Deny Me, Dragon King novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: The Southern Riders

The horns woke the keep before dawn.

I came out of Torren's tower bed with my heart pounding, thinking of Posy, and then of nothing else.

From the window I saw them, black shapes against the gray sky, wheeling down into the main courtyard one after another.

Wyverns.

Each one carried a rider in green and gold, and each rider carried a lance.

Forty of them landed in a ring around the fountain, and the stable boys scattered.

"The southern riders," Torren said, pulling on his shirt.

He stood at my shoulder with his face set hard.

"They've come for her," I said.

"They've come for a war."

He kissed my temple once, quick and rough.

Then he was gone down the stair, and I ran for the nursery.

Posy was awake and perched on the window ledge with Biscuit on her finger.

"Are those dragons?" she asked. "They're smaller than Papa."

"They're wyverns."

"Are they bad?"

"The men on them are in a bad mood," I said. "Stay with the nurse."

I went down to the courtyard in the blue wool dress with my stitched hand wrapped in clean linen.

The ring of riders had opened for one man.

He stood at the fountain, tall and lean, with Rosamund's golden hair and none of her softness.

He wore a green cloak pinned with a golden crane and a sword on his hip.

Torren faced him across ten paces of cobblestone.

Lords and guards were pouring into the yard from every door.

"Where is my sister?" the man said.

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