The sun had barely crested the horizon when the gates of Virelia opened.
Several trumpets sounded in low, steady blasts, echoing off the marble walls that lined the kingdom's outermost defenses.
The Iron Guard stood at full attention in their formation, their helms polished, their blades reflecting dawn's first light.
Banners rippled above them, stitched with the golden phoenix of Virelia.
The returning battalion trudged through the wide gates.
What remained of the Seventh Battalion looked nothing like the legends they had become overnight. Men were limping, bandaged, smeared with smoke and blood. Some rode with their heads bowed. Others stared blankly ahead, their minds still trapped in the horrors they'd barely survived.
But all eyes turned toward the center of the procession.
The cage.
Cassian.
The beast.
The Drakeblood.
The legend.
The cart had been reinforced with steel plates during the night, runes glowing brighter than before, as if the mages feared even a flicker of draconic power could melt them.
Soldiers walked in tight formation around it, but no one needed to be told to keep their distance. It wasn't the magic or the chains. It was the man, the dragon, within.
Cassian sat as he had all night, bound at the wrists and ankles, leaning lazily against the bars as if this were his personal chariot.
He looked entertained.
Kaela rode slightly ahead of the cage, her jaw clenched, her fingers twitching against the reins of her mare.
The people had begun to gather already, lining the wide parade road that led through the Lower Ring of the city. Farmers, merchants, nobles in cloaks, children hoisted on shoulders.
At first, there was only silence.
Then the whispers started.
"That's him."
"Gods, look at his eyes."
"I thought dragons had horns."
"He doesn't need them. He burned an entire city in one breath."
By the time they reached the midpoint of the Lower Ring, the silence had become a roar.
People shouted. Some cheered. Others cursed. Someone threw a rotten fruit at the cage, but it splattered harmlessly on the steel.
A few knelt as the general passed, while others crossed themselves against evil.
Kaela ignored them all.
Cassian, however, did not.
He scanned the crowds like a king addressing his court. His amber eyes flicked between faces, pausing here and there, his mouth curling ever so slightly at their fear. Their awe.
When a small boy cried out, Cassian turned slowly in his cage and smiled.
The child went dead silent.
Kaela yanked her reins, riding closer to the cart. "Stop that," she hissed.
"What?" Cassian said smoothly. "I was smiling."
"You terrify them."
"I am terrifying," he said, glancing at her. "That's the point of a parade, isn't it? Show them the monster. Make them feel safe."
She said nothing.
He leaned forward slightly, chains clinking. "Do you feel safe, Kaela?"
She didn't answer. She didn't trust her voice.
~
The parade continued upward, toward the inner sanctums of the capital.
The white stone of the streets turned to gold-veined marble as they approached the palace tier. Here, the crowds thinned, not from lack of interest, but because access was restricted.
The nobles and war officials waited behind iron gates, watching with keen, hungry eyes.
The royal courtyard was already prepared. A circular platform had been constructed in the center, surrounded by banners and military regalia.
There, before the watching lords and ministers, Cassian was rolled to a stop.
General Marek dismounted.
"Bring him out," he ordered.
The guards hesitated only a moment before unlocking the cage. Runes flared. The door opened.
Chains rattled. Feet struck marble.
Cassian stepped out.
He stood tall, despite the shackles. Shoulders back. Eyes burning. The bruises, the cuts, the grime, none of it dimmed the sheer presence he carried. It rolled off him like heat from a forge.
Kaela dismounted slowly, never taking her eyes off him.
The ministers murmured.
"He doesn't look like a beast," one said.
"He looks like a man," another replied.
"No," Marek said. "He looks like both. That's what makes him dangerous. He is a Drakeblood."
They marched Cassian forward, up the steps to the platform. The chains around his ankles clinked with every step, but he didn't stumble.
Kaela stood at the base of the platform, watching him.
And again, he turned.
Met her eyes.
And he smiled.
"Your city is beautiful," he said softly.
She stared.
"It'll burn well."
A guard suddenly used the bottom of his ax to knock him out, and he fell to the ground with a thud.