Hidden Dragon (The Treasure of Paragon Book 7) by Genevieve Jack (best ereader for manga txt) 📗

bond, and theirs was most definitely broken. She was dead. Eleanor knew it as if she’d been there to see it herself. The worst part? She’d felt a surge of joy come down the bond seconds before it was severed. Aborella, she suspected, had found a way to kill herself.

Eleanor writhed in torment at the thought. How dare the fairy remove herself from serving Eleanor’s needs? The seer was hers. Hers. And now she was gone.

“Empress?” Ransom stood near the back of the throne room, the coward clearly too afraid to come any closer.

“What’s the matter, Ransom? Haven’t you ever seen a grown woman cry?”

He swallowed. “The witch queen has given her permission for up to four guardsmen to accompany you on your search of Darnuith. We have twenty-four hours.”

“Write her back. Tell her we won’t need to enter her territory after all. Aborella is dead.”

Ransom’s brow furrowed. “You found her?”

Eleanor squinted at the man… boy, really. He truly was a pretty idiot. “She is dead.”

He cleared his throat. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Come to my chambers tonight, at nightfall. I’ll think of a way you can comfort me.”

His throat bobbed. He bowed low before backing out of the room. So he knew enough not to turn his back to her. Maybe he was smarter than he looked.

Eleanor strode out of the throne room, through the great hall, and onto the destroyed floor of the veranda. She slipped out of her dress and shifted into her dragon form, her gold scales gleaming in the sun. She offered no explanation to her guards as she took to the skies and flew north, leaving Ouros and crossing into the realm of the gods. She landed on the island of Kryptos. This was Hera’s island and the closest the goddess could get to Paragon as long as Aitna, the goddess of the mountain, lived.

Eleanor touched the peacock feather that waited in the temple at the center of the island. There was a flash of blinding light and the goddess appeared, her golden hair shining like a star.

“Do you have the book, Eleanor?”

Eleanor shifted back to her soma form to speak, standing naked and vulnerable before the goddess. “Not yet, but I will soon. The rebels are assembling a key that will access the place where the book is hidden.”

“The rebels.” Hera’s lips pressed into a flat line. “And how do you plan to get my grimoire from the rebels? If they have the key, won’t they have the book?”

Eleanor crossed her arms. “Hardly. I need the three sisters to risk their lives to build the key and find the book; then I will use my considerable magic to take it from them. This is good news. After all this time, I have reason to believe that they are the only ones capable of retrieving your grimoire. The only ones capable of undoing Medea’s protections on it. The fact they are collecting the orbs proves the book is on Paragon. I have spies everywhere. Once they have your book, I will know and I will retrieve it. Soon you will be free to roam Paragon at will.”

The light that flared from Hera’s body was blinding. Eleanor’s skin burned with Hera’s anger to the point she was sure had she not been a dragon, she would have been incinerated. “I do not want to roam Paragon! I want my book!”

“And you shall have it.” Eleanor placed a finger in the crook of her chin. “Only, my seer is now dead. It would be easier for me to take back the book if I had more power. Perhaps if I ascended now—”

“Quiet,” Hera seethed. “You have plenty of power. I’ve given you the darkest of magic and all you’ve done is waste it on trivial matters. I am a patient goddess, Eleanor, but what has been given can be taken away. Bring me that book, or there will be no ascension. On the contrary, I will introduce you to Hades myself.” Hera sneered. “He’s not the charmer you might expect.”

Eleanor was proud but she wasn’t stupid. She bowed her head. “I will get you the book.”

“Wise, dragon.” With a wave of her hand, a bottle appeared in Hera’s clutches. Its blue contents bubbled inside its round belly. “More sleeping elixir for Aitna. We wouldn’t want the goddess of the mountain to wake before you have a chance to kill her.”

With a grin she hoped would hide her annoyance, Eleanor accepted the bottle. She wasn’t looking forward to flying back to Paragon in her soma form in order to safely carry the load. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Excellent. I love when we click, Eleanor. From the bottom of my heart. So often you remind me of me.” She pressed a hand over the center of her chest and smiled wickedly.

“Only someone who’s been in your grandiose presence could truly understand what a magnanimous compliment you offer me. I fear I am unworthy of it.” Eleanor refrained from rolling her eyes although she physically hurt from the effort.

Hera gave a haughty laugh and shrugged. “I’m a giver. What can I say? Zeus has never appreciated it. But because you do, Eleanor, I have a gift for you, something to replace your seer.”

“Oh?”

“Grigori, come.”

A peacock strode from the forest, spreading its feathers in a gorgeous fan of green and blue.

“I-isn’t he a bit conspicuous?” Eleanor mumbled.

Hera made a sound like a growl and snapped her fingers. The bird transformed into a peregrine falcon.

“I believe peregrines are used to send messages in your world, yes?”

The dark gray bird blinked knowingly and stretched its formidable talons.

“Yes, my goddess.” Eleanor gave her a bow.

“Grigori will show you what he sees with the command vlépo. Try it now.”

“Vlépo,” Eleanor repeated, and suddenly she was looking at herself from the bird’s perspective. She closed her eyes and gave her head a firm shake. When she opened them again, her sight had returned to normal.

“Very good. Close your eyes for three seconds to regain