Darkest Flame

Denae gripped the steering wheel tighter. He had glossed over that part before, but would she hear it all now? “You were important?”

 

 

“We all are, in our own way. Ulrik was no less important than me. It could’ve been me who had a human female betray me.”

 

“What happened?” she asked.

 

“No one ever spoke with her, so the only one who knows the entire story is Ulrik.”

 

Denae put on her blinker and followed the signs west toward Skye. “I thought you recorded the history.”

 

“Not everyday lives. It’s important events that come to me.”

 

“Has anyone ever asked Ulrik about his woman?”

 

“That would be difficult. When we learned of the treachery, Con gathered all of us to track her down and kill her.”

 

“What?” Denae squeaked. “You killed her without asking her if the charges were true or even hearing her side?”

 

Kellan leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “We saw her meeting with a group of dragon hunters and giving the location to a clan of small pink dragons that lived in the cliffs nearby. Those dragons were no bigger than eagles. They would’ve been slaughtered.”

 

“I’m glad you stopped them, but why kill the woman? And was Ulrik with you?”

 

A muscle in Kellan’s jaw tightened. “Con sent Ulrik away.”

 

“That wasn’t very noble.”

 

“Con and Ulrik were as close as brothers,” Kellan said and then opened his eyes. “He was trying to protect Ulrik.”

 

“And how did that turn out?”

 

“When Ulrik returned and found his woman, he … he grew enraged. Nothing any of us said could calm him. Con finally told him what had occurred. I’ll never forget the look of betrayal that shone in Ulrik’s eyes.”

 

Denae’s heart pounded as she waited to hear the rest of the story. “What happened?”

 

“I’m no’ sure who Ulrik was more angry at—us, because we killed his woman, or the humans because they turned against him. In the end, I doona think it mattered. He went after the humans, wiping out entire villages with his silver dragons.”

 

“Is that what started the war?”

 

“It was the tipping point,” Kellan said. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked out his window. “Sometimes it feels as if it just happened, that I’m still in the middle of that war.”

 

Denae slowed the Mercedes as they came to an intersection. Once she pulled out, she glanced at Kellan. “How long did the war last?”

 

“Too long. Humans began to kill dragons, and dragons began to kill humans. As Kings, we had to keep the peace. It didna always work.”

 

“Like when your dragons were killed?”

 

His voice was hoarse with emotion when he answered, “Aye.”

 

“I’m sorry. What became of Ulrik?”

 

Kellan cleared his throat. “He wouldna listen to reason from anyone, no’ even Con. Con had no choice but to strip Ulrik of his magic.”

 

“Con can do that to one of you?”

 

“Only with the other Kings using their magic. Ulrik remains immortal, but the connection to his Silvers was terminated. No longer could he communicate with them, or any dragon, for that matter.”

 

She frowned, confusion filling her. “He was one of you. He had suffered from a betrayal on two sides, and y’alls only thought was to strip him of his magic and keep him from his Silvers? That was stupid.”

 

“As Kings, we were divided. I agreed with Con, because I didna see another way. Others tried to talk Con out of it, and even went to Ulrik again. Now, when I see where the war has brought us, I also think Con should’ve handled it differently.”

 

“Where is Ulrik?”

 

“In Perth. He has an antiques shop and moves around every few decades so people willna notice he doesna age.”

 

“Did you talk to him after he was stripped of his magic?”

 

Kellan was quiet for several minutes. “Nay, but I went to see him. He was broken. Without him to lead them, the Silvers attacked all humans. We had to round them up and send them away with the other dragons. We captured a few of the biggest, and keep them caged in the mountain. Our magic keeps them sleeping.”

 

“I feel sorry for Ulrik. He lost his family and friends, and he lost his dragons.”

 

“Con can be a coldhearted bastard.”

 

Denae locked that piece of information away. If she had learned one thing from Kellan’s tale, it was that Con would do anything to protect the peace—no matter who had to suffer.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

 

 

Somewhere in Scotland …

 

He seethed. The plan had been perfect. How had the Dragon Kings gotten wind of the trap? It should have been a flawless capture of Kellan with the female as a bonus.

 

Although he wasn’t so certain the Dark Ones would allow the female to go to MI5. She was a pretty thing. He almost regretted targeting her to die in the mission, but beauty was fleeting and there were a dozen other pretty females about.

 

His plan had been set in motion a thousand years before. It was laid out like a chess game with him controlling everything.