My Knight in Dragon Scales

26. Et canes Martis

I stood there staring off into the sea and smiled. Such a pretty place... Riverton... A beautiful place to die. I looked over at Logan and frowned. He was had his crown on his head and a sword at his side. My brother... King of Edawin. He always was perfect for the position. I was never meant for leadership. 

"Roman?" I looked over to see Logan walking over, a solemn look on his face. "Are you ready?" 

"Yeah... I guess. Where's Patton?" Logan looked away and I frowned. 

"He said he needed to be back at the mountain. He was very cryptic and he wouldn't explain." I gripped my shirt feeling the guilt wash over me. I never actually said goodbye to Ero. Logan wouldn't give me the chance. I was always needed. And as much as I loved being there for my brother. I should've been there for my dragon. He's probably pissed at me again. 

"Has anything been spotted?" Logan nodded and pushed his glasses up.

"A large group mainly. No dragons, for now."

"That can change." He narrowed his eyes and I jumped off the platform. 1:30... That's what time it is. 1:30, March 4th. The sun is high in the sky and the weathers calm. All in all. Not a bad day to be your last. 

"Do what you have to." Logan called and I nodded as I slowly disappeared into the crowd. Do what I have to? Yeah, because in this scenario I'm the snake. Funny, I always pictured myself the wolf. 

I pushed myself through the crowd of people smiled. This isn't a battlefield. We aren't fighting to die. Riverton isn't a burial spot... Because there are no soldiers. Not here. Not with us. 

"Do what you have to do..." I whispered as I let myself melt into the background noise. 

"Power. What else?" We all just sat there shocked as Virgil fiddled with his hoodie strings. "He wants power."

"So why go to Mt.Diablo?" Logan was trying to wrap his head around this but Patton and I knew. Virgil was right. If he wanted power... He would go after Ero. MY DRAGON! Virgil looked over at me and shot me this confused look. I just shook my head and ran a hand through my hair trying to calm myself down.

"The ruins of Roe still sit on the mountain and... It doesn't matter the point is that's where he'll hit first." Virgil sat back down on the couch still fiddling with strings.

"So how do we stop him?" I asked voicing my own thoughts. I don't want him anywhere near my Ero. Not even on a damn plate... I laughed at the thought of Deceit on a plater like a roast pig and Logan shot me a look. You'd laugh too if you thought it. Actually maybe not.

"We don't." Patton said as he looked up at the ceiling. "We can't."

"So we pull his attention away."

"That won't work either."

"THEN WHAT DO I DO?!" I yelled making everyone jump. I have to protect Ero. I have to protect Virgil. That's their home. Their lives are there. That creep won't fucking take a step near it.

"What do I do indeed..." I whispered as I pulled a hat off a stand quickly pulling the tags off and putting it on without being caught. I made my way through the bazaar, maneuvering through the people like a dance. I picked a pair of sunglasses from someone's purse and put them on too, before slipping behind a tent and moving to another street.  "That's precisely what I plan on doing."

"I don't..." Virgil yawned and rubbed his eyes as he started to get tired again. "... know."

"We could use a plant." Logan said as he tapped his pen on the desk. I could see the stress was getting to him. "Creative flair, as Roman calls it."