THE HEIR OF STORMS | Garrick Tavis

Chapter 16

"Come on, Illena," Liam said for the fifth time, pulling me out of my trance. I put away the book that was on the shelf and wiped the dust from my hands on my pants.

"Did you know about this?" Violet whispered softly to me, while Liam walked ahead, shelving books on the higher shelves. We had finally finished the day's work at the library, and we were already late for lunch.

It was only my second week on the 'Violet protection team,' and I was already extremely bored. Mostly because I had the slight impression that Liam was acting like my bodyguard too. He always walked between the two of us, and whenever I went to the bathroom or did anything that didn't involve watching Violet up close, Liam made sure we all went together. As if I couldn't pee on my own.

"About the separatists' children being forced to come here?"

I shook my head, lying. Violet bit her lip.

"It doesn't make sense, does it?" I teased.

Violet glanced at me sideways.

"If I were king," Violet said, "I would never give dragons to people whose parents I killed. Especially if those parents had been killed for supporting another queen, who, by the way, formed the first bond between human and dragon in history."

"I can hear you," Liam muttered, "and my loyalty lies with Navarre."

Navarre. Not King Tauri. Violet also seemed to notice the choice of words.

I shrugged as the three of us moved down the hallway toward the dining hall.

"Do you really think Queen Aerithia, the First, existed?" I asked, taking advantage of the silence in the empty hallway.

Violet laughed, looking at me.

"Of course she existed, Illena!" Violet's tone made me feel stupid. "Just because they tell folklore stories about her doesn't mean she wasn't real."

Liam scanned the hallway, then spoke quietly.

"Some separatists claimed to have heard Queen Aerithia in their dreams, guiding them to her captivity."

I couldn't hold back my laughter, and I felt my cheeks flush under Liam's embarrassed gaze. I shook my head, removing the hand that covered my smile.

"I don't remember reading any stories about Queen Aerithia's signet allowing her to visit dreams," I said, shrugging, "but I also believe she existed."

Violet nodded.

"My father gave me a book about wyverns and venin when I was little," Violet shared. "I remember everything about how Queen Aerithia led the armies to save the valley and the dragons. I can even recall the exact painting of the pages where she discovered how to stop the wyverns from draining the earth. She wore a silver dress, all made of steel, while she spoke to the soldiers. When I was little, I begged my father to give me one just like hers." Violet laughed, but there was pain in her eyes when she mentioned her father. "I know it's folklore, but nothing is known about the bond between dragons and humans beyond her. And I've heard legends about commoners spotting Melhdor, Aerithia's albino dragon."

"That would be impossible," I said, glancing sideways at Liam. "Aerithia and Melhdor defeated the wyverns six hundred years ago by merging their magic with the earth's magic, the same magic drained by the wyverns. Then Aerithia commanded Melhdor to kill her, and he burned her, and soon after died along with her. They took the wyverns' magic with them, and the wyverns decayed."