Abisai
The war room holds a hundred people and this afternoon there isn't a centimetre to spare.
The tables are arranged in a horseshoe shape with my chair at the centre, flanked by Bamylan on my right and my father's empty seat on my left. Empty deliberately, because I want everyone to see it and no one to forget why we're here.
My ten consecrated men occupy the wall behind me. Levin standing at my side with the new insignia of general. Rumá, Zymei, Andram, Juler, Simón, Caleb, Kimer, Golmer and Ren. The ten dragons who received the sacred oil with me and who are the closest thing to a shield of absolute trust that exists in this kingdom.
The clan leaders occupy the sides of the horseshoe.
Faguer of clan Mordur with his back straight because he knows his position is solid. Samantha of clan Woar at his side, arms crossed, with that burning calm that desert dragons carry. Vera of clan Vordimex almost hidden in the shadows with her cave dragon's grey eyes that miss no detail.
On the other side, Zabelón of clan Padras, heavy and nervous with his fingers drumming on the table. Rusmara of clan Jamkar with the closed expression of someone who decided before sitting down what they were going to say. Samber of clan Hidrallas still as deep water.
Agur's widow at one end. I didn't invite her — she came on her own, which tells me everything about who is giving her instructions.
Thymá across from me with his hands on the table and that smile of someone who believes he has control. Higmer at his side, quieter than usual.
The twelve council elders in their elevated chairs at the back, in their black tunics with their faces of stone.
I stand.
The murmur dies instantly.
"Thank you for coming. I know the circumstances are not what any of us would have chosen." My voice fills the room without effort. "My father was murdered last night. This morning I was crowned under that grief. I won't pretend that doesn't weigh on me. But the kingdom doesn't wait for the mourning of emperors, and neither will I."
No one speaks.
"This meeting has two purposes. The first is justice. The second is survival. We begin with justice."
I signal Levin.
Levin steps forward and sets a bundle of sealed documents on the central table. He opens it slowly, with the calm of someone who knows that what he holds in his hands is about to change the temperature of the room.
"Over the last three months," he begins, his voice reaching every corner, "we have tracked the movements of the human hunters who penetrated Anwar's territory twice. The first incursion cost Prince Agur his life. The second was a direct attempt against the then crown prince. Both incursions were made possible because someone inside this kingdom provided them with information about our borders, our blind spots, and our guard schedules."
The murmur begins.
Levin raises his hand and the murmur dies.
"That someone is Zargon. Knight of clan Padras. Personal friend of Corin, the traitor who has already paid with his life." He lifts a document. "Letters bearing his seal. Recorded payments. And the testimony of three soldiers who saw him at the northern pass the night Prince Agur fell — and there is evidence and witnesses that he was the one who attacked the emperor."
Zabelón's eyes shoot to Levin with a mix of panic and rage that exposes him before he even opens his mouth.
"That is a lie," he spits. "A fabrication to stain my clan's name."
"The seal doesn't lie," Levin answers without raising his voice. "And the three soldiers are from different clans. They don't know each other. Their testimonies are identical."
Zabelón looked to Thymá for support. Thymá didn't move a muscle.
"I demand to see that evidence right now!"
"You will see it," I intervene with a firm voice, "together with the full council, tomorrow morning. Zargon will be detained this very afternoon. He will be judged publicly. If anyone in this room possesses additional information about his movements or his alliances, speak now… or be silent forever."
I let the silence stretch. I looked directly at Zabelón, then at Rusmara and Samber. Agur's widow pressed her lips together with hatred. Thymá kept smiling, but his eyes no longer held the same confidence.
"Good," I continued. "Let's move to the second matter."
Levin unrolled a large map of the eastern border on the table.
"The breach to Galgoth," he announced.
The shift in the room was immediate. Even the most hostile tensed viscerally.
"We have been recording unusual activity for weeks," Levin continued. "Tremors in the rock. Animals fleeing in the opposite direction to their natural routes. This very morning, the priests of the Onyx Temple confirmed that the breach is opening. This is not a possibility. It is a fact."
"How much time do we have?" asks Samber of clan Hidrallas. His voice is low but reaches everyone.
"We don't know with certainty," Levin answers. "It could be weeks, months. It could be days. What we do know is what will come out when it opens completely."
"The silver demons," says Vera of clan Vordimex. Not as a question. As confirmation of something the cave dragons have feared for generations.
"Yes." Levin folds the map. "And when they come out, they won't be the first problem."
I stand for the last time.
"The first problem," I say, "will be the humans."
The room looks at me.
"When the breach opens completely, the barriers that keep Anwar invisible to the human world will also fall. Within hours they will know we exist. That their forest holds a kingdom within it. That dragons have walked among them for generations in their own form." I pause. "And they will attack. Because humans attack what they don't understand. They always have."
"War on two fronts," murmurs Faguer.
"War on two fronts with demons in the middle," I confirm. "No clan survives that alone. Not one. Not the strongest, not the oldest, not the most prepared." I sweep the room with my gaze, pausing on each leader. "Anwar only survives united. And I can only unify Anwar if every leader in this room decides that the kingdom is worth more than their internal disputes."
The silence that followed was thick, laden with calculations, fears and ambitions.
On the left side, Zabelón, Rusmara and Samber exchanged quick glances. Agur's widow watched Thymá with narrowed eyes. On the right side, Faguer, Samantha and Vera looked at me with firm loyalty.
I kept my face impassive.
Let them believe I want unity.
Let them choose sides now.
Let them reveal themselves.
After the war… only those I decide deserve to remain alive will remain.
Thymá kept smiling, but now his smile seemed forced.
The real game had just begun.
The meeting ended in a silence heavy with suspicion and broken alliances.
The clan leaders rose one by one.
Zabelón was visibly sweating, Rusmara clenched her jaw and Samber of clan Hidrallas withdrew without a word. Agur's widow shot one last look full of venom before following Rusmara.
On the right side, Faguer, Samantha and Vera gave me firm, loyal bows. They knew the wind had changed.
I remained standing, impassive, watching the room empty.
When only my men and Bamylan remained, I leaned slightly toward her.
"Go to my chambers. I'll come when I've finished some matters."
Bamylan looked up at me. A slow, dangerous smile curved her lips. She ran her tongue over them with deliberate sensuality.
"I'll wait eagerly, my lord," she whispered.
I let out a cold, brief half-smile and brushed her cheek with the back of my fingers before stepping away.
I withdrew with my men.
Levin and the others formed a protective shield around me as we moved through the castle hallways. No one spoke. They knew exactly where I was headed.
I had to see Zabina.
The weight of the crown still pressed against my temples, but it was another weight that truly consumed me: the burning in my arm, the constant pull in my chest, that damned connection I couldn't ignore even if I wanted to.
She had killed my father.
And I, instead of ordering her execution, had her locked away under key as if she were the most dangerous and valuable treasure in the kingdom.
As we walked, Levin stepped closer.
"Do you want us to accompany you to the door, my lord?"
"No," I answered without looking at him. "Just make sure no one approaches that wing of the castle. Not Thymá, not his dogs, not even Bamylan."
Levin nodded gravely.
"Understood."
We reached the secluded corridor. Two of my guards stood watch at the door of the chamber where I had Zabina imprisoned. When they saw me, they stepped aside without a word.
I stopped in front of the bronze door.
My hand rested on the handle, but I didn't open it immediately.
Inside that room was the white dragon who had sworn vengeance against me. The same one who had crushed my father's throat. The same one whose blood sang with mine because of a bond neither of us had asked for.
I breathed deeply, feeling the burning in my arm intensify just from being so close to her.
Then I opened the door and entered.