The Names We Shed

Chapter 2- You need to leave

Chapter Playlist- Miss Independent- Ne-Yo, Kill this Love- BLACKPINK, The Duel- Kris Bowers, Dancing on my own- Vitamin String Quartet, All is fair in Love and War- Kris Bowers

I turn and continue my way outside, the harsh light making the ache growing in my head significantly worse. I take one of the paths along a side garden and follow the winding path in a smaller building. Helen stands at a table, my deer in front of her as she works.

"Any falcons for me?"

Traditionally, owls or pigeons are used for communication, but I trained twelve falcons to carry my own messages. They're the only bird who can make it through the layers of magic

Helen nods, motioning to the window where a falcon is glaring into the window.

"Him. Would you feed him so he stops tapping on the window?"

"He's a bird of prey. I don't feed him, he feeds himself."

I open the window and Kleaton jumps onto my arm. I bite back a hiss as his talons cut through my skin.

I gently reach around and pull off the note from Asher's royal family.

Khalid, I request your presence in our capital. A day following the arrival of this letter, I will be holding a party, please attend. Plan to arrive early that day. The council of the princes requests your presence in our halls before the noon bell.

Prince Belgrave

I let out an annoyed huff and pass the note to Helen.

"So I don't have to go, do I?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"I thought we agreed that I didn't have to go to anything Asher or the princes requested?"

"We did. We also agreed that if the opportunity arose to get revenge on Duka, we would take it."

"The letter didn't say anything about Duka."

"Odd isn't it? Since they know that he's holding you back from going. Surely if they were not scared of someone they would have mentioned it."

"You think he's threatening the prince of Asher."

Helen shrugs. "I'm saying that in all of Asher's letters, they always told you where Duka was. They avoided the topic completely this time. And it wasn't signed by the council, it was only signed by Prince Belgrave."

"I don't know him very well."

"He's the most powerful of any of the princes and the only one other than you with any chance at keeping Duka at bay."

My annoyance at her vague response must bleed through to my expression because she hurries to explain.

"Prince Belgrave is in possession of Asher's gem, just as you are of the Valkyrie gem."

As if knowing that Helen is talking about it, the stone in question begins to warm, the warmth spreading throughout my chest.

"So I am going to Asher?"

"Yes you are."

Six countries, seven stones, all made to protect the people, human, fae, and everything in between from the one thing that could possibly overpower the Valkyrie, a dragon.

Nature has a balance to it. So while the Valkyrie are the most effective warriors, the ones who can kill a dragon better than anyone else, so they also can only pass this ability to the females of their kind, so their kind will be hunted and killed, and so they are doomed to fall in love with the fearsome creatures. Dragons may be hard to kill and with a lethal charm and nearly immortal, but they are doomed to be called and ruled by gems made out of their hearts, and they are cursed to only regain the rule they once had over the world by collecting the dragon heart stones and being crowned with them.