Winning Skyhunter (Stonefire Dragons Universe 1)

Falling silent, her beast curled up at the back of her mind, the usual pose that meant she'd keep quiet and let Honoria settle the human things she didn't always understand.

Roughly three hundred sets of eyes ranging from tiny babies to grizzled, gray-haired great-grandparents stared at her and Asher. While only clan members were allowed on the hall floor, the other dragon-shifter leaders, as well as the DDA personnel, were watching from a secret room on the second floor, overlooking the space.

In other words, Asher and Honoria needed to impress everyone who mattered from the get-go.

Her and Asher had gone back and forth about who should speak first, weighing the pros and cons from every angle. In the end, they'd decided she should open the meeting.

Honoria stepped forward, watching everyone's face closely as she did so. Her speaking before Asher might stir the pot, but it was something they needed to do. If the people before her couldn't accept a female being in charge, then they'd have to be addressed as quickly as possible.

Raising a hand for silence, it fell quiet almost instantly. Given the meetings she remembered as a child, which had always taken several minutes to get into order, the action spoke volumes about how important this moment in time really was.

Honoria carefully projected her voice, to ensure everyone heard what she had to say. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I'm sure everyone has a lot of questions, or even maybe a few doubts, but Asher and I wanted to welcome everyone to Skyhunter 2.0. While some changes will be rolled out slowly, others will be happening as soon as possible. The goal is to make the clan more than a place to live. We want to make it home again, a place where a person wants to be rather than one where someone remains simply because they have nowhere else to go."

Asher jumped in before anyone from the crowd could ask a question. "Which brings us straight to the first point. Unlike the previous regime, no one is going to force you to remain here. If you wish to leave the clan permanently, you can." He waved toward the door. "In fact, if you aren't even going to give us a chance, then feel free to leave now. The DDA will even help you relocate to somewhere else. We'll give you sixty seconds to exit and leave us, starting now."

He signaled to Robin, who opened both of the giant doors to the hall. Murmurs went up in the crowd, but Honoria merely stood and waited. Some would be against a female being in charge, even if only partially, and this was the best way to get rid of them now.

A few of the older dragon-shifters shuffled out, as did one young couple she didn't recognize.

At the end of sixty seconds, Robin blared a horn and the doors closed again, thanks to the Protectors outside.

It was Honoria's turn again. "Right, with that out of the way, let's get down to answering the questions on everyone's mind. Yes, there are two of us. And yes, others will be acting as liaisons for various things to help us keep the clan running smoothly. However, your opinions are welcome and will be heard. We can't guarantee anything—after all, if someone suggests painting all the homes bright pink, I can't imagine Asher would agree to it—but we'll be fair."

Smiles broke on some of the faces, and it boosted Honoria's confidence. Her first attempt at proving she and Asher were different than the previous leader had worked.

Her dragon rolled her eyes but remained quiet. Any distraction, no matter how much she loved her beast, would be bad form at the moment.

Asher's voice filled the hall. "Some of you may be hesitant about my surname being King." He paused to tug off his shirt. Given how much Asher hated showing the scar on his pec, it proved to Honoria he'd do anything for the clan. Asher continued, "I'm sure everyone's seen the K on my chest. I was imprisoned and tortured for speaking out against Marcus's policies. For five long years, I endured it all to prove how much I disapproved of him, never caving. Not even when this brand was seared into my chest did I agree with his ruthless ways. If this scar on my chest isn't enough proof to show how different I am, then I hope you will at least give me a chance. I don't need absolute loyalty as the former leader did, but if anyone does something to threaten Skyhunter's survival, then we'll deal with it promptly."

He paused to survey the room slowly. Honoria didn't flinch at Asher's stern looks, but a few of the people in the audience did a double-take. No doubt, they were contrasting Asher now to the carefree teenager he'd once been.

Not that it was a bad change. Honoria rather liked his serious side at times.

Only once he'd scanned the entire room did he continue. "Also, Skyhunter won't be isolated from the other clans in the UK any longer. Working together is important, especially as dragon-shifters have enemies across the entire UK. While we're a tough bunch of dragons, a full-out assault from either the dragon hunters or Dragon Knights could bring us to our knees without allies."

There were a few murmurs, but Honoria couldn't tell if they were good or bad ones.

Together, they would need to find some community liaisons to help gauge the clan's moods. She added it to her ever-growing list of things to do.

Asher stared until the noise died down. "And lastly, we'll never be allowed to participate in the sacrifice program, either, to help rebuild our population until the Department of Dragon Affairs is convinced we're a safe, stable group of dragons. Which means all of our goals should be the same—to make Skyhunter the best dragon clan in the UK. Given our competition, it won't be easy, but I think we can do it."

Honoria had expected a few claps, but cheers rose up from the crowd. Looking from nods, to smiles, to even a few skeptical gazes, Honoria let out a breath. They were far from perfect, and there was still a long way to go before Skyhunter reached its potential, but the reaction was a good start. Because from a few seeds of hope, maybe trust and prosperity would bloom.

Her dragon grunted, wanting to comment. But she kept her promise to stay silent.

After a minute, Honoria raised her hand and the noise died down again. "We'll move into the leader's cottage by tomorrow and will open our doors as soon as possible to hear grievances or concerns. But there is one more thing we want to do right away, and that's get to know the other clans in the UK. Lochguard and Stonefire have offered to throw us a celebration banquet and dance next week, and we've accepted. It will allow you to mingle with some of the other clans, maybe meet someone with similar interests, or even someone with knowledge you can use for your own efforts here. But we can talk of business and what needs to be done soon enough. For a few days, settle down, take a deep breath, and start planning your future. Because if Asher and I have our way, it'll be a bright one."

People clapped, although not quite as enthusiastically as earlier. No doubt, they were nervous about meeting dragon-shifters from other parts of the UK. After all, Marcus King had spent almost two decades demonizing them every chance he had.

Her dragon raised her head. But we can fix it.

Asher dismissed the crowd, assuring them they would take questions as soon as possible. Robin and his Protectors efficiently escorted everyone out of the hall.

Once it was just them and Robin, Honoria leaned over and kissed Asher. "You did brilliantly."

"So did you."

"And fewer people chose to leave the clan than I had guessed. Although, I don't think it's a bad thing."