Page 109 of Catastrophe

The faei shook his head. “You are a child.”

That shocked Fafnir out of his melancholy and he responded defensively, “I’m a man.” Yet, his voice broke, proving his youth.

“I don’t say it to insult you. You might be an adult here, but in Drakor, you would still be a boy. And mateless.”

Fafnir bared his teeth and hissed. “I don’t want a mate. I don’t want to be a dragon. If I could cut it out of me, I would. I can’t stand it’s incessant whining, the pushing to change, to hoard. I can’t stand it. I ignore it because the hunters are who I’ve aligned myself with. They … care for me.”

He hates the dragon? He wants to cut it out?

Knowing Dralie as I did, it made me feel sorry for the poor drakorian locked inside Fafnir, ignored and despised. But equally, I could understand Fafnir’s resentment of the beast. It caused the death of a child and made him leave the only home he’d ever known and unable to truly be loved by the people in his new home.

The faei smiled, and he leaned across the table. “What if I told you there is a way?”

“A way to what?” Fafnir asked despondently.

“Be accepted by the hunters. A way to truly be one of them and lead them into a new era.”

“Lead them?” He sat up. “They don’t find out about me?”

“They do.”

“But they don’t mind?”

“Answer the question, boy.”

He bit his lip, and his hand trembled on the table. “I would do anything for that to come true.”

“Anything?” A gleam in his eye made me certain that this faei was the true villain of the story. I shuddered.

Fafnir nodded firmly. “Anything.”

“Even die?”

“Die?” He swallowed nervously.

“Twice.”

“It kills the dragon?” Fafnir asked hopefully.

“No. You will be revived in a time when it is possible. When spells have evolved. When dark magic is used during a great war. And this magic will lead you to answers on how to achieve your goal.”

“Tell me what I need to do.” He ordered.

With mania in his eyes, the faei exclaimed, “Become a legend. Make the dragon responsible for the dark magic you use. Tell lies. Stir rumors. Convince your enemy to come to you and kill you because, after death, you will be reborn, and then the work really begins.”

“This all sounds too good to be true. How can I trust you?”

The faei laughed and drew more stares from the other people in the dim hall. “You can’t trust me. I’m a faei seer and I have my own agenda, but you interest me. Allow me to aid you. I have seen what is possible, and I am curious to see how far you’re willing to go.”

CHAPTER 27

CLAWDIA

Nisha and I returned to her living room as we often did to debrief after earth shattering revelations from visions. Dizziness had me sagging onto the sofa and burying my head in my hands.

I rubbed my temples as she poured a cup of tea and offered it to me on the tiny china plate. “I always find it helps after a particularly difficult session.”

“Is it always like that for you?” I asked. “It felt relentless.”

---