The Fire Within (Book 1 of Dragonfire series)

Chapter 3

It turned out the walk to the cafeteria was much longer than I had thought. I didn't really mind though because the architecture was like nothing I had ever seen before. As if he had caught on to my wonder, Alfio briefly explained the history behind the building we were in.

"As more and more Fia's were being born, there weren't enough places for them to go to be taught how to master their power. Different Wizards and Faeries built extravagant castles, such as this one, and hired those who had long since mastered their powers to teach the Fia's. This particular building is called Kronborg Castle." I nodded as I continued to look around. Even after talking with Kokel, I still had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Alfio seemed more understanding, so I gave it a shot.

"So..uhh...what..I mean who..was that thing yesterday. Askook I believe?" I looked childishly at Alfio, afraid he would be upset, but instead he gave me a smile in return.

"Askook is the leader of the Serpiums; mythical creatures that are half snake and half a creature that is similar to a human, but with 4 arms," He said nonchalantly.

"Why was he after me? He referenced that you were after me as well..."

Alfio took a deep breath, about to explain when I heard an unfamiliar voice say, "Well, what do we have here?" His voice was more of a soft growl as the words rolled off his tongue. He was every bit as handsome as Alfio, maybe even more if that's possible.

"I'm Cullen," he said with a devious smirk, "and you are..."

"Alena," I said a little too loudly. Cullen was wearing dark jeans and a black, long sleeve collared shirt. His hair was jet black, and his eyes were an emerald green color. He too had a paler completion, similar to Alfio's and his facial features were sharp like Alfio's as well. I couldn't help but wonder if they were related somehow. His shirt was only buttoned about halfway, leaving enough of his chest showing for you to know he was extremely muscular and sculpted. He caught my faltering eyes toward his chest and gave me another smirk in response.

"Leave her alone, Cullen," Alfio said with a rather stern voice...and possibly a hint of jealousy? No. I was imagining it. Cullen returned his stare to Alfio and tensed his jaw instantly, before returning to his cool state, and looking back at me.

As he walked past my left shoulder, the side opposite of where Alfio was standing, he whispered inches away from my ear.

"I'll find you later," he said and proceeded to walk down the hallway. As Alfio began walking again, I had to take a few running steps to catch up before I could return to our normal pace.

As I was about to re-ask my question, he welcomed, "This is the cafeteria." Before me was another very large stone room. On the wall to my left were stained glass windows depicting mythical creatures and battles. There were maybe a hundred tables, with a long, grand table in front overlooking the whole room. All of the tables were empty, but Alfio told me the kitchen was always open. My eyes were again drawn to the windows, and I realized it was dark behind them. It must be dinner time. I got a cheeseburger with fries, and he got a sandwich with some chips. He guided me to a table and questioned me about my "powers" as we ate.

"My turn to ask some questions," he smiled as he spoke. I nodded my head to give him my consent. "So..how long did you know you had powers?"

I kept my gaze low until I shyly looked up and said in a quiet voice, "I didn't know until..."

"Oh," he quickly added, "So you've never done anything like that before? What you did wasn't exactly a beginners move," he said blatantly.

"I wouldn't lie to you about my powers and my experience with them," I snapped, instantly regretting my rudeness. "I'm sorry," I muttered, "I'm just still very confused and I'm trying to wrap my head around everything."