Page 131 of The Bond That Burns

“I found something. Something you need to know. About the Dragon Wars.”

She frowned. “I’ve been looking for information on dragons for ages. Where did you find it? Can I see the book?”

“No,” I snapped. When she blinked in surprise, I softened my tone. “I mean, it wasn’t a book in this library. I went searching...somewhere else.”

“Your house has its own records,” she guessed, and I nodded. “Kage mentioned something of the sort. So does House Avari.”

I scowled. “So he already told you?”

“Told me what?”

“That the history we’ve been told is all bullshit,” I burst out. “The wars weren’t about the houses fighting each other. There was a rebellion—among the dragons.”

Her wide eyes told me she hadn’t known. “No, Kage didn’t tell me any of that.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know about it himself,” I said bitterly.

“What did you read exactly?” she demanded. I could hear the excitement in her voice.

“Nyxaris hasn’t shared any of this with you?” I asked, suddenly wondering how she could know so little when she was in contact with the dragon.

She shook her head. “He can’t remember. Whatever was done to him to trap him in the stone caused him to lose most of his memories, too. He’s desperate to find out the truth. He can’t understand how he can be the last dragon.”

Her last words made me freeze. The last dragon.

“What is it?” Pendragon was looking concerned.

I gave my head a shake. “Nothing. I was just thinking of how to explain everything,” I lied.

“So why did they rebel? The dragons, I mean.”

“Some wanted more power. I guess greed and ambition aren’t solely highblood traits. But there was more.” I paused. “Highbloods—my ancestors—found a way to merge their souls with dragon riders. They controlled the riders and used them to control the dragons. It was horrible. Exploitative. A violation. And the dragons—they felt it. They felt what their riders felt. It broke them.”

Pendragon’s face was pale but otherwise she didn't react.

“You knew,” I said slowly. “You knew about this already.”

“Not all of it,” she whispered. “But the soul binding ritual... Professor Wispwood mentioned it briefly in a class last year. It didn’t seem like a big secret then. But that was before...”

“Before Nyxaris came back,” I finished. I gave a wry laugh. “Well, you know what comes next.”

“Next?”

“Of course. They want to use you, Pendragon. All the regents must know about this. I mean, Lysander probably doesn’t give a shit. But Viktor? Catherine? Elaria?”

She paled. “You think Kage already knew? That his family is plotting against me?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. You think the Avaris hands are so clean? The Avaris were as bad as we were, Pendragon. Just because Kage plays the white knight doesn’t mean he is one. Give your head a shake.” Instantly I knew I’d gone too far. She was starting to look angry. I cleared my throat. “I mean...”

“I know exactly what you mean,” she replied, her eyes blazing. “But if I had to place a bet, I’d bet on your uncle, Blake. If anyone means me harm, it’s him.”

“At least he doesn’t bother to hide what he is,” I shot back. “But sure, Viktor probably has something planned. I don’t doubt it.” I ran my hands through my hair. “There’s more. I found out why there are no other riders. They were wiped out—intentionally.”

I explained what I’d read.

When I was finished, she was quiet. “Some of this I knew,” she admitted. She told me about the dossier she’d discovered in Professor Hassan’s classroom.

“You told Rodriguez about this but not me?” I exclaimed.

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