Chapter 18 Dante
“Pops!” I grinned when I spotted my father in the quad.
He was dressed in a smart polo and slacks instead of his usual uniform, looking like he belonged in some backyard cookout I’d seen on the human shows we had access to, rather than in the middle of the Academy grounds.
He turned his head toward the sound of my voice, eyes lighting instantly when they landed on me.
“There he is,” he said, an easy, familiar warmth cutting through the noise of the crowd as he pulled me into a quick hug. “I was wondering how long I’d have to look for you.”
“Miss me that much?” I teased, clapping him on the back before stepping out of his embrace.
“Always,” he replied without hesitation.
He kept his hands on my shoulders for a second longer, giving me a once-over the way he always seemed to do when we hadn’t seen each other in a while. Then his gaze shifted over my shoulder.
“Vallynn. Good to see you, son.”
“Mr. Vazgurr,” Vallynn replied, his tone respectful.
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Odoth?” my father chastised, already stepping past me to pull him into a hug. “Dante’s been at your side since you were both in diapers. We’re practically family.
Vallynn hesitated. Just for a fraction of a second. Most people wouldn’t have caught it, but I was his bonded guardian and best friend. I did. Then he returned my father’s embrace, his arms sluggish as they wrapped around him, as if the simple act took more effort than it should.
“I have to say, son,” my father added as he pulled back, hands settling on Vallynn’s shoulders the same way they had mine. “You’re not looking so hot.”
That was putting it mildly. Up close, there was no hiding the fact that Vallynn looked like hell.
His usually sharp features were drawn tight, and the purple bruising beneath his eyes stood in stark contrast to the pale, ashen tone of his skin.
The tremor in his right hand hadn’t subsided at all, since he’d returned to campus after whatever they’d done to him in the preparation rituals he’d been forced through.
“I’m fine,” Vallynn said, the words automatic.
A muscle in my father’s jaw ticked as his eyes narrowed on Vallynn. It was clear he wanted to say something, but he chose to keep it to himself as he gave a tight nod and dropped his hands.
“Why don’t we go somewhere private we can chat?” he asked, looking at me again. “I know you boys didn’t write me to make sure I’d attend today simply because you missed me.”
“Perceptive as always, Pops,” I grinned. “Glad to see you’re not losing your edge in your old age.”
He chuckled in response, and I turned to lead him to Thrackborne’s office.
We’d decided it was the safest place on campus to tell my father what we’d been up to.
The place no one was likely to barge into unexpectedly.
We kept the conversation light as we walked.
Focused on which classes Vallynn and I were taking, and regaling my father with tales of our end-of-year trials from last term.
When we reached Thrackborne’s office, I didn’t bother knocking. The dragon’s head jerked up from whatever he was looking at on his desk with a low growl, and his lips curled into a scowl.
“Vazgurr, your lack of manners never fails to surprise me,” Thrackborne grumbled as I ushered my father and Vallynn inside and shut the door behind us.
“Awe. I love you, too, you overgrown lizard,” I shot back with a grin.
“Dante!” my father scolded.
I raised my hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, Pops.”
He shook his head at me before turning his attention to the dragon shifter. “Don’t tell me I’m here because my son thinks he can use my status as Captain of the King’s guard to keep him from whatever trouble he’s landed himself in with you, Professor.”
Thrackborne laughed. A real laugh that left me gawking at him in surprise.
“Actually, Mr. Vazgurr… Odoth, I mean, Caulder is our ally. That’s why we brought you to his office for this discussion rather than our dorm,” Vallynn interjected.
My father’s brows dipped in confusion, and his gaze bounced between us. “Explain.”
Vallynn eased himself into one of the empty chairs, grimacing as he did. “We’re working against my father.”
“You’re what?! Are you out of your minds?” my father hissed.
“Perhaps,” Vallynn replied. “But someone has to stop what he’s doing. What sort of heir to the throne would I be if I let it be anyone other than me?”
My father collapsed into the other empty chair, scrubbing his hands over his face before he looked at Vallynn again. “You know then.”
It wasn’t a question. That caused me to stiffen and take a closer look at my father.
Where his face was once smooth, a trait common among our kind even at his age, it now held deep lines.
The tension in his muscles was palpable and, though he’d done a fantastic job of hiding them under a glamour, dark circles ringed his eyes, not quite as dark as Vallynn’s but enough to know he wasn’t sleeping.
“Pops…”
He shook his head to silence me. “I’ve done what I could to stay close, to try and keep a handle on things, but as you know, Oscoercy has shut most everyone out aside from his most devoted sycophants.
” He paused long enough to look between Vallynn and me.
“Do either of you even understand how dangerous what you’re doing is?
Are you trying to get yourselves killed? ”
“It’s my duty,” Vallynn replied, shoulders sagging.
“No. Your duty is to live so that you can take the throne and set right everything that your father has done wrong,” My father snapped.
“Not go half-cocked on a mission to stop him when you don’t even know what you’re really getting yourself into.
Oscoercy has no issue with ending your life, Vallynn.
I’m certain he instructed the Elders to do something in an attempt to control your magic during the preparation rituals, but shadows can not be controlled by anyone not born with them. ”
Vallynn balked at that, his face going more pale than it already was. I felt my own blood turn cold at the thought. If the king could find a way to control Vallynn’s shadows, what better use for them than a constant threat of turning them against him?
“Selir’s sake, you boys are in over your heads.”
“What do you know of the missing and murdered shifter clans?” Thrackborne interjected.
My father turned his attention to the dragon. “Nothing solid. There have been rumors in the ranks, though, based on the texts he’s sent units to retrieve from various ruins. Word is Oscoercy has found a way to take another's power for his own, like the mad Elf King once did.”
“I have reason to suspect that it is more than just a rumor,” Thrackborne replied.
I raised a brow at the dragon. As far as I was aware, he only knew as much as Vallynn or I did. “What makes you say that?” I asked.
“That’s neither here nor there,” he replied. “We have bigger issues than my reasons for believing as I do.”
“Dante, leave him be. Thrackborne can have his secrets,” Vallynn said, causing me to shoot him a betrayed glance.
“We have another issue. My instinct is that it’s connected to whatever it is Oscoercy is up to, but I can’t prove it,” Thrackborne continued as if neither Vallynn nor I had spoken.
“I was asked to look into a missing student. At first, I assumed they left during orientation. It’s been known to happen, but the more I’ve dug into it, the less things make sense.
It’s not just one student. And beyond the reports of them missing, there’s no record they ever even arrived at the Academy. ”
“How’s that even possible?” I asked. “Nobody can leave campus because of the lockdown. Believe me, I tried when Vallynn was sent for his preparation rituals. Whatever magic was used to keep things locked down stopped me from even flying over the walls.”
“I don’t know,” Thrackborne answered. “The Dean is the only one who should be capable of controlling the magic of the Academy in such a way, but I can’t find any connection or reason for her to do this.”
“You are aware that Femirea is an Elf, yes?” my father asked.
Thrackborne’s head kicked back as if my father’s words had hit him in the face. “What?!” My own mouth hung open in shock, and my eyes bounced between them. Vallynn sank further into his seat as though the words carried a weight too heavy for him to hold. “That’s not possible.”
“It is,” my father replied. “I don’t know why, or even how, but there is a record of her staying behind when the rest of them were shut behind the Veil. How she came to run the Academy after all those centuries is anyone’s guess.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded, finding my voice through the shock.
“Would you have believed me?” my father asked. “To you, the Elves were a myth. A simple bedtime story meant to scare you into behaving as a child. And she hadn’t done anything to warrant concern even after she took over as Dean of this place.”
“She has to be working with my father,” Vallynn spoke. “It’s the only thing that makes any sense if he really has found a way to take people’s magic for his own, the way the mad king did.”
“That’s not the least bit terrifying,” I said, sarcastically.
My father let out a long breath, dragging a hand down his face again before leaning forward, elbows braced on his knees. “If that’s even remotely true,” he said, looking between all of us, “then this is bigger than even I realized.”
“We already knew it was big,” I shot back. “The disappearances were enough to tell us that.”
“You need proof!” my father snapped. “Because without it, you’re just conspirators against the crown. Selir! Even with it, you may find your necks on the chopping block if Oscoercy discovers what you're up to. If he even suspects you’re working against him, your lives are forfeit.”
“We know,” Vallynn said. “Which is why I insisted we keep you out of it, but we can’t do that any longer. We need your help.”
“What you need is to forget all of this,” my father retorted.
“We’re not stopping,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
My father turned his gaze to me. It was a mix of worry and something that looked a lot like pride. “I’m not asking you to. It may be the smartest thing for both of you, it may be what you need to do, but I am not asking that of you. I know you better.”
That surprised me. I’d expected him to demand we stop immediately.
“But you will be smarter about all of this,” he continued.
“No more running headfirst into things you don’t understand.
Keep your heads down, investigate these disappearances and trust me to handle things beyond these walls.
” His gaze shifted to Vallynn. “And you… You survive. That’s your job.
No playing martyr. You keep yourself alive long enough to take the throne, or none of this matters. ”
Vallynn swallowed hard, but nodded. My father tilted his head, seemingly satisfied by that and turned to Thrackborne.
“You keep them protected, dragon,” he commanded. “Or else our next meeting won’t be so pleasant.”
“You have my word.”