“We might not be able to have Honor executed directly, but surely we can encourage her to meet her end a bit more directly than simply putting her into the Dragon Guard and hoping she catches some bad luck,” Joachim suggested.
Pend laughed bitterly and rolled his sleeve up, revealing his forever-withered left hand, burned and scarred by magical poison. “Do you want to risk breaking the magic? Be my guest. I won’t pit myself against it a second time.”
The room went silent.
“According to the law,” Gorion murmured, “we cannot do anything to any dragon shifter unless they prove themselves unworthy through cowardice or rebellion. She hasn’t yet failed in battle or turned on us.”
“But she is a woman, and surely she will fail eventually,” Teris said.
Pend nodded. “We might not be able to kill her, but we don’t have to be happy she’s alive. Her presence heralds the end of our kingdom. We need to provide the magic with every possible opportunity to write her out of history.”
“Why not simply have them seek the Lord of the Scourge? Perhaps we can strike down two inconvenient birds with one stone.”
“The Lord of the Scourge is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Perhaps it would be better to take him off the board now.”
“And best of all, it provides a convenient opportunity for Honor to meet her fate. Dragging the Lord of the Scourge off his throne, once and for all, will be difficult—the man seems to be made of shadows.”
“Unfortunately, it also provides an opportunity for our sons to meet their fate,” Gorion reminded them all.
Pend considered that. “It is disappointing if we were to lose any of the young dragon royals. But ultimately, the greatest danger to the realm is if Honor remains alive and our boys back her in their rebellion.”
“I would rather lose one of my sons to death than to rebellion,” Joachim agreed.
Gorion looked slightly unconvinced by the sentiment but as the others stared at him, he nodded in assent.
“I believe we have our plan,” Pend said. “We will meet again to speak with our sons and give them their orders when they return to the city.”
“I hate to admit it, but I think we need to discuss the possibility of a rebellion.” Gorion met Pend’s gaze evenly. “Jaik might be willing to go to war for that girl.”
“I’ll make it clear to him that I’m staying my hand. As long as Teris’s spell holds…” Pend’s gaze flickered to Teris.
Teris leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.
“My spells will hold. Caldren can’t speak of what he knows to anyone, and neither can Honor.”
“I’d always hoped our sons’ close-knit natures would serve us well,” Pend admitted. “Now I worry they’ll be our downfall.”
“Perhaps it’s time to put some cracks in those friendships,” Teris suggested.
Gorion shuddered, the motion barely visible through his big shoulders, but Teris’s gaze still caught on him. Teris’s ability to manipulate others’ minds was legendary.
“Jaik can’t stand feeling betrayed,” Pend said slowly. “He turned his back on Caldren. He’ll turn his back on Honor as well.”
“Talisyn is loyal,” Teris said, then added dryly, “to everyone but me. Foolishly so.”
“Perhaps you scrambled his mind one too many times as a boy,” Pend suggested.
“And here you appreciated my spellwork when it kept Jaik and Caldren from escaping you, when it divided them instead. And now it seems those skills are needed again.” Teris sounded smug as usual.
Pend ignored the reminder of Teris’s dark favors.
“The only way to destroy Talisyn’s loyalty is to divide those loyalties. We could pull Honor and Jaik apart and make him choose between them.”
“Branok and Lynx remain skeptical of Honor,” Joachim mused. “Especially Branok. Lynx is a sensitive soul, not suited to our world. He won’t do much damage in their group, just as he doesn’t do much damage outside it. But Branok… Branok could be used to destroy the connection between Honor and Jaik, and he’ll believe he’s doing the right thing all the time.”
“If Lucien Finn survives their meeting with the Lord of the Scourge, perhaps Branok might decide to use a spell against Lucien,” Joachim mused. “Branok has to be in control. The magic would harm him… but if Lynx could be persuaded to perform the spell instead, well. The magic’s cost would be acceptable to me.”
Pend turned to Gorion, who looked stone-faced at Joachim’s suggestion that Lynx could be sacrificed to kill Lucien. Gorion asked, “Am I also supposed to offer up my son’s weaknesses for exploitation?”
“I think we all know them well enough after all these years,” Pend said.
“I hate having our hands bound by the magic,” Teris said impatiently. “Both Luciens could meet…unfortunate ends.”
Joachim quirked an eyebrow. “Lucien Finn is my property, friend. He’s no harm to anyone, locked away at the moment.”
“But if anyone ever finds there are two Lucien Finns… we’ll lose our sons’ trust.”
Pend considered it then said, “Keep our first Lucien Finn alive. He might still prove to us to be useful in his own way.”
“And the girl?”
“We can’t kill her, but we can’t let her live long enough to take the throne.” Pend’s lips twisted. “Or to give me an unwanted heir. Let’s give Lucien every opportunity to get himself killed or prove himself unworthy.”
When they had finished their business and left, Pend stayed, watching the last lights still on in the academy and nursing another drink.
The door creaked open a little more, and Faleen stepped in. “Still up, my king?”
“Faleen. I’ve wanted to talk to you.”
She smiled at him as she came in. “To talk?”
“Mm.”
He was sitting in front of the fire, and she came and sat at his feet, as graceful and sleek as a tiger. She propped her elbow on her knee and looked up at him, and he studied her beautiful face in the moonlight.
“Faleen, did you try to kill Lucien Finn?”
“You never asked me to,” she said, resting her hand on his knee. “I hope you’re not angry. I know the magic…”
She didn’t look at his withered hand. He shrugged one shoulder. “I won’t risk it again, but my loss doesn’t matter. Not when I’m a dragon.”
“Not when you’re the king,” she said lightly.
“Tell me what you’ve done. I do love your antics.”
“You’d said he was inconvenient,” she said earnestly. “I simply charmed his clothes so he wouldn’t be able to shift, then left one of our trapped hybrids in the labyrinth. But I failed you.”
She pouted, and he ran his hand soothingly over her hair. “It was a fine attempt. Lucien is… unreasonably lucky. And I do love how you read my mind.”
“I try,” she said, shifting closer to him until her back rested against his inner calf. She reached for his trousers, and he leaned back, his fingers still resting in her hair.
“My favorite assassin,” he murmured.
She smiled as she leaned close.
Chapter
Ten
Honor