Ash pressed his lips together tightly, lifting his hands and shrugging. “There is little room for interpretation. It says he was transformed into a dragon, never to be seen again. And from that point on, the Saint clan was said to have an affinity thatallowed them to tame and control the dragons. It saved everyone in Venustas from being burned alive.”
“Okay, Prince Asher,” Caelan said in a mockingly serious tone, “then where are the dragons?”
Saryna shook her head. “Stop Caelan. You know they are real. It is written in the Arynthian Codex. It says the dragons were enslaved after years of terrorizing the people of southern Valyria and tortured, too. Some fled back to oblivion from whence they came, while some were lost to the ice and cold of the far north. Legend says, some of their souls escaped as they lay dying by the hand of mages, consuming the souls of members of the Saint clan, merging their everi forever.”
Mages merged with dragons?
“Now we know why the Prince of Celestia is hot-tempered,” Roslyn said, smirking at Ash.
I glanced at him, too.
He gave her a playful glare.
They were serious.
Ash’s sandy brows were raised as he regarded me with mild surprise. His lips twitched as if he were about to ask me a question, but he changed his mind. Good. I wanted to keep talking about these dragons.
“There were dragons in the Realm?” I asked.
Ash nodded. “A long time ago.”
I wanted to question him further, but the chamber door opening stole everyone’s attention.
My thoughts faded from my mind as I saw Blake in the entryway. My lungs refused to take in breath and my mind was clouded with doubt. I was an Initiate again, paranoid I was seeing things, uncertain of what to do and drowning in grief.
No.
I wasn’t seeing things. My fingernails dug into my palms.
Blake was back.
Chapter 38
Deep Wounds Are Slow to Heal
ANNA
Istood abruptly but didn’t move.
I was feverish, and shivering, and nothing was connecting. I didn’t know what to do. Did I run to him? Did I yell at him? Should I leave?
I couldn’t breathe and the previous warmth and comfortable chatter had been sucked out of the room.
Blake was like a statue. He was looking at me but I felt nothing. He was closed off from me with his everi locked up tight. He looked the same, dressed in his usual elegant black and gray attire. His eyes were different, though. Weary. Forlorn. Troubled.
“I came to see you,” Blake said, looking at Ash. “I can come back.”
He turned to leave but Ash’s voice broke the stillness of the group.
“No,” he said. “The others will go.”
He looked at Riya, Eli and Isabella and gave them a gentle nod. They understood without another word. Isabella glanced atme, giving me a quick smile, and followed the others out. Caelan gave a false cough and slipped out behind them, shutting the door and leaving Roslyn, Ash and me alone with Blake.
He sighed and came into the room and faced me, but staying several paces away.
“Anna,” he said softly.
My heart swelled like it might burst and I rushed into his arms. He received me with a tight embrace, but he did not pull me in like he once did.
