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Everett placed a hand on her elbow and pulled her further away from the landing area as the rest of the group backed up so the green dragon could land. He squeezed her elbow and she looked up at him. “That’s Councilmember Arran.”
Councilmember Arran held the elected seat from what Claire remembered. The large dragon landed heavily on the platform, sending out trembles into the rock. Malcolm usually landed much lighter and his dragon was bigger than the Councilmember’s dragon so Arran had to be sending a message.
Arran shifted back to his human form and was fully clothed when he shifted. She shot a look at Desmond who mouthedcharmat her. A handy charm to have although Claire wasn’t sure how she felt about her men using it when it was just the four of them at least. Desmond hid a chuckle as he read her thoughts. A quick glance at Malcolm and Everett’s shoulders shaking with repressed laughter told her all of them had heard her thoughts. Claire barely held in an eye roll at their reactions. It wasn’t like they didn’t know she loved them. And their good looks.
“Councilmember Arran,” Roderick greeted as the man strode closer. He had short cropped blond hair and green eyes that matched the color of his dragon. He was dressed in the black and gold colors of the Council.
“Clan Leader Roderick,” Councilmember Arran greeted cooly. Claire remembered that the men knew each other well but the Council didn’t know that their relationship extended beyond the frosty appearance. “My apologies for my delay. As you know, it takes three Councilmembers to conduct official business and I just learned of Councilmember Roland’s inability to make this trip.”
Well, dang, Claire thought as she watched Arran put the other two Councilmembers in their place. His tone was cool and slightly condescending although she could just be imagining that last part.
“I’ve not been read into the issue. Someone fill me in.”
Roderick spoke before the other Councilmembers could. “A Council squad stopped my son and his Triad and Fourth a few days ago as they were traveling here under my direct orders. I was concerned for their safety and ordered them home. Despite telling the squad they were under direct orders from myself, the squad insisted they come into the Capital. My son was already in his dragon form and rather protective over his Fourth so they stunned the guards and flew straight to me.”
While Claire agreed completely with what Roderick was saying, she held her breath for the Council’s reactions. Roderick was being openly combative to the other Councilmembers and picking a very clear side on the platform. While she knew the dragons could handle their own, Claire worried that Roderick was potentially risking his clan and the Council’s wrath. He had already been forced to step down from the Council when Malcolm was threatened as a child. Claire looked away from the tense situation to glance at her men as a new thought struck her. Anyone with eyes could see that her Triad was important to her. The Council had no qualms about threatening a child of a Councilmember. What would they do or who would they threaten to get Claire to fall in line.
“Sounds like we need new guards,” Arran stated, looking at Maxios and Vanya. He continued without allowing them to respond. “As the current Council orders state, travel is prohibited between territories right now but a Clan Leader’s direct order regarding safety would supersede that so what seems to be the problem?”
He looked at his other Councilmembers with that same cool gaze. He seemed to also be testing if the Council was going to push their authority in this situation.
“We were just discussing when you showed up,” Councilmember Vanya barely hid his annoyance but the twitch at the corner of his eye gave him away, “That Claire might feel safer with the Council’s protection in the Capital if that is the issue here.”
That was not what they were discussing, Claire rolled her eyes internally. Before she could speak, Arran continued, “While I would normally understand your suggestion, Vanya, I do not think the Council’s place at the Capital would be safe. If the Elves and Fae are truly trying an uprising, the first place they will come for will be the Council.”
Arran locked eyes with Claire as he said that last sentence. He looked at her like he knew something. Like he knew who she was. Like he knew that the Council played a role in starting the Great War. What did he know? Did he have the proof Claire and her men were searching for? Claire kept her face neutral, not reacting to his words as to not confirm or deny whatever suspicions he held. Hopefully, if he knew anything important, he would secretly pass it along to Roderick before he left.
“Well now that that’s settled,” he continued when Claire didn’t give him a response, “Why don’t you invite us in, Clan Leader Roderick, and we can catch you up as the Council has been doing with other territory leaders.”
Councilmember Vanya looked like he wanted to protest but Councilmember Maxios touched his arm and he held his tongue. Interesting, Claire thought observing them. The other dragon Councilmember was protecting the Council and not the dragons, which should go against everything the dragons were about. Was he just an anomaly among dragons or was there a reason he was turning his back on their values.
Claire and her men went to follow but Arran stopped them. “I’m sure you young ones have better things to do then listen to us,” Arran waved a hand lazily at Claire and her Triad, dismissing them. Claire wanted to bristle at his condescending tone but Mara caught her eye and shook her head slightly at her. Claire nodded more at Mara than at Arran and turned away. Mara and Roderick would fill them in if Arran said anything that confirmed their suspicions but right now it was probably best if Claire and her Triad got away from the Council’s eyes.
The Councilmembers’ repeated efforts to get her to the Capital and to the Council’s headquarters were concerning though. Why did they really want her there? She had a feeling it wasn’t for protection or to help her find her family like Councilmembers Roland and Vanya had offered at Brandlevine. She also suspected that they weren’t going to let it go that easily. They were trying too hard to get her there. And her Triad too. Did they suspect her heritage? Were they worried that if that information became public Claire would start another war over the treatment of her people? She had half a mind to some times but she knew that wasn’t the best thing for the Realm. Everyone needed to learn to get along better and another war wouldn’t help that.
Claire glanced over her shoulder back at the flight deck as they walked down the tunnel. The Council would probably try again with Roderick and Mara to get them to the Capital. Roderick and Mara would refuse again but would what happen then? Would the Council escalate? What would they use to ensure her compliance? Would they threaten Roderick and Mara’s clan?
Threats against the people she cared about were mounting. If she didn’t want the Council to use her Triad as leverage against her, she was going to need to train harder. She just hoped her magic would cooperate.
23
When they made it to the dragons’ training arena, Malcolm paused at the top of the ledge and turned to their small group. Puck was back in Claire’s arms as if sensing her distress and she hugged him to her chest as his steady purr helped unfreeze some of her tense muscles. The feelings of worry and urgency still swirled in her gut and her magic danced nervously.
“I think we need to switch up the training exercise today,” Malcolm said looking at Claire who nodded. He had picked up on her thoughts from the walk down to the training center.
“Switch it up how?” Everett asked. He didn’t seem surprised at Malcolm’s suggestions and Claire would bet money that he had also already picked up on her thoughts. He was observant like that. Or the bond was getting stronger.
“The Council seems very insistent on Claire coming to the Capital. Whether that be actually to train or for other more nefarious reasons…”
“Nefarious?” Desmond broke in, “That’s a big word for you.”
Claire rolled her eyes but felt her lips lift in a smile that Desmond reacted to with a pleased expression. He must have gotten tired of her looking so serious.
“He’s right though,” she said, her chest growing tight again as a vague sense of urgency filled her muscles, prodding her to take action. The urgent feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to Claire. The last few days since arriving at the Dragon Mountains, it felt like there was an itch under her skin she couldn’t quite scratch. It was similar to how she felt when they entered the Elven Forest and had felt the pull to the Elven Capital. She frowned as she realized it was the same feeling. She was going to have to think about that more after the training exercise. Her magic was trying to tell her something and Claire knew better now than not to listen to it.
She couldn’t rub her chest to try and get rid of the feeling with Puck in her arms so instead she continued. “They do seem to be fixated on getting me to the Capital. Vanya and Maxios were at least. Arran didn’t seem to share the same urgency. They didn’t like it when I said no to their ‘protection’ or when Malcolm said no to keeping up our studies there.”
“You think they’ll go to more drastic measures,” Everett finished for her.
