What had begun as strategy now felt more like theater—Theron, center stage, delivering carefully chosen lines. But the more I watched, the more I realized he wasn’t directing the show.
Inderia was.
She stood just behind his right shoulder, her fingers barely grazing his sleeve, lips moving in whispered suggestions that he echoed moments later—sometimes word for word.
A noble asked about troop deployments in the northern borderlands.
Theron paused, eyes flicking to her.
Inderia leaned in, her voice a whisper only the closest could hear. Theron nodded and spoke smoothly, “Several squads fromFirst Guild will be relocated to the cliffs near Breckan Pass. It’s a stronghold position and aligns with intelligence… provided by my trusted envoy.”
Envoy.
He meant her.
Then, as if to bolster his next move, Theron straightened and said, “Lady Inderia’s contacts in the southern kingdoms have expressed interest in forming new alliances.”
My blood ran cold.
He wasn’t just using her charm and reputation, he was using her connections. Inderia, raised on diplomacy and poison, had been his in to other kingdoms this entire time.
Theron had been using her like a blade hidden behind a silk fan.
And she let him.
How many foreign officials had she spoken to? How many treaties or favors had been traded in secret, hidden beneath her coy smiles and polite court appearances?
How many riders had she whispered to?
How many nobles had she turned?
I looked around the room, at the nodding heads, the lack of resistance, the way no one challenged her presence or questioned her input.
How many others were doing his bidding… and didn’t even realize it?
Theron kept speaking, voice steady, powerful.
But it wasn’t his strength.
It was hers—weaponized, sharpened, and slipped into every word.
And the council?
They didn’t even see the knife being drawn.
Chapter
Eleven
Theron’s voice rolled on, as smooth as oil over a dagger’s edge, the words soaked in confidence and poison.
“When I am officially crowned,” he said, resting his palms against the edge of the council table, “my first decree will be to reward loyalty. Those who have stood beside me in these uncertain times will receive full authority over their territories—without interference from guild oversight.”
Several nobles straightened in their chairs. A few exchanged eager glances. Others were more cautious, hiding their reactions behind jeweled goblets and practiced stillness.
But Theron wasn’t done.
“I will restructure the chain of command in the guilds,” he went on, eyes sweeping the room. “We’ve relied too heavily on outdated systems. The throne will no longer be second to dragonkind. The riders will answer to the crown, and the crown alone.”
