From Riley's very unfortunate position, he could see it.
The animosity.
The contempt.
And most of all, the disbelief.
Which, to be fair, he understood. Because he also felt all three right now toward the very same Dragon Lord who looked just about ready to haul him around like a sack of potatoes.
However, Riley, the glorified sack, together with the shiny, supremely annoyed lizard, didn't get very far. They did not, tragically, fly off to safety. Instead, they were dumped unceremoniously into that massive throne-like chair apparently reserved for the Dragon Lord when he actually bothered to use it.
The entire hall went quiet.
Because, of course, silence had to descend at the exact moment Riley ended up once again planted in Kael's lap like an unwilling accessory.
