A LAND OF FIRE AND DARKNESS

Chapter 25

I did not risk going back to sleep after that. I instead took a cold bath and read through a book while sitting in the suit. Images of the dream continued to invade my mind though, and eventually, I needed a cold bath again.

When morning came, I was in the training ring before Laveen even arrived. I gave him on fair warning to not poke at me today, and that I was in a foul mood. He poked anyway because he was Laveen. I did not tell him about the dream though. I would prefer if I just forgot about it.

After training Delcallon arrived and took me for training. I did not want to talk to him about the dream either, so decided to play nice with the Highvarion, and maybe he would be kind enough to forget the incident from the night before.

He guided me into conjuring up a ball of fire before allowing me to shoot it off towards the trees. I would need to immediately extinguish the fire, but after two hours I and Delcallon felt I had mastered the new trick.

"An entire training session without fighting." Delcallon breathed out in amusement as we walked back to the palace.

I clenched my jaw and chose to remain quiet.

"That must have been some dream." He teased with his wicked smile.

"Del, please do not start," I asked with a faint growl.

He nudged my arm with him, "I am only jesting, Alinta." He chuckled out.

I looked down in complete shame. Out of everyone to dream about, it had to be Delcallon, the man with the largest ego out of them all.

"You should not be shy." Delcallon continued as I tried to block him out, "I have lost count of the number of times you have slipped into my dreams."

I snapped my eyes at him as he continued to look forward. I wonder if the dreams he had about me were as intimate as the one I had had about him.

He looked down at me and shot me a gentle smile that caused my heart to twist. "Come with me." He stated as his hands slipped into his coat's pockets.

He pivoted his walk away from the palace and further through the courtyards.

"Where to?" I asked I jogged to catch up with him.

He strode through the court until we reached a large arched gate with a path that led towards the city.

"I need to go fetch Dorica's gift." He shrugged as he approached the steel gate. "And you need to get out of this castle." He swiped his hand over the middle of the gate causing it to unlock and open up.

He turned his body towards me and waited for my reply.

I had been inside the palace for months. I needed to get out and see other people's faces, maybe it would help resolve whatever caused the sexual dream.

"Fine." I shrugged as I stepped next to the Highvarion, "But it is not a date." I stated sternly.

"Oh," Delcallon said with disappointment, "Well, then you can go back inside the palace."

I snapped my head up at him in shock and met his wicked smile. I rolled my eyes at his silly joke while he chuckled out.

Listoria was as beautiful as I remembered it to be. The buzzing business of the city was unlike the busy towns of Utohia. No litter or dirt sprayed the grounds, no rotten smells that filled my senses, nor were there endless eyes of children who were homeless.

Instead, the roads were swept with Elementals selling and buying objects from colorful tented stalls. Each vendor traded a different object. I saw a yellow tent that sold a wide variety of pastries that smelt of rose and honey, while a red-colored tent sold paintings of the beautiful landscape of Pretonas.