The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

Cedric waited for the side conversations to quiet before answering. ”King Draeven was able to physically restrain his brother’s dragon form and hold him until control returned. Once Kaelen regained his human mind, he was able to complete the shift back to human form.”

”That is... extremely concerning,” Aldric said quietly. His voice was so calm that everyone turned to listen. ”What you’re describing is not a moment of loss of temper or a brief lapse. You’re describing a situation where one of the kings transformed involuntarily, operated on pure instinct, and only regained control through external restraint. That suggests the transformation itself was being driven by something other than the king’s will.”

”The curse,” Venn said again, his voice carrying certainty now. ”The curse is asserting dominance over their human consciousness.”

”Which means,” Varrick said slowly, ”that we have a finite amount of time before they become completely unstable. Before they lose the ability to rule. Before the realm is left without a throne.”

The weight of this statement hung in the air like a physical presence.

Brennan spoke hesitantly. ”What... what does this mean for the Selection? The noble daughters, should they be sent home?”

”The Selection is the least of our concerns right now,” Matthias said, his strategic mind clearly working through scenarios. ”The real question is: how much time do we have? Days? Weeks? Months?”

”That is unknown,” Cedric admitted. ”The incident suggests the curse is worsening, but it does not tell us at what rate it will continue to worsen.”

”Have there been other incidents?” Garrison asked. ”Before this one?”

”Not that we are aware of,” Cedric said.

”So the rate of deterioration is accelerating,” Matthias concluded. ”Which means we need answers about what can stop it or slow it. Which brings us back to the girl.”

Aldric was watching Cedric carefully, his aged eyes sharp and calculating.

”The transformation,” Aldric said slowly, ”and the investigation into the girl’s origins. You’re suggesting a connection between them?”

”I’m not suggesting anything,” Cedric said carefully. ”I am presenting facts. How those facts relate to each other is for this council to determine.”

”But the timing...” Aldric pressed. ”The girl arrived at the palace, and shortly thereafter, we have unusual behavior from the kings. Then we discover she is not what she appears to be. And now one of the kings loses control of his dragon form in a way that has apparently not happened before.”

”Correlation is not causation,” Varrick said sharply. ”Just because two things happen at roughly the same time doesn’t mean one caused the other.”

”Agreed,” Cedric said. ”Which is why we investigate further. Which is why I sent someone to look into her background.”

”Which brings us to the investigation report,” Matthias noted.

”Yes,” Cedric said. ”It is time to discuss what we have learned about the girl.”

***

Cedric rose from his seat and moved to the table’s center, where he had positioned a sealed document.

”The information I am about to share comes from my investigator, who spent considerable time in Ashford village conducting interviews and gathering information about the servant girl Morgana and her background.”

He opened the document and began to read key passages, his voice carrying the weight of careful investigation.

”According to the records gathered: approximately eighteen years ago, a woman appeared in Ashford village. This woman was alone, heavily pregnant, and in a state of significant fear. She gave no explanation for her presence or her circumstances. She was assisted through childbirth by the village herbalist, a woman named Marta.”

Cedric paused, letting this sink in.

”The woman and her daughter have lived in relative isolation in Ashford ever since. They have been protective of their privacy to the point of being reclusive.”

”What does the daughter look like?” Venn asked immediately. ”Is there any indication that she might be....”

”The physical description does not provide clarity,” Cedric interrupted gently. ”She is unremarkable by external appearance. The significance lies elsewhere.”

He continued reading: ”According to reports from multiple sources, the child was born around the same time as Morgana. In other words, approximately eighteen years ago.”

Aldric leaned back in his chair, his aged eyes focusing on a point far away.

”And here is where the investigation becomes more significant,” Cedric said. ”The child was born with a name. A birth name that was spoken by the attending midwife with apparent reverence. The specifics of that name remain unknown, the village has been unusually protective of this information.”

Venn stood abruptly. ”The Mother of Dragons? Could the birth name have been....”

”We do not know yet,” Cedric cut him off. ”The village refuses to speak it. Multiple sources indicate it is significant. One source suggested it was spoken ’like announcing royalty.’ But the actual name remains unknown.”

Brennan’s face had gone even paler. ”You’re saying... you think she might be....”

”I’m saying nothing of the sort,” Cedric said firmly. ”I am presenting information. The girl’s birth name was significant enough that the entire village has agreed to protect her identity. Her mother fled from somewhere, arriving in Ashford in a state of terror. The girl has been raised in isolation, hidden from the world.”

”The prophecy,” Matthias said quietly. ”The Mother of Dragons prophecy. The one who would be born to break the curse. A child of fire and shadow, neither crown nor title would mark her, but the dragons would know her.”

”That is one possible interpretation,” Aldric said calmly. ”Among many others.”

”What others?” Varrick demanded. ”What else could this possibly be if not the prophecy?”

”A spy,” Aldrich said simply. ”The daughter of a noble house or an enemy kingdom, placed in the palace to gather intelligence on the kings.”

”A weapon,” Matthias added. ”Some form of magical construct designed to affect the kings.”

”A cursed thing,” Venn said, his scholarly mind conjuring darker possibilities. ”Something ancient that was bound or hidden centuries ago and has now found its way back to the surface.”