Commander Dareth and Prince Kaen, Thorne’s brother, stood near the window. Both were still with their arms folded. They didn’t meet Thorne’s eyes. That stung more than any reprimand.
Thorne crossed the length of the chamber and stopped before them. The doors sealed shut behind him with a whisper like a sword being drawn from its sheath.
The first voice came from the woman in the center, Chancellor Veylan, robed in gold and crowned with thin bands of light. “Prince Thorne, you stand before us because the dragon Vornokh chose you. The oldest of the unbonded. A rare and unsettling act.”
Thorne kept his hands at his sides as he spoke. “I understand that I was chosen. Isn’t that the purpose of the Kaelthir Reckoning, Chancellor?”
Professor Aeric leaned forward. “It is, in principle. But your bond has awakened forces we do not yet comprehend. Reports spoke of tremors that could be long distances away from our field.”
General Solas’s scarred hand drummed once on the table. “And there are rumors of dark magic forces rising. That concerns us.”
“They fear what they cannot command,”Vornokh whispered, voice silk and smoke.“Show them why.”
Heat gathered low in Thorne’s chest. He forced his shoulders back. “What do you want from me?”
Chancellor Veylan’s gaze was sharp enough to cut. “We must ensure your stability. Ancient dragons do not bond lightly. Their riders are no longer considered students; they are weapons of war. Such weapons must be trained, harnessed, and watched.”
The word scraped across his nerves. Weapon. Always that word. Thorne’s jaw locked. The air in the chamber shifted, faintly warmer.
Commander Dareth’s voice broke through, low and hard. “Thorne is under my command. His training continues under my direction.”
“Of course,” Aeric said smoothly, “but perhaps with augmentation. Specialized instruction. Experimental combat conditioning. Thorne, with your strength and your dragon’s amplified, we could end the border wars in a season.” He smiled, a scholar offering a gift that reeked of chains. “You could become the realm’s greatest asset.”
The temptation hit like a flare of lightning. End the wars. End the endless proving. Free himself by outgrowing their reach.
“Take it,”Vornokh purred.“Use them as they would use you.”
Thorne’s pulse thundered. For a heartbeat, he wanted to. Wanted the power, the authority, the freedom that came only from standing above them all. Then the heat scorched higher, too bright, and too dangerous. He clenched his fists until his gloves creaked.
Prince Kaen leaned forward. His gray eyes were unforgiving steel. “Answer me plainly, cadet. Do you serve the crown, or your dragon?”
The question landed like a blade to the chest.
Vornokh’s presence surged, filling Thorne’s skull with thunder.“Say it, rider. You serve me.”
Thorne could almost feel the dragon’s heartbeat pounding with his own, twin rhythms of defiance. For one reckless moment, he believed it.
“I serve both,” Thorne said at last. The words scraped his throat raw.
General Solas studied Thorne, expression unreadable. “See that you remember which must come first.”
Another council member muttered something about instability. That word snapped whatever restraint remained in.
A pulse of heat burst from Thorne’s core. The torches flared, flames leaning toward the speaker. Runes along the walls brightened, reacting to the surge. The chamber filled with the scent of ozone and burning dust.
“Yes,”Vornokh hissed with satisfaction.“Let them tremble.”
Thorne’s vision narrowed to red and gold. He wanted to see fear in their eyes, proof that he could not be caged.
“Enough,” Commander Dareth barked.
The sound cleaved through the haze. Thorne blinked, breath rasping. The heat withdrew, leaving only silence and the dull thud of his heart. Sweat cooled against his collar. Around the table, eyes watched him like drawn blades.
“Unstable,” someone whispered again, softer this time.
Thorne almost laughed.Of course, they’re afraid.A part of him, the part that now pulsed with pure dragonfire, found it satisfying.
Commander Dareth turned to the council. “Thorne’s training continues tomorrow at first light on the flight fields. I will oversee all sessions personally.”
