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

Chapter 14 - Louin

The Isle of Deus

26th Year of the Ocean

2nd Moon

"This way." Annalissa yelled in a whisper, her words echoing off the stone walls.

Louin dragged his hands down his face. "I don't understand why Castia would even leave the six of you alone in your lessons." He said, his mind still reeling from Annalissa mentioning it earlier that morning. "Isn't training to be Cantiers of the utmost importance? As in, people-in-Anemasi-could-die important?"

Annalissa nodded. "That's what we said! But none of the other girls were brave enough to try and follow Castia. Elissa in particular wanted nothing to do with it. She just wants Castia to actually teach us."

"I hope you realise I have no idea who any of the other Cantiers-in-Training are." Louin said, struggling to match a face to the name.

"Elissa is the one who laughed at you on the boat in." Annalissa said simply, reaching up to take a torch from its bracket on the wall – but even when she pushed onto her tiptoes, she wasn't tall enough.

A smile tugged at the corner of Louin's mouth at the sight, and he wandered over, grabbing the torch with ease. "You know what, I'm not even surprised. I should have guessed she was that one."

Annalissa simply folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him – a response to his height, not his words. Louin winked in reply, and she spun away from him, taking a few steps forward, then she paused. The deeper they descended into the Dragon's Palace, the darker the hallways got. She needed the torch Louin held to find her way. He smirked and followed her down the hallway.

"So were you volunteered to follow Castia, or are you just braver than the others?" He asked her.

She raised her chin haughtily. "I may not be a princess anymore, Lord Dragonheir, but if anything happens to me, my father the King will not settle for it. I'm quite invincible, just as you are to us Cantiers." She said, flashing him a smile.

Spirit knows I'm not invincible when you do that. Louin thought. Aloud, however, he said, "You're throwing yourself into possible danger like this on the grounds that Castia and Deus shouldn't be allowed to harm you?" He shook his head in exasperation. "I should have left you above and investigated myself."

Annalissa twirled a blonde curl around her finger. "Yes, well, if you did that, you'd have no idea where you were going, since I'm the one who saw Castia fly down here." She reminded him.

"How could you even see her if you couldn't even reach the torch?" Louin joked.

She huffed. "Castia's white. She's not that hard to see. Besides, I didn't come this far down the passage when I was on my own."

"Whatever you say," he laughed.

"What about you?" Annalissa asked. "Why did you agree to escort me so easily? I thought you'd take a little more convincing. You're not just anchoring after some alone time with an ex-princess are you?"

You'd be surprised, Louin thought. "Deus has had a rough past." He said instead. "I want to ensure nothing like it unfolds again."

"What kind of rough past?" Annalissa asked. "I know she was a prisoner within the palace before my ancestors saved her, but that's it."

Louin shrugged. "It's not my story to tell, really." When he saw the disappointed look on Annalissa's face, he said, "She was betrayed by those who were closest to her. She finds it difficult to trust people."