Page 148 of Ashborne Phoenix

Hanson’s eyes widened. “It’s true then, about the king?”

I didn’t answer, but Grace nodded. I shot her a look, but she gave me a pointed look in return. “He’s already heard—clearly it will be public knowledge soon. What do we gain by hiding it?”

“Who will take over your mother’s position in the shadows?” Hanson asked urgently.

“My hope is, no one,” I said frankly. “They believe I hold the Dominus mark. I don’t. But if I leave without it transferring, I can deflect—”

“So, you do hold their power?” Hanson asked sharply, taking a step back.

“I have no power. None,” I spluttered. “I gave all of it up—it rebounded through them, burning them out, and killing half of them—you saw the bodies! They only believe I hold it because they believe I killed her, and she held it. Traditionally, it transfers when that occurs.”

Hanson frowned, looking between Grace and me as if he were no longer certain of us.

I growled. “I have nothing to prove to you. You’re the one who showed up talking about enemies of enemies. I’m trying to fix this. You can—”

He raised a hand sharply to interrupt me, and when I stopped he took a deep breath.

“The network your mother ordered has been harvesting dragons for four decades. At first it was experiments to attempt to control their power. Or channel it, I believe. I’m not clear on the earlier iterations. But more recently, the network has grown more confident in their control. They occasionally sold access to the dragons to powerful nobles for anything from transport to intimidation of rivals. The network responsible now spans kingdoms. I only tracked it back to the Cruors specifically in recent weeks, but I’m now confident that their goal was to harness the dragons to overwhelm political power. If you have, indeed, broken your mother’s reign and burned out their power, you have also thwarted their efforts with the dragons. And their planned bid to take control of the Kingdoms. I’m still unclear on the specifics, but I know their power was used in this process. They were convinced that if they could harness the dragons as weapons, they would no longer need the political structures in place. They would simply rule. No more kings. No more queens. No more court. Just Cruors, and their sick spells, and their sick dragons, taking the territories, one kingdom at a time.”

Clearing the Path

~ VOSKI ~

I should have been shocked. But the moment I’d seen my mother commanding men who flew mindless dragons, I’d suspected. At the very least, she had to have viewed them as a resource she could utilize. But now…

Dear Lord. We’d finally found the root of the festering tree. The people who’d plotted to kill my squad sister, and our general. Who’d attempted to kill Grace, and might still succeed.

I sucked in a breath, stomach churning at that thought.

No surprise that my mother was involved.

But, the dragons…

“They can’t be allowed to continue,” I murmured. Grace squeezed my hand.

“Absolutely not. But if Vosgaarde commands the power of dragons with agency—as current rumors would suggest—tell me what the difference is?”

I glared at him. “A bonded Furyknight doesn’t command their dragon. We’re partners. Friends. Brothers and sisters. The dragons are just as sentient and individual as we ourselves. Perhaps more. Their minds are incredible, and they have a connection to the supernatural that we could only wish for. Trust me, our dragons choose whether or not to fight for, or with us. Those hollow-minded dragons are a crime. Vosgaarde does not bespell, or condition, or abuse its dragons. Our ranks are entirely free.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes!”

“Then why the fuck was I offered hundreds of mindless dragons by a Vosgaardian Furyknight?”

I leaned closer to the arrogant lord. “Because that bastard was a traitor! Seduced by the plan you’ve obviously uncovered, that we’re in the process of thwarting. The dragons he offered you were not from our herds. They were from Draeventhall, and here in Fyrehold.”

“Then where are they now? Last seen, they flew en masse, south. Toward Vosgaarde.”

“I was still here in Fyrehold when that migration occurred—they planned to overwhelm our Primarch, and take control of our herd, by the way,” I added. “I wasn’t a witness, but I was told that once the men leading them were defeated, those dragons you saw were freed. They chose not to stay with our herd. They continued south beyond Vosgaarde, and haven’t been seen since. But the people who stole and conditioned them? They’re the men we’ve been pursuing for months.”

Hanson’s chin rose, but he nodded. “It would appear you’ve found them,” he said slowly. “My question is whether you’re just another double agent.”

“Lord Hanson!” Grace snapped. “I told you—”

“Forgive me, Lady Grace, but while I believe your intent is good, it’s entirely possible your husband has been at the center of this all along, and has simply assassinated his mother to take control of a weapon she wielded. I am not a stupid man and I do not lack resources. Yet this circle has diverted attention, deceived me, and very nearly upended my kingdom before I could get to the bottom of it. Your husband is the son of the woman who commanded the men at the center of this. You must see that he might—”

“I am not a Cruor,” I snarled. “I came here to defeat them!”