Chapter 11 - The Secret Beneath the Eastern Peak
The aftermath of Reev's arrest sent shockwaves through every corner of Highcrest Academy. Commandant Kalen moved quickly to secure the administration, but the whispers in the mess hall were relentless. Students who had once sneered at Winn now kept their distance, viewing her not just as a former stable hand, but as a legendary figure bonded to the most powerful dragon in the realm.
Winn, however, spent very little time enjoying her newfound status. Every spare hour she had was spent back in the sub-vaults alongside Kalen, inspecting the remnants of Reev's illegal core-siphoning machinery.
"The magic didn't just come from the unhatched egg," Winn said, her voice echoing off the damp stone walls as she held a flickering oil lamp over a stack of recovered parchment. "Reev was routing the energy somewhere else. Look at these coordinates, Kalen. This isn't just an academy basement. These lines lead straight into the outer peaks of the Northern Range."
Kalen leaned over the table, his brow furrowed as he studied the faded ink maps. "The Northern Range? That’s uncharted territory. Dangerous terrain, heavy with wild draconic storms and unstable atmospheric pressure. Why would Reev establish a secondary outpost out there?"
"Because the egg we rescued isn't the only one," a deep, resonant rumble vibrated through the floorboards.
Winn didn't even need to turn around to know Kestrel had followed her down the spiral stairs. The massive red dragon squeezed his head into the narrow vault entrance, his golden eyes glowing in the dark as he nudged Winn's shoulder with his snout.
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"You think there's a nursery out there, don't you?" Winn whispered, resting her hand against his warm scales.
Kestrel exhaled a soft puff of warm air, signaling an affirmative rumble that rattled the loose stones on the shelf. The mystery was far from over. Reev might have been stripped of his title, but his network of co-conspirators across the High Council remained entirely untouched.
