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didn’t understand,
but they weren’t willing to turn against me even with their
confusion. The dragons had sheltered and fought with the rebels
during our uprising. They trusted the dragons and me more than they
did the Sadeemians.
    “Are you not going to do anything?” Gryphon
growled at Cadeyrn.
    The prince’s gaze found mine. “Let her
speak.”
    I glanced at the faces before me, my gaze
meeting each of theirs. “The dragons and the gods of this country
do not trust Prince Arien. King Cadeyrn, they trust. Medeisia needs
a Medeisian ruler. If not, then it deserves a ruler who accepts the
Medeisian gods and the presence of the dragons. A ruler who accepts
the fact that the dragon rex will always hold as much power here as
the human king.”
    “That’s treasonous!” Madden stood, his angry
gaze on Lochlen. “Are you suddenly looking to interfere with human
affairs after all the years you’ve spent in the
mountains?”
    “Out of force,” I pointed out. Madden’s angry
eyes swung to my face, but I didn’t flinch. “In the time of Hedron,
the dragons were equal rulers of Medeisia. It wasn’t until the
country divided, the Ardus forming between what became Sadeemia and
Medeisia, that the dragons bowed out of human politics. Madness
does not make a good bed mate.”
    “But dragons do?” Madden spat.
    Daegan’s chair scraped the floor as he stood.
“Now, wait a minute—”
    My hand found his arm, stopping him, my
flashing gaze on Madden’s. I wasn’t angry at the captain. He, like
the rest of the Sadeemians, didn’t understand why I was speaking
for the Dracon race, why I was rebelling against a peaceful rule.
In their eyes, it made no sense.
    “Medesia is a country fueled by power,
knowledge, gods, and dragons. There is a rich history full of
ancient magic. The changes Prince Arien may bring could damage
that,” I said firmly.
    “The gods,” Daegan breathed, his eyes finding
my face. He was a superstitious man. “Have they come to
you?”
    Aware of the intense gazes focused on my
person, I inclined my head.
    “Gods!” Mothelamew fumed. “You plan to
undermine Prince Arien’s rules based on your gods? What help have
your gods given you? You, the daughter of the Sadeemian gods as
well as Medeisian?”
    Unblinking, I peered at the mage. “When faced
with war and bloodshed, my gods gave me power. What have your gods
given the people of Medeisia? What have they given me?”
    The answering silence was deafening.
    “Stone,” Gryphon finally said, his hoarse voice
breaking through the tension. “This is war, sister. Some countries
win, others lose. Those without leadership accept new rulers.
Sadeemia is a peaceful nation with just leaders. Medeisia will fare
well under its rule.” He stared at me. “You’re the daughter of our
minister of government.”
    My eyes fell to the wolf at my side, my ears
catching the distant sound of a falcon. Trees whispered beyond the
castle walls.
    “When humans failed you, the forest
nurtured and protected you. Where humans abandoned you, the forest
gave you a home.”
    The trees’ words filled me, swirling
through my heart, and I let my gaze slide to Gryphon’s. “I was not
raised by man. Men disowned me. They abandoned me to circumstance.
They killed the people I loved. They forced me into exile. Still, I
fought. I fought because the forest asked me to, because the king
of dragons inspired me. Tell me, brother , would we have won our war
without the Medeisian gods, without the forest, and without the
dragons?”
    “No,” Daegan murmured next to me, “we would not
have.”
    His back went rigid, his palm meeting the table
next to mine.
    Maeve’s palm followed his. “We sought Sadeemian
assistance,” she said, “but we didn’t seek Sadeemian
rule.”
    Gryphon studied me, his eyes sad. “You lost
your prince. You lost the only blood claim your country had to the
Medeisian throne. You have a big fight ahead if you believe you can
convince your nation to