Chapter 26
An enemy was easier to hate when you never had to look them in the eye.
~ Rebel Beast
“Maverick Nightshade is beginning to chew more than he can handle and it’s high time we taught him a lesson,” growled Thamas, one of the dragon shifters.
While dragons were often seen as noble creatures, there was still hierarchy even amongst themselves and the Drakhar household were considered royalty. Hence it was natural that all dragons deferred to Rhydian even within the academy.
Rhydian’s features were grim. He halted suddenly, causing the cluster of dragons to stop with him.
Rhydian turned to Thamas and asked, “And what exactly do you have in mind?” His face was hard to read.
Thamas puffed out his chest, saying, “I believe if our families come together and protest, we’d be able to force him out of the academy p>
Rhydian snorted.
“Maverick Nightshade is the powerhouse keeping this academy in line. The fact he’s already protecting the humans probably means President Callum put him to work. Even I can see his value, not to mention my father p>
Thamas wasn’t deterred. “You mean when your father hears that Maverick is messing with our grades p>
While the beasts loved playing gods within the academy walls, it was still a gilded cage. Most of them couldn’t wait to graduate and return to their people. For students like Rhydian, there were responsibilities waiting beyond these walls. One day he would inherit the Drakhar name and everything that came with it.
Rhydian looked at him as though he had suddenly grown another head.
“That only tells me you don’t know Maximus Drakhar well enough. My father would roast you alive for complaining about a teacher. He’d tell you to take control of the situation and handle it yourself.” His eyes glowed faintly at the end, authority rolling off him in waves.
Thamas squared his shoulders.
“In that case, I’ll get rid of him p>
“Excuse me?” Rhydian was genuinely taken aback.
“You said I should take authority, didn’t you? Then I choose to get rid of the man once and for all p>
Rhydian was in his face the next second.
His hand shot out, grabbing Thamas by the collar and lifting him slightly off the ground.
“You would doom us p>
Thamas spat back, “Look around you. We’re already doomed with the humans in the academy and now Maverick protecting them. Before long, they’ll expect us to put our sticks into their honeypots like the wolves and produce halflings. How doomed will we be then p>
Unfortunately for him, those words only seemed to infuriate Rhydian further. The dragon prince yanked him even closer.
“Do you think we’d live long enough to crossbreed when Violet Purple learns that something happened to her son p>
At the mention of that name, the dragons became tense.
Violet Purple was Maverick Nightshade’s mother. The woman who had torn open the barrier between worlds and brought their kind into this region.
More importantly, she possessed the power to erase people from existence itself. In that case, there would be no body to bury, not to mention, a grave to visit. No proof they had ever existed at all.
If they dared harm her firstborn son, that would be their fate. Violet Purple had brought them here, and she could just as easily make them disappear.
“Rhydian,” Tamara said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him.
But Rhydian snapped at her and she immediately let go, startled. Everyone looked at the dragon prince in surprise. This was the first time he had reacted that way toward Tamara.
Even Rhydian himself couldn’t understand why he was so irritable. He released Thamas, who glared at him while straightening his shirt.
A low rumble escaped Rhydian’s chest and as much as Thamas hated it, he lowered his head. Unless he was prepared to challenge Rhydian for leadership right then and there, it was wiser to back down. Dragons had foul tempers and Thamas wasn’t deluded enough to think he could defeat the Drakhar heir.
Tamara cleared her throat.
“I understand that most of us are agitated right now, but Maverick’s rule actually has no direct effect on us p>
That immediately caught everyone’s attention. Rhydian frowned.
“What do you mean?” one of the dragons asked.
Tamara was emboldened. “Maverick thinks he can control us through our grades but that’s where he’s wrong. We don’t have to dirty our own hands p>
“Oh p>
Understanding immediately dawned on Rhydian.
The House of Aetheris was not limited to dragons alone. It included every avian creature capable of flight. Eagles, hawks, falcons, ravens, crows and dozens of others. Most of them held no real influence within the House and certainly didn’t enjoy the privileges dragons did.
More importantly, nobody cared if they repeated a year, and very few of them would dare refuse a dragon’s order.
Just like Rhydian, the others figured it out too, knowing smiles appearing across their faces.
Thamas grinned. “Then let’s have them attack the human residence tonight. It would be fun seeing the look on Maverick’s face afterward p>
“Yes,” Kelab, another dragon, agreed eagerly. “We could have the little birds set the roof on fire and enjoy their screams p>
The excitement spread quickly as more dragons bought into the idea. Except an image suddenly flashed through Rhydian’s mind.
Bright blue eyes. Brown hair. Aria Aspen.
If the dragons went ahead with this plan, there was no guarantee the human girl would survive.
The realization irritated him far more than it should have. Before he knew it, he boomed, “Enough p>
The sudden roar shocked the dragons into silence. Every head turned toward him, confusion written on their faces. Shouldn’t he be supporting the plan?
Rhydian could see the suspicion beginning to form in their eyes but he didn’t care. He was their leader and they would obey.
“There will be no secret attack tonight p>
“What?” Thamas shouted.
“Then tomorrow?” Kelab asked hopefully.
“Nobody makes a move without my approval. Am I understood p>
Silence answered him. The dragons exchanged uncertain looks.
“Am I understood?!” Rhydian thundered.
“Yes, my prince!” they chorused immediately.
Rhydian’s hard gaze swept across the group before settling on Tamara.
“Keep an eye on them. You know what to do if anyone gets out of line p>
Then he turned and walked away. Halfway down the path, Rhydian pulled his phone from his pocket. He needed to see that bastard Caelis.
Because for the first time in a very long time, Rhydian Drakhar had absolutely no idea what he was doing, anymore.