Page 29 of Wynter and the Stone Dragon

Wynter closed her eyes as she sat between her parents. Her hands were folded in her lap, and while she tried to keep a serene expression on her face, it was hard. A crushing grief was threatening to drag her into a black void. Too much had happened in the past twenty-four hours, and her mind and body felt fragile.

She tearfully looked up at her father when he cupped her hand and squeezed it. His eyes were shadowed with worry and curiosity. She felt so much remorse for hiding her abilities from them.

They all stiffened when the door to the Council room opened. Harmonia stepped out and sent a reassuring smile to their parents. She looked at Wynter, and her smile wavered with uncertainty.

“The Council will see you now,” Harmonia said.

“Harmonia,” her mother began.

Harmonia touched Lyia’s arm. “It will be alright.”

Wynter wished she felt confident of that. She pressed a hand to her churning stomach. She really wanted to go home, to Zelos, and crawl into her bed.

No, what I really want to do is go back to Khalid,she thought.

She touched the shorter strand of hair near her temple. A vision of him gazing up at the stars formed in her mind, and she swore she could hear his husky voice telling her to come back to him. Tears blurred her vision, and she would have stumbled if not for her father’s supportive arm.

“Princess Wynter of Erindale, welcome to the Order of Enyo,” Eirene greeted with a bow of her head.

Wynter’s eyes moved from council member to council member as they rose from a curved table and bowed their heads to her—all save for one who studied her with a calculating gaze.

At the far end of the platform behind the table was a woman wearing a cyan robe. Her hair was in long dreadlocks and she appeared to be in her mid-fifties, though age was irrelevant among mages. The woman could be two-hundred years old. Power swirled around her. Her expression was neutral, and her stare was unrelenting.

“How do you know… you know about Erindale? How do you know about me?” Wynter demanded in an unsteady voice.

“We’ve known about you since the day Arastan and Lyia took you in,” Eirene said. “The danger was too great to not know. What we aren’t sure of is what powers you have—and whether those powers may be a threat to Enyo.”

“A threat?” Wynter breathed, staring back at the council members before a sense of deep hurt filled her as she looked at her parents. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Silence, child!” The order came from the mage at the table who had refused to bow to her.

“You have broken the rules of the Order of Enyo. Do you deny it?” the woman on the platform asked.

“Ceto,” Eirene began.

Ceto lifted her hand in dismissal. “She is too dangerous to set free. Until she submits to a full assessment of her powers, I recommend that she be detained.”

“Detained? What do you mean detained?” Lyia sputtered with outrage.

“Arastan’s research on that world is clear: their mages could rival our own. She is a threat to Enyo,” Faunus agreed.

“She also has a rock dragon willing to fight for her,” Kyon added.

“Wynter is no threat to anyone,” Arastan argued.

“The rock dragon has never harmed a soul and lives peacefully on Zelos,” Lyia protested. “I’ve studied Pow-pow extensively over the past fourteen years, and he is a peaceful beast.”

“You’ve also observed this child for the past eighteen years and were unaware of her powers,” Ceto replied.

“Council members, Wynter and her pet have never shown any aggression,” Eirene interjected in a calming voice.

“How many times has she threatened the Mage-line by using these illegal Rings of Power as a portal? How many worlds has she corrupted or destroyed through her carelessness?” Ceto demanded.

Wynter was shaking her head. “Please, I didn’t mean any harm.”

“I vote that Wynter Stormhold be arrested and the stone dragon destroyed. Who agrees?” Ceto asked.

“NO!” Wynter cried with horror.

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