Chapter Forty-Five
Avari
Isaac’s shadow flared across the grass. ‘You seem awfully distracted today,’ the tall professor chastised, eyes burning into the depths of my soul. ‘Why?’
The way he carried himself, full of quiet confidence and command, made it seem as though he owned the place. And me.
My gaze drifted past him to the lands of shadow and the patches of unexpected wildlife I discovered while connecting to nature. For a moment I let myself breathe in the stillness, a small escape from the relentless authority of every man in my life.
Isaac, at least, was different. His dominance wasn’t born of arrogance or control; it seemed to be an integral part of who he was. It unsettled me how I didn’t entirely mind it.
I cast him a quick glance, confused by his sudden curiosity. Only days ago, he made it very clear we wouldn’t be friends.
‘There’s a lot going on in my personal life,’ I said, hoping that would end the conversation.
It didn’t. His piercing blue eyes narrowed. ‘What’s happening in your personal life?’
I hesitated. It wasn’t as if I had much of one. Still, I offered, ‘You may not know this, but my mother is Queen Harper of Ortensia.’
The man ran a hand through his midnight-black hair, genuinely surprised. ‘Well then. Your childhood must’ve been interesting. Now all that restraint makes sense.’
‘Why do you say that?’ I ignored the slight dig, curious instead about his reasoning.
He shrugged. ‘I’ve trained enough soldier-born kids to know what war does to them later in life.’
It made me realise how little I knew about him. ‘What kind of professor are you, exactly?’
‘Mostly combat,’ he replied, lifting a brow as though wondering how I would take it.
Maybe it was a blessing I hadn’t attacked him in our first session. I doubted I would have stood a chance. But my witchcraft hummed beneath my skin, eager to test him anyway. ‘How in the world did you end up training me to wield?’
Isaac laughed, clearly amused. The whole arrangement seemed beneath him, a man my father called one of the finest instructors alive. ‘It took a lot of convincing. Your sister brought out the big guns.’
‘Meaning?’
He sighed, brushing an invisible crease from his jacket. ‘She tracked down my mother and told her the new princess of shadows needed help and that only one man could do it. The moment my royalist mother heard, she wouldn’t stop nagging until I agreed.’
‘I thought my father ordered you to teach me.’
‘No.’ He chuckled, his tone light but edged. ‘He could try, but I’d refuse.’
Interesting. ‘Not keen on training princesses?’
A grin tugged at his lips. ‘I’m more into stabbing and kicking ass. Toile dresses aren’t my thing.’
‘They’re not mine either,’ I countered, crossing my arms. ‘So your mother pressured you into it. Why stay once you realised it’s a lost cause?’
‘I never said you were hopeless,’ he said. ‘You’ll command shadows. It will take time, a lot of mine mostly, but you’ll get there.’
His certainty made me want to believe him. I laughed. ‘Seems like a lot of effort to keep your mother happy.’
‘I came because of her,’ he admitted, ‘but I’m staying because I want to train you.’
Before I could respond, he stepped back and extended his hand. ‘Now take my hand and use your power to trace the darkness coiling around my fingers.’
I tilted my head, amused. ‘Your lucky day, mate. You get to choose between fire or witchcraft.’
Suspicion flickered in his eyes, gone in a heartbeat. ‘Which one would you use in a duel with me?’
The reference to the time I nearly attacked him made me smirk. ‘Against a combat professor? Neither. Unless you’re terrible at your job.’
His bright eyes gleamed with humour, then suddenly hardened. His attention darted past me, his body snapping to alert.
A deep rumble rolled through the ground beneath our feet.
Isaac stepped in front of me, shadows coiling thick around his arm. Peering from behind his shoulder, I saw what had captured his attention.
The shadow dragon.
The ground trembled as the creature landed ten feet away, releasing a roar that rattled the stones. Black velvet smoke poured from its mouth, scales shimmering in the dim light. The sight stole my breath; he was magnificent, like the isles themselves had birthed him.
‘Stay back!’ Isaac warned, his stance defensive.
‘I mean no harm,’ a deep voice resonated in my mind. ‘It has been so long since I could talk to anyone.’
I blinked. ‘You can speak to me? But the Isles…’
‘Your mind is open,’ he explained simply. ‘Tell your guard to stand down. He’s testing my patience.’
I turned to Isaac. ‘Stand down.’
Shadows kept me pinned behind him as he shot me a bewildered glare. I couldn’t move an inch.
‘He won’t hurt us,’ I insisted. ‘He just wants company.’
‘Our company? He’s feral. One wrong move, and he will torch you like he always does.’
‘My company,’ I corrected quietly. ‘Please. Trust me. He promised he won’t attack us, and dragons are too honourable to lie.’
‘It hasn’t said a word,’ he muttered.
I sighed. ‘Dragons don’t speak, Isaac. Not aloud. They communicate telepathically.’
The professor’s composure cracked. Disbelief giving way to reluctant astonishment made his breath hitch. ‘What does he want from you?’
The dragon’s tone rippled through my mind, irritated. ‘He’s a prime example of why I lose my patience and eat people.’
‘And you think that’s all right?’ I countered.
‘Not entirely. Your bones are dreadful for digestion.’
I rested a hand on Isaac’s shoulder, trying to calm him. ‘Dragons are herd creatures. They don’t do well alone. He just wants to talk.’
Isaac’s gaze never left the beast, every muscle taut and ready. ‘How do you know that?’
‘I told you, I’m bonded to a dragon. It’s why he can speak to me.’
And so we stayed there: me, the ever-tense shadow professor, and a dragon spun from darkness. Strangely, it was the calmest I felt in a while. The creature’s voice, the soft hum of his power, even the faint memory of scales under my hands—it reminded me of Anya, and my chest ached.
The dragon’s questions went on for hours. I answered what I could, painting pieces of the bond he longed to understand.
Then, at last, his voice came again, low and pleading.
‘Take me with you.’
‘What?’ I whispered aloud.
‘When you go back to your kingdom, allow me to come with you. Please.’