Page 4 of Steeling Light (Shadowed Debts #3)

The House of Light is both the strongest and the weakest of the Lesser Houses.

On the surface, their illusions can do so little.

But Vesper was the only reason the Flight survived the long escape from the hunters.

Without her, we would have fallen into despair.

She was the best of us, and that is why I knew Nyth would need her powers.

~Sidon the Strong, The Future of Magic and Dragons

Rhion

“Dragons damned Selithar. Why couldn’t it have been Myrrhaen or Elaris?

At least those would have been interesting.

” I’d overheard her say it at the market.

She always struggles to shift her eyes and hands, and she prefers not to shift her voice.

I’d never forget that voice, but then again, I could find Ainslee anywhere.

She’s always been like a… No. I cannot think about her like that.

Ainslee is going to Selithar by herself. I’m sure of it. But why? She never goes anywhere without Cole or Darian. I know her. I always have. She… Stop that.

Why is she alone now? It must be important, but not that important.

The real question is why she would come here first if she needed to go to Selithar?

Cole and his Wyrdling smelled like humans when I fought them two days ago, so all of them are most likely in that southern kingdom.

The human scouts must have reported our positions.

That’s the only way Cole would have known where we were.

If they were staying in that kingdom, Selithar would be a northwestern flight while Draenyth is almost due north. Why take the detour? She must have come to Draenyth for information first, and now that information is leading her to the City of Moonlight.

Could a relic be hidden in Selithar? Maybe. I wouldn’t put it past my grandfather to hide the Steel Gauntlet from my father there with how much disdain he has for the Lesser Houses.

I stride into my father’s bedroom, the only place he stays anymore. He doesn’t even look away from the map of Nyth. “What do you need?” he asks.

“I need to go to Selithar, Father. Cole is looking for something there, and the only thing that makes sense is the Steel Gauntlet. We know the Burning Brand is in a temple. The House of Earth has never let the Choker out of the Keep. The Cloak is with Cole. The only one that could be in Selithar is the Steel Gauntlet.”

And Gethin Rahn, the most powerful man in the world, turns to look at me.

Madness lingers at the edge of his vision as it has for almost five hundred years, but it isn’t in control currently.

“Selithar? That village isn’t worth a bent sword.

Why would my father hide our House’s greatest weapon there? ”

“I have no idea. But Cole thinks something important is there. I’m sure of it.”

Gethin turns back to the map that he’s covered in annotations. “Fine. Go chase that relic. Don’t you dare try to fight Cole Cyrus again, though. You’ll lose like always, and then I’ll have to find someone else to lead my army.”

He doesn’t say anything else, and I don’t either.

It’s been two days since I fought Cole and his Wyrdling pet.

Two days since I should have died. Part of me wishes Cole had succeeded.

Looking at my father as he tries to find relics to replace the leaders of the other three Great Houses makes me sick.

He’ll destroy anyone who might hold a Throne, and then he’ll put someone from the House of Steel onto it with these relics.

He’ll hold all the power in Nyth, and I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to stop him.

Certainly not Cole, Darian, Ainslee, and their Wyrdling Queen.

What can four people do against the might of the House of Steel and my father?

I turn away from him, not bothering to tell him I’m leaving immediately.

He doesn’t care. I already have the list of temples that we were supposed to search.

It’s not like the great King Gethin is managing anything he wants done.

He just tells me to make it happen. The Burning Brand is in a human temple.

Go find it. Does he know how many temples humans have?

I walk down the hallways, the gray granite floors echoing with my footsteps.

Some Immortals from the House of Steel try to walk silently, but I’ve always been annoyed at that.

A soldier shouldn’t be worried about stealth.

Their job is to be obvious. It’s standing in the enemy's way and forcing them to stop. It’s important to understand your role in the world and to embrace it.

My soldiers’ roles are to be pieces of a machine. Individually, we are the weakest of the Houses. Yet, we can work together in a way no other House can.

Shadow walkers never fight in large groups. Their ability to travel through the void forces them to act as individuals. Casimir’s flame wakers may do respectably well when working in formations, but as soon as someone can move through the flames, they have to break apart.

Even the soldiers from the House of Earth tended to separate. But not my Steel soldiers. My grandfather recognized that. Daegon Rahn was not as smart, nor was he as strong as my father, but he was the best at adapting out of all the first leaders of the Great Houses.

He recognized humans had beaten us because of their formations.

He understood that the only way we could win was if we integrated the idea as well.

Now, every Steel soldier is trained together even more than they’re trained in solo fighting.

They’re soldiers, not irregulars, and that’s why they’re so damned effective.

I step onto the training grounds, and every single soldier stands at attention, many stopping mid-swing.

My men are loyal to the House of Steel, but they’re loyal to me first. I’ve taught them.

I was the one who stood beside them when we shattered the House of Earth.

My father may have killed Roderic, but my men and I cleared the way.

They’re my soldiers. Not my father’s.

I stride across the sands without saying a word, but my smile never wavers, and my nods give many of them the notice they crave. Every single man and woman at my command knows me. I’ve eaten at their table. I’ve spoken to and sparred with most of them.

A good commander’s attention and praise are more valuable than any monetary reward. It’s a lesson I learned from Cole, not my father. And Cole’s never even commanded anyone.

I recognized it from the days when I idolized him.

Any small word of encouragement would push me hard for days or even weeks when it cost him so little.

If there’s anything that I learned from the Prince of Flames, it was the value of idolatry and hero worship.

The nobility of Draenyth placed him on a pedestal, but they won’t go to their deaths for him.

No one has risen to save the House of Flames from their Steel dungeon cells. They’ve hidden.

My soldiers would fall on their swords if I commanded it, and today, they’re going to receive instructions to do something very close.

I step into the command room. My generals are staring at the map that takes up an entire table.

The human kingdoms. All ten of them, each of them given rights and protection from my grandfather and the other leaders of the Great Houses during the Great Treaties, have their villages drawn onto the massive piece of parchment.

The temples have been noted, and all that have been explored have been marked out.

We will find the Burning Brand in one of them. It’s inevitable.

“I have to leave for an unknown length of time,” I say as the five captains stand at attention.

I look into each of their eyes and see the understanding in them.

They’ll be expected to continue the mission that my father set forth.

“The Steel Gauntlet is hidden elsewhere, and while the Burning Brand will give us the power to defeat Shadows, the Gauntlet will give us strength over Flames. And Cole Cyrus.”

The generals nod and look at each other. They’ve heard my report of what happened when Cole and his Wyrdling fought against me and thirty of our men. They know what awaits them if they stand against those two. And we all know that this will come down to war. There’s no doubting that at all.

My father fears Cole. It’s why he’s always pushed me to become strong enough to kill him. It may have taken nearly a thousand years for me to put the ideas together, but I understand now. Gethin Rahn’s only fear in the world is Cole Cyrus.

The Steel Gauntlet will make that fear go away. Cole’s flames and skill with the blade will be nullified.

I point at the map, at ten different villages. “You’ll each take two. Leave a contingent of troops here to protect the city and the Keep, but our goal is to find the Brand, regardless of the cost. And there will be costs. Cole and Maeve will find some of you.”

Kieran, my oldest captain, looks from the map to me. “How are we supposed to fight them? Shadows, Earth, Flames, and Steel all working together is an impossible combination to beat.”

“You fight them in the field so that your fellow soldiers will have time to search their own targets. Eventually, Cole will bring this conflict to Draenyth.” I look into each of their eyes.

“He and his Wyrdling Queen will destroy this place to kill my father—to destroy our House. These relics are what will save us all. You know the lengths he’ll go to when he sets his mind to something, Kieran. Your son was marked, wasn’t he?”

Keirin looks away. I’d heard whispers of what the Shade had forced his son to do. “We’ll fight, Sir. I’d just feel better if you were out there with us.”

It wouldn’t help at all. I don’t say it because it doesn’t matter, and the last thing I want is for them to think that they’re fighting an impossible enemy.

“Good.” I look at each of them one more time, and I remind myself that these are the only men and women who understand the likelihood of death they’re going to be walking into.

The rest of the soldiers have to think that they’re nearly unbeatable.

“Thank you. The House of Steel owes each of you a debt that I can never repay. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Until then…”

I reach into my pocket and pull out a small black glass bowl.

“At the end of each week, fill this with salt water when the sun is low on the horizon and wait for me. I’ll take your reports and then give you your orders.

We both will have to be sitting down at the same time in order for it to work, so you’ll just have to make the best decisions that you can until our weekly talk. ”

Kieran takes the bowl from me and nods. “We’ll see that it’s done, sir.”

Without another word, I walk out of the room and prepare for a trip. I gather my rations and go to the ramparts to look out over Draenyth one last time. I have no idea how long it will be before I see my home again.

And I don’t care one bit.

I leap off the ramparts, my wings growing as I fall, and then I’m soaring over the rooftops toward Selithar.