“She’s better because Margosha has been giving her a tonic that Lady Gwennore made for her. And right now, Gwen is trying to find a cure for the plague so our people can start having children again. She’s working tirelessly on our behalf. She deserves our respect.”
Petras wandered over to the fireplace and gazed at the smoldering coals. “Fafnir told me not to trust her.”
Silas groaned inwardly. “Fafnir is the one who gave you the tainted rings.”
“The elf is lying!” Petras clenched his fists. “Fafnir would never hurt us.”
“He’s one of the Ancient Ones, who treated our people like slaves and gave our first king poisonous crowns.”
“No!” Petras tossed a log onto the coals, then breathed a gust of fire to set the log ablaze. He spun around to face Silas. “Fafnir was never like the others. When King Magnus begged the Ancient Ones to save the brothers who were dying, the dragons refused. It was Fafnir who came forward to save them. He gave them his own blood, a piece of his own heart—”
“I know the story,” Silas interrupted. “But when the three surviving brothers attacked the Ancient Ones, Fafnir didn’t take their side. He fought on the side of the Ancient Ones and set the curse on us. Why would you trust him now?”
Petras lifted his chin. “He said he feels responsible for us. He’s the one who made us the way we are.”
“And he’s the one who cursed us.”
“That means he’s the only one who can undo it!” Petras’s eyes gleamed in the firelight. “He says he can help us take over the world. We are the only dragons left. It is our rightful place to rule over those who are less than us.”
Silas’s heart sank. “We’re not like the Ancient Ones, Petras. We’re human. Don’t forget that.”
“Fafnir can help us conquer the rest of the mainland. And he asks for very little in return.”
Silas narrowed his eyes. “What exactly does he want?”
“Once we take over Tourin and oust the king, he wants the queen delivered to him.”
Brigitta? “Why would an Ancient One want a human female?” Once again, Silas suspected that the dragon who claimed to be Fafnir wasn’t actually an Ancient One. If he was a dragon shifter, it would make more sense for him to want a woman. But why Brigitta? How would Fafnir even know her?
A memory came to his mind from the meeting that morning. Brigitta had shuddered. When I think how close I came to marrying that monster …
Holy Light. Could Fafnir be the Chameleon?
* * *
It was close to midnight by the time Silas finished updating Dimitri and Karlan. The news seemed even more ominous as candlelight cast flickering shadows across Karlan’s office.
“Circle of Five,” Karlan murmured as he leaned back in his chair and gazed at the ceiling.
Dimitri paced about the room. “So the Five could be the Chameleon, Lord Morris, the elf who wants Lady Gwennore, and two unknowns?”
Silas took a seat. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
Karlan frowned at the ceiling. “If they get their way and take over the world, they’ll eventually turn on each other. I can’t see five people ruling together peacefully.”
Silas nodded. “Especially if they’re a bunch of assholes.”
Dimitri snorted. “That’s a given.”
“They’re probably using each other for now,” Silas said. “Just like Fafnir is trying to use my brother.”
Dimitri continued to pace. “This so-called Fafnir wants to use our army and dragons to take over Eberon, Tourin, and Woodwyn?”
“Yes,” Silas agreed. “If Fafnir is the Chameleon, like I suspect, he’ll wait till Petras has control of those three countries. Then he’ll kill him and take his place.”
Dimitri sat in the chair beside him. “We should go to the Sacred Well and find this Fafnir.”
“I tried that the other day. He goes into hiding if anyone other than Petras comes.”
The room grew silent as the three men considered the options before them.
Finally, Silas rose to his feet. “So, what happened here today?”
Dimitri waved a dismissive hand. “Not much. I took Lady Gwennore and Annika to my family’s estate so they could raid the garden of some special leaf they wanted. They took it all to the workroom. I haven’t seen them since.”
“Karlan, could you send someone to bring Lady Gwennore here?” Silas asked. “I need to talk to her.”
“She may not be awake,” Karlan grumbled as he strode out the door.
Dimitri yawned as he rose to his feet. “I’m off to bed.”
“No, stay.” Silas motioned for him to sit back down.
Dimitri remained standing. “Why?”
Silas perched on the edge of Karlan’s desk. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Dimitri huffed, then sat back down.
Silas fiddled with the clay crock he’d brought back from his meeting with Leo and Luciana. He’d worried that he might spill the contents if he tried holding it while flying, so he’d stayed in human form the rest of the day, taking a barge up the Norva River, then riding his horse the rest of the way to Draven Castle. He’d left the crock on Karlan’s desk while he’d gone to talk to his brother.
“What is that?” Dimitri asked.
“A spice made from a hot pepper,” Silas explained. “The Eberoni royal physician thinks it could be helpful in curing the plague.”
“You think we can really be rid of the curse?”
Silas snorted. “There never was a curse. Just poisoned crowns and some sick rats that like to bite.”
Dimitri was silent for a while.
Silas nudged him with a foot. “How long are you going to keep my cousin waiting?”
Dimitri shifted in his chair. “Even without a curse, she could die in childbirth.”
“We could die every time we go into battle. You can’t stop living because of fear.”
Dimitri arched a brow. “Calling me a coward?”
Silas scoffed. “I wouldn’t do that to my best friend.”
“Good. Then I won’t question why you were alone in the cabin with a certain lady, and when she came out, her shirt was buttoned wrong.”
Silas winced. “Since when
