Page 102 of Tempest Blazing
He paused, and in that silence, I could hear my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.
"In my judgment," Kane said, his words falling into the arena, "Tempest Whittaker has proven herself unfit to bear the responsibility of a Dragon Rider."
The gasps that followed seemed to come from everywhere at once. Outrage from some sections of the crowd, shocked silence from others. I heard Anya's voice above the din—"That's bullshit!"—before being quickly hushed.
But I barely registered any of it. I was drowning in the echo of Kane's words, in the clinical precision with which he'd just destroyed everything I'd thought we were building together.
???
Tess
The hollow ache in my chest carved deeper with every breath. Kane's words echoed in the sudden silence—unfit to bear the responsibility—each syllable a deliberate cut meant to sever whatever fragile trust I'd been foolish enough to build.
The betrayal hit deeper than I'd expected. Deeper than it should have. Because some treacherous part of me had still believed he'd protect me here. Even after everything, even knowing his loyalty to the Guild ran deeper than whatever we'd built together, I'd hoped—
What exactly had I hoped? That the man who'd kissed me like I was his salvation would stand up for me when it mattered? That the strategic genius who calculated every move three steps ahead hadn't calculated this one too?
Stupid.Bitter on my tongue.So fucking stupid.
I'd seen glimpses of something real beneath his icy control. Felt it in the way his hands had trembled when he touched me, heard it in the rough edge of his voice when he said my name. But maybe that had been strategy too. Maybe everything had been.
The worst part? I couldn't even hate him for it. Because I understood. The Guild was his world, his identity, his future. And I was just... what? A human who'd stumbled into something she didn't belong in?
My throat burned with unshed tears I refused to let fall. Not here. Not in front of everyone.
Silvius stepped forward, his pale eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he surveyed the crowd. The whispers had died to nothing,leaving only wind across stone and the distant calls of dragons from the cliffs.
"Thank you, Kane," he said, and there was genuine warmth in his voice—pride. A father whose son had just proven himself worthy.
The sound made my stomach twist. Kane had earned his father's approval by destroying me. By reducing everything I'd fought for to a clinical assessment of my failures.
He turned to address the arena, his voice carrying easily across the space. "Citizens of Dracara. Honored guests. The trials have concluded, and the Guild Council has reached its verdict."
My legs wobbled beneath me, but I forced myself to remain upright. Whatever was coming, I wouldn't face it on my knees.
"The applicant Tempest Whittaker," Silvius continued, "has failed to demonstrate the qualities essential to a Dragon Rider. Her actions today revealed a fundamental inability to prioritize Guild objectives over personal sentiment. A dangerous tendency toward emotional instability. A complete disregard for established protocols and hierarchies."
Each word landed like a physical blow, but I kept my chin up, my gaze fixed on some point beyond the platform. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"Therefore," Silvius said, his voice ringing with finality, "Tempest Whittaker has not proven herself worthy of the dragon bond she claims to possess."
The crowd gasped, but the words that cut deepest came from Silvius himself, delivered with cold authority that had shaped Guild law for centuries.
"The Council will convene to determine the appropriate course of action regarding this... irregular bonding. The Guild has both the authority and the responsibility to sever bonds that threaten the stability of our institution."
Sever the bond.
Terror clawed up my throat. Not just failure—obliteration. They wanted to tear away the most sacred thing in my life, to rip apart the connection that had made me whole.
But underneath the fear, something else stirred. Something that had been building through months of condescension, dismissal, and barely veiled hostility. Something that had crystallized the moment Kane chose his father's approval over everything we'd shared.
Rage.
Pure, incandescent fury that burned away the hollow ache and left something harder in its place. They thought they could break me? They thought I'd stand here and let them destroy the bond that had saved my life?
Fuck that.
I took a step forward, my voice cutting through the arena's stunned silence before I could second-guess myself.
