Page 80 of Blue Embers
The two men looked at each other for a moment as if in conversation before Draven took a deep breath and stepped away. He seemed frustrated. Anyone, mind-reader or not, could see that by the way he clenched his jaw and marched toward the cabin.
“If you guys knew he would stand out, why’d Draven send Saxon?” I asked Killian.
“Because if it came down to a Red facing a Zephyre or someone like me, a Red would have a much better chance. Whether he can be tracked or not, Saxon is one of the strongest we’ve ever known. Strong enough to have even challenged Draven once upon a time,” he sighed. “But that’s a much longer story than we have time for.”
I was interested, but knew it wasn’t the time to be sharing histories.
“What now?” I asked Killian.
The two of us followed Draven, hand in hand.
“Now we discuss our next move,” Killian said.
34
Killian
. . .
A yard full of Zephyre half-bloods and dragon parts wasn’t exactly the place any of us wanted to stay after the whole ordeal. That and the place was obviously compromised and, though none of us were saying it yet, we all knew by who.
The room was silent. We had taken a couple days to recollect ourselves after everything and now all sat around a large table inside the courtyard of my southern estate where Draven and I had originally gone off to investigate. A decision we both regretted now after the cabin was taken in our absence.
The warmth of the south reinvigorated us all, relaxing the tension, though only by a little. Keera was quiet and after suffering a head wound that would have put a normal woman in a coma, she was clearly taking things more seriously. We all were. I felt as if I hadn’t let go of Persephone’s hand since the battle and I wasn’t really planning to anytime soon. I glanced over to where she was sitting on the sofa beside me, the orange light of sunset brightening the warm tones in her hair. The idea of losing her stabbed me deep in the chest and the burn marks weren’t helping me divert my thoughts. I squeezed her hand, drawing her aqua gaze. Gods, I would do anything for her.
On the other side of the room with Keera and Ronan was Lukan with a stern and disappointed posture. His arms were crossed firmly across his broad chest and his jaw I was sure hadn’t relaxed since the battle. Malice was lying across a sofa, a polar opposite. He claimed the whole thing with his lounging body, but his usual, carefree demeanor was absent from his face. He’d been offended like the rest of us and he was staring at the floor a few feet in front of him, stewing in thoughts.
Draven entered the room with Everly by his side, the two of them looking stronger as a couple than they ever did apart, which was saying quite a lot. Looking at them now, they’d only become more determined. Determined and angry, which was a dangerous combination for any Draak.
Everly leaned on the archway and folded her arms in front of her as she watched Draven take a place in front of the room to talk. The two of them had been dealing with pressing matters inside the city since the previous morning and neither of them looked pleased about the results .
“So?” Lukan spoke first, urging Draven to explain the look on his face.
“Baliss and most of the other regents,” Draven sighed sharply. “They’ve been forced into submission. For the sake of their sectors, they’ve allowed Phyre Glass to be accessible to everyone, starting with the security forces.”
“For the sake of the sectors?” Malice said, his usual air of carefree charm absent from his tone. “They’re letting a Draak killing substance into the sectors for thesakeof the sectors?”
“The Order is claiming that it makes us more equal if humans have a means to kill us as easily as we can kill them.”
“Which would make much more sense if we were at war,” Malice said with a flare of his nostrils.
“We offered protection a century ago to anyone inside the sectors and the people agreed to it,” Lukan said. “The first chance they have to display their distrust, they take it. I don’t know whether to feel betrayed or to think we failed them by making them feel so unsafe that they had to resort to this...madness.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Draven hissed. “The Order, by bringing this threat into our borders, have openly expressed distrust and even hostility. By associating with rebels and terrorists, they’ve become a problem. Not just for Draak. For everyone.”
“What does that mean?” Persephone asked.
No doubt she saw the same thing I did. The subtle twitch in Draven’s demeanor that suggested he had much more to say.
Everly stepped up to speak. “The Order is pushing the acceptance of former and current members of the Falcons into the sectors provided they haven’t been accused of any crimes.”
“It’s only a matter of time before that progresses into something more violent,” I added. “Plenty of Falcons’ crimes have gone unnoticed by the public. We could be inviting dangerous rebels into the borders, on top of the Phyre Glass.”
“Right now, the regents are just trying to keep the peace,” Draven said. “We can’t ask anymore of them until we have a plan. Their lives will be the first on the line if anything happens.”
“Well,” I exhaled. “At the moment, there hasn’t been any rioting or assassinations. My current sources are limited, but for the most part, it would appear Haera and her goons are integrating slowly. She’s patient. She’s proven that much to us. She’ll get Phyre Glass into the hands of the citizens and then gradually turn them against us. It’s smart.”
“Speaking of Haera,” Lukan chimed in, his eyes cutting toward Draven.
