“Those men were some of our most skilled. Ruin, in particular, carried our hopes for future leadership.”
“Skill and talent do not automatically infercharacter,Sire.” I fought not to snarl, to batter down his favoritism. Swallowed back the story I knew of what these bastards had done. “We muststopexcusing poor behavior as harmless when it leads to harm. Those men were sent to infiltrate and inform, and now they’re dead at the hands—or flames—of our most reliable allies.”
“Are they?” Alexi asked, arching one brow.
I spluttered. “Yes! The dragons are pure where we humans grow corrupt—”
“You’re assuming the reports we’ve received are true and honest.”
“I trust the dying dragon in the Keep!”
“You said he refuses to give the whole story!”
“Because he’s devastated and dying—not because he works against us.”
Alexi shifted in his seat, frowning. “We cannot trust any report coming from Draeventhall if our men were found out.”
“We also can’t trust any reports from those men until we learn why Ciar was so horrified by their conduct. Sire, please—either those men were fed lies, or they have been betrayers from the start. And until we know which it is, we cannot risk giving them any honor or embracing them. If any of them returns to Vosgaarde, theymustbe contained!”
“Weneedmen with the testicular heft and courage to face this kind of challenge—”
“We need men who work for the good of all, not their own selfish ambition or desires. I struggle to understand why we’re arguing about this!”
Alexi’s eyes flashed, warning me that I was close to crossing the line. “We argue because you assume, based on the patchy report of a sick and injured dragon, that the men are all corrupt. But just months ago, these were the men we trusted above all others. We can’t afford to rewrite history until we have facts.”
“I know the history of these men—enough,” I growled. “It’s their own conduct that has raised my suspicions—as relayed by a dragon. A far more reliable source than a man.”
“Are you sure of that, Donavyn?”
I gaped. “Are you not?!”
“You said yourself, dragons would never be part of a betrayal, yet here we are.”
I frowned. “If reports are accurate, the dragons attempted tocorrecta betrayal—”
“That’s a very importantif,Donavyn. Because I hear you question the men a great deal. But what if the ones we should be questioning are the beasts they ride? What if thedragonshave betrayed us? What if that is why your sick dragon doesn’t wish to report, and why he continues to fight for his life? What if thedragonshave killed good men?”
They aren’t good men!I wanted to scream the words. Wanted to scream at the unfairness of the circumstances that put me here, withproofwhat he said was incorrect, yet unable to offer it to him.
I had the fleeting thought to convince Bren to let me tell him the story, but I pushed it away. I knew if Alexi heard that tale, he’d immediately question if her recounting of the situation were accurate.
Diaan would listen though.
Then the king’s words clanged in my head and I stopped.
What if the dragons have betrayed us?
It wasn’t possible. Was it?
I hadn’t even considered the possibility that the dragons were complicit. After all, we’d seen the effects on one who returned after killing his own.
But was it possible?
I reached for Kgosi again, whose already deep voice was weighed down with grief.
‘I don’t want to bring this to you, but it has to be asked: is there any chance the dragons were involved, Keg? Is it even possible? Could that be why our friend struggles and refuses to open up to you?’
‘Anything is possible, Donavyn,’Kgosi intoned.‘There have been dragons of dark character, though they are rare. And they avoid a Primarch’s authority. If a dragon were of such black heart as to tolerate what happened to poor Bren, what would he gain by passing judgment on his own rider? No, I am inclined to believe the man successfully hid his actions from his dragon, and when the dragon found out, his shame and grief at being deceived overwhelmed him.’
