Page 9 of Killian
“What an opportunity for you,” the Arch Wizard replied. “To have an entire second race at your behest.”
“You know well that resurrected people need not be beholden to their necromancers,” the Arch Lich snarled.
“Then explain the sentinels,” Arch Wizard Egidius snapped.
“Without the ruler of the sentinels willing to meet with Chand, he can do nothing to save them,” Killian protested while Dravyn wondered what they were talking about. Not brave enough to question this lot, Dravyn focused on controlling his fear so he could find an escape route.
“There is no need to argue,” Grand Warlock T’Eirick said. “The dragons cannot help us. They have problems of their own, and we are not looking to add to our woes. If we want defense and we trust these men can do it, Chander’s idea is the best we have. Dravyn can counsel us. You are a dragon. Are these men ones of honor?”
Dravyn swallowed thickly. “I know little of the world, but even I have heard the tales of my Emperors. They are noble, but I do not understand your intent.”
“I can offer them a second chance to live,” Arch Lich Chander explained, though Dravyn still lacked the ability to comprehend the inner workings of magick. He supposed that was understandable. Dravyn had learned of its existence onlyminutes ago. “A fresh start, though they will not be the dragons that once defined them. We can make them warriors. Give them soldiers. But there are things to consider. It is said among my kind that if we leave them with their memories, they may forget their duties to seek vengeance. We cannot afford war with whoever is responsible for murdering these men.”
“It will gain us nothing to wipe their memories, Chand,” Saura said. “They are mates. The soul remembers. After they seal their bond again, everything that they were in their previous lives will return to them.”
“I fear we must separate them for a time,” the Arch Lich commented. “Long enough for the flames of retribution to die.”
“How long do you suggest?” Killian asked. “I care not for the idea of tearing apart a matebond.”
“A century,” Chander replied.
Dravyn took a step forward. Although naturally shy, he could allow no one to be hurt. “You cannot do this. Their rule was a mere fifty years. Yet every tale of my Emperors was of their undying love for one another. They say they were never apart. A hundred years would be cruelty. As a dragon, I…I cannot…I willnotallow it.”
“Do you think you can stop us?” the Arch Wizard demanded.
Killian took a step forward and blocked Dravyn’s view of the cantankerous wizard. “We know nothing of Dravyn’s kind. Wemustheed his words.”
The Grand Warlock crossed his arms. “I agree. Put the pair in stasis for a few weeks. It will allow the dragons enough time to find a new leader. Their successors will be responsible for whatever vengeance they feel is necessary. Among us, Drystan and Conley will start fresh. Their minds will be their own. If they are the honorable men we believe them to be, they will turn their attention to the future and the needs of ourCouncil. Their Council now. They will need a new race. One designed by them and brought to life by Chander alone. I want no interference from the necromancer elders.”
“They have many years left to counsel Chander in his role,” Egidius argued.
“None of them are chosen by Fate. Chand was. They can dislike it all they want. They certainly made the fight to keep his power an unsettling one. I would not be surprised if these two men Chand is about to resurrect find themselves quelling a necromantic uprising of a few scorned elders as their first task,” Killian said.
“Settle yourself, Egidius,” Saura warned. “We have had this fight before, and I will remind you that you would allow no one to usurp your power. Put yourself in Chand’s shoes, and be honest about how you would feel as an Arch Lich forced to cede your power to a group of people who appointed themselves as his elders.”
“Can we please get on with this so I can get home?” Arch Wizard Egidius demanded.
“I fear what will happen when Drystan and Conley regain their memories,” Arch Lich Chander said.
“Ifthey regain their memories,” Killian replied. “Do we know if it is a certainty?”
“Why would you wipe away a life rooted in Fate and love?” Jarl Kolsten asked.
“I believe they will regain their memories fully. Bring them forth as they were,” Saura demanded. “Let the lessons they have learned in life guide their hands, and may they be rooted in the love Dravyn speaks of. Give them that gift. You are not asking permission to give them the role of protecting this Council. Expect anger. Confusion. They deserve our understanding. We will give it along with anything else they require.”
Dravyn was only slightly mollified by her words. Everything was happening too quickly, and he desperately needed a moment to sort out his thoughts. They were so twisted he feared he would never understand the world again.
But he was given no chance to find his tongue again or to comprehend anything. A thick swirl of black magick hid the bodies of the Emperors murdered the night before, then Dravyn’s heart skipped a beat as their chests lifted with heavy breaths. Their wounds disappeared, and Dravyn decided he had either lost his wits entirely or was having a horrible nightmare. His dragon roared in his head.
Both man and beast desperately wanted to escape. The beautiful man with the green-brown eyes frightened Dravyn. Everyone in the room did, and though the thought of returning to Castle Draconis did not appeal, it was far safer than his current circumstance.
Chapter 4
The terror in Dravyn’s beautiful dark green eyes was a living thing, and guilt settled into Killian’s bones. So lost in the joy of finding the other half of his soul, Killian had not tempered his enthusiasm for introducing Dravyn to some of the important people in his life. He had forgotten in his haste that dragons likely knew nothing of magick.
Dravyn had also been confronted with the theft of the dragon Emperors. The two men were sleeping peacefully for a few weeks. When they awoke, Killian and the others would have plenty of explaining to do, but that was not something concerning him now. He had to make amends and calm Dravyn.
Egidius left with a huff, and Jurdann followed in his wake. The leader of the phoenixes had also requested to return to the side of his consort, so T’Eirick had teleported him home to his beloved, Masse. As for Chander, he was already deep in discussion with Dra’Kaedan and Dre’Kariston and would likely stay at Castle Leolinnia for at least a meal and sleep.
