Amber's Fire, Book 3 Of Blood In The Dragon

leave 63

Chapter 63

Court POV

I twisted in the air, dodging her fire, dodging her claws. I had to make it. I had to see the castle. But suddenly, a wall of guards rushed out below, shouting and raising spears. My stomach dropped. I had miscalculated. Then I felt it, a tail wrapping around my leg, dragging me back. Mom. Her claws weren’t just fast. They were precise.

“Not today, Court!” she shouted. I roared, flapping harder, twisting in the sky, but she wasn’t letting go. Not until I realized, maybe I didn’t want her to.

He was mine. My son. My stubborn, reckless, brave son. I let him struggle, just enough to make him realize how dangerous it really was. The castle guards were down there, weapons raised, ready to kill him if he touched the ground.

“You’re not ready,” I said softly, gripping him tighter with my tail. “Not yet. But I promise… I’ll take you there myself when the time is right.”

Court glared at me, fire in his eyes, but I could see it… the first flicker of understanding. Not trust. Not yet. But respect. And for now, that was enough. The air between us crackled with tension, wings beating the sky, flames lighting the forest edge. Below, the castle guards scrambled, unprepared for the storm overhead. And somewhere, the truth about my father waited, still hidden, but closer than ever.

Court POV

I couldn’t stop thinking. My father… is reckless. Ambitious. Dangerous. And dead. That wasn’t enough. I needed the full story. The whole truth. Not what Mom told me. Not what the king or the advisors said. I needed the facts, every name, every betrayal, every secret. And the only place to find them… was the castle itself. The night was dark and quiet. Guards patrolled in pairs, torches flickering against the stone walls. Mom was asleep in her room, exhausted from the day’s chaos. I knew if I waited, I’d lose my chance. I shifted silently, small and human, blending into the shadows. Every step was calculated. Every heartbeat is loud in my chest. The castle corridors were a labyrinth of cold stone and heavy tapestries. I had memorized the patrol routes from earlier observations. Timing was everything, Finally, I reached the library…the archives. Massive doors of oak, iron-bound. If I could just get inside… I pushed the doors open quietly. Inside, the smell of old parchment hit me, a scent that made my stomach twist in excitement and dread. Scrolls stacked on shelves, ledgers locked in glass cases, and manuscripts sealed with wax. This was it. I ran my hands over the ledgers, scanning titles: “Royal Accounts..Past Decade.” “Correspondence with Allies.” “Rogue Activity Reports.”

Then I found it, a small, dusty box tucked under a shelf. Sealed. Wax broken. Inside… letters. Letters from my father to various advisors, to kings and queens, and… some written in a code only someone close to him would know. My pulse raced.I read one aloud softly to myself:

"I cannot trust them. Not the king. Not the council. If anything happens to me… my son must be protected. Only he can right the wrongs I cannot undo."

My hands shook. My father… he knew something. He had planned for me. And I hadn’t even been born yet. Suddenly, footsteps.

I ducked behind a shelf, heart pounding. A guard passed, torch in hand. I held my breath until the sound faded. I was too close now to stop. Too close to give up. Every letter, every ledger, every coded message could be a clue. And if my father had been hiding secrets… maybe some of them were dangerous enough that even the king didn’t want me to see them. But I didn’t care. I had to know.

I slipped a bundle of letters into my cloak. One step closer to the truth. One step closer to understanding my father, and maybe, finally, my own place in all of this.

I stirred in my sleep. Something felt… off. I couldn’t explain it. A tug in my heart, a whisper of instinct. Court was moving. Alone. In the castle. I didn’t know how far he’d go before I realized it. And if the guards caught him, or worse… I might not be able to save him in time. But for now, he was out there, chasing the past. And I knew… once he started down this path, nothing could stop him from finding the truth.

Amber POV

I suddenly woke up, my dragon pacing restlessly inside me.

Someone was here, someone who wasn’t supposed to be.

And she did not like it. I slipped out of bed, moving quietly. I opened my door just enough to slide through, careful not to wake my parents. If they found out someone had entered the castle without permission, they wouldn’t hesitate, they would kill them. I tiptoed into the hallway, following the scent. I knew it. Why was he here?

And why was he in the library? When I reached the doorway, I saw him sitting there, completely calm, flipping through a book like he belonged. My eyes narrowed as I stepped closer, trying to see what he was reading. Something about… death? I frowned.

“Why are you here?” I whispered sharply. “You can get yourself killed, Court. You need to leave.”.He immediately stood, snapping the book shut before I could get a better look. His eyes met mine, and he sneered.

“I’m taking this book with me,” he said. “It’s about my father.”

I paused for half a second. I didn’t care. “I don’t care,” I shot back, my voice low but firm. “You need to leave. Now. Before I call the guards and wake my parents. This is your only warning, Court. Leave, or I will start screaming.”

He stared at me like I had grown three heads. Good. Let him.

Something about him had always felt… off. Now I know why. He sneaks into other people’s homes like he owns them. Before I could say anything else, he grabbed the book and rushed to the window.

My eyes widened. We were two stories up.

“What are you?”

I ran toward him, but I was too late. He jumped. My heart lurched as I reached the window, looking down, and then I saw it. Midair, his body shifted. Wings burst from his back, catching the air as he soared upward and disappeared into the night. I froze. He’s just a kid… like me. He shifted early. Just like me. Just like Alpha. A chill ran through me as I stepped back from the window. I’m going to have to watch him. Because Court… …could be dangerous. Very dangerous.