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comfort Eivonne as she wept, stroking her hair and muttering to her. He narrowed his eyes, debating whether to leave. The dragon did pose an immediate threat to the people, but sometimes he wondered if the greater danger lay in things and people they trusted rather than what they knew to be perilous.
    Something didn’t add up with Havard, either. He’d been the last Council member to see Adrienne and the first to see Eivonne. It had to be more than coincidence. Adrienne had never liked him, he knew that much. How many times had he stepped in to prevent too much unnecessary and unwanted interaction between the  two ?
    Of course, the man might be a nuisance, but the obvious suspect wasn’t always the true perpetrator. Markus sighed as he watched Eivonne cry. He’d done it again. Letting his logical side overlook the pain of those for whom he cared.
    He placed a hand on Eivonne’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I can send a few knights  out instead. You should take some time to yourself, process everything. I know this isn’t easy.”
    Eivonne sniffed, regaining her composure and opening her mouth to reply, when metallic footsteps clanked against the stone floors of the entryway. Spears lowered once more and the messenger almost impaled himself upon them in his haste.
    “My liege! My liege, we’ve found the dragon! A farmer reported it landing near the outer village.”
    Markus stepped forward. “Anyone injured?”
    “Not that have been reported, sire. It disappeared into the  desert . We found the landing sight, but it seems to have… vanished, sir.”
    That sounded about right. An idea formed as old knowledge awoke. “Question the folk surrounding the area. See if anyone new has moved in or if someone has been behaving strangely.” The soldier bowed and clanked out of the throne room. Markus turned to his sister-in-law. “I’d forgotten dragons usually bond to a person in their adolescence.”
    Eivonne lifted a brow. “What a strange instinct.”
    He shrugged. “No one knows why. The people they bond to have never told us and no, they still have no control over the animals. Some kind of cult secret, I should think.”
    Eivonne eased into the throne, though she looked uncomfortable in it, and checked to see Markus’ reaction. He smiled at her in an attempt of  reassurance. Havard smirked. “You don’t think this… cult… ordered  Adrienne’s death, do you?”
    He bit his lip. “I don’t know.”
    Havard scoffed. “There’s only one way to find out, don’t you think, your highness?”
    Markus sighed. As much as it made him grind his teeth, the politician was right. “Sorry, Ivy. I’m going to have to go myself. I know these people best and if there is a valid threat to the throne, we need to uproot it before it gets out of hand. A cult of bonded soldiers could do a lot of damage.”
    Eivonne nodded. “We do what we have to. I’ll see you when you return, but Markus-” He turned back to her. “Make sure  you return. I’ve already lost a sister. I’d rather not lose a brother as well.”
    He nodded, glancing at a too-happy Havard for a moment before marching toward  the great doors. He caught the eye of one of the guards, not Gaius, and beckoned him to follow.
    “Double security around the princess and keep an eye on the Council.”
    The guard frowned. “Sir?”
    “Just a precaution, until the threat is neutralized. You understand.”
    The guard nodded and Markus continued down the corridor. This whole situation reeked of conspiracy , but from whence the source of the odor came, he couldn’t decide. Politics had been Adrienne’s forte, and something told him he’d regret not honing those skills himself .

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PART IV
    A dry breeze blew across the sandy road as Markus rode into the village at last, grateful that the sun had begun to set. Even after the week-long ride, the world still seemed so small without Adrienne. He dismounted from his stallion and led the animal   toward  the