Chapter 53 Born to Rule #2
“Exactly as he said—they stole the wild dragon’s eggs.
But—and this is what you’ll find interesting—after the first few years, they transported the Vosgaarde eggs to the groups in other kingdoms…
because Kgosi held such a grip on the domestic herd here.
He worried they’d be discovered and the dragons would report.
So, he paid a bounty—men who knew nothing about dragons, but were instructed how to find eggs, steal them, and transport them safely.
They’ve been collecting these numbers ever since.
Though it sounds like a few wild ones joined them by choice, many of the first that were taken are now old enough to breed—though barely.
We’re still working to figure out where the breeding grounds are.
He hasn’t actually visited them. But I’ve been provided names.
I will send women—no one will suspect them as agents of the crown,” she said, rolling her eyes again.
“I assume you’d like to bring those eggs here? ”
“Yes, I… I mean, if we can do so safely. I’d have to ask Kgosi…” I frowned. This had to be part of why we’d struggled with breeding here. But how could it, if Kgosi didn’t know it?
“The young dragons—all those minds that didn’t understand humans and wouldn’t think for themselves,” Bren whispered. “Hanson thinking he had control over them…”
“But it was just this fucking scheme,” I growled, nodding.
Diaan raised a brow in question. “I will fill you in on what we saw in Fyrehold, but suffice it to say, their herd dragons have either abandoned them, or they’ve been driven out—and I’m guessing this is why.
I saw no evidence of thoughtful, wise dragons there.
Only wild ones. And none that worked with the crown…
well, this would explain a great deal,” I ground out.
“I will look forward to that report,” Diaan said calmly.
“But for tonight… there is one more important thread in this braid we haven’t yet unraveled.
” Her tone had gone cold, but when she spoke to Alexi, it was with a seductive purr.
“Darling, tell Donavyn your brilliant plot—so clever—about how you would conquer the territories—without me,” she added sweetly.
Alexi huffed, and blinked, something in his mind obviously raising a hint of alarm. But whatever he’d been given overrode his instincts and he smacked his lips, then told me everything.
Wild dragons who took orders without conscience. Who would battle without the need for human riders, or selective choice. They would simply scour whatever target they were pointed at.
No risk to soldiers. No strategic choices. Point them at a village, or a castle—or another dragon—and it was burned to the ground. And when they were done, they returned to their handler, while the men could safely enter and loot whatever hadn’t fallen to the dragonfire.
But citizens died. Animals. Everything. There was no selection. And early on, the more honorable men had seen the destruction and lost their appetite for the spoils.
So, Alexi had begun hand-selecting the men he’d choose to help.
“…can’t afford a conscience,” he spluttered, his lips twisting as if the word were distasteful. “Need strong men. Loyal. Leaders and dragons to keep them close. It’s brillian’! Ver’ efffective!”
“And not a plan I would ever have agreed to,” I said starkly. I had guessed he was up to something I would resist. But now I understood why this had never been brought to me—or Kgosi. “Honor and character are so inconvenient,” I drawled.
Alexi sneered. “Takes too long,” he muttered, flapping that impatient hand again. “Too much resource for the weak. Too many answers for the dragons. Need weapons, not watcherss.”
‘Are you hearing this?’ I sent to Kgosi, though he was at the limit of my range to reach, I felt the cold sense of judgment that came in response.
‘I’m listening.’ The chill would have shivered in my spine if I’d heard that tone directed at me.
‘I am not surprised. What I saw in Carnage’s mind…
he flew on the periphery of this plot, but he led this herd of hundreds simply by orders.
They were told to follow him, so they did.
He made no investment. Held no accountability.
He punished any who risked a thought of their own. Pah! The taste of this disgusts me.’
‘Me as well. But how did they manage it, Kgosi? How would they even get dragons to agree, let alone be controlled?’
‘I told you, dragons learn how to be dragons by following their mothers and watching their herds. And that dragons who view unity as more important than character will follow when others do. These young were never shown another life. They were taken in their minds from the day they hatched. Now… now they have a choice for the first time, and they are in turmoil.’
He sent me an image of the skies full of flying, exhausted, frightened dragons with no leader and no orders. ‘They are beside themselves. Afraid of me. Devastated by the loss of their captors. They refuse to land.’
Holy shit. ‘Is Barak there? Can he talk to them? Benji won’t arrive for at least a day.’
‘We have called for the Furymaster. Lionheart has not appeared yet—his dragon did choose freedom. I don’t know if they will follow, Donavyn.’
‘But, I told him to go back and tell Voski and Gil—wait…his dragon?’
‘Yes,’ Kgosi sighed. ‘I believe that small gray chose to bond Benji, though the link seemed like nothing I’d seen before. But I felt little Lionheart’s resistance when he realized he could leave you. I… I believe he may have left us. At least for a time.’
My head jerked back in shock. I’d ordered Benji to follow as quickly as he could, safely. But I’d had no time to coach him or even check beyond his physical safety. The conversation was brief. I wasn’t even certain the dragon had bonded him, only that it had chosen to protect him.
‘He was Chosen?’
‘In some way, yes. These dragons… their hearts and minds are not healthy, Donavyn. I’m not sure if a true bond exists, or if the dragon merely…
befriended him. Or perhaps, because the dragon was so young—far too young to Choose—it isn’t a true link.
I don’t know. And the herd is reluctant to speak with me after watching me kill Carnage. ’
I supposed I couldn’t blame them for that.
“What’s going on?” Bren asked quietly, aware that I’d been speaking to Kgosi.
“Kgosi says… what he can gather from the wild dragons—which is limited, they’re afraid of him—aligns with what Alexi’s saying. It seems he is telling the truth,” I said darkly. ‘And it looks like one of them Chose Benji, but let’s keep that to ourselves.’
Bren didn’t show her shock, as Diaan nodded at my words. “I always knew my husband was pragmatic. I didn’t believe he was entirely self-serving. But he’d grown in his impatience in recent months. My guess is he could taste the coming victory with these dragons and grew tired of restraint.”
“Honor is bullshid,” Alexi piped up sullenly. “Issa ‘xcuse to stay safe. To flee. No respect.”
I wanted to rail at him that the lack of respect lay solely in him, but there was no point. The man was drunk, and defeated.
His day would come, I was sure.
“So, we have dragons without minds of their own, men and dragons who are willing to lead them as weapons and… to what purpose?”
“Conquer,” Diaan said briskly. “He planned to take Draeventhall first—Ruin’s team was a forward guard.
Reconnaissance and strategy. Then Fyrehold.
Once he held both, Sierral would come without a fight.
Then he’d send all of them against Ashthorn.
Big dreams, my husband,” she said dryly.
“And no conscience whatsoever, apparently.”
I felt sick. Bren shook her head sadly.
Diaan stared into the middle distance for a moment, then inhaled deeply.
“You were right that he wanted you away from the herd so he could overwhelm the dragons here and take them—either by their choice, or in battle with the other dragons, who would be ruthless. It started with the team in Draeventhall—they were actually there to collect the first half of the herd. Bigger than Fyrehold’s apparently.
I can tell you that he did, indeed, have Ruin under specific orders.
It seems Ruin believed he could sway the others in that Shadow squad to join them if he got them away from you, but only half had been convinced when that poor dragon that died got wind of what his rider had done.
He killed his own rider, informed the rest of the squad—only to discover that half their dragons had already turned.
There’s been no news from any of them since Ruin fled to Fyrehold.
He presumes they all killed each other. But he didn’t care, because Ruin had taken the wild dragons and continued the mission to gather the Fyrehold herd.
Ruin didn’t know that you’d be there that quickly.
He’d planned to take control of the dragons there, fly them back—using them to take you out on the way—then arrive here where my dear husband would allow him to overrun the herd, then promote him to your position for his… initiative.”
“Instead, he got greedy and stuck around to weasel a Lord out of his wealth with the promise of dragons,” I croaked.
“Then, I arrived, and suddenly he had witnesses who’d miss me if I was gone, but he didn’t want to admit he’d been the one to cause the delay.
So, he told the King the orders were underway… ”
Bren leaned into my side. God, I felt sick.
“What Lord of wealth?” Diaan asked abruptly.