Page 75 of Wrath of the Dragons (Fear the Flames #2)

Chapter Fifty-five

Elowen

Incense burns my nose, so potent I can practically taste it.

Mae’s chamber is darker than most, but the woman is nowhere to be seen.

Gold chimes hanging in the windows create a soothing melody…

so I don’t know why goosebumps dot my skin.

It’s the same feeling I got while crossing into Zraka.

It feels like I’m forgetting something, like I’m meant to be somewhere else but can’t remember where to go.

Aside from the chimes, everything in the suite is red.

It reminds me of Asena’s robes, and I wonder if Mae has any ties to the fire cult.

I fist my skirts to keep from tripping over several floor pillows surrounding a low table and pause when Zale holds a hand up before disappearing onto the balcony.

“I think I’m going to sneeze if I stay in here a moment longer,” Finnian whispers.

“I lived with you in your teenage years so this smells pleasant in comparison.”

He glares at me while resting a finger beneath his nose. “Rude.”

“Mae?” Zale calls out, and I peek through the gossamer curtains to watch him round a small lounge facing the ocean.

The canopy overhead provides the elderly woman some reprieve from the sun, but I try not to gag when another wave of incense washes over me.

Sticks of steaming wood rest in several golden bowls all around her.

Her frail shoulders are wrapped in a shawl and rise when Zale steps into her vision.

“I brought someone who wishes to speak with you.”

“Elowen Veles and her brother have come to pay me a visit,” she says in a wobbly voice as she reaches forward to cup his cheek. “Come here, girl. Let me see you after all these years.”

I exchange a glance with Finnian, but Zale hardly seems unnerved as he gestures for us to come forward.

I wipe my hands down my dress and straighten the straps on my shoulders as I do as she says.

Deep lines are etched into her brown skin, and age spots dot her cheeks, but her eyes are warm and kind.

“Elowen Atarah. Elowen Veles.” She says my name as if she’s testing the weight of each syllable to determine which she prefers while resting her hands on my cheeks. “Elowen Veles. Prisoner, princess, dragon rider, queen.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mae,” I say as she releases my face but takes hold of my wrist to examine the lines of my palm. “I know we met before, but I was too young to remember it.”

“But you remember your dragons. You can never forget your dragons.”

“Yes, that’s true. They’re my earliest memory.”

“The magic in your veins keeps you from forgetting,” she mutters. “You can’t forget any of it. Neither could he.” I glance at Finnian again, but Mae pulls on my wrist as she shakes her head. “Bastard, criminal, commander, king.”

My brows furrow. “What does Cayden remember?”

“He will know soon.”

Zale claims the spot beside Mae and gently eases her hand away from my wrist. The woman seems to be calmed by his presence, a smile sliding onto her ruby-red lips. It’s the only makeup she wears. “Mae, Elowen wanted to ask you some questions. Do you feel up toit?”

“Yes.” She pats the other side of her, and I don’t object. The cushion sinks beneath my weight, and Finnian moves to stand closer to me.

“It was said the gods came to you in a dream and told you to give me the dragon eggs. Do you remember any of it?”

Her brows crease, and she points toward the tea set in front of her.

Zale leans forward to pour her a cup, and she sips it before speaking, hugging the porcelain as if she’s freezing.

“It was not the gods, it was one. The Goddess of Flames, Life, and Stars said it was time for dragons to reawaken. You were born to bring them into the world. You will keep them safe. The warrior with a fierce and gentle heart.”

“But why not anyone else?” I ask.

“The fire in your soul,” she insists. “What is meant for you will never miss you. It has a way of making you aware of its presence before you even know what it is.” She taps her bony finger into my ribs, right where I felt the tug while sailing into Zraka.

“A woman’s intuition is rarely wrong. Trust in yourself to navigate your path.

Only you can decide what is right, what breaks you, and what strengthens.

To find the answers you seek, you must let go of doubt and embrace who you are. ”

My eyes flicker in the direction of where I felt the tug, and Mae nods. “Let the dragon rise from the ashes,” she says. “A wrong was righted when they found and chose you. A thread torn in greed was mended with your birth.”

The more she speaks, the more confused I become, but what I do know is that I want to investigate what lurks in Galakin, and why I’m so drawn to it. “What wrong?”

“The gods fought against one another, and it led to both their doom and the destruction of dragons. The skies are empty without dragons to claim them. A kingdom is nothing without a strong ruler on the throne.”

Zale gently takes her hand, drawing her tender eyes to his. “But what was the thread torn by greed?”

She blinks at him, and it’s clear she won’t answer the question. I pinch my skirts between my thumb and index finger since it’s less distracting than tugging at my necklace. I don’t think it would be smart to push her—she seems so frail—so I bury my curiosity and ask a different question.

“Where did the dragon eggs come from?” She opens her mouth, but rears back as if someone slapped her. “Mae?”

She begins shaking her head, looking to the canopy blocking out the sky as she covers her ears.

A noise coming from deep in her throat reminds me of a wounded animal, and Zale wraps his arm around her shoulders.

I move off the couch and stand in front of Finnian, staying close just in case Zale needs assistance.

I know she’d be no match against Finnian but protecting him will always be my first instinct.

“Mae!” Zale calls out when her eyes roll back in her head, and he gently pats her cheek. “She hasn’t had a vision in years, I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Do you want me to fetch a healer?” I ask.

“No, there’s nothing anyone can do once a vision takes hold.”

The curtains leading to her room part, and to my surprise, Cayden steps through. “I thought you had an errand. ”

“I did,” he answers as he cuts a path toward me. “I secured our alliance. I’ll tell you the details later, but what the hell did you two do?”

“All I did was ask her some questions about the dragons and then this happened. We only just arrived.”

“Loved by the gods. Hated by the gods. Loved by the gods. Hated by the gods,” she chants under her breath.

Cayden opens his mouth to say something but shoves me behind him when Mae springs forward and grabs on to his shirt.

Pain twists her features, and I wish there were something I could do to help her.

“The sun will be bathed in blood and the shadows will shroud the day. Ashes to be washed away by the waves. Old eyes watch and new eyes shut.” Her voice comes out shockingly low, almost like it’s not her relaying the message.

Zale pulls her away from Cayden when her irises reappear in the whites of her eyes.

She collapses against him shaking and coughing as Zale wraps one of the many blankets around her.

My heart pounds through my body so fiercely I can feel it in the tips of my toes and fingers.

Oh, gods. I’m grateful the prophecy wasn’t directly related to me as the one issued years ago was, but still, I could’ve lived happily never hearing another fall from anyone’s lips.

I don’t even know what this one means. The prophecy I received when I was a child was straightforward; there was nothing to decipher.

I’m not sure if the state of her mind influences the clarity of her visions, but I don’t know how the sun can be bathed in blood, or the probability of anything else she said.

“Y-you said we have an alliance?” Finnian asks, pulling his eyes away from the woman.

“I spoke to King Erix to ensure we got what we wanted.”

“You spoke to my father?” Zale asks as the threads of his anger are sewn. “Or you threatened him?”

“Save your anger for the battlefield, Princey. You’ll have the opportunity to bloody your sword in more than just practice rings if your mother has nursed you long enough.”

Zale’s face reddens and he stands from the couch, making sure Mae is propped up with enough pillows. “Did you threaten my father?”

“Perhaps you should ask him that question. I believe it’s a matter of perspective.”

“Perhaps I will,” he shoots out.

“Enough,” I cut in, stepping between them. “We all got what we wanted and I’m not going to babysit grown men while I have a war to fight. Either learn how to get along or keep your mouths shut.”

Finnian steps around us to fix Mae’s blanket, and Zale’s stare tracks him. “Can I get you anything, my lady?”

Mae looks at him, her frail body still racked with shivers, and shakes her head. He nods, standing to his full height and rejoining our group as we walk closer to the railing. “Does anyone have any idea what the vision meant?”

“Mae often gets confused and lost in her head,” Zale says. “I don’t know if the vision was entirely accurate.”

“She spoke clearly, even if the message wasn’t,” I respond, forcing my nerves down. The last time I received a prophecy, it led to me being chained up and ripped away from my dragons. “However, we have more pressing matters than visions from sleeping gods.”

I try to put it out of mind, I really do.

But the shadow that’s been following me like a dark cloud on the horizon for weeks grows darker, and I’m worried the rain will soon begin to fall.