You have a tale to tell, Norvin,” said Cain, moving forward to drape an arm over him.
“How could you keep yourself hidden like this?” asked Adal who still looked moved. “We thought you were dead.”
“I am sorry,” said Norvin, his gaze suddenly grim. “I regained my human form only two days ago. Before that, I was still playing Daria’s pet snake.”
“Who are you really?” I asked, looking at the three men. “What are you doing in Linmoor?”
“We will explain,” said Cain. “But before that, I want to know whether you’re the assassin Lady Elga sent to destroy the virgin blood trade.”
“I am,” I replied. “I tracked the man who bought the girls and bled them dry. He gave me the list of people who bought from him. I assume you’re the people who ordered the assassination?”
“Yes,” said Cain. “I am Prince Cain of Iorna.”
I stared at him. He was the ruling prince of the kingdom where we resided. No wonder, Cain had the air of authority around him even when he was garbed in plain cotton like a common merchant.
“This,” he gestured towards his golden-haired companion, “is Prince Adal of Baledonia.”
“And I am Prince Norvin of Redfall,” said the man who’d been playing my pet snake.
I’d only read these names in the journals Lady Elga made us read from time to time. The realm was divided into four kingdoms- Drakhaven, Iorna, Baledonia, and Redfall. Drakhaven was the greatest among them all and ruled by Emperor Ivan.
From what I knew so far, Prince Cain was the ruling prince of Iorna. Prince Norvin of Redfall was recently condemned for treason and killed. Prince Adal was the sixth prince of Iorna. Out of the three, there was almost no information about Prince Adal. It was usually because a prince who was born to a concubine and sixth-in-line to the throne was hardly considered important.
Some of the pieces of the puzzle were finally settling into place. Prince Cain was the one to order the assassination of people involved in the virgin blood trade. He hid his identity to come this far from his capital.
My gaze fell on Prince Norvin. He had to be the most striking man among the three. The color of his hair and eyes set him far apart from ordinary folk. As far as the news went, he’d been killed. So, how was he here then?
“I think I am ready to listen to your story too, Na…Prince Norvin,” I said while they were still embracing each other. I’d never seen such display of affection before. Now, I was curious to know the relationship between them.
“You can call me Naya if you want,” said Prince Norvin with a wink. “You’re mine now anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Cain at once. “You were just a pet snake she found in the woods.”
“So what?” Norvin argued back. “We still shared a bed most nights. As I see it, Daria is my woman.”
“Why don’t we allow Lady Daria to decide that?” said Adal with a tilt of his head toward me. “You might not know this but she’s a very capable woman.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Prince Adal.
“How do you know each other?” I asked, still intrigued by their brotherly bond. As far as I knew, the royal families from the three kingdoms have been forbidden to be in any kind of relationship.”
The three men exchanged glances between them before looking towards me. “Our friendship started long before Emperor Ivan took the throne of Drakhaven,” said Cain. We’ve known each other for years now.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “So you remember a different way of life.”
“Yes,” said Adal. “The kingdoms were peaceful and there was prosperity all around. But things changed overnight when Emperor Ivan murdered our fathers.”
“I never understood how he did it,” I said slowly, thinking back to the history lessons I had as a child. Of course, I was to be blamed for not paying enough attention. However, now that I was directly speaking to the princes, I wanted to know more. “Ivan wasn’t even a true dragon.
Cain and Norvin sat down heavily at the edge of my bed. “I can’t tell the story without burning this shack down,” said Cain. “You better do it, Adal.”
Another realization hit me. The three princes had dragon blood flowing in their veins. While I manifested my magic through strengthening my inner power, their magic was inherent. They could produce fire, control it and even withstand its heat without a single burn on them. Even if they couldn’t shift into a true dragon form, they were still more powerful than regular humans.
“Take a seat, Miss Daria,” said Adal who was now leaning against the wall beside the bed.
I obeyed, bringing a chair closer to the bed. When I’d taken a seat on it, Adal began.
“Nineteen years ago, the four kingdoms had true dragons ruling over them. The greatest of them was King Helmut of Drakhaven.”
I nodded. This was something I remembered from my lessons.
“Do you understand how we shift into our true forms, Lady Daria?”
“Not really. I don’t think this was ever explained to me.”
“It is complicated magic that most don’t understand,” explained Adal, speaking slowly so I could follow him. “Most of the ancient texts were burned by Ivan when he captured the palace of Drakhaven. But I’ll tell you the secret because I read it long before the catastrophe occurred.”
I was perched on the edge of my seat, leaning forward with interest.
“A man with dragon blood in his veins can trigger the shifting magic only if he mates with a woman from the Fire Clan or a female dragon. Women with dragon blood need only mate with a man who’s already a true dragon.”
My ears perked up. “Who were the Fire Clan? I don’t think I’ve ever heard them mentioned.”
“No,” said Adal with a shake of his head. Norvin and Cain were brooding, their fists clenched tightly. “They were eradicated nineteen years ago. Long before the four kingdoms were created, the dragons were united under the Fire Clan. Some of the tribe members married humans and the blood was mixed but some remained who still retained the divinity gifted to us by the Fire God.”
“When the dragons divided themselves into four different clans, the Fire Clan kept to themselves, not siding with anyone. For their dedication to age-old traditions, some of their women were blessed with mating magic. They were deeply revered, for a dragonborn could shift into their true dragon form only after mating with such a woman.”
“Over the centuries, the Fire Clan was protected by the kings of all four kingdoms. The highest ladies of their ranks were either employed by the kings to act as priestesses in the temples or wed to princes and kings. Before Emperor Ivan took over the throne, he had the whole clan massacred. It was one of his devious plans to remain the sole true dragon. The power allowed him to become the emperor of the four kingdoms.”
“What about his sons, then?” I asked. “How will they ever shift into dragons without them?”
Norvin hissed from his corner. “Ivan doesn’t want them to shift. He murdered his own brother. Do you think he will trust his sons not to depose him? He didn’t take the chance. He had them all killed.”
“How did Ivan take down four dragons?” I asked. “It’s a difficult feat for someone who couldn’t even shift into a true dragon. He went against four of them.”
“He was cunning, of course,” said Cain. “He got King Helmut to invite the royal families on the occasion of his daughter’s first birthday. He sent his sons to destroy the Fire Clan while he remained in the palace and poisoned the wine served to the royal guests.”
“Our fathers died without given a chance to fight,” said Adal, his soft blue eyes suddenly blazing with suppressed rage.
My hands came up to cover my mouth. “I am terribly sorry,” I whispered.
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