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10. The Maid
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Flaming Heart 11. The Sigh of a Fallen Bloom
Nyree knelt on the ground to avoid direct eye contact with the dragon prince. As Thorn put on his clothes, he approached Leila, touching her hair. Hiding his surprise, he asked, “You found your maid already?” “Yes, this is Nyree.” Leila grinned, deciding to leave out the fact that she had almost entered his mother’s tomb. “We met in the garden, and she’s helping me organize my clothes.” Thorn nodded and gave Nyree a brief look. “Be loyal to Leila from now on.” “Aye.” Nyree put her hand to her chest. “You may leave us now,” Thorn said, reaching out to Leila in an attempt to lift her up. Nyree left without lifting her head and closed the door behind her. She couldn’t help but smile; she had successfully become Leila’s maid without drawing suspicion. Dusk was falling outside the open window. The evening breeze chilled Leila’s bare skin, causing her to indulge in Thorn’s warm embrace. He held Leila up by her waist and put her down directly on the bed. The image of her in the dress,
The Flaming Heart 12. The Dragon Moon
The sun had set behind the mountains, and dusk was approaching. A majority of the golden knights had been sent to the main palace for Rina’s Dragon Moon. Only a small squadron, led by Hugo, was discreetly searching the city and the dragon palace, seeing as Leila’s aunt, uncle and cousins had all disappeared from the Royal Garrison last night. Hugo met with Thorn in front of the main palace dungeon. “Anything?” Thorn asked. “No.” Hugo shook his head, “We searched everywhere. Still no sign of any of them. The human slaves arrived and were crowded into the cells. I didn’t have the right to interfere. But I checked, and they are not among them.” Thorn’s suspicions were correct. Something would happen at tonight’s ceremony. They walked into the open yard where the event would be held. At the very center of the space, a towering altar had been built. Grooves were engraved into its surface and snaked into a massive totem of a dragon. Rina would complete her Dragon Moon there. He ordered Hu
The Flaming Heart 13. The Break of Dawn
The atrium of the main castle was quiet during the night’s final dream, soon to awaken. The King’s council chamber was old and full of dust. Eros had already awoken from the darkness, and was sitting by a gigantic stone hearth. Usually, he would have eaten breakfast at this hour, but instead, he chose to delay that for a moment, as he was expecting Thorn’s arrival. While waiting, Eros watched the dancing fire as his mind drifted miles away. A terrible dream, the same dream that crept up in his bed every night, had haunted him for a long time. Thorn walked by dim rooms and halls. Servants were dexterously getting ready to attend to their chores and start the day. Thorn had finally approached the gigantic, heavy marble door. “Come in,” Eros demanded with a flat tone, as if he could sense his son’s presence. Thorn pushed in and closed the door behind him. “Father. I hope I’m not intruding.” “Not at all. I knew you would come.” Eros turned around from the fire in the hearth. He moved
The Flaming Heart 14. The Midnight Moan
Leila sat out on the bedchamber terrace alone. It was approaching midnight, and Thorn still hadn’t returned. After the Dragon Moon, and after her family had been slaughtered by the royals, something changed inside her. A feeling of insecurity emerged, as if she was trying to grab a floating branch while drowning. She suddenly realized how fragile and alone she was in the world, and it terrified her. She wanted to scream and fight with Rina and the queen. But all she could do was hide in the bedchamber. Leila opened the bundle her aunt had given her. Inside, there was a pitch-black flute stone with a hollow core. She observed it under the bright moonlight. She had never seen anything like it before. The smooth surface looked alien to her, but extravagantly beautiful. A sense of grief weighed down on her again. She had officially become an orphan, without ever knowing her birth mother and father. In the dark sky, she saw a red dragon coiling above the main castles. Then, the dragon l
The Flaming Heart 15. The Announcement
A rooster cawed at the sudden light and flapped its wings to welcome a new day. Leila had already been awake for a long time and was cooking breakfast. She hadn’t slept well. “Good morning!” Arthur said loudly. He was in an exceptionally good mood. When Leila appeared at his front door last night with tears rolling down her cheeks, he was extremely worried. But he didn’t push her to explain anything. He let her sleep in his bed and he slept in the living room. After a sleepless night, Arthur had decided to take the opportunity to express his feelings towards her, which he should have done years ago. “Morning,” Leila said, grinding a small pile of black pepper and salt, “How do you like your eggs? I’m making some.” “Just scrambled is fine, thank you,” Arthur answered. A sense of contentment had surrounded him. He imagined how happy he would be if Leila was his wife. “There you go.” Leila set the table and sat across him. “I’m going with you to get the milk after breakfast.” “You do
The Flaming Heart 16. The Fortune Teller
According to what Thorn’s men had found, Leila was brought to her aunt’s house by her aunt’s sister. However, the woman was not Leila’s birth mother, as it was confirmed that she couldn’t conceive. That woman was a peasant, living near the edge of King’s Harbor all her life. Strangely, she had suddenly decided to visit her sister one day, leaving behind a baby who had just been born. Shortly after she gave the baby to her sister and returned to her farm, the woman was found dead. Thorn believed that the woman had deliberately kept a secret from her sister. Her cruel aunt and uncle didn’t even know that Leila wasn’t their blood relative. The connection between Leila and that grey dragon woman was still being investigated. But he was certain of one thing: Leila was not a regular girl. She was a mystery to Thorn, fascinating and enchanting his dragon soul. But more importantly, she was in grave danger, surrounded by his own family. If he wanted to keep her safe, he would have to mark h
The Flaming Heart 17. The Ritual
Leila had a good morning soak in the bedchamber. Submerging herself in the rose-petal bath, she still couldn’t completely relax her body. Too many thoughts and emotions collided in her little heart. Today was the big day, and she was nervous about everything. She lifted her left hand and scooped up a handful of red rose petals. After breathing in a lungful of the amazing scent, she put her hand to the surface of the hot, steamy water. The roses drifted away, and the red dust left behind on her palm was somehow triggered by the warmth. It floated elusively underneath the thin layer of her skin, as if it powered by an invisible force. As she began to feel a bit lightheaded, she gripped the side of the tub and pulled herself up to her feet. She knew she smelled good, like rose blooms dipped in honey, and a few petals reluctantly stuck to her flesh. She changed to a black silky dress that Nyree had hung up for her, and wore the flute stone around her neck. Even though she wasn’t sure wh
The Flaming Heart 18. The Lost Stone
It was midnight inside the walls of the palace, even though the sun still hadn’t set. The prince’s castle was dead silent; even the drop of a small needle would echo off of the cold stones. All of the silver servants and golden knights were dismissed. Under the feeble and lonely candlelight, Thorn had been beside Leila’s bed all day and night. He was incapable of sleeping or eating. He put her fingers to his lips, feeling the last traces of her warmth. Leila’s stone was missing from her neck. Thorn had noticed its absence before Healer June arrived after the ritual. It was taken by someone during the chaos. Anyone who made contact with her had an opportunity to take the stone, and among all of them, the most suspicious was Nyree. Remorse and regret coiled up within Thorn like a poisonous snake. A fierce emotion, one beyond mere fury, was filling his chest. A price had to be paid. Vengeance was looming. The ritual had failed. The draconic divinity was provoked. Thorn observed her le
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The Flaming Heart Epilogue
Bolts of lightning snaked out from the scepter and scorched the entire dragon skeleton. The energy of the almighty power had given a life to the dormant, ancient bones. It was the undying existence of Father Dragon. The ashes were his flesh, burnt and crystallized.Thorn felt his dragon spirit quiver and heart grow empowered. He looked down at Leila. Her skin was glistened with a creamy glow, like a pearl, as she held the scepter like a goddess. He sensed that she was different; a more powerful being was connected to her soul.Then, the dragon eggs were lit up one by one. Soon, they illuminated the entire room.Olcan withdrew to the back of the room and tried to get away, but he was spotted by Thorn.The dragon scooped him up with his claws, then smashed him onto the ground, flashing his teeth and ready to bite off Olcan's head.Ben suddenly appeared behind them. He walked forward, restraining the urge to shift into a wolf. He moved past Leila to reach Thorn. His skin tickled from the
The Flaming Heart 62.The Moonlight
The MoonlightLeila was free-falling. Her hair was flying upwards. She was surrounded by darkness. She tried to reach, to grab onto anything around her, but there was nothing she could do to slow the fall. Fear flashed across her mind, but it was too brief to take notice. The faint gleaming of the scepter in her hands anchored her—it was a part of her. The constant noise of water sloshing was gone. She felt a tickling sensation in her throat as the air became drier and hotter. Then she heard the same whisper again,Sla..thar... Sla.. thar..As the sound grew louder and clearer, for the first time ever, Leila felt the power the word carried with it. It seemed like some sort of energy was resonating within her, shattering her muscles and bones, affecting her mind and thoughts as if an unknown power was waiting for her, and it was buried deep down below.She couldn’t possibly know how far she had been falling. When she landed, the ground was strewn with smoldering ashes and cushioned her
The Flaming Heart 61. The Fire Gem
Thorn stepped up. He placed himself between Olcan and the water sphere Leila and his baby were in.He stared at the wolf king with a deadly glare, and said with the coldest tone possible, as if every syllable was made of a sharp blade, “It was you all along.”Olcan responded with a wicked grin, pulling the string of the crossbow in his hands, aiming at the sphere, “I suggest you back off, dragon prince, if you don’t want to die with Mother Dragon. I should have killed her along with her annoying husband that day. But after I finally killed that old wretch, I was already too exhausted, giving her a chance to escape.”“But Eros’ ring... how did you get the ring?” Ula asked impatiently with a bewildered expression.“I think I know what happened that night,” Thorn answered, his gaze unwaveringly glued to Olcan as he inched towards Eros with small steps, “Olcan killed my mother and the Luna Queen. Then, he stole Eros’s ring while he was drunk and asleep in Amaya’s chamber. What always both
The Flaming Heart 60. The Mother Dragon
Olcan stood over the rampart, looking down on the ancient draconic city resting under the darkness. The palace was fully under his control. He was the first-ever werewolf king to accomplish standing at the dragon realm capital's highest point. But there was still a hole in his heart that couldn't possibly be healed.“My king,” one of his sentries approached and reported, “The dragon warriors, the so-called "Dark Wings," surrounding the palace were all captured.”“What about the brute prince and his foolish knights?” Olcan withdrew himself from the city view and moved back into the torch light.“All were put in the dungeons.”“Any casualties?”“No. The Frost Stones were very effective. As soon as the stones touched their skin, they were incapable of moving.”“You’ve done well,” Olcan gritted his teeth, “They underestimated us in every possible way, thinking I could easily fall for this imbecile's trickery.” He walked over to Serlon, who was bruised and swollen, lying in a pool of his o
The Flaming Heart 59. The Lunar Eclipse
Fenris had been tied to the back of a horse-drawn carriage. His body ached from sitting on the hard, wooden panels but was incapable of doing anything about it. Ulric’s corpse lay right beside him and had already started to emit a rotten smell.Normally, a werewolf’s corpse wouldn’t decay so quickly, just within an hour. But tonight was a special exception. A cold shiver suddenly washed over Fenris. Utter darkness had befallen the dragon land. He felt in his bones that the power of the moon had vanished. As far as he knew, the lunar eclipse wouldn’t be long—one or two hours at the most. He needed to survive it, then find a chance to escape.With quiet neighing, the horses stopped. The carriage pulled over on an empty alleyway. Fenris stayed put and tried to catch every sound passing through his ears. Someone was coming for him.“How was the trip?” Hugo flashed a grin at Fenris and pulled him out of the carriage. He then dragged him all the way into a dark house. Fenris was surprised b
The Flaming Heart 58. The Ring
Thorn forced his eyes open. The sharp water spear had become deformed, dissolving into the ocean water. He saw queen Amaya drop lifelessly onto the ground. King Eros was standing next to her. Eros picked up a handful of bubbling shells, buried his nose in them, and took in a big gulp of fresh air.“Dragon King,” Ula drawled, keeping a safe distance, “I didn’t expect you'd dare come here.”“I had to,” Eros lifted his face up from the shells, feeling better with ample air in his lungs, “I had a feeling you would make a move tonight. The streams’ mirrored surfaces only confirmed it.”Thorn looked back to Amaya, observing the fresh cut on her throat. “How did she die?”Eros glanced briefly at Thorn, dodging away from answering directly the question.“Who killed her?” Thorn pushed again, fixing his gaze on Eros.“Why are you looking at me like that?” Eros snapped, suddenly annoyed, “I did! Alright?” He raised his voice. “I had to. The capital is going to be attacked by werewolves! There wa
The Flaming Heart 57. The Golden Badge
Like a dark, looming storm, every werewolf squadron had set off for King’s Harbor under Olcan’s command. They moved faster than the night wind, carrying light-weight but incredibly deadly weapons made of frost stone. It was the night of the Lunar Eclipse, the strongest ever since the dragon race had lost their spirits. The werewolves believed that, if they could conquer the dragon palace, the first beam of searing moonlight would bless them with a century’s-worth of glory, power, and endless fortune. As for their eternal rivals, the dragons would lost their position in the world and fall to the Northern Realm, all thanks to the wolves’ frost stone.“Our fiercest enemy,” Fenris said to Olcan as they left the marshland, “the black dragon, he’s already dead.”“Your meticulous research amazes me, Brother,” Olcan said to Fenris without looking at him, “I underestimated you. I thought you were merely a careless man.”Fenris chuckled, hair prickled on his skin. “I’m glad to be of help. My me
The Flaming Heart 56. The Hidden Desert
Leila heard the voice again. It was louder and clearer this time. Sla-thar.. It came from down below, but it was too dark to see anything from her current distance. A faint reflection of the moon loomed beside Leila as she sunk downwards, cradled in Thorn’s arms. Unlike the cold and remote moon in the sky, its silver light was blazing hot, like the sun hanging over a parched desert. The path ahead was endless. The farther they went, the less it looked like an underwater world. It was the fishy scent that reminded her that she was deep in a river. The pain in her belly was subsiding; it mellowed into a slight discomfort instead of a sharp, breathless ache. What was more disconcerting than the pain was the rate of its growth. Leila’s belly was growing larger at an unprecedented rate. Thorn put his hand on it, feeling its heartbeat. Leila stared at him through the transparent bubbles on their heads, trying to decipher what he was thinking. His thick dark hair swayed in the water. H
The Flaming Heart 55. The Girl in the Room
Fenris was in a rather good mood. He just got a message from the spies he had sent to the Craggy Mountains; they reported that they had seen Thorn die with their own eyes, lying in bed and as his knight mourned. However, unbeknownst to him, it was a fake message—Hugo had forced the spies to write it with swords pointed to their necks before he finished them off for good.James and Serlon had escorted the crossbred girls back to their homes and had made sure any remaining Green Robes had surrendered or were executed. Unfortunately, Luca had died. The pain of losing one eye to Leila and further torture from Thorn was even too much for him to withstand.This city is soon to be mine, Fenris thought. He had dreamt of this moment for a long time. He strode across the damp ground, and the scent of the night seemingly became sweeter. The moon’s light was fading. It’s almost time to for their final strike. In high spirits, he entered the tent where his big brother was waiting.To his surprise,
