“We would be delighted.” Margosha dragged Olenka off.
Annika stayed put, glaring at Dimitri.
He stared back.
She stepped close, lifting her chin. “Are you letting me in?”
Dimitri frowned at her. “I assume you’re referring to the office.”
She huffed. “What if I mean you?”
He clenched his fists. “We’ll discuss that later.”
“Why?” She scowled at him. “Haven’t I waited long enough?”
Silas cleared his throat. “We’re not announcing it publicly till after Her Majesty’s funeral, but Gwen and I are getting married.”
Annika squealed and dashed into the office to give Gwen a hug. “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you.”
Gwen laughed. “After I’m married, you’ll be my cousin. And Sorcha will be a real sister.”
Silas gave Dimitri a smirk.
He tugged at his collar, then followed them inside and closed the door.
Gwen and Annika sat in the chairs in front of Karlan’s desk, while Silas leaned over, propping his elbows on the back of Gwen’s chair. Brody was behind the desk, now wearing breeches and buttoning a shirt.
“My thanks to everyone for convincing the king to rescind his order,” Silas began. “How is His Majesty?”
With a sigh, Karlan sat behind his desk. “He’s distraught. Not eating. Not sleeping. Not leaving the queen’s side.”
“The queen’s body is in her bedchamber,” Dimitri added as he leaned against a wall. “The priest wants to move her to the chapel so her body can lie in state before the funeral, but the king doesn’t seem to even hear him.”
Annika nodded. “It’s very sad. When we went there to defend Gwennore, he broke into tears and said there had been enough death.” She gave Gwen a worried look. “That’s when he withdrew the order. He seems very confused right now, so I can’t tell if he’s entirely convinced of your innocence. He did believe that the tea we made was helping.”
“I see,” Gwen said.
“That was last night.” Dimitri frowned. “This morning, when I checked on him, he was babbling nonsense.”
Silas straightened. “What was he saying?”
“He kept repeating the story about how Fafnir had saved the lives of our ancestors by giving them a piece of his dragon heart. Now the king thinks Fafnir should be able to do the same for his late wife.”
Silas sighed. His brother was becoming more delusional.
“A dragon gave away a part of his heart?” Gwen asked.
“That was five hundred years ago, when the mine collapsed on the seven brothers,” Silas explained. “When the bodies were extracted from the mountain, King Magnus discovered the youngest five had survived. Barely. He begged the Ancient Ones to save his sons, but the dragons refused. Then one dragon, Fafnir, agreed. He gave the brothers his blood and a piece of his heart.”
Gwen twisted in her chair to look at him. “And that is how you became dragon shifters?”
Silas nodded. “It was a great shock to their bodies, and two of the brothers died. Only the youngest three survived, and they soon learned that they were dragon shifters. Their sons and grandsons were also born with the ability.”
“They didn’t see any point in remaining slaves to the Ancient Ones,” Dimitri continued the story. “So they rebelled.”
“That was the Great Dragon War,” Annika added. “When the Ancient Ones were dying off, they put a curse on the three clans.”
“But Fafnir is still alive?” Brody asked. “After five hundred years?”
Silas sighed. “I’m not convinced it is Fafnir. He’s living in secret at the Sacred Well and only appears to the king. At first, I was worried my brother was delusional, because I went to the Sacred Well and no one was there. But then I learned that it was Fafnir who gave my brother the poisoned rings for Queen Freya.”
Karlan frowned. “So Fafnir is real.”
Silas shrugged. “Any rogue dragon shifter could claim to be an Ancient One. Whoever this Fafnir is, he’s been trying to manipulate my brother into invading Woodwyn and declaring war on Eberon and Tourin.”
Karlan exchanged a look with Dimitri. “That sounds like what His Majesty was talking about this morning. He thinks Fafnir will revive his wife if he attacks Tourin and takes their queen.”
“Brigitta?” Brody looked alarmed. “Why her?”
“I heard something similar,” Silas admitted. “I thought it strange that a dragon would be interested in a human female. And that’s when it occurred to me that this dragon could actually be—”
“The Chameleon.” Brody’s eyes lit up. “When the bastard was in Tourin, he wanted Brigitta for himself.”
Gwen winced. “Holy goddesses, he still wants her.”
“What is this Sacred Well?” Brody asked Silas. “Did you notice anything odd when you went there?”
“It’s a cave with a boiling-hot spring. The stream that runs from the spring is hot enough to kill a human, but not a dragon. So it was the place where the Ancient Ones would gather. Other than the large cavern, there are a few tunnels and rooms. I found a pallet and some clothes.” Silas thought back. “A rat ran past me.”
Brody nodded. “That could have been him. If I go with you, I’ll be able to detect his scent.”
“All right,” Silas agreed. “It won’t take long for us to fly there.”
“What will you do if you find him?” Gwen asked.
Brody’s fists clenched. “He’s escaped me twice. I’m not letting him get away again.”
“I’ll roast him with dragon fire,” Silas said.
Dimitri shook his head. “If he’s a dragon, he’ll be impervious to fire.”
“But he might be the Chameleon,” Brody argued. “If he is, then he’s only taking on a dragon form. He won’t automatically have all the powers that come with it.”
“You don’t think he can breathe fire?” Silas asked.
Brody shrugged. “I doubt it. I know I wouldn’t be able to. Just because I can look and fly like an eagle, it doesn’t mean I can lay an egg. Does this Sacred Well have any weapons we can use?”
Silas shook his head. “No. It’s considered a holy place.”
“We should ride there,” Dimitri suggested as he pushed off from the wall. “Then we can
