Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
Iturned to Siergen, my pulse still thudding in my ears. “You’re the Unifier?” My voice rose in disbelief. “The actual freaking Unifier? Are you kidding me?”
Siergen let out a long, low sigh—ancient, weary. That was a long time ago. He flicked his tail once, as if shaking the dust of centuries off his words. I took this form after my rider died. It has been… a blessing. Until now.
I gawked at him. “That’s why the dragons always defer to you. They all know, don’t they?”
Of course they know, he said, without an ounce of arrogance. I am their leader. My size has nothing to do with my power.
“Fuck me,” I muttered.
I’m sure Hein’s rider would be happy to carry out your wishes, Siergen deadpanned.
I gave him a long, droll stare. “You’re a dragon, not a donkey.”
From across the clearing, Alteth, the gray-scaled Clubtail, tilted her head toward Siergen, her eyes gleaming with something more than curiosity. I vote we make the pact. The human passed the test. She declared her truths.
Olzar, the Swordtail, had been silent until now. His voice was low and cautious. I believe we need more time to investigate this horde and their riders.
But Norven’s gaze never left me. I agree with Alteth. The pact will be made.
The three dragons lifted off in unison, silent and graceful despite their size. The air stirred around us as they rose, disappearing into the mist one by one.
When they were gone, I stared after them for a long breath before turning to Siergen. “What now?” I asked.
Siergen’s gold-flecked eyes watched the fading mist like it whispered old promises. Now, he said, you carry the weight of a pact older than your kingdom. And hope the dragons come when you call them again.
My shoulders felt heavier already.
Siergen watched the mist where the lost horde had vanished, his posture regal but tired, as if the centuries had finally caught up to him in the last few minutes.
I need you to keep what you’ve learned to yourself, he said quietly.
I turned toward him, blinking. “I’m telling Zander. It’s not fair to lie to him. He—”
I am very aware how Zander feels, Siergen cut in, his voice heavy with something that sounded too much like grief to be anger. I went six hundred years without a single human looking twice at me. But that little prince… He exhaled slowly. He begged me to be his dragon for years.
I swallowed. “He loves you. He said you practically raised him. Him and Elara.”
Siergen’s eyes flinched at the edges, the barest crack in his composure. His father was a fool, he said. He wanted a powerful child. A weapon. Wanted to be in control of the Dark Fire wielder… But once he saw Zander’s lavender eyes, his guilt got the better of him.
My stomach turned. “Did the king ever hurt Elara?”
No. Siergen’s response was immediate. Elara was a gift to his wife. A hope to mend something that had already shattered. But Zander… He looked off toward the castle. Zander was an obligation. One the king never let his son forget.
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t try to fix it.
“Thank you,” I said instead, my voice low. “For protecting him.”
Siergen was silent for a long moment before he added, I grew fond of that little prince.
There was a time I almost forgot I was the dragon leader.
When I would curl up in his room and tell him stories of the past—he thought them entertaining.
But I knew. I knew who he was, what he’d become.
That he would be crucial to our survival. Still…
“Still what?”
One night, he asked me to sleep on his bed. Said he didn’t want to be alone. I climbed up without thinking and—A soft, rueful sound escaped him. My weight crushed the entire thing. I’m heavier than I look. And Zander… he took the brunt of his father’s wrath for it.
Before I could respond, Kaelith’s voice cut into my thoughts, her tone almost annoyed.
If you share any more of those stories, Hein is going to incinerate the king’s bedroom with him in it. I’m barely keeping him in line, and I’m not sure I can protect the king if Hein gets serious about his demise.
Siergen’s voice unfurled across the bond like thunder wrapped in silk, quiet but carrying ancient command. It didn’t just reach Hein—it filled the space between us all, heavy with power he no longer tried to veil from me.
Hein, if you touch the king, I will be very displeased. There are few things in this life I truly love… and I have given you two of them.
The air seemed to still, Kaelith’s breath catching as Hein’s answer rumbled low and cold.
I am eternally grateful for Kaelith and Zander. But he was a child, Siergen. How could any parent do such things to their own offspring?
Humans can be cruel, Siergen replied, calm but not kind.
So can dragons, under the right circumstances.
I protected your rider. I protected your mate.
But we need the king alive. His life is the only thing keeping Theron from taking the throne fully—and once he does, the treaty crumbles. The chaos will spread.
There was a pause, and then his voice cracked like heat against bone.
Do you not think I wanted to scorch Emlem the moment I found Zander broken and bleeding on the stone floor of his chamber?
I sucked in a sharp breath.
But such action would have nullified the treaty. And if the treaty falls, so do we. We need Zander. His magic… your magic… it’s the only thing that will hold this realm together when the wards collapse completely.
Silence echoed. Then Hein’s voice came, lower, steadier.
I am sorry for my outburst, Siergen. You have given everything.
And I’d heard that phrase before—given everything—but it was only now, with those visions still hanging on my shoulders, that I understood it.
The image of the silver dragon dead at Siergen’s feet rose behind my eyes like smoke.
The howl of pain. The fire. The grief.
He had paid a price no one else ever saw. And still, he remained. For us.
For the future of a world we were all just beginning to realize was already cracking.
Hein’s voice sliced into our minds, forged from tension.
Return. Now. Something’s happening. The squads are fighting.
I didn’t hesitate. “Kaelith, let’s go.”
You are the slow one, she growled.
I mounted her sleek back, and we launched skyward in a rush of wind and wings.
The flight was short—too short—and as the Ascension Grounds came into view, the chaos below sharpened like a knife’s edge.
Two squads—Iron Fang and Crownwatch—were squared off, voices raised, postures tense, fists clenched.
But something was wrong.
One of the Crownwatch riders was standing with Iron Fang.
I slid off Kaelith before she’d even fully landed, boots hitting the packed earth hard as I sprinted toward Thrall Squad. My heart was already pounding, unease twisting like wire through my gut.
“What’s going on?” I asked, breathless.
Cordelle, face tight with concern, pointed toward the growing confrontation. “Looks like one of Crownwatch’s own had a change of heart. Asked for a transfer… to Iron Fang.”
I blinked. “Who is it?”
The rider turned, slowly, deliberately.
And my heart slammed to a stop.
Cade.
He didn’t flinch as our eyes met.
Didn’t look ashamed.
Didn’t look conflicted.
He looked calm.
Like he belonged with them.
Like he always had.