“Did you say it’s for me?”
“Yes, my lady. I told the old scrooge to concoct a potion that could offset the properties of a blood blade. If he didn’t, I’d gut his wife right in front of him and his children.”
“Then I can’t have it.”
Her eyes flinched. “But why, my princess?”
“If your time with Jezz had proven anything to you it should be the realization that these fae are beyond brutality. Our old methods will not work anymore. There is probably poison in that vial.”
“It's a special healing potion,” she said, but then began to look at it carefully. “Well, maybe you’re right.”
“I appreciate you trying, but it seems like I’ll have to finally adopt the art of patience. Healing with time.”
“Dragons aren’t used to waiting…”
“I’m also not familiar with losing, either.”
“But we haven’t lost, Lady Lucyna.”
“I consider the attack in the parley a loss in my book. I was attacked, the conclave was attacked, and my father—”
“He is better,” Matissa said, breaking out into a shy smile. She looked like a teenage school girl as she dipped her head and stroked the bottle with her thumb, possibly thinking about how my father’s demeanor suddenly changed after she protected him from those goblins. “He talked to me for the first time in ages…”
I narrowed my eyes on her, judging her silently. For a second, I was at a loss for words. On one side, I hated the fact that Matissa stepped in and saved my father. The goblin attack would have been the perfect opportunity to finally get rid of him, once and for all. On the other hand, my father needed to be alive for the same reasons I kept drilling in my head day in and day out. His survival was like a double-edged sword, but of course Matissa didn’t know how I really felt about King Arrogance.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and cleared my throat before lying to her face, “I'm glad to hear that he's doing well, but that doesn't change the fact that we're in a precarious situation now. The other nations will see us as weak after what happened.”
“Not if we handle this carefully.”
“There is no such word in my father’s dictionary. He is erratic and thinks with his emotions.”
Matissa nodded, her smile fading. “I understand, Lady Lucyna. But what can we do now?”
“Seek advice from the conclave. I know my father would reject anything that comes out of my mouth.”
“Are they in a position to do that?”
I leaned back against the railing and crossed my arms, thinking. “I will summon them in private. With my father still bedridden, he will not suspect a thing.”
Matissa’s eyes grew with worry.
“It is not betrayal. This is for his own good. You know that, Matissa.”
“Well, how about I talk to him?”
“That’s a foolish idea and you’re stupid for suggesting it. Just because he doesn’t want you as dead as a few days ago doesn’t grant you special rights as his royal advisor.”
She bit her lip, looking away timidly.
“I understand that Hamasson and Gabot are critically wounded, but Saphyra and Dovidan are well enough to meet with me and strategize our next approach. Without a doubt, we need to retaliate. We need to show them that we're not to be taken lightly.”
“What are you planning, my Lady?”
“An aerial ambush, with a formation that cannot be beat.”
“While the goblins are small and may seem to be the second weakest nation, we also need to consider how well they operate in their own terrain. We need to be careful not to underestimate them, or we’ll be in for a nasty surprise,” Matissa cautioned.
“I’m aware of that. That’s why we need to be smart about this. I’ve been studying their battle patterns, and I’ve come up with a plan that will give us the upper hand. We’ll strike their small villages, areas that are less heavily guarded. The soldiers defending the supply zones will be forced to retaliate toward civilians. Once we zone them out, dismantling their weapons will become easy.”
“But many villages have teamed up with fae, garnering their specialized barricades. For all we know, their weapons may be guarded with invisible and impenetrable defense domes.”
“Nothing is impenetrable against dragons. Our reports claimed those same domes are retractable. They’ll have to eventually use those weapons to retaliate, and when they do, we will burn their offense to the ground.”
“My lady, I think you should reconsider consulting your—”
“No, I will not,” I retorted, cutting her off. “I will not consult the king.”
“If he finds out you acted upon this without his consent, the dragon conclave may put you in his direct line of fire.”
“I don’t trust the conclave, so I am expecting that anyway.”
“I take offense to that,” a baritone voice said from behind us, Matissa and I turning around to see Dovidan leaning along the glass door with a smirk on his face. “Against popular belief, the conclave can be trusted. Well, at least I can, anyway.”
Matissa bowed before Dovidan and excused herself. “If you need me, Lady Lucyna, I will be in the sub floors.” She walked out, leaving Dovidan and I alone.
“Perfect, that plan of yours. I can see it now, like a painted picture: Dragons raining destruction down, scorching their warriors and their land. Goblins dispersed in a frantic hurry, scrambling out of their homes as torn screams filled the air. The dragon army was merciless, destroying everything in sight! Their goblin soldiers tried to fight back, but they were no match for the sheer savagery of true power!” He chuckled. “When will we tire of these dry, redundant tales?”
I gave him a square eye. “No one allowed you into my chamber.”
