The Dragon Palace isn't all that different from my mother's, except that everything is oversized. Dragon-sized, I guess. The ceilings are almost too high to see in the dim light created by hundreds of flaming torches on the wall. No floating lights here. It's all a little more rustic and old-fashioned than I'm used to, but it's impressive nonetheless.

The two women aren't waiting for us, and their tall legs give them an advantage, so I almost have to run to keep up with them.

"They're not very polite," Frost whispers from behind me, but his brother shushes him immediately.

There are people everywhere in here, guards standing in front of doors, courtiers milling around corners, watching us curiously. I love that only about half of the women wear dresses, the others loose trousers and tunics that look to be made of a shimmery linen fabric. A lot of the guards are women too, but I'm used to that from my mother's Palace. Gender doesn't matter in a place where female Guardians can be created to be just as strong as the men.

Finally, we reach a set of doors that are more elaborate than all the others we've seen so far. A dragon head is carved into them, its eyes sharp and menacing. They seem to look at me, look into me, even though I know that it's only metal, not real.

The doors open without anyone physically pushing them inwards, and we follow the women into the throne room. It's empty, thank the Gods. I've got enough of people watching me like I'm a new museum specimen. Or maybe a new toy a dragon can nibble on.

There are two thrones on the dais, one large one that is made of... are those scales? It looks like the throne is covered in big shiny dragon scales in a variety of colours. It seems a little morbid to sit on the scales of other dragons, but who am I to judge. The other throne is smaller and a simple gold. Look at me, calling gold 'simple'. I've come a long way since I lived as a human.

The woman in the blue dress takes a seat in the scale throne while Agierth sits down on the smaller one. Wow, does that mean the woman who greeted us at the Gate is actually Royalty? They never said so. I wonder why.

"I am Dewi, the Dragon Goddess and ruler of this Realm, and I welcome you to my halls, Princess Wynter."

She suddenly speaks with a formality that was lacking when the talked to us earlier.

"Wait, you're a Goddess?" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

Dewi smiles. "Of course I am.”

Why can’t I sense that? I know what the aura of Gods looks like, but she is so very different from them.

To me, she looks like she’s neither God, human, Guardian nor dragon shifter, but something entirely different. Strange, but it seems like for now, I’ll have to take her at her word.

“I am Wynter, Heiress to the Winter Throne, and these are Storm, Frost, Arc and Crispin, my Guardians. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I’m not sure if it is indeed a pleasure, but I’m trying to be diplomatic. For now. Somehow, this Goddess is rubbing me the wrong way.

Dewi points to Agierth. “You’ve already met my favourite consort. We have not seen each other for a long time, so I’d like to keep this short. We have business to do.”

Judging from the heated looks the Goddess is giving the other woman, I can imagine what that ‘business’ will look like. And did she say ‘favourite’ consort? Does that mean there are more? Well, I guess I have four men, so she can have as many women as she likes. I’m not one to judge.

I nod. “You called us here. What would you like to discuss?”

“I don’t want to discuss anything,” Dewi says haughtily. “If I am to support you in this war against the darkness, then I need to know that you’re a true leader. I have a test for you.”

The doors open behind us and I turn around. A very familiar woman is brought in, surrounded by guards. Ada.

I stifle a shout and smoothen my expression before looking back at the dais. Dewi is watching me, probably searching for weaknesses. I smile at her.

“I was hoping I’d get to see Ada while I’m here,” I tell her lightly.

A shadow falls over her aura, the equivalent of a frown. “You’re not here to see her. You’re here to judge her for her crimes.”

I look back at Ada. I can’t see her face, but her clothes are tattered and she’s limping slightly. Is she a prisoner here? That changes the entire situation. She’s a citizen of my Realm, which means that she’s my responsibility. Luckily, Dewi seems to think the same thing, although I’m not sure that’s good.

The guards stop in front of the thrones, Ada looking thin and small between them. Where are her Guardians? And where is that bloody dragon shifter who got her into this mess?

She turns her head and looks at me. I wish I could see her face. Her aura is faint in places, not looking healthy at all. She’s been through a lot, that much is clear.

“Ada of the Winter Realm, you stand accused of treason, murder and conspiring against the rulers of the Dragon Realm. In the absence of Queen Beira, her daughter is here to judge you. Should you be found guilty, the sentence will be executed here.” A flaming sword suddenly appears in the hand of one of the guards. It’s a clear sign that the sentence could be death. Dewi looks straight at me. “I hope you’ll make the right decision.”

I step forward until I’m closer to Ada. I send out some magic to check her for injuries. She’s malnourished and her right ankle is sprained, but there’s no serious damage. I heal her ankle with a single thought and smile when Ada gasps in surprise.

“Pain might influence her statements,” I mutter, smiling to myself when Ada’s aura becomes a little more solid. Good.

I lift my voice so Dewi can hear me. “Do you want to explain the charges or shall I let the accused tell me?”

“Treason because she ran from the Winter Realm without permission,” Dewi explains in a bored tone, “and because she freed one of your prisoners. I assume you’re aware of that.”

I nod curtly and the dragon woman continues.

“She then came to my Realm and on her way to the palace, slaughtered several of my people. When she arrived here, she sought to dispose of our rulers and bring unrest to my lands.”

“I helped you get your throne back,” Ada hisses, saying something for the first time. “You wouldn’t even sit there without me.”

“Silence!” Dewi roars, her aura flashing dangerously. “You will not speak unless addressed.”

I frown. Ada isn’t one to lie, so if that’s true… it doesn’t make any sense. I need more information.

“Ada, I’m going to examine your mind,” I announce so that everybody can hear. “That will be a lot quicker than having to listen to statements and having to decide whether you or someone else is lying.”

The last bit is a jab at Dewi, and I hope she sees it as that.

“You can’t do that,” the Dragon Goddess splutters. “You don’t have that ability.”

The mystery deepens. “Who told you that?” I ask, but I think I already know. Yes. She points at Ada.

“You lied to me!” Dewi shouts, but Ada shakes her head.

“I swear, Wyn wasn’t able to do that when I left. Arc was though, one of her companions.”

I’m getting more and more confused by the whole situation. I don’t have the patience to ask more questions though, so I cup Ada’s face with my hands.

“Relax your mind,” I tell her softly. “It won’t hurt.”

Dewi is saying something in the background, but I don’t care. I drift into Ada’s mind, being as gentle as possible as I push past old memories and thoughts to find her recent past.

The dragon prisoner is staring at me, his eyes wide, his expression that of a very desperate man. “The dragons are under attack,” he whispers, his voice rough and exhausted. “You need to let me out of here. They won’t last much longer.”

“You can’t think I’d set you free,” I reply in Ada’s voice. “You’re a madman, I shouldn’t even be talking to you.”

“Not mad,” he whispers. “She’s still in my mind. She’s always in there, hurting me, telling me what to do. Right now she’s not, though, and I can talk. I can think. I need to leave.”

I laugh. “See, you’re mad, I told you. I’d think that hearing voices is a symptom of madness even for dragons.”

“She’s real,” he hisses. “She’s in every single dragon’s mind. She controls us, makes us angry. She makes us kill. She captured the Queen and now we’re bound to her.”

Before I can say anything, his eyes roll up in his head and he falls back against the wall, his body twitching. He’s having another seizure. Maybe those are causing his madness. Maybe they’re messing with his brain.

I sigh and continue writing my notes on his behaviour. I should be interrogating him, but it’s no use. He either mutters nonsense, or he’s too far out of it to even hear my questions. I can’t make sense of him, and that bothers me.

“Listen! Listen to her!” He’s pressed against the barrier, the palms of his hands so tight against it that his flesh has turned white.

“I can’t hear her,” I tell him softly. I’ve started to pity him. His pain doesn’t seem to get any less and his seizures are increasing in intensity. “She’s in your head.”

“Yes, she is, now listen.”

He squeezes a hand through the tiny opening in the glass barrier that’s usually used to give him food. He wants me to touch him. No chance. I don’t know what kind of tricks he’s got up his sleeve. The cell is in a magic vacuum, so he can’t shift or do magic, but despite his weakness and malnourished appearance, he’s bigger than me.

“She isn’t real,” I tell him for the hundredth time. “I won’t be able to hear her. Just ignore her and focus on the present.”

“She’s hurting my people,” he growls, his eyes suddenly a little clearer. “I need to do something.”

“I’m sure they’d have sent a message if they were in need of assistance,” I tell him soothingly. “We’d know about it.”

“You don’t understand,” he shouts in desperation. “She’s in everybody’s head! She controls everyone. We can’t ask for help because she forbids it.”

I sigh. We’ve been over this before. Many times.

“Let me show you,” he begs, catching my gaze with his beautiful mahogany eyes. “Please.”

I shouldn’t. This is completely unprofessional. I should leave and let Arc and the Queen deal with him. But something in his expression makes me reach out and touch his hand.

A face flashes in my mind. A woman with hair as black as the night and eyes so cruel that it hurts to look at them.

I stumble back. “Who is she?”

Stepping back from Ada’s mind, I take a deep breath and address the Dragon Queen. “The Morrigan was in control of all dragons?”

“How do you… You really can read minds,” Dewi says in astonishment. Her aura changes from angry to something else.

I shrug. “I told you so. Where is the prisoner Ada set free?”

“In custody,” Dewi snaps coldly. “He’s my responsibility to deal with.”

“And Ada’s Guardians?”

“They followed her orders. They will be given the same sentence she gets.”

There’s no emotion in her voice. She doesn’t care about these men in the slightest. Ada’s aura is turning an angry white, so I intervene before she does something rash.

“Dewi, would you mind explaining what’s happened or shall I continue looking through Ada’s mind?”

Again, the Queen’s aura flutters as if she’s hiding something.

“I will explain,” Agierth volunteers surprisingly. Dewi doesn’t protest, which I find strange, but everything she’s said and done so far has been confusing. I have no idea what to make of the Dragon Goddess.

Agierth gets up from her throne and squares her shoulder. “You’re right. We were attacked by the Morrigan, and she took our Queen prisoner. Most people don’t know that we’re bound to our Queen, and she has power over us all. She rarely uses that gift, but the Morrigan exploited it. She twisted the beautiful magic that connects us and turned it into a prison for us all.”

She falls quiet and the pieces fall into place. “The assassin, the dragon assassin… he was sent by the Morrigan? She made him do it?”

Agierth nods. “He didn’t have a choice in the matter. He was a puppet, just a tool. Only when he got away from the Dragon Realm did her influence over him lessen enough that he could think clearly from time to time.”

Yes, I saw that. Moments of clarity, interspersed with days of insanity.

“Then why is he a prisoner here?” I ask. “It wasn’t his fault?”

“It’s the principle,” Dewi snaps. “He tried to assassinate a member of a Royal family.”

Agierth puts a hand on the Queen’s shoulder and to my surprise, their auras touch and merge at the seams. Maybe that’s another strange dragon thing?

“The Guardians and Alastair came here and managed to free the Queen.”

“It wasn’t as easy as she makes it sound,” Ada mutters and I have to suppress a grin.

“Wait, how did he manage to keep the Morrigan from controlling him? I thought her influence would get stronger again once he’d returned to this realm?” I ask and Agierth nods.

“They met someone. A unicorn.”

“Blaze!” I exclaim. I hadn’t realised he was this deeply involved.

“You know him?” Dewi asks in surprise.

“He’s a friend of my men,” I explain. “And mine too, I guess.”

“I didn’t think unicorns made friends,” the Goddess replies coldly. Seriously, what is it with that woman? Why does she have that massive stick in her arse?

“Well, he’s mine,” I say just as coldly. “So you were the one captured?”

A black film spreads over Dewi’s aura. Pain? Fear?

“Yes.” Her voice is quiet all of a sudden. “I don’t remember it.”

I sigh. “You know what? I think we’ve moved on beyond silly games. Ada and her men will come back with me. Her dragon shifter too, if he wants. He’ll be welcome in my Realm. Now, I assume you want revenge for what the Morrigan’s done to you and your people. Be my guest. You’re very welcome to join my battle against her. We’ll be grateful for your help, but I’m not going to stand here and prove to you that I’m worthy. We’re wasting precious time. I’m fighting the Morrigan, you want to, so I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t join forces. If you decide you don’t want to, then so be it.”

I’m fuming inside, but I keep my voice calm and level.

Agierth and Dewi look at each other, their auras still touching. Are they bonded like I am to my Guardians? I can’t see my own aura, so I don’t know if ours looks the same. I hope it does. It seems like a beautiful connection.

“You have shown your claws,” Dewi says gravely, “and we have seen them. We recognise your strength and we will follow you into battle.”