His words didn’t calm me much as I’d like, but I took the bag from him, throwing it aside once the crown was in my hold. Braxton slid the sword inside the scabbard on his hip, the crystal pieces remaining connected to him even after he let it go and opened both hands before me.
Please protect him… I prayed to the Celestials. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to witness Braxton get captured by the crown’s power once more. Nevertheless, I placed it in his palms and stepped back, seeing the two crystals within the eye sockets immediately begin to glow.
Braxton fought its power, muscles tightening along his arms, but it didn’t resemble the effort it took him to get control the first time. His assessment was correct. The missing ring was affecting the connection. Unfortunately, we didn’t know whether that was a good or bad thing yet.
His arms slowly lifted it to his face, but once he put it on and the bands closed around the back of his head of their own will, everything changed. Every inch of my mate’s body went eerily still, veins protruding against his neck, and announcing the attack had begun. The more he tried to fight back, the more the tension rose in him, his form beginning to shake.
Forced breaths snuck through gritted teeth, the pressure increasing while my mate strained himself, trying to take control. Fear clawed my being when I witnessed thin trails of blood flow from his ears, pooling along his wide shoulders.
The screams were back.
I was about to shout at him to please stop when his hands snapped towards the horns of the crown. His Dragon strength took over the next second, bulking his arms and causing grey scales to partially cover his skin—just like it had when he nearly punched the life out of Lachlan. A splintered roar burst from his mouth, and he wrenched it off his head, sending it flying towards the floor.
Kingston was forced to jump out of the way when it crashed over the stone, then bounced towards the dresser, impaling itself to its side.
“Braxton!” I rushed to his side when he fell against the wall behind him, struggling to breathe. “Are you okay?” Kneeling next to him, I cradled his bloody neck with trembling hands.
“I can’t,” he croaked, shaking his head while he tried to inhale deeply. The tiny veins along his eyes popped, red blotches staining the white and showing his eyes were bleeding this time too. “Their screams… It’s much worse without the ring.”
His ears began to heal just as his weak, bloodied gaze bored into mine.
“I can’t wield the Dragon Crown, Evie… I never will.”
30
“Your power will be enough, Braxton. You have greatly developed your magical abilities since you started training, and you won’t fight alone,” I reminded, my thumb caressing his cheek while I witnessed the blood recede from his eyes. “I know it feels like that right now. I know the world weighs heavily on your shoulders because of who you are and who he is to you, but it is not up to you to save us. It is up to all of us.”
Kingston nodded, stepping closer. “You don’t need the crown, my king. You have an entire Legion who will fight with you. I will fight with you, and I will not rest until we obliterate Raithian.”
“And what am I? A fly on the wall?” Imogen protested, making us all chuckle. “I don’t think I need to remind you all that I am THE Red Wing. I fought by your father’s side until the last moment, and I will fight by your side until my last breath.”
Optimism returned to my mate’s gaze, appreciation and resolve visibly capturing his being. “It will be my honor to fight with all of you.” When his attention returned to me, he looped an arm around my waist and yanked me up with him, making me squeal. Smiling at my surprise, he kissed me, giving me hope.
“Good,” his mentor concluded. “Now that the pity-party is done, can we please form a plan? Because I don’t know about you, darling, but that warning from the Truth Teller left me cold.”
With a deep sigh, Braxton’s lightness receded, giving way to the warrior he had become. “What do you propose?”
“I think we should take the fight to him, before he decides to come for us.”
“I agree with Kingston,” I informed my mate. “You two have a pact right now, so whatever we do will come as a surprise. And we need to use that to our advantage.”
“But the element of surprise won’t be ours forever.” Imogen’s attention shifted from Braxton and I to Kingston. “If the Truth Teller says war is on the horizon, he might already be planning something.”
“We now know he has spent years searching for the Anima Crystallum, to reclaim the magic he once stole without success,” Kingston mused, “and now your power has grown exponentially in the last few days because of his training…”
“Braxton’s magic is the next best thing for him,” I reluctantly admitted, continuing Kingston’s thought.
“Raithian might be planning to drain him sooner rather than later and use the boost in power against us…” Imogen concurred.
“Aside from the evident reason,” Kingston gestured towards Braxton, “we cannot let the Warlock become more powerful. He might need to be careful now when employing his abilities, but if he infuses himself in any way—”
“It’s game over for us,” my mate interrupted, seeing Kingston nod.
“Let’s take the fight to him while he’s still comfortable with Braxton’s training,” I proposed, holding Braxton’s gaze. “We attack the Hollow.”
The severity of my statement settled on everyone’s expression.
“We attack the Hollow,” Braxton confirmed. “Which means I can’t miss another training session. I have to return to him tomorrow, so he won’t get suspicious.”
“It also means we only have a few days to perfect this plan,” Imogen posed, determination capturing her features. “We not only need to surprise him. To end this, end him, we will need to break him.”
“Break him?” Braxton asked.
“Destroy the image he holds of himself,” Kingston clarified.
“He has always been the most powerful, not only because of the Devenish magic he wields, but because he believes himself to be. There has not been anyone remotely like him who could challenge him since he killed his family—"
“Until now,” I asserted.
“Until now.” Imogen grinned, her contagious smile spreading through the rest of us.
“So, we knock him off his self-made pedestal,” my mate added. “Showing him he’s not the top dog anymore.”
“You speak so strangely, darling. I swear…” Imogen complained, making him chuckle.
“We do,” Kingston continued. “We need to intimidate him, overwhelm him with the unexpected.”
“Get him off his game. Got it.”
“Except Braxton is far more than he will ever be,” I reminded everyone. “His Dragon powers are unlike anything Raithian has ever seen.”
“And that is how we bring the fear of the Gods on him.” Imogen’s eyebrows wiggled with excitement, letting me know she was relishing this. “When he runs, and he will run, you have him.”
“Hmmm.” Braxton glanced towards the Dragoon crown impaled into the dresser. “I think I have an idea.” He walked towards it, causing all of us to tense.