The second newcomer is a little shorter, but built like a brick shithouse. His eyes flick in my direction, then he nods. “I will exchange news for favor, but I’m not afraid to fight to take my place.”
His accent is South American.
“And your name?” I ask.
“Hector,señor.”
I fix my gaze on him. “So, go ahead. Tell us everything you know from the moment the world changed.”
Hector straightens, his expression solemn. “Sí. Havengard is evolving, changing beyond recognition,señor. In truth, the whole world is.”
“Explain.”
“Three weeks ago, on the night of the Great Awakening, there was a shockwave—atsunami de magiathat spread across the globe. It hit everyone,” Hector continues. “Even the ones purely human. Everyone carries the spark now. And the people, they shift into creatures. For most, it is the small animals—gatos, zorros, pájaros. But the strong ones? They areextraordinario.”
Dimitry’s eyes flare with desire. “And what do you change into, comrade? Are you… strong, extraordinary?”
“My family is from the Peruvian Amazon, the land of black water and deep shadows.” Hector pounds a heavy fist against his chest. “And I feel those ancient, cold scales living inside my flesh now. I am a shifter of the Black Caiman.El Caimán Negro. A crocodile.” He looks at the high concrete walls with a trace of predatory bitterness. “Though here, in this cage, my beast is silent. He is a master of waiting in the mud. He does not need to roar to let you know he is the king of the river.”
King Dimitry raises an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on Hector’s thick, powerful frame, before shifting to the blonde boy. “Duke, do you shift?”
“Yes, I do. Fuck, my magic feels unstoppable now.” Duke lifts his chin, smoothing the front of his scrub shirt. “My lineage is slightly more… celestial. I am a Peryton. Wings of an osprey, the crown of a Great Stag.” He flexes his shoulders, a smug smirk playing on his lips. “I’m made for the high peaks and the open sky, not to crawl in the mud with a lizard.”
He flexes his muscles. Peryton? Sounds like an overgrown fairy. I’d take the crocodile over that any day.
“Tell us about the coup, the Great Awakening,” Dimitry commands.
Duke nods. “The media have been reporting on it non-stop; it’s fucking crazy thatyoudon’t know anything.” He has a smug look on his face that disappears when Dimitry points a finger. “Do not make me cut your tongue out before spilling your stories, Duke.”
I’ve never seen the Guild King so uptight.
The blonde turns as pale as the morning smog. “Sorry, s-sir. OK, so there was an engagement party in Havengard City—for Cosmo Drakeward and some Elite girl. That’s where it all went down. Cosmo turned into a dragon, and so did his dad, Tyrus Drakeward. They had a massive battle. The footage is still all over the internet. Tyrus got killed, and a load of others.”
Aurora’s father was a dragon too? Interesting.Once again, I can’t help but wonder if Aurora is also a dragon-shifter—if she has those golden scales lurking beneath her porcelain skin.
Maybe that’s why I find her so magnetic. Even in this crowd of hundreds, I feel her presence like a hum in my blood. I cast a quick glance over my shoulder and our eyes meet.
Fuck, concentrate Taliesin.
Duke takes a breath then continues. “Then this girl showed up. People say she turned into an angel—that’s when the Awakening happened—kaboom.”
“Did Cosmo Drakeward also die?” I ask. I don’t really care, but it would be kind of a shame. He’d done the right thing by a lot of people.
“Nah, but it was close, apparently.”
Dimitry interrupts before I can ask anything else. “So, the Conclave has fallen, but the Elites still remain themostpowerful in society?”
“Absolutely,” Duke says, and I catch Dimitry visibly exhaling. “The Elite families are already governing the transition. When the dust settles, it’ll be business as usual.”
So, even with a “Great Awakening,” the status quo holds firm. It’s still them versus us. The world exploded, and yet the Masters simply adjusted their cufflinks and carried on.
Dimitry smiles, and the frantic energy that has been eating at him for the last week smooths out, replaced by that familiar, superior confidence. “Some things are truly immutable. Natural selection is a stubborn mistress, Bevan.”
Beside him, Heinz and Gleb smirk, already looking at the Diggers knowing we’re still the serfs in their kingdoms.
They could be wrong though. Maybe my momisa hydra. Maybe I am. But innate powers are moot here.
Dimitry turns his back on me and walks back to the top of the bleachers.
