Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
The light across the Ascension Grounds had shifted, but no one had moved. Siergen stood in the center like a flame-wreathed monolith, still radiating that quiet, crushing power. Kaelith and Hein flanked him, no longer snarling, but still tense and ready.
Then Siergen finally spoke again, his voice curling like smoke through all our minds.
Kaelith and Hein must solidify their new bond. The mating link is still fresh, unsealed. It is best they take some time away from you both… to complete it.
There was a beat of silence.
I blinked, then said the first thing that came to mind. “Wait… is this like a dragon honeymoon?”
Kaelith grunted, very much not amused. Her tail twitched once, the air shimmering briefly around her scales as if she’d debated setting me on fire but decided against it. Barely.
Hein, on the other hand, was another story.
His pupils dilated with unmistakable focus as his massive head turned toward Kaelith. The heat that pulsed off him made my face go warm.
And judging by the slight shift of his wings and the way his claws flexed—yeah, he was more than eager to get to that part of the night.
Zander saw it too. His hand went up instantly like he was stopping a charge.
“Hein,” he said firmly.
Hein froze.
Then Siergen growled, not loud, but low and ancient and filled with so much command it cut through the bond like lightning.
Hein dipped his head.
Not in submission.
In respect.
Zander and I shared a glance, the same thought passing between us like wildfire.
How the hell does Siergen snap at Hein like that and not worry about getting his face torn off?
Hein was four times his size. Bigger. Bulkier. Sharper in nearly every way.
But Siergen?
He didn’t seem to need size.
He was power.
I just had no idea what kind.
The last rays of sunlight bled across the Ascension Grounds as Kaelith and Hein spread their wings and launched into the sky. Their powerful bodies lifted effortlessly into the fading light, casting long shadows over the courtyard below.
I felt the pull in my chest, that sudden ache of distance as Kaelith’s presence stretched thin across the bond. Not gone, but quieter. Distant. Still, her parting thought lingered, fierce and full of fire. Be well, rider.
As they vanished beyond the clouds, Siergen turned to Zander, eyes glowing like coals in the dusk.
Take care of your little storm, he said, his voice echoing not just in Zander’s mind, but mine. I’ve become fond of her. If anything happens while Kaelith and Hein are gone… I will take it personally.
Zander inclined his head. “I will,” he said quietly, with all the weight of a vow.
Siergen nodded once, wings unfolding in one smooth, powerful motion. Then he took to the sky, flames licking his silhouette before he vanished into the dark.
Behind us, Major Kaler finally exhaled. A long, visible sigh like a man who’d been holding his breath under a blade. He turned toward the field—
And then Mysan moved.
The massive red Striker growled deeply, then turned his back on the major, and squatted.
Both Zander and I froze.
And then the stench hit.
“Oh gods,” I choked, covering my nose.
Zander did the same, stumbling half a step back.
“Do dragons normally do this on the Ascension Grounds?” I asked.
“As far as I know,” he said through a cough, “this is a first.”
We both turned away just as the squelching sound began. I heard it. I felt it in my bones. But I refused to witness the display.
When we finally dared to look again, Mysan was airborne, his wings beating the air lazily as he disappeared into the clouds like nothing had happened.
The podium, however… was a ruin.
Collapsed under the sheer weight of the massive pile of dragon excrement. Wood splintered. Banners sagged in surrender.
“What are the chances that Major Kaler makes us clean that up?” I asked warily, still pinching my nose.
Siergen’s voice slid into my thoughts like silk dipped in fire. None. Mysan has ordered him to clean it himself. He embarrassed Mysan. I believe this is his way of returning the favor.
I bit back a laugh.
But I lost the battle the moment Teren approached from the edge of the field, pausing just long enough to stare at the steaming mess and mutter, “Well, I’ve heard of a bear shitting in the woods, but never a dragon on a podium.”
The laughter that followed rippled through the squads like a wave, rolling from Crownwatch to Thrall Squad and even into the Lowborn clusters.
Everyone laughed.
Everyone but Major Kaler.
He stood frozen, jaw locked, eyes no longer on the pile, but on me.
And there was no mistaking it.
In that cold, murderous glare, Major Kaler looked at me like he was already planning my funeral.
The laughter had long since faded, but the tension lingered like fog clinging to the ground. Most of the squads had dispersed, but Zander and I lingered near the shadow of the collapsed podium, the scent of damp wood and… other things… still thick in the air.
Behind us, near the edge of the courtyard, I caught the murmur of voices.
Major Kaler and Major Ledor.
They were trying to keep it quiet, but their words were clipped. Every so often, one of them would gesture a little too wide, a little too pointed, and the heat behind their so-called “professional conversation” was unmistakable.
Zander’s gaze had already locked on them, his jaw tense. “They’re arguing over Siergen,” he said quietly. “And over us.”
I didn’t doubt it.
His eyes drifted back to me, serious now, the weight of command settling over him like a second skin. “You have to be careful, Ashe. With Kaelith and Hein gone, there are people who are going to see us as vulnerable.”
“I know,” I said, a little too fast. Then softened. “I know. And I’ll be ready.”
He gave a small nod, then paused. “And I meant to say, don’t worry about the demotion.”
I blinked. “Zander—”
“No,” he cut in gently. “I’ve always been apart.
Even before this. Being a prince meant people bowed, but never let me close.
Now…” He exhaled slowly. “Now I’m not just a figurehead tied to Crownwatch.
As the official commander of Thrall Squad, I get to make some changes.
Besides, I still have Cade to keep me updated on Crownwatch issues. ”
I studied him, the way his shoulders squared when he said it, how he didn’t try to make it sound like a punishment.
“What kind of changes?” I asked.
A shadow of a smile touched his lips, the icy glint of purpose behind it.
“The kind that makes us a threat,” he said. “And not just to the Blood Fae. But there will be some other changes as well.”
My chest tightened. Gods help them, I thought, because with Zander in command?
They’d never see us coming.
The tension of the courtyard hadn’t completely lifted, but for a moment—just one—Zander and I shared a smile.
A real one.
Not forged from obligation or veiled in sarcasm, but the kind that softened the hard edges, reminded me of who we were beneath the rank, the power, the godsdamned legacy.
His eyes lingered on mine a second longer before Major Ledor turned sharply and strode away, cloak whipping behind him in silent frustration.
Major Kaler, left standing alone and stone-faced, didn’t say a word.
But his jaw twitched once before he exhaled heavily and marched toward the old supply shed.
A few cadets pretended not to watch as he yanked open the door and returned minutes later pushing a dented wheelbarrow, a rusted shovel slung across his shoulder.
Zander arched a brow. I tried not to laugh. I really did.
But when Kaler trudged past us, scowling like the gods themselves had betrayed him, even Zander let out a quiet chuckle.
We stepped back from the ruined podium, the air still thick with the scent of dragon vengeance, and made our way toward the far side of the grounds.
A court courier approached in a tight black uniform, the Rayne crest stitched in silver at his collar. He moved fast, head low, and extended a sealed missive toward Zander.
Zander took it with a frown, breaking the wax and reading quickly.
His body tensed before I could even ask what it said.
The smile from moments before was already gone.
“I have to go,” he said, folding the letter.
My heart sank. “Zander—”
He was already stepping back, eyes darker now, focused on something far away.
Something that had nothing to do with Thrall Squad, or Kaelith, or us.
Just the crown.
And all the shadows that came with it.