Page 44 of Flameborne: Chosen

The Queen’s eyes went wide. “Truly?” she asked breathlessly.

I nodded. “Truly. The Dragons have already acknowledged and named her. I’ve informed all ranks, and along with my men, made dispensations for her unique situation. I plan to formally acknowledge her and place her in a squad in the morning.”

The Queen beamed and she clasped her hands together as if she wanted to clap. But the King sputtered.

“You can’t be serious?”

“I am, Your Highness.”

“Oh, don’t give me the formal shit, Donavyn. Not now. There’s no one here but us. Tell me the truth: is this some of ploy? Are you trying to wake the men up? What’s the purpose?”

“No, Sire. There’s no deception. I was shocked and alarmed when I learned the new Flameborne was a woman. As it is, I’ve already delayed her Acknowledgement to make certain there’s no mistake. But there is none. Kgosi has affirmed her, and taken her dragon under his wing. As you can imagine, it’s caused quite a stir.”

“Oh, I heard the dragons today and I thought they sounded agitated,” the Queen said, putting a hand to her husband’s arm. “That must have been when it occurred.”

I nodded. “Please don’t be concerned. The dragons have already accepted her. It’ll take longer for the men, but my leaders are all in Accord and we’ll handle it. I only wanted you to know so that you weren’t confused by gossip. She’s a commoner. From the farmlands. She’s twenty, and quite alarmed by this turn of events. I’ve personally selected her squad. She’ll be surrounded by the most mature and steady of our Furyknights and given every opportunity to succeed. But she will be required to meet the same exacting standards as any man. If she cannot… well, I’m certain we can use her and Akhane among the messengers, or in some other area where she doesn’t have to face battle.”

The King frowned. “You’re certain this isn’t a trick? A maneuver by our enemies, or—”

“Akhane is homebred and has mentally linked with her. There’s no trick, Sire.”

Alexi turned away to pour another drink.

The Queen did clap then. “How exciting. She’ll be inspiring for—”

“I must meet her,” Alexi muttered, staring at me over the lip of his glass.

The Queen’s smile faltered and my heart rate sped up. “Your Highness—Alexi,”I corrected myself when he frowned harder, “She’s an uneducated commoner. She would be overwhelmed by the royalservants,let alone your crown,” I said, hoping to stroke his egoandturn him away from poor Bren. “Not to mention that we can’t separate her from Akhane yet. It’ll take weeks before the two of them can comfortably be out of each other’s sight. Also, I’d be concerned about others seeing her receive special treatment. Our men aren’t honored to meet you personally until they’re raised, you’ll recall. Perhaps if she makes it through the trials? You and the Queen could attend the ceremony.”

Diaan looked at her husband. With her positioned slightly behind him, I could see her face and he could not. My hackles rose.

“I suppose you’re right,” he muttered, utterly unaware of his wife’s tension. Then he turned to pour himself another drink. “This is unsettling, though.”

“It is.”

“Is she strong?”

I swallowed a wince. “In many ways. She’s certainly accustomed to hard work, being raised on a farm.”

The King huffed and sipped at his drink. “It means nothing. You’ve explained the work with the dragons is far more strenuous than normal cattle.”

“It is,” I agreed again. “But at this early stage all we’ll be doing is conditioning and training her. If she makes it through the trials, we’ll determine in that process where her gifts lay and move on from there.”

“Make certain she doesn’t get pregnant,” the King said bluntly.

I cleared my throat. “I’ve already sent her a healer to help in all the ways she might need,” I said as diplomatically as I could.

Diaan rolled her eyes behind her husband’s back. “The poor girl is probably terrified—or not. Perhaps she’soverjoyedto suddenly be surrounded by so many men of strength and valor,” she said, her eyes locking on mine as her smile crept back up.

“Not at all. She underestimates her position. But we’ll ensure that she learns both the honor and the privilege she’s been granted.”

“Women in military,” the King huffed. “It’s a joke.”

I hated dancing these lines between the Royals. One thing Diaan had always been committed to was raising women into positions of power. She lacked objectivity, but made valid points and asserted her own power to help others with great consistency. I’d known she’d love the idea of a female Furyknight.

I had also suspected the King, who far preferred to keep most women out of discussions in power, would disagree.

“If I could beg a favor of you both?” I asked cautiously.