The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

The words seemed to echo in the room.

Timothy continued, his voice shaking slightly. "There were witnesses. The noble daughters...Lady Isolde, Lady Vivienne, Lady Seraphine, and Lady Celeste. They appeared as if they knew this was going to happen. And they testified. They said they had seen her acting suspiciously. They said they had warned the council about her. It was all arranged. Your Majesty, it was a trap. A deliberate trap."

Draeven was absolutely still.

Timothy waited, watching his king’s face, trying to gauge his reaction.

When Draeven spoke, his voice was very quiet. "You witnessed all of this yourself?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I was there the entire time. I saw everything."

Draeven nodded slowly.

"Wait outside," he said. "Captain Rhen will see that you’re given refreshment. Do not speak of this to anyone. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Timothy said, and he backed out of the office, bowing as he went.

When the door closed, Draeven sat absolutely still.

For nearly a full minute, Draeven didn’t move.

He simply sat in his chair, his hands flat on his desk, his golden eyes staring at nothing.

Then, very slowly, his hands clenched into fists.

The fury that had been building in his chest....controlled, contained, compressed into a small, burning point, suddenly became almost visible. It radiated from him in waves. The air in the office seemed to grow colder, though that was impossible. The very space around the First King seemed to contract, pressurized by his rage.

Morgana had been arrested.

Morgana had been taken to the dungeons.

And it had been orchestrated.

Draeven understood immediately what had happened. He understood the strategy. He understood the cruelty and the calculation behind it.

Isolde.

It had to be Isolde. There was no one else with the access, the motivation, and the cold intelligence to pull off something like this.

And she had used the other noble daughters as her tools.

She had turned them into accomplices, turned them into witnesses, turned them into the instruments of Morgana’s destruction.

Draeven’s hands were trembling slightly with the force of his barely contained rage.

He stood and moved to the window, looking out over the palace grounds.

His mind was already working, already calculating, already understanding the implications and the constraints of his position.

He wanted to go to the dungeons. He wanted to free her immediately. He wanted to drag Isolde to the council and expose her conspiracy.

But he couldn’t.

Because if he did, if HE openly defended a servant girl against the testimony of multiple noble daughters, questions would be asked. Questions that couldn’t be safely answered.

Why did he care about a servant?

Why would he risk his reputation, his standing, his relationship with the council of elders to protect someone of no consequence?

The only answer was the truth: because she was something more than a servant. Because she was the one they had been searching for. Because she was the key to breaking the curse.

But revealing that truth would make her more vulnerable, not less. It would turn her into a prize to be fought over, a weapon to be controlled, a tool to be used by everyone in the palace who had ambitions and power.

He needed to think.

He needed to act.

But he needed to do both carefully, strategically, in a way that protected Morgana without exposing her.

"Rhen!" he called out.

The door opened immediately. Captain Rhen had been waiting just outside.

"Your Majesty," Rhen said, stepping into the office.

"Go to my brothers," Draeven commanded. "Tell them to come to my office immediately."

Rhen’s expression shifted, he understood that something serious had happened, that the First King was operating in crisis mode.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Rhen said, and he left immediately.

Draeven returned to his desk and sat down.

He picked up his pen, then set it down again.

His mind was working through possibilities, calculating risks, understanding what needed to be done.

***

Thorne entered the office perhaps ten minutes later, moving with his characteristic grace and economy of movement.

He took in the scene immediately....Draeven sitting at his desk, the tension radiating from his brother, the unusual summoning that had pulled him away from the library where he spent most of his time.

Without comment, Thorne dropped into the chair across from Draeven.

For a moment, he simply looked at his eldest brother.

Then he said: "The palace is unusually noisy today. Servants are whispering. Rumors are spreading. What’s happened?"

Draeven looked at Thorne directly, his golden eyes burning with controlled fury.

"Morgana has been captured and taken to the dungeon," he said, each word clipped and precise.

Thorne’s entire body went rigid.

"To the dungeon?" His dark eyes widened slightly, the only sign of emotion he allowed himself. "Against what charge? Theft?"

"Theft," Draeven confirmed. "Lady Margot’s necklace was allegedly found in her possession. She was arrested this afternoon by Mistress Calla’s inspection team and taken into custody."

Thorne rose from his chair immediately, his hands clenching.

"That’s impossible," he said. "Morgana wouldn’t...she couldn’t...."

"It’s a trap," Draeven said flatly. "A carefully orchestrated setup. The necklace was planted. Witnesses were prepared. The whole thing was designed to remove her from the palace."

"Isolde," Thorne said, and it was not a question. The Shadow King’s mind was already working through the implications, understanding the strategy, seeing the trap for what it was.

"Almost certainly," Draeven agreed.

Thorne began to pace, his mind clearly working through possibilities, understanding the implications, calculating what needed to be done.

"We need to move immediately," he said. "We need to get her out of the dungeons before...."

The door to the office opened abruptly.

Kaelen strode into the room with the controlled intensity of someone who had been pulled from something important and was already approaching the edge of his patience.

His pale ice-blue eyes swept over the room, taking in Thorne’s agitation, Draeven’s controlled rage, understanding that something serious had occurred.

"What’s happened?" he demanded, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Rhen said it was urgent. He said I needed to come immediately."