Page 28 of Don't Fae With Dragons

Cory growls. “She is the faery healer of Ethelinda. Have you forgotten your place? Need I remind you?”

A smirk. “I like the sound of that.”

“Enough!” Cory bellows, shaking the door behind them. “You forget yourself. You answer to her just as you answer to me. You show herrespect, do you understand?”

“Why has she got you all worked up, huh?” Kallichor bites back. “What’s so special about this little faery?”

There’s a moment of silence, then I hear the hallway start to shake as the volcano stirs. Kallichor gasps, and I hear Cory laugh callously.

“The volcano agrees,” he hisses. “Go.”

I hear light footsteps running away, which must mean Kallichor has left. Footsteps return, then, as Cory walks calmly back into the dining hall.

“Well!” Cory says. “You should be treated more kindly from here on out, Milica. You are our guest, and you shall be treated as such.”

I cock my head to the side, noticing how his eyes sharpen as he looks at me. From what, I wonder? Annoyance, lust, concealed rage?

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and reply, “It’s not clear, Cory, whether I’m a guest or a prisoner. After all, you said I’m not allowed to leave.”

“You’ve got no magick left Milica, and you were severely injured. It would be suicide for you to venture back into the forest in your current state.”

I wince at the harsh words, just as several guardians enter from the kitchen. They’re laughing boisterously, nudging each others’ shoulders and each balancing several bowls. They carry roasted birds, carrots, and steamed greens. A boy in the back, who looks to be the youngest, carries a few bowls of ripe berries.

I watch them bring the dishes to the table, but notice that Cory’s eyes never leave me. He’s hard to pin down; I can’t tell what he thinks of me at all. It lights a small fire in my belly, and I fidget with my muslin napkin to distract myself.

Once the guardians have chosen their seats, Cory introduces them to me quickly. The youngest boy is Huntswood, and is apparently a griffin shifter. The others are Gregora, an adult elemental architect with volcano powers who specializes in obsidian (apparently, she’s helped design and construct several essential chambers in the volcano); Evenlie, who has lava powers and helps Gregora around the volcano; and Ouren, a thunder-specialist wizard who protects the volcano’s most vulnerable structures from storms. This power would make him essential for maintaining the integrity of the volcanic environment. Then there’s Mordtre, a terra-wizard, who can sense and manipulate earthquakes, and even open an entire abyss under my very feet, as I have learned the hard way. He has been apologizing profusely since he sat down at the table. I gavehim a hard time, but not as hard as he seems to give himself. Then Cory also mentions Kallichor, or Kalli as Cory calls her, a dragonkin, she’s the caretaker, so all of them must love her since she provides for all their needs. There’s an empty seat next to Cory, so I guess she usually sits next to him. I’m not surprised, except that she didn’t seem very ... caring, towards me anyway.

Cory smiles as he introduces each of them, and I quickly decide that these must be some of his most trusted commanders and shadow guardians. It amazes me how at ease Cory seems among them, and how casually he allows them to address him. Even in town, I usually feel like an outsider because of my powers; Cory, though, seems most comfortable around his “subordinates” (if you could call them that).

Then, we dine. The food is delicious, more delicious than I’ve had in weeks in Ethelinda, and I find myself enjoying every bite. I must be moaning loudly as I stuff my face because I catch Cory and his commanders staring at me in silence, eyebrows raised.

“I am really hungry,” I explain nervously, gradually slowing down my attempt to devour everything on the table within arm’s reach. “Food has been scarce in town in the past few weeks because of the drought and the grey sickness.”

“Do you know what the source is? Of this grey sickness?” he asks, his brow furrowing in concern.

“I don’t, but... it could be a curse. It’s a type of drought, you see, that’s why I think you can help. I mean you control the elements, right? Wind, water, fire and earth? So you can summon the rain and wash the sickness away.”

“It’s not that simple,” he replies, shaking his head. “Surely you must know that. I can’t just make such devastation vanish, without understanding the root cause first—and I need your healing powers to play a role too probably, but I don’t yet know how. There are too many questions. I need to think it through and determine the best course of action. I can’t jump into anything without being certain it will help; my powers can just as easily cause destruction.”

I don’t say much after that. Cory asks for time to figure out how he can help, so I suppose I will have to be patient.

I notice Huntswood doesn’t speak much either he just looks at me timidly. Gregora and Evenlie try to engage me in conversation, cheer me up after Cory’s words, which I appreciate, but I’m so nervous to be in a new environment that most of our chatter falls flat. I can see they are also nervous, some of them perhaps even scared of me. I’m not sure what they know of me, or of fae traditions, so I decide to introduce them to some ancient fae teachings.

“Did you know that ancient fae elders used the wisdom of the volcano to pass on different teachings? For example, they used to say that‘Like lava flowing from the volcano, anger unchecked will burn everything in its path.’”I glance around the table, feeling pretty content with myself - until I see the commanders looking like they’d just been handed a puzzle with missing pieces. Clearly, the saying went right over their heads. So, I lean in smiling, “it means that uncontrolled emotions, can cause great harm, you see, much like the destructive power of the volcano.” I scan the room again, and sure enough, some of the commanders look positively perplexed. Cory, who’d lockedeyes with me the entire time until now, is suddenly avoiding my gaze, taking a deep breath like he was preparing for battle - or maybe a lecture. Just when the silence is about to get painfully awkward, Evenlie swoops in to save the day.

“I’m sorry, Mili,” furrowing her brow in confusion, “but I don’t get it, the volcano isn’t exactly what I’d call...destructive, is it?”

Oh no...My face went hot the moment Evenlie’s words hung in the air. I can feel my stomach twist.Great, Mili, just brilliant. Insult the commanders, Cory and their precious volcano - why not?What in the Realm was I thinking, of course they don’t think the volcano is destructive. It’s their home, and they have powers to harness its power, unlike the fae. My eyes flick to Cory, hoping for some sign he isn’t as upset as the rest of them. But no, he continues to avoid eye contact. For the first time since we sat down, his eyes are elsewhere, and that hits me harder than I want to admit. Clearly there are some cultural differences between the town and the neighboring volcano.

Before I can open my mouth, a heavy silence falls over the table. All eyes shift toward Cory, like they know he’s about to say something. He lets a small, knowing smile tug at one corner of his lips before exhaling sharply. Then his eyes lock onto mine, piercing through the tension as he finally speaks.

“The land scorched by the volcano? It’s the most fertile. Thanks to it, Ethelinda thrives and prospers, growing food in harmony with nature.”

The shadow guardians around the table pound the surface with their fists in agreement, the sound echoing like a heartbeat. Cory doesn’t miss a beat, his voice firm. “We seeanger differently than the fae. The great elders in my family always say,‘Anger is a mirror—it reflects our deepest wounds and insecurities.’Maybe your fae elders should’ve spent more time looking into that mirror, instead of spreading fear and misunderstanding about the volcano.”

My face drains of color, but my ears? They’re burning—literally—like hot lava! I know I accidentally insulted their beloved volcano, but Cory just disrespected the fae elders, and that stings deep.Completely uncalled-for, I fumed silently.

“The fae elders had valid reasons for fearing the volcano’s power,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “They were wise, and their teachings still hold practical value today.”

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