In a corner of the large cavern, the darkness peeled away to reveal the elder sitting on a flat rock covered in luminous moss, surrounded by his nameless, a glow leaving the gold-scaled guard’s eyes as he released the spell that’d hidden them. “It will do.”

Atop her cushion, Good Light hummed. “I admit, I expected a bit more praise after sacrificing something as valuable as a majesty’s scale. They are not easy to come upon.”

“A piece of the majesties is indeed valuable but not as valuable as your mother’s goodwill. The scales were given to the brood to be used. You have no use for it in the safety of your cavern. Is it not better to give it to your sister in her time of need?”

The female estrazi snorted through her nose. “To be honest, I care little for the will of the majesties that have abandoned us in this land of eternal ice, my mother’s goodwill, or my wayward sister’s fate. I care about you, Father. What of your goodwill? This is ultimately a request from you. I had hoped that you would exchange a favor for my cooperation.”

The elder chuckled softly. “What kind of favor were you hoping for?”

“I would have thought that to be obvious. I want to know what the Great Eye sees in my future.” She leaned forward, golden eyes narrowing as she stared at him. “Particularly if I will take mother’s place.”

“Your mother is still strong. She doesn’t need to think of a replacement.”

Good Light speared him with her gaze but he didn’t flinch, let alone react. With a deep sigh, she resettled on her cushion. “You could have just said no. I would prefer if you didn’t lie to me.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Because when I consider your gifts, I can’t help thinking that your lies have a deeper agenda than I can imagine. It makes me nervous.”

“You’re thinking too much.”

“Exactly. I can’t help but think too much. Which is why I prefer you remain straightforward. Consider that the favor you owe me.”

“You continuously talk of favors and what is owed. If you wish to take your mother’s place, then the brood must be your highest concern. What you’ve done today is for the brood, not me. So, should it be you owing me a favor?”

“Please. How is my sister running off to die in foreign lands beneficial to the brood? I don’t need your gifts to know that whatever she’s doing, she’s doing for herself and will likely fail. The scale has lost most of its power but even when it was freshly picked from the majesty’s tail, it couldn’t give an incompetent like Little Water the means to infiltrate an enemy country unscathed. I doubt my younger sister even knows what it does.”

“None can use the scales to their full potential.” In his visions, he saw magical tools crafted for a single purpose through the use of strange symbols. The majesties didn’t need the crutch of spellcraft. The estrazi were blessed the same. They shaped magic with their wills. For the majesties, a will so powerful that it remained in their scales and bones.

Originally, the scales gifted to the brood were capable of unleashing the magic of those they came from. Nothing was immune to the ravages of time. Not even the flesh of the majesties was a perfect vessel for mana. After centuries of its power leaking into the environment, it would be a miracle if it could show a fraction of its original power. However, they had a second function that still made them valuable.

They could boost the magic of someone with a matching affinity. The stronger the estrazi wielding it, the bigger the effect. That was why they were given to the females, the most magically talented. There was little cause for Good Light to use hers but her sisters had used their scales to erect the false mountain their mother resided in along with the city of ice at its base.

Little Water and the scale of light were incompatible. The most she could do was unleash its original magic and it only had enough mana to do so once. To Good Light, it undoubtedly would appear to be a waste but the elder had seen how Little Water would use the scale, or at least the most likely way. He’d also seen what would happen if she faced that challenge without the scale. “But your sister can make better use of it than you.”

“I suppose I can only take your word for it.”

“If you wish to lead the brood, you will have to become accustomed to my counsel.”

“Again with your lies. You’ll die long before mother. No, the next Great Mother needs to be a female who trusts her own judgment and doesn’t become a tail-twitching mess without you there to hold her hand.” Good Light turned her back to the cavern, waving a hand dismissively. “Go. Your business with me is done, isn’t it? I’ve tolerated you all intruding in my rooms long enough.”

The elder didn’t argue with her. His black-scaled guard grabbed his elbow and helped him stand. “Let me offer you one thing,” he called over his shoulder just before entering the tunnel. “Great Fire knows what you’re planning.”

Good Light turned to face him but he was already in the tunnel. She scoffed as the last tail of the guards disappeared into the gloom. “Useless man,” she grumbled, sitting up from her cushion. “Plays at being neutral but manipulating the brood unseen.”

It was no secret that she disliked her father. In many ways, he went against the natural order of things. The males were the majesties’ soldiers. The females birthed the soldiers and guided the brood. Once they were dropped on this continent, there was less need for soldiers. The males became workers. Even those possessing powerful greater affinities were no different.

Only her father was the exception. He thought his gift gave him the same authority as her mother. Something reinforced by the Great Mother humoring him for centuries despite there being nothing for him to see in this desolate land. Spending his days seated by the shore and turning her sisters against each other for who knew why.

Even Good Light, who thought nothing of him, couldn’t escape the threads of his control. She didn’t know what game he was playing but she still called her servants from the adjoining room, half a dozen dull scales stopping below her. “Locate Great Fire,” she told them, watching with narrowed eyes as they hurried from her cavern.

Once they were gone, she leapt from her perch and walked over to a plain wooden chest that was easily dismissed amongst the other treasures in the room. She knelt and opened it, moving aside bundles of colorful fabric. Near the bottom lay a small, ornate box. She pulled it out and slapped the chest closed with her tail.

It curled with excitement as she opened the box. Nestled between layers of silk was another golden scale. It was smaller than the one Good Light gifted her sister but had a brighter shine, showing it contained more mana. Pulled from the crown of the majesty’s head, it contained far more mana that would take another couple of centuries to fade. Her mother had the larger tail scales in abundance but there were only nine of the crown scales. One for each affinity. The true weapons meant to protect the brood in the event of tragedy.

And one was given to her. Her mother’s way of saying she agreed with Good Light’s views. She had no illusions that she was special. Undoubtedly, some of her more accomplished sisters had also received their mother’s favor but she was reassured that even if she wasn’t the next Great Mother, the future leader of the brood would share her ideals.

To ensure as much, she had to take care of the more problematic elements in the warren. She wasn’t the most talented of her sisters but she’d received the scale anyway. Good Light knew it was because she was more…proactive. If she was in a pessimistic mood, she’d say she was the most easily spurred to action.

Sometimes, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being used by her parents, the same way she used the brainless dull scales. It wasn’t a thought that particularly upset her. The estrazi, even the first Great Mother, were elevated from mere beasts to be servants. What gave them pride was being the best servants. A dragon, even if it served another, was still a dragon. By embracing their place at their masters’ feet, they rose higher than any other mortal race.

Good Light would also embrace her role as her mother’s servant as, one day, it would give her power over the brood. Her heart was calm as she palmed the scale, despite anticipating chaos. The brood did not compromise. Removing Great Fire’s influence would not be a matter of discussion…but of force.

Her wayward sister might not have much going for her but she did have some luck. Little Water’s obsession with the human was foolish but at least she had found a purpose beyond birthing workers. And she had good luck. Somehow, wasting her time with a bald ape had set her on an unexpected, if ultimately pointless, quest.

She would be the first female to venture beyond the Peaks. A feat that wouldn’t earn her any respect from the other females, who cared little for the world, but it distinguished her nonetheless. Just in time to avoid a culling that she would have little hope of surviving. No one went against Good Light’s vision for the brood’s future more than Little Water. Her younger sister wasn’t a threat but she would have taken the chance to be rid of her anyway.

Was that the point of Great Eye’s schemes? It didn’t matter. Despite his protection, Little Water was acting against the brood. If she didn’t return with results, Good Light wouldn’t even have to raise a hand to deal with her. Though, when the time came, it wouldn’t surprise her if she were volunteered to carry out the grim duty.

Claws scraping against stone drew her attention to the tunnel that led from her cavern. One of her servants returned, skidding to a stop before her, and bowing its head in subservience. “Found Great Fire.”

“Lead the way.”