Page 37 of Heiress of Fire

“I know you won’t, my child,” The King whispered.

Davina gulped.

“Because you are the Island Protectors, I have hidden your own special armor in your islands. As you are searching for your armor, I will guide you through the trials you will face. Once you find your armor, you shall be ready to face the darkness.”

The darkness means Raven. They shall be ready to face Raven.

“My silence has come to an end. Fight this war with me, Soldiers, because Bellatorm’s enemy shall be annihilated, and harmony will be restored.” The King held his hands behind his back as he looked upon each of Davina’s friends with gleaming eyes. “What do you say? Are you with me?”

The entire room grew silent.

“I think I can agree for myself and my friends, your Majesty, that we agree to fight this war with you.” Beacon nodded.

Davina bobbed her head. This is what she signed up for when she decided to become a Soldier. She was preparing herself for this. After all, she wanted to defend the people from the darkness, because her siblings needed to be safe because she believed herself capable of protecting those who could not protect themselves.

Because she wished someone could protect her. So, she nodded and bowed to the King then turned to walk out of the throne room. Her heart thundered in her chest as she realized that the King of Bellatorm ended his silence, and he chose her to not just be an Island Protector but to be the Captain.

ELEVEN

Davina stood in the hallway outside of the throne room with Ron and Cara flanking her. The others leaned against the corridor walls. Thirty minutes had passed since they had spoken to the King and since he had chosen them to be the Island Protectors. They’d been standing outside the throne room trying to process the encounter with King Magnar.

Caleb was the first to break the silence that filled the hallway. “Never in a million years did it ever cross my mind that the King could choose me for something so… great.”

“To be completely honest with you guys, neither did I,” Davina admitted, her eyes following each golden swirl of the doors beside her.

Leilani, Valerie, Beacon, and Caleb looked at her, their eyes questioning her confession. Davina glanced at Ron as he nodded, almost as if he were agreeing with her, like he understood what she meant.

But they didn’t know what it was like to carry the burden of the Almenara name. They didn’t know what it was like to be scorned and bullied for being born into a scandalous family like her own.

Cara gave Davina an understanding half smile. Maybe Cara understood more than they did because she was born into a family that had deactivated powers for generations.

“I see you’ve finally met the King.”

Davina snapped her gaze in the direction of a voice she knew too well. It was none other than Master Abigail with a grin on her lips, hands behind her back like usual.

“You’ve met him before?” Davina asked.

The King was in lockdown for over four hundred years. How could she have been able to meet the King if he’d been isolated for so long?

“Similar to you, Davina Almenara and Cara Montero, my family did not have their abilities activated. They were loyal followers to Freya’s cause, even after ages since the Revolt,” Abigail began. “One day, the Predators attacked my village in Auris. It was ransacked and nothing was left after the ambush. I tried to save my parents from the Predators, but I failed. I was only thirteen and didn’t have any powers.”

Abigail reached for her collar and showed a clearer view of her white mark. “That is how I got this scar.”

“How’d you survive?” Davina asked.

“The King found me.”

What if the King had intervened in Davina’s life and she hadn’t realized it before?

“I called for him to help me. I promised him I would serve my purpose here in Bellatorm if he were to help me. I would’ve died if he hadn’t come to save me.” Abigail smiled. It wasn’t a grin, or a smirk, or a scowl. It was a real smile.

“But I thought the King was in complete silence the entire time,” Leilani stated.

“The King is silent to those who harbor a heart of stone. King Magnar speaks and will continue to do so to those who have an open heart,” Master Abigail explained.

Perhaps that was the reason why the King chose Davina as the Captain because she refused to have a heart of stone.

“He brought me back here and nursed me to health himself. He called Master Velar as a witness to my activation ceremony and asked Velar to tutor me so I could be ready to be the next Master. It is because of the King that I am what I am today.”

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