Read Online City in Ruins by R.K. Ryals - Free Book Online Page B

reciprocated. It just needed to be
planted and watered. Love was like a flower standing alone in a
field. As long as it was fed by the rain and could look upon the
sun, it flourished and found happiness. I was the flower. Cadeyrn
was the sun, too far away to touch, too hot to be close to, but as
long as he shone, I’d flourish. His happiness was
enough.
    I would never share a life with the prince, but
he saw me as his queen. It was a beautiful and devastating place to
be. For a king must use his queen to protect himself.
    I was the forest.
    I was words.
    I was a dragon consort.
    I was a chess piece.
    I was everything, and I was nothing.
     
     
     

Chapter 10
     
    If the Beatrice was magnificent from the
shore, then she was even more magnificent up close. It took four
row boats to transport those who’d made the trip from Medeisia.
Catriona, her maids, the herrnos , and Gryphon were the first to
row out to the Beatrice . The next two boats were full of soldiers, servants, and
supplies. The last belonged to the Medeisians, Cadeyrn, and Madden.
Since leaving Medeisia, the prince had been cautious, surrounding
himself with trustworthy guards, Madden included. Personally, I
missed Ryon.
    We’d barely struck out on the water when Maeve
clutched her stomach, her face taking on a decidedly green
hue.
    “The sea was never meant for people,” she
mumbled, her free hand gripping the side of the row
boat.
    The sea sang to me, and I glanced into the
waves. In the water, Lochlen swam, his body no longer human, his
yellow-green eyes watching me from the beneath the surface. His
golden scales brightened the sea around him. Reaching out, I let my
fingers skim the top of the water just above him. His large,
draconic eye winked at me.
    “The warriors and crew who sailed
the Beatrice down
from Majesta won’t be comfortable with the dragon,” Madden
declared.
    My gaze lifted to find the guard’s pinched face
regarding Cadeyrn’s calm visage.
    “Your problem isn’t with the dragon,” I said
suddenly. “It’s with me and my choice to represent him.”
    Madden’s lips pressed together, his eyes
swinging to my face. “It’s your title I have an issue
with.”
    “Then loathe me,” I demanded. “I was given a
choice. Lochlen fought by your side, as a dragon and a man. The
battlefield does much to create brothers out of unrelated
men.”
    “Enough,” Cadeyrn interceded. “The dragon will
cause less a stir in the sea than he will aboard the ship. He won’t
be denied access to either.” His gaze dropped to the wolf at my
feet. “Beast and man will co-exist peacefully. There’s a lot we
could learn from each other.”
    Madden’s mouth snapped shut. Oran’s head
lifted, his dark eyes finding the prince. My heart swelled with
gratitude, and I studied Cadeyrn.
    “Well,” Oran sighed, “it seems the prince finds
man as much an enemy as you do, Stone.”
    His words rang true. I’d not been the only one
betrayed continuously by man. Cadeyrn had suffered worse. He’d seen
more bloodshed and fought more political battles than any man
should. He was a constant target, his family murdered in an attempt
to get to him.
    My fingers found the wolf’s fur, gripping it.
War had stolen the prince’s humanity long before it had ever stolen
mine.
    “Ho!” voices called down from
the Beatrice.
    One by one, we boarded the ship,
special care taken to get Oran on deck from the row boat below.
The Beatrice was
like nothing I’d ever seen. I had no experience with sea travel
other than the brief journey from Rolleen to Majesta on a
trade-cog, but I’d read about it.
    This ship was a Sadeemian explorer, a large,
stable ship suited for long voyages and heavy seas. It was roomy,
big enough to carry passengers, a crew, and provisions. What I’d
thought were three masts from onshore was actually four.
    “This is not ideal,” Maeve gasped. She lurched
to the side of the ship, sagging against it. Oran reclined on the
deck, his own discomfort