fiction
The Buried Heir Returned Before the Dragon, but the Woman Who Truly Saved Him Had Never Worn a Crown. / Chapter 13 / 20

Chapter 13 - The Conspirator’s Gambit

The failure at Norfolk humiliated Julian Voss, but it made him infinitely more dangerous.

Sitting in his executive office in Richmond, Julian stared at the news footage showing Aurelius powering the terminal. His face was twisted in fury.

"They used a wild beast to bypass a cyber-lock!" Julian roared, smashing a crystal tumbler against the marble wall. "It's illegal! It violates every maritime safety regulation in the country!"

"The Coast Guard isn't going to fine a man for using a dragon to save eighty million dollars in humanitarian aid, Julian," Marcus Vance said coldly, sitting across from him. "The public loves him even more now. The news is calling it 'The Flame of Norfolk.' Our short positions on Wycliffe stock are failing. We are losing twelve million dollars a day."

Julian breathed heavily, turning to face a dark, heavily veiled woman who had been sitting quietly in the corner of the room.

"Is the device ready?" Julian asked her.

The woman raised her head, revealing the sharp, ruthless features of Dr. Vanessa Sterling—a disgraced former lead researcher from the Wycliffe Bio-Tech Division who had been fired years ago by Clara for conducting unauthorized genetic experiments on dragon-scale tissue.

"It is ready," Dr. Sterling said, her voice smooth as venom. She set a heavy titanium briefcase on the table and popped the latches. Inside lay a sleek, high-frequency acoustic resonator, small enough to fit inside a backpack, but powered by a compressed micro-nuclear cell.

"What does it do?" Marcus asked nervously.

"Aurelius’s nervous system is uniquely attuned to specific harmonic frequencies in the Earth's magnetic field," Sterling explained, touching the cold metal of the device. "My former employer, High Steward Alaric, tried to use brute force acoustic cannons. It failed because it only annoyed the beast. This device does not annoy him. It induces acute, violent neurological psychosis."

May you like

My sister flung my ten-year-old son's Christmas gift across her marble kitchen, and the tiny wooden roof snapped against the tile. My brother laughed. Timothy crouched to collect the pieces, but I caught his hand before he could touch them. By morning, an envelope would make my sister's hands shake.

My sister flung my ten-year-old son's Christmas gift across her marble k...

For twelve years, my mother had persuaded everyone in our hometown that I'd turned my back on my family to build a career in the Navy. At my father's memorial service, she publicly shamed me in a packed church and ordered me to take off my military uniform. I was ready to walk away when a retired general rose from his seat with Dad's final letter in his hand and said, "Before you humiliate your daughter one more time, Helen, these people deserve to know the truth."

For twelve years, my mother had persuaded everyone in our hometown that...

My husband sl3pped me across the face in front of his entire family and shouted, “Get out of my house! You don't belong here anymore!” Behind him, my mother-in-law smiled with satisfaction, certain she had finally succeeded in driving me away. What neither of them knew was that I secretly owned the mansion they were standing in—and the $10,000 my mother-in-law spent every month on designer clothes, luxury holidays, and personal comforts came straight from my bank account. They thought they were throwing out a helpless woman. They had no idea they were about to lose everything…

My husband sl3pped me across the face in front of his entire family and...

Julian’s eyes gleamed with malicious delight. "You mean it will make him go crazy?"

"It will make him attack the nearest source of life," Sterling corrected with a cruel smile. "And if we activate this device during the annual Charlottesville Public Festival tomorrow... the dragon will burn the city to ashes. Nathaniel Wycliffe will be forced to kill his own beast, or the military will execute them both. Either way, the Wycliffe legacy ends in blood."

Share

X Facebook Reddit LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

Related Stories

Chapter 14 - The Shadow of the Past
Chapter 15 - The Flame and the Shield
Chapter 16 - The Siege of the Northern Ridge
Chapter 17 - The Judgment of Julian Voss
Chapter 18 - The Broken Crown
Chapter 19 - The Sanctuary

Other posts

gifts to “the grandchildren who made us proud this year,” and my two kids sat on the carpet with empty hands while their cousin tore open a tablet, sneakers, a drone, and gift cards. My eleven-year-old daughter kept smiling because she thought maybe her name was on the next box. My nine-year-old son whispered, “Dad, did Santa forget Grandma’s house?” Then my brother’s son leaned toward them and said, “Guess you didn’t deserve one.” My mother laughed like it was cute. My father looked at me like I was the problem for noticing. I did not yell. I did not ruin dinner. I helped my children put on their coats and drove two hours home through freezing rain. By morning, I had sent one text that finally ended the role my family had assigned us.

Oct 09, 2026

gifts to “the grandchildren who made us proud this year,” and my two kids sat on the carpe...

For seven years, I paid my parents' propane and electric bills because Dad promised their Vermont farmhouse would someday be mine. At Christmas dinner, he read his new will aloud and left the house and twelve acres to my sister. Then he gave me his old hair dryer, and everyone laughed. I left without revealing the Christmas present hidden in my coat pocket. Three weeks later, during a brutal cold snap, Dad came knocking at my door...

Oct 16, 2026

For seven years, I paid my parents' propane and electric bills because Dad promised their...

The evening before our wedding anniversary, my husband confessed he had fallen for someone else.

Sep 01, 2026

The evening before our wedding anniversary, my husband confessed he had fallen for someone...

I found out I was erased from my family’s Christmas EVERY YEAR on Instagram — until the will made them remember my name.

Sep 25, 2026

I found out I was erased from my family’s Christmas EVERY YEAR on Instagram — until the wi...

My Son Kicked Me Out for Refusing to Apologize to His Wife. Three Days Later, She Called Demanding My Money, but My Answer Changed Everything.

Oct 19, 2026

My Son Kicked Me Out for Refusing to Apologize to His Wife. Three Days Later, She Called D...

"“Your Husband Hurt Me, Then Told the Police I Threatened Him,” My 71-Year-Old Mother Whispered at 2:30 A.M.—I Didn’t Cry or Scream, Because I Knew Something That Could Bring His Entire Story Crashing Down.

Aug 19, 2026

"“Your Husband Hurt Me, Then Told the Police I Threatened Him,” My 71-Year-Old Mother Whis...

At a family dinner, I stood up smiling and announced I was pregnant. The whole table went completely silent — then my mother-in-law suddenly let out a laugh and yelled: “She’s pretending to be pregnant just to milk money from us!” Before anyone could even react, she seized my hand and pushed me off the hotel rooftop to “prove” I was faking it. Broken and barely conscious, I came to in the hospital with my husband by my side, pale as a ghost and shaking. But the moment the doctor stepped in and opened his mouth, the words he said made the entire room freeze in utter disbelief and horror.

Aug 26, 2026

At a family dinner, I stood up smiling and announced I was pregnant. The whole table went...

At Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law pushed my plate away and said, “Leave—this table is for people who bring money into this family.” I turned to my husband and asked if he agreed, but his cold silence was the biggest mistake of his life, because two months later, my father’s true net worth destroyed his entire bloodline…

Oct 20, 2026

At Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law pushed my plate away and said, “Leave—this table is...