I walked down the long hallway, the echo of my steps preceding me.
Sunstone lanterns glowed softly along the walls, white granite veined with black and gold.
The entire cavern had been carved from a single granite pluton. A solid fortress with its timeless energy. As if the stone itself had always expected to bear the weight of dragons and their secrets.
Above me, the ceiling arched way vaulted like a cathedral, but raw in places where the natural stone had been left untouched. Carvings traced the highest points, old script woven into patterns that marked the history of the Guardian lines. Some parts gleamed where claws had brushed them for centuries.
This was the oldest part of El'Elmore. The Hall of Elders. Where nothing was ever forgotten and nothing was ever truly forgiven either.
The long hallway narrowed as I reached the Council wing. The golden glow of the sunstones grew softer here, shadows pooling between the carved arches. The white granite walls, veined with black and gold, reflected the light like ripples on still water.
Cedrick's door stood at the end of the chamber solid oak, its grain darkened by centuries of use.
I raised my hand and knocked. The sound echoed once, clean and sharp.
"Enter."
I opened the door and stepped inside.
Cedrick sat at his desk, his silhouette outlined by the soft shimmer of a sunstone chandelier overhead. His office was dimly lit, the dance of the shadows was deliberate not oppressive, but thoughtful. The walls were lined with shelves, each crammed with worn tomes and scrolls sealed in dragons' wax. The scent of aged paper mixed with the faint trace of ink and old magic.
At the far end of the room, a table dominated the space. Not just any table a table carved with the map of Algoldena, its rivers, caverns, cliffs, and cities marked in painstaking detail. The wood had darkened where hands had lingered, tracing strategies and destinies alike.
To the side, a smaller table stood with two chairs and a bottle of wine already uncorked. Two crystal glasses sat ready, untouched but expectant.
"You called, Sir," I offered, dipping my head in a slight bow.
Cedrick gestured toward the chair closest to the fire. "Yes, Digone. I'm glad you came."
He stood, moving from the desk toward the table, and motioned for me to take the chair across from him at the table.
I sat down and crossed one leg over the other. "All right, sir. You asked for the meeting. What's on your mind?"
Cedrick settled into his own chair, leaning back. He scratched his chin, pausing as if weighing his words.
"What did you find at the city?"
I pulled out my phone the screen unlocked with a soft click. I open to the notes I'd prepared. Cedrick looked away. He always hated human tech.
"We know the fire was first spotted from Korata. A few hundred miles away. It was Ligday, the 12th of Bloomrest and based on some reports it started sometime between late evening and early morning."
Cedrick shuffled some papers on his table. His fingers were stiff. The gesture wasn't about organizing. It was discomfort.
"They could see the fire from Korata? Are you certain?" His brow tightened. The plains around Korata are flat. Not too flat for easy sightings. He was right to doubt.
I kept my tone even. "The priest, a man named Nivek, was in the temple's tower. It is a high vantage point."
I paused, letting the weight of the details settle before continuing. Cedrick had already turned, eyes tracing the carved map embedded into the table.
"It's implausible a human could have seen a fire from that distance," he said at last, fingers following invisible calculations across the terrain. As if verifying the priest's report himself.
Too cautious. Too bound by rules. Or maybe it wasn't caution at all. Maybe it was the power he enjoyed and the ability to control which dragons moved, who they trusted, where they aligned.
He leaned back, stroking his beard, letting the silence stretch just long enough to reassert his command of the conversation.
"What else did your team learn from the Trato fire?"
I took a long, deep breath. "Cause still unknown. No volcanic activity recorded. No lava bombs. The city was lost entirely. All three hundred seventy-five residents. No survivors."
A pause.
Cedrick stood and walked over to the wine table, pouring a glass. "Truly, a tragic loss of life," he said in a mournful tone.
He poured a second glass, corked the bottle again, and picked up both glasses. Turning toward me, he offered one.
"Somenaco's preliminary report stated no magical residue. But..." He held the glass out. His hand lingered a little longer than expected, as if waiting to see if I would offer a different answer than Somenaco had.
I waited a beat, then glanced at my phone again. "That is correct. We concluded there was no magic. It's possible the fire was accidental." I took a sip of the wine, a dry red.
In truth, Somenaco had sensed something. But we found no signs to verify it. We agreed the report should reflect only what could be proven.
"But?" Cedrick pressed. "Do you still stand by Somenaco's report?"
My jaw muscle twitched. I could feel my eyes narrow. Somenaco still being cared for by the healers—and Cedrick already questioning the accuracy of his report? How did he even get the damn report?
"I wasn't aware Somenaco had turned in the report," I said, keeping my tone controlled. No one crossed Cedrick. For the past hundred years, he had been the Queen's right hand and that meant torturing, or even executing, dragons who broke the rules.
Cedrick leaned against his desk, set his wine glass down, and crossed his arms.
"I went to the healers this morning and simply asked Somenaco for it." His eyes locked on mine. "Somenaco, knows even in his injured state, what his mission was that day."
What is this, then? A game?
I took another sip of wine, uncrossed my legs. "Somenaco and I have the same report." I paused, letting the words hang just long enough. "But what I want to know is why Deanna was alone while Somenaco was gone."
I stood, walked around the carved table. My fingers traced the river that ran along Rokora's volcanic regions, where the land was peppered with islands. "Don't you find it odd, Cedrick? That a fire destroys an entire city…"
I turned to face him. "You have me take Somenaco to investigate. And while we're gone, Deanna is killed with no dragon guarding her?"
I moved the small dragon figurine that represented Somenaco on the map. The piece scraped softly against the wood.
"Was that just an oversight?" I asked. "Or something else?"
Careful, be careful I reminded myself."In all the years I'd investigated these reports, no Guardian had ever been sent with me. Not once." my eye locked with his.
Cedrick didn't answer at first. He stared back at the dragon piece I'd moved silently, calculating. Then he pushed off the desk, walking slowly toward the window where the sunstone light faded into shadow.
"That city burned without magic." His voice was quiet now. Thoughtful. "And Deanna fell to her death by an assassin while you and Somenaco were fulfilling the orders we all agreed to."
He turned, arms still crossed. "You think I planned this?"
There it was. He said it aloud before I could. A trap.
"I think," I replied carefully, "that it's convenient. Too convenient."
Cedrick's lips thinned. "Convenience does not imply guilt, Digone. It implies opportunity. And sometimes... fate."
He moved back to the table, straightened the dragon piece I had shifted. Resetting the board to his liking.
"Watch where you let your suspicions wander." His tone hardened. "Your loyalty has never been questioned. Let's keep it that way."
Cedrick stepped closer until we stood eye to eye.
"If it will make you feel better, pick someone from the council to run an investigation."
I felt it. The weight of his power wrapping around me. Not magic. Influence. Control. It was a power play, and we both knew it.
"Dolyel," I answered evenly. "He's Somenaco's family. He'll hunt down the truth."
We held each other's gaze. The moment lingered.
Cedrick looked away first. "Agreed. You're dismissed."
I turned toward the door.
"Oh, Digone…" Cedrick's voice stopped me. "You will be at the council meeting. And make sure Somenaco stays away from the funeral."
I gave a nod, hand on the door handle.
I know dracking well Somenaco will be at the funeral. I'll just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.