“I mean, who would say no to flying a Drag—?”
Willow’s loud and indignant huff cut off Charlotte’s statement, and a chuckle escaped me at her reaction.
Charlotte just shrugged.
“Have you chosen your replacement?” my guardian grunted at Asher when he and Braxton finally joined us, though it wasn’t quite clear who won their argument—they were both scowling.
“I have, Chief.” Asher’s gaze focused on someone behind me, and he faced them. “I’d like to offer my old position to you as Kingston’s Commander in the Skyborne Legion.”
We all turned to find Harper standing taller, clearly proud of herself as she looked back at him. “It will be the highest honor.”
“Only because she now gets to formally order us around,” Harrison jested, causing everyone to agree.
“Nothing has changed,” Elijah, her mate, added.
My guardian offered her a single nod, clearly approving of Asher’s decision. “My choice as well. Welcome, Commander.”
“Thank you, Chief.”
“Congratulations, Harper,” I offered sincerely and gestured for Braxton to step aside with me. “How did it go with the Truth Teller?” I asked while everyone shared their congratulations behind us.
“Intense.” He sighed. “I need to fully control my Wizard magic to fight Raithian one on one, so I need to find the crown as soon as possible to see if that can help me control it.”
Concern filtered through me because I knew how he felt about having to use the magic of his trapped ancestors, but I nodded.
“She said I’ll need four Dragons for that battle too.”
“Tharion, Venom… Knight, and Ardor?” I offered, assuming the last two were a given since they had fought with the Harbinger.
“Yeah, that was my guess too. She also said someone close will betray us.”
The words left him hesitantly, but my gut instantly tightened with his confession. My gaze swept the men and women behind us, who had fought by our side for so long. “They would never—”
“I know, but it’s going to be bad, so it must be someone close.”
Blood drained from my face, calling Willow to my side. “Is everything alright?”
“Someone is going to betray us,” Braxton admitted, including her in our confidence. He trusted her as much as I did.
Startled, she glanced at our Elevated Warriors. “I don’t think any of them ever would.”
“I doubt it too,” my mate confessed. “But we should do everything we can to prevent it.”
“The Truth Teller’s words must not be taken lightly,” I urged, seeing Willow’s eyes widen when she learned where the warning originated. “We must be careful with whom we share our plans from now on.”
The ache I felt reflected in my mate’s expression, but he agreed. “She didn’t say it would be a deliberate betrayal.”
“So, we should assume it could be an accidental one,” my best friend added, causing Brax and me to exchange a loaded glance.
“From now on everything we plan must remain between us, Kingston, Imogen, and Asher,” I offered, and he conceded.
“I’m sorry, Willow.” Regret colored Braxton’s features when he glanced at her.
“Don’t be. I understand. I’ll keep an eye on everyone just in case.” Her attention bounced between the others and us before she left our side, and the heaviness increased in my chest.
“Chief, Asher, Imogen, please…” With a nod, my mate summoned them to our quarters, and we all met inside.
“What’s happening?” Imogen questioned, stopping next to him.
“As I shared with you earlier, the Truth Teller informed me that betrayal would hurt our cause deeply, so from now on, only the three of you will be part of our planning and informed of any actions we decide to take.”
“What about Harper and the others?” Asher asked, his brow furrowing.
“I’m sorry. Everything will be on a need-to-know basis. They will only know what we are doing and where we are going before we go, and only when absolutely needed.”
“They would never—”
“We know,” Imogen interrupted Asher’s heated rebuttal—he seemed insulted that we would even consider any of them could do such a thing. “We know,” she repeated, placing a placating hand on his arm. “This isn’t about not trusting them, Asher. It is about doing everything possible to avoid the Truth Teller’s vision for as long as we can. You know better than anyone that when a seer witnesses something, it is impossible to stop it. No matter how hard you try, it always comes to pass.”
The fight died within him because he knew it was true. His own mother had foreseen one day she would leave him behind to fully give herself to her mission. No matter how fiercely he tried to keep her with him, the day came when she left his side and retired to the Icelands. He was still so young when she left, which prompted Kingston’s invitation for him to train with the warriors. It gave Asher purpose.
“We never know who is listening,” I added, trying to help him understand our intention. “It might happen by accident, but we need to be vigilant.”
“Of course. Forgive me for misinterpreting your intention.”
“There’s no need to apologize, Brother. We feel the same way; this is just too important,” my mate admitted.
“I agree,” Kingston concluded. “What is our next step?”
“Well, I have the ring.” Braxton lifted his hand, showing us all. “I need to visit Skylar to see if my sword is ready. And we need to start searching for the crown.”
“Did you feel anything different when you wore it again?” I asked, taking his hand in mine.
“The connection was far stronger than before. I could feel the magic from the crystal piece rushing through me.” He swallowed, as though it was unsettling. “And it glowed golden instead of blue, just like my magic does.”
“What’s first?” Asher faced him, on board with the plan once more.
“The crown,” Braxton answered. “Kingston suggested we look in the Hall of the Forgotten. So that is where we should start tomorrow morning."
“That is likely to give us at least a clue,” I agreed.
“Once we return, we can visit Larie’s shop for your sword and to get the new armor for the guard,” his commander advised, referring to his girlfriend, and Kingston’s daughter, Skylar.
“I must start training your guard at Elevated Warrior level, so unfortunately, I will not be accompanying you tomorrow. Nonetheless, I wish you luck,” Imogen offered.
“I understand,” Braxton admitted. “Do you need anything from me?”
“I need to give them rides.”
A thoughtful yet slightly concerned expression captured his face for a moment, but then my mate’s Dragon Eye ignited gold as he connected with Tharion… Or so I assumed. An internal exchange occurred between them until the light in his gaze dimmed, letting the connection recede. I loved seeing how easily his Dragon powers came to him now.
“Tharion will find six Dragons who want companions and send them your way,” he grunted, as though their conversation hadn’t gone as planned. “They’ll meet you in the training field first thing tomorrow.”