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11. The Sigh of a Fallen Bloom
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The Flaming Heart 12. The Dragon Moon
The sun had set behind the mountains, and dusk was approaching. A majority of the golden knights had been sent to the main palace for Rina’s Dragon Moon. Only a small squadron, led by Hugo, was discreetly searching the city and the dragon palace, seeing as Leila’s aunt, uncle and cousins had all disappeared from the Royal Garrison last night. Hugo met with Thorn in front of the main palace dungeon. “Anything?” Thorn asked. “No.” Hugo shook his head, “We searched everywhere. Still no sign of any of them. The human slaves arrived and were crowded into the cells. I didn’t have the right to interfere. But I checked, and they are not among them.” Thorn’s suspicions were correct. Something would happen at tonight’s ceremony. They walked into the open yard where the event would be held. At the very center of the space, a towering altar had been built. Grooves were engraved into its surface and snaked into a massive totem of a dragon. Rina would complete her Dragon Moon there. He ordered Hu
The Flaming Heart 13. The Break of Dawn
The atrium of the main castle was quiet during the night’s final dream, soon to awaken. The King’s council chamber was old and full of dust. Eros had already awoken from the darkness, and was sitting by a gigantic stone hearth. Usually, he would have eaten breakfast at this hour, but instead, he chose to delay that for a moment, as he was expecting Thorn’s arrival. While waiting, Eros watched the dancing fire as his mind drifted miles away. A terrible dream, the same dream that crept up in his bed every night, had haunted him for a long time. Thorn walked by dim rooms and halls. Servants were dexterously getting ready to attend to their chores and start the day. Thorn had finally approached the gigantic, heavy marble door. “Come in,” Eros demanded with a flat tone, as if he could sense his son’s presence. Thorn pushed in and closed the door behind him. “Father. I hope I’m not intruding.” “Not at all. I knew you would come.” Eros turned around from the fire in the hearth. He moved
The Flaming Heart 14. The Midnight Moan
Leila sat out on the bedchamber terrace alone. It was approaching midnight, and Thorn still hadn’t returned. After the Dragon Moon, and after her family had been slaughtered by the royals, something changed inside her. A feeling of insecurity emerged, as if she was trying to grab a floating branch while drowning. She suddenly realized how fragile and alone she was in the world, and it terrified her. She wanted to scream and fight with Rina and the queen. But all she could do was hide in the bedchamber. Leila opened the bundle her aunt had given her. Inside, there was a pitch-black flute stone with a hollow core. She observed it under the bright moonlight. She had never seen anything like it before. The smooth surface looked alien to her, but extravagantly beautiful. A sense of grief weighed down on her again. She had officially become an orphan, without ever knowing her birth mother and father. In the dark sky, she saw a red dragon coiling above the main castles. Then, the dragon l
The Flaming Heart 15. The Announcement
A rooster cawed at the sudden light and flapped its wings to welcome a new day. Leila had already been awake for a long time and was cooking breakfast. She hadn’t slept well. “Good morning!” Arthur said loudly. He was in an exceptionally good mood. When Leila appeared at his front door last night with tears rolling down her cheeks, he was extremely worried. But he didn’t push her to explain anything. He let her sleep in his bed and he slept in the living room. After a sleepless night, Arthur had decided to take the opportunity to express his feelings towards her, which he should have done years ago. “Morning,” Leila said, grinding a small pile of black pepper and salt, “How do you like your eggs? I’m making some.” “Just scrambled is fine, thank you,” Arthur answered. A sense of contentment had surrounded him. He imagined how happy he would be if Leila was his wife. “There you go.” Leila set the table and sat across him. “I’m going with you to get the milk after breakfast.” “You do
The Flaming Heart 16. The Fortune Teller
According to what Thorn’s men had found, Leila was brought to her aunt’s house by her aunt’s sister. However, the woman was not Leila’s birth mother, as it was confirmed that she couldn’t conceive. That woman was a peasant, living near the edge of King’s Harbor all her life. Strangely, she had suddenly decided to visit her sister one day, leaving behind a baby who had just been born. Shortly after she gave the baby to her sister and returned to her farm, the woman was found dead. Thorn believed that the woman had deliberately kept a secret from her sister. Her cruel aunt and uncle didn’t even know that Leila wasn’t their blood relative. The connection between Leila and that grey dragon woman was still being investigated. But he was certain of one thing: Leila was not a regular girl. She was a mystery to Thorn, fascinating and enchanting his dragon soul. But more importantly, she was in grave danger, surrounded by his own family. If he wanted to keep her safe, he would have to mark h
The Flaming Heart 17. The Ritual
Leila had a good morning soak in the bedchamber. Submerging herself in the rose-petal bath, she still couldn’t completely relax her body. Too many thoughts and emotions collided in her little heart. Today was the big day, and she was nervous about everything. She lifted her left hand and scooped up a handful of red rose petals. After breathing in a lungful of the amazing scent, she put her hand to the surface of the hot, steamy water. The roses drifted away, and the red dust left behind on her palm was somehow triggered by the warmth. It floated elusively underneath the thin layer of her skin, as if it powered by an invisible force. As she began to feel a bit lightheaded, she gripped the side of the tub and pulled herself up to her feet. She knew she smelled good, like rose blooms dipped in honey, and a few petals reluctantly stuck to her flesh. She changed to a black silky dress that Nyree had hung up for her, and wore the flute stone around her neck. Even though she wasn’t sure wh
The Flaming Heart 18. The Lost Stone
It was midnight inside the walls of the palace, even though the sun still hadn’t set. The prince’s castle was dead silent; even the drop of a small needle would echo off of the cold stones. All of the silver servants and golden knights were dismissed. Under the feeble and lonely candlelight, Thorn had been beside Leila’s bed all day and night. He was incapable of sleeping or eating. He put her fingers to his lips, feeling the last traces of her warmth. Leila’s stone was missing from her neck. Thorn had noticed its absence before Healer June arrived after the ritual. It was taken by someone during the chaos. Anyone who made contact with her had an opportunity to take the stone, and among all of them, the most suspicious was Nyree. Remorse and regret coiled up within Thorn like a poisonous snake. A fierce emotion, one beyond mere fury, was filling his chest. A price had to be paid. Vengeance was looming. The ritual had failed. The draconic divinity was provoked. Thorn observed her le
The Flaming Heart 19. The Deep Water
Three jet black stallions were quickly galloping through the open field. On horseback, two dark knights, Hugo and James, were dressed in full suits of armor, carrying light shields and heavy swords. Both were tall and vigorously riding, their strong thighs clamped tightly to the horses’ sides. They bent forward in order for the horses to run faster. The dragon prince was riding ahead. The chamberlain was nowhere to be found at the location Nyree had provided. He once believed that silver dragon descendants were a noble class who conducted themselves with common decency. However, after the wanted posters of the previous chamberlain were distributed across the kingdom, anonymous informants emerged from everywhere. But one thousand gold coins were not easily earned. Often times, they found that the information was false or inaccurate. It was outlandish that the prince had such difficulty locating a silver servant. This time, he hoped that he could snatch up the cunning man, alive, with
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