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“No, Chief,” the guard answered in unison.
The Battlesky Clan’s Commander nodded, asserting he was on our side. “I agree, that is the best plan of action.”
“Well…” Everyone’s gazes flew to Braxton, and his eyes widened. “Never mind.”
“If you have something to say, spit it out,” Kingston growled, scowling at him, and Braxton stepped forwards.
“It’s just that—” he paused, leaning over the living map just as his left eye ignited with the golden light.
Whispered gasps escaped the others, still not used to his unusual gift. I watched, mesmerized, as his iris slitted, elongating until his Dragon eye appeared.
“What the gods are you?” Lachlan rasped, eyes narrowing on Brax with mistrust.
“He has a gift that can help us,” I answered while my mate ignored him, walking along the table to the corner.
“Here. This should be our point of entry.” Braxton lifted a hand to the chain of mountains on that side, but unlike the others, those didn’t move to reveal a path because there was none between them.
“We cannot go that way,” Lachlan argued. “It would require us to fly over the tall peaks and the sentry would be alerted immediately. We would be discovered.”
“No, we wouldn’t,” Braxton assured. “I—"
“There is a magical ward the Warlock King erected around the Hollow,” Kingston explained, assuming, like I had, that Braxton was counting on the fact that we would be invisible with the Dragons. “If we fly along the hidden trench and under the ward, we’ll be able to come in and out undetected.”
Slowly, Braxton shook his head, refuting the statement, but didn’t speak. Instead, he blinked and looked up at the window behind Kingston and me, focusing on something we couldn’t see. His neck tilted to the right, then left, looking every which way like he was no longer in the room with us, but out there in the highlands. The golden glow of his Dragon eye flickered, intensifying.
“That won’t work,” he concluded, glancing down onto the map. Covering his left eye, he observed the land with the other—switching perspectives—and pointed to the path Kingston had chosen. “This trench was discovered by Raithian, and his ward was extended downward to block its path. These too.” He pointed to three other routes we had taken in the past. “The green, net-like shield he wove with his power, extends over every entry that is likely to be used.” He uncovered his Dragon eye. “I can see it shimmering as clear as day.”
“Are you insane? No one can see magic,” my old friend protested.
“I can,” Braxton countered, straightening to stare Lachlan down. The guard that stood between them moved away instantly, sensing the tension that riled up the two men.
Hands fisting, Lachlan turned to look at me. “Princess, please tell me you don’t believe this nonsense. He’s clearly lying and wasting valuable time.”
“Enough, Lachlan,” I snapped. “I will decide if this is nonsense or not. And do not forget that you are only here because you seek to make amends.” Sighing, I rubbed my temples, their display of alpha dominance was giving me a headache. “I extended you an invitation as a courtesy, because your cousin is our contact in the Dark Empire, and I assume you want to know he is well.”
Reluctantly, Lachlan nodded.
“I will make sure he is taken care of as a thank you for his courage, you have my word. Now, I know you want to help us, and we could certainly use it, but this is not how you do it.”
Throwing a challenging glance at Braxton that said whatever was growing between them wasn’t over, he stepped back, breaking the tension and focusing on the living map.
“Thank you,” I whispered, and glanced at my mate. “Braxton, please explain.”
Backing down from the challenge too, he faced me again and pointed to a strip of hills right behind the north-west entrance to the castle, close to where the extraction would happen.
“There is a better way. One of the underground tunnels from the wetlands stretches all the way to this point. The exit has been naturally sealed by rocks over the years, and covered by grass, but the tunnel still stands unblocked. With Dragon fire potent enough, we can melt the exit clear, and then seal it again once we are gone.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Lachlan huffed in a calmer tone, unable to stay silent. “We all know there are no tun—”
His words halted when the mountains on the living map began to shift, responding to Braxton’s intention. As they split mid-way, the passage inside them was exposed.
“You were saying?” Brax taunted the commander of the Battlesky Clan.
A brief smile curved my lips when I glanced up at my mate, and a few snickers escaped the others, but I quickly erased it from my expression. “Thank you for that information.”
“Are you thinking Tharion can melt it open?” Kingston asked, also approving of Brax’s plan.
“Pfft. With a yawn.” Braxton crossed both arms over his chest smugly, letting go of the Dragon sight and the golden glow left his iris.
“Fire Fury?” Lachlan asked, taken aback. “I’m sorry, but I feel like I’m missing something important. Things couldn’t have changed so drastically since I left the guard.” He regarded both my guardian and me, but received no response. Frustrated by our secrecy, he gestured toward the honeycombs outside the window. “That monster has killed several of our own men. He would never help us, even if we miraculously found a way to get to him. Not to mention, no one has ever ridden him. Fire Fury never chose a Soulris before. We are lucky he hasn’t turned his wrath onto us!”
He threw his arms in the air, and I felt bad because he was right about everything, except one thing. Braxton’s presence in our worldhadchanged everything.
“You are wrong,” my guardian answered with an eerie calm—like a father wanting to appease an unaware and stubborn child. “Long before any of you were born, Tharion chose a brave warrior as his soul mate, and now, years later, he chose his only son.”
The gasp lodged in my throat, but many escaped the others when Kingston gestured to Braxton, their shock spreading around the room like wildfire.
