Page 50 of Courting the Dragon Prince

“Please do not concern yourself, Grand Monk. We are both fine. We completed the quest. You do not need to worry,” Onyx assured him.

“That is kind of you, Warden Onyx. You are most generous with your forgiveness.” The grand monk shook his head. “But I must confess, it keeps me up at night, thinking how the quest could have gone if you’d not both been such capable warriors.

“And then what would have happened to the treaty?” The grand monk wrung his hands together. “It was my failure, and I will have to live with that.”

“I think you are too hard on yourself, Grand Monk.”

“I will strive to ensure nothing like that happens again,” the grand monk said with vehemence.

Onyx did not wish the old man to keep berating himself. He scrambled for a new topic. “How long ago did you sign the scroll and join the monks?”

“Oh.” The grand monk turned towards Onyx and blinked at him. “A bit over twenty years ago.”

“Really?” Onyx asked. “For some reason, I assumed you’d been here longer.”

The grand monk stared at the scroll, seemingly distracted from his guilt. “Well, there are those who joined the monks in childhood. But I was not called to the island as a boy. No. I was called to the path when I was forty-eight years old. I was a man full grown at that stage.”

“Where did you live before then?” Onyx asked.

“I am originally from Botanial, near the border with Draconia.” The grand monk smiled. “From a little fishing village on the sea. A place of no importance to anyone but those blessed enough to live there.”

“Why did you leave?” After all, it sounded like the old monk loved it.

The grand monk’s smile dimmed. “The war. Well, not technically the war. As I mentioned, we were on the border between Draconia and Botanial. Draconia invaded Botanial and took over our village.” He paused. “I left soon after.”

The monk stared at Onyx with milky grey eyes. “I have seen what fighting and war does. That is why I joined the Monks of the Way of the Dove. That is why I have pledged my life to building a new and better future for all. I do not wish for others to suffer like I did.”

“That is very honourable.” Onyx gazed down at the scroll, at the names signed on the parchment. “That is very honourable of all of you.”

So many had suffered because of the war. And what had it achieved?

“Sometimes I marvel,” the grand monk began, “that a poor boy from an insignificant village could become grand monk. But that is the beauty of monastic order. We do not see titles or bloodlines or wealth. We see into the hearts and souls of one another.” The grand monk paused. “I am truly honoured that my brethren elected me to such a role. That they saw my potential.”

The grand monk smiled. “You see me, the grand shield, the grand healer, and several other roles are all elected. We hold those roles until death. I take my role very seriously. I take leading the monks very seriously.”

Onyx nodded. “If my life had been different, maybe I could have joined. I think I’d make a better monk than I would grand warden.” Onyx would have preferred following orders to giving them.

The grand monk smiled gently. “Many from the different kingdoms have joined the doves. After fighting during the war, they welcome a chance to fight for peace. For some, it is a chance to atone for past actions and to redeem themselves after being the cause of so much pain.”

“I can understand that.” Onyx nodded. And the more he heard about the doves, the more he could picture himself as one. He knew several from the Grey Mountains, and the other kingdoms, who felt so guilty after the war they’d decided to follow the Way of the Dove and don the beige robes.

“But it is not an easy life,” the grand monk said. “We work hard. We spend our days tilling the soil, chanting, reading, scrubbing floors, and in silent contemplation. There are few rewards. It is a simple and humble life.”

“Sounds good to me,” Onyx said. “And I’m not used to a comfortable life. Like all earth elementals, I spent many years of my life training in a mountain temple. My sister and I both did. There were no servants or anything like that. We rose before the dawn. Went to bed late and slept in tiny stone huts. We washed in cold water. We grew or hunted all our own food. Cooked for ourselves too.”

But of course, Onyx could not join the monks. He had responsibilities to his family and kingdom.

The grand monk laughed. “That’s right. You earth elementals live quite simply too. Perhaps you are suited to this life.”

Onyx nodded. “Earth elementals develop their powers through discipline and by honing their bodies and minds.” Not like the dragons, who just inherited their powers. “We meditate daily. We sit on hard stone, clearing our minds of everything but the feel of the energy flowing through the rock.

“Eventually, we start to feel the energy flowing from the earth into our very being. From there, we learn to channel the energy, weave it, and control it and thus control the stone and earth itself.” Onyx remembered meditating with Tourmaline by his side.

But she was gone now.

So was the temple.

The dragons had taken all that away from him.