Shared By The Dragon Clan Complete Read Online Free PDF Page B

who had thrown herself
off the balcony. Someone else who had stood in court and was sentenced to
twenty years. This island was her prison and Zane was her captor, but only now,
in wake of the grand night before them, did she realize that she felt free.
    Torches of
red fire burned outside the walls of the palace. The path led out to a set of
steps and as she and Zane moved nearer to them, she could feel the heat of the
flames. Each torch flickered and breathed in union with the others. From inside
the palace, she could hear a tribal drum beating…
    “Do you mind
waiting here?” Zane asked.
    “Oh,” Stacey
mumbled. “Okay.”
    “I need to
speak with the King first. About you … and some other things too.”
    Zane snapped
his fingers and a guard emerged out from behind one of the pillars.
    “This is Miss
Stacey Caversham. My honored guest. Watch her for a moment will you?”
    The guard
nodded.
    Zane smiled
at Stacey and let go of her hand.
    As he left
her presence, her eyes circled the rest of the courtyard, aware that she wasn’t
alone. Of course she wasn’t worried. Zane had warned the others not to mess
with her.
    Stacey
though, could help but wonder, what would happen if he hadn’t…

 
      CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
     
     
    Inside the palace, most of the King’s
people were moving towards the banquet hall where dinner would be shortly
served. Zane pushed through the crowd and made his way up to the stairs which
came round on an angle leading up to the palace’s second floor. He was headed
to see King Horatio in the throne room.
    The entrance
to the throne room was wide open apart from the two guards who stood in its
path. These weren’t the ordinary Knight Guards of the courtyard however – these
were part of a select unit known as the Champions. While in technicality Zane
was ranked higher than they were, the Champions took their orders directly from
the King, and so he had no authority here. He was forced to wait whilst one of
them went to the King to announce his arrival.
    “Yes, yes,
yes,” King Horatio spluttered in response. “Send him forth.”
    The champion
blocking Zane’s path removed himself leaving the way to the throne
unchallenged.
    Zane slowly
marched on.
    “So glad
you’re here,” Horatio exclaimed picking up a chalice of wine from the slave
girl’s tray. He got off the throne and walked past his mage advisor to meet
Zane in the centre of the room.
    Zane took the
chalice that was offered, and put the wine to his lips.
    “I haven’t
seen much of you lately,” Horatio commented, circling him. “I trust there have
been no disturbances in the stronghold?”
    “Of course
not,” Zane answered. “You would be the first to know if there were.”
    “I was
talking with our friend here,” Horatio said, indicating to the Mage, “and we
were discussing the concept of going to war.”
    Zane inhaled
sharply. He held his empty chalice out and a slave girl quickly came to
retrieve it.
    “Obviously I
would need a good dragon to lead the attack. Someone of already high authority.
As far as I know, there is no better challenger than you.”
    “I’m more of
a defense expert,” Zane replied.
    “Yes – but
you are equipped with the skills required to lead an attack, are you not?”
    “Yes. Your
Highness…”
    “Very good.”
    “And who
might we be attack?”
    “Well, the
humans of course.”
    Horatio
stopped circling. His smug expression gave no indication as to what his next
action would be.
    “Why go to
war with them? Haven’t they given us what we asked for?”
    “I’ll admit,”
Horatio said, “I’m bored. I find our dwelling here to be absolutely
unsatisfying. How is it you occupy your time?”
    Zane nodded.
“Perhaps it is time for you to find a mate.”
    Horatio
roared with laughter. “Oh yes of course – Our Prince Zane here, the Ladies’ man
who cannot help himself!”
    “I meant for
you … to consider raising a family.”
    “For that I’d
need a pure blood. I’d have to