here and not on the way to Earth to plunder it. I’ll find him and beg him—”
Boom!
We all scream and stagger as the whole spaceship shakes from some terrible impact.
Delyah runs to the controls, and the rest of us pick ourselves up from the floor.
“Another earthquake?” I suggest, my heart beating fast.
“Cavemen,” Delyah says. “Lots of them. Looks like they have brought a big battering ram. And they really want to get in.”
27
- Caronerax -
The village is still there, although deserted. The house that almost collapsed on top of Jennifer is now a heap of rubble, and so is everything else.
Their main campfire outside the large cave is cold and wet.
I just stand there for a good while. She lived here for a long time, with her friends. They drew some joy from their community in a way I’ll never be able to understand.
‘I love those girls,’ she said. To me, it’s entirely mysterious. But it is also irresistible, in a strange way.
I’ve hidden my cache again. It’s less well guarded now, but it doesn’t matter much at this time. I must make sure the others don’t know there is a lot of gold in the vicinity, or they will definitely get some ideas into their heads.
One after the other, they start to saunter into the remains of the village. They each react in the same way when they spot me. First they freeze, then they quickly look around for an ambush. Finding none, they frown and slowly, cautiously come closer.
It’s a ludicrous display of suspicion. And I know I would do exactly the same. Sweet Gold, are we really this painfully, transparently suspicious?
She chose her tribe over me. ‘I love those girls.’
She wasn’t joking. She genuinely picked the other Earth women over a lifetime of ruling her own planet and the universe. It barely seems possible.
“So you are here after all, Prince Caronerax,” the orange-hued Magriux observes, coming as close as he dares, always throwing glances behind him. “I thought it was a trap.”
“It may still be a trap, baron,” I point out with a smirk on my face. “It isn’t, but nobody would believe that.”
“How true,” the baron says. “So you are both on this planet, both the princes. Your brother is not a party to this possible trap?”
“The prince Yranox should not know anything about it,” I tell him. “If he finds out, it may all fall apart. But he’s still flying around in dragon form, far from here, as I myself did for days after I arrived. It is good to soar, baron. Have you tried it lately? No? Come with me, and you will. You will be above, you will be lord, you will be a wing-borne dragon, as you are meant to. Soon.”
Many other dragons are stalking towards us from every direction. I have to concentrate to control my intense dislike of them.
“If so, why wait for the others?” Magriux asks. “What you just said must mean there is a hoard to be found. A hoard is smaller when divided.”
“You know why,” I snort. “You know everything I told the others. We will attack a target, but it could be well defended, and we must be as many as possible. It is a rich target, and all our hoards will be legendary.”
He looks me up and down with sour suspicion. “You are injured. In many places. You look weak — your blue is pale. He who kills a prince becomes a prince himself, is it not so?” His eyes light up.
“Try it and find out,” I calmly tell him. “If you think you can defeat a prince of the royal line, then go for it.”
He doesn’t, of course.
There are hundreds of dragons in the large clearing that once contained Jennifer’s village, all coming slowly forwards while keeping the greatest possible distance to each other.
I want to groan in shame. I had no idea my kind could be so pitiful.
‘I love you,’ she said.
Emerak looks around theatrically. “Well? Is this your so-called target? Yes, very rich. Look at all the gray rocks! The dirt! The dead leaves! Truly, we will gather spectacular hoards here.”
“Yes, isn’t it magnificent?” I agree. “Observe the piles of rubble! The heaps of rotting wood! All just for us to share.”
“Knock it off, princeling,” he snaps. “None of us are in the mood for the leisurely shenanigans of the royal house. If your tale was false, then we will all rip you to pieces right here.”