Page 72 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

~ DONAVYN ~

The tack room was small and only housed gear for eight dragons. I turned it upside down and found nothing. But I’d been so sure those idiots stole her last banner, and after watching the way Faren treated her, I was even more convinced.

‘How the hell do I prove I didn’t overreact?’ I asked Kgosi when I’d checked every last corner of that space, even turning over the straw bales just in case. ‘He had his hands on her—’

‘The dragons who overheard are agitated by his lies. He was the aggressor. She didn’t taunt him. However, I don’t believe he’s lying about the banner.’

Ronen stood next to me, arms folded, frowning as he scanned the room. “I really thought—”

“Just a moment,” I interrupted him, holding up my hand so I could concentrate on Kgosi.

‘You don’t think he’s lying about the banner?’

‘No. His dragon, Shani, is truehearted, but he’s a red.

They’re always battle-focused. He saw the line of flight as honestly won, but wouldn’t approve injustice.

He says either Faren isn’t lying, or he didn’t see him cheat.

He would have dealt with it. But Faren maintains his innocence, even to Shani. ’

Was it possible I was wrong?

The image of Faren using his height and strength against Bren made me set my teeth. No. He was wrong.

‘We have all been wrong at times, Donavyn. Would you wish your youthful choices to have determined your entire life?’

‘Of course not, but there’s stupidity, and there’s malicious intent— ’

‘The boy is angry. He lashed out. He was punished by you, and will continue to face his dragon’s disapproval of his aggression with Little Flame. But, I don’t believe he stole her banner.’

I was shocked.

I looked at Ronen, whose brows rose. “What? What does he say?”

I took a deep breath. “He says Faren didn’t steal the banner.”

Ronen frowned. “Then why was he coming here so late?”

I shrugged, my head spinning and I played back the events of the day—and then it hit me. “Lorr.”

Ronen and I looked at each other.

“Which squad is he in?” I asked.

“The fourth—their tack room’s on the other side, closer to the door.”

I turned for the door, Ronen on my heels.

When we stepped back into the aisle between stables, Bren’s brothers helping Faren were gone.

Bren was out of sight, too—safely in the stable now, I prayed.

The stableboys still clustered nearby, waiting for more, but I ignored them and turned in the other direction, towards the door.

Once in the tack room, Ronen and I split up until I found Lorr’s harness. I scrambled for the satchel and dug through, but there was nothing.

Dammit. If this young man was willing to remove another Flameborne just to stop her climb when it had no affect on his own rank, what might he do when real stakes were on the line? He needed to be punished for—

“Donavyn?” Ronen’s voice was quiet and dark.

The tack room wall was a line of hooks and L-brackets used to hang and store dragon tack for various purposes. The Furyknights generally only used harnesses with bags and satchels designed to be buckled on when they were travelling and storage was needed.

I turned to find Ronen standing two brackets down where a series of travel-bags with the thick, leather straps between had been slung over to hang either side, awaiting use.

Ronen held one of the pendant banners in his fist, his jaw flexing as he met my gaze. I knew it had to be hers.

“When I was a Flameborne, we used to steal spirits to take on a trip. We’d hide things in the unused bags because no one ever looks in them until they’re tacking up.

We’d position a bag at the back, or under others, so we knew where to find it and it was unlikely to be chosen by someone else.

I bet that fucker hid it when he unharnessed,” Ronen said darkly.

Looking at that colorful piece of fabric in Ronen’s hand, my body swayed towards the door.

The urge to go after Lorr, to find him and pummel the shit out of him, too, was so strong, it must have shown on my face.

When I turned my head towards the door, Ronen hurried to get in front of me and held his hands up.

“You were right to intervene when he was physical with her, but if you go after another man tonight, it doesn’t look like protection it looks like… ”

“Favoritism,” I finished for him grimly .

Ronen nodded.

I took a deep breath. I wanted my hands on that little prick so bad—

‘Be at ease, Donavyn. It’s far better for an objective party to determine the young man’s future. Then you cannot be accused of making things easier for her.’

I nodded. I couldn’t help but smile. ‘As it happens, I need to report in. I know just the person.”

“You’re certain?” The Queen’s question was sharp, but quiet.

“I’m certain that only two men have demonstrated a desire to thwart her, and this was found in the tack room of one of them.

Diaan’s lips pursed. Alexi, the King, humphed. “It’s child’s play. Who among us didn’t do stupid things when we were young? Especially in competition.”

“But, Sire—”

“Dear, Donavyn is right to be concerned. You’ve bemoaned the lack of strength of character in our youth at Court, and here he observes the same among the Furyknight—the Flameborne,” she corrected herself when I opened my mouth.

I nodded as she continued, addressing her husband.

“A true mistake, a willful decision made in haste that is regretted would leave the soul with a conscience, don’t you think?

Admitted fault?” she said softly, turning to her husband.

Diaan often made me squirm, but it could not be denied that she respected her husband’s throne, and knew how to address him.

I stayed quiet, knowing he would likely hear her before he’d hear me.

Alexi frowned. “Perhaps,” he said. I did my best not to conjecture about why he seemed suddenly uncomfortable. “I only know that decisions I made as a youth I would no longer make. You propose cutting the lad off from his shot at Furyknight, is that right, Donavyn?”

“Sire, only because he put another Flameborne in physical risk—and did harm to her dragon. And he has, apparently, gone out celebrating about it.”

The King frowned again.

Diaan met my eyes and offered a half smile, with a hand extended, palm down. Wait. Be patient.

“It makes sense,” she said to her husband, with another glance at me. “She’s pretty and strong and entirely unique. They half-want her, and are half-threatened by her.”

The King huffed. “Donavyn’s just described her being overcome without effort! The man hardly sees her as a threat.”

“Come, dear. Not all threats are physical,” the Queen said patiently.

“She vies for the attention of the most powerful men.” She glanced meaningfully at me.

I pretended I didn’t notice and kept my frown focused on the King.

“She draws admiration, and conversation. Most men either want her for themselves, or want what she has. Namely the attention of men like yourself.”

The King frowned. It was very astute of the Queen, but it bothered me that she could articulate such manipulative tactics clearly.

‘You’re right to be cautious with her, Donavyn.’

I didn’t respond because we both knew I already knew that. As much as I admired the Queen’s strength—and was grateful that if anything happened to Alexi, we had a capable ruler to step immediately into his seat—Diaan made me uncomfortable.

I tried to imagine how it felt for Bren to attract attention from people who could physically overpower her, not just politically, and it made my skin crawl.

“She’s a girl in a man’s world. She should expect some struggles,” Alexi said darkly.

“Husband—the poor girl is likely wanted by every man in her presence, yet they cannot have her. Not every man has your strength of character to simply deny himself. Some become bitter. Or worse.” She gave a little shudder that didn’t seem faked and I frowned.

“I don’t believe all of them want her. But I do agree that she poses a challenge to them. After all, she’s entirely new. And she draws attention. The Flameborne in particular feel a need to prove themselves—”

“And we all know how men are driven crazy by the combination of an inaccessible and unknown woman,” the Queen finished for me.

Alexi was sprawled in a wide seat, and though I had his attention, it was clear he’d rather be done for the night.

I’d caught him leaving yet another council about the threat from a neighboring Kingdom.

If they were meeting this late, it had to be important, and likely related to the team we’d sent into Draeventhall.

But if the King wasn’t telling me, either he didn’t wish me to know, or he didn’t want to discuss in front of the Queen.

Regardless, it was the small hours of morning and we were all here discussing the Flameborne.

If I knew the King, he would lose patience soon, believing he had much more important issues to address.

I cleared my throat, ready to move the discussion to a solution, but the Queen shot me a look and turned to her husband again.

“You told me yourself, you wish you could have an entire legion of Donavyn’s to protect us,” she said with a smile.

“Now, here, our Donavyn is telling you that he measures this man unworthy. If we truly want to build an entire legion like our fair Commander,” she sent me a warm look, “then we should listen when he raises a concern about one of those that might need your intervention. You’re the King, Alexi.

Where anyone else gives instruction, you need only offer a word and it could change a man’s mind—and his heart! ”

She laid it all on a bit thick, but the King shifted his weight and looked at his wife thoughtfully, rubbing his stubbled chin and frowning .