Page 34 of Court of Secrets and Flames

Forged in fire,

Reborn from ash,

Her allegiance the key to king and kingdom.

The lost heir will break the worlds

And save the worlds.”

The chilling weight of the prophecy sinks onto my shoulders as I reread each line.

Is that it? Or is something missing? And what in the hells doesburied alive, unearthed only to diemean?

Because I’d like to opt out of that bit if nothing else.

If the prophecy is even about me. Though it’s hard to refute. If my age is correct, I was born the year of the huntress moon, and supposedly I am the first dragoncaller in generations.

Also, ouch. ThatNot of Tirene nor Aclarisline almost seems like a cheap shot.

I smooth the paper between trembling hands. Someone wrote this and left it here. But why? And for whom? Me?

“Hey Blair. Do you have any idea who’s visited the archives recently?”

He scratches his chin. “No clue, sorry. Did someone make a mess?”

I shake my head. “No, I was just curious.”

I spot a scribe box tucked away in a dusty corner of the room. Folding the paper, I tuck it into my pocket before heading over. Grabbing paper and quill, I return to the table where I found the prophecy, determined to make sense of this all.

I clutch the folded prophecy in my pocket, resolving to keep this newfound knowledge a secret. My heart is heavy with the burden of its words, but I must continue my quest for answers.

Sitting, I flip open the top book and start reading. After all, dragons and dragoncallers are the very reason I’m here.

The prophecy will have to wait.

As I delve into the world of legends and ancient creatures, of betrayals and power struggles, of lost kingdoms and forgotten legacies, a bitter resentment grows.

Let them think they can control me. I will rise above their schemes and lies.

No matter what anyone believes, I am more than just a pawn in their twisted game.

Chapter Nine

I soar, the wind a symphony in my ears, the world below a tapestry of emerald and gold. Sterling glides beside me, his dragon a shimmering specter against the azure sky. Our laughter weaves through the air, a melody of freedom unfettered by courtly chains.

I spur my dragon with a thrill in my heart. “Race you to the horizon!”

“Challenge accepted.” His grin is as radiant as the sun.

Beneath us, the fields and forests are a blur of motion, the scattered lakes mirroring our exuberance. This is the epitome of living, untamed and unrestrained. The sun bathes us in its fiery glory, anointing us the creatures of light and air.

When my dragon bucks, I begin to fall, plummeting with nothing but the cold rush of air as my companion.

Sterling’s dragon circles above, his figure an aloof statue carved from indifference. He watches me plummet without moving to save me. The gravity of his betrayal pulls me down faster.

The warmth vanishes. A chill seeps into my bones, and the sun snuffs out like a candle in the wind.

My breath hitches as the ground surges up to meet me.

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