Once she left Dairdat, Emory stepped through the lair’s doorway, but instead of appearing in Kedar, she felt herself slipping into an abyss. The world around her darkened until there was nothing but an endless void. She felt weightless as she fell, dropping into a sunken abyss. She caught her breath, looking around, grunting against the heavy thud of her knees against the damp soil. Then she coughed, wiping her face as she forced herself to her feet.

Her surroundings morphed into an ethereal realm, the air thick with the scent of smoke and ash. The ground beneath her feet was warm, almost molten. Shadows flickered around her, and she could hear whispers in a language she couldn’t quite comprehend.

Wait, wasn’t that the dragon tongue? Was this her trial?

The darkness parted, revealing the majestic forms of what she could only describe as the divine dragons she’d heard of. Their scales shimmered gold, black, and silver, and their eyes were golden like Kane’s. They stood on hilltops, regarding her with curiosity and judgment, their presence both awe-inspiring and intimidating.

“Emory Chav’re,” a deep voice echoed through the expanse. It was a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. She had no idea who spoke, and it didn’t seem to matter.

Emory’s knees felt weak, but she stood her ground, looking between the dragons that dwarfed her. Was she supposed to bow?

A dragon with scales as black as the void stepped forward. “Do you know the origin of the war with your divines? Of their deceit and how it once again threatens us all?”

Before she could answer, images began to swirl around her, showing scenes from a time long past. She saw dragons soaring through the skies of Arcanis, their power unmatched. She saw the gods, led by Raius, waging war against them. Odd, Kane didn’t tell her the gods went to their world with war. Was any of this real?

“Your existence is the convergence of the divine and the cosmic, a bridge between worlds. But Raius, just like before, has planned to unleash the wyverns upon your unification, to drive us to extinction,” the dragon continued.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Why would he do that?”

“Fear and envy,” another dragon, this one with scales of silver, answered. “The gods have always desired to control, to bend the world to their will. Our resurgence threatens their dominion.”

The images shifted, showing the wyverns—beastly creatures with serrated wings and venomous fangs—waiting in dark caverns, their eyes gleaming with malice. She gulped.

“But this is your trial. Your rite of passage into the fold,” the black dragon said, its gaze piercing. “As queen of the dragon fold, you must prove yourself worthy of our power. You must show that you possess the strength and ferocity of a true dragon. We have brought you into the den of the wyverns and drakes, Raius” keep. To pass, you must survive and bring us the head of Raius.”

Emory felt her heart stop for a minute. “You can’t be serious. You want me to kill the king of the gods?”

“It is the only way,” the black dragon said.

Her eyes were trained on the golden dragon, glaring at her with those eyes that looked so much like Kane’s. But that wasn’t him, although there was a familiarity about him. Was that Kane’s father?

“Then you must give me something in return,” Emory said, staring right at the golden dragon, suspecting he was lord of the divine dragons with that Stoic glare of his.

“This is not a bargain,” the silver dragon replied.

“Oh, but it is. If I succeed in killing Raius, then I remove the possibility of a war between the dragons and the gods, and Kane reigns as Emperor of Morrian. The gods will not retaliate because I am still their last hunter, not joined to the Imperial Lord yet. It is a good plan, and as much as I detest being used as a pawn, I will allow this only if you give me what I want!” she replied.

There was silence for a while. “What is it you want?” the golden dragon finally spoke, his voice like a rumble of thunder, and she stared at him for a bit.

“Undo the link to Rahl without killing him and return his Lycan, Lord Odreil,” she said quietly.

The dragons exchanged glances, their eyes narrowing in contemplation. The golden groaned. “Succeed in your trial, and we shall grant your request. But fail, and you will bear the consequences of your defiance.”

Emory squared her shoulders. “I won’t fail,” she said as she glared at him. “Let’s get this over with. Send me.”

The space around her began to shift once more. The ground beneath her feet grew hotter, and the air filled with the ominous sound of wingbeats and growls. She landed in a tunnel, the walls slick with moisture. The red glow of her glyphs illuminated the surroundings.

A low growl snapped her attention to the path in front of her, and Emory’s eyes adjusted to see a pair of glowing red eyes staring back at her. A wyvern stepped out from the shadows, its scales glistening like obsidian, its fangs bared in a snarl.

At least she was getting a chance to flex her ability as a hunter. She took a deep breath, allowing the scents around the cave to flood her senses. Then she exhaled, watching the wyvern in her way. They were the least of her problems, and she sensed over a dozen of them within the space. Raius was the big concern because she wasn’t sure she could actually kill a god. She’d sensed his power back in the hall, and it terrified her. Were the divine dragons sending her to her death or what?

Emory felt the fire within her ignite, but she had no need for her fire yet, only her hunter form to tear through them and put all of her training to the test. With a growl, she shifted, then looked herself over and grunted as she saw the glyphs on her hunter form. She looked back at the wyvern, snarling as it lowered, ready to pounce. Transformed, she was the same height with it, and the cave constricted their ability to fly, so she had the advantage.

The wyvern lunged, and Emory met it head-on. Her claws extended, slashing through the creature’s thick hide. Blood sprayed, and the wyvern let out a deafening screech. She didn’t relent, her movements a blur of lethal precision. Every lesson, every fight she’d ever been in had led to this moment. She felt the power of the glyphs coursing through her, enhancing her strength and agility.

Another wyvern appeared, then another, from all corners of the cave. They circled her, their eyes glowing the same red, while hers retained their green. Emory’s heart pounded with adrenaline, and she welcomed the thrill of the hunt. She leapt at the nearest one with lightning speed, her claws sinking into its flesh, tearing it apart with a savage ferocity. The creature’s blood stained her fur, but she paid it no mind, focused solely on the kill.

She moved with her primal grace, her body a weapon honed to perfection. The wyverns were relentless, but so was she. Each attack, each strike was met with a brutal counter, her strength, and speed unmatched. She revelled in the chaos, the berserk fury of the last hunter Lycan unleashed.

One wyvern managed to strike her, its fangs sinking into her shoulder. Emory howled in pain, and her fire burned hotter, begging to unleash. But she was saving that for Raius. She had to get through the wyverns on her own strength. She twisted, breaking free and retaliating with a slash that decapitated the beast. Bloodlust consumed her, driving her forward.

### Chapter 40: Emory’s Trial

The cavern floor was stained with blood and littered with the bodies of the fallen wyverns. Emory stood in the middle of the carnage, panting heavily, her eyes blazing with rage. It was silent now, but she knew this was just the beginning. More wyverns awaited her, and her senses singled them out through the endless cave. Sweet Aworyn, Raius had created an army of them, and she would need her fire to completely eradicate them.

Emory took a deep breath, steeling herself before continuing towards the belly of the beast. She reached a wider space with more room to move. It was a different chamber: above it was completely open, and she could see the northern lights. The growls and hisses of the remaining wyverns filled the air as they circled above her, but they hesitated, and she wondered why. It couldn’t be her.

Then she felt it, the sizzling crackle of lightning approaching. Raius. The remaining wyverns backed away, retreating into the shadows and leaving her alone.

She turned, facing the direction of the approaching god as he levitated towards her from one of the tunnels. Her heart pounded, but she stood her ground. Raius was a different challenge altogether, and as much as she doubted she could kill him, she wouldn’t make it easy for him.

The darkness parted, revealing Raius with his eyes glowing with an unearthly light, and his entire form covered with strings of lightning. Emory’s muscles tensed, as much as she was nearly compelled to take a step back, she didn’t.

“You impudent wolf! How did you find this place?” His voice rumbled like thunder, angry and loud, and shook the ground as it vibrated through the cave.

She shifted back to her human form and for the first time, her clothes remained intact. But the pain in her right shoulder stung, and she winced as she wiped the blood from her mouth.

“You pretend to want peace out in the open while you prepare to wreak havoc in secret?” she asked. “You do not deserve the title you hold, Raius.”

“And you think you’re in the position to stop me?”

“I will do whatever it takes to protect my mate and my people.” Emory snarled.

Raius laughed, a sound that really annoyed her. “We shall see.”

As he advanced, Emory felt the fire within her surge, and she welcomed it. She summoned flames, and it engulfed her entire form, and it flared, the heat searing her skin but not burning it. She crouched, ready to fight.

Raius moved with blinding speed, his lightning crackling around him. Emory barely had time to react as he launched a bolt of energy at her. She dodged, feeling the heat of the lightning singe her hair. She retaliated with a blast of fire, but Raius deflected it effortlessly.

“You are nothing but a child playing with fire,” Raius taunted.

Emory growled, her eyes narrowing. “If you’re going to talk down to me to break my spirit, you will have to do better than that, god.”

She charged at him, and as she shifted into hunter form, she swung her claws at him, but he vanished in a flash of lightning, reappearing behind her. She spun around, unleashing a torrent of flames. Raius blocked it with a shield of electricity, the two forces clashing in a dazzling display of power.

Emory pushed harder, her flames growing hotter, more intense. It was bigger when she in this form, hotter too. She could feel the strain on her body, but she couldn’t afford to hold back. She had to give it everything she had. She let out a fierce roar, the fire around her exploding outward in a wave of heat.

Raius was thrown back, but he quickly recovered, and his eyes blazed with fury. “Impressive, but it will not be enough!”

He unleashed a storm of lightning bolts, each one striking with deadly precision. Emory dodged and weaved, but she couldn’t avoid them all. One struck her shoulder, another her leg. She gritted her teeth against the pain, refusing to give in.

“You cannot win!” Raius shouted, his voice echoing through the cavern.

Emory fell to her knees, her body trembling as she shifted back to her human form. The pain was overwhelming, but she couldn’t give up. She wouldn’t give up. She looked up at Raius. “I am not leaving this place without your head!”

She pushed herself to her feet, the power in her glyphs strengthening her as the flames engulfed her again. But it was different now. The flames were the color of emerald, and she noticed the unease in Raius” eyes as he took a step back. She took a deep breath, focusing all her energy, channeling it solely with the power of her will, eyes trained murderously on Raius.

The emerald flames spiraled around her like strings of lightning. With a roar, she unleashed them on Raius, the heat so intense it turned the ground to glass. Raius tried to block it, using his lightning to deflect her flames, attempting to levitate out of her reach. But her green flames flared, twirling around him like a fist, consuming him in a fiery inferno.

She watched as he struggled to escape, and she surged forward to deliver a blow strong enough to knock him out while he was bound. She roared, intending to shift into her hunter form, but something unexpected happened. Emory gasped as she leapt into the sky, feeling weightless. She transformed into a giant dragon, her new form knocking Raius down with sheer force. She landed with her massive paw squishing Raius beneath it, his screams drowned out by her own astonishment.

“Well, this is new,” she thought, her dragon mind struggling to understand the sudden change. Her claws dug into the ground, the sensation of immense power surging through her. She looked down at Raius, who was now a pitiful sight, trapped under her immense weight.

“Guess I’ve levelled up,” she mused, her dragon lips curling into what could only be described as a draconic smirk. Her emerald flames continued to dance around her, reflecting off the glassy surface of the ground. Raius” struggles grew weaker, his lightning sputtering out.

“Not so tough now, are you?” she thought, enjoying the irony of the situation. She leaned closer, her massive head looming over him. “What’s wrong, Raius? Can’t handle a little heat?”

Raius looked up at her in disbelief. “This” this is impossible!”

“Impossible? Nah, just highly improbable,” she thought, revelling in her newfound power. She pressed down slightly with her paw, eliciting a pained gasp from Raius.

“You should have thought about that before attacking the dragon queen!” she roared. Her emerald flames flared once more, and she prepared to end the fight once and for all. “This is for the peace you’ve tried to destroy.”

With one final burst of power, she unleashed her flames, incinerating Raius beneath her. His screams echoed through the cavern before being abruptly cut off. The flames died down, leaving nothing but scorched earth.

Emory, still in her dragon form, took a moment to absorb what had just happened. She had faced a god and won. More than that, she had unlocked a new facet of her power, one that she hadn’t even known was possible.

“Well, I guess being a dragon queen has its perks,” she thought, chuckling to herself. She shifted back to her human form, the transition surprisingly smooth.

As she looked around the now quiet cavern, she felt the pain in her shoulder and clutched it. With Raius defeated, there was still much to be done. But for now, she allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. She had proven herself, not just to the divine dragons, but to herself as well.

Kane
Kane paced around the deliberation chamber, his restlessness filling the room. Dairdat, Varyn, Aomori, and Qeilri of the Crimson Wing sat at the round table, engrossed in finalizing the details of the unification rites and the peace treaty. Despite their focus, Kane’s thoughts were miles away, centred on his mate.

His concern for Emory gnawed at him. The glyphs on her skin were a mystery, one that pointed to a trial he had always feared she would face. His Eilir was strong, but the divine dragons” trials were unforgiving. The horrors of their test was always so

“Imperial lord, we must finalize the specifics of the ceremony,” Varyn said, his long black hair tied back in a tight knot. “Should the treaty happen before the rites or after your ascension as Emperor?”

Kane forced himself to focus. “Uniting all species under one rule is the most important, second to joining with my mate, of course.”

“Yes, your imperial highness.” Varyn bowed, his expression one of solemn respect.

As they continued to discuss the rites, Kane’s thoughts occasionally drifted back to Emory. What trial would she face? His heart ached with the desire to see her, to ensure she went through it unharmed.

“The knights have been dispatched to escort the wolf alpha, the Lycan king, and the human mayor here for the ceremony. They should all be here by nightfall,” Dairdat announced.

Just then, the door to the chamber swung open, and Elder Lyra entered. Her emerald eyes sparkled with urgency as she approached the table.

“Lord Odreil,” she bowed. “Your mate has returned from her trial. You need to go see her.”

Kane’s heart skipped a beat. “Back from her trial?” He tried to mask his worry, but the shock in his voice betrayed him. If she was back, that meant she had passed, not that he doubted her for a moment.

“Yes,” Lyra replied with a small smile. “The healers are tending to her injuries in the divine temple.”

Kane turned to the elders. “Continue the preparations. I must see to my mate now.”

The elders rose and bowed. “Of course, Lord Odreil. We understand.”

As Kane made his way out of the chamber, his mind raced with thoughts of Emory. He moved swiftly through the corridors, his long strides reflecting his urgency. The walls of the temple seemed to close in on him, the weight of history and responsibility pressing down as he approached the divine temple.

“Always in a hurry when it comes to her, aren’t you, imperial lord?” Lyra teased, walking alongside him with a lightness that belied the seriousness of the situation.

Kane chuckled, though his heart was heavy with worry. “Can you blame me? She’s my mate. And besides, she’s quite the troublemaker.”

Lyra laughed softly. “Indeed she is. But that’s what makes her worthy of being your mate, isn’t it?”

He smiled. “Yes, it does.”

The Temple of Divine Dragons was a massive structure with towering columns. The walls glowed faintly with the power of the divine dragons. It was only called the Alchemist Temple, and solely housed the healers and their apprentices who served the house of Odreil.

As they reached the entrance to the temple, Kane took a deep breath. The double doors, with carvings of all five divine dragons in flight, shimmered brightly. He pushed them open, stepping inside, and felt Emory’s presence almost immediately.

The interior of the temple was an array of columns glowing different crystal, rising to the high, arched ceiling. The scent of healing herbs and the hum of ancient magic was almost suffocating. In the centre of the room, surrounded by healers, lay Emory.

Kane’s breath caught in his throat as he saw her. Emory looked both fragile and fierce, her body marked with fresh scars and glowing glyphs that now adorned her skin. A pair of white cloths bound her breasts and hips, and her red hair fanned around her like a fiery halo. Had it grown longer? He rushed to her side, his heart pounding with fear and anger.

“Eilir,” he whispered, taking her hand in his. Her skin was warm, her pulse steady but weak. “I’m here.”

She stirred, her eyes fluttering open. When she saw him, a weak smile spread across her lips. “Kane’”

He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. “You’re safe now,” he murmured. “What’s going on?” he asked the healers around them, his golden eyes blazing with worry.

One of the healers stepped closer and dipped low in a bow. “Your imperial highness, she has been through a great ordeal.”

Kane’s gaze shifted to the healer, his eyes narrowing. “What kind of ordeal? What did they do to her?”

The healer exchanged a glance with Lyra, who had followed them into the temple. “She faced a pack of wyverns and Raius himself. The divine dragons returned here to our keep after her trial.”

“Raius? She fought Raius alone?” He felt his fire almost burst through his veins in rage. How could they do that to her? Did they mean to kill her?

Emory whimpered as her eyes struggled to open, then they slipped closed again. Kane watched the glyphs on her skin. They seemed to have grown, moving all over her body, trying to heal the injury on her shoulder and ribs.

He stroked her face gently. “You shouldn’t have had to face that alone. I am sorry I failed you.”

“I wasn’t alone,” she whispered, her grip tightening on his hand. “I had the dragons.”

Kane’s jaw tightened. The divine dragons had put her through this trial to test her worthiness, but it felt like more than that. It felt like a punishment for their love, for the threat their union posed to the balance of power. His father must have had a hand in this. Why else would he send her to a possible death, knowing it could have cost him his mate?

His gaze darkened, but he said nothing. He turned back to Emory, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Rest now, Eilir. You’ve done more than enough.”

As she drifted back into sleep, Kane rose, his mind a storm of thoughts. He turned to Lyra and the healer. “Will she be well enough for the ceremony tomorrow?”

“I doubt that, your imperial highness,” the healer said. “You must postpone it until she is fully recovered.”

“That would effectively stall your ascension,” Lyra mused. “I suppose we should be able to proceed with the treaty.”

But something the healer said now suddenly popped as he stared at his mate. “Wyverns. Why was she fighting wyverns? How are they here, anywhere for that matter?”

“I suppose that is why the divine dragons sent her after the god. He must have been responsible,” the healer replied.

“How do you know that?” Lyra asked her before waving a group of four women lingering at the door of the temple over.

“The imperial consort was able to get a few words out before she passed out, lady Lyra. Trial, wyverns, Raius,” the healer revealed.

“Your imperial highness,” the women lowered to bow before him, but he didn’t care about any of that. He noticed how they gasped at the sight of his mate and scurried over to her side. “Imperial consort!”

Did they know Emory? Kane watched as she responded to their presence with a grunt. He wanted her back in his lair. It would speed up her healing, but these healers couldn’t leave the temple.

“Can I move her?” he asked the healer.

“Once we are done with the mantra, yes, your imperial highness.”

“Good. Lyra, stay with her and take her back to my lair once they are done. I need to go investigate this wyvern business with Raius and get to the bottom of this,” Kane said.

Lyra nodded. “Of course, Lord Odreil. We will take good care of her.”

Kane walked out of the temple quietly. Sending Emory after the god could have triggered yet another conflict with the gods. They couldn’t afford to have any of that right now. He returned to the deliberation chamber and the elders rose to welcome him with a bow.

“How is the imperial consort, your imperial highness?” Aomori asked.

“Recovering. But, we may have a problem. The divine dragons sent her after Raius.” Kane lowered to sit with a loud huff.

The chamber fell quiet as the elders sat up. Dairdat’s eyes shut as in disbelief, yet as he stared at the elder dragon, he got a sense that there was something more to his reaction.

“That is not good, lord Odreil.” Dairdat scratched his brow. “This will give the gods the chance they’ve always wanted to go to war with us again.”

“We must prepare for the fallout.” Varyn huffed. “Now may not be the best time to have the unification ceremony.”

“I cannot seem to fathom what this means. If the imperial consort is here, then she passed her trial. Doesn’t that mean she defeated Raius?” Aomori asked.

Kane suddenly felt the air rush out of him all at once. Did she? He didn’t think she was capable of such a feat. Killing a pack of wyverns, sure, he could see her doing that, but Raius was the king of the gods, on par with the likes of Seraphine. Did Emory really defeat him? It was the only explanation. She did say she had the dragons, but what did that mean? She needed her to feel better so he would know exactly what happened.

“It would seem that way.” Dairdat rose. “I will summon the emissary to the gods and get to the bottom of this, lord Odreil. If truly Raius has been defeated, then the seat of king of the gods now sits vacant.”

“In the event that she did in fact remove him, it would still mean war,” Kane reminded them.

“Not if they have no idea she is responsible, imperial lord,” Qeilri said. “We should first confirm that fact.”

Dairdat dipped in a bow to him and walked out of the deliberation room. Kane rested his hands on the round table, deep in thought. If his Eilir had successfully defeated Raius single-handedly, then she was more remarkable than he gave her credit for.

“Imperial lord, if I may, if the imperial consort did in fact remove Raius, it doesn’t really spell war. She isn’t exactly unified with you yet, so they cannot hold it against the dragons. Plus, she is a creation of one of them, it could push her into the role of king of the gods even if she could defeat him,” Varyn analysed.

Kane sighed, rubbing his temples. “That may be true, but the gods are not known for their rationality. They could use this as a pretext to strike against us, regardless of the truth. They are masters of twisting narratives to suit their needs.”

“Then we must be prepared for that eventuality,” Aomori said, his voice grim. “We need to bolster our defences and be ready to counter any moves they make.”

Kane nodded, though his mind was still on Emory. She was at the centre of this storm, and he needed her to recover, to be by his side. Her strength was unparalleled, but even she had limits. He couldn’t lose her, not now.

“Very well,” he said finally. “We will prepare for the worst. But I will also speak with Emory as soon as she is able. We need to know exactly what happened during her trial. Only then can we make informed decisions.”

The elders nodded in agreement. They rose and bowed as Kane left the chamber. He sat there awhile before deciding to return to the temple.

As he made his way back to the temple, the scent of incense and ancient magic grew stronger. The divine dragons had their reasons for testing Emory, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to their motives. His father’s influence was a shadow over everything, a constant reminder of the power struggles that defined their world.

When he reached the temple, he found Lyra waiting for him with those four women. They bowed rose and bowed as he approached.

“She’s stable, but still weak, imperial lord,” Lyra reported. “The healers are doing all they can.”

Kane nodded and stepped inside, the soft glow of the glyphs illuminating Emory’s pale face. He took her hand in his, feeling the warmth of her skin, the steady pulse of her heart. It was getting stronger.

“You’ll get through this, Eilir,” he whispered.

As he watched over her, he wondered how she had felt standing before the divine dragons and going up against Raius. She was his mate, his queen, true and true and as unbelievable as all of this was, it didn’t shock him that she could have defeated Raius.