The church's formal response arrived on the third day.
Dominus summoned them to his throne room. Vorthraxx and Owen stood before the Dragon King while he read a document with deliberate slowness. The space pressed down around them—vast ceiling, pillars carved with dragon history, the throne positioned to force visitors to look upward.
Dominus set the paper down. "The Church of the Radiant Arbiter demands Celeste Brennan's return within thirty days. Failure to comply results in immediate trade sanctions against all dragon-affiliated commerce."
"They can't enforce that..." Vorthraxx said.
"They can incentivize it. The Human kingdoms depend on the church's approval: their marriages, burials, harvest consecrations." Dominus gestured at the document. "Kingdoms that continue dragon trade will find church services suspended. Most won't risk that."
"They're using their own people as hostages."
