Storms gathered easily above the Earth Kingdom.
The mountains pulled them in like iron to a magnet, jagged peaks tearing open the sky so the clouds had somewhere to settle. Lightning crawled along the horizon in quiet veins of silver and violet, the air thick with the promise of rain that had not yet decided to fall.
I stood at the highest balcony of the fortress, watching it build.
Waiting.
Behind me, the war chamber doors opened.
Boots crossed stone.
"My prince."
I did not turn.
"Report."
The spy approached with the careful steps of someone who understood exactly how close they were to a lightning strike.
"The Primal Dragon has begun investigating the harbor manifests in the Water Kingdom."
That earned my attention.
I glanced back over my shoulder.
"Already?"
The spy bowed his head slightly.
"She was seen this morning in the lower harbor district alongside Tadewi and the Earth Princess."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Most people would have reacted to the information I gave Lyra with outrage. Or denial. Or panic.
Instead—
She investigated.
A faint smile touched the corner of my mouth before I could stop it.
"She doesn't trust easily," I murmured.
Mortimer stirred immediately within the quiet of my mind.
"No," he said softly. "She does not."
The spy shifted nervously.
"There is more."
I turned fully now, leaning one shoulder against the stone railing.
"Go on."
"The Water King has summoned her to the palace."
The storm outside flickered brighter.
Ah.
That was faster than expected.
The spy continued carefully.
"The prince—Muir—caused a disturbance at the harbor manifest station shortly after her visit. He appeared to question the clerks directly."
I went still.
Muir.
So the prince had noticed something as well.
"Was the Primal Dragon present when he began questioning them?"
"The informant said she had already left."
Smart.
Very smart.
Lyra avoided the confrontation.
Which meant she was thinking ahead.
Mortimer hummed with dark amusement.
"She moves like a thief."
"She is a thief," I replied.
"Was."
"No," I corrected quietly.
"Still."
The spy cleared his throat, reminding me he still existed.
"Do you wish us to intervene, my prince?"
Intervene.
An interesting suggestion.
I considered it for a moment.
The Water King summoning Lyra could mean several things.
Curiosity.
Suspicion.
Or confirmation.
If the king truly was involved in the trafficking network, he might already suspect someone had begun pulling at the threads.
And if he suspected Lyra—
He might attempt to control her.
Capture her.
Use her.
Lightning snapped faintly along the edges of my fingers.
Mortimer spoke again, smooth as oil.
"Let him try."
My jaw tightened.
Mortimer's voice sharpened with satisfaction.
"Imagine it. The Water King captures the Primal Dragon. The kingdoms fracture instantly. Alliances collapse. Chaos spreads."
He sounded almost pleased.
"You could reclaim her afterward."
Like retrieving a misplaced weapon.
I said nothing.
Because the image had already appeared in my mind.
Lyra standing in a palace hall.
Guards surrounding her.
Magic binding her wrists.
The Water King smiling.
Something dark twisted in my chest.
Not fear.
Not quite anger.
Something colder.
Mortimer felt it.
"Ah," he murmured. "There it is."
"Silence."
The word cracked through my mind like thunder.
Mortimer laughed softly but withdrew a fraction.
The spy was watching me carefully now.
Waiting.
"Continue observation," I said finally.
"No interference."
The spy hesitated.
"My prince… if the king attempts to detain her—"
"He won't succeed."
The confidence in my voice surprised even me.
The spy bowed deeply.
"As you wish."
He turned and left the chamber.
The doors closed behind him with a heavy thud.
Silence returned.
Only the storm remained.
I stepped back onto the balcony and spread my wings slightly, letting the wind rush through the membranes.
Mortimer shifted again.
"You could take her now," he said quietly.
"She is exposed."
"No."
"You hesitate again."
I ignored him.
The truth was simpler than Mortimer wanted it to be.
If I took Lyra now, the kingdoms would unite against me instantly.
The Primal Dragon disappearing into Fire Nation hands would confirm every fear they had about me.
No.
Better to let events unfold.
Better to let the Water King expose himself.
And if he attempted something foolish—
Lightning arced across the clouds.
Mortimer chuckled.
"You would intervene."
"I would prevent another king from claiming what is not his."
Possession.
Mortimer liked that reasoning.
But it wasn't the entire truth.
Even I knew that.
The storm thickened as I launched from the balcony.
Air rushed past my wings as I climbed above the fortress towers, rising through layers of cloud until the mountains fell away beneath me.
The Water Kingdom coastline lay far to the west.
A silver edge where ocean met land.
I angled toward it.
Not close enough to be seen.
Just close enough to watch.
The flight took hours.
By the time I reached the outer cliffs bordering Water Kingdom territory, the sun had already begun to sink.
Orange light bled across the ocean.
The palace towers rose from the distant shoreline like pale blue spears.
Elegant.
Controlled.
Beautiful in the way dangerous things often were.
I landed on a narrow ridge overlooking the sea.
From here, I could see the harbor.
Ships drifting along their assigned channels.
Dock lights flickering to life as evening settled.
Mortimer observed through my eyes.
"Do you see her?"
"Not yet."
He hummed thoughtfully.
"She will walk into the palace tomorrow."
"Yes."
"And if the king is guilty…"
He left the rest unsaid.
I already knew the possibilities.
If the Water King was truly orchestrating the trafficking network, Lyra's investigation would make her dangerous.
A dangerous guest could become a prisoner very quickly.
Lightning flickered faintly beneath my skin.
Mortimer noticed.
"You care."
"I calculate."
He laughed again.
"Of course."
The darkness within my mind shifted, testing the boundaries of the cage I had built around it.
The shadows outside responded instinctively to my irritation, curling along the stone ridge like obedient serpents.
Mortimer felt them too.
"You wear my power comfortably."
"It obeys me."
"For now."
I ignored him.
Instead, I focused on the horizon.
The palace lights brightened as the last of the sun disappeared.
Tomorrow.
Lyra would walk through those gates.
And she would not know whether the king who greeted her was an ally—
Or the architect of everything she had sworn to destroy.
My hand tightened against the stone.
Almost without thinking, I reached inward.
Strummed the thread.
The connection responded instantly.
A flicker of awareness.
Lyra.
Her presence felt distant but steady.
Focused.
Determined.
No fear.
Of course not.
She had never been particularly good at being afraid.
Mortimer whispered quietly.
"You could use this."
I withdrew my attention immediately.
"No."
The thread settled again.
Silent.
But still there.
I stared out across the ocean for a long moment.
Then I stood.
Lightning rolled across the sky behind me as my wings unfurled.
"If the Water King believes he can claim the Primal Dragon," I murmured into the rising wind,
"he is about to learn a very unpleasant lesson."
The storm answered.
And I launched back into the sky.
Tomorrow would be interesting.
Very interesting indeed.