CHAPTER 162: MEETING THEM AGAIN

Ashen sat at his desk, the pile of scrolls and papers spread before him. He tried to read, tried to let the black ink on parchment settle in his mind, but the words blurred. His brother’s last words clung to him like smoke, drifting into every thought.

Don’t forget what happened to the last prince.

Ashen’s jaw tightened. He had trained himself not to get worried at Adam’s taunts, but this time the words dug deep. They weren’t just a threat. They were a reminder of how quickly the court could erase someone.

His quill snapped between his fingers, spilling a drop of ink onto the ledger he had left unopened for days.

He stared at the blot, then pushed aside the other files and pulled the tax ledger which was getting his brother worried closer. If he could not push his brother’s voice away, then he would at least use it as fuel.

The ledger smelled faintly of dust and oil. He flipped through the pages, eyes scanning the neat columns of numbers.

At first, it looked like ordinary taxes collected from trade tariffs, grain shipments. But then something caught his eye.

The ink here was newer, darker than the rest. He traced the line with his finger. A sum was listed as "provisions for soldiers," but when he cross-checked it with the supply records, the grain shipments never left the royal storehouses. Another line, written in the same hand, sent coins for "training facilities" in the south, but there was no report of warriors being stationed there.

Ashen leaned back in his chair. His heart was steady, but his mind raced. The money had not gone to the warriors, it had gone somewhere else.

He turned another page, cross-checking again.

His fingers tightened on the parchment. This wasn’t carelessness.

He flipped further and found the trail leading back to the Crown Prince’s seal.

"Adam."

Ashen let out a short, humorless laugh. Now it made sense why Adam had tried so hard to push Lumina to get this, why he had pushed so desperately against Ashen’s rising position. If Ashen had found this, it meant Adam’s schemes were already slipping.

And worse if Adam had been training men in secret, then what for? Was he planning to overthrow their father?

Ashen exhaled slowly and pressed his thumb against his temple. He could almost hear Adam’s voice again.

"I am Nothing," Ashen muttered, "but now I hold something that could ruin you."

His eyes went to the ledger once more. He thought of Lumina, pale in bed after the poisoning, her soft voice steady even when her body trembled. Adam had gone that far because of this to keep this secret.

Ashen closed the ledger with a snap. If Adam wanted bones to chew on, then he would feed him but not without a consequence that would choke him.

He stood, sliding the ledger into a drawer, and turned toward the door. His boots struck the ground.

But halfway down the corridor, he froze. He could feel a presence. He spun around with his eyes narrowing.

But the corridor was empty, only the tall windows spilling pale light across the floor.

"My lord, shall I follow you?" a voice asked behind him. Ero, his aide, appeared from the side hall.

Ashen hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Guard the office. And make sure Cyres receives his punishment in full. I expect nothing less when I return."

Ero frowned. "Return? Where are you going?"

Ashen didn’t answer. He simply lifted a hand, silencing further words, and strode forward.

The presence pressed closer, like a hand on his shoulder, but when he looked back again the hall was empty. Still, his instincts screamed he was being followed.

He drew in his power, the dragon force curling inside him, and stepcorridorhis invisibility form. His form blurred, slipping into the air like mist.

Just then from the shadows at the far end of the courtyard, a cloaked man appeared, his hood drawn low.

The figure glanced around, searching, but Ashen was already gone, soaring beyond reach.

The man cursed under his breath, then disappeared into the palace corridors.

Shen appeared by the border where Aria in her griffin form already, her wings like fire, circled above him. She dipped low, feathers catching the sunlight, and with a ripple of energy, she shifted back into her human form.

Aria landed before him, her boots striking the rock ledge with ease.

"You are late again," she said, brushing hair from her eyes.

Ashen landed a breath later, his cloak settling around him. His chest rose and fell, from the storm inside him.

"Then let us waste no more time," he murmured. "The truth is waiting for us there."

Together, with the sky opening above them, they took flight toward the heart of the dragon’s domain.

Ashen and Aria landed on the scorched stone, the air thick with smoke and heat. The ground trembled as something stirred far below.

From the shadows, great shapes moved seven dragons, their scales glowing like metal, eyes burning gold and red. Fire cracked in their throats as they rose, circling the two intruders.

Ashen bowed his head slightly, feeling the old, heavy weight of their presence settle on his shoulders. He heard their voices before they even spoke, the low thunder that only he could understand.

"You came again..." a deep voice rumbled, the sound echoing like rolling stones. "Are you here for a favor?"

Another voice followed, sharper, bitter like steel scraping stone. "Of course. Perhaps the dragon’s breath was not enough. Now he is back for more, after all he has done to us for years."

Ashen lifted his head, his golden eyes flashing. "I never abandoned you," he said, his voice steady but fierce. "You abandoned the realm first."

The dragons’ eyes shifted, one by one, until they fixed on Aria. She stiffened as the heat in the air grew. Then, without warning, a burst of flame roared toward her.

Ashen moved before he thought. His power surged, a shimmering shield of energy rising between Aris and the fire. The flames broke across it, curling harmlessly into smoke.

He turned on them, his voice sharp. "Why did you do that?"

One dragon lowered its massive head, eyes glowing with anger. "You made her pretend to be one of us," it said.

"She wore our shape. She broke the ancient vow. We never planned to bless the festival for years, and yet she stood in our place."

Ashen’s shield flickered but did not fall. "She never breathed fire," he snapped. "She only made an illusion for them. You don’t have to punish her for everything."

"Why should we forgive?" another dragon hissed. "Why are you still angry with us, little prince? If you believe you are the cause of our rage, then why do you still come to us?

Ashen clenched his fists. "Why are you still mad at me?" he demanded. "If I am the cause of this, say it! Why play with me and yet deny me? Why refuse to meet with my father?"

The oldest dragon blinked slowly. Its voice rolled like distant thunder. "That is for you to keep thinking and us to follow. "Why am I here?" he said, narrowing. "Why am I here?" he said. "Because you told me the last antidote you gave me would cure my wife. But it hasn’t. It’s killing her."

A low rumble filled the valley. Smoke curled from their jaws like sighs.

"So now we are about to lose you to love," one dragon murmured. Its voice was sad and cold. "Just like we lost your father to love."

Ashen’s hands trembled once, then stilled. "I was never meant to be dragon-blood," he said quietly. "I am not forcing you to accept me as your leader. Adam should be..."

Seven heads snapped toward him. Fire erupted from their throats, a wall of heat and light. The blast lit the valley in gold and red.

Aria gasped, her eyes wide with fear. Ashen stood his ground, the heat whipping his hair and cloak, his heart hammering.

"Never speak that name before us!" they roared together, their voices shaking the air. "Never mention that bastard again. We will say this once because we know why you are here."

The flames died, and the smoke drifted up like ghosts.

"You met someone outside this realm who can help your wife," the oldest dragon said at last. "Even though we do not accept your wife, we will give you one warning."

"Never... do anything that will bring destruction to the Drakonis realm. You are its last hope. If you go astray, we will leave forever, but the realm will die."

Ashen stepped forward. "Then tell me..." he began, but the words died in his throat.

The dragons were no longer looking at him. Their eyes had gone blank, their bodies still. One by one, they folded their wings, curling back into the shadows. The great heat faded as their breathing slowed.

Ashen stared at them, as they all slept in front of him not giving him the reason why he was here.