CHAPTER 30
“The embers are lifelines of the Fallen Embers. The light inside them keeps them connected to the Gods, making them able to wield from the Gods if they are strong enough. If their lights fade to dark, they lose their bond to the Gods, making them weak.” – Book of Azure
“STAY AWAY FROM KOEN!” MY throat burns, throbbing as I yell towards Florian, whose eyes are locked on Koen’s body.
I know what he is about to do.
The way his eyes widen, fear etched into every detail of his sharp facial features, staring at his brother who is dying before us. Something inside me wants him to do it as well. The torturing thought of losing Koen is already killing me.
But I can’t lose Florian either. I won’t allow it.
Even if Koen wanted me dead, there is this constant tug in my heart that needs him, wants him alive.
Florian grunts, holding his ribs. “I can heal him!”
“And then you die, Florian!” My fire dragon whips in the air around Florian, making him flinch as it dives towards his head. “My brother cannot die, I can help him!”
“And how can you help all of us if you are dead! You are the future King! The water can heal him!”
Florian’s eyes water. “Then get him to the Vitaei before it's too late.”
The dark dragon snaps his mouth towards Klayra as she reaches for another dagger. “I’m sorry! Shit.” Klayra holds her burnt arm, moaning in agony. “Whatever the hell those are… make them go away!”
My shoulders rise, sucking in the dirty air as I glare at Koen’s bloody body. “Take him to the Vitaei… now!”
Zake’s eyes and mine are locked, he is frozen as his chest rises and falls rapidly. I believe he is in shock. So am I, but the adrenaline has taken over.
“Did you not hear me!” My eyes burn, heaving in exhaustion. “Pick him up, and take him!”
The dragons bob and weave in the air, circling around above me.
Zake nervously scurries to his feet, the tiny bones and shells in his necklace clashing together.
With a loud scuff, Ivker walks over to Koen, a few new scratches against his mechanic arm.
Klayra heaves, trying to catch her breath as her arm hisses with steam, and I notice the boils forming along her skin through her ripped and burnt sleeves.
“You are as insane as the rumors have made you to be!” Klayra bellows from the pit of her throat. “The Gods will reign fire on us all because of you! Using dark magic inside the Pyre is forbidden!”
I pause, catching my breath as I stare at Koen’s body. Blood seeps around him. My heart beats against my chest. Is this dark magic?
My eyes roll, tucking my bottom lip between my teeth before my voice breaks to a broken growl. “Protecting people I love is not insane.”
Her jaw ticks as her teal strands stick against her face by the wet blood. I watch Ivker pick up and carry Koen’s unconscious body as blood drips down his fingertips. His curls are plastered with dirt and sweat.
“You better pray he doesn’t die.” I stride towards Klayra, hovering over her body. “Florian will not let his brother die, which means he will give his life just so Koen can leave… which means you would have killed the future King of Azure.”
Her elbow slips in the dirt, falling more into the ground. Her eyes widen as my nostrils flare with rage and flicker with a longing to slit her throat right here. Right now. She fears the dragons that just wielded from inside the stones. She now fears me.
Good. She should.
I might not understand what just happened, but it saved my life. It saved his life. And that's all that matters right now.
Florian grunts, holding his bloody ribs as he rises from the ground. “There shouldn’t have been bloodshed here. The God of Fire will not be pleased with what just happened.”
God of Fire. Now I wonder, do the Gods from each Realm match the element of the horses? I suppose I should know since Florian said the horses were a gift from their Gods, hand crafted in their elements.
I need that damn book. I need to know the truth of this world. The ways. The curses.
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 in you.”
“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.”
“And the book. I need that damn book.” My eyes close for a split moment before opening them to see soft autumn flecks dance in his eyes. “Are you sure you are okay?”
“I’m good now. The pain of broken bones and torn skin from blades is nothing compared to shifting.” His lips pull into a smirk. “I’d take this over turning into a dragon anyday.”
“The Queen is allowing you two to ride back to the frozen archives.” The words fumble out of my mouth.
His thick brows pull together. “How did you manage that?”
My lips slowly pull into a gentle smile. “I have my ways.”