Power by fire
1004 Words
The summons came at dawn.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
Islyn felt it before she even understood it.
A pull.
Not physical—
But commanding.
Her eyes snapped open, her breath uneven as she sat up abruptly.
Something was different.
The air in her chambers felt… tighter.
Watching.
Waiting.
Her gaze shifted toward the doorway just as it opened.
Two figures stood there.
Dragons.
Silent.
Unyielding.
“The court awaits,” one of them said.
Not a request.
A statement.
Islyn’s chest tightened slightly.
Of course it did.
They weren’t going to ignore her.
She swung her legs off the bed, rising slowly.
“Why?” she asked.
A pause.
Then—
“You’ll understand when you arrive.”
That didn’t help.
But she didn’t argue.
Because something deep inside her already knew—
This wasn’t optional.
And more importantly—
This wasn’t avoidable.
Moments later, she stepped into the corridors of the palace, the same heavy presence pressing against her senses as before.
But today—
It felt different.
Sharper.
Focused.
On her.
Every step echoed louder.
Every glance lingered longer.
They knew.
Or at least—
They suspected.
The doors ahead opened slowly.
Massive.
Imposing.
Revealing something far greater than the courtyard she had seen before.
The Dragon Court.
Islyn stepped inside—
And the weight hit her instantly.
Power.
Layered.
Overwhelming.
The room was vast, carved from black stone and lit by veins of molten light running through the walls like living fire.
Figures filled the space.
Dozens of them.
All watching.
All waiting.
And at the center—
A raised platform.
Empty.
For now.
Her steps slowed slightly.
Not from fear—
But awareness.
This was not a welcome.
This was a test.
“You stand before the court of Pyraxis.”
The voice echoed through the chamber.
Deep.
Authoritative.
Islyn’s gaze lifted.
An older dragon stood ahead, his presence heavier than the rest.
Not stronger than Drakaris—
But close enough to matter.
“You were brought here without consent of this council,” he continued.
A pause.
“You are unknown.”
Another step forward.
“Unproven.”
The word lingered.
Sharp.
Islyn’s jaw tightened slightly.
“I didn’t ask to be brought here,” she said.
A ripple moved through the court.
Murmurs.
Disapproval.
Bold.
Too bold.
The older dragon’s gaze narrowed.
“And yet you remain.”
Silence.
Because that was true.
Islyn didn’t respond.
Didn’t look away either.
Not this time.
“Then prove your worth,” he said.
There it was.
The reason.
The truth.
Her chest rose slowly.
“And if I don’t?” she asked.
A dangerous question.
The room stilled.
Completely.
The answer came cold.
“Then you don’t leave this room.”
Silence crashed down.
Heavy.
Final.
For a brief moment—
Her pulse spiked.
Not fear.
Instinct.
Her shadows stirred faintly beneath her feet.
Reacting.
Ready.
But this time—
She didn’t let them move.
Not yet.
“Fine,” she said quietly.
The word carried more weight than expected.
Because she meant it.
She stepped forward.
Into the center of the chamber.
Alone.
Surrounded.
Watched.
“Show us,” the elder commanded.
Her breath slowed.
Her mind sharpened.
This wasn’t like before.
This wasn’t private.
This wasn’t safe.
Good.
Because something inside her—
Didn’t want safe anymore.
Islyn closed her eyes.
Not to escape—
But to focus.
The noise faded.
The pressure dulled.
Until all that remained—
Was her.
And the shadows.
They answered instantly.
Rising from beneath her like living smoke, curling upward, wrapping around her form in slow, controlled movements.
A collective shift moved through the court.
Surprise.
But not fear.
Not yet.
“Impressive,” someone muttered.
But Islyn wasn’t finished.
Her eyes opened.
Dark.
Deeper than before.
“Watch closely,” she said.
And this time—
She didn’t ask.
She commanded.
The shadows surged outward—
Not wildly.
Not uncontrollably.
But precisely.
They split.
Divided.
Forming sharp, moving structures in the air—blades, tendrils, shifting constructs that moved with intent.
Gasps echoed now.
Real ones.
Because this—
This was not wolf power.
This was something else.
Something ancient.
Something wrong.
The elder stepped forward slightly, his expression no longer neutral.
“What are you?” he demanded.
Islyn stilled.
The question hit deeper than expected.
For a moment—
Just a moment—
Doubt flickered.
Then—
She remembered.
Drakaris’ voice.
You are unclaimed power.
Her spine straightened.
Her gaze hardened.
“I don’t know yet,” she said.
A pause.
“But I will.”
And the shadows responded.
They surged once more—
Stronger.
Sharper.
Until—
Flame erupted.
Gasps turned into shock.
Because for a brief, impossible second—
Her shadows burned.
Not consumed.
But infused.
Fire and darkness intertwined.
Alive.
Unnatural.
Unheard of.
The entire court froze.
Even the elder.
Because that—
That should not exist.
And yet—
It did.
Right in front of them.
Islyn stood at the center of it all, her chest rising steadily, her control holding—
Barely.
But enough.
Always enough.
The fire faded first.
Then the shadows.
Until nothing remained.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
And then—
A slow clap.
Deliberate.
Familiar.
Islyn didn’t need to turn.
She already knew.
Drakaris.
“Now,” he said smoothly as he stepped forward,
“That was worth bringing her here.”
The tension in the room shifted instantly.
Not gone.
But redirected.
The elder’s gaze moved between them.
Calculating.
Careful now.
“You knew,” he said.
Drakaris’ expression didn’t change.
“I suspected.”
A pause.
“Now I’m certain.”
Silence.
Because there was no denying it anymore.
Islyn wasn’t a guest.
She wasn’t a mistake.
She was—
A problem.
Or a weapon.
Or something far more dangerous.
And for the first time—
The Dragon Court didn’t see her as lesser.
They saw her as something they couldn’t define.
Which made her—
Unpredictable.
And in this world—
That was the most dangerous thing of all.
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