Page 53 of The Bond That Burns

“Well, who’s keeping track?” He grinned suddenly and I almost gasped. His face was transformed. I’d noticed Kage rarely smiled, and when he did it was a calm smile, carefully controlled. Now he looked almost mischievous.

He took a step closer towards me, his presence commanding, yes, but not overwhelming or threatening. Unlike Blake, who seemed to need to dominate every space he entered with the sheer force of his will, Kage’s strength lay in the quiet control he radiated.

He tilted his head, studying me. “Why didn’t you want them punished? You’d be well within your rights to demand it.”

I shrugged awkwardly. “Because they’re scared. And they’re not wrong, are they? I don’t know all of the details of dragon history, but clearly their parents or grandparents must have told them something and it wasn’t good. The highbloods haven’t exactly given them a reason to feel truly safe either, have they?”

Kage’s expression remained neutral, but I caught a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “You’re an interesting contradiction, aren’t you, Medra Pendragon?”

“What do you mean?” I asked warily.

He moved and the torchlight hit his face, illuminating the sharp angles of his cheekbones, the perfect symmetry of his handsome face, the distinct contrast between his pale highblood hair and his obsidian eyes. I had to admit, Kage Tanaka was a stunning man. Different from Blake, yes. No less attractive in his own way.

“You speak as if you’re one of them,” he observed, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity. “And yet, you’re not. You’re the rider of a dragon. The only one in all of Sangratha. You’re not like them. You’re not like me. You’re not like anyone.”

I stiffened. “Maybe I carry parts of all of you. Why does there need to be such a division between us, anyhow?”

Kage shrugged. “I didn’t write the rules. But you and I both know those with power always rise to the top.” His expression became more contemplative. “You should be more careful. You have no idea what your dragon’s awakening has set in motion.”

I frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

His eyes scanned mine, as if deciding how much to share. “My grandmother has a theory. She believes the essence of magic in the world has shifted with Nyxaris’s awakening. It began the moment he stirred.”

I tried to process his words. “Shifted how?”

He gestured to the now-empty hallway. “You saw what they were like just now.”

“You mean that shouldn’t have been possible?” I guessed, taking a risk. “Not with the compliance magic the highbloods use to control blightborn. To keep them in line.”

He nodded. “There are many justifications for its use. Some say it makes the blightborn happier, more content with their lives.”

I opened my mouth to heatedly argue the point, but he held up his hand.

“I’m not saying it does,” he said. “But something has certainly changed.” He glanced around. “You’ve seen it for yourself. The students just now, they’re proof of it.”

I thought of the rebellious looks in the students’ eyes when they’d confronted me. The raw anger. Their fearlessness. It was dangerous—and not just to me. To themselves. “So what happens next? Why would this be happening just because of Nyxaris?”

Kage shrugged, the movement fluid and full of his customary grace. “When highbloods had dragons, there was no need for compliance spells. The fear the dragons inspired was more than enough. But...”

“But what?”

He hesitated. “Those were more ruthless times. Dragons and highbloods fed freely—on anything they desired.”

My heart sped up. Dragons? “That’s horrible.”

“Horrible, yes. But effective. And now? The world remembers. The magic remembers. The balance is shifting.”

“You think things will go back to the way they were?” I asked, horrified.

“I don’t think,” Kage said, his voice steady. “I know. Something has changed. The world is adjusting to your dragon’s presence.”

I felt a chill. “What does that mean?”

He looked at me. “You know what it means.”

If the highbloods couldn’t count on magic to control the blightborn. If they only had one dragon—and one they couldn’t count on, at that. If the blightborn decided to rise up, to rebel against their place in the order of things, violence would follow. And that would be disastrous for the blightborn population especially.

Kage’s expression was almost sympathetic. “You’re more dangerous than you know. To everyone. Highbloods, blightborn, even yourself.” He straightened. “But you don’t have to figure it all out alone.” His lips curved into a slow, inviting smile.

---