Page 11 of Flameborne: Fury
I nodded again.
Ronen blew out a breath and the roil of nerves bubbled in my gut. I was already sure he’d draw the same conclusions I had, and that Mont had implied in his writing. And I hated that. But we couldn’t speak about it. We’dneverspeak about it. Ronen and I both had to be verycareful in this conversation, because sometimes the walls had ears, and the secrets we protected would save lives.
Ronen cleared his throat and dropped his hands to his lap, staring at the tabletop. Clearly this had unsettled him as well. “She rides a grayscale whose size would indicate she’s equipped for battle, yet the Flameborne lacks bloodthirst. She seems more focused onoutwittingenemies, than killing, or beating them down,” he said slowly.
“I agree.”
He nodded slowly. “Sir, I believe Flameborne, Second Rank, Brennan Kearney ismost likelysuited to Wing of the Fang and should be trained for scouting and ambush.”
My heart stilled in my chest, but I didn’t let it show. “Your conclusions align with both mine and Captain Mont’s,” I replied, watching him carefully. Because there was one more step, but we had to be so careful with our words…
Ronen’s chest expanded and his shoulders tightened. “Sir, she shows significant potential. I believe her training should be to the limits of our capacity.”
And there it was.
Damn.
I hadn’t realized how much hope I’d held that I was wrong, until that moment.
Secrets. She had lived with secrets in her past. Now she’d live with them for her Kingdom.
I rubbed my chin to give myself a moment, scratching at the stubble I hadn’t had time to shave off yet. “Is your assessment made in absence of your close work with her, and her unique challenges?” I asked tightly.
Ronen nodded. “I’d actually belesssure if she was a man.”
I huffed. “I concur.” Neither of us spoke for a moment.
“Have you asked Kgosi?” he asked kindly, like he understood that my stomach was in freefall.
“No, I was waiting until we’d discussed it. Just give me a moment,” I said, hating that my tone sounded so dead. I stoodup and walked to the window to face the stables. Kgosi and I could reach each other from this distance, but I didn’t want to have to guard my facial expression.
‘Are you still awake old man, or have you returned to your nest?’
‘You know, though a dragon has never severed a bond before, there are days I wonder if I might be the first.’
I huffed, but the humor died.‘Ronen and I are discussing Bren’s evaluations. He sees the same thing I do. Mont as well.’
‘The Unspoken?’Kgosi asked calmly.
‘Yes.’I swallowed.‘I hoped I might be wrong. But when I saw how she took that flag—’
‘You weren’t wrong, and you knew it. You were merely reluctant to accept the implications,’Kgosi said. Andhistone was tight, which surprised me. He generally wasn’t emotionally invested in the roles or tasks we assigned the men. But I supposed he’d gotten closer to Bren than he usually would to a Flameborne.
‘I agree,’he intoned, ripping the last of my hope to shreds and throwing them to the wind.‘Akhane is still growing, and their giftings as a Pair will expand even more in the coming years. You should move ahead. Be a tool to mold them.’
‘You’re certain?’
There was a beat before he answered.‘Do you questionme,Donavyn?’
‘No.’
‘Then why—’
‘I didn’t want to be right.’
I expected a cutting remark, or a chuckled quip. Not a rush of love and reassurance from my dragon so deep it threatened tears.‘You’re a good man, Donavyn. And you will do well with this.’
I huffed, but turned back to the table, blinking quickly to ease the sting in my eyes, then faced Ronen and nodded. “Kgosi agrees.”
