The Dragon King's Heart

The magpie looked straight into Laina\'s eyes. He wondered what would her reaction be if he did not agree to the trade. 

"No," he said as he leaped off her hand and flew into the air. 

Thorne, who remained in the shadows throughout the entire duration of the conversation appeared before them. He reached out his hand to catch the magpie but Maximus dodged it at the last moment when Laina stopped him. 

Laina was up on her feet, glaring. She was glaring at Thorne. Maximus was taken aback. The nobility had never shown him courtesy when they wanted something from him. They often threw their wealth at him and expected him to agree to their demands. 

He liked seeing them act out, seeing them reveal their true faces. Laina\'s reaction was quite unexpected. 

"Thorne! What do you think you\'re doing?! Harming my guest?" she nudged him on the arm as she chided. 

Taken aback by Laina\'s actions, he did not respond at first. He did not know what to say. 

"I...if he left, you won\'t be able to find what you need to make a new bo-"

"Enough!" Laina cut him off, "I know the consequences. But I\'m not about to threaten him just to get what I need."

Laina turned to Maximus and apologized profusely for what happened on Thorne\'s behalf. Maximus flew over to the coffee table. 

"It\'s alright, I understand," he said while recollecting his thoughts.

"I just wanted to see how you would react if I disagreed. Actions speak louder than words.I misjudged you based on past experiences, Your Majesty. I agree to your request," he declared. 

Laina lit up, "You do?"

The magpie nodded his head, "Yes, but I have a request of my own."

Over the next few days, a trip to Maximus\'s home was planned. Laina made all the arrangements she could, adhering to the magpie\'s every request. 

"This does not feel safe, Your Majesty," Margaret said worriedly, hoping she could convince Laina to try a different plan instead. 

"I know how it looks, but there isn\'t another choice," Laina said as she continued to get dressed. 

"I can go in your stead," Margaret suggested.

"You know very well that can\'t work. If you go, how will you know which jade to pick?"

"Oh right, I forgot about that," Margaret bit her lip.

Thorne came through from the shadows, to Laina\'s side. She did not need him to open his mouth to know what he was thinking. But this time, she wanted him to take a break. 

"Don\'t worry, Kol and Florin will be going with me. I\'ll be safe," she said to him before he spoke. 

But he did not back down, Thorne insisted ongoing. Laina bit her lip. She understood that he was protective of her. Sometimes she wished he would trust her just a little more. When he insisted for the third time, even Margaret wanted to intervene. 

Laina stepped in to speak first. She placed both of her hands on his shoulders. She looked him straight in the eyes. 

"I know Dante wants to protect me. But I\'m not a child. I can protect myself. You\'re not the only person who can protect me too. Do you understand?" she asked, never once looking away. 

Finally, her words seemed to have gotten through to him. Thorne backed down and nodded, agreeing to back off. Laina smiled and patted him on the back before checking her outfit in the mirror one last time before leaving the room. 

Maximus\'s associates were already at the designated meeting point when Laina arrived with Kol and Florin in tow. Maximus, however, was not with them. 

"Boss is at the hideout waiting for you," one of the associates explained with Laina asked. 

They handed Laina, Kol and Florin each a blindfold and told them to put it on. Though hesitant at first, they did as they were told. They could not see anything through the blindfolds. Once that was done, the three of them were ushered into a portal. 

That was not the end of their journey. In fact, they went through another three portals before their blindfolds were finally removed. It did not take long for their eyes to adjust for their surroundings had dim lighting. 

"Welcome, Your Majesty," Laina recognized the voice to be Maximus\'immediately. 

But she could not see the magpie anywhere. In its place was a child, dressed in a suit and cape seemingly made entirely out of dark-colored feathers. Most curious of all, he had a beak instead of a mouth. 

Kol and Florin were surprised too. They too were expecting to see a bird. At least, that was what Laina had told them to expect. 

Laina played it cool, "Maximus, it\'s good to see you. I have to say, I wasn\'t quite expecting to see you in this look."

The child chuckled, everyone was surprised whenever they saw him like this. The reason he had kept this reveal till now was in hopes he would get a kick out of Laina\'s look of surprise. 

"Not many do," he replied with a smile, "But sometimes it\'s easier to hold the pieces with hands instead of wings."

He beckoned her to follow him through the dimly lit corridor. Laina looked from side to side. She could feel the presence of different stones, geodes, crystals, and many more precious items locked safely behind each door. As the corridor went on, she wondered how many rooms there were. 

Maximus brought them to the largest room of all. The doors were larger than any of the others they had come across previously. Before they could enter, they heard footsteps echoing down the hallway. 

Moments later, one of Maximus\'s associates appeared and ran up to him. The associate hastily whispered into his ear, earning a shocked expression. For just the flicker of a moment, Maximus glanced in Laina\'s direction. 

"Since when?" he asked his associate without any other context. 

"Since they arrived," the associate replied. 

Maximus nodded, "Understood, we\'ll deal with that later."