Chapter 1 - THE TENSION IN THE ARCHWAY
Instructor Voss stepped out of the shadow of the enclosure’s stone archway, his dark riding coat shifting with the dawn breeze. Behind him stood two heavily armed Corps guards, their hand-crossbows leveled directly at Alistair and Marlo.
"I asked a question," Voss said, his voice clipped and cold, echoing off the high stone walls. "What exactly is a disgraced stable hand doing touching a restricted creature, while an investigator angles outside his jurisdiction?"
Marlo didn't break contact with Nyx. The black dragon’s body went rigid under her palm, his amber eye tracking Voss with a sudden, lethal focus. Low rumblings vibrated deep within Nyx’s chest, a sound like grinding tectonic plates.
"Stand down, Voss," Alistair said smoothly, shifting his posture just enough to shield Marlo without making a sudden movement that might trigger the guards. "We’re reviewing standard anatomical records regarding Nyx’s recurring bucking incidents. It appears the prior medical evaluations omitted crucial structural damage."
Voss chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "Omitted? The beast was injured years ago in a routine maneuver. He’s wild, broken, and unbondable. The High Council has already signed off on his execution at the end of the week. Nine injured elite riders is nine too many."
"He isn't wild," Marlo snapped, standing up slowly, keeping her hands visible. "He was sabotaged. The bone alignment in his wing wasn't an accident. Someone broke it and forced it to heal crookedly so he’d be in constant pain." She looked straight at Voss. "The exact same fracture pattern that brought down my sister’s dragon four years ago."
Voss’s eyes narrowed into slits. "Your sister was an incompetent flyer who couldn't handle high-altitude shear. Just like you're an incompetent hand who doesn't know her place." He gestured sharply to the guards. "Arrest them both. Sedition, tampering with classified Corps records, and endangering facility security."
"On whose authority?" Alistair challenged, pulling a heavy silver crest from his inner coat pocket—the seal of the High Imperial Directorate. "My authority supersedes yours in any active criminal inquiry within these grounds, Instructor."
"It would," Voss said calmly, "if anyone outside this courtyard knew you were here."
Before Alistair could draw his sidearm, Voss signaled the guards. But they hadn't accounted for Nyx.
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With a deafening roar that shook dust from the ancient stone cathedral towering above them, Nyx swung his massive tail across the courtyard. The stone floor shattered, spraying debris and knocking both guards off their feet.
"Go!" Alistair yelled, grabbing Marlo’s arm as Nyx shielded them with his massive body, his fiery throat glowing bright orange.
