The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

Thorne moved away from the window and approached Draeven’s desk.

”We need to discuss something more important than her current lack of control,” he said, his dark eyes fixed on Draeven. ”You remember, don’t you? We suspected she was masked before she even arrived at the palace.”

Draeven nodded, understanding immediately where Thorne’s mind was going.

”Yes,” the First King confirmed. ”Someone masked her. Before she entered the palace, before she came under our protection, before we knew she existed....someone masked her magical signature completely.”

Kaelen looked between his brothers, understanding the significance.

”So the question isn’t whether she’s a witch,” Thorne said, his voice sharp. ”The question is WHO masked her? And more importantly, WHY?”

”It had to be someone powerful,” Draeven said. ”Masking magic this strong, magic this ancient....it would require either a witch or wizard of extraordinary power, or...”

”Or a dragon,” Kaelen finished, his pale eyes narrowing. ”If it was dragon breath used to mask her, she would need to have encountered a dragon before arriving at the palace.”

”Not any of our dragons,” Thorne said firmly.”

Draeven’s expression grew more thoughtful.

”Which means,” he said slowly, ”if it was a dragon that masked her, she encountered it outside the palace. Somewhere in the kingdom.”

Kaelen stood and began to pace, his mind clearly working through the implications.

”But if it was a witch or a wizard,” he said, ”the masking would have to have been performed by someone of extraordinary power. Someone who could mask magic this strong, magic this ancient, magic this essentially draconic in nature.”

”Draconic?” Thorne asked, his dark eyes sharp. ”Why would you say draconic?”

”Because the way her magic responds,” Kaelen said, turning to face his brothers, ”it’s not entirely human magic. It’s ancient. It’s powerful in a way that suggests draconic bloodline, draconic heritage, draconic connection.”

The three kings exchanged looks.

The implication was clear but unspoken. Morgana didn’t just have magic. She had DRACONIC magic. Which meant somewhere in her bloodline, somewhere in her ancestry, there was a connection to dragons.

”So if she has draconic magic,” Thorne said carefully, ”and someone powerful enough to mask her, we need to know who that someone is. They would have to have a reason to hide her.”

”Is she in danger?” Draeven asked. ”Or is SHE the danger?”

”Maybe both,” Kaelen said quietly.

”There’s another matter we need to address,” Draeven said, shifting the focus slightly. ”Carrick Greythorne.”

Thorne’s dark eyes flashed with understanding.

”He knows something,” Thorne said. It was not a question.

”He knows something about Morgana,” Draeven confirmed. ”The question is: how much does he know? And what is he planning to do with that knowledge?”

Kaelen stopped pacing and turned to face his oldest brother.

”You think he came to the palace not just about Isolde, but about Morgana?” Kaelen asked.

”I know he did,” Draeven replied. ”The timing is too convenient.”

Thorne moved to the desk and leaned against it, his arms crossed over his chest.

”He came to investigate,” Thorne said, understanding crystallizing. ”He came to see for himself whether Morgana is what he thinks she is. Whether she’s the Mother of Dragons.”

Kaelen began pacing again, his mind clearly working through the strategy.

”So he brought the girl,” he said. ”The white-haired girl he claims is the Mother of Dragons. But she’s not. We both know she’s not.”

”No,” Thorne agreed. ”She’s something else entirely.”

Draeven rose from his desk and moved to the window, looking out at the palace grounds below.

”The girl is a distraction,” the First King said. ”Or she’s leverage. Or she’s both.”

”She’s powerful,” Kaelen said. ”I could feel it when I first saw her. Her magic is different from Morgana’s, but it’s strong. Ancient in a different way.”

Thorne turned to look at him.

”What do you mean, ’ancient in a different way’?” he asked.

”Morgana’s magic feels like draconic magic,” Kaelen explained. ”Raw and wild and connected to something primal. But the girl....her magic feels calculated. Controlled. Like it’s been refined over centuries.”

Draeven turned from the window, his golden eyes thoughtful.

”Which means she’s not just a gift,” the First King said. ”She’s a threat. Or she could be. Depending on how Carrick plans to use her.”

”What are you thinking?” Thorne asked.

”I’m thinking,” Draeven said slowly, ”that Carrick brought the girl to the palace as a test. He wanted to see how we would react. He wanted to know if we would be fooled.”

Kaelen stopped pacing.

”Simon’s findings will tell us who and what she is,” he said. ”Once we know that, once we understand her power, we can determine how much of a threat she represents.”

”But in the meantime,” Thorne said, ”Carrick is still in the palace. He’s still gathering information.”

”Let him,” Draeven said coldly. ”Let him believe his gambit worked. Let him think we’re considering his gift. While he’s occupied with that belief, we can investigate how much he knows about Morgana. We can figure out what he plans to do with that information.”

Thorne moved back to the center of the room, his dark eyes intense.

”Carrick is playing a dangerous game,” he said. ”If he truly knows that Morgana is a witch, if he understands what she represents, he’s not going to simply sit back and wait for us to make decisions.”

”Then we decide faster than he can act,” Draeven replied. ”We learn what he knows. We learn what he’s planning. And we neutralize the threat before he can make a move.”

”How?” Kaelen asked.

”By being smarter than he is,” Draeven said simply. ”By understanding his motivations. By using them against him.”

Thorne’s dark eyes gleamed with understanding.

”Isolde,” he said. ”He’s protecting Isolde. Whatever he knows about Morgana, whatever he’s planning, it’s connected to saving his daughter’s reputation, saving his house’s standing.”

”Exactly,” Draeven confirmed. ”Carrick came to the palace because his daughter was expelled for conspiracy. She lost her chance at being queen. House Greythorne lost prestige, lost opportunity, lost power. Carrick came to regain what was lost.”

”By offering us the fake Mother of Dragons,” Kaelen said, understanding the strategy. ”If we accept his gift, if we believe the girl is what he claims, then Carrick can demand concessions. He can demand that we restore his daughter’s reputation. He can demand that we give House Greythorne back its standing.”