Chapter 270: A Sudden Claim

There were simply days when misfortune would befall people. And clearly, today was one of those days.

To be fair to Riley, Liam, and Orien, the three of them managed to reach the room through their own efforts.

They had deliberately chosen not to cheat.

Left to their own devices, they searched for the hidden bone with nothing but what they had learned so far. If there was any concession at all, it was Liam’s path. He had been given a faint mana trail to follow, something like a guiding line that brushed against his senses consistently. It was subtle, but enough considering how he couldn’t really process mana yet.

And because of that, they eventually converged.

The moment they saw one another, all three of them lit up.

Orien arrived first.

Of course he did. Because one could only imagine the level of embarrassment he would have if he hadn’t been able to get there first.

The golden dragonling stood proudly in the center of the room, stomach out, tail raised in triumph, looking every bit like a victor awaiting his audience. He even had his stubby arms by his waist.

“Hmph,” he said, lifting his chin. “As expected.”

He pointed dramatically at the space beneath the table where the faint trace of mana lingered. “I was obviously the first to arrive. How could I not be? This was far too simple for a great golden dragon such as myself.”

Riley, as expected, followed soon after, slower, clearly tired, but similarly glowing with pride even as he received Orien’s gallant greeting.

Liam trotted in moments later, breathing a little hard but smiling so wide it hurt.

The golden dragonling glanced at them, then nodded magnanimously. “Still,” he added, waving a small claw, “you both did very well. Especially considering how slow you are.”

Riley snorted.

Liam giggled.

They exchanged a look, eyes bright, shoulders relaxed, the kind of shared joy that only came from realizing how far they had come.

Just days ago, neither of them would have made it out of the starting point without relying on blind luck and a generous coin toss. Now, even if they were slow and exhausted, they had reached the destination on their own.

That alone was worth celebrating.

So they did.

The two Hales lunged forward at once and wrapped Orien in a crushing group hug. The golden dragonling let out a startled yelp as he was squished between them, tail flailing as he protested loudly about personal space and dignity as if he didn’t actually like what was happening to him.

Since they did well today, the flustered great dragon could definitely allow this grace. Maybe they needed to brush against him to continue having such great progress.

Ahem.

But just as the dragonling rationalized the group hug, he stilled.

His body went rigid and tense unexpectedly.

“Wait,” Orien said suddenly, voice sharp and serious. “Someone’s here.”

“Huh?” Liam blinked.

Riley was just about to ask what brought on the sudden change when he heard it too.

Footsteps.

Unfamiliar ones.

His grin faded into a frown.

Sure, he was a dragon now. But growing up human for most of his life meant that certain instincts still stood out sharply. Footsteps were one of them. The dragons of the estate barely made a sound when they moved. And after living with his family for so long, Riley could usually tell who was approaching just by how they walked.

These however, weren’t familiar.

Not close.

Not good.

And if that was not bad enough, they were right at the edge of the golden dragons’ protective ward.

Right inside the dragon lord’s ceremonial office.

They were technically still inside one of Kael’s offices. However they were in a place that was so rarely used ,Riley could have forgotten it if he hadn’t literally been the lord’s aide for years.

For one, his dragon didn’t particularly have great memories of the dragon estate so he was normally allergic to the place. Second, Kael would never consciously accept guests that he would need to entertain unless there was absolutely no choice.

And probably most of all, most sane dragons wouldn’t really feel safe going up to Kael for a very long list of valid reasons.

So what was this?

Riley swallowed.

To his credit however, he managed to only tremble instead of outright fainting. He knew the ward was still in place so they weren’t exactly helpless.

His first instinct was to turn to Orien and tell him to get them out of there. The golden dragonling could do it. He knew that. He was about to say it.

Then it happened.

A sudden shriek cut through the air.

Sharp. Loud. Startling enough that all three of them froze where they stood.

Well, in truth, it would have been fine if they had simply frozen in place.

Unfortunately, that was not the case for either Riley or Orien.

The shriek hit them full force.

Loud enough that it felt like it went straight through their skulls.

Riley jolted violently, his hands flying up to his ears as dizziness washed over him in a sudden, nauseating wave. Orien fared no better. The golden dragonling staggered, claws almost scraping against the floor as his balance wavered, head spinning as a consequence of their attempt at sharpening their hearing earlier.

Clearly that had not been a good call. However, who would have expected an ear-piercing sound from an intruder?!

Both of them hunched low, breath coming unevenly as the world tilted.

“!!!”

Liam gasped.

The child moved quickly, dropping to his knees between them. He grabbed Riley’s sleeve with one hand and Orien’s arm with the other, anchoring them before either could tip over completely.

“I’ve got you,” Liam mouthed urgently, bracing his feet as he tried to steady both of them.

However, the shriek, much to their surprise, just continued.

It echoed off the walls, shrill and unrelenting, raising goosebumps along Riley’s arms. His vision swam. Orien squeezed his eyes shut, tail curled tight against his body.

Then everything went wrong.

The doors flew open.

The sound was sharp and sudden, cutting straight through the shrieking like a blade.

Footsteps entered the room, or at least attempted to.

Slow. Measured. A stark contrast to the urgent screams that would have sent anyone running in most hospitals.

In the end, the steps stopped just outside the threshold.

Riley’s breath caught as the presence lingered. Whoever it was didn’t move more right away. Instead, the odd and observing silence stretched, thick enough that even the shrill cries seemed to falter for a heartbeat.

__

By the entrance of the room, the man turned his head.

His gaze swept the room before pausing right at the desk.

“Ysvara,” a man said, his voice firm but controlled, “what is it now?”

The tone suggested familiarity. Authority. An attempt at calm.

It didn’t work.

The shrieking intensified.

If anything, it grew louder, more frantic, filling the space beyond the ward and sending a spike of terror straight through the chest of someone who had been hiding desperately.

Riley’s heart slammed against his ribs so hard it hurt.

Right as the door opened, he had lunged forward and ducked beneath the desk, pulling both Orien and Liam with him in a single desperate motion. He pressed them close, one arm wrapped around each of them, holding them tight as if his body alone could hide them.

His pulse thundered in his ears.

Maybe he was being paranoid.

The barrier should block sound, at least the sound from their side, and it should even block out their presence. But Riley had no idea whether there was a glamour layered over it. If there was none, then they might still be visible from the outside.

That thought made his grip tighten.

Then the man spoke again.

“There seems to be a ward in place,” he said calmly, his voice eerily steady in contrast to the screaming woman. “It appears we’ll have to wait for the Dravaryns. Do hold on for a moment.”

Riley froze.

Huh?

That voice.

Now that he could focus on it, he couldn’t help but be more certain.

That definitely had to be the chancellor?

But what exactly were they doing there?

And how had they gotten in like that?

Riley pressed a hand over Orien’s mouth without thinking, holding his breath as he strained to listen. His heart was still racing, thoughts tangling over one another as he tried to make sense of the situation.

This area wasn’t particularly unrestricted and yet here they were?

But apparently he wasn’t the only one with such concerns because soon enough, another presence appeared.

Footsteps. Familiar this time.

Lady Cirila’s voice cut through the lingering shriek, sharp with restrained fury.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Riley squeezed his eyes shut.

They couldn’t see anything from where they were hidden beneath the desk, but they could hear everything with painful clarity.

The man answered calmly, as if he had expected the question.

“An emergency,” the Chancellor replied. “I believed it was my duty to come here immediately, even if it meant risking protocol.”

There was a pause.

“And what emergency would justify this?” Lady Cirila demanded.

“Elder Ysvara came to me,” the Chancellor said. “She claimed to have received a premonition.”

The shrieking in the background hitched, then resumed with renewed force, as if in agreement.

Lady Cirila inhaled slowly.

“A premonition,” she repeated. “About what, exactly?”

There was another brief silence.

Then the Chancellor spoke again, his voice lower, more deliberate.

“She claims that Elder Zephyros is dead.”

Riley’s blood ran cold.

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