The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

He raised his hand and Rhen appeared at the doorway.

”Summon Cedric to the palace at once,” he commanded. ”I want him here by morning.”

Rhen bowed again. ”Yes, Your Majesty,” he said, and then he was gone.

Thorne leaned back in his chair further, his dark eyes becoming distant and thoughtful.

”I heard that House Greythorne is making moves,” he said quietly.

He paused, seeming to weigh his next words.

”But I am not certain what their intentions are. My sources are still gathering information.”

Kaelen’s pale eyes narrowed.

”They would not sit idle,” he said. ”Not with Isolde’s expulsion.”

Kaelen set down his wine glass and looked directly at Draeven.

”Knowing them, I was not expecting Lord Carrick to not react to what happened to his daughter,” he said. ”House Greythorne does not accept losses lightly. Carrick especially.”

Lord Carrick Greythorne was not the kind of man who would accept his daughter’s expulsion from the palace without response. He was too proud, too powerful, too connected to simply allow the matter to rest.

”He will make a move,” Kaelen continued. ”The question is what form that move will take.”

Draeven’s expression did not change, but there was something in his golden eyes that suggested he already knew the answer to that question.

”He has already made his move,” Draeven said.

He set down his fork, his golden eyes moved from Kaelen to Thorne and back again.

”I received a letter this evening. Before Morgana was summoned to dinner,” Draeven continued. ”From Lord Carrick Greythorne himself, requesting an audience.”

The statement hung in the air between them.

Thorne straightened slightly in his chair, his dark eyes sharpening with immediate focus.

Kaelen’s pale eyes widened for just a moment before he regained his composure.

This was not unexpected, but the timing was significant. Carrick had not wasted time. He had not attempted to work through intermediaries or to gather more information. He had written directly to the First King, requesting an audience.

Thorne turned to face Draeven.

His dark eyes fixed on his oldest brother. ”Will you see him?” Thorne asked.

Draeven met Thorne’s dark gaze directly.

”Let him come,” Draeven said simply.

”Moreover, House Greythorne has a debt to pay to the throne.”

Draeven picked up the win cup and rolled it in his hand.

”He should be coming to pay it in full, for the damages his daughter caused.”

The statement carried weight that extended far beyond the simple incident of Isolde’s conspiracy. It encompassed everything she had done while in the palace....the bribes she had paid to servants, the false evidence she had created, the manipulation she had attempted, the disruption she had caused to the court’s normal functioning.

All of it represented a cost to the kingdom. All of it represented damage that needed to be compensated for.

And Lord Carrick would be expected to pay that compensation in full.

***

Kaelen nodded slowly, his pale eyes showing satisfaction with this approach.

He understood immediately the genius of Draeven’s strategy. By framing the audience around debt rather than negotiation, Draeven was taking control of the conversation before it even began. Carrick would arrive expecting to defend his daughter, to negotiate terms, to perhaps demand some form of recompense for her treatment.

Instead, he would find himself faced with demands that he pay the kingdom for the damages she had caused.

It was a brilliant reversal of expectations.

Thorne inclined his head, his dark eyes showing approval of his brother’s strategy.

”That approach leaves him little room to maneuver,” Thorne observed. ”He cannot deny that his daughter caused damage. He cannot argue that compensation is not appropriate. He can only determine how much he is willing to pay to preserve what remains of House Greythorne’s honor.”

Draeven’s lips curved into something that was not quite a smile but held satisfaction nonetheless.

”Exactly,” Draeven said. ”And in determining how much to pay, he will essentially be admitting that his daughter’s actions were serious enough to warrant significant compensation. He will be publicly accepting responsibility for her behavior.”

Kaelen leaned back in his chair, his pale eyes reflecting the candlelight.

”By the time he leaves this palace, House Greythorne will be significantly poorer, and their political position will have been damaged,” he said, understanding the full implications of what Draeven had decided. ”Not destroyed...we are not cruel, but noticeably diminished.”

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, each one understanding what these decisions meant for the kingdom as a whole.

By calling off the Selection, they were making a statement to every noble house in the kingdom. The Selection had failed. The noble daughters were no longer acceptable.

By demanding that Cedric come to the palace immediately, they were ensuring that word would spread quickly. The court would be in upheaval by morning. The noble houses would begin making new calculations, new strategies, new attempts to understand what the kings’ next move would be.

And by agreeing to see Lord Carrick while simultaneously demanding payment for his daughter’s crimes, they were setting a precedent. Actions had consequences. Families would be held accountable for the behavior of their members.

Draeven reached for his wine glass and took a slow drink.

”By this time tomorrow, the entire court will know that the Selection is over. Within a week, every noble house will have received word. They will begin calculating what it means. They will begin positioning themselves for whatever comes next.”

He set the glass down and looked at his brothers.

”And House Greythorne will be dealing with the consequences of their daughter’s actions,” Draeven continued. ”They will be paying debt to the throne. They will be publicly accepting responsibility. And they will be far less inclined to cause trouble in the future.”

Thorne’s dark eyes moved toward the fire that burned in the fireplace, the flames dancing with their own rhythm and life.

”There will be chaos among the noble daughters,” he said.

”Some of them will attempt to use this moment of uncertainty to gain advantage. They will try to position themselves as allies rather than competitors. They will attempt to discern the identity of whoever has captured the kings’ attention.”