Page 70 of Forged in Fire
“I’m sitting this one out,” the woman responds. “Too…” she glances at me, “sensitive for my pay grade.”
Yeah. I’m sensitive, alright.
Conference Room Three sits at the heart of the facility, its reinforced walls lined with screens that can display intelligence from around the globe. Viktor stands with his back to us as we enter, studying a map of Eastern Europe. His features are grim in the bright office lighting.
“Iris.” He turns, assessing me with the kind of clinical detachment that makes my skin crawl. “You look tired.”
“Funny what happens when you have to abandon someone to save your own skin,” I reply, not bothering to hide the venom in my voice.
His expression doesn’t change. “Please, sit. We have much to discuss.”
I remain standing. “Do we? Because from where I’m sitting—or standing—it looks like you sent Elena on a retrieval mission and got exactly what you wanted.”
“What I wanted,” Viktor says carefully, “was to prevent a valuable asset from falling into the wrong hands.”
There it is. Valuable asset. Not person. Not ally. Asset.
“Let’s cut the shit, Viktor.” I cross my arms. “What do you really know about my brother? About what happened at that facility?”
Viktor exchanges a glance with Elena before responding. “When we analyzed the video footage you received, we discovered something unusual. The magical signature around Kieran wasn’t just Syndicate conditioning—it was something far older. Far rarer.”
My shadows stir restlessly around my feet. “What kind of signature?”
“Shadow magic. Not the kind some dragons can access, but something deeper. More primal.” Viktor moves to one of the screens, pulling up what looks like ancient text alongside magical analysis charts. “The ability to manipulate shadows isn’t just about darkness, Iris. In its purest form, it’s about accessing spaces between realities. Hidden realms.”
“And?”
“And according to our research, Kieran can do exactly that. Which makes him incredibly valuable to the Syndicate.” Viktor fixes his one good eye on me. “But here’s what’s interesting—our analysis of readings we’ve taken of your signature shows you have the same ability.”
The room seems to spin slightly. I grip the back of a chair to steady myself. “That’s impossible. I would know if I could—”
“Would you?” Viktor interrupts. “How many times have your shadows behaved in ways you couldn’t quite explain? Reached places they shouldn’t have been able to access? Connected with things beyond the physical realm?”
Too many times to count. But I’ve always assumed it was just advanced shadow manipulation, not something… more.
“What are you saying?” My voice comes out smaller than I intended.
“I’m saying that you and Kieran represent a bloodline we thought was extinct. Dragons who could access the shadow realm—if trained correctly. Who could walk between worlds… between the living and the dead.” Viktor leans forward. “And if the Syndicate has figured out how to weaponize that ability…”
He doesn’t need to finish. If they can use shadow dragons to access hidden realms, ancient powers, places that have been sealed away for good reason—the implications are staggering.
“So that’s why you want to keep me safe,” I say. “Not because you care about me, but because you can’t risk the Syndicate getting their hands on two shadow dragons.”
“The distinction is irrelevant,” Viktor replies. “What matters is—”
The conference room door slams open with enough force to rattle the walls. Caleb strides in, his eyes blazing with fury, and the temperature in the room seems to spike as his dragon nature presses against his human form.
“What the hell were you thinking?” He doesn’t even glance at Viktor or me. His attention is laser-focused on Elena. “Unauthorized mission? Foreign territory? Without backup?”
Elena straightens, meeting his fury with defiance. “Iris needed help. I knew you’d freak out if I told you I was going. But I wasn’t going to leave her there.”
“So instead you risked your own life—and Luke’s—on some half-assed rescue operation?” Caleb’s voice rises. “Do you have any idea what could have happened? What nearly did happen?”
“Nothing nearly happened,” she bites back. “We’re back safe.”
“Really? Because that’s not what I heard.” He’s radiating anger. Luke looks distinctly uncomfortable.
“I can take care of myself, Caleb,” Elena stands firm. “I’m a Rossewyn, remember?”
