When he reached the summit, sweat covered him, and his breathing was labored. Yet, he still looked for a fight. He glanced toward the forest, half hoping soldiers would appear so he could take his fury out on them. Unfortunately, his wish didn’t come true. They had returned to pick up their dead, however.
Cullen glanced down the canyon. The doorway was hidden, but he knew it was there. He pivoted and walked through the barrier to dragon land. How odd that he had just been thinking about how great it was not to have any humans around on Zora. He’d been ecstatic that Brandr and Eurwen had ensured the mortals kept to their parcels of land instead of encroaching as the humans had done on Earth.
Now, all he could think about was a Banshee who risked her life to save children from being sacrificed.
“Cullen?”
He sighed as he came to a halt at the sound of Con’s voice in his head. Dragons spoke through a mental link. “Aye. I’m all right.”
“What happened?”
“I’ve discovered something you, Brandr, and Eurwen should know.”
There was a beat of silence. “We’ll be right there.”
The link disconnected. Cullen ran a hand down his face. As much as he resented the humans for their part in the dragons having to be sent away, he couldn’t stop thinking about the bairns. Those children were defenseless. How could anyone do such a thing to them?
Cullen shifted to his true form and spread his wings. He jumped into the air and flew to the top of the mountain. It was his favorite place. He had a beautiful view of the area he guarded. It would also be a good spot to await the others. His gaze slid to the canyon, but he didn’t let it linger.
It wasn’t long before he spotted his friends in the distance. Cullen returned to human form, calling his clothes to him once more. He was surprised to see Vaughn instead of his mate, Eurwen. The three Kings landed and shifted in quick succession.
“Please tell me you saw the evil,” Brandr said, his gaze penetrating.
Cullen looked into Constantine’s black eyes and then at Rhi’s son. “No’ the foe you’re wanting, no.”
“What happened?” Con asked.
Cullen looked between father and son. Both had black eyes, but Con had short, wavy, blond hair while Brandr had long, black hair like his mother’s. “It was quiet as it has been. I was doing patrol at dawn. That’s when I saw the woman and child racing from the forest,” he explained and pointed to the woods.
“I take it someone was after them,” Vaughn replied.
Cullen met his Persian-blue eyes and nodded once. “About a dozen armored men.”
Brandr didn’t bat an eye. “We doona meddle in the affairs of humans.”
“I wasna going to allow a woman and a bairn to be run down and killed,” Cullen stated.
Con glanced at Brandr before turning his attention on Cullen. “I take that to mean you intervened.”
“Aye. I used my power and covered the area with fog to give the lad and woman a chance to escape.”
“That better have been all you did,” Brandr warned.
Cullen slowly turned his head to him. The urge to punch him was high, but he was a guest on Zora. This wasn’t Earth. Cullen had to remember that. “As a matter of fact, it wasna. I fought them.”
“Do you want to start a war?” Brandr bellowed, his black eyes flashing with fury.
Vaughn’s anger was palpable when he asked Brandr, “And you condone the murder of a child and a defenseless woman?”
“We don’t get involved,” Brandr stated, his nostrils flaring. “They stay on their land, and we stay on ours. I doona give a shite what happens over there. I thought if anyone could understand the things Eurwen and I put into place, it would be the Kings. Now you want to make the same mistakes you did on Earth here. I willna let it happen. Zora willna be another Earth. The dragons willna lose another home.”
Con calmly said, “That will never happen. I gave you my word, son.”
“Good. Then take care of Cullen,” Brandr ordered.
Cullen’s hands fisted. “You—”
Con put a hand up to stop Cullen. Then he faced Brandr. “First, every Dragon King who is willing to risk their lives to fight your foe is dozens of millennia older than you. Second, we’ve been through more than you can possibly imagine, so I willna be taking care of anyone. The Dragon Kings know what to do.”
A muscle ticked in Brandr’s jaw.
“As for the woman and child, there’s more to the story. Which Cullen would get to if you’d but listen,” Con added.
Once Con looked his way, Cullen forced his fingers to loosen and release the tension in his body. But it wasn’t easy. “The woman came out with a staff and held her own, but there were too many. I did enough to chase off the rest.”
“You mean killed,” Brandr added.
Vaughn crossed his arms over his chest and shot Brandr a dark look. Con kept his gaze on Cullen.
Cullen did his best to ignore Brandr and continued. “The woman then turned and ran. I thought she was headed to the barrier. Instead, she went down the canyon. I wanted to make sure the lad was safe, so I followed her through a hidden doorway. I found myself in underground ruins. I discovered the boy was safe, and she was the reason for it. She had risked her life to smuggle him out of Stonemore, where he was to be sacrificed.”
“Bloody hell,” Vaughn murmured as his arms dropped to his sides. “How did she find out about the sacrifice?”
Cullen hesitated. “It’s her ability. She’s a Banshee.”
“A what?” Brandr asked, shock causing his features to slacken.
That got everyone’s attention. Con’s brows snapped together. “Are you serious?”
Cullen nodded. “Her name is Tamlyn. She told me that she hears the screams before a child with magic is about to die. She sneaks into Stonemore and escapes with the children. I doona know how many she has saved. She’s no’ alone, though. There are two other women with her. One was dressed like a warrior and nearly our height. The other was petite and wore peculiar clothing.”
“What kind of clothing?” Brandr asked.
Cullen slid his gaze to him, noting the small frown. “Thick gloves up to her elbows.”
“And an apron to her hips?”
“Aye. You know what she is?”
Brandr briefly closed his eyes. “An Alchemist.”
“Shite,” Vaughn said.
Cullen glanced at Con, who had yet to say anything. Con’s gaze moved back to Brandr. “How do you know about the Alchemists?”
“They are highly prized among the humans. Some are treated very well so they will stay in the city and provide the wealthy with whatever needs they have,” Brandr explained.
Vaughn’s shoulders rose with his breath. “And the others?”
“There is talk that they’re kept as slaves. Hidden away from those in the city.”
Cullen squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Tamlyn said that a Banshee rescued her the night she was to be sacrificed. She went on to explain that those with magic are hunted by those in the city. When the gifted took a stand, the humans lost. Mortal families take in the infants that arrive here. The instant they show any kind of magical ability, the leaders of the city are alerted, and the child is killed.”