Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
The gates opened, and two riders rode out—holding white flags.
“Huntley.” Ivory’s voice came from beside me.
I watched them ride out then bring their horses to a stop. The cannons of the city were loaded and ready to fight, and I could see the archers along the walls. Terrified men who hoped that the white flags would be enough to spare their lives so they could return home to their families.
“Accept their surrender and spare their men as well as ours,” she said. “If you burn them first, they’ll never be loyal to you when you take the Capital. You want these people to respect you, not fear you. If you do this, you’ll be no different from Rutherford.”
The power blindsided me. I wanted to punish these people for crimes they didn’t commit. I wanted to unleash the force of my dragon on a city that didn’t deserve it. It took me a moment to abandon the blood lust and think objectively. “Let’s go down, Storm.”
Relief flooded Ivory’s face.
We lowered to the earth and glided until we landed.
Ivory did the same.
I dropped down from Storm’s body and hit the earth with my boots. The two riders maintained their position on their horses, holding nothing but the white flags. They didn’t carry weapons, symbolizing their peacefulness.
I let Ivory join me before I moved forward to the men who awaited my presence. The horses gave a slight stir as I approached, releasing neighs of discomfort. They had the height advantage, so when I stopped several feet away, I made my demands. “Dismount your horses if you wish to speak to me.”
The two riders obeyed my request. They removed their helmets as well.
I could feel Storm and Pyre behind us, their snouts just a few feet away.
Perhaps that was why it took the riders so long to approach us, because they could barely walk when they trembled so hard. They stopped a short distance from us, looking at the dragons behind us more than at me.
“Huntley Rolfe, King of Kingdoms.” Their duke was too much of a coward to show his face, so he’d sent these two commanders to speak on his behalf. If this was who he selected to represent his power, then he was weaker than I imagined. “You may refer to me as King Rolfe. And this is Her Highness, Queen Rolfe.”
Ivory removed her helmet to show her face.
Both men stared at her for a couple seconds too long.
“I accept your surrender,” I said, bringing the attention back to myself.
The man on the left spoke. “King Rutherford is the King of Kingdoms. Does this mean you’ve defeated the Capital?”
“Not yet,” I said. “But I will. And as part of the acceptance of your surrender, you will aid me. I will spare Minora and all its subjects in exchange for rulership of your Kingdom—and the pledge of your army.”
“What of the duke?”
“He’s spared as well—if he yields.”
Both riders dropped their flags and gestured to the men at the top of the gates. The doors opened a moment later. “Your dragons will have to stay out here. We don’t have room for them in the city.”
“That’s fine. Send two cows. They’re hungry.”
Four.
“Make it four,” I said. “The duke is to remove his belongings from his quarters because Queen Rolfe and I will reside there now.”
“Yes, sir,” one of the riders said.
“Yes, Your Highness,” I corrected. “Make that mistake again, and I’ll have your head.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” he said quickly. They both turned around and headed inside the open gates.
Ivory turned to me when they were out of earshot. “We don’t need to take his room—”
“Yes, we do.”
“I’m sure they have spare bedchambers—”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“We won’t reside here, so—”
“Doesn’t matter, Ivory. I’m the King of Kingdoms, and I have the best of everything.”
“A bit egotistical…”
“Damn right it is. If you don’t demand the best, then people will assume you don’t deserve the best. Minora is mine, and I must occupy it as such.” I stared her down, making sure she had no more objections. “I will fuck my queen in his bed and rule Minora as if he never existed. That’s how it’s done, baby.”
The duke was a fat, middle-aged man with an ugly moustache. Duke Edgerson was his name. Now it was just Edgerson, my personal adviser to Minora. We were greeted with a full meal in the dining room, while our army was given food and housing until we departed for the next Kingdom.
I sat at the head of the table with Ivory on my right. Edgerson took the seat on my left, quiet and submissive the moment we walked in the door. The table was covered with a feast that we didn’t need because the adrenaline had killed my appetite, but I ate anyway, just to establish myself as the owner of this castle.