Didn’t blink.
But his eyes… they flared like twin sparks about to ignite.
“Dragons donotheel,” he said, each word carefully pronounced. “Kaelith chose Ashlyn. And considering Kaelith predates the unification treaty, I’d be very wary of treating her like a dog.”
Silence.
Remy stepped forward calmly.
“The Sentinel is the most powerful and revered dragon on the isle. I would adviseextremecaution.”
Theron’s face didn’t move, but his knuckles had gone white against the edge of the railing.
“You will take her on a scouting mission. It would be best if your dragon and hers got used to being together.”
A deafening roar split the air, long, thunderous, ancient.
From the isle.
FromHein.
Zander stepped forward, gaze hard.
“Be very careful of your next words,” he said. “Hein is very protective of Kaelith. And he will have no issue burning your royal bedchamber to the ground.”
Theron turned on him, fury flashing. “You can’t threaten me.”
Zander’s voice was ice.
“I didn’t.”
Theron’s gaze swept across the assembled riders, but the cheers from before had long died out. The silence was thick now, taut, watchful. Even the dragons who had landed had gone still, their wings tucked tight, their eyes glowing in unblinking quiet.
The fighting between the princes was no longer court gossip whispered between mouthfuls of bread.
It was bleeding into the ranks.
And everyone knew it.
“We will discuss this in private, Zander,” Theron bit out, his voice a strained thread of control. Then his eyes shifted to Remy, cold and commanding. “Remand. Take Prospect Rebec to Elmwell Falls.”
I barely heard the command over the rush of blood in my ears.
But I saw Inderia.
Smirking.
Standing like a queen already crowned.
Why wouldn’t she smile? Theron didn’t have to chain me to a tower—he could simplyorderme to cross the entire Earendall Continent, scattering me far enough that I’d never stand beside Zander again.
Never fight beside my squad.
He could make me disappear under the weight of protocol and politics andduty.
And Remy?
Had he agreed to help him?
