Page 6 of Daring the Drakarn Warrior Lord
"The humans are here." Jalliun's hands remained steady at his sides. "Mated to our finest warriors. They've proven their worth in combat, in strategy, in healing. Denying their value doesn't erase their presence."
"Their presenceisthe problem." Karyseth's wings rustled. "Every day they remain, they corrupt. They weaken. They teach our warriors to value softness over strength, sentiment over duty."
"They teach our warriors that strength comes in many forms."
"They teach our warriors to forget what they are."
The venom in her words made my fangs ache. I'd heard this before, in Council chambers and whispered conversations, but hearing it here, in the Temple's heart, felt different. More dangerous. Karyseth didn't just disapprove of Terra and her brethren. She hated them with the kind of cold certainty that led to violence.
"What I am," Jalliun said, "is a priest who serves Scalvaris. All of Scalvaris. Not just the parts that conform to your vision of purity."
Karyseth's laugh was sharp enough to draw blood. "Your vision will destroy us."
I chose that moment to step into the light.
Both priests turned, and I watched the argument drain from their postures. Jalliun's expression shifted to respectful acknowledgment. Karyseth's face could have been carved from the same stone as the altar behind her.
"Warrior Lord." She inclined her head, the gesture technically correct but empty of any real deference. "We did not expect you so early."
"Clearly." I let my gaze move between them, making it obvious I'd heard enough. "I trust the preparations are proceeding smoothly, despite the … theological debate."
Jalliun had the grace to look somewhat abashed. Karyseth simply stared at me, and I felt the exact moment her attention fixed on my hand.
On the ring.
Her eyes narrowed. Something flickered across her face, too quick to name but cold enough to feel. When she spoke again, her voice could have stripped flesh from bone.
"I see you wear your corruption proudly, Warrior Lord."
My claws flexed. The ring caught the light again, deliberate. "I wear a gift from my mate. As is my right."
"A gift of foreign influence worming its way into the highest levels of our leadership." She took a step forward, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop despite the heat crystals. "How long before foreign ideas follow? Foreign loyalties? How long before Scalvaris becomes something unrecognizable, led by a Warrior Lord who values his human's trinkets over his people's traditions?"
The accusation hung in the air.
I could have roared. Could have reminded her exactly who led Scalvaris, who commanded the Blade Council, who'd earned his position through blood and victory and years of service. Could have put her in her place with the kind of authority that left no room for question.
Instead, I smiled.
"My mate," I said, voice soft, "crafted this ring with her own hands. Worked the forge alongside Vyne, learned our techniques, honored our methods. She took metal from her fallen ship, the last piece of her old world, and shaped it into something new. Something that bridges what was with what is." I held up my hand, letting the ring gleam. "If you see corruption in that, High Priestess, perhaps the problem lies not with the gift, but with the eyes that view it."
Karyseth's scales rippled—a tell she couldn't quite control. Fury. But she was too calculated to let it loose, not here, not now. Instead, she drew herself up, wings folding tight against her back.
"The Skalanth will proceed as tradition demands," she said. "The Temple will fulfill its duties, as we always have. I trust the Warrior Lord will do the same."
It wasn't quite a dismissal. She didn't have the authority for that. But it was close enough to make the insult clear.
She turned and swept from the antechamber, her tail leaving a trail in the dust. I watched her go, tracking the rigid line of her spine, the controlled fury in every movement. She'd retreat now, regroup, plan. Karyseth never acted on impulse. That's what made her dangerous.
When her footsteps finally faded, Jalliun released a breath.
"My apologies, Warrior Lord. That was … unseemly."
I waved off his concern. "Karyseth's opinions are no secret. Better to hear them directly than whispered behind closed doors."
"Still. The Temple should present a unified front, especially during the Skalanth." He moved to one of the wall alcoves, adjusting an offering that had been knocked askew during the argument. "The discord serves no one."
"Discord has always existed. We just pretend otherwise during ceremonies."
