The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

Morgana walked to the bed, collapsed onto it, and felt the entire world spin around her.

Her body was heavy. Not the pleasant heaviness of satisfaction or exhaustion from pleasure, but something deeper, something fundamental. It was as if every cell in her body had been touched by the conversation with Astraea and had come away changed, drained and depleted.

She lay there with one arm thrown across her eyes, blocking out the late afternoon light that was streaming through the windows. Her other hand came up to her temple, and she began to massage the space there, trying to ease the pressure that had been building since she first stepped into Astraea’s chambers.

The thoughts were still racing through her mind.

Atheris. Ancient dragon. Mother. Protector. He masked you.

Prophecy. Destiny. Mother of Dragons. Title. Incarnation of ancient magic.

Council fractured. Some claim, some weaponize, some destroy.

Your father. Looking for you. Alive.

Carrick works for someone more powerful.

Protect the people you love. They are your weakness and your strength.

The conversations spun endlessly, each revelation leading to more questions, more complications, more weight pressing down on her shoulders.

She could feel her magic still thrumming beneath her skin, responding to the intensity of everything she’d learned, responding to the acknowledgment of what she was. It was like her power had been dormant, contained, waiting for permission to exist, and Astraea had given it that permission.

Now it was awake and it was demanding recognition.

Rowan bent over her friend, concern etching itself into every line of her face.

”Are you sure you’re okay?” Rowan asked, her voice carrying a note of worry that made Morgana’s chest tighten. ”Did she do anything to you? Did she hurt you?”

Morgana shook her head slowly, not removing her hand from her eyes.

”She didn’t do anything to me, Rowan,” Morgana said, her voice sounding strange even to her own ears....hollowed out, echoing with the weight of everything she’d learned. ”She just told me things.”

She let her hand fall from her eyes and looked at her friend, seeing the worry written plainly across Rowan’s face.

”She told me things about myself that I don’t even know,” Morgana continued. ”Things that change everything.”

Rowan was about to ask what she meant, was about to press for more information, when a knock came at the door.

Rowan’s expression shifted instantly from concern to composure. She straightened her dress, smoothed her hair, and moved to the door.

When she opened it, her entire body language changed.

Captain Rhen stood in the doorway, his scarred face impassive, his bearing absolutely rigid with the discipline of someone who had served the kings for longer than many people had been alive.

Rowan immediately lowered her head in respect.

”My lord,” she said, her voice perfectly modulated to strike the balance between respect and appropriate distance. ”What can I do for you?”

Rhen’s dark eyes moved past her to where Morgana lay on the bed, still in her day clothes, looking thoroughly exhausted.

”Is Lady Morgana in?” he asked.

Rowan glanced back at Morgana, then turned to face Rhen again.

”She’s in,” Rowan said carefully, ”but she’s not feeling quite okay right now, my lord.”

The effect of those words on Rhen was immediate and dramatic.

His entire frame stiffened. His scarred face went hard. His hand moved to the hilt of his sword as if the news of Morgana’s illness was somehow a threat that required a martial response.

”Is she okay?” he demanded, his voice taking on a sharp edge. ”Do you need me to fetch the Royal Physicians? Does she require medical attention?”

”No, my lord,” Rowan said quickly, seeing the shift in his demeanor and understanding that she needed to reassure him immediately. ”She’ll be fine with enough rest. There’s nothing seriously wrong. She just needs...”

”You don’t get to decide that, girl,” Rhen cut her off. ”If she’s unwell, the Royal Physicians need to examine her. Those are the orders from the First King.”

Morgana heard the exchange from the bed, and despite her exhaustion, she recognized the protective concern in Rhen’s voice. She pushed herself up slightly on her elbows.

”Thank you, Captain Rhen,” she called out. ”I’ll be okay with enough rest.”

Rhen’s head turned immediately toward her voice.

He bowed slightly, a gesture of respect that seemed to cost him effort.

”My lady,” he said formally. ”Please tell me if you require anything. The kings....His Majesty will want to know that you’re attended to properly.”

There was something in the way he said it that suggested Rhen understood the stakes of Morgana’s wellbeing went beyond simple courtesy. That the kings’ care for her was not a passing fancy. That Morgana’s health and safety were paramount to the functioning of the palace itself.

”Please tell his majesty,” Morgana said carefully, ”that I sent my apologies for not being able to attend dinner tonight. I’ll be better after rest.”

Rhen bowed again, deeper this time.

”No problem, my lady,” he said. ”I’ll relay your message to them immediately.”

He straightened, and for a moment, his dark eyes lingered on Morgana with something that looked almost like protective intensity. Then he turned and walked away down the corridor.

Rowan closed the door behind him and immediately moved to where Morgana was lying.

She bent down, concerned, and placed her hand on Morgana’s forehead.

The moment her skin touched Morgana’s face, Rowan’s eyes went wide.

”Dear gods!” she exclaimed, jerking her hand back as if she’d been burned. ”Morgana, you are burning up!”

Morgana tried to brush off the concern and roll back toward the pillows.

”I’ll be fine, Rowan,” she said, her voice already sounding tired. ”Let me just sleep for a while. I’ll be better by morning.”

But Rowan grabbed her arm and physically rolled her back, her protective instincts completely overriding any hesitation about manhandling her friend.

”No, you are not!” Rowan said firmly, her voice leaving no room for argument. ”You’re running a fever. We need to get this under control before it gets worse.”