Page 107 of Iron Hearts and Dragon Magic

“Still impressive,” Naia said, then turned to Fel, “And you? Did you fly there?”

“I did,” Fel said. He told them about traveling to Fernick, the Boundless, Tzaria and Risomu, the dragon village, Ekateni, his cousins, his encounter with the First Mage, the festivities for theiron dragon, the attack, and their return. It was all so much, condensed in so little time, in such few, small words that failed to convey even half of what he had experienced. And yet talking about it made it all seem a lot more extraordinary than it had felt.

His sister approached him and tried to hug him. All she did was put her arms around his neck, without managing to close them. “I’m glad you’re back and safe, Fel.” She stepped back and looked at him. “Do you think… we’ll ever meet them again?”

Their family. “Ekateni said they would send some dragons to check what is happening here, and I could try to travel back there once things are quieter. For now… they thought Aluria would be safer for me.” He then added, “Also, I didn’t tell them about you. Just in case.”

For some reason, she looked down, slightly disappointed.

“It’s for the best,” River told her quietly, as he wrapped an arm around her. He then turned to the others. “It seems we all met some version of the same creature, doesn’t it?”

Naia grimaced. “Unless they are two or three different ones.”

Leah shook her head. “The one I heard wantedthe iron dragon, just like the Boundless. It had to be a dragon to know that, to know anything about an iron dragon. Based on what Iona told me, this voice is the Breaker. If I came in contact with him in the Iron Citadel, he could well be there, which explains what River saw. I think it’s all Cynon.”

Fel agreed with that. “My uncle mentioned the need for a vessel and anchors. River, you said Queen Kara mentioned a vessel, right?”

The fae nodded. “Yes, but what are the anchors?”

Fel tried to recall his words. “Objects infused with Cynon’s magic. The risk is that a vessel could come in contact with the anchors and open a portal, but it needs to be in a place rich in dragon magic. It must be in Fernick.”

The fae scratched his chin. “If we assume it’s the same creature, then what was he doing in Ironhold? Why isn’t he in Fernick, taking care of these rogue dragons or something?”

“Perhaps he is,” Leah said. “Nothing prevents him from being in more than one place at once.”

“Still…” Fel agreed with River. “Why even bother with Aluria?”

Naia bit her lip. “Maybe he didn’t exactly bother to come here, maybe he was called. Maybe Queen Kara or someone from Ironhold communicated with him, perhaps as a way to get more magic, and this is just an extra place he has access to. Maybe his main goal and main activities are still in Fernick. But we still need to get rid of him.”

River sighed. “Anchors, you said? One of them might be the statue.”

“Wait,” Leah said. “Wait. Vessel? It has to be Cassius. Maybe this Cynon, Breaker, whatever, is here because it was where he could find a vessel.”

Fel puffed a breath that ended up having some smoke in it. “Ekateni said it needed to be a dragon. Still… We need to speak to Tzaria. She would know more about it.” And something about Cassius being the vessel sounded off for some reason. “I still think… Shouldn’t Cynon want a better vessel? If not a dragon, someone with magic at least?”

“Cassius has magic,” Leah said in a small voice. “He’s an ironbringer.”

“True,” Fel agreed. Funny how he often forgot that his cousins from Ironhold were also ironbringers—which made no sense, considering the kingdom they were from.

Naia sighed. “Let’s consider what we know so far. Queen Kara is communicating with something, probably this Cynon, Breaker, something. Prince Cassius was part of a very macabre ritual, and was re-awakened. Ironhold is trying to take over Aluria, using magic that shouldn’t even exist, and they are horrible people. Anything I missed?”

“No,” Fel said, still trying to figure out how everything was connected. “What Ekateni told me was that Cynon needed a vessel to help him come back to this world. Maybe they are wrong, and it doesn’t need to be a dragon. I… Yes, it could be Cassius.”

Naia frowned, thoughtful. “I… think we’ll need to kill him.” Her voice was hesitant.

Leah turned to her. “I don’t know why you sound sad about it. He should be dead already, if anything.”

River looked at Leah. “You killed him with your deathbringing, right? With a voice you thought was Cynon’s?”

She was close enough to Fel that he felt her shiver. “Yes.”

Fel understood where the fae was trying to take the conversation. “You think Cynon wanted Cassius to be dead or almost dead? So he could take him?”

River shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a possibility.”

“Again,” Naia said. “We need to kill him, and make sure he stays dead this time.”

A shadow crossed over River’s face. “I can get into the Iron Citadel. I could go there and kill him. Right now.”

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