No matter that they’d just almost died, some things would never change. And it felt damn good to see things return to normal again.
Chapter Twenty: Timothy
“Enough of your silly squabbling,” the chimera boomed from the shadows. “Be serious. This is an enormous threat we’re dealing with!”
“You’re the master of fire,” Damon said, coming forward with Autumn. “But that’s impossible. We should have known.”
“And I’d love to know how you were able to shift despite the dragonsbane,” Gregory added, giving Braeden a suspicious look. “Was this all just a game to get close to us?”
“You lot are so paranoid.” Braeden crossed his arms. “How many times have I told you that I’m not one of them?”
“The dragonsbane has worn off,” Timothy said when he suddenly realized what had happened. “I apologize. I should have realized earlier. You were supposed to get another dose yesterday...”
“But instead, you managed to vanish. Well planned,” Gregory said.
“It wasn’t planned at all.” Braeden clenched his teeth. “I don’t care what you think. I’m not a traitor—neither to you nor to them. I was sick and tired of seeing innocent people attacked. I needed to at least try and talk to them.”
“Great plan,” Timothy said dryly. “Worked out well for you, didn’t it?”
“Since I’m apparently the new master of fire now, it could be worse.” Braeden narrowed his eyes at Timothy.
In turn, Timothy gave him an unimpressed look.
A fire dragon on the council of elements... and not just any fire dragon, but Braeden!
No, there was no way that the chimera would go with that.
“Silence,” the chimera boomed. “I need to think. Fire dragon, you were our prisoner for the crimes you have committed and the danger you pose.”
Braeden lifted his chin stubbornly. “I’m not a danger to anyone. And I’d like to point out that I just saved you all from Steele.”
“He’s got a point, you know,” Autumn said into the following silence.
Timothy frowned, watching as Braeden relaxed a little and gave Autumn a relieved smile.
It was true that Braeden had saved Autumn’s life once. And he’d just driven the fire dragon away.
Speaking of which...
“What happened out there?”
Braeden looked a little embarrassed. “Oh. Steele got away. Sorry. I’m not actually sure how. He went into the ground, and I lost all trace of him. I should have been able to sense the fire in him... Instead, all I got was a sense of smoke. Shadows. Something was blocking my view.”
“Shadows and smoke,” Damon muttered. “Sounds very familiar. Something’s off about that dragon.”
“And if you are the master of fire, why was that other dragon able to wound Timothy?” Liana demanded.
No one had an answer for her. Even Timothy couldn’t come up with a theory. All he knew was that the fire dragon had felt off somehow.
It was the chimera who finally broke the silence.
“Master of fire or not, I won’t have a fire dragon on the council after what happened,” he growled.
Braeden gestured in frustration at the fourth plinth. “Are you sure that’s your choice to make?”
The symbol of fire gleamed brightly, illuminated by a ghostly red light. Now that they were all staring at it, it pulsed gently.
Timothy could feel the power behind it. It was true—it didn’t feel different to the power of earth, air and water. It felt as if fire belonged here, into the council chamber, even though they didn’t have any records of a fire dragon ever being a part of the council of elements.