“What happened?” she asked the question that was never answered.
A loud crack drew her attention. She squinted, attempting to seek the sound’s source, yet could see nothing through the thick gray air.
“Is someone there?” Cautiously she walked in the direction of the sound, yet saw no movement.
A roar filled the air, forcing Amelia to raise her gaze toward the sky. Staring back through silver, reptilian slits, she met the eyes of the furious beast responsible for the devastation. Expansive purple wings, textured more like a bird than a dragon’s, with feathers glowing as though burning from within.
The creature gave another roar, which shook the ground where Amelia stood, his short snout revealing jagged teeth and a forked tongue.
Amelia’s heart leapt to her throat, shaking in the face of this creature’s wrath. She should fight, should move. Yet she remained frozen, gazing into silver eyes encasing a rage she did not understand. Staring helpless, she watched as the dragon parted his lips and drew a breath, fire visibly gathering in its open throat before he rained flames upon her.
Chapter 10
Amelia jerked awake, falling from the cot onto the hard ground. Waking to the jarring discovery of her unfamiliar confinement, she was unable to suppress a scream as her mind struggled to sort dream from reality.
Normally, in the dream, she at least avoided the first blast from the mysterious creature who haunted her nights. But this time, she had simply stood there, frozen.
The sound of her scream had alerted the guard, who threw open the flap of her tent. “Princess!” one of them exclaimed. “What happened?”
Amelia shook her head, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them before she lowered her head. She shook, overcome by the stress of the repetitive nightmare clashing with her life.
For two weeks they had been traveling, and were now two days’ ride from the temples, where the men were destined to leave her in the hands of her new captors. Over the journey, she had formed an uneasy alliance with Gwain, in spite of the fact she had made two failed escape attempts, being brought back both times by men sworn to obey her sister’s command.
Gwain arrived to find Amelia kneeling on the ground, refusing to face any of the men. “She screamed,” one of them explained their reason for intruding on the princess’ only sanctuary.
“I heard,” he answered as he knelt, leaving a few paces between himself and the princess. “I’ll take it from here, gentlemen. Thank you for your diligence.”
The two men nodded before stepping back, allowing the thin piece of fabric to fall into place, creating the illusion of privacy.
“My lady.” Gwain moved to the side and lit a group of candles, providing limited light. “Are you injured?”
“No,” she whispered miserably.
“My lady.”
Amelia kept her face buried in her sleeves, tightening her grip.
“Princess,” he tried again, “I cannot leave until I’m certain you’re unharmed.”
“Unharmed?” The word delivered in bitter challenge. “You truly think forcing me into a life I do not wish isn’t harming me?”
“This is not the first time you have had nightmares.”
“You know nothing about me!”
“Teach me.”
“Why? You’re dragging me to this fate, against my will, on orders of your sworn queen. What does it matter if dreams plague me? Soon we will be at the temples, and you will be rid of me.”
“My lady—”
“What should I dream of, Captain?” she asked with venom. “With what you’re doing to me?”
“Your dreams began long before this journey, Princess.”
Amelia’s eyes widened.
“In guarding your mother, I’ve watched you for many years. You’ve woken in the night from these dreams long before now, my lady.”
She looked at him, heart raging as she contemplated his words. Ashamed of her fear, Amelia had told no one of her dreams. Not even the man she loved. A man who slumbered so deeply, her tossing and turning rarely woke him, a fact for which she had always been thankful. Now this stranger claimed to know her better than the one who had slept beside her each night. It both entranced and infuriated her. She found herself unable to pull her eyes from his.
“What do you dream of, my lady?”
Against her better judgement, she answered, “A burning forest.”
“Burning?”
Her voice dimmed to a haunted whisper. “The one in the valley, closest to the castle. It’s burnt to near nothing. A ghost covered in soot and ash. And a dragon.”
“What dragon?”
“One I’ve never seen before.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen anyone transform in such a way. It…”
“What do you mean?”
“The dragon is…”
“Someone you don’t know?”
Amelia shook her head. “It’s a dragon. But…it’s different than us.”
“How so?”
“It looks like our forms in the main body, and the same hide, but the wings are different. More like a bird, with feathers.”
“A dragon with feathers?”
“It sounds crazy.”
“Describe it to me.”
She raised a hand to push back a stray strand of hair. “It’s so dark of a purple that it’s almost black. The darkest coloring I’ve ever seen. The wings appear like feathers, but a few of them glow, revealing the flames within.”
“Like a phoenix?”
Amelia shook her head. “A phoenix has wings of solid flame, not encased within feathers. And not every plume shows the fire—only a few.”
“A dragon with wings of a bird.”
“Yes.”
“A dragon with…”
At Gwain’s trailing words, Amelia finally tried to meet his gaze. His eyes seemed distant, focused on the spot beside her instead of on her.
“The creature is immense. The largest I’ve seen. And he burns the forest with a terrifying rage that radiates from silver eyes like a heat against my skin. I don’t understand.”
“And how…” Gwain’s words again trailed, forcing him to draw a breath. “How often have you had this dream, Princess?”
“Since my mother became ill,” she answered, shaking herself. “I sound crazy. A dragon with feathered wings. No wonder my sister chose to send me away.”
“Again, my lady, I’m sorry.” But his words seemed distant, his gaze focused on something she could not see.
A dragon, but with wings of a bird, the terrified voice rose from Gwain’s memory. I’m frightened.
He turned back to the princess. “Do you think you can sleep?”
“Yes,” she assured, mainly wanting to return to the limited solitude she’d been granted.
He nodded, but never really looked at her as he departed.
He thinks I’m insane, she thought before returning to her cot, arm aching from her tumble.
Adjusting herself as comfortably as she could, Amelia lay down and attempted to return to the realm of dreams.
Chapter 11
Gwain!” The tiny voice had pulled him from slumber. “Gwain, please!”
He had sat up, wiping sleep from his eyes as his sister had climbed on the bed.
“Gwen, what is it?”
“Dragon with bird’s wings,” his sister had whispered in a hushed tone. “He did bad things.”
“What?”
“It burned the trees.”
“Burned?”
She had nodded as he reached down and moved her more securely onto the bed before rising to take a knee beside her.
“It burned everything,” she had insisted. “Trees. Forest animals. The flowers. Then it tried to burn me.”
“Are you saying…” He had stared into his sister’s frightened expression, tucking his covers around her tiny frame. “You had a bad dream?”
Her blue eyes had brimmed with tears. “The dragon, he tried to burn
me too.”
“Oh, Gwen.” Gwain had offered a smile, and took her tiny hand in his larger one. “You had a nightmare. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
“But the dream so real. The dragon had wings, and I could see the fire inside. Bird wings. Daddy doesn’t have wings like that. Are they more dangerous if they have bird wings?”
“Gwen, there are no dragons with bird wings, nor wings where fire can be seen on the outside. You had a dream. You have nothing to be scared of.”
She had sniffled as he reached a hand and wiped her tears using a corner of his blanket. “It’s all right. You’re safe.”
“Promise?”
Her young voice had pulled at his heart, prompting a reassuring smile. “I promise, Gwen. Nothing is going to hurt you.”
The reassurance had stopped the last of her tears. She had stared at her brother briefly before throwing her arms around his neck.
Gwain had returned the embrace, running a hand gently down his sister’s back. “I’ll always take care of you.”
“I know,” she had answered with a half-sniffle before pulling back and gifting him a lovely smile. “Can I stay here?”
“Sure,” he had answered, pulling down the blankets and allowing her to crawl under them before tucking her in. Seating himself on the bed, he had asked, “Would you like me to tell you a story?”
“Please.”
Her smile had brightened as he began one of the ancient tales passed down by their grandfather. He continued speaking until her eyes closed. Leaning against the headboard, he had settled himself as comfortably as he could before closing his own eyes.
He had been fifteen. His sister, only four. Over and over again, she had experienced the same dream, their compounding effect becoming more vicious as time went by. With his father often traveling for political reasons, and a mother who cared more for the status bearing heirs granted her than the children themselves, Gwain had been the one to soothe his sister’s fears.
The siblings, though years apart, had birthdays within days of each other, and often celebrated together with a joint gathering. Most assumed he would be jealous, sharing with his younger sister, but Gwain had never minded, having been enchanted with being an elder brother from when his mother had allowed him to hold his sister for the first time.
On his seventeenth name day, and his sister’s sixth, everything changed.
Having successfully transformed to a dragon at fourteen, and having little interest in following his father into politics, Gwain decided to begin knight training. From a highly influential family, Gwain was given his choice of training locations, and was excited to be embarking upon his new path.
He had paused his initiation, wanting to spend a last celebration with his sister. She had awoken excited, as he had promised to take her on a special trip for the day, waking him with the first rays of the rising sun.
After saddling his favorite horse, Gwain had taken his sister along a series of pathways up the mountains, eventually arriving at a thicket of wild roses. “I was going to cut some blossoms for you,” he had explained, “but the roses were so lovely, I knew you would enjoy them more where they are.”
“They’re alive this way.” She had grinned at her brother. “I wouldn’t want them to die. It would be sad.”
He had smiled at his sweet-hearted sibling. “That’s why I brought you here instead.”
“I love them!” she had exclaimed, as her brother dismounted and carefully assisted her in doing the same. She ran to the green vines and leaned down to inhale the flowers’ sweet aroma.
“Careful of the thorns,” he had cautioned, watching her flop down into the green grass. She turned on her back, staring up at the crimson flowers. “This isn’t quite the grand gala you may have been expecting.”
“I love the flowers, and time with you. Thank you, brother.”
They had stayed there for a long time, his sister playing in the field under his watchful eye, when she had asked, “Gwain, what’s it like?”
“It?”
“To be a dragon. To fly and look down at the clouds.”
He had sat on the grass beside her, staring into her blue eyes. “Well,” he began, “it’s scary at first.”
“Scary?”
“A little,” he had answered honestly. “But not too scary. You see, once you transform, the dragon becomes a part of you. It’s like…meeting a new friend, only the friend speaks in your head, instead of your ears.”
“Your head?”
He had nodded. “And if you’re nice to the voice, she will help you. She’ll take you flying, protect you when you’re scared.”
“Like you help me when I’m afraid?”
“Exactly.” He had smiled. “One day, when you meet your own dragon, she will protect you as well. She’ll teach you to be strong and confident.”
“Do you think I’ll make a good dragon?”
“I think you’ll be a wonderful dragon, Gwen. Almost as good as you are a sister.”
The flattery had drawn a laugh as she lay back and stared to the sky, gazing up. “I wish I could fly now. I would love to touch the clouds.”
“You will one day,” he had assured gently. “And when you do, I’ll come back so we can play in the sky together. How’s that sound?”
“It sounds beautiful!” she had exclaimed, rising up to give him an enthusiastic hug.
Hours later they had returned to the manor they called home. Gwen had chattered away, excited to tell their mother of her day as her brother pulled a few blades of grass from her golden locks.
When they emerged into the grand dining room, where Gwain had expected a special cake awaited them, he found instead a gathering of men and women he had never seen before. His mother, Lady Lila, spoke earnestly with another woman on the far side of the room.
Surprised at the unexpected visitors, Gwain had wondered why his mother had invited unknown nobles for what was usually a private celebration. “Mum?”
At the sound of Gwain’s voice, their mother had glanced up. “Ah, there you are.”
“Is this the child?” the woman beside their mother had inquired, motioning behind Gwain toward his sister.
“Yes,” Lila had answered.
“Bring her forth.”
“What’s going on?” Gwain had asked. “Is this about her name day?”
“Gwain,” his mother had said, “this is Lady Viviana. She is here to see Gwen.”
Gwen had come forward as requested, but instead of walking to her mother, she stopped at Gwain’s side.
Viviana had moved closer, prompting Gwain to instinctively take his sister’s hand in his, glancing from the advancing woman back to his mother.
“Come, my child,” Viviana had encouraged. “Let’s have a look at you.”
Glancing up at her brother, after Gwain gave an encouraging smile, Gwen had moved to meet the woman.
Moving a hand to her chin, the woman had forced the child to meet her gaze, golden eyes assessing the child’s blue. As the older woman had run her hand down Gwen’s arms, the young girl attempted to turn her head, when the woman had corrected, “Look at me, child.”
Gwen had done as Viviana bid, again meeting her gaze, the golden pupils narrowing as though moved by an unnatural power.
“Yes.” The woman had turned Gwen in a circle, as her eyes scanned over the child. “She is the one.”
The words had come low and sharp, prompting Gwen to jerk away and run back to her brother, grasping his hand with both of hers.
“What is going on?” Gwain had asked, anger filtering through his words at the woman’s rough treatment of his sibling.
“It is good news,” Lila had told her son.
“What is?”
“Viviana is a priestess of Kamar. She had a vision of a child who was destined to join her order, and one day speak for the goddess.” Lila had moved her hands in a sweeping gesture, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. “Gwen is the child they seek.”
�
�Gwen?”
His mother had nodded, smile widening. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“I don’t understand.” Gwain had shaken his head.
“She has been chosen,” his mother had explained.
“For what?”
“To join the temples and become a priestess of Kamar.”
“To join the—”
“She has been blessed,” Priestess Viviana had explained. “The goddess of fire has chosen your sister to become her vessel.”
“Vessel?” Gwain had questioned, his sense of unease increasing with every word spoken by the woman draped in golden robes. “I don’t understand.”
“She will be trained to become a priestess, and be given all the blessings of one granted such an esteemed status.”
“She’s only a child.”
“Yes,” Viviana had answered. “A blessed child.” The woman had knelt, lowering herself closer to Gwen’s height. “Come with me, my dear. You shall know wonders few shall ever witness.”
“No.” Gwen had pushed closer to her brother, who reached down and gathered her into his arms. “I don’t want to leave.”
“It can be scary,” Viviana had acknowledged as she straightened her robes. “But you’ll see this is for the best.”
“No!” Gwen’s arms tightened around her brother, who had turned toward his mother, unease growing to anger.
“Does Father know of this?” he had demanded.
“Of course.”
“And he’s content to simply hand her over to some stranger?”
“This woman is a priestess of Kamar,” Lila had scolded. “It’s a high honor to be chosen to serve any deity, let alone the goddess of flame herself.”
Gwain shifted his sister in his arms, struggling to contain his frustration as he had lowered her back to the ground. “Gwen, will you do something for me?” he had asked as gently as he could.
Her eyes were wide, but Gwen had managed to nod.
“Will you go to my room, Gwen? And wait there for me. I have to speak with Mother. Get this sorted out.”
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