Just when Cullen thought he might never get to see his Garnets again, they’d gotten word from Con, King of Dragon Kings, that all unmated Kings were needed. Cullen had been the first through the Fae doorway connecting the two realms. The moment he stepped into Zora and saw the dragons, emotion overwhelmed him. It lodged in his throat, choking him, but at the same time, the steel vise around his chest loosened for the first time in eons. He could’ve watched the dragons for eternity.
Con and Rhi’s twin children, Brandr and Eurwen, ruled Zora at Cairnkeep. That’s where the Dragon Kings congregated to get up to speed on things. Cairnkeep was the base in Zora—much as Dreagan was on Earth. Except the twins hadn’t built a grand manor as the Kings had. But Cullen suspected that would come soon enough.
He had been shocked to discover humans in Zora. It seemed that anywhere the dragons went, mortals weren’t far behind. Brandr and Eurwen hadn’t wanted to make the same mistakes the Kings had on Earth, so they’d set up sections on the realm for humans with an invisible barrier that kept them out of the dragons’ territory.
It had worked. Or they thought it had. Recently, however, the twins had learned that some humans had been capturing and torturing dragons for their magic. Cullen had missed out on aiding in punishing the mortals responsible. At least those poor dragons had been freed, and the mortals responsible dealt with.
But it wasn’t just humans on the realm. There were those with magic and others, like Jeyra, who aged at a much slower rate. Even before Jeyra mated a Dragon King, she had helped by sharing information about her city and those who ruled it. Despite that, some unknown foe had begun attacking and killing dragons. It was why Con had called for the Kings.
Cullen reached the beginning of the canyon. From his vantage point from above, it looked like the smallest crack that had splintered then became a gaping hole. No part of Zora wasn’t beautiful and unspoiled. It reminded him of Earth before the humans arrived. But he didn’t want to think about that. Not here, not in this pristine place that wasn’t buzzing with planes, trains, cars, satellites, or mortals.
He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been on Earth until he arrived in Zora. The Kings couldn’t give up their home. Not only did their presence keep the realm safe, but their home was near where magic welled from the planet. It was why they had chosen that spot for Dreagan.
Still…Cullen would have a difficult time leaving Zora. Even with humans.
Each Dragon King had been given a quadrant to keep watch over to see if anyone could catch the new enemy. He’d made it his mission to know every inch of the land he had been sent to. He flew over it several times a day. For five weeks, he and the other Kings had waited for an attack or some sign of their adversary. But there had been nothing.
He alternated when he made his passes in hopes of seeing something. The sky was a soft gray now. Bright light was beginning to show over the horizon, announcing that dawn was fast approaching. This was Cullen’s favorite time of day. He loved seeing the sunlight chase away the darkness and bathe the world in its radiance. But, most of all, he loved being able to fly freely. It wasn’t something any of the Dragon Kings had been able to do in eons, not since they sent the dragons away and hid from the mortals.
His heart was both joyful and wrenched at the same time. The fact that these dragons were the descendants of those on Earth brought a smile to his face. Just as it did knowing they were safe and free to live as they were supposed to.
On the other hand, his gut churned with bitterness and regret that the Kings had once had a world like Zora, but things had gone badly, leaving them only one choice. Sadness weighed heavily upon him at what he and the other Kings had lost. Their world might not have been perfect, but it was as close as it could be in his eyes. Earth was a place where he had to search to find beauty. Something that had once been everywhere before the humans cut down forests, drained lakes, moved rivers, and blasted mountains, all to cover it with concrete and build shopping malls or houses. How much longer could it continue before they depleted Earth of all her resources? What would the tedious, wrathful mortals do then?
Cullen’s thoughts skidded to a halt when he caught sight of a dark-haired woman bursting from the forest on the human side of the barrier with a small boy with black hair. They were running, the woman looking over her shoulder often. Cullen suspected the duo was coming for dragon territory, and since humans weren’t supposed to cross over, it meant that he had to stop them.
Just as he dipped his wing to turn around and confront the pair, a group of armored and uniformed men poured from the forest. Many had some form of injury—blood covering nearly all of them. Cullen wasn’t sure whose blood it was, but it didn’t matter. The men were after the woman and child. No human was supposed to come onto dragon land, but he wasn’t going to stand by and watch the men attack defenseless people.
Cullen tucked his wings and dove from the sky. As he neared, he opened his mouth and released his power of fog. It poured from him, falling to the ground and slowly spreading. He glanced at the woman and lad to see them near the edge of the barrier. His attention returned to the men. He curled into a ball as he shifted, calling his clothes and weapons to him as he landed on his feet.
Slowly, he lifted his head and grinned. He could see clearly through the fog, but the soldiers couldn’t. They were disoriented and trying to discern where it had come from. Cullen remained still and, with a simple thought, dispersed the fog enough for the men to see him.
“Who the bloody hell are you?” one of the soldiers demanded.
Cullen let his gaze move over the group as he held his axe in his left hand and his sword in his right. “You have one chance to turn around and leave.”
“Get out of our way,” another ordered.
Cullen shrugged. “So be it.”
He tossed the axe, watching it imbed itself in one of the soldier’s skulls. He then ducked a swing from a sword, only to pivot and lift his blade to stop another attack. He spun, slicing his sword through the abdomen of two men, who grabbed their stomachs and shouted with pain as they fell to the ground.
Movement next to him caught his eye. He glanced over to see the woman fighting alongside him with a staff. He didn’t see the boy, and all he could hope was that the lad was safe.
Cullen had been fine fighting the group of soldiers on his own, but with the woman there, he knew it was only a matter of time before she got injured. She had skill, but she wielded a staff against blades. Which meant that he had to end this now. He could shift and douse them with dragon fire, which would mean instant death.
Or he could stop playing around and take them out.
He opted for the latter option because he wanted information from the woman, and he wasn’t sure he would get that if she knew he was a Dragon King. Cullen moved quickly, pivoting, turning, lunging, and jumping until only a handful of the men remained. They quickly ran back into the forest and disappeared.
“You shouldn’t have let them go. They’ll be back with reinforcements,” the woman said as she turned on her heel and started running to the canyon.
Cullen hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her so he followed. To his surprise, she didn’t go through the barrier. Instead, she went down one of the sloped green walls to the canyon below. They reached the bottom, and she lengthened her stride. He couldn’t be sure if she was headed toward the barrier or to the large tree in front of them.