Page 70 of Wrath of the Dragons (Fear the Flames #2)

Chapter Fifty-one

Elowen

“I must admit, part of me didn’t think the dragons were real,” Zale says as I lean down to smell one of the flowers.

They paint the earth in shades from the deepest pinks to the lightest yellows.

The garden is thick and lush, no doubt from the amount of rain this kingdom gets.

“I was there when the seer issued the prophecy and they hatched around your cradle, but I was too young to remember anything.”

I straighten up to look at him. “Do you know the seer who issued it?”

“I do.” He faintly smiles, and the wind billows through his light, elegant vest. His pants are made of the same mustard material, embroidered in a mixture of red and orange.

“Mae is like a grandmother to me. She keeps to herself mostly, and there are some days when she’s indisposed, but I can take you to see her if she’s well enough for visitors. ”

“That would be wonderful.” Maybe I can finally get some answers to the questions I’ve asked for years. “Thank you, Prince—”

“Just Zale,” he cuts in.

“Zale,” I finish. “You can call me Elowen. Do you know any of Mae’s symptoms? I can try to help.”

He sighs, tucking his hands into his pockets. “It’s the visions. They deteriorated her mind over the years and sometimes she doesn’t know what’s real and what’s in her head.”

“I’m sorry.” My lips turn down. There’s nothing I can do for that. “That can’t be easy to watch.”

He offers me another small smile as we continue walking down a row of thick green palms. The banquet hall is just a few paces away and open on all sides now that the curtains are pulled back and secured with thick gold ropes.

I feel Cordelia’s eyes spearing me like a knife as I interact with her son.

Zale’s youngest siblings run through the grass while servants chase them to avoid them muddying their clothes, and the adolescents lounge under palm trees with paper fans.

He has eight siblings in total, six sisters and two brothers.

I can’t imagine what it’s like to be part of such a large family.

“I heard rumors you were able to wield dragonfire,” Zale says, calling a small flame to him as we pass a torch. It flickers just an inch above his index finger, moving as he bounces it back and forth on his hand. “Care to demonstrate?”

I swallow the sense of failure clawing up my throat as Zale makes flame-wielding seem as easy as breathing. “Perhaps another time.”

He regards me with suspicion, but doesn’t voice whatever is in his head. I don’t know if that’s better or worse. “Shall we join the banquet?”

He offers me an arm, and I hesitate only a moment before taking it.

I have a feeling offending Zale will put me on the worst side of Cordelia.

It’s bad enough I brought the son of her enemy here.

Both of our arms are bare, and the feeling of someone’s skin brushing against mine makes me want to run the other way until my chest stops tightening, but I keep the smile on my face as we step under the archway.

Cayden

I remove Elowen from the prince’s arm the moment she’s close enough to do so.

It took every ounce of self-restraint in my meager reserves to not succumb to my possessiveness the moment Zale came to escort her.

She releases a shaky breath only I’m able to hear, keeping that impenetrable smile on her face as she accepts a drink made of rum and pomegranates from a servant.

“Your wife is very lovely, king,” Zale says to me. “Thank you for the walk, Elowen.”

He turns on his heels and strides toward his mother, awaiting him under one of the many arches painted with small yellow suns. “Elowen? How informal.”

“Don’t start.”

I snicker. “Did he do anything to bother you?”

“No, he was a perfect gentleman.” She takes a sip of her drink before ducking close to my chest to hide her disgust. I take the glass from her and look around to make sure nobody is watching before dumping it into a potted palm tree. “I think that might kill it.”

“Better it than you,” I remark. “Why do you seem so on edge?”

“I just don’t know why this family is so touchy.”

I run my hand down her other arm. “Stick close to me. I’ll ward them off.” She must be desperate because she doesn’t make any quip about being able to take care of herself, just nods. “And I’ll get you a better drink.”

“Zale said he’ll take me to the seer who issued the prophecy when I was a baby,” she says as I escort her to a table set before a larger one where the other members of our party along with the rest of the Ilaria family will eat.

I don’t believe in seers, but if conversing with the seer will calm something within her then so be it.

I wave off a servant who rushes forward to pull out Elowen’s chair and claim my spot beside her at the head of the table with legs fashioned to look like sea serpents.

Cordelia and Zale sit across from Elowen and Zarius, and Erix is across from me.

Servants step forward again, placing small crystal bowls stacked with balls of honeydew and cantaloupe before us and filling the matching goblets with wine.

“Will none of the other kingdoms be joining us?” Elowen asks.

“Feynadra is due to arrive tomorrow,” Cordelia says. “I believe it’s best we speak business before my sister arrives. It’s clear you came here with ulterior motives, considering a prince of our enemy kingdom sits at my table.”

Zarius takes a long drink of wine, staring at Cordelia over the rim of his glass. “I believe I’ve been called prince more in the past twenty-four hours than I have since I was exiled. What an interesting turn of events.”

Erix overlooks Zarius’s tone and fixes his gaze on me. “I assume you’re looking for our alliance? Use of our navy? Thirwen aligned with your wife’s father, so you think we’ll want a part in this war due to our longstanding animosity with them.”

I’m thankful we’re getting right to business.

I’m not a courtier, and don’t know how to make pleasant conversation for the sake of filling silence.

I also don’t possess the ability to pretend I’m interested in anything anyone is saying to me and am sure that’s evident on my face.

It’s played in my favor in the past—I never wanted to converse with anyone and preferred being alone—but Elowen made me promise to attempt a cordial alliance before we resort to threatening them…

something about how she never would’ve been given her dragon eggs were it not for the king and queen.

“I think you’ll want a place in this war when we tell you what you’ll get out of it,” I respond.

“Our goal is to restore Prince Zarius’s claim to Thirwen and he has agreed to pull the navy back from your border and reopen trade with your kingdom.

Trade with Imirath will also be an option, as my wife is the only living heir of Garrick Atarah. ”

Erix runs a hand over his lightly stubbled jaw, but Cordelia cuts in to address Elowen.

“You knew what we wanted,” she hisses. “You could’ve had your alliance through marriage.

You’re not a stupid woman, and I believe I made my intentions quite clear when I saw you last, but instead you not only insult my offer, you bring the spawn of my enemy to eat at my table. ”

“You are correct,” Elowen evenly states. “I’m not a stupid woman, and Zarius is not his father just as I am not mine.”

“And yet you chose a bastard over a prince!”

“I chose a king.” Elowen’s tone drops. “I chose a man.”

It’s unusual to watch someone else fight for me when I’ve spent most of my life waging my own battles.

“I would have been willing to overlook your indiscretions and would’ve turned a blind eye until an heir needed to be produced had you married my son.”

“How generous of you.”

My temper rises, thrashing against the cage I promised Elowen I’d lock it in, but Cordelia speaking to Elowen as if she had some claim over her fans the flames of rage within me.

If Elowen hadn’t agreed to be my queen, I would’ve slaughtered whoever I had to in order to keep her safe, even if she had been nothing more than my ally.

“Call me a bastard all you want; I’m sure it frightens you to see just how high one can rise.

But you will watch your tone when speaking to my wife.

” I lean forward and note the way the guards step closer to their rulers.

“If you were so interested in Elowen then perhaps you should’ve mobilized your navy when she was locked in a dungeon after your seer relayed a prophecy to a tyrant. ”

“We couldn’t have known what Garrick would do,” Erix argues. “And we couldn’t risk countless lives for one girl.”

“Then you don’t deserve her.”

“And that bastard you insulted didn’t risk countless lives, he risked his own,” Elowen shoots out. “We have come for your alliance, but I warn you not to make an enemy of us. Most do not survive.”

“You would threaten my parents in their own castle?” Zale incredulously asks, looking toward the guard behind Elowen.

I draw my sword as he steps forward. To do what, I don’t know, but his hand freezes on the hilt as I point the tip of mine beneath Zale’s chin.

Chairs scrape behind me and more steel is drawn.

“Elowen did not issue a threat; she made a statement, but I’m not as kind as her. If your guard takes another step toward my wife, your prince will bleed for it.”

“To spill blood here would be an act of war,” Erix declares. “Your army is across the sea.”

“How insightful.”

“You would never leave this banquet hall alive.”

I leave my steel pointed at the prince’s throat as I cut my eyes to Erix. “Neither would you or your precious prince.”