Chapter 17 #3
I selected a sofa across from her and sat down slowly, feeling ill at ease. “It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Avari. But I assure you, I’m no prodigy. I just work hard.”
I glanced up as Kage crossed the room. He took a seat by the window, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
Lady Avari was watching me. “You’ve led a very eventful life these past few weeks, haven’t you, Florence?”
“I suppose so,” I said carefully. How much did she know? I wondered.
Everything. Nyxaris’s voice was grim. The Avari boy will have told her everything. There is no point in hiding, fireheart.
Fireheart?
A pause. I have decided it is no longer fitting to address you as fledgling. You are not a hatchling, after all. You are a rider.
Thanks, I guess, I stumbled.
Do not thank me yet.You are in the wolf’s den now, remember.Tread warily.
That was a little alarming. I sat up straighter.
“And yet you’ve come through intact.” Lady Avari tilted her head. “You’re clearly resilient. I understand you nearly died.”
Kage had been there, witness to everything. What had he really been thinking that night as Medra offered to give up her dragon for my life?
I took a deep breath. “Yes. That’s true.” I didn’t offer more information. What was the point if she knew everything already?
“You’ve bonded with Nyxaris,” Lady Avari observed.
I smiled slightly. “So they tell me. It wasn’t exactly a choice.”
It was for me.
I tried to hide my surprise, but of course, Nyxaris was right. He had chosen to save me.
My throat was dry. I’m grateful for what you did. I didn’t mean …
It is of no consequence. Nyxaris’s voice was wry. Listen to the highblood woman now.
“I mean, it was not intentional,” I clarified. “Medra would have made a much better rider.”
Lady Avari smiled. “Perhaps. But intention is irrelevant. What matters is what is done.” She touched a ring on her finger, twisting the diamond-laden band. “You know, Nyxaris was once bound to House Avari. He was loyal to us for many years, before events forced his long slumber.”
“Of course. I’d forgotten that.”
I have not. Nyxaris’s voice was cold.
“I’m not surprised. It’s to the advantage of House Drakharrow that we all forget. But your bond to Nyxaris is a revival of that ancient tie, for you are a member of our house. Your bond is thus one we would like to honor—and protect.”
Protect. There was a weight to the word. “What kind of protection?” I asked carefully.
“I propose an arrangement,” Lady Avari said smoothly. “A formal bond. Viktor Drakharrow has already made his interest in you known. I have no doubt he’ll try to exploit you for his own gain. We cannot allow that to happen.”
My fingers curled around my knee. “So Kage told you what happened today.”
“It is a miracle that the dragon arrived when he did,” Lady Avari said directly. “Florence, have you ever heard the term soul-binding?”
Slowly, I shook my head.
“It is not a pleasant thing for a blightborn. Soul-binding describes the process in which a dragon rider’s soul is merged to a highblood’s—forcibly. It allows a highblood to bind a rider as a living chain.”
“So they can ride a dragon,” I whispered.
“Yes. Highbloods are not riders. You were never meant to be a rider. And yet, here we are.”
I licked my lips. “And Viktor … You think he knows how to do this? That he wants to do this to me?”
“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Viktor Drakharrow knows precisely how to perform the ritual. We know he intended to use it upon Medra Pendragon.” She shrugged elegantly.
“Now, whether he intended to be the soul involved or whether he would use another, I cannot say. He has recently taken a bride, after all.”
“Regan.” I stared at Lady Avari in horror. “Are you saying he’d bind my soul to hers?”
“I cannot say for certain, but we have reason to believe the soul involved would not necessarily be his own. There is a risk for the highblood involved in the ritual. It does not always succeed, you see. Viktor Drakharrow has safeguarded his own life over that of others for centuries. He is the most riskaverse man I know.” Lady Avari sounded disdainful.
“And this is allowed?” I whispered again.
“It’s forbidden,” Kage cut in quietly. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”
Lady Avari waved a hand. “Viktor sees himself as above every law, we all know this. He believes dragons should be controlled, bound like weapons, like slaves.”
In my head, Nyxaris growled. I touched a finger to my temple. I could feel Lady Avari’s and Kage’s eyes upon me.
“You are the key, Florence.” The old highblood woman’s voice was gentle. “You are the most vulnerable piece on the board.”
Nyxaris stirred in my mind. She is speaking the truth about Viktor. About the soulbinding.
Why didn’t you tell me this before? I hissed.
“Viktor will come for you,” Lady Avari went on. “Because you are the key to Nyxaris.”
I swallowed. “So, what do I do?”
She smiled faintly. “You let us protect you.”
Try not to panic when you hear what comes next.
What is that supposed to mean? I hissed. I am already panicking. But I didn’t have to wait long.
“The solution is clear,” Lady Avari said calmly. “You and my grandson must be betrothed at once.”
“I beg your pardon?” I squeaked.
I blinked. I stared at Kage. His shoulders had stiffened, but he didn’t speak, didn’t exclaim in shock. It was obvious he’d known exactly what was coming.
“It would be a great honor, Miss Shen,” he said slowly, “if you would consider becoming my consort.”
“This is a very generous offer,” Lady Avari pointed out, as if I should be jumping up and down on the sofa with glee.
“And a very strategic one. Someday Kage will take a second consort—a high-blood, of course. Together, you will form a strong triad. Together, you will protect the bond you have with the dragon. Not to mention safeguarding your very soul.”
I found my voice. “It also brings strength to House Avari. You’d have a dragon on your side. It’s politically brilliant, isn’t it?” I was training to be a strategist—my education hadn’t completely evaporated despite my anxiety.
Elaria didn’t flinch. “Of course it is. We hope this will solidify Nyxaris’s allegiance, not to mention showing him our good intentions. We wish to protect his rider, after all.”
Nyxaris snorted derisively.
You don’t believe them? I ventured.
I believe they want my allegiance. As for whether they’ll protect you … they will as long as it is in their best interests. It is … a wise arrangement.
You really want me to do this? I asked in disbelief. Become betrothed to Kage?
He is a highblood, Nyxaris replied contemptuously. You could do better. But in terms of power, you could do no worse.
I stared at Kage. If we did this, he might expect to feed from me. I’d never felt a highblood’s bite before. But Medra had. She’d survived. She’d even started to seem to, well, like it.
That is the downside, yes, Nyxaris said coldly. Of course, you may be able to negotiate a marriage contract that excludes feeding.
A contract? My throat felt tight. This was all happening so fast.
“I would treat you with kindness and respect, Florence,” Kage said stiffly. “You would be an honored consort and part of the Avari family.”
Do you believe the boy?
I … I don’t know. He’s my House Leader. He’s always been true to his word. He’s shown me kindness before, yes.
Then, it might not be so bad. Nyxaris sounded remote.
“It is an engagement, Florence, not a marriage,” Lady Avari pointed out. “Not yet. But it will make a powerful statement. And it will be a shield—one which you desperately need within the walls of this school where Nyxaris cannot always protect you.”
Nyxaris growled, but I could hear the frustration in his voice. I could burn the walls down to powder right now, if I chose.
Yes, but I’d be powder, too, I pointed out. And Medra. And Neville. And …
The point has been made, he snapped. She is not wrong. It is not an ideal choice. But it is the least foolish one.
You think I should do this, then? I whispered.
I believe you should live. If this will help you reach that end, then it is the most logical choice.
“What about Kage?” I asked, nodding towards my House Leader. “Has he had a say in this?”
Kage’s grandmother arched a silver brow. “My grandson is the future leader of this house. He will do whatever is necessary to protect it—and to protect you.”
“She’s right, Florence.” Kage leaned forward.
He had very nice eyes, I suddenly noticed.
Dark pools of obsidian. Full of strength and intelligence.
He was strong and stalwart, and he’d been kind to me, especially for a highblood.
But I’d never thought of him in this sort of way—as my archon, as my betrothed.
As someone to share my bed—because that’s what it would come down to eventually, wouldn’t it?
“You’d have my protection,” Kage continued. “Not just my name. You’d be under House Avari’s protection for as long as you lived. Not just you, your mother, too. No one would be able to harm either of you.”
I hesitated.
It will not be forever, Nyxaris said quietly. I have my own plan.
My heart sped up. To deal with Viktor?
Yes. All of this has gone on long enough. I did not return from the stone to become a pawn to highbloods—nor to have my rider become one herself. I will end him. But there are … complications.
What kind of complications?
A pause. The kind which would put you in more danger to know.
Dragons and their cryptic natures. I wanted to say no. I wanted to scream no.
“Yes,” I said. “I’ll do it.”
I walked back to our room in a daze. I’d knocked before even realizing I’d done it. Medra opened the door almost instantly. She wore a long loose blue tunic over black leggings, her hair now tied up in a messy knot, little curls popping out around her face. She looked amused.
“You live here, Florence. You don’t need to knock.”
“Right,” I said, my voice hollow.