But he wasn’t Souta any longer. He was Drayce Ladon, protector of the King of Erya and the Guardian of the Godstones.
He didn’t know what insanity his brother and father were planning, and it didn’t matter. After what he’d witnessed Caelan do in Zastrad, it was clear the dragons were still no match for the power of the gods or the bonded Guardian.
“I need to speak to Takahashi Masaru! I need to see the clan leader!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. He repeated it over again, his voice ringing off the stone walls and echoing along the corridor.
The guards must have gotten sick of listening to him at last because the telltale tug on his body left him clenching his teeth and screaming. He fought the shift for as long as he could, but in the end, there was nothing he could do to stop it. A roar was ripped from his throat as he was forced back into dragon form. Fire poured through the bars and slammed into the far wall, but the metal was tempered in dragon fire. Nothing would bend or melt them. He was trapped.
He hammered his head against his prison once and bellowed in frustration before slumping on the floor. The cold that had bothered his human flesh was completely gone and he was left to his thoughts.
Growing up on the Isle of Stone, there had been no mention of a godstone among the dragons or even the Goddess of Fire. There were some incredibly old legends about her, but everyone believed the goddess had died or been a myth created by the dragons centuries ago.
As far as anyone was concerned, the only godstone that existed was the Godstone in Stormbreak Point. It was guarded by the Talos family, who in turn was guarded by a dragon sent by the leader of the dragons.
And even most of that wasn’t common knowledge. Clan Takahashi had been the leader of all dragons for the past four hundred years, and Drayce only knew about the dragon protector after overhearing his father and brother talking late one night. The selected dragon was sent in secret. What’s more, the dragon was usually someone who had pissed off the head of Clan Takahashi or was seen as a potential threat.
Hagen Sigur had been part of the rival Clan Omari. Masaru had suspected that Hagen would attempt to steal power from the Takahashi and supplant them as the leaders. So, naturally, Hagen had to be sent away.
Drayce had never gotten the chance to ask Hagen if he’d hated being ordered away from his people, but Drayce doubted it. He needed only to see how he looked at Queen Amara, to see how he looked at Caelan, to know the man had no regrets about leaving the Isle of Stone and his clan behind.
Oh, shit! Caelan doesn’t know the truth!
SEVEN
Caelan Talos
“Was Mio able to tell you anything useful about the clan leader?” Caelan asked as he buttoned the high straight collar of his black military uniform with the emerald-green piping. He had a love-hate relationship with the uniform. As the sole heir to the throne, he’d been forbidden from serving in the military, but he’d been permitted to train with the Royal Guard.
It was only after a great deal of arguing with the queen that he’d even been permitted to travel to the borders to deal with animal problems from the Ordas.
The truth was that he didn’t feel right wearing it. He’d not put in the same amount of time as the other guards, though that was now debatable considering the number of confrontations he’d survived against New Rosanthe.
In the end, Rayne had talked him into bringing the uniform rather than the suit he generally opted for in the belief that a show of strength might be useful when it came to dealing with dragons.
“Nothing I thought would tip the scales in our favor,” Rayne said as he straightened his tie. The advisor was in a sharply tailored dark suit with faint emerald-green pinstripes. He plucked his glasses off his nose and removed a cloth from his pocket. As he polished the lenses of his glasses, he started reciting an overview of what he’d gathered so far. “Takahashi Masaru has been the clan leader and leader of all dragons for several decades now. He’s a stern man who believes in might and control. Keep your tone respectful but never obeisant. You are his equal, and he needs to recognize you as such.”
“Despite his superior years?” Caelan inquired with a little lift of one eyebrow.
Rayne sniffed and placed his glasses back on his face and returned the cloth to his pocket. “They’re not superior. Just more numerous.”
Caelan shook his head as he led the way from the room they’d been given and out of the house. They’d been on the Isle of Stone for two days now, staying in Mio’s surprisingly lovely two-story home. While she described herself as a simple servant of the Takahashi manor, Caelan was sure there was a great deal more to her story. The way the other people around the city acted toward her showed that she was a person who was well liked and respected. Her voice and opinions carried weight.