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Angry red flames quickly covered the shelf, climbing up the wall with angry red fingers. Perci’s head whipped around as the smell of burning leather reached his nose. When he ran in the direction of the rising smoke, Mare was right behind him cursing herself for her forgetfulness and clumsiness.“You left a torch here?!” Perci’s voice was hard and accusing as he squeezed between shelves until he made his way to the aisle where the books were burning. The source of the flames, the torch lay fallen on its side.“Gods, what have I done?!” Mare cried, her eyes wide with panic as she shot forward to retrieve the burning torch.Perci grabbed her and at the same time, the wooden book in his hand slipped between his fingers, landing in the flames.“No!” he screamed. The book may be made from dragonwood but it was not infallible to the flames that began to lick the edges. Perci reached forward to save it, ignoring the rising fire as it consumed the dusty, dried pages of books, gaining more fue
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She stayed awake most of the night unable to do anything but think but her thoughts would not be arranged to form coherency, so Mare found herself tossing most of the night thinking about everything.Perci had to be telling the truth. At least about the origin of his birth. She believed that now.Dragons, born of fire, did not burn. And the prince’s hand had been just fine when he reached into the fire to save a mere book.And his finger? There was no hurt done to his finger yet he wrapped it.So many questions…the secret passage? The marks on his back.And then…She pressed the sides of her face noting the increase in her cheeks’ warmth.It was nothing more than a mere act to keep her silent and she should be appalled by it. She was appalled but not by the kiss itself. She was appalled by her lack of disgust at the feel of his lips on her mouth. Surely, she was stupid if she considered the heir of her enemy as her friend. For all she knew, this was a trick to make her reveal herself.
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The loud scraping of wood against stone accompanied Serywithe's rise from her seat as she slammed her fist on the table nearly breaking her hand to protest.“You cannot possibly be serious father!” She screeched.Vallezarii ignored her. “There shall be a tournament tomorrow to mark our marriage, one is befitting for the descendant of a dragon who will now become my wife.”“Father!”He finally turned to her, cruel eyes reduced to slits. “What say you?”“You cannot give my mother’s crown to a slave!”“How dare you question my decision?”“I dare because I am your daughter and I respect my dead mother enough to stand against this foolishness!”Beside her Phynally’s bereaved daughter tugged on the sleeve of her gown to call her to order but Serywithe’s blue eyes flashed angrily and her anger would not be quelled.Everyone else at the table, more than two dozen guests held their breath as they waited for the king to rise and deal her a blow with the back of his hand. Mare remained as she wa
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Serywithe threw back the covers of the bed and rose on her feet, fury on her face like a bear confronting an intruder.“And why must I speak to you? You have given Father your consent, what else do we have to say to each other?”“Do I really have to give Father my consent before he makes a decision?”“But you did not protest his hare–brained decision! Challenge him, damn you!”Perci quickly closed the distance between them and waved his index finger in her face. “Need I remind you the cost of such words against your king?”“He is our father!”Perci sighed. Of course, she thought so because she was young when they were captured. So was he but he never forgot the day he was brought to Arlankis and announced as Vallezarii’s rightful heir. Serywithe had been too young to remember clutching to their mother’s chest with her thumb in her mouth therefore for her, Vallezarii would always be the father she never remembered. She knew nothing of dragons or the blood running through her veins.We
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Arlankis was as she had never seen it before. The sunbathed streets were broad, some dirty others clean and you knew the residents of the streets by their appearances. The quality of clothes on casual passers also hint at the caliber of people who live in which streets.Mare, though hidden under the thick cloak with its large hood, could not stop her eyes from darting all over the streets. So engrossed in the many sides of Arlankis that she had never seen before that she nearly walked over a young girl carrying a woven tray of half-rotten apples. The girl stumbled as she hurriedly moved out of her path.“Pardon, my lady.”Mare’s heart turned cold and she paused in her steps. Hegi seeing this stopped too and turned to fix her with a questioning glance.“Why have you stopped?” he whispered, glad for the crowd of traders announcing their wares from front shops.“That little girl,” she whispered back. “She knew I was – I am not a commoner.” She paused. “So to speak.”Hegi’s eyes softened
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Mare’s eyes drifted around the room still unable to understand just how much had changed in just a few months.Llod poured more than one cup and handed one to her. She took it gingerly between both of her hands and could only hold it against her belly.Llod gulped his wine and smacked his lips. “By the gods, Arlankis has the best wine.”“The gods? Since when did you become a believer Llod?” Mare asked, a brow raised in question.“Since you commanded a dragon!" His eyes widened with appreciation. "Mare what you have done has set the wheels in motion, nothing will ever remain the same again.”“I could say the same for you, Llod…”“And you would not mean the same thing. I am not the one who is going to be queen. You are…”“Not because I asked for it!” she raised her voice mildly. “You speak like this and I cannot recognize you anymore.”Llod smiled, opened his mouth as though to speak then shut it and gulped the last of his wine. “Many things have changed since we attempted to kill the k
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“Have you finally come to your senses?”Serywithe looked away from her window to see the king standing by her door, a less than pleased expression on his face with one dark brow furrowed over the eye. It was past noon and throughout the day she had had no company, only the sounds of splintering woods as the men prepared for the tournament tomorrow kept her mind alert. She had watched the servants carry large wooden bowls filled with plucked birds for the feast. Two young kitchen boys had passed beneath her window carrying a large dead boar to be prepared.She held her hands in front of her. “I have father,” her voice was soft, she was trying hard to keep it that way. His outburst that morning had frightened her as was the one at breakfast the other day. “I have had enough time by myself to think I realize that perhaps I have been unfair to you.”He looked relieved as he fully entered her room and closed the door.Serywithe took more steps closer until she was only a few feet away from
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“Gods’s blood but look at these idiots smile and act like all is well when we are celebrating the day of the great dragon massacre.” All over Arlankis was celebration and festivity as everybody, man, woman, children, and babies, excitedly got ready to celebrate the day of the Dragon, a day celebrated to mark the liberation of men from dragons. Banners and colorful clothes hung on pieces of ropes were strung high in decoration on the streets. Clothes had been cut and tied in strips to form ferocious dragons hanging off ropes strung to buildings and little children poked at the dragons with sticks. The market echoed with the sounds of the smiths’ hammers as they beat metal into swords and daggers for the knights who would participate in the week-long display of strength during the celebration, reenacting notable battles during the Great War. Surcoats, chain mails, and armour were made and old ones were repaired. It was the biggest celebration in all of Arlankis regardless of division. W
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