"Yeah, right."

"It's true. I've heard it from more than a few places that he speaks with the dragons on a regular basis."

"But still..."

"All I'm saying is that we need to keep an eye on our king. Didn't you think it odd that someone would just give up the throne...?”

I looked over as the conversation faded away, my stomach tight, to see the backs of two young men as they walked away. This wasn't good. Not at all. This made four flocks that I'd visited in the past week where I'd heard such rumors about Sven. That he was too close to the dragons. That his allegiance was suspect. That he rose to the throne only because he made promises at our expense.

I'd dismissed the first rumor, chalking it up to normal political talk. After all, people would always speak of whoever was in charge. It didn't often amount to anything, just talk. A way to blow off some steam or just to find common ground with one another.

But then I'd heard it again.

And again.

And again.

Now it was at a point that it was starting to really worry me. This was exactly how little things became big things.

They started with whispers. And when the whispers were allowed to be, they sometimes turned into something more solid. Something harder to combat. Something that could end in disaster.

Emberich didn't understand that dealing with such things with brute force didn't kill them, but rather pushed them into the darkness where he wouldn't be able to see them fester and grow.

I knew better than that. But something had to be done. We couldn't just ignore them, not when they seemed to be growing rather than dying down.

I thought about that as I flew back to the capital. I didn't know how the rumors started, but I could see how they continued. I hadn't said anything about Sven's relationship with Mia and Ashur. Not about the emails or his phone conversations. Or the meeting...

But I wasn't the only one who would have at least partial knowledge of his relationship with the dragons. Even apart from Sven's inner circle, there were the guards. The staff at the palace. The numerous chieftains and other representatives from various flocks that came in to have meetings with Sven.

There were too many potential roots of the rumors to narrow it down. Not that that would help really. And what were we going to do? Tell everyone they couldn't speak their opinions? That was one of the major reasons Emberich ended up how he had. With his head separated from his body.

No, finding the genesis of the rumors wasn't productive. Sven needed to address the subject of the rumors. Even I could admit the situation didn't look wonderful. I'd had reservations myself, if it came down to it. At the very least, the optics of the relationship were bad. Not good when people were looking for something to pick apart as it was.

I needed to speak with Sven. If he didn't know about this, he needed to find out.

So I didn't land at home like I'd originally planned to, but veered directly for the palace instead. The guards in phoenix form watched me approach, both from the tall towers and from their posts circling high above. But they didn't stop me. I was a familiar sight these days. They saw me coming and going often enough that they didn't bother stopping me.

The palace was almost my second home at this point. It was odd to think of. When I had the odd moment to think that was. Since I barely had the time to do my laundry, those moments were often few and far between.

After landing, I changed form and dressed before going inside. If Sven was in the middle of a meeting, I was ready to wait until he had a free moment. This wasn't something I wanted to discuss over email. Particularly since I didn't know who could access it, and who fueled the rumors to begin with.

But when I got to the doors, Blaise was just leaving, his meeting apparently over. He shot me a narrow-eyed look. He still wasn't a fan of mine. I think the fact that Sven and I were working so closely together added insult to injury in his mind. Perhaps he was silently rooting for me to fail, and the disappointment of the opposite happening burned. Frankly, I really didn't care why. He needed to move on, not be small and spiteful about it. He had probably been the kind of child to throw a tantrum when he lost a game.

I mentally sighed, slowing slightly when I saw him. The animosity he had for me wasn't usually an issue because we weren't around each other much. There was too much to do for everyone to be in one place all the time. Sven had adopted the strategy of divide and conquer, with favorable results so far.

"Do you have an appointment?" he asked pointedly, looking down his nose at me. He must have been sure I didn't have one. And he was right.

Rather than being caught in a lie, I was about to agree that I didn't when Igna spoke up.

"She does," he responded smoothly. "Last-minute addition," he explained.

Blaise shot Igna a look that said he didn't believe him for a second, but Igna just smiled at him, looking as bland as he was able to.

Huh.

With a huff of frustration, Blaise turned on his heel and walked away, muttering something to himself under his breath.

"Thank you, Igna," I murmured as I walked passed him to the doors. "I owe you one."

"It was my pleasure," he said, his smile turning sharp.

Someone Igna liked less than me. Good to know.

When I walked in, Sven was sitting at the desk alone. That was convenient. I didn't know if it was a good idea to bring this up in front of anyone else. It felt like too sensitive of a subject. He glanced up at me, welcome quickly replacing the surprise there. That look always made my heart skip a beat, no matter how much I told it to calm down. Maybe he'd always have this effect on me.

"Adara," he said, smiling as he stood. But then the smile faded as he took in my serious expression. "Is something wrong?"

"I have to talk to you about something."

He nodded, a slight frown appearing between his eyebrows.

"Have a seat," he said, sitting down after I took the chair he gestured to. "What is this about?"

"I've been hearing a lot of rumors about you lately," I replied. There was no way to sugar coat this, and I knew him well enough now that I knew he wouldn't like it if I beat around the bush anyway.

"What kind of rumors?" he asked, the frown deepening. "I'm assuming by your serious tone they aren't about how good of a job I'm doing," he added wryly.

"Then you'd be right," I said, smiling a little despite myself. But it faded quickly. "They aren't good. I've been hearing that your allegiance to us is questionable. That your relationship with the dragons is suspect. That you're propped up by the dragons so that you'll do what's in their best interest, not ours."

"What?" he snapped, shaking his head. "That's ridiculous."

"Why?" I pushed.

His eyes narrowed on me. But I had to push. At this point, I was actually a sympathetic ear. Not everyone would be. And he might have to respond to much harsher questions.

"Because Mia was the official heir to the throne in the first place," he said in a low voice. "She was crowned before I was! And now that we've opened the lines of communication between our races, it would be stupid to shut that down again. Both of our futures will be better if we work together. With each other. Not against each another."

I watched his sincere face intently, wanting to believe him.

"Those are all good points," I agreed.

"But?" he prodded, a ghost of a smile playing with his lips, though his eyes were serious. "I know that tone."

I sighed.

"However," I said pointedly. "I can also see people's concerns. We can't go from being sworn enemies to friends overnight, Sven." I shook my head. "Even if it is the practical thing to do. People need to be eased into it. They need to get used to the idea."

Sven made a frustrated sound, pushing his chair back and standing up.

"I'm tired of worrying about how everyone takes every tiny move I make," he growled.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I knew it, he was over on my side of the desk. I gasped as he picked up my chair and spun it around with me in it, not even straining at the weight. Why did I find that show of strength so hot?

Sven leaned in, his arms braced on the chair on either side of me, his eyes locked on mine. He was close enough that I couldn't think about anything but that night when he was even closer. He took a deep breath, the color rising in his face. And I knew he was thinking of the exact same thing.

My hands clenched in my lap when his eyes dropped down to my lips briefly, before rising back up to meet mine again.

"I don't care what people think," he muttered, his eyes searching mine. "What do you think?"

I couldn't think of anything useful in that moment.

Only what I wanted.

And couldn't have.