Before my foolish brother could say anything more, I snapped, “I was only the bearer for a short time. I have given the sword away.”
Tyrez huffed a laugh. “Cara told me about that. But no one ducks Fate, Razir. Not even you.” He turned to Ganit. “Because of my non-Dragon mate, most Empire residents would never accept me as leader.”
Ganit hesitated, but then he said, “You are wrong. Many want your exile expunged, and I agree. The old rules must be upgraded. Your mate is a moot point as you already have a pure-blood heir. You are the logical choice for Emperor.”
Tyrez’s mouth straightened. “I was exiled according to the ancient rules and traditions. I cannot betray those rules, and then claim to uphold them.”
Ganit’s expression betrayed a frustration that matched my own, but I needed to refocus this discussion. “If Tyrez’s challenge would not be accepted under the current rules, I think we are at an impasse.” When a muscle jumped in Ganit’s jaw, I stated the problem at hand. “This funeral could be used as a trap. He isn’t safe.”
“The Oracle has spoken on this topic,” Tyrez insisted. “If I don’t accept Taran’s invite, it is an indication that I also don’t accept his status as Emperor. As Ganit stated, I still have supporters. It could stress things to the point of fracture and tear the Empire apart.”
“All Taran had to do, was not invite you,” I pointed out. “You are exiled. No one would have questioned it. So why did he do so?”
Ganit took a deep breath. “You’re not wrong. That Taran wants Tyrez at the funeral is enough to cause me concern, too.”
“If you cannot guarantee his safety, then how can he go?” I asked.
“I go because I have to,” Tyrez growled. “To preserve the Empire. It might have exiled me, but I am still loyal to it.”
The determination in his expression, and his voice, triggered a flash of rage. I flung my hands in the air. “By all means. Uphold your honor. Just don’t come crying to me when it blows up in your scaly face.”
Ganit sighed and crossed his arms. “You two still argue like brothers. But what’s all this about a sword?”
When Tyrez attempted to say something, I cut him off. “We are not talking about the blasted sword,” I growled, a distinctly Dragonian sound. I glared from Tyrez to Ganit. I now knew nothing I would say was going to sway any of them.
These Dragons tookstubbornto a new level.
I spun, plunged through the door to the stairwell, and pounded down the stairs with my thoughts sizzling through my head. Why was I the only one who saw the dangers here?
I should have hightailed it off that roof like Tyrez had wanted me to. Now there were Legion Dragons that knew I was alive. That they also wanted me to step up and help to challenge Taran’s hold on the Empire…
For the first time, I was glad I’d lost my Dragon.
The building was full of students enjoying their free time. I didn’t want company, so I strode straight through the foyer to the front meadow and continued until I hit the path along the lake.
And then I began to run.
33
Bree
I closed the book and dropped my head into my hands.
The source of my angst rested against my leg. Yet no matter how much I searched the references, they just seemed to raise more questions.
Or maybe I just didn’t like the answers.
Sid sat across from me, buried in another book. He’d offered to help me dig up more on the sword. But of course, he was seriously hampered—he had no idea who Riggs really was.
A Dragon prince, and possible savior of an Empire in ruins. When you knew that, the sword made a whole lot of sense.
But what didn’t, was my ability to wield it.
That I could do so was immensely reassuring, an indication that Fate wasn’t lying to me. That Riggs and I were connected by more than just my hormones, and that an odd mental link forged when Caliel had healed him.
Something had changed with Riggs since last night. I didn’t know how I knew, I just did. But I hadn’t had a chance to ask him about it before class, and now he’d headed off on his own.
It niggled at me. Like I needed to be with him. My restlessness only increased the longer I sat there…
