Chapter 17.3- The Seadragon's Roar

In the end, the decision to burn the forest was made. Was it the right thing to do, or was it just the easy thing? That was the thought was on my mind as I flew Igneel above one end of the forest. Both Vhagar and Meleys were larger by Igneel by some margin so they could produce more fire. I was sure we burned hotter than they did, but the goal here did not require that heat.

Mother was in position, I could tell. So was Laena. When Mother blew her horn, I moved in almost instantly. Igneel and I banking downwards. “Dracarys” I screamed dour will to the heavens as we began the actions that would seal the doom of my father’s killer. Igneel and I were on containment duty. We burned the trees at the end of the line, closest to the town and to the general wilds first. We used our hotter flames in short blasts that incinerated what we aimed at but left little behind to carry further flames or spread the fire further.

We did that in a circle around the forest, creating a simple kill zone. And when we finished, Meleys and Vhagar moved from opposite ends. Even large as Meleys was, Vhagar dwarfed her. Where Meleys had to fly from side to side to get the whole forest in her range, Vhagar just flew in a straight line casting her flames so wide thanks to her size that it reached the edges of the forest either way. Both dragons met in the middle, having set much of it on fire.

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“Have some men go in there and find me the bastard’s bones when the flames die. I mean to make a goblet from his skull” I said to the goy that ran up to me with my waterskin as I dismounted Igneel. He nodded, eyes focused on the Dagon more than they were on me I looked at him then— brown hair, violet eyes, fair skin. Dragonseed, most definitely, but nt one pure enough to inherit all the looks of old Valyria.

“Tell me, what is your name boy?” I asked.

“Me mum named me Mance, milord”

“It’s My lord” I corrected absently even as I looked at him further. Was it paranoia that had me seeing shadows of Corlys wherever I went? I couldn’t find myself failing to think abut the possibility that he had left bastards behind, not since I;’d seen Willem and Callum. There was a chance they were ut random dragon seeds. The blood of old Valyria ran strong among the people of driftmark. Not as strong as it ran on Dragonstone, but silver hair and purple eyes were far from rare traits in the general populace.

“See to it that Igneel is fed. Two whole sheep for him” I said, deciding that he might as well get a treat. Igneel almost purred in my mind. He’d gotten tired of eating fish all the time and had practically been begging for something else. Of course, we didn’t have the resources to see him enjoy sheep on a daily basis but a treat once in a while didn’t hurt. I turned to the side, and Meleys landed, almost sending the boy off his feet. I placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

“Well done, Laenor” Mother said, tilting to the side and sliding down from the saddle. The forest was gone now, most of it ablaze and guaranteed to burn in the next few hours.

“When do we head out?” I asked, still not certain that I was pleased with the changes she’d made to my earlier plans.