Candescent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) (21 page)

“Thank you Sebastian.” I choked on my words.

“You know, you will be wonderful as my wife. I will look forward to you ruling beside me.” He could see the slight astonishment in my face as my eyebrows raised. “You will have your say when we rule. I will never deprive you of your title. And as for our heirs-,”

“Sebastian, please,” I begged, ready to pass out from such a thought, but he continued.

“And when I’m King, don’t let me find out you’re being treated as anything but my Queen.”

I nodded my head, not paying attention or even caring what he was saying. I was still shaken up from the whole
heir
thing.

“Chenille?” He caught my attention, his hand rested on mine and I pulled away. “I have another gift for you.” He eyed me with uncertainty now since I pulled away. But to my relief he continued to dig around in his coat pocket. His face softened.

He took out a chain, held it delicately between his fingers and slowly lifted it. It was my Dragon’s Soul and Fitzray’s Ceremonial Ring. It dangled before my face and I cupped my hands beneath it, waiting for him to let it go. To keep my attention he still held it as he spoke, his eyes held me in a fixed stare. Well, I didn’t think it was possible but there was instant love toward him…temporary of course.

“I have your dragon. He’s locked up but in time I’ll show you where he is and you can visit him anytime you want. You will be able to speak with him but he will not be allowed out. I assure you he is being well fed and cared for by whoever can manage to be around him. When I show him to you please tell him that my servants are there to care for him and that they will not hurt him.”

“Did you hurt him?”

“No, taking the Soul from your neck was enough. I didn’t have to hurt him to capture him. He was rather sane. He must’ve known that you were safe.”

Slowly he dropped the chain into my hands. I put my Dragon’s Soul back around my neck and I felt my strength return. Sebastian watched in curiosity as I held the silver dragon that was invisible to him. I placed it to my lips, fingered the silver ring. My eyes filled with tears and I cried with relief feeling my dragon was with me again.

Sebastian embraced me and I didn’t mind. I was grateful enough that he had given me my sanctuary. He kissed my face as I gripped my Dragon’s Soul with my life.

“Please don’t take it again,” I begged.

He looked at me, his face softening with compassion. “I can’t promise you anything. I need some sort of security too, one that will keep you in your place. I can’t afford to get hurt, so just behave and do as I say. As long as you do that I will have no need to take your Dragon’s Soul or put any limitations on seeing your dragon.”

I looked at him with understanding as I clutched my silver dragon. “Thank you so much,” I uttered, “I feel so much better.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling stronger. You’re going to need every bit of your strength. Tomorrow I am taking you to the battlefield. You will witness the war and see your past Allies fall. Tomorrow you will see Pete fall. I can’t let this war last too long. It’s already been a week and I can’t afford to postpone the wedding.”

Yeah, that temporary love was clearly only temporary. The hatred I felt toward him bubbled up again as though it had never left.

* * * * *

S
ebastian dragged me to the dissipated land that was our City. Only a few buildings still stood, but were hardly considered functional. I stood where broken cobblestone rested at my feet, on this battlefield I once called home. People and creatures still fought, dead bodies lay at their feet as they refused to cease fire – to jeopardize their own lives -
for what
?

I saw my Allies, my friends, tearful and bloodstained. Many of them were dying and our army was failing. The wounded were in agony with no one to help them and Sebastian’s army put each of them out of their misery if they couldn’t crawl to safety. The doctors were held captive, forced to treat only Sebastian’s wounded.

Sebastian was nearby, making sure I saw this mess unfold. I knew he was smiling and I could almost hear his laughter as I fell to my knees and cried out to my people. I wanted to help them.

I looked into the crowd and I saw Rasha. She looked at me with despair. The thick black makeup that once lined her eyes now ran down her dirty face. Her gold bracelets were covered in blood and dirt. She sensed my doubt and hung her head, laid her sword at her enemy’s feet and surrendered. For a moment, there was silence, recognition, and Rasha looked up to turn her head as her soldiers had done.

Pete walked through his army. He drew his sword, ready to fight.  Sebastian was immediately at my side and rested his hands on my shoulders. I waited for Sebastian to make his move and signal for someone to bring the chamber. He remained quiet, just stared at his opponent. I figured he must’ve changed his mind.

“Didn’t you want to talk to Pete?” he asked. “Didn’t you want to thank him?” I said nothing, kept my mouth shut. This was all part of his plan. “Don’t you want Chenille back?” He called out to the King.

Pete looked up, realized I was here. He dropped his sword and walked toward me with awe. Once Sebastian released me, he ran and embraced me. His grip was so tight and protective. His eyes remained on Sebastian.

“How touching,” I heard Sebastian growl in disgust.

Pete was compelled to hold me tighter and I quietly begged him not to carry me off. Sebastian had us right where he wanted us. I buried my head into Pete’s shoulder in attempt to shield myself from the horrid battlefield. I knew closing my eyes would not help. I still heard screaming. My people called my name as though I was their last resort and I couldn’t help any of them.

“Have mercy,” I managed to whisper, unsure if Sebastian heard, but I felt Pete clutching my dress. He couldn’t help me either.

To appeal to me I watched Sebastian’s face soften as though he actually understood or even pitied me, but there was no compassion in his face - there was mockery. He had won. As I thought this, I heard Pete whisper something to me.

“He forgets that I’m still alive.” He said.

Sebastian turned to his army and the dying people. For a moment, he watched their despair and kicked some bloodstained snow. When he turned back to us, he was content.

“Kill whoever suffers, have the wounded healed. I can’t rule over barren land. And as for them,” he eyed us, “take them to the dungeon.”

I was hauled away as fast as I came, only with Pete at my side. Several men escorted us to Sebastian’s home. I knew Pete could’ve taken them all out, but he wouldn’t. He was tired and just wanted to be with me.

We blindly entered the dark cavern we knew was the dungeon. The men directed us to the back where the torches lit the decrepit walls and immediately left us there. The cool, damp air was musty and I felt intimidated just standing in the midst of it. Pete held me, his soft breathing rose in anxiety, in fear. We were unsuccessful and it was our people that paid the price of our failure.

“We have to come up with another plan.”

I looked up at him with sadness as his mournful face attempted to console me. His hand touched the white bandage and his eyes darted away. I knew he already had a plan in mind and he wouldn’t tell me.

“I want you to stay away from Sebastian. I don’t want him to hurt you again.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t know what he’ll do to me and I don’t want you to find out. I can break free from chains and chambers. And if I’m captured, I will escape when the time is right. And I promise I will free Minx too.” I wanted to ask him how he knew Minx was captured when I heard him roar from a distant chamber.  “When we are free I will come and get you and we will leave this place.” He was suddenly quiet before he could get into detail. Sebastian had entered and stood behind me.

“Chenille could you go upstairs? I need to have a little…
chat
with Pete.”

I hesitated, felt Pete’s grip tighten and then he let me go. I left them, attempted to find the door to get out and heard Sebastian call after me.

“Get ready for the wedding sweetheart. I’m not postponing it!”

I found the door and chaos broke loose in the chamber. I imagined Pete must’ve hit the immortal prince, hearing what he had just said. There was shouting, the torches’ flames licked up the walls, growing up to the ceiling as Sebastian screamed. I ran from the dungeon and I wanted to escape from the palace when Guardian came bounding toward me. He grabbed me and shoved me toward the stairs. Without question, I ran up to Sebastian’s room with the griffin.

“What’s going on?”

“Sebastian is coming for you. He heard your plans…and so did I.”

I looked at the magnificent creature whose mind was shared with such a
beast
. He wanted to save me. Instinctually he launched at the figure that opened the door and attacked. Pete was the one under his talons though. Sebastian was behind him, pleased that the griffin had attacked his opponent. He looked at me. Guardian could sense his presence and rose up, turned and launched at his Master, sending him crashing through the bedroom window.

Guardian continued to attack him as Pete and I ran away. He held his torn cape to his chest, the cape hood covering his head as he tried to stay hidden. I could only duck my head behind him, my face hidden behind my hands as we left the palace.

Guards were after us once they saw us but instead of running away, I stopped to look back at the palace, mortified. Smoke drifted out of the windows and I knew the dungeon was burning. I knew Pete must’ve done it to get away. I knew he had to destroy the prison, but my Minx was still trapped inside. I remained standing in devastation as Sebastian ran for me, Guardian at his heels. Pete grabbed me, started to pull me away and I screamed, fought him, feeling my dragon’s pain.

“We have to go back. Minx is trapped inside! You said you would free him!”

“Sebastian will have you killed!”

He screamed at me and my eyes filled with tears. I knew he would drag me away if he had to. And he did. My screams hung in the air as the sounds of my terrified dragon filled my ears. My friend, my partner was trapped and alone and I couldn’t help him as my own Eternal Mate dragged me further and further away. I tried to get through his thick head as I cried, screaming that my dragon would die alone, but he wouldn’t listen to me. I held him back, struggled to get away and he picked me up and covered my mouth.

We went north, where there wasn’t much devastation. Pete managed to get us into a small inn, without a word from the people that were there. He placed me down once we were in our room and he refused to let me leave.

“We still have a chance to save him! We can go back!”

“No, Chenille. We can’t go back. Your dragon is dead. Face it.”

“How could you say that to me?” I sobbed at his cold words.

“You know I speak the truth. Can’t you feel it? I know you can. I can feel your skin burning with pain. He is dead. And we’re not going back, that’s final.”

I fell to my knees in misery. “Why did you do it? Why did you burn the dungeon when you knew my dragon was trapped? You said you would free him. You heard him! My Minx-,”

“I didn’t have a choice! Would you have a choice if you were pinned up against a wall with a sword to your chest? I could’ve been-,”

“You said reincarnation wasn’t possible!”

He shook his head. “You don’t understand! He could’ve captured you again! He’s still alive and hunting us down!”

I looked away, slightly confused. When I refused to talk anymore, he left me alone. For a moment, I cried in agony knowing I would never see my dragon again. I remained crouched, unable to guess how much time had passed, though it seemed to stand still.

“Miss Chenille?”

I looked up to see Guardian. I mumbled to myself, wondering why he’d come.

“I have to go back for my dragon. I know he’s still alive…he has to be.” The false hope in my voice couldn’t comfort me and as I crawled my way over to the door, I was stopped.

“It is too late. The palace burned, but Sebastian is still alive.”

“How did you know to get me to safety?”

“I share Sebastian’s mind…and sometimes he thinks things and I react before he does them.”

“Then you knew the dungeon caught fire.”

“No,” he said stiffly, “he had nothing to do with that. I believe that was the work of…the King.”

I shook my head unable to believe that Pete had jeopardized my own dragon’s life and he couldn’t give me an explanation to why he did it. My body shook, feeling the chill of death. The icy cold metal that was once my Dragon’s Soul rested against my skin like a foreign object. Guardian stayed beside me, wrapped me in his heavy wings with apathy. For what seemed like hours this creature mourned with me and even cried while coddling me. He placed me on the bed, wrapped me in blankets and laid beside me like a dog. He rubbed his face against me, cooed like a dove, and sang me to sleep with his mystical tone.

The next day he took me to the ocean. I didn’t question why he took me to the abandoned icy waters and it didn’t concern me. Part of my mind was at ease in this dreadful place. This place, once beautiful from the summer wind was now cursed by an icy rage called winter. This ocean was dark and cold, this same ocean that I had sailed across with Fitzray. The sand was hard and uneasy beneath my feet, mixed with ice, and the wind was harsh and uninviting. I wanted to leave this forsaken place.

“Why have you taken me here Guardian?”

He walked up to me with a stone in his beak and stretched his neck as if asking to take it from him. I took the stone, looked at it and turned to the griffin who dared to walk near the water’s edge.

“They say if you throw a stone into the ocean for a dragon, his soul will be at peace. Legend has it that the stone will be tossed by the waves, enacting the dragon’s journey through his life and will finally come to rest in the very center of the ocean. There on the ocean floor the stone will be close to Catastrophe’s core. It is there that the stone will always be warm and safe. Many believe that the first dragon eggs formed in the depths of Catastrophe’s core and were released through a series of volcanic eruptions. So many people will throw a stone in hopes that it will reach the depths of the ocean and will be close to the core as their ancestors were.”

I walked to the water’s edge and threw the large stone. When I looked back down at the griffin, there was sorrow in his eyes. I felt as though I had thrown what was left of my Dragon’s Soul into the ocean. Quietly I walked away, my back to the water and Guardian followed.

“They also say that a dragon’s Master or Mistress will also find peace.”

“I hope that’s true Guardian.” I said quietly.

When we arrived at the inn, Pete was there. He stood anxiously as we entered.

“We have to leave. Sebastian is heading this way.”

Guardian was alert, looked up at Pete and back to the door.

“I know where we can go. My old Master lived way up north when he was still alive. I’m sure his house is still there.”

“How long will it take to get there?”

“I can fly there in a couple of hours.”

“Ok, let’s go. Come on Chenille.”

He grabbed my hand forcefully and ran outside. He didn’t waste any time with either of us. Before I knew it, he had placed me on the creature’s back and sat behind me. He said a few words to the griffin and pushed him on. Within minutes, we were off the ground and flying – flying farther away from my people, the battlefield, and Inesious. And worst of all – my dragon.