Chapter 24
24
DAMIEN
“ G oing to her is exactly what the emperor wants you to do!” Uncle Bai fumed as I paced the room, running clenched hands through my wild hair. “You don’t think both of you are being watched right now?”
Logically, I knew that. But my irrational side wanted to run straight to the Ryder residence and confirm with my own eyes that she was okay, then fly to Dragon Valley and rip Thorne to shreds. But I couldn’t. Acting rashly would just put us all in more danger than we were already in.
I stopped pacing and looked over at my uncle. “You’ve always known, haven’t you?”
His eyes widened and his bottom lip trembled. “Damien…” he whispered.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, my voice cracking just a bit.
He sighed. With leaden steps, he walked to one of the stone seats and slumped down. “Because your mother begged me not to. She wanted you to live as much of a normal life as possible.”
I scoffed and held my arms out wide. “Normal? What about my life has been normal ? I’ve been condemned to live in this forsaken volcano my whole life!”
“Damien… there are things that your mother wished to keep from you for your own sake… for your protection,” Uncle Bai murmured. “Just… let it go.”
My brows shot up. “Excuse me? Let it go? What are you not telling me?”
His lips trembled nervously and he refused to meet my gaze.
“Uncle Bai!” I shouted. “Does it have something to do with who my real father is?”
His gaze flicked to mine and his eyes widened in fear. “Damien! Quiet!”
“It does…” I whispered. “You know who he is…”
Uncle Bai sprang from his seat and came to me, gripping my hands. “Listen to me, boy, if you think having the twin flame mark is bad, learning the truth about your father is infinitely worse. Some things are best left alone. Trust me on this. Please.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Who the hell could my father be to instill so much fear into my normally unflappable uncle? I couldn’t think of a single person who would scare him this much, or a situation that could rival the importance of the twin flame mark. I was at a loss, but the sight of my uncle’s glassy eyes and the bone-weary slump of his shoulders broke me.
He avoided my eyes as he released my hands, and the tension in the thick, volcanic air rose to a dizzying degree. “Damien, now is not the time to start digging up the past. The dangers extend far beyond what you can imagine.”
I resumed my frenetic pacing, trying to pull comfort from the heated ground beneath my feet as frustration seethed within me. “You've always warned me to stay hidden and keep away from the empire’s politics. Why? What are you so afraid of?”
Uncle Bai sighed heavily, and I saw the weight of buried secrets carved into his aged face. “There are things about your heritage, about the empire... things better left unsaid. Your mother made me promise to keep you out of the emperor’s reach as long as possible.”
“So you keep saying,” I snapped, my patience wearing thin. “But why? If there's no threat from the other side of my lineage, then why the need for secrecy?”
My uncle rubbed his temples, an outward indication that his typical calm demeanor was fraying at the edges. “It's not just about who you are, Damien. It’s about what you could become if the wrong truths come to light. The emperor fears what he cannot control, and he would see you as a threat if he knew how powerful you might be.”
I stopped pacing and faced him squarely. “Does this have anything to do with why he thinks I can't be trusted? Because I've been sneaking off this island?”
My uncle’s eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite decipher—fear, perhaps, or regret. “Yes, and more than that, Damien. The emperor is not just a ruler; he’s a man driven by paranoia and the lust for absolute power. If he even suspects that you're more than an exiled prince...”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “What then? What does he want with me?”
“He wants assurance that you will not rise against him. That you will remain a shadow, never threatening his reign.”
The room felt hotter, the air denser. “What if I don't want to remain a shadow? What if I refuse to let him dictate my fate—or hers?” Cat strayed into my thoughts. I thought of the danger she was now in because of me, because of this tangled web in which we’d been snared.
Uncle Bai met my gaze, his expression solemn. “Then, Damien, you must be prepared for the worst. The emperor will not hesitate to crush any threat, real or perceived. You must carefully plan each step. Remember, survival is not just about fighting; it's about knowing when to stay hidden and when to strike.”
His words, though frustratingly vague, rang with a warning I couldn’t ignore. If I wanted to protect myself and Cat, I needed to be smarter and more cautious. The game had changed, and so must I.
The air inside the volcanic chamber, usually rife with the scent of sulfur, suddenly shifted with an unexpected chill. Before Uncle Bai or I could react, a figure materialized out of thin air, the space around him shimmering like a disturbed pond. The man wore a long, flowing white silk robe, and snowy white hair fell all the way to his hips. But what arrested my attention were his lavender eyes and pointed ears. He was fae.
“Damien, I presume?” The man's voice was smooth, tinged with an accent that was unfamiliar yet oddly melodic. He inclined his head fractionally, his eyes glinting with a mischievous gleam. “I'm Klaus, a friend of... Kitty Cat,” he said, emphasizing the last words with a knowing look.
The nickname snapped through me like a whip, and I tightened my jaw as a growl rumbled in my chest. Uncle Bai sensed my tension and placed a steadying hand on my shoulder, a silent command to maintain control.
This must be her fae friend.
“What do you want?” I managed to grit out, struggling to keep my tone even.
Klaus's demeanor sobered as he straightened and became more business-like. “I bring a message from Kitty Cat. It seems the crown prince has presented himself at the Ryder residence with what he claims are betrothal gifts for her, decreed by the emperor.”
The words hit me like a physical blow, sending a surge of anger and protectiveness coursing through me. “Betrothal gifts?” I echoed, my voice laced with disbelief and bitterness. Part of me had hoped the emperor was lying, but now that hope was dashed. The bastard had arranged for her to marry Thorne.
But beyond that, Thorne accepted.
“Yes,” Klaus confirmed. His gaze briefly flickered around the space as if wary of unseen ears. “She negotiated a week's reprieve before being taken to Dragon Valley. Kitty Cat hopes to use this limited time to devise a plan.”
One week . The words echoed ominously in the volcano’s cavernous space. The unmistakable urgency of the situation pressed down with the weight of impending decisions.
Klaus shifted and his expression tightened. “I must return to Faelight Forest soon. My freedom to roam is... limited, and temporarily granted.”
He referred to the deal she made with him, which meant if he was here, it was because she’d recently put herself in danger to summon him. The thought drove waves of roiling anger through me. Fighting my instincts to run and steal her away, I gritted my teeth so hard I was afraid I would chip a tooth.
“Is… is she okay?” I asked hesitantly.
Klaus nodded and smirked. “She’s fine. Our dear Kitty Cat is quite formidable in a fight. Nonetheless, if she plans to call on me this week, she’ll have to…”
He left the sentence hanging, but I knew what he meant. She would need to place herself in dangerous situations so she could call on Klaus. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Am I missing something here?” Uncle Bai interjected, clearly confused.
I hadn’t told him the truth about Cat. By the immortals… he would be furious . It was time to come clean… about everything.
I turned to the fae and nodded, feeling resolve settle deep within me. “Thank you for bringing this message, Klaus. Tell Cat... I'll take care of it.”
Klaus nodded, and a faint smile flitted across his face as he began to fade, his form dissolving into the air as subtly as it appeared. “I will. And Shadow Prince?” His voice lingered even as his image vanished. “Choose your next moves wisely. Not every fight is won by force.”
His advice echoed my uncle’s earlier warning. Stifling silence encompassed the room. Uncle Bai stood behind me, impatiently waiting for an explanation.
He cleared his throat. “Damien… who is Cat? What is going on?”
I sighed. “Cat is Lady Arya.” I turned to face him, reluctantly meeting his steely gaze. “Well, technically, she’s pretending to be Lady Arya.”
Uncle Bai’s brows furrowed. He took a few seconds to process the information, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as realization hit him. His eyes widened and he shouted, “Where is the real Lady Arya?”
“In Cat’s world,” I calmly answered. “During the boating accident, Lady Arya fell overboard and she and Cat accidently switched places when they passed through an unknown portal in River Elara.”
Uncle Bai’s eyes were wide in shock. “So this Cat person… she’s not even from here?”
I shook my head.
“Damien…” He sighed and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “How long have you known?”
“A while.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, clearly upset by my answer.
I grimaced. “Because I worried you would want to send her back to her world.” I trusted my uncle, but I knew he wouldn’t agree with my methods. I understood right and wrong, and keeping Cat here against her will was wrong. And my uncle would tell me so.
Uncle Bai's face reddened with anger, a rare sight that made the tension in the room ratchet up several degrees. “Damien, how could you keep this from me?” His voice, usually calm and measured, shook with betrayal and concern. “And what about Klaus? How is he involved? I remember him appearing at the Nightwing Banquet. How is he able to leave Faelight Forest?”
I hesitated, knowing my next words would only add fuel to the fire. “Cat made a bargain with Klaus. If she's ever in danger, he can leave the forest to come to her aid.”
In a move that proved the crushing strength hidden beneath his unassuming exterior, Uncle Bai slammed his fist against the frozen lava wall. “Do you realize what she’s done? If the emperor discovers this, it will bring disaster down upon us all! Do you realize who Klaus is?! He’s the grandson of the last fae king !”
I swallowed hard as the gravity of the situation pressed down on me. “I know, Uncle, I know.” Truthfully, I didn’t know that last tidbit about Klaus’s identity, but I didn’t want to add fuel to Bai’s already blazing flame. “But please, we need to keep this between us. Cat is... she's important, and not just to me. She has the twin flame mark. There must be a reason she's here!”
Uncle Bai paced back and forth, his brow furrowed deeply as he considered the information. Finally, he stopped and fixed his gaze on me. In a blink, his anger subsided into a troubled expression. “Damien, you know she's not meant to be in this world. Interfering with the natural order of things could have unforeseen consequences.”
“But Cat’s presence here can’t be a random occurrence, Uncle!” I argued desperately. “It wasn’t a coincidence that two people who look identical would accidentally enter the portal at the same time. The twin flame mark—there’s a reason she has it! There's a reason she's here . We’ve been searching for her for decades!”
The lines of his face softened as he considered my words. “This is bigger than us, Damien. Bigger than your feelings for her.”
I nodded, understanding the truth of his caution yet unable to quench the fire that compelled me to protect Cat at all costs. “Help me keep her safe here, Uncle. Help me find a way. If she marries Thorne, she’ll never be able to escape Dragon Valley and find her way back home.”
He looked at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine for sincerity and resolve. Finally, he nodded, albeit reluctantly. “I'll help you, Damien. Not just for your sake, but for the balance at stake. We cannot afford mistakes.”
My shoulders slumped in relief and I felt the first twinge of hope amidst the storm of challenges we faced. “Thank you,” I said. My uncle’s support meant everything, but the road would be fraught with peril. Whatever lay ahead, I was ready to face it, knowing I wasn't alone in the fight.
I rose early the next day, unconcerned if the guards outside the volcano could see me or not. The emperor already knew I had my dragon bones and periodically left the island, so sneaking around was pointless. I stepped out into the living room to shift.
“Where are you going?” Uncle Bai asked.
“The Gilded Serpent,” I said casually. “I have questions for Lysandra.”
“Oh?” Uncle Bai raised a brow. “Like?”
I began to shift. “Like is she working for Thorne or me.”
“Do you believe she’s been part of Thorne’s network this whole time?” Uncle Bai asked.
But I could no longer answer. As my human form contorted, bones reshaped with a chorus of crackles and pops that echoed off the volcanic walls. Taut skin stretched and darkened, revealing scales as black as the obsidian that lined our lair to cover my body in a protective layer. My fingers and toes fused and elongated into powerful claws, each movement resonating with the raw power of my dragon heritage. Massive wings unfurled from my back with a sound like thunderclaps, filling the cavernous space with their immense span. My face elongated to form a snout, and sharp, formidable teeth designed for a predator replaced my human ones.
The physical transformation was first and foremost, but with each second that passed, my dragon instincts surged stronger, sharpening my primal intelligence and senses to their peak. The acrid tang of sulfur and molten rock was more pungent, and the heat of the lava flows below seemed to invigorate me rather than threaten.
Standing fully transformed, I was an imposing figure: a sleek, powerful dragon cloaked in scales that absorbed light, making me appear as a shadow even against the dimly lit backdrop of the volcano. My eyes, deep pools of molten gold, scanned the surroundings with a new depth of clarity.
“I never trusted Thorne,” Uncle Bai admitted as he looked up at me. “He treated you like his own personal hound dog. I wouldn’t be surprised if his niceties were all a ruse.”
I huffed, letting out a puff of smoke in agreement.
Uncle Bai, unphased by my dramatics, merely nodded, his expression a mix of admiration and concern. “Be careful, Damien,” he called out as I prepared to take flight. “Remember, The Gilded Serpent is most likely being watched, and if Lysandra is Thorne’s inside person, she is most likely protected.”
With a powerful beat of my wings, I propelled myself upwards toward the mouth of the volcano, the familiar rush of air lifting me higher. The open sky beckoned as a vast expanse of freedom, yet it was also a reminder of the constraints that tethered me to this realm's politics and intrigues. As I soared towards The Gilded Serpent, my mind raced with strategies, not just for confronting Lysandra, but for navigating the increasingly complex labyrinth of loyalties and betrayals that seemed to strangle me tighter with each passing day.
Cloak in place and hood lowered over my head, I entered The Gilded Serpent. In the daytime, it was not as packed as usual. I headed straight to the second floor to my private room. Once I entered, I rang the bell to notify Lysandra and sat in one of the wide chairs. Waiting.
Leaving my hood on, I pondered how to approach Lysandra. For years, she’d tried to become my woman. Now the question was whether it was sincere or not. If I suddenly bent to her womanly wiles today, she would know it was a trap. Especially if she was working with Thorne.
After waiting a couple minutes longer than usual, Lysandra appeared in a plume of perfume. Dressed in see-through silks that exposed more skin than they covered and gleaming in jewelry, I couldn’t deny she was a beautiful woman. But there had always been something about Lysandra that bothered me, something I could never quite put my finger on.
“My lord.” She bowed and straightened before closing the door to my private room and sitting beside me. “You rarely visit during the day. What brings you here?”
“I asked you to have one of your girls infiltrate the vampires at Nightfall Citadel, but you never informed me what they learned,” I said casually. “Report.”
She tensed and cleared her throat. “Not much, my lord. She learned about the underground fights, but that was before the black market was burned down.”
I raised a brow. “That’s all? What good are your girls if they can’t even ferret the information I need?”
Lysandra nervously chuckled. “My lord, please don’t tease me. If you need more information, I’d be more than happy to—”
“I want you to investigate the crown prince,” I said in a rush.
She gasped and whirled to face me, shocked. “Pardon?”
“You heard me, Lysandra. I want to investigate Crown Prince Thorne. Is that a problem?” I finally turned to face her.
Her expression was all the answer I needed. Guilt was written all over her face. “My lord… I can’t—”
“You can’t, or you won’t ?” I interrupted. “Is it because he is your true master?”
Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. She froze for a second before bolting to her feet, ready to run to the door.
I grabbed her arm and spun her around before tossing her onto the lounger and laying on top of her, covering her mouth to keep her from screaming for help. Lysandra struggled beneath me, her eyes wide with panic as she futilely tried to push me off her. Her movements were frantic, but my grip was ironclad. The sharp scent of her fear mingling with the spicy perfume she wore created a dissonant aroma that filled the air between us.
“Listen carefully,” I hissed into her ear, my voice low and menacing. “You've played your games too long, Lysandra, but no more. I know about your dealings with Thorne. I know you've been feeding him information about me and my movements.” Truthfully, I didn’t know how deeply her betrayal ran, but made wild guesses in the hope that she would share more than she intended.
Her voice was muffled beneath my hand when she tried to speak, her eyes pleading for a sliver of mercy. I lessened my hold just enough to let her words come through, though I remained alert for any signs of deceit.
“My lord, please,” she gasped, her voice trembling. “I did what I had to do to survive. The crown prince... has power. He promised protection.”
“Protection?” I scoffed and tightened my grip as a surge of anger pulsed through me. “At what cost, Lysandra? At the cost of betraying me? Your loyalty was bought, and now you'll pay the price for your duplicity!”
Wrapping a hand around her throat, I pressed down and cut off her air supply. Anger flowed through me like a churning river. Her body trembled, and her next words were choked and laced with desperation.
“I can help you! I know things—things that could help you against the crown prince and the emperor!”
I paused, considering her offer. Could she be useful? Or was this another layer of her deceit? “Tell me something now. Something worth your life.”
She hesitated, her breath ragged under the unyielding pressure of my rough fingers pressed against her delicate throat. “The crown prince... plans to claim he has the twin flame mark to solidify his claim on the throne. He’s afraid of the people's love for you...” she gasped. “Your claim as the twin flame with a Dragon Rider could threaten his ascension.”
The information hit hard. It aligned with my suspicions, while adding a new layer of urgency to my actions. “Keep talking,” I commanded, easing back just enough to let her breathe more freely.
“The crown prince has spies everywhere,” she hurriedly continued. “Not just here, but within the Imperial guards and even among the people of Elaria, particularly the vampires. He’s paranoid, Damien. He doesn’t trust anyone, not even his father.”
The vampires… Did that mean everything he tasked me to do was a ruse? Something to keep me occupied? But if so, why would he task me with dismantling his ill-gotten empire? What was the point? What was his end game?
This intel was valuable—more valuable than I expected, frankly. I slowly lifted off her, then stood and stepped back, giving her permission to sit up. The fear in her eyes held a warring flicker of hope, perhaps thinking her cooperation might spare further wrath.
“Consider this your only warning, Lysandra,” I said, my voice still cold with fury. “Betray me again, and there’s nowhere in Elaria you can hide. Now, get out of my sight.”
She shakily scrambled to her feet and hurried to the door. Pausing at the threshold, Lysandra turned to look back at me with a blend of fear and newfound respect. “There’s another thing, my lord… The crown prince has an extra layer of protection,” she murmured.
“Extra protection?” I repeated in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I haven’t confirmed it, but the vampires told me that the crown prince has an extra Heart Scale,” she whispered before disappearing through the door.
Lysandra’s revelation echoed in my head long after she left. An extra Heart Scale could only mean one thing. My missing Heart Scale, the loss of which made me vulnerable, the one piece that could lead to my destruction if placed in the wrong hands, was in Thorne’s possession. The implications were staggering, infuriating. I fumed in anger.
How could the emperor give it to him? Did he? Or did Thorne take it without the emperor’s knowledge? Either way, he shouldn’t have it. In my fury, I grabbed the table where the drinks and fruit were served and flipped it over, tossing everything against the wall.
I screamed in agony. This betrayal was more than I could handle.
I paced the sumptuous room as the information fueled a new kind of fire within me. Thorne had overstepped all bounds. He was not merely meddling in political alliances, he’d plunged deep into the sacred, personal realms of dragon heritage. This wasn't only about wresting power or claiming the throne anymore… it was personal, a direct attack on my very essence.
I had to move fast. Thorne's ambitions grew more dangerous by the day, and now that I knew the depth of his deceit, I had to act. But first, I needed to ensure Cat's safety. She was the key to more than merely the throne. She was the key to the balance of power in Elaria.
My resolve hardened into an unbreakable will. Revenge was no longer simply a desire; it was a necessity. The final confrontation was inevitable, and I vowed to be ready. For myself, my people, and to maintain the balance of the realms, the Shadow Prince would rise. And this time, nothing would hold me back.
Continue with Song of the Heart Scale