Varys merely bowed slightly at Viserys's words, the same impeccably mild smile still on his face.
Then he spoke softly. "Everything shall be as Your Grace commands. The five hundred Gold Cloaks have already assembled in the square before the Red Keep. Shall we order them to proceed to the camp outside the Kingswood to clear the area and establish defenses? Your Grace may wish to spend the night there."
Viserys replied evenly, "Let them proceed as planned. The continent is still somewhat unsettled, and bands of roving outlaws often hide deep in the woods. There is nothing wrong with having them clear the area and secure the camp."
"Besides, even if we do not stay there tonight, the refurbished camp can be left for troops patrolling near the Kingswood to use in the future. Their efforts will not have been wasted."
Blackflame could not understand these human arrangements. It only felt that Varys's interruption had delayed its next move. It could not help shaking its enormous, black-scaled head, sending two streams of scorching white vapor from its nostrils and startling Varys into an involuntary step backward.
Viserys glanced up at Blackflame and used their mental link to soothe its restless spirit.
Then, before everyone, he rebuked it with a touch of casual indifference in his voice. "Behave yourself, Blackflame. Stop frightening my Master of Whisperers. Once we reach the Kingswood, you will be free to hunt."
Subdued by Viserys's mental pressure, Blackflame could only shake its neck and give a low, sullen growl before finally resting its enormous head back on the gravel-covered ground.
Yet its enormous amber eyes, with their vertical pupils lazily half-lidded, and the heat seeping out between its black scales silently proclaimed the dragon's ferocity to everyone present.
Varys hastily steadied his breathing as well.