Deny Me, Dragon King novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: The Bell Tower

The nurse sat on the nursery floor with a hand pressed to a lump on her head.

"A maid," she gasped. "A maid in the Crane livery brought a message from the king. I turned my back."

The little bed was empty.

On the pillow lay a square of folded paper and Biscuit, the flame moth, flickering weakly.

I opened the paper.

Bell tower. Come alone. If the guards follow, she goes over the rail.

My ears rang.

Torren read it over my shoulder, and the room went hot as a forge.

"I'll burn the tower down," he said.

"You'll burn my daughter."

I grabbed his arm.

"She wants me alone. If she sees a dragon in the sky, she'll do it."

"Linnea."

"Give me ten minutes, Torren. Come around the back, over the roof, where she can't see."

He shook, his jaw working.

"If she touches her," he said, "I will..."

"I know. Ten minutes."

I ran.

The stair to the bell tower was narrow and dark and went up forever.

I ran it with my skirts in my fists and a stitch in my side.

I thought of nothing at all, which was a mercy.

At the top I came out into cold wind and gray evening light.

The great bronze bell hung in its frame above us, taller than a man.

Rosamund stood against the stone rail with her golden braids come loose.

She had a long knife in her right hand.

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