Page 113 of Wrath of the Dragons
“Elowen Veles and her brother have come to pay me a visit,” she says in a wobbly voice as she reaches forward to cup his cheek. “Come here, girl. Let me see you after all these years.”
I exchange a glance with Finnian, but Zale hardly seems unnerved as he gestures for us to come forward. I wipe my hands down my dress and straighten the straps on my shoulders as I do as she says. Deep lines are etched into her brown skin, and age spots dot her cheeks, but her eyes are warm and kind.
“Elowen Atarah. Elowen Veles.” She says my name as if she’s testing the weight of each syllable to determine which she prefers while resting her hands on my cheeks. “Elowen Veles. Prisoner, princess, dragon rider, queen.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mae,” I say as she releases my face but takes hold of my wrist to examine the lines of my palm. “I know we met before, but I was too young to remember it.”
“But you remember your dragons. You can never forget your dragons.”
“Yes, that’s true. They’re my earliest memory.”
“The magic in your veins keeps you from forgetting,” she mutters. “You can’t forget any of it. Neither could he.” I glance at Finnian again, but Mae pulls on my wrist as she shakes her head. “Bastard, criminal, commander, king.”
My brows furrow. “What does Cayden remember?”
“He will know soon.”
Zale claims the spot beside Mae and gently eases her hand away from my wrist. The woman seems to be calmed by his presence, a smile sliding onto her ruby-red lips. It’s the only makeup she wears. “Mae, Elowen wanted to ask you some questions. Do you feel up toit?”
“Yes.” She pats the other side of her, and I don’t object. The cushion sinks beneath my weight, and Finnian moves to stand closer to me.
“It was said the gods came to you in a dream and told you to give me the dragon eggs. Do you remember any of it?”
Her brows crease, and she points toward the tea set in front of her. Zale leans forward to pour her a cup, and she sips it before speaking, hugging the porcelain as if she’s freezing. “It was not the gods, it was one. The Goddess of Flames, Life, and Stars said it was time for dragons to reawaken. You were born to bring them into the world. You will keep them safe. The warrior with a fierce and gentle heart.”
“But why not anyone else?” I ask.
“The fire in your soul,” she insists. “What is meant for you will never miss you. It has a way of making you aware of its presence before you even know what it is.” She taps her bony finger into my ribs, right where I felt the tug while sailing into Zraka. “A woman’s intuition is rarely wrong. Trust in yourself to navigate your path. Only you can decide what is right, what breaks you, and what strengthens. To find the answers you seek, you must let go of doubt and embrace who you are.”
My eyes flicker in the direction of where I felt the tug, and Mae nods. “Let the dragon rise from the ashes,” she says. “A wrong was righted when they found and chose you. A thread torn in greed was mended with your birth.”
The more she speaks, the more confused I become, but what I do know is that I want to investigate what lurks in Galakin, and why I’m so drawn to it. “What wrong?”
“The gods fought against one another, and it led to both their doom and the destruction of dragons. The skies are empty without dragons to claim them. A kingdom is nothing without a strong ruler on the throne.”
Zale gently takes her hand, drawing her tender eyes to his. “But what was the thread torn by greed?”
She blinks at him, and it’s clear she won’t answer the question. I pinch my skirts between my thumb and index finger since it’s less distracting than tugging at my necklace. I don’t think it would be smartto push her—she seems so frail—so I bury my curiosity and ask a different question.
“Where did the dragon eggs come from?” She opens her mouth, but rears back as if someone slapped her. “Mae?”
She begins shaking her head, looking to the canopy blocking out the sky as she covers her ears. A noise coming from deep in her throat reminds me of a wounded animal, and Zale wraps his arm around her shoulders. I move off the couch and stand in front of Finnian, staying close just in case Zale needs assistance. I know she’d be no match against Finnian but protecting him will always be my first instinct.
“Mae!” Zale calls out when her eyes roll back in her head, and he gently pats her cheek. “She hasn’t had a vision in years, I don’t know what’s happening.”
“Do you want me to fetch a healer?” I ask.
“No, there’s nothing anyone can do once a vision takes hold.”
The curtains leading to her room part, and to my surprise, Cayden steps through. “I thought you had anerrand.”
“I did,” he answers as he cuts a path toward me. “I secured our alliance. I’ll tell you the details later, but what the hell did you two do?”
“All I did was ask her some questions about the dragons and then this happened. We only just arrived.”
“Loved by the gods. Hated by the gods. Loved by the gods. Hated by the gods,” she chants under her breath. Cayden opens his mouth to say something but shoves me behind him when Mae springs forward and grabs on to his shirt. Pain twists her features, and I wish there were something I could do to help her. “The sun will be bathed in blood and the shadows will shroud the day. Ashes to be washed away by the waves. Old eyes watch and new eyes shut.” Her voice comes out shockingly low, almost like it’s not her relaying the message.
Zale pulls her away from Cayden when her irises reappear in the whites of her eyes. She collapses against him shaking and coughing as Zale wraps one of the many blankets around her. My heart pounds through my body so fiercely I can feel it in the tips of my toes andfingers.Oh, gods.I’m grateful the prophecy wasn’t directly related to me as the one issued years ago was, but still, I could’ve lived happily never hearing another fall from anyone’s lips.
