Page 75 of Flameborne: Fury
“Yes, Sire.”
With no more to say, he waved me off. I jerked my head at the messenger to follow me as I started towards the door out of the chamber, then leaned into the young man’s ear, querying that I’d heard correctly, and when it was apparent that I had, I sent him off with a new responsibility.
“I need a Fang pin and a knight’s blade brought from the Quartermaster to the Auditorium as soon as you can lay hands on them.”
The boy darted off as I turned at the open door to offer the King one more bow before leaving the room myself. “Thank you, Sire. I’ll have her raised and ready for tomorrow, then return.”
“I’d expect nothing less. See you at midnight.”
My heart bubbled with anticipation, but as I stepped out the door and turned to close it behind me, I was stopped by the Queen hurrying after me, her skirts lifted to free her steps.
I looked at her, surprised by the light of glee in her eyes.
“I have to see this, Donavyn. I helped raise her to First Rank, after all. She’ll need other women present to recognize what she’sreallyachieved. And besides, I want to be able to crow at every noble from here to Draeventhall that I saw the very first female Furyknight pinned.”
Everything in me wanted to deny her, but she was Queen. So, I merely bowed as she passed, then hurried down the hallway outside, letting her trot alongside me, forced to keep my face straight and my steps measured, even though they burned.
I was returning not only to an historical moment for all the Furyknights. But to mymate.
Even the Queen eyeing me from the side couldn’t steal the joy of that.
29. Raised
~ BREN ~
I couldn’t believe it was happening.
The high auditorium wall swept a massive circle from one side of the stage to the other, leaving room below for hundreds of Furyknights to sit on terraced level blocks that followed the curve, so every seat faced the stage. Those tiered levels of hewn stone must have required dragons to move the blocks. But its black, onyx walls were dragon-flamed and gleamed even in the dark, so slick they reflected starlight.
To make the space even more impressive, the dragons hadn’t stayed outside the walls as they did when we entered the buildings. At least a dozen were perched atop the black exterior wall like enormous birds on a fence. If Akhane had been among them, I might have laughed. But I could feel her, still distant. To the east, I thought. I wished she was here, but I wanted everyone else alive more, and bringing Akhane in her heat and Kgosi with her into this relatively small space with so many other males was just asking for disaster.
So, I’d been relying on my brothers to steady me, keeping my eyes on their beaming faces to remind me that standing on thisstage was a good thing. I wasn’t being disciplined, I was being raised. I had earnedmy pin. And everyone was about to see it.
It was surreal.
The shocking part was how many of the Furyknights had come to watch, despite the late hour. I watched as they continued to file in from the entrances at the side and back, along with the sounds of more dragons rising outside the walls, unseen behind those perching above. I never imagined so many would come.
The Wing Commanders had called my raising without any warning, after the dinner hour. An urgent call because I had duties to attend the following day.
Furyknightduties.
I couldn’t believe it. This was impossible. And yet, here we were. And the growing hum in the auditorium came from the crowd of male voices—Furyknights, stableboys, servants, and staff, all of whose lives centered on the dragons.
And they were here to seemeget pinned.
I had hurriedly bathed in the servants quarters, braided my hair still wet, and now stood at attention at the center of the stage, wearing fresh uniform leathers and an empty sheath at my hip that strapped to my right thigh, as I’d been instructed. The Wing Commanders stood to my left at the corner of the stage, talking under the noise of my brothers who were lined up behind me and the gathering crowd in the auditorium. The three Commanders expressions were stern and worried, and I had no doubt their quiet conversation focused not on me, but on the impending threat of our enemies that Akhane and I had discovered.
Ronen had already warned me the ceremony would be brief because I was the only one being raised, and because the leaders were all meeting with the King afterwards to finalize their strategy to contain this mess.
We walked to war. Or, to battle, at least.
That thought cooled my blood.
I had no doubt we’d succeed in putting down the small army I’d seen. Our forces were far too strong, and I hadn’t seen any sign of dragons.
But Ronen said it was also possible that the men I’d seen were only a foot-camp, and there was more hidden miles beyond them. Possibly including dragons and their riders if they’d kept to the unclaimed Pyre swamps.
My head spun with the risks, as well as frustration that I hadn’t thought to have Akhane fly beyond them to check if other groups were following. A fresh wave of nerves rose in my chest and made my trembling worse.
