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Felhadhuman magic, but he didn’t want to tell his cousin about it, even though he was almost sure he was trustworthy. Perhaps heshouldtell everything. No, Leah’s words were fresh in his mind, asking him to hide his ironbringing. And then Tzaria had also warned him against it, not that he cared that much for her word.
“I just figured I didn’t have my father’s magic. Never thought I could have… a different father.”
Siniari nodded. “That’s why you want to return? Because you’re a prince there?”
Fel paused, thinking. The reality was that those words made sense.“I have a duty to my people, yes. That’s one reason.”
His cousin looked away, staring at the mountains and clouds. “We don’t think much about Aluria, to be honest. It’s as if it didn’t exist for us. Forgotten. But if you have people you love there… I can see why you’d be attached.” He turned to Fel. “But you’re also a dragon, and there’s a lot you can learn and do, and we might need you here as well. Your father—your true father—was quite powerful.”
“I heard. And hopefully I can use that power to save the people of Aluria.”
“Tell me about it. Tell me what’s going on there. Magic is misbehaving, right? I think I heard my father saying something like that. What’s happening?”
Perhaps it would be easier to convince his cousin, who was young, and hopefully not yet jaded like the older dragons. Fel decided to tell him everything, or rather,almosteverything. He wasn’t going to mention that he was an ironbringer or that he had a sister—just in case.
Fel started by telling his cousin about the odd water snake, then the strange fae attack inside the Frostlake castle. The story got all messy because he avoided mentioning Naia and then couldn’t mention River. That said, he did tell him about the attacks in villages, Ironhold gaining power, and then attacking Umbraar with ironbringers and an army that could be re-awakened.
His cousin, who had been listening attentively, asked, “Can’t… necromancers do that?”
“No.” How could he explain it? “I was… am… betrothed to a girl—”
Siniari pointed at him. “That’s why you need to turn human!”
“Yes, that’s one reason.”
“You were saying something about necromancy?”
“Yes, my betrothed was raised in Frostlake, by the necromancer king, and knows all about that kind of magic. It has very specific, limited applications, and can’t reawaken an army.”
“But magic is alive. It changes, evolves, sometimes degenerates.”
“True, but the attack came from Ironhold. Their magic is metal.”
His cousin bit his lip and paused for a moment, then said, “You’re right, absolutely right. We need to send some dragons to check that.” He sighed and looked down. “It’s just…”
“What is it?”
He took a deep breath. “We’re hiding. We used to rule the magic in the world, and it’s not that we miss the power, it’s just… Controlling magic is our duty. The same way you say you have a responsibility, so do we. And yet here we are, hiding. Divided. We lost many dragons, enchanted and seduced with promises of something… I don’t even understand what.” He stared at Fel. “I lost friends.”
“To Cynon? Why would they want to follow him?”
“They don’t think they’re following anyone. They end up believing that it’s time for the dragons to re-awaken, to take their place in the world, to fly freely over all lands. They think they found a way to increase their power, a way to gain freedom.”
“Can’t you just let them be?”
Siniari shrugged. “We could—if they left us alone—and if they left anyone alone. I don’t know what happens once they join them, but it corrupts the dragons. We’ve sent spies to infiltrate them, learn their secrets. We learned a little, yes, but we mostly lost friends—either to death or to the Boundless.”
“If you lost friends, they would know where this city is, wouldn’t they?”
He shook his head. “We only come through circles, and it’s all sealed. You can’t fly in or out. If you were to try to fly higher, you wouldn’t be able to. That keeps us safe—for now.”
Fel almost mentioned Tzaria, but then, for some reason decided not to.
“How do… Is this Cynon back and leading these Boundless? Recruiting them?”
“My father doesn’t think so, but thinks he’s crossing the threshold and communicating with us. He has a way to increase their magical power. It means you can fly faster, live longer, have more fire. It sounds good, right? But there’s a price.”
“You mean the boundless are more powerful than normal dragons?”
