Page 64 of Wings of Destruction

Duenden to the hydras.

I guess Onassis has something to do with the basilisk but nothing has been explicitly stated before.

And who will be next? Mozi’s voice carries an edge I don’t like. The thunderbirds are getting restless and even the basilisks are paying attention.

They better be. After what happened in Fallkirk? I toss back. Omram wiped out some basilisks and the hydra riders, not just the unicorns. If their strongholds are falling to mankind, does it have the same effect on the different creatures?

Mozi pauses. Meaning?

Are the other mounts falling to dragon rule the same as the humans will fall to my father?

Mozi refuses to answer.

I tune back in to find Tristan watching me cataloguing my reactions to the news. I’m careful to hide my disgust at my father’s actions, and my reactions to what Mozi says.

My head bobs in a curt nod. “This is good news.”

“What’s been done to the hydra leader?” Harbi wants to know. She brings her fist down on her thigh. “Roman will have much to answer for if he’s killed the man.”

“He’s been taken into our camp and given every accommodation befitting his station while the General attempts his peace talks,” Tristan assures the headmistress. “He’s being treated comfortably.”

Now that I highly doubt.

My father isn’t known for his generosity. Sure, the hydra leader might not be in chains but it doesn’t mean he’s comfortable or in good health. He can just as easily be treated comfortably with a missing limb or a concussion.

“What does Roman hope to accomplish in these peace talks? He’s certainly not bringing any of us into the conversation.” Harbi sweeps out a hand to gesture to the others in the room. “We’re getting our news second and sometimes third hand. If our voices are worth anything to him, then we need to be part of the discussion before he launches another attack. Not afterward.”

Many of the professors in attendance have been a part of the fabric of DragonSpear for too many years to count. The academy is known for the influence it exerts over the land. Our training is paramount to the future of the kingdom.

Harbi sits at its helm, a much more benevolent dictator than Roman. The professors are her foot soldiers but whether or not they are entirely loyal to her is a different question. I’m too nervous to ask it.

This isn’t the right audience, anyway.

Mozi and I listen, straining for the information between the lines.

“He hopes to broker a new treaty between the dragons and the other mounts,” Tristan supplies. “There’s no need for outside influences to be a part of that conversation.”

Whether they want to be a part of it or not is purposely left out but implied.

Whatever is happening, I get the feeling that Roman and his dragon have much larger plans than they’re telling the others, including me. Whatever machinations they consider, they keep them to themselves. Without checks and balances.

“Roman knows better than anyone. True and lasting peace can’t be taken by force.” Harbi is on her feet an instant later. “At least, he used to.”

Tristan stares at her with unbridled disgust. “The General wouldn’t appreciate you questioning him this way. He requires loyalty above all else.”

“The General used to be a schoolmate of mine,” Harbi tosses back. “He understands exactly where we stand with each other.”

The two of them lock eyes in challenge and I know who will win. Tristan has no hope of making it out of this clash of wills without a small chink in his armor. Finally, he coughs to clear his throat and drops his gaze to the floor.

Harbi allows herself a single nod in recognition but she won’t sit again.

“How did he do it?” one of the professors asks Tristan. “Are you able to give us more details?”

“His superior planning and style of attack granted him a nearly unanimous victory. Our troops suffered hardly any casualties,” Tristan adds.

Like he needs anything else to fluff up his already inflated ego. Relaying the victory adds a layer of smugness I hate.

My fingers clench and release behind me. Every breath is a challenge I win but keeping them easy takes more work.