8. Aurel
8
AUREL
I pace in my dreamscape prison, watching Vera struggle with the simple magic exercise I've set for her. My coils shift restlessly against the ground. Days of this, and still no progress. Time bleeds away while she fumbles with basic incantations.
"Focus, Vera. You're holding back." My voice carries an edge of irritation. How long must I wait? These chains grow heavier with each passing moment.
"I'm trying!" She grits her teeth, sweat beading on her forehead. Her hands shake as she attempts to channel energy from the stones around us.
"Try harder." I slide closer, towering over her slight frame. "The magic is there. You can feel it, can't you? Stop fighting it."
She closes her eyes, concentration etched across her features. A flicker of energy sparks between her palms, then fizzles out. Dammit.
"This isn't working." I turn away, my tail lashing in frustration. "You need to stop thinking like a slave."
"How am I supposed to think?" Her voice cracks. "I've never been anything else."
I whirl back to face her. "Then pretend! Imagine you're one of them - those bastards who look down on you. Channel that anger, that resentment."
Her eyes snap open, meeting mine. There's a flash of something there - defiance, perhaps. Good. I can work with that.
"Again," I command. "And this time, remember how they treat you. How they mock you. Use it."
She pushes back her mop of blonde curls and raises her hands once more, but the magic refuses to come. My jaw clenches. At this rate, I'll rot in this prison forever. What use is she if she can't even master the basics?
"Maybe I was wrong about you." The words slip out, sharp with disappointment.
Her shoulders slump, and I see that familiar defeat creeping back into her posture. Damn it all. This isn't working. I need a new approach before she gives up entirely.
I slide behind her, my chest nearly touching her back. Her scent fills my senses - a mix of lavender soap and something uniquely her. Damn these dreams making everything feel so real. I shouldn't be able to smell her, to feel the warmth radiating from her skin.
"Stop thinking." My hands cover hers, and electricity shoots through my arms. My breath catches. What is this? "Just let it flow."
She trembles against me, her pulse racing beneath my touch. I lean down, my lips nearly brushing her ear. "Feel the power around you. Draw it in."
"I-I can't concentrate when you're..." Her voice trails off as my fingers tighten over hers.
"When I'm what?" I press closer, using my body to guide her movements. The magic stones pulse around us, responding to our combined energy. "Focus, Vera."
She inhales sharply, her small back arching slightly. The air crackles with potential. Yes, there it is.
"Do it," I whisper, my voice rougher than intended. "Now."
Magic explodes from her palms, a burst of pure energy that lights up the dreamscape. She spins in my arms, her face radiant with triumph.
"I did it!" Her eyes shine with joy, and something twists in my chest. "Did you see?"
I step back, disturbed by my reaction to her closeness. This is just manipulation, I remind myself. She's merely a tool for my escape. Nothing more.
But why does her smile make me want to pull her closer? To feel her small body pressed into mine. My magic snaps, and so does my tail, beckoning to coil around her…
I force myself back, my tail whipping against the dreamscape floor. The heat in my blood cools as I study her with new eyes. That burst of power... it wasn't just beginner's luck. The magical stones around us still hum with residual energy.
"Do it again." My voice comes out rougher than intended.
Vera's smile falters. "I don't know if I can."
"You can." I circle her slowly, assessing. "The power's there. I can sense it." And I do - it pulses beneath her skin like a second heartbeat, wild and untamed. How did I miss this before?
She raises her hands, trembling. The dust around us stirs, gathering into a flickering tundra, but then dies. Vera's shoulders slump.
"Something's blocking you." I stop in front of her, studying her face. "Your body's weak, yes, but this is different. This is..." I reach out, my fingers hovering near her temple. The magical feedback makes my skin tingle. "What are you?"
"I'm nobody." She steps back, wrapping her arms around herself. "Just a defective slave."
"No." I grab her wrist, ignoring the jolt of electricity between us. "You're something else. Something more." The magic stones pulse brighter around her, responding to her presence in a way I've never seen. "Who were your parents?"
"I don't know. The dark elves never..." She trails off, looking away.
I release her, my mind racing. Could she be? After all these centuries? But she's so damned fragile. Unless...
"Your weakness," I say slowly. "It's not natural, is it? It feels like..." Like a binding. Like chains. Like my own imprisonment, but wrapped around her very essence.
She looks up at me, confusion clear in those wide eyes. "What do you mean?"
I bare my teeth in frustration. Someone's done this to her. Sealed away her true nature. But why? And more importantly - how can I use this to my advantage?
I move closer to Vera, my coils sliding silently across the dreamscape floor. Her magic pulses erratically, like a trapped bird trying to break free. Such potential, yet she holds herself back. Just like these chains hold me back.
"Yes. You're learning." I keep my voice smooth, encouraging. My tail flicks with barely contained impatience. "But you're still fighting yourself."
She shakes her head, blonde curls falling across her face. "I don't understand. How can I be fighting myself?"
"Because you believe what they've told you." I circle behind her, close enough that my chest nearly brushes her back. The scent of her fills my senses again - damn these vivid dreams. "Every time they called you worthless, every time they sneered at your weakness... you accepted it."
Her shoulders tense. "Because it's true-"
"No." I grip her shoulders, spinning her to face me. Electric jolts shoot through my palms where they touch her skin. "It's what they wanted you to believe. These limitations..." My fingers trace up to her temple, and the magic stones around us pulse brighter. "They're not yours. They were placed on you."
"What do you mean, placed on me?" Her eyes widen, and for a moment, I see a flash of something ancient in their depths.
I smile, small but sharp. Finally, she's starting to ask the right questions. "Think about it. Why would they need to constantly remind you of your weakness if it were natural?"
The magic stones hum louder, responding to her growing awareness. Perfect. Let her question everything they've told her. Let her doubt seep into those carefully constructed walls they've built around her power.
"Try again," I command softly. "But this time, stop telling yourself you can't."
The dreamscape trembles beneath my coils as Vera's magic surges. Her energy shifts - no longer the weak flickers of before, but something raw and powerful. The dust around us rises, spinning in intricate patterns around her fingers.
"That's it." I lean forward, studying the way the magic responds to her. "Let it flow naturally."
Her eyes remain closed, face serene with concentration. The floor quakes harder, and I feel the ancient stones humming in response to her power. Such potential, hidden beneath years of enforced weakness.
"More," I urge, circling closer. "Push it further."
The dust transforms into shimmering ribbons of pure energy, dancing between her palms. My breath catches. This is no simple parlor trick - this is primal magic, the kind that could shatter walls and break chains.
"Look at what you're doing," I say, my voice rough with excitement. The magical feedback makes my scales tingle. "Open your eyes."
She does, and gasps at the display of power floating before her. "How am I-"
"Don't question it. Just feel it." I slide behind her, close enough to sense the magic pulsing beneath her skin. "This is only the beginning of what you're capable of."
The stones around us glow brighter, drawn to her energy like moths to flame. My mind races with possibilities. What else might she be able to do? What other powers lie dormant within her?
"I've never seen magic respond quite like this," I admit, watching the energy weave through her fingers. "There's something different about you. Something special."
Her power flares at my words, and the very air crackles with potential. Yes, she could be exactly what I need - not just to escape, but to understand the mysteries of her own existence. And perhaps... to unlock even greater powers.
I push Vera harder tonight, watching her channel raw energy through the ancient stones scattered around us. Her power has grown exponentially these past weeks, but something still holds her back. A barrier I need her to break.
"Again," I command, circling her. "This time, draw from deeper within."
She grits her teeth, sweat beading on her forehead. The stones pulse brighter, responding to her call. Magic crackles through the air, making my scales tingle.
"More." I slide closer, my voice dropping lower. "You're still holding back."
"I can't-" She gasps, her legs trembling with effort.
"You can. Stop thinking like a slave."
The magic surges, wild and untamed. The very air vibrates with potential. My tail twitches with excitement - this is what I've been waiting for.
"Focus it," I instruct, moving behind her. "Channel it through-"
Her knees buckle. Without thinking, I lunge forward, catching her before she hits the ground. My arms wrap around her waist, pulling her against my chest. The contact sends electricity shooting through my body.
She turns her head, and suddenly her face is inches from mine. Her breath catches. Those eyes - when did they become so captivating? I can feel her heart racing where my hands grip her sides.
The magic stones pulse in rhythm with our heartbeats, casting shifting shadows across her features. Her lips part slightly, and something primal stirs in my blood.
What am I doing? She's just a tool, nothing more. But then why can't I look away? Why do I want to...
The air between us crackles with more than just magic.
My gaze drops to her lips, and for a moment, I forget myself. They're soft, slightly parted, and far too tempting. The magic stones pulse around us, matching the thundering of my heart. Heat courses through my veins, and my tail coils tighter against the ground to keep from wrapping around her waist.
I pull back abruptly, steadying her on her feet. "Careful." The word comes out rougher than intended, and I clear my throat.
A blush spreads across her cheeks, staining them pink. Her pulse races beneath my hands where they still grip her arms. "Thank you," she whispers, and the softness in her voice makes something twist in my chest.
I turn away, forcing my expression blank. I can't let her see how she affects me. Can't let her know that for a moment there, I wanted... No. Focus on the goal. Freedom. Revenge. Nothing else matters.
"Don't let your emotions distract you," I say coldly, putting distance between us. "Focus on your training."
My scales scrape against the dreamscape floor as I move, trying to ignore the lingering warmth where her body pressed against mine. Damn these dreams for feeling so real. Damn her for making me feel things I haven't felt in centuries.
I watch Vera rest against a dreamscape boulder, her chest rising and falling with exhausted breaths. The magic stones around us still pulse with residual energy from our training session. Her power grows stronger each night, yet something else grows too - something that makes my coils twitch with unease.
My gaze traces the curve of her neck, the way her curls falls across her face. Even exhausted, she holds herself differently now. There's a quiet strength emerging, like a flower breaking through stone.
"Damn it all," I mutter, turning away. She's nothing but a means to an end. A key to unlock these cursed chains. I've spent centuries plotting my escape - I won't let some human slave derail my plans with her soft eyes and gentle smile.
But the energy doesn't lie. I feel it crackling between us, electric and alive. When she touches me, it's like being struck by lightning. Every brush of skin sets my scales on fire.
"Is everything alright?" she asks, and her voice slides down my spine like honey.
"Rest," I snap, harsher than intended. "You'll need your strength."
She flinches slightly at my tone, and something in my chest tightens. Weakness. That's all this is. Centuries of isolation making me forget myself. Making me imagine feelings where there should be none.
And yet... the way her magic responds to mine, the way she looks at me when she thinks I'm not watching...
My tail lashes against the ground. No. She is my pawn. Nothing more. These feelings are irrelevant. Inconvenient.
But as I steal another glance at her peaceful face, I can't quite convince myself it's true.