Page 74 of Silver Claws, Crimson Tears
I lower my hands slowly, letting the vortex dissipate into nothing more than a gentle breeze. The display has served its purpose. Everyone here understands the precarious balance of power.
—I won’t blame you for keeping me alive, I say, letting my shoulders relax slightly.But I need to face this, Zephyros. Let me deal with it.
I turn back to face the judge and Cragmere. “Now, shall we try justice instead of intimidation? As both sides can play that game as you well see.”
The judge keeps fiddling with his papers, stalling. Cragmere’s eyes dart repeatedly to the commander’s tower, his face pinched with impatience.
Minutes crawl by. The crowd grows restless, murmuring.
Something’s wrong.
“Why the delay, Inspector?” I call out. “Where’s the Commander? King Craven running late?”
Cragmere sneers but doesn’t answer.
A cold weight settles in my stomach. If the King is here, he’s likely with Commander Voltguard right now. Are they negotiating my fate? Drawing up execution orders regardless of this mockery of a trial?
My fingers twitch. Sweat trickles down my spine despite the morning chill.
—Zephyros, can you see into the Commander’s office?
—No. The windows are shuttered.
My heart pounds faster. Cragmere checks the tower again, his anxiety palpable.
Screw it.
I take a deep breath and focus on Cragmere. His mind is right there—an ugly swirl of ambition, resentment, and fear. I hesitate for just a heartbeat, but invading the mind of the man who wants me dead seems only fair. My power slips through his consciousness like a knife through butter.
—...where is she? She promised to be present. Can’t hold this rabble much longer. That cursed dragon. If he attacks... No. I will avenge you, my love. This murderous bitch won’t go free.
I nearly stagger backward as Cragmere’s thoughts reveal his pain. My love? The pieces lock together with sickening clarity. Cragmere and Cindergrasp were lovers.
The relentless pursuit, the personal vendetta, the burning hatred in his eyes whenever he looks at me. It’s not just about upholding the law. It’s about vengeance. It’s about grief.
I killed the man he loved.
A bitter laugh bubbles up in my throat.Wyrm’s rot, the universe has a twisted sense of humor. All this time I assumed he was some power-hungry bureaucrat, but he’s a man consumed by loss, just like me.
The realization doesn’t soften my resolve, but it shifts something in my understanding. Cragmere isn’t afraid of what I might do to him. He probably doesn’t care if he dies in the process of destroying me. What’s left to live for when your heart’s been ripped out?
I know that emptiness. I’ve carried it since my mother’s death.
Our eyes lock across the platform. For the first time, I see beyond the pompous exterior to the broken man beneath. In another life, we might have understood each other.
A metallic clank echoes across the courtyard. All heads turn toward the Commander’s tower, where the heavy door swings open.
Voltguard emerges, her obsidian uniform pristine despite the early hour, her gray hair pulled back. Vaylen joins her, his face unreadable, posture hostile. She murmurs something to him, her hand briefly touching his shoulder, a gesture unusual from the stoic Commander.
Vaylen gives a sharp nod and strides across the courtyard with purpose, his eyes never leaving mine. My heart hammers against my ribs. The crowd parts before him like water.
I reach instinctively with my mind, desperate to know what’s happening, what they’ve decided. His thoughts lie just beyond an invisible barrier. I could slip through so easily, read every intention, every emotion...
No. This can’t become a habit. I pull back sharply, curling my fingers into fists. If I cross that line with Vaylen, how could I ever tell him? Another truth I’d have to reveal, another betrayal, another wedge between us.
He stops at the platform’s base. The morning light catches the golden threads in his formal black uniform, making the dragon scales shimmer at his cuffs. Power radiates from him. Not just rank, but presence.
“Chief Inspector,” he says, his voice carrying effortlessly across the hushed courtyard. “Skysinger Wyndward must come with me.”
