Dragons Rising ✔️

Ch 35: Revelation

The image in the flames disappeared. I sat back on my heels, pulse racing. They had most likely been captured, but that was impossible; I would've died when they killed my mother for "consorting to make a dangerous half-breed," as the Enforcers called it.

Just as suddenly as the scene in the flames had disappeared, a new one manifested—one with only my father sitting in it. He was in a small, dark room holding a bundle of bloody rags in his lap.

"They will come for us soon," he whispered. There were tears in his eyes, but he blinked them away as he wiped a filthy hand over his face. "Your- your mother passed in childbirth, Ellania, and they did nothing to stop it. I tried, but there was nothing I could do. This cell blocks all magic. They only allowed us to live this long so they could test you for my blood.

"Tonight, they will come to execute us both. If all goes to plan, your Aunt Bylanna will rescue us before that comes to pass. I fear she is too late to save your mother..." He trailed off, his face contorted with grief.

The bundle in his lap moved weakly, and he peered down at it for an instant.

"I fear you are not well. This is not a good place for a newborn. It is a blessing you will not remember it." He paused, looking at something out of view for me. "A guard is coming. I can speak no more."

The scene dissolved, then quickly reformed into one that was so dark I could hardly make out anything except my father's face. I could tell he was moving quickly. His voice came out of the darkness.

"We escaped but were separated from your aunt. One- one of the Enforcers shot me in the leg. I cannot escape, but perhaps you still can. Two of my closest friends will care for you in my absence, I am sure of it. I wish I could stay, but I fear that all will end for me this night." He paused, a tremble coming into his voice. "I love you, Ellania."

The scene disappeared, and I knew it was for the last time. My tears flowed freely, evaporating before they hit the flames.

I had always known that half-bloods and their parents were executed, but me, Clarisa, and Callah had survived that punishment. I'd hoped my parents might've survived, too. Even if they'd given me up of their own free will and escaped to another country, at least they would still be alive.

But this message... I now knew for certain that my mother was dead and my father likely was too. 'Likely' was still holding out senseless hope. There was no way he could've escaped the Enforcers while injured. And if he had by some miracle escaped, he would've come back for me eventually.

[Your father could still be alive,] Leera said softly.

"He isn't. He wasn't a rider or a talme. He couldn't fly away. He's dead." I spat the words and plunged my hands into the fire to grab my pendant, not caring if it burned me. As soon as I grabbed it, I realized that the flames didn't even feel especially hot.

I kept my hand in the flames, holding the crystal, but the heat was nothing more than a warm breeze on my skin. As an experiment, I took the crystal out of the fire, set it on the ground, and stuck my arm back in. Nothing changed.

Leera seemed just as surprised as I was at the fact that I seemed to be fireproof. [Are fire elents normally-]

[-fireproof? No, they aren't.] I waved my hand around in the flames. Fire elents could put up with more heat than most people, and they could handle unusually hot objects without being burned. Touching bare flames was something else.

[It must be because you're a paltor,] Leera said.

[Don't call me that.] I yanked my hand out of the fire.

[It's what you are.]

[I just- just don't call me that.] As I took up my pendant and slipped it back on its chain, she didn't say anything else about it. I put my necklace on and stood, then kicked dirt to smother the flames. We were about to head back to camp when I heard a twig break past the edge of the clearing.

I ran toward the sound. Leera sprinted after me.

It was Clarisa, who looked like she'd been on the verge of fleeing. She didn't have any firewood with her.

"Were you spying on me?" I shouted.

"Why would I want to spy on you? I'm collecting firewood," she said, as if this was a perfectly sane explanation for why she'd ended up ten minutes from camp in the exact same place as me.

"What wood?" I looked pointedly at her empty arms.

She didn't seem phased by this line of questioning. "I just haven't found any good pieces yet."

I gestured all around us. "We're in a forest. There are plenty of 'good pieces' all over. Admit it—you were spying."

"You're not interesting enough for anyone to spy on, and this conversation is boring me." She turned on her heels and strode off, heading away from camp and deeper into the woods.

I briefly considered following her, but there really wasn't any point. Even if she admitted to spying on me, it wouldn't change anything. She was a jerk, but she was still a paltor. She wouldn't call the Enforcers on me.

[Let's go back,] Leera suggested.

[You go back. I'm going to fly for a while.] I was already thinking up the correct magical name for a brown owl.

[You shouldn't go out alone.] Something in her tone made me think she meant to add 'not after what you just saw.'

[I'll be fine. I just need to be alone for a while.] Aloud, I said, "Owtil Briskeni Telmar." The changes began immediately—the shrinking, the feather growth.

Leera peered down at me. [Shout if you get into trouble.]

She looked huge from my vantage point. I was already completely transformed and flew up to a low branch before saying, [I will.]

She waited to watch as I took off. Once I was several hundred feet above the trees, I saw her head back towards camp.