Page 44 of To Catch a Prince

No one, save for his kin, the man he’d trusted above allothers.

It was no coincidence when the raids had started, following him wherever he went, but he’d brushed it aside. The lands were perilous, he knew that. It meantnothing.

He couldn’t lie to himself anymore, after the Royal Warlock had blasted the town where he’d stayed into oblivion. He recognized his own magician’sspells.

The magician was attacking him on enemy territory; if, no,when, the dragons of Farden saw what had happened to their people, they would declare war onAbsolia.

Ash had no clue why anyone would wish that. It was insanity. There were as many dragons in Farden as there were in Absolia, according to their spies; fighting against them meant the potential extinction of theirkind.

Ash could have flown out. He was quick enough to change and get out of the way. But there were children about, bears and little dragonlings, frightened and crying for their mothers, so he’d done what he could. He’d shifted and flown, not away from the danger, but right to it, meeting it head on, and taking the worst of theblast.

Gragnar’s blow had been fire and Shadow. A lesser dragon - one less versed in protection spells, or with a weaker bloodline - wouldn’t have survived it. Ash was still breathing now, but only just. If aid came to him now, he might see another morrow; but he’d fallen in deserted lands, unknown to anyone who might wish him well, so, instead, he was dying, thirsty, broken, and despairing for hispeople.

There ended the line of hisancestors.

The gods were kind enough as to show him the shape of an angel before he closed his eyes. A beautiful creature with golden brown skin, and those brillianteyes.

“Stay with me, Rogue,” saidshe.

He wished he could, but he had to gonow.

“Dammit. Sorry, Xandrie, I’m going to have to borrow yourstrength.”

Hundreds of miles away, the Queen of Farden cried out in surprise as an acute pain gripped her. Demelza closed her eyes, and recited every healing spell she could recall, to breathe life back into the limbs of the King of the FieryShadows.