Page 73 of Wrath of the Dragons (Fear the Flames #2)

Chapter Fifty-three

Elowen

The café Zale invited us to is right on the water.

A server leads us to a veranda overlooking the white sand and sea between pillars covered in orange and light pink blossoms. In the distance, a pod of dolphins flips through the crystalline waters, disappearing only when my dragons’ shadows overtake them.

It seems Zale was true to his word; no guards are either inside or on the road.

Zale stands beside a table with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture stiff though he tries to draw attention away from his nerves by smiling at us. He’s in a similar outfit to last night, the red linen complementing his deep brown complexion and hair.

I take a seat across from the crown prince, and though the table is circular it’s clear Zarius and Cayden deliberately sit closer to me.

Zarius doesn’t do so out of loyalty, and he has a hard time hiding his sneer when regarding Zale.

A woman sets a pitcher of orange juice at the center of the table along with a coffee tray filled with sweeteners, milk, and a small bowl of chocolate.

Zale clears his throat, placing one of the chocolates in his cup and dousing it in coffee. He notes my intrigue, and says, “It’s the preferred way of having coffee in Galakin since chocolate and coffee are the crops we take most pride in.” He flips a cup up. “Try it.”

I blankly stare at him, lifting a brow and waiting for him to speak. If he thinks I’ll entertain him before acknowledging how he sat by while his mother practically called me a set of open legs and threw the word bastard around like a curse, then he’s mistaken.

His throat bobs, and he looks down briefly before straightening his shoulders. “As I stated in my letter, I wished to apologize for how my mother and father conducted themselves last night. It was entirely inappropriate, and I’d never come between your marriage.”

Oh, sweet gods.

I exchange a glance with Cayden, who makes no attempt to hide his thinning patience as he says, “Does the wind whistle through the empty space between your ears like an abandoned temple?” Zarius chokes on his orange juice, and I press my lips together to keep from laughing.

“Tell us why you wanted to meet because I’m assuming it wasn’t to inform us of how you take your coffee. ”

As a peace offering, I lean forward. The markings on my arms shimmer as I grab one of the chocolates. Steaming coffee melts it, and I stir with the small spoon looped through the handle to ensure no bits are left. The scent alone is enough to make my mouth water, and the taste is even better.

He seems pleased by my reaction and speaks with a newfound confidence. “I want to train you.”

“Me?” I laugh again. “I didn’t have tutors who used dulled swords, prince. I learned to fight to survive.”

“In magic.”

I set the cup back on the saucer and rest my folded hands on the table. “To wield fire?”

“I cannot wield dragonfire but teaching you how to wield earthly fire may help you hone your abilities. You wielded your fire in a moment riddled with emotion. You need to be able to call the fire to you as you sit here.” He does exactly that, pulling the flame from somewhere in the restaurant.

“You need to sense it even when you can’t see it and let it become part of you. ”

“What do you get in return?” I ask, knowing everything comes at a price, but the offer is so tempting I’d be willing to pay just about anything. Fire floods my veins but has nowhere to go. It lives within me like an eternal flame, and I can either burn from the inside or conquer it.

He looks between all three of us as another server places a three-tiered tray of savory and sweet breakfast options on the table.

“I’m going to convince my parents to join your war.

It’s not your fight alone.” His gaze settles on Zarius who looks incredibly impassive, picking an invisible piece of lint off his shirt.

“Our people fought before we were born and still hold on to their hatred, but it won’t solve anything.

All it will do is inspire that same malice in future generations, and countless lives will be lost because rulers could not find a way to lead their people into a better world. ”

“I’m not sure your parents will have such a progressive perspective on the events that began the war between our people,” Zarius says. “Need I remind you that it was never proven my uncle stole your aunt away. She may have left of her own volition.”

Zale sighs. “And we may never know that answer, but…”

“We cannot create a better future if we live in the past,” I finish for him. “Leaders should aim to alleviate suffering, not perpetuate it.”

“Yes.” Zale nods. “Exactly that.”

“This is all very heartwarming,” Cayden flatly states, drumming his fingers on the table and draping his other arm over my chair. “But I want to know how many ships you can promise.”

“Five hundred.”

“Eight,” Cayden replies.

“Six.”

“Eight.”

Zale sighs, sticking his hand out. “Eight hundred ships.”

They shake on it. “You’ll be informed of the battle plans once the treaty is signed and I see the ships with my own eyes.”

“I have high expectations, having heard previous plans conjured by the demon of Ravaryn.”

Cayden’s face remains neutral, giving away nothing as to what’s going on inside his mind. It’s a tactic he uses to unnerve others, and it’s certainly working on Zale as he clears his throat again and faces Zarius.

“Do you have any terms regarding our alliance?”

Zarius’s lips are set into a firm line as he assesses the prince he must’ve been conditioned to hate since birth. “Pull your ships back in the Dolent when this is done. We sail to one war; I doubt either of us wishes to return to another if your promises of peace are to be believed.”

Zale nods. “You do the same with your ships and we won’t have an issue.”

“How are you able to speak as if you’re the king?” I ask, drawing his eyes back to me. “You cut deals with us in a café, not a castle. Do your parents—the owners of the navy you’ve promised us—know you’re here?”

“My parents will see reason,” he says, finishing off his coffee and standing from his seat. “Though you and I have more pressing matters to attend, queen.”

I untie the straps of my sandals that travel up my calves as sand spills into the leather soles.

Finnian trails his fingers over the bow slung over his shoulder as he studies the secluded beach for any sign of a trap, but only Zale stands a few paces above the wave marks on the shore as he lays out several dried logs.

Braxton insisted on accompanying us to this training lesson, but Zale didn’t have any guards within the restaurant, and I’d rather keep the fragile peace.

Zarius stayed behind to debrief with Ser Rhys, and Ryder wouldn’t leave Saskia alone with him—despite there being several guards on board.

I only hope the ship isn’t burned to a crisp by the time we return, since Cayden isn’t there to mediate.

Once he knew Finnian would accompany me, he strode down the gangplank, claiming he had a quick errand to run.

For Cayden, a quick errand can range from killing someone to picking flowers for me, but he was gone before I had the chance to question him.

I kneel across from Zale, my blue gown with a large diamond cutout on my stomach fanning around me. Finnian sits on a piece of driftwood a bit farther back, watching closely as Zale lights the logs between us with some flint. It starts out small but grows as Zale moves his hands around it.

“Fire needs oxygen to grow, but as a wielder, you breathe life into it instead,” he says.

“When did you first know you were a wielder?”

He chuckles softly. “I accidentally lit a curtain on fire when I was a child. It was also a moment riddled with emotion, like your first experience. However, mine wasn’t as complex as nearly losing someone I loved.

My younger brother stole the stuffed monkey my grandmother made me, and that I kept under my pillow.

He ran through the halls, showing all the other children my most prized possession and I was humiliated. ”

“Do you still have the monkey?”

“ That is not the point of the lesson today,” he answers, and I laugh when he doesn’t deny it.

“What was its name?”

He gives me a flat look. “Pascal.”

“Oh, that’s precious,” I coo, and he groans while pinching the bridge of his nose, gesturing to the fire again.

I reach forward, settling my hands on either side of the gathered logs and focus on the shape of it, the warmth, the scent of embers glowing at the base of the sandpit, but my body locks up when Zale wraps his fingers around my wrists, and Finnian rises to his feet.

“Release me,” I quietly command before turning to Finnian. “I’m fine. You can refrain from sending us into another war.”

He smirks while releasing his hold on the bow and taking a seat again. “Anything for you, Ellie.”

I laugh softly and turn back to Zale who has his eyes fixated on Finnian. “Friend?”

“More like a brother.” When people describe great loves, they often talk about romantic connections, but friendship can be just as epic. “If you could refrain from touching me throughout the lesson, it would be greatly appreciated.”

He slants his dark brows, and nods as understanding washes over his features. “I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. It won’t happen again.”

I tilt my head, regarding the prince in a new light. “Thank you.”

He nods and mimics my position, calling the fire toward him, cradling and curling it in his palms. “Focus on your breathing. Many think that fire is destruction but it’s also life and balance.

It has the power to heal. Without the sun we wouldn’t be able to live, and without the stars we’d never find our way home. ”

He cups a small flame in his hands and deposits it in mine, but it’s gone in a blink, leaving nothing but smoke wafting toward the sky.

I sigh, trying to quell the mounting frustration within me, but it’s pointless.

I reach my hands forward again, calling out to the flames and waiting for my power to awaken, but I feel nothing.

I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing everything around me out of existence, and inhale the smoke through my nostrils.

Within the darkness of my eyelids, I let a singular flame flicker until it widens and becomes a wildfire.

A dragon does not fear fire, nor will I.

Flames are encased in their scales, just as they’re embedded within my soul.

The only way to defeat my enemies is not to let the doubt they instilled in my mind be stronger than my capabilities.

They have tried to limit me, to stifle me, and I will burn them to the ground for it.

My vengeance will be a realm of ash and blood.

I am the queen of flames, and fire answers to me.

“The only lesson we’ll handle today is holding fire.

You can’t wield it if you can’t hold it.

” I open my eyes as he cups the fire again.

“Did you know you didn’t become a ghost in Galakin as you did in Erebos?

Here you became a legend. The lost dragon princess who would bring dragons back into our skies.

” He holds the flames above my cupped palms, and I breathe deeply, keeping my mind quiet and calling the flames that live within me to the surface.

“The fire is who you are. Do not fear it.”

He drops the flame into my hand, and I hold it.