If the words won’t show for others, and only for me, maybe I might be able to understand how to break the curses for good.
However as I violently dig my nails into my palms, I catch sight of the fire dragon swirling in front of me, looping in circles before almost resting by my shoulder. It's small, almost adorable, yet deadly. Heat should be radiating from it, yet I still feel nothing.
I wonder, will I ever be able to feel the warmth of a fire again?
“I could care less about what the Gods feel, I need to get Koen to the Vitaei now,” I hiss.
“You might regret that.” Florian’s worried eyes linger on me before stumbling over to his brother, letting his hand rest against Ivker’s body as they leave the Pyre. “The Gods take bloodshed in their sacred grounds seriously.”
“I only regret not finding out what these stones are capable of doing,” I mutter under my breath, following their lead through the stone archway. “I will never let something like this happen again.”
KOEN’S BODY MELTS INTO THE water of Vitaei. The crystal water, sparkling with different hues of blues and teals, vibrates around him. Florian holds him to float along the surface, Koen’s curls sway around his face as bright lights pulse around him.
His lip protrudes slightly, causing the scar on his lower lip to become more noticeable in the light.
Damn it. I should have let him kiss me.
Soft groans escape from his mouth as the water heals him, and his emerald eyes slowly peek through his exhausted eyelids.
There he is.There is his beauty, his life, the gentleness I remember.
I glance over my shoulder with bitterness in my eyes, watching Ivker, Klayra, and Zake stand at the arched entrance. Klayra steps one foot in, and the cave develops into complete darkness.
She isn't a Royal. Who the hell is she then?
“Do not take another step,” I growl, my nostrils flaring as the stones against my arms heat. But the dragons stay in.
“I know you don’t understand, but this is how we are, how we do things. You shouldn’t be wielding those damn curses in the Kingdom. That's forbidden,” she whispers. “Koen and I go far back. No matter what happened earlier, he knows the rules… he won’t hold a grudge over this.”
I scuff, vigorously rubbing my fingers through my strands. “You almost killed him!” I scan the water, watching Koen weakly fall to the side and rest his arms against the gravel ledge. “If he won’t hold a grudge, I’ll hold one for him.”
“You need to understand the ways of the chosen—”
“I don’t give a damn about the ways!” I bellow, my throat constricting and burning as my veins swell against my neck. “Don’t you all see this? I don’t care about your rules or the ways that have been written in your damn books! You have no right being here. Truthfully, you have no right to even know if Koen is okay.”
She takes a strand of her blood-stained, teal hair, tucking it behind her ear before she turns. Ivker and Zake stand in the doorway, the dim light flickering in from behind. The clouds must be covering the sun, because I feel the temperature in the air drop. A storm is brewing.
Maybe the God of this Realm is pissed after all.
“You two.” My chest rises. “Leave.”
They turn with a scuff, kicking rocks as they walk down the pathway back to the Pyre. I wonder if one of them will run to the Queen to gossip about what unfolded. Unless she already knows.Maybe the oracles showed bloodshed in the Pyre, without showing me being a part of it.
Koen’s head rests against the ledge, one wet curl resting against his forehead as water cascades down his face. It flows gently over his cheek bones, down to his upper lip, and falls gracefully over his bottom lip.
However, it's his chest that makes me suck in the air I was going to exhale. Almost choking. Florian had removed his ripped and bloodied suit, resting it against the gravel. I can’t deny that I’m not mad about it.
The water sways at his chest, only revealing a few healed wounds slashed across the top portion of his body. He breathes.Thank the Gods he is breathing.
Florian walks up the stairs underwater, making his way out of the Vitaei. Droplets cascade from his damp hair, tracing rivulets down his bare and toned chest. As he reaches the surface, he gathers his golden waves, twisting them into a knot above his head. He cracks his neck and shoulder, turning slightly to reveal the scorched dragon that sprawls boldly across his muscular back. But also, I catch sight of the marks that slash across his body. My stomach tightens, I can’t imagine the pain he goes through to shift. He lets his soaked hair slap against his back before arching it to crack the aching bones inside him.
My insides tighten. “I should have burned them all for what they did.”
His head shakes slightly. “No, they will not follow you if you start killing off the chosen. The Realm will despise you for it. We need you to stay the way you are… the way you have been, in order for the Realms to choose you. We need them to follow you, believe inyou.”
“You really still think this is what the elder was telling us?”
“I do. And I promise I’ll get those stones if they will help you remember.”
