~A Wattpad featured and Wattys Longlisted story~
Lana can hardly remember what it's like to be free. After nine years as a captive on board a ship ruled by ruthless bounty hunters, sailing across Maris with no clear direction, she's desperate for so...
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SEVERAL HOURS AFTER being reunited with Arlo and Lana, Skye finds himself alone, knee deep in the calm ocean water surrounding Lyon. The small waves gently lap against his legs, and despite it's frigidity, he doesn't shiver or move. He's too lost in thought.
Initially when he saw Arlo and Lana, he felt unspeakable joy and relief, blinding every other emotion he could have possibly been feeling and even before then, his only goal had been to find them.
Now, every emotion he had been suppressing seems to rise up as the initial happiness of seeing them fades. All the anger and pain is now at the forefront of his mind, and makes his body shake slightly.
The event that pains him most is the death of his mother. All his memories of her before had been blurry and marred by his father's constant use of her as a reason for his abuse but now...
Now he can't help but feel that he actually is responsible for her death in a way. There was something both him and Lana needed to hide and in the end, she sacrificed herself for them. For him. His eyes prickle with unshed tears of guilt as the blame he constantly denied seems to actually be true.
He wants to grieve but as a loud cheer erupts behind him, he knows that he needs to suppress these emotions.
He takes a deep breath and turns to stare at the commotion, making out several hundred figures dancing and celebrating in the distant glow of light. Tonight, the liberated people of Lyon had decided to throw a huge feast to celebrate their freedom, all in the honor of the Dragon Riders. He is supposed to be there now, but he figured a few more moments alone couldn't hurt, especially with the sullen mood he's in.
A sudden large wave hits his legs, snapping him from his thoughts with several curse words. The icy cold temperature of the water finally registers and the pain in his knee quickly returns as his attention refocuses on it.
He sighs in annoyance and is about to walk out of the water when he notices that he'd slipped Lana's bracelet from his wrist and had been absentmindedly toying with it in his hand. Skye stares down, tracing the crest etched into the front with his thumb. It depicts a dragon-like creature leaping from the water, it's facial expression fierce. The whole crest has an amazing level of detail that he admires silently, staring at each and every feature for as long as it takes. As his finger finally hits the edge of the design, a sudden rush of anger bursts through him. Somehow this object was instrumental in the death of his mother.
His grip tightens around the bracelet, and staring out into the open sea, he raises his arm to throw the bracelet into its depths. Certain resolution rushes through him, and his muscles tense, but before he can let go, he notices the familiar magical flames curling around his fingertips, lighting up the night sky with an angry glow.
He sighs, and lowers his arm. Ever since the duel with Bryan on Halsa, he's noticed his magic become more and more out of control, and it disappoints him to no end. Shame hits him hard, as he thinks of all the training he's received prior to this and how now, when he needs it most, it seems to have abandoned me. He scowls.
