Page 10 of Fear the Flames
“If I agree, I’ll tell one other person. Finnian Eira, my Head Advisor.” Finnian will understand. I don’t know when I’ll tell him, probably after I break the news of the alliance, but he’ll know before the heist happens.
“What else do you want to know?” Cayden asks.
“I have people to take care of. I need more of the elixir you gave me and a steady supply of food going back to Aestilian. I won’t leave my people to starve.”
“Aestilian?”
“It’s my kingdom.” I leave it at that. He doesn’t need any more information other than the need for food and the name. “That has to be taken care of before the heist.”
“Plan on dying in Imirath?”
“If I do, then I promise to drag you down with me,” I say while flashing a smile.
He fights back a smirk, “I can guarantee the elixir, but Eagor controls the food supply. I’ll talk to him about it, but it won’t be a problem. What else?” The elixir alone is a good enough bandage for now, it’s more than what I had before I left home this afternoon.
“It’s about the dragon bond.” A tingling sensation pokes at my palms; I never talk about the bond. Cayden’s eyes spark in a mixture of curiosity and fascination. “I left Imirath when I was ten and haven’t seen the dragons in fourteen years. We’re going to need to read up on the dragons and how the bond may have weakened over the years before going into Imirath. It hasn’t broken, but it’s not as strong as it used to be,” I state.
“Hm,” he contemplates for a moment, “do you know where the texts are?”
“The Cult of the Goddess of Fire has them, they use the scripture in their ceremonies. But it’s in an ancient language, I don’t know how to read it,” I confess. I’ve looked for ciphers, translations, anything to help me decipher the words. I snuck into their camp one night to get a look at the text myself, but not a single archive I’ve been in has had anything to help me understand the language.
“We can talk about the rest on the way,” he declares while walking over to my horse, beginning to untie the reins from around the tree.
I let out a short laugh, “I didn’t mean I would go with you. I’ll take people from Aestilian.” People I can trust.
“There’s no point,” he says while walking my horse over to me. “I want you in Vareveth within a week, and I’m here right now. We’ll be working together for months, if not years to come, so we may as well start now.”
Gods.
I hate that he makes sense.
But this is still so sudden.
“Forgive me, but if I had parents, I’m sure they would tell me to not go traipsing around forests with complete strangers,” I argue.
“You’re no use to me dead,” he states while reaching for the hilt of his broadsword and pulling the sharp silver blade free. I move to inch back, but he sets his sword horizontally in front of him, laying the long blade flat against his open palms. “Elowen Atarah, Queen of Aestilian and Princess of Imirath. I, Cayden Veles, Commander of the Vareveth Army, vow from this day until my last to protect you from harm.” His eyes briefly glance down to my parted lips before making their way up to my wide brown eyes. “Your enemies are my enemies. My sword is yours,” he finishes, sheathing his sword and waiting for me to answer.
My throat tightens as I soak in his vow. I can’t trust him, I don’t like him, but I can work with him. He needs me to accomplish his goals just as much as I need him to accomplish mine. It’s a codependent, vengeance-based alliance, but it’s still an alliance.
I’ll have a steady food supply for Aestilian.
I’ll have a chance to get my dragons.
I’ll have a chance to stand against Imirath.
It’s everything I never allowed myself to dream about.
I reach down to my thigh guards and take out two long knives, holding them in both of my upturned palms. “Cayden Veles, Commander of the Vareveth Army. I, Elowen Atarah, Queen of Aestilian and Princess of Imirath, vow to fight beside you in the upcoming war as a true ally. My knives and dragon fire are yours,” I vow before tucking the twin blades back into their sheaths without removing my gaze from his.
Our breath mingles in the space between us, but we say nothing. The only sounds to be heard are the rushing current of the Fintan, owls hooting in the distance, and the rustle of leaves being carried by the wind. I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing as me. How in this world are two people that haven’t had a good interaction yet, going to work together to pull off the most complex heist in the known history of this world?
“A book is easier than dragons. Consider this practice, soldier.” I use the nickname again before turning my back on him and swinging myself onto my horse.
ChapterSix
“You say you’re a man of your word, and yet you’ll lie to your king on behalf of the heist,” I tsk. “Doesn’t seem very logical to me.”
I watch him roll his eyes from the corner of mine as he rides next to me, “You mistake my word to coincide with being morally sound, Elowen. I never gave Eagor my word that I would never go on a heist; I gave him my word I would do what’s best for Vareveth. I believe getting the dragons out of Imirath and aligning myself with the one person who can control them is the best option for us.”
