Elara POV
The demons move closer, their red eyes locked on me.
"Get behind me," the Dragon King growls, smoke spilling from his skin.
I stumble backward, but one of the demons is already between me and Cadmus. It moves so fast it's just a blur.
"The girl comes with us," it says, its voice like grinding stones. "She belongs to our master."
"She belongs to NO ONE," Cadmus roars, and suddenly he's shifting—bones cracking, skin moving, wings bursting from his back.
The monster lunges at me.
Something slams into it from the side. Princess Seraphina, of all people, tackles the thing. They crash into the wall.
"RUN!" she screams at me.
I run.
Out the door, down the hallway, my bare feet slapping against cold stone. Behind me, I hear roaring and crashes and screams that don't sound human.
Guards appear, running toward my room with weapons drawn. I press myself against the wall as they pass.
Then strong hands grab me.
I scream, but a hand covers my mouth. "Quiet, human. I'm helping."
It's Lyra, her violet eyes anxious. "Come with me. Now."
She pulls me through a secret door I didn't even see. We're in a tight passage, dark and twisting. I can still hear fighting behind us.
"What's happening?" I gasp. "Why do demons want me?"
"Because you're not what anyone thinks you are," Lyra says, pulling me faster. "Your blood—the violet glow during the ceremony—it marked you. Demons can feel ancient bloodlines. They want to use you."
"Use me for what?" " Questions later. Running now."
We burst out into a courtyard just as dawn breaks. The sky is going pink and gold, but I barely notice because there's a dragon landing in front of us.
A huge metal dragon with scars across its scales. It shifts into a man—General Thorne, the one Cadmus said leads his armies.
"The King sent me to guard her," he says, his voice rough. "Demons entered the palace. Three are dead. Two escaped."
"How did they get in?" Lyra wants.
"Someone let them in." His eyes narrow at me. "Someone who wanted the human bride dead."
"I didn't—" I start.
"Not you. But someone in this house is a traitor." He looks at Lyra. "Take her to the safe room. I'll protect the perimeter."
Lyra nods and pulls me toward another building. We're almost there when a voice stops us.
"Wait!"
I turn. It's Princess Seraphina, limping and bleeding from a cut on her arm, but living.
"You saved me," I say, shocked. "Why?"
She glares at me. "Because if you die, Duke Ashford wins. And I'm starting to think he's playing a bigger game than I knew." She spits blood. "Those devils called you 'the awakened one. ' What does that mean?"
"I don't know!"
"Well, figure it out fast," she snaps. "Because more are coming."
Before anyone can react, guards surround us. And in the middle of them walks a woman who makes my stomach drop.
She's tall, severe-looking, with steel-gray hair and scales on her cheeks. Her eyes are bright and sharp as knives.
"Instructor Vex," Lyra says, and she sounds... worried?
The woman ignores everyone except me. "You're the false princess."
It's not a question.
"I—"
"The King has given me a task." She hands me a book. The symbols on the cover twist and move like live things. "You will learn our language. You have seven days."
"Seven days?" I look at the book. "That's impossible!"
"Then you will fail." Her voice is ice. "And when you fail, the pact breaks. War starts. And every death—human and dragon—will be your fault."
My hands shake as I take the book. It's heavy. The figures inside look like nothing I've ever seen—curves and slashes and dots that make my eyes hurt.
"I'll be here at dawn tomorrow to test your progress," Vex says. "I will speak only in the dragon tongue. You will react in kind. Or you will be labeled incompetent."
She switches to a language that sounds like growls and clicks and something musical all at once. I don't understand a single word.
She smiles coldly. "Do you understand?"
"No," I whisper.
"Exactly." She turns to leave, then stops. "Oh, and Princess? The King says if you fail this test, you're no longer under his protection. The demons can have you."
She walks away, leaving me holding the impossible book.
Lyra touches my shoulder gently. "Come. I'll take you somewhere you can learn."
"This is insane," I say, tears burning my eyes. "I can't learn an entire language in seven days!"
"Can you learn it in seven days, or do you want to die?" Seraphina asks frankly. Despite everything, despite hating me, she sounds almost... concerned? "Because those demons will come back."
She's right. They both are.
Lyra leads me to a tall room with windows on all sides. Books cover every surface. She lights candles and brings me tea.
"I'll help where I can," she says. "But Vex is right—you need to do this yourself. The King is testing whether you're worth saving."
She leaves me alone with the book and my fear.
I open it to the first page. The symbols swim before my eyes.
Then I remember something. Years ago, when I was hiding in the house library, I found books in three different languages. I taught myself to read them all because I was bored and curious and eager for stories.
I found patterns. All languages have trends.
I start looking for them now.
I study until my eyes burn. Until my hand cramps from writing. Until I can't remember what day it is.
Vex arrives every dawn like clockwork. She talks only dragon tongue. She never translates. Never helps. Just watches me struggle and writes notes.
By day three, I can recognize simple words. Food. Water. Fire. Dragon.
By day five, I'm making simple sentences. "I am learning." "This is difficult." "Please speak slower."
Vex's eyebrows rise a bit. The first emotion I've seen on her stone face.
By day six, I can hold a real conversation. It's awkward and broken, but I'm doing it.
"You're not as useless as most humans," Vex says in dragon tongue.
"Thank you," I say in the same language. "I think."
She almost smiles. Almost.
"Tomorrow is your final test," she says, moving back to human common. "The King himself will examine you. In front of the entire court."
My stomach drops. "The entire court?"
"Every dragon, every general, every noble who wants to see the human princess fail." Her golden eyes bore into mine. "They're betting on how long you'll last before you break down crying."
"What happens if I pass?"
"If?" She raises one finger. "You mean when you fail?"
"When I pass," I correct, lifting my chin.
This time she definitely smiles. "Then you survive another day, human. But don't get comfortable."
She leaves, and I'm alone again with my books and my fear and my resolve.
I study through the night. I practice every phrase. I remember every symbol.
When dawn comes, Lyra arrives to help me dress for court. My hands won't stop shaking.
"You can do this," she says, squeezing my fingers. "I've seen your growth. You're ready."
"What if I'm not?"
"Then we all die." She says it so calmly I almost laugh. "No pressure."
We walk to the throne room together. The doors open, and I see them—hundreds of dragons in human form, all watching me with hungry eyes.
The Dragon King sits on his chair, his face unreadable.
Instructor Vex stands beside him.
"Princess Seraphina," Cadmus says in perfect dragon tongue. "Approach."
I walk forward, my bare feet silent on the stone floor.
He switches languages mid-sentence, speaking so fast I barely catch it. "—and you will demonstrate your competency in the presence of this court."
I open my mouth to reply in dragon tongue.
But before I can speak, the doors burst open.
A messenger runs in, his face white with fear.
"Your Majesty!" he yells. "The southern border—King Blackwell's armies—they're moving! War has begun!"
The room explodes in chaos.
And Cadmus's eyes find mine across the crowd, glowing with anger.
"Explain," he growls in dragon tongue. "NOW."