Page 64 of Heiress of Fire

Leilani pulled her in for a hug, making sure to squeeze tight.

It was as if all her thoughts, good and bad, had gone silent. She didn’t know what to think or feel. The confusion numbed everything inside of her. But Leilani was right, she needed to go home and sleep.

Davina nodded, pulled out her wings, and flew home.

SEVENTEEN

Davina stepped off Auris Bridge onto the sandy surface of Castellum Island, looking directly at the highest window of Castellum where the King stood with his hands behind his back. His eyes bore into her soul as she noticed a small smile forming on his lips.

Magnar didn’t betray any signs of distress. He was just… so serene. Davina found it such an oddity for him to be so calm after the incidents of the past few centuries, especially the past few weeks.

Surely, he saw the encounter with Raven the night before. He saw her hesitance to react, and her failure driven from her weakness.

Since her conversation with Raven last night, she had been unable to keep her thoughts calm and collected. It was too difficult to imagine how Raven and Davina were related in some way. If Raven truly felt rejected by Davina’s refusal to join her in the war, then the fight would become much more personal for Raven.

There is nothing worse than a woman who has been rejected with great amounts of power at her disposal, ready to be wielded.

Davina dropped her gaze to the Prey who were being attended by the Leaders and Apprentices. Soldiers seemed to be standing guard around the entire island, hands by their weapons.

Aurisan Leaders used their fire and heat to warm up blankets for the Prey, while Mistran Leaders provided their words of wisdom for those who wished to start anew after having fallen into the group of the Prey. Many of the Prey were more than willing to start the process of activation for their powers. Was that the reason why the King allowed for these persecutions to continue?

But why?

Perhaps it was the only way that their stoned hearts would become bland.

A thought said into her mind.

Except, the destruction that followed after all of Raven’s visits were too great. The mountains that Davina and Leilani had been visiting the night before were left in ruins, causing a ripple throughout the rest of Basalt Island, and sending waves of minimal damage to the other islands.

While Davina and Leilani were speaking to Raven, Leilani’s garden had been ruined and Caleb’s livestock had run away through the shattered fences. A client of Beacon’s was wounded after having fallen from one of his clouds. Davina even heard that Ron bore a wound on his back after saving a customer’s life. Snow’s ice music store had cracked again, and Valerie’s exclusive crystal lamplights broke, her father had to give out refunds to anyone who had made pre-orders for the lamps.

Davina watched as Beacon, Ron, and Caleb entered the island covered in collected dirt, it must’ve been from the debris they had to scavenge for any neighbors.

Snow was using her ice powers to heal flesh lesions. Leilani was holding a meeting where she spoke and comforted those who were affected by the earthquake, giving them beautiful flowers in hopes of lifting their spirits. Valerie was distracting the children while their parents searched for help with the Leaders and Apprentices. Cara was giving out small parchment papers with her information for her construction business, the business that her father left for her after he passed.

The Montero Buildings were just as great as the architecture of Mistrans. Davina smiled, knowing that Cara was flourishing despite the storms that invaded her life. Cara refused to accept to carry the weight of the Prey and decided to be victorious despite her hardships. Davina was proud of her.

As she neared the staircase, the other Protectors followed.

Davina met Ron’s gaze, but he immediately looked away. She wondered whether he continued to revolt against the idea of fighting the Predators. The Aurisan Captain didn’t even want to be there when he found out that she came face to face with Raven. He would lose his sanity then.

And with reason, Davina felt a bit of her sanity slipping away from all of her frustration.

Ron slightly scowled as he stepped into the Archives, knowing all too well that they were there to talk about what had happened yesterday. He took a seat, careful not to sit too quickly on the chair.

Helping move pieces of the wreckage caused more pain in his back, but he couldn’t stay behind and do nothing, knowing there were people stuck under the piles of rubble.

Last night, he noticed the floor emanating loud vibrations while the ceiling of the cavern creaked. He was thrusted into an exhilarating search for his survival but when he noticed the young child, frozen in place while she stared at the falling roof, his adrenaline pushed him into protecting the little girl. As he jumped to push the child under the table, the pieces of wood from the top caused a gash across his spine.

The splinters sank mercilessly into his skin, and he spent his night with unrest. The entire evening, he had been worried for Davina’s safety, yet he couldn’t find the strength to stand up from the cot in one of the cavern’s rooms.

A girl who went by the name of Ashira was kind enough to clean his wounds, bringing a little bit of comfort in his distress. How he wished it was Davina who was there to comfort him instead.

After the pain had subdued a bit, he began to think.

That pain he felt in his body would be what Davina would go through if she fought against Raven. Davina was full of potential, but she would get hurt at some point. It would be impossible for her to come out of a battle unscathed. A true leader would throw themselves into battle for the good of others and that was exactly who she was.

Davina would not think twice about sacrificing her own life if it meant that her family and the people of Bellatorm were safe. And he loved how unselfish she was, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything ever too grave happened to her. He couldn’t stop her from being a warrior and he was beginning to understand that he wouldn’t be able to stop her from being Captain.

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