The High Lord’s second-in-command grabbed Jade by her arm and shoved her onto his draglet’s back. Once again, she was on her stomach, with her legs and upper torso dangling on either side of a winged animal. At least this time, her escort was clothed.

“Stay still,” he commanded when she tried to adjust her position and raise her head. The man’s hand pressed her down roughly.

Somehow, his harsh treatment put her more at ease than the High Lord’s earlier handling of her. She understood the unspoken code between enemies. The guard was right in his caution. Jade was already working on finding a way out of her predicament, and she would definitely try to kill him as soon as she got a chance.

“Don’t even think about it.” He rolled a strip of thick cloth tight across her face, covering her eyes.

“I’ll see you in a few hours,” the High Lord said, and somehow, it sounded as if he was talking to Jade and not to his lieutenant.

“Aye, my lord.” Her new captor’s voice vibrated in the air, carrying a note of frustration he didn’t bother to hide.

Jade’s new ride flapped her wings twice before the wind howled all around her as the draglet doubled her speed in a matter of seconds.

Above the gale and the animal’s loud breathing, Jade heard the man say, “I don’t know what you did to Dragon to addle his senses, but I sure intend to find out.”

The rest of the long flight was made more uncomfortable by the draglet’s jerky navigation of the thermals as if the animal, agreeing with the rider, wanted to give Jade hell. When they finally landed, Jade was nauseous. Fortunately, she seldom ate the day before a mission, so she didn’t throw up.

The guard grabbed her leg and jerked her down. With her eyes blindfolded, and her hands and ankles tied, she couldn’t control her movements and her boots hit the hard surface too fast. The man’s strong hand pulled her up and kept her upright when her right ankle gave way. He dragged her for a few meters before he paused and she heard the whoosh of a door opening.

Warm, dry air hit her exposed skin as the man shoved her forward. Silence followed the sound of a panel sliding on its hinges. The guard thrust her a few feet to her right. His hand left her back but was at her face soon afterward. The blindfold came down, and Jade blinked, then took in her surroundings, slowly pivoting on her heels as the man stared at her from under long lashes.

In front of her, a large bedroom contained a humongous bed with a carved headboard, a desk, and a settee placed before a majestic fireplace that could contain a tall person standing up. Behind her, a thick panel of glass encompassed the entire wall; a section of the transparent surface opened onto the terrace where the draglet waited, perched at the edge, her tail dangling into the abyss below. The animal saw Jade looking at her and exhaled white clouds from her nostrils.

From her previous reconnaissance, Jade knew the geography of the place, and the chances of escaping from that room weren’t high. There were only two ways out. One led directly to a straight fall of several kilometers. The other opened into the High Lord’s quarters and the rest of his palace.

Nestled atop the highest ridge in the Emerald Valley, the mansion resembled a fortress from old Terran tales with its tiered towers, multiple eaves, and blue clay roofs. Miniature dragons guarded each of the four corners of the curved-up edges of the rooftops. Beautiful as it was, there was no escaping Sol Palace. After studying the building’s internal and external structure, Jade had concluded that her best option was to attack the High Lord when he was outside of his fortress. The man was known for taking long flights by himself, leaving his personal guards behind more times than not.

“Give me just one reason to run you through with my scimitar.” The guard reached over his shoulder and grabbed the pommel protruding to the side, unsheathing a long, curved sword he brandished in front of her.

Years of tactical training had taught Jade when it was the right moment to fight, and when it made sense to cease every attempt and rest to see another day. An assassin’s life was dangerous enough without adding pointless bravado to it.

Conceding defeat, Jade lowered herself to the floor and folded her bound legs to the side. It was smarter to save some strength for when a better occasion presented itself and she could complete her mission.

No other outcome was admissible if she wanted to remain alive.