Page 40 of Where Darkness Falls

“The starlight. I… didn’t know about it… until your soldiers attacked me,” I reply.

I slump to the ground as he releases me.

Violent coughs wrack through my body.

The momentum causes my necklace to hang freely around my neck, showing the glorious golden pendant. “What do we have here?” he asks, grasping my pendant as I dry heave.

The voice growls,Unworthy scum.

He steps back, yelping in pain.

A small brand of the details of the pendant are engraved on his hand. Flames dance in his irises as he assesses me. “Where did you find that pendant?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I reply, hoarsely. “It’s always been in my possession.”

“Careful, Miss Cale. We agreed to be honest with one another,” he replies through gritted teeth.

My brow furrows. “Why are you so interested in a silly pendant, Captain?” I ask. “Surely if you aren’t interested in my frivolous gardening, you have no interest in my jewelry.”

He forces me to stand. “True, but not every woman has the bloody Dragon’s Flame pendant dangling around their neck,” he seethes.

Dragon’s Flame?

He scoffs, noting my confusion. “Foolish woman. You’re even more valuable than I thought. Our king shall be pleased to know I found the one that bears the Dragon’s Flame. What a weapon you will be for the kingdom,” he declares.

“I’m no weapon,” I spit.

“Yet,” Antony replies. “You’re not a weaponyet.”

The captain backs away slowly. He twirls three fingers in the air, summoning an orb of fire that twists in the air until it transforms into a phoenix resting on his shoulder. The phoenix is small, with feathers that resemble the sun as it shines. Beautiful hues of red and gold encompass the small bird. Its dark black eyes stare at me, unblinking. Antony brushes against me as he emerges with a quill and parchment, handing it to the captain.

I’ve been so captivated by the tiny creature that I didn’t even realize he’d gone behind the till. As the captain writes, the little phoenix’s gaze never leaves me. Its wings are lit aflame, as it fans them out. The conjured creature moves its head back and forth as if I’m the phenomenon. Is this tiny creature going to attack me? Otherwise, what purpose does the captain have to summon it? As if hearing my question, the captain places the rolled parchment in the phoenix’s talons. Surprisingly, the parchment doesn’t turn to ash.

“Deliver this to King Tiernan’s Scythe immediately,” he orders. Just as quickly as it appeared, the phoenix disappears in an orb of fire.

I blink rapidly, momentarily mesmerized. However, a heaviness settles over me, as the captain returns his attention to where I stand. “It’s truly a shame that you didn’t come forward sooner,” the captain says.

“I apologize if my first thought wasn’t to come running to you, Captain,” I retort. “Your soldiers attacked us, or did Antony not show you that part?”

The captain shrugs. “What my men do in their leisure time is of no value to me,” he replies.

Anger swells inside my chest, as I watch the cruel man pace back and forth.

Unleash me, and I will scorch him where he stands,the voice growls.

“It’s a shame, really. All of this could have been easily avoided, Miss Cale,” the captain continues. “Now, you have to live with the consequences of your rash decisions.”

“What are you implying, Captain?” I growl.

A wicked smirk lights his face as he shifts his body toward one of the windows. “You know the price for hiding a strong wielder, yes?” he asks.

My heart stops beating.

No…

The peculiar specks that I noticed earlier on his armor… In the light, I can see a slight tinge of color.

A dark crimson.