The Flame and the Dragon

The Letter

Blood smeared the knuckles when they made contact with the thick wood of the thickest tree trunk. The sorcerer hissed and hollered as he banged his hands furiously against the tree. His entire body shook with rage at the evidence his newest spy brought him. He waited too long. He pulled himself away from the free and covered his face with his hand. Now it was only a matter of time before Kai gave into Cole's seduction. He banged the tree again, then composed himself and pulled the hood of his cloak over his greying-raven hair.

He watched the cut of his hand start to swell and bubble until perfectly healed skin was revealed.

He had waited far too long. The second he suspected the teen had Occulti blood he should have acted! His growl morphed into a roar. He had known he had taken a heavy gamble when he decided to change his strategy, but it was far too difficult to resist such a tempting specimen like Kai. Especially since if his seduction proved a success it would devastate the Dragon Lord more than a thousand of the most vicious monsters. Now, his miscalculation had caused him a major setback.

It was worse when it became clear exactly who this mysterious specimen was.

It had been easy to ignore the first instance as merely an occurrence. It wasn't uncommon for humans to discover untapped abilities in traumatic or near-death situations. Many people could hold biological connections to magical ancestors. The religions might have changed, but the blood certainly didn't, he was proof of that. Still, many lines had become so thinned by mundane human blood any inherited power could only be tapped through stress or shock and usually only once.

But the skills used to defeat his monsters and the premonitions were too much to be a coincidence.

That Occulti whore was dead and she continued to be a thorn in his side. A wicked smile curled across his lips as he approached the road. The raven sat immobile like a statue on his shoulder awaiting instructions. But that didn't matter now. She failed then and she will fail now. He was running out of time, and he would be damned if he let some whore destroy over one hundred years of patience and hard work. He looked to the crow and it shot up and waited for orders.

He ordered it to watch them closely.

If they did anything together, the crow had to inform him immediately. He didn't have much time to carry out the next stage of his plan. The crow bowed its head and flapped away into the night. The sorcerer's grin widened as he chuckled then burst out laughing when he came to the main road. He turned around taking one last look at the castle in the distance. The prince should enjoy his concubine while it lasted. He smirked as he recalled the conversations his spies had recorded.

Episodes of the life the boy had forsaken to appease the dragon's wishes.

Memories of a high-ranking man who fancied him. Of the childhood instances experienced in Ignacia. Of the siblings he had sacrificed himself for, who were no doubt still terrified for their brother's safety. He may have feelings for the dragon, but Kai was like any other human when it came to sacrifice. As the sorcerer walked along the forgotten path, he noticed a cold stream still flowing and an evil idea formed in his mind. He dunked his hands into the freezing liquid and used his magic to create a small ball of water.

There had been enough talking.

Now it was time for some screaming. He cackled as he blew into the bubble turning it into an ice ball. He then shook the ball violently before throwing it into the air. He smirked as it broke apart and a grey, shimmering mist blew through the wind towards the castle. That should buy him some time...

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Nya hollered and roared in rage as she slammed the door to her house shut. It screamed in protest as it suffered the force of his anger. The only thing the village idiots were good for was gossip and apparently, Morro's dismissal of Kai's fate had spread faster than an infectious plague. It didn't help that it had happened in the local tavern. It had spread so much even other towns were mocking them. No matter where she went to who she begged to help her, she was simply laughed at.