Page 21 of Forged in Fire
The silence that follows stretches taut between us. Kieran’s jaw tightens, and for a moment—just a moment—I see something flicker across his features. More regret, maybe. Or guilt.
Then it’s gone, replaced by that same cold certainty.
“You don’t understand the scope of what’s at stake,” he says quietly. “The projections, the statistical models—we have maybe fifty years before we’re extinct.”
Fifty years. The number unsettles me, not because it’s shocking, but because it sounds about right. We all know the clans are dying. We just don’t like to talk about it.
“But together,” Kieran continues, his voice gaining strength, “we could change that. Our combined abilities, our shared heritage as twins—we could accomplish things that neither of us could achieve alone.”
“Accomplish what, exactly?” I ask, though part of me already knows I don’t want to hear the answer.
“Reshape dragon society. Build something better than what we inherited.” His eyes gleam with an intensity that’s both familiar and alien. “The old ways are dying anyway, Iris. We can either cling to them and go down with the ship, or we can help build something that actually works.”
Something new. Built on the bones of everything we used to believe in.
The heat in my chest flickers, uncertainty creeping in. The logical part of my mind recognizes the truth in his words—the clans are dying, the old ways aren’t working. But the rest of me recoils from the cold calculation in his voice, the casual way he dismisses everything we were raised to value.
“And what if I say no? What if I don’t want to help you build your brave new world?”
He exhales a deep breath. “I hoped you’d understand,” he says softly. “But I knew you probably wouldn’t. Not yet.”
Not yet. Like my resistance is just a phase I’ll grow out of given time and proper conditioning.
“You’re not my brother.” The words come out flat and final. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re not Kieran. My brother would never—”
“Your brother was weak.” The softness disappears from his voice like someone flipping a switch. “Your brother clung to traditions that were killing us slowly. Your brother believed in honor and family loyalty even when those things became liabilities.”
The casual dismissal of everything we once shared hits harder than any physical blow. This stranger wearing my brother’s face, speaking with my brother’s voice, has just declared war on our entire childhood.
“My brother believed in protecting the people he loved,” I snarl. “Something you’ve apparently forgotten how to do.”
“I’m trying to protecteveryone,” Kieran snaps. “Including you. Even if you can’t see it yet.”
“By having me captured?”
“By giving you a chance to be part of the solution instead of clinging to problems that can’t be fixed.”
The logic is so twisted, so fundamentally wrong, that I almost laugh. Almost. If I wasn’t standing in the middle of my worst nightmare made real.
“The only problem I see,” I say, fists clenching as fire builds inside me, “is that my brother’s been replaced by someone who thinks kidnapping is an acceptable recruiting tool.” Flames lick along my skin, joining the shadows.
Kieran watches my display of anger with interest rather than concern. Like he’s taking notes for later reference.
“Your abilities have gotten stronger,” he observes. “The Syndicate’s research could help you develop them even further. Could help you understand what you’re truly capable of.”
“I know what I’m capable of.” My flames build stronger, hot and hungry and ready to tear through anyone who threatens me. “Want a demonstration?”
For the first time since this conversation started, Kieran shows something like genuine emotion. Not fear—disappointment.
“Violence won’t solve this, Iris. And it won’t change the fundamental truth of our situation.” He gestures to the armed figures still surrounding us. “I have resources now. Support. A purpose larger than just survival.”
“You have masters,” I correct. “People who tell you what to think and what to believe and what to do with your own sister.”
“I have allies who share my vision for our future.”
“You have handlers who’ve convinced you that betraying your family is somehow noble.”
The word betrayal hits him harder than I expected. I see him flinch slightly, see something flicker behind his eyes. But it’s gone too quickly, buried under layers of conviction and conditioning.
