Page 24 of Crown of Flame

I haven’t wanted anything except fire and blood for as long as I can remember.

But her. Serena.

I want her.

Thoughts float into my head then. Thoughts that do not belong to me at all. Thoughts that are tight with worry and angst. And curiosity.

He can lift objects with his mind, and he doesn’t find that strange? What must he think of me?

I figure out quickly enough that the thoughts belong to Serena. I look at her as she bends down and looks at the ground covering I created.

She does not seem to realize that we are both somehow communicating mentally. Maybe she is doing it without even noticing.

What are these thoughts inside my head? These aren’t mine.

Her eyes widen as she turns to me in confusion.

I am used to communicating mentally with other creatures of my kind. But I have never communicated with a different species like this before.

But even though the experience is bizarre, more unbelievable warmth washes over me at the thought that Serena is as intrigued with me as I am with her.

A screaming, blinding, booming wind crashes into the cave-like dwelling then. Serena jumps and shrieks, and to my surprise, she runs at me.

She huddles against me, and I notice that she is shuddering again. Her snow-white skin isn’t smooth any longer but is raised with bumps.

Is it a reaction to the cold?

“I don’t know what’s going on,” she says. “But you’ll keep me safe through it, won’t you?”

“You will be safe,” I tell her. I do not know if this settles her or not.

I sense some reservations as she looks at me with a caution that wasn’t there before.

I find myself reaching out to her hair, long and soft and golden. I stroke it, the movement completely involuntary.

“How did you survive these blizzards before?” I ask after she does not push me away.

“We made do with what we could. We are refugees. Displaced in this world. And on Prazh, we might be… mostly safe from the dark elves. But our lives are worth very little on Protheka, and we only survive through trusting each other.”

We talk for some time, until the wind from the blizzard drowns out our voices. I can sense a growing hesitation in her, but still, she clings to me for warmth.

Then Serena, her eyelids drifting shut every few seconds, sighs.

“Will you make me a bed?” she asks me. I need her to explain the concept to me.

After a while, I try, doing the best that I can.

Serena settles down on it, although I do not miss the look of discomfort on her face.

“Is it to your liking?” I ask her and prod her shoulder gently with my finger.

A smile twists across her face.

“It could be a bit… softer.” She chuckles lightly. I look down at the pile of moss and stone I put together.

In one fluid motion, I lean down and lift her in one scoop. Then, as I focus on the bed, I remove the stone and add more moss and peat from outside, careful not to burn it.

She is warm in my arms, and I am reluctant to put her down. But when her head lulls to the side, I know she is asleep and will not be comfortable in my arms.

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