Entwined Fates (Editing)

Chapter Two

"Another has been killed?"

"It's the third this week."

"Has the King's men found the culprit?" Rumours flew around the marketplace about the slaughter of yet another dragon.

"What do you think of it?" Eli asked me.

"I think that the King's men must be missing something if they haven't found them yet. 13 elementals and 11 dragons? They should've found something. Poison, a weapon, burn marks, magical energy remains, something!"

"Same here. There's always some kind of evidence." Another flash of pain ran through my hand. They've become quite common over the past few weeks, and I ignored it. We continued walking through the market.

"What's that on your hand?"

"I told you, it's been showing up with no notice-"

"No, I know. But its different now." I peered down at this 'difference'. Instead of the usual fading circle, there were two dragons entwined together. One was a healthy, vibrant gold colour, and the other was a dull, mottled black. The colours were vibrant, as if it was painted on.

"That's never happened before..."

"I know. It's my hand," I joked. He didn't seem to find it funny. "Look, I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sure it won't cause me any harm."

"Maybe you should show it to your father when we get back."

"I will if it will get you off my case." He had a mysterious sparkle in his eye.

"Well I guess I'll have to get on your case." He poked and prodded me. I slapped away his hand repeatedly.

"Almost there?" he asked. Poke.

"Yes," I replied, slightly annoyed at his constant poking. Poke. I whirled on him, with all the intent to deal some damage to his pretty face. He seemed to be able to read my thoughts, however, and grabbed both of my hands, kissing each teasingly.

"You are so aggravating sometimes!" I yelled. He responded with a deep chuckle, and pulled me against him and pinning my arms down, effectively preventing me from escaping. I guess I'll have to play the innocent card," I thought. I made a puppy dog face to the best of my abilities. He burst out laughing.

"That face may work on some people, but not me. All I've ever known of you is your harsh, warrior side." For some reason, that rubbed me the wrong way. A lot. I dropped the face, and yanked one of my hands harshly out of his grasp. I started to walk away, obviously forgetting he still had my other hand.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, all traces of teasing gone.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at me worriedly. "Did I say something?" I let out a deep sigh. Maybe I was just in a bad mood.

"No. I'm just nervous about today, I guess." He nodded silently, thankfully not pushing it anymore. We finally arrived at the castle gates after a long, uncomfortable silence.

"May I ask the reason for your visit, ma'am?"

"My friend and I have been invited by the King for an assessment to join his royal forces." He nodded curtly, and motioned for the doors to be opened. We stepped into the busy courtyard, filled with the higher class nobles. There were a few peasants around making some small sales, chatting with friends, or bringing up concerns to their landlord. I took a deep breath, and looked to Eli for support. He nodded, and we stepped into the castle threshold. The walls were draped with an obviously expensive deep red fabric, with detailed pictures sewn into the middle. The carpet was made of a lesser fabric, but it still looked costly.