Page 42 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
“There’s more,” Ember said, producing a sealed message from her armor. The royal seal of Celestoria gleamed in the moonlight. “This arrived by enchanted falcon moments ago.”
Ignis broke the seal, his expression hardening as he scanned the contents. Without comment, he passed the parchment to Sora.
The message was brief, the elegant script cold in its precision:
Return our servant or watch her family suffer for dragon sympathies. Omegas and those bearing twice-born marks cannot be tolerated within Celestoria or our kingdom’s surrounding area. We won’t allow our neighbors to harbor such dangerous beings. Present the servant alone at the northern pass in three days.
Sora’s fingers tightened on the parchment, crumpling its edges. “They’re using my host’s family as leverage.”
A flicker of recognition crossed her face as she studied the letter more closely. She turned the parchment, examining the edge where faint additional markings were barely visible beneath the royal seal.
“This handwriting,” she whispered. “I know it.”
“Whose is it?” Ember demanded. “What does it say?”
Sora looked up, sadness flooded her eyes. “Morgana’s. My sister’s.” She swallowed hard. “She betrayed me.”
Ignis moved closer, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. “How certain are you?”
“I shared quarters with her for years—this body did.” Sora traced the subtle script along the letter’s edge. “I’d recognize her handwriting anywhere.”
“Your family stands at our border,” Ember reported grimly. “All three of them.”
“No, she said she reported my changes when the princess asked if I’ve been acting differently since being discovered by the frozen lake, nothing else,” Sora whispered, scales shimmering beneath her skin as emotion surged. “Morgana wouldn’t purposely endanger our parents.”
But the evidence before him told a different story.
“Jealousy, when fed long enough, grows blind to consequences.”
“In the short time I’ve known Morgana, the lingering anger was clear.” Sora sighed, closing her eyes. “Nothing I did was ever right in my sister’s eyes—and Morgana made sure I knew it. But why would she go as far as to endanger not only herself but our parents by reporting me?”
“This is a trap,” Ignis stated flatly. “They hope to lure you—or me—into the open.”
“I know,” Sora agreed, as she flipped the letter around, examining it for any other clues. “But they still have my family. And Coal.” She looked up at Ignis, determination replacing shock. “I have to do something.”
“We,” Ignis corrected, his wing extending protectively behind her. “We will do something.”
Ember cleared her throat. “There’s one more detail our scouts reported. The weapons they used against our patrol were unlike anything we’ve encountered before. The essence seemed... amplified somehow.”
“Advanced alchemy,” Asher interjected, looking up from tending the wounded scout. “Princess Jewels has been experimenting. Combining omega essence with other substances instead of just infusing weapons.”
A chill ran through those gathered. The implications were clear—and horrifying. They couldn’t afford to rush into battle blindly, not when they have new deadlier inventions to use on them.
Ignis turned to the balcony’s edge, gazing out over his domain, wings slightly extended with growing tension.
“Gather the council,” he ordered. “Full war preparations begin immediately.”
“Yes, my King.” Ember bowed and departed, taking the wounded scout with Asher’s help.
Alone with Sora once more, Ignis allowed his carefully maintained control to slip just enough for her to glimpse the rage beneath. Smoke curled from his nostrils, and the temperature around him rose noticeably.
“They won’t stop with you,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet. “The prophecy terrifies them because it represents what they’ve systematically destroyed—balance between realms.”
“Kingdoms fall when the natural order is subverted,” Sora observed, drawing on her historian’s knowledge. “But innocent people like my family—and yours—shouldn’t suffer in the process.”
She moved to the balcony’s edge beside him, her shoulder nearly touching his arm. Below, the dragon clan bustled with increased activity, warriors preparing, healers gathering supplies, scouts departing on urgent missions.
“What will you do?”
