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

Chapter 17 - Davri

The Wind Room

26th Year of the Ocean

3rd Moon

"It is because of my age." Crown Princess Varille said matter-of-factly.

Davri flinched. "What is because of your age?" He asked, though he knew exactly what she was referring to.

"It makes perfect sense." The four-year-old said. "She wishes to kill me because she thinks I am not worthy of the throne because I am too young for her liking."

"She doesn't want to kill you." Davri insisted. He almost reached out and patted the young girl's head, then remembered the impropriety of it. She was the Crown Princess of Sophos, not his younger sister or cousin. "Zero merely said he believes she wishes to harm you. He never said anything about dying."

"Simply harming me wouldn't be enough." Varille insisted. "Me dying would result in Blissé being forced to choose another Sophos Queen, one who is older and likely easier to manipulate. I have no siblings or significant others she can use as leverage against me, and I inherited the Sophos wisdom. I don't believe I'm the kind of queen she wishes to have the third Venti throne."

"No one's going to die." Corrian interjected. "Not Bacchi, not Tellus, and certainly not you, Crown Princess."

Davri raised his eyebrows at the Gaian Dragonheir. "Does this mean you intend to help the Crown Princess and I?"

Corrian shrugged. "More than anything, I wish I could leave for Umbrassé as soon as possible – but Zero mentioned he saw Aspen and I at the Coronation in his vision, which means we have a part in it. I would have no part in helping the Gratus Queen, so I must be involved to help Crown Princess Varille."

"What of your Maylif?" Davri asked. "Was she not in Zero's vision?"

"She may have been, but he didn't mention her." Corrian said, though he seemed rather indifferent towards the matter. Then the Gaian Dragonheir turned to the Crown Princess. "What do you mean when you say you inherited the Sophos wisdom?" He asked. "Does not everyone inherit it?"

The young princess shook her head. "It can only be inherited if you are from the Sophos royal bloodline, but not every member inherits it – the Sophos wisdom is the reason I can talk to you in ways a regular four-year-old could not."

"The three royal bloodlines are each blessed with a gift." Davri told Corrian. "Gratus with power, Sophos with wisdom, and Bellus with beauty." As he spoke, his thoughts travelled to the Bellus Queen – who had very obviously inherited the Bellus gift. He remembered how she requested he invite their Gaian guests to Varille's coronation, and wondered if he should seek her out to inform her that they would be attending. Part of him also wanted desperately to warn her of the threat the Gratus Queen could also pose for her, along with Varille.

Corrian let out a low whistle. "I believe we have reason to assume the current Gratus Queen did not, in fact, inherit the Gratus gift of kindness."

Davri scoffed, his mind still clouded with thoughts of the other queen. "No, I don't believe she did."

Hurried footsteps travelled up the hallway beyond the Wind Room, and all three of its occupants turned to the open doorway as the person the footsteps belonged to scrambled through the door. Davri raised a single eyebrow when he realised it was simply Corrian's guard – Aspen, the Dragonheir had called him. With his dark hair and skin, he looked to Davri almost like a shadow against the stark white walls of the Palace in the Air.

"Sorry to intrude, Your Highness, Lord Dragonheirs." He said with a low bow, his dark curls falling into his striking green eyes as he straightened. Then he turned and stepped towards Corrian. "Lord Dragonheir—"