Deciding it was time I started mingling, I lingered around the edges of the ballroom, my eyes taking in everyone and listeningto the muffled conversations around me. Everything from politics to personal affairs were being discussed, but nothing of particular importance. And I was glad. I didn’t want to overhear anything I probably shouldn’t. Luckily, no one was paying me any mind.
I was just about to look for Jacob when the orchestra snared my attention. A lute began to play, its folksy melody partnered with a sultry women’s voice that filtered across the ballroom.
“In the shadowof the mountain, where the wild winds wail,
They whisper of a rider, long lost beyond the veil.
On wings of darkest midnight, with fire in her stride,
The dragon and his chosen soar to claim the skies.
“Oh,she blazes through the heavens, a flame in the dark,
The ancient king beside her, with a fire-bound heart.
Twin flames reunited, their destinies aligned,
The dragon and his rider, one heart, one mind.”
I froze mid-step,and I noticed everyone else did, as well. The murmurs in the ballroom started to escalate and I could only imagine what everyone was gossiping about. I needed to find Jacob. This couldn’t be good, especially if the emperor or his sons heard the song.
“The black-scaled king of legends,with eyes like burning stars,
Had vanished into myth, leaving kingdoms torn and scarred.
But now he blazes northward, with a woman on his back,
A warrior shrouded in mystery, a queen leading the attack.
“Oh,she blazes through the heavens, a flame in the dark,
The ancient king beside her, with a fire-bound heart.
Twin flames reunited, their destinies aligned,
The dragon and his rider, one heart, one mind.
“They saythe dragon chose her, the only one who could,
For she bore the fire within her, the bond of flesh and blood.
The ancient kings are trembling, their false crowns turned to dust,
For the one true king has risen, with a rider they can trust.”
I pushedthrough the crowd with clammy hands as the song continued. The gasps at theone true kingline were so loud, they echoed throughout the room. It was a rather ballsy move to sing this song here tonight. Did someone put the singer up to it? I became lightheaded.
“Oh,she blazes through the heavens, a flame in the dark,
The ancient king beside her, with a fire-bound heart.
Twin flames reunited, their destinies aligned,
The dragon and his rider, one heart, one mind.
“Now the skiesare alight with their roaring refrain,
And the people lift their faces to the fiery rain.
