Wings of Fire (Godstone Saga 4)

Yes, he’d always suspected Hagen might be his father, but why hadn’t he put those last bits of information together in his mind? Probably because he’d been obsessed with Drayce’s identity and finding him. There’d been no time to think about himself and his relationship to the other dragon they’d had in their lives for years.

Hagen was just…Hagen, his mother’s shadow and protector. He’d never thought about Hagen in relation to his own existence.

“Are you sure?” Caelan choked out. He stared at the open palm resting on his thigh as if his brain expected it to suddenly sprout scales.

Was he really part dragon? He’d never given much thought to the notion that he couldn’t be burned by fire. It was something that his mother and Hagen had taken as fact and moved on with their lives. Caelan assumed it was due to his link to the Goddess of Life since no one had ever breathed a word about dragons.

Rayne returned to his spot next to Eno and reached out a hand, placing it lightly on Caelan’s knee. “I can’t say with absolute certainty. Hagen and your mother are the only ones who can do that, and neither confided in me. However, there is the fire matter as well as the fact that there are similarities between you and Hagen. In addition, over the years, Hagen was the only one who was ever close to Queen Amara. The one constant.”

Caelan nodded. Rayne wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t thought himself. It had never crossed his mind in the light of being a dragon. “I always suspected Hagen was my father. Just little things he said or did when I was young. And that last meeting…”

His voice drifted off as his mind played back a fuzzy memory of those final moments he’d shared with Hagen and Amara. They’d suspected the meeting with New Rosanthe would not go well, feared for their own lives, and had tried in their own subtle ways to say good-bye.

“It would explain why the king seems to get a few extra looks when we’re in town,” Adrian announced. He scratched his jaw, his eyes narrowed on Caelan. “I think it might be something to do with scent. The dragons can smell something about you that’s different from the rest of us, and that could cause a lot of problems when it comes to dealing with some of the clans. Particularly Takahashi.”

“What are you talking about?” They were all staring at the guard now, who was wincing under Rayne’s intense scrutiny. At least Adrian had managed to get some valuable information out of Mio while they were out today.

“Mio explained that half-breeds aren’t favorably regarded among the dragons. They’re not allowed to be part of clans but are forced to live here in the Chasm as part of a servant class. Or worse, as slaves.” The guard went on to tell them about the Phantoms and their place among the dragons.

Caelan couldn’t say that the information came as a complete shock after how Drayce had explained the position of the protector for the Guardian.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “So, the clan leader for the Takahashi wouldn’t quite know what to do with me. As a human, I’m bad. But I’m the Guardian of the Godstone, which makes me worth a little more. I’m the King of Erya, but also a half-breed.”

“For him, it would probably be easiest to kill you and start from scratch with a new Guardian of the Godstone,” Adrian muttered.

“Lovely thought,” Rayne grumbled, throwing one last glare in Adrian’s direction before looking at Caelan. “Do you know what clan Hagen might have been from?”

“Omari, which is apparently a major rival or enemy of the Takahashi.”

“Does that help us or hurt us?” Eno inquired.

Caelan shrugged. “No idea. I guess it’s a matter of how they would view the son of Hagen and half dragons in the first place. It may be worthwhile to seek out someone from that clan. I don’t think we’re going to get a lot of help from the Takahashi when it comes to freeing Drayce or getting access to the godstone.”

“It would mean that we’re potentially getting drawn into another political struggle between factions,” Rayne murmured. His advisor reclined on the sofa, his legs crossed and his arms folded over his chest. He was frowning fiercely at the coffee table in front of him, his thoughts seemingly lost to the dark path they were headed down without any urging from Caelan.

“It’s not something I want, particularly after Zastrad, but I’m not sure Masaru and Clan Takahashi are going to give us much choice,” Caelan said.

“Any chance we could act covertly?” Adrian tossed out. He straightened and took a couple of steps into the room. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the back of the sofa. When he spoke, his voice was a bit softer as if he were concerned with someone overhearing him. “Sneak up to the godstone without any of the dragons discovering it, do your business with the goddess, and then we break Drayce out of prison.”