lde

nt-shaped scale,a pure-blood dragon's relic, supposedly pulsed with a faint, warm golden light. A priceless

ue trinket, My Lady?" Tessa ask

the scale onto my vanity table as if it were cheap glass. "I

uld make a perfect conversation starter when Prince Valerius arriv

PHIN

oorboards of my sparse attic room, my fingers probing the cracks, feeling

never knew, the only clue to my origins. I retraced my steps in my mind-the tavern, the alley, the grand parlor. I

my mind set. I would kick

he heavy blast of a Dragon Horn echoed through the

e envoy. The

etched with red-gold flame motifs-the colors of a vassal dragon house. They sto

ned to Isolde, spotted me on the stairs. "The

rward, their massive bodies blocking

g there, a mocking smile on her lips. And there, hanging

. She had no idea what she was wearing. T

ld Mistress Oakhaven, m

snapped, signaling the guards to flank me. In the presence of the Dragon Lord's

the courtyard. I mouthed the words, a silent, vi

sing me completely. In her arrogance,

to prioritize. First, the fifty thousand gold pieces. Sec

eward, handed me a heavy iron lockbox. "The... funds, a

n my chest. I quickly handed a sealed letter and a small pouch of coins to a trusted stable

n, unadorned wooden carriage. It was a deliberate insult, t

lwind of calculations. Survive the crippled Lord. Find a w

As I sat in the dim, rattling box, the memory of the tavern man's ozone scent briefly crossed my mind

knew a trap was waiting. I just didn't know I was walk