The Blood's Flame (The Dragons of Flareia Book 1)

Chapter 12 - Olivier

The Palace Beach

26th Year of the Ocean

2nd Moon

Olivier sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back in the water until she floated on her back. It had been three days since Tommél's disappearance – disappearance, that was what they were calling it officially as to not worry the people – and this was the first moment of silence she'd had since she returned to the palace the night her brother vowed to destroy everything she loved. Being in the ocean had always soothed her, but ever since becoming Dragonheir, it felt as if there was more to it. She liked being in the water to be alone, yet since becoming Dragonheir she could feel it move around her, anticipate the waves and currents – as if the water was alive and talking to her.

Since Tommél had left, she had taken to escaping to the cave they found when they were kids. They had never told their parents about it, so she knew she would be alone. It had been her and Tommél's secret – though she suspected Lymphario would know of its existence, she trusted him to leave her be. When she lay back, floating atop the water, she could almost hear his childlike laughter echoing through the cave. The way he'd cry out in delight as he leapt into the water from the narrow platform of rock on the right side of the cave. She could almost hear the way the cave amplified the splash as Tommél's small body hit the water—

She froze. No. She couldn't almost hear the splash – that had been the definite splash of a body hitting the water within the cave. In a panic, Olivier took a deep breath and dived beneath the water, swimming until the platform at the right hid her from view if she kept close to the water's surface.

Further within the cave, she heard a boy cough as if he had swallowed sea water. "A cave?" He asked, his voice echoing off the walls. "Filled with water? You couldn't have landed us anywhere better? Like, I don't know, the palace?"

Olivier was shocked to hear the second voice in her head rather than aloud.

If you believe I intended to land us in water, you have no understanding of cats whatsoever. The voice said, making Olivier furrow her eyebrows. It has been many millennia since I have been to Avalona. Shadow travel works better if you know about where you're going.

There was more splashing about, then the boy appeared on the other end of the platform which hid Olivier from view. His skin was so dark she almost didn't see him at first in the dim light – but then she had noticed the piercings, in the side of his nose, his right eyebrow, multiple in his ears, one on his left cheekbone, and more dotted down his forearms. They glinted in the weak sunlight that streamed into the cave – some even appeared to be gemstones. But what struck Olivier the most was his eyes – a mesmerising silver hue, a stark contrast to his skin and dark curls, which looked as if it had been cut short but was now growing out haphazardly.

He wore what used to have been a pure white jacket, double-breasted with silver gemstones rather than buttons – which matched the 'buttons' of the epaulets on his shoulders. The stitching of the jacket was silver, and he wore grey pants to match. Olivier's eyes widened – Dragonheir uniform. One she wasn't familiar with.

And that meant there was only one country this Dragonheir could be from.

"So you're telling me," he grumbled as a black cat with a scar across one eye appeared at his feet, "that we could be anywhere in Avalona right now? It's an island nation. We need to be on one specific island, in case you've forgotten."