Page 4 of Wild Flame

“It’s not that,” I said with a sigh. Glancing at Helene now, I felt a stab of guilt. Perhaps it was because I was embarrassed, or maybe it was simply that I didn’t know how to tell her, but whatever the reason, something stopped me from bringing up what father wanted me to do while there.

Helene sat up. “Then what is it?”

I glanced out the window, then back at my sister. Not yet ready to tell her everything, I decided to bring up one of my other worries instead. “What if I embarrass myself? Or cause an incident in front of all the world leaders?"

She immediately waved away my concerns. “Oh, hush. Just try not to trip over your gown during any important moments and you’ll be fine.” Her grin widened at the glare I shot her, and her tone grew more serious as she continued. “Father wouldn’t have trusted you with this if he didn’t think you were capable.”

Her words might be true, but I would put more credence in them if our father didn’t have an ulterior motive for sending me.

“I suppose,” was all I said, then remembered. “And I’ll have Leif with me.”

Helene grinned. “Oh, good. Father took my suggestion then?”

“It was your idea?”

She shrugged. “I thought you could use a friend while you were there.” Before I could respond, she suddenly grabbed me in a fierce hug. “I’m going to miss you.”

I hugged her back just as fiercely and fought the sudden sting of tears. “I’ll miss you too.”

She pulled away and stared into my eyes, her hands still gripping my forearms. “Don’t be afraid to enjoy yourself, Leida. This is a chance for you to experience the world and get away from Halmar and our parents . . . especially Mother.” She squeezed me tightly. Helene had always tried to intervene where she could where our mother was concerned, but she couldn’t always be around, and she knew how hard she was on me. “This will be good for you, little sister. I just know it.” She smiled. “A lot can happen in two months.”

Nevgard Castle was the only castle in Palasia with a temple attached as part of its very design. The Temple of the Nine was dedicated to all of the Nine gods, and each of them was represented here. Each had their own temples in the city as well, but this was where the offices of their High Priests and Priestesses were located, and thus the reason for my visit.

As I stepped inside the drafty stone edifice of the temple, my eyes were immediately drawn to the eight grand statues that lined either side of the center aisle. Each of the gods was represented, save for The Necromancer, who was never depicted in any physical form so as not to draw his dark eye. On either side of me, cast in precious black obsidian, stood the other two dark gods of Palasia, The Assassin and The Traitor. I turned and bowed low to The Assassin before beginning the long walk toward the front of the temple. My footsteps echoed around me, and I noted there were hardly any patrons lingering in the pews. As I passed the three gray stone statues portraying The Trickster, The Thief, and The Crone, I saw a priestess carefully lighting candles by one of the multi-paned windows across the hall. She smiled softly at me, and I nodded back. I didn’t have many smiles left in me. Helene was the only one who seemed to be able to draw them out of me anymore.

Lastly, I came upon the three white marble figures of The Child, The Maiden, and The Warrior. I clutched my talisman in my fist as I passed The Maiden and knew I had to be imagining the flickering pulse of warmth coming from the stone in my hand as I did.

I turned left and made my way down the side hall to where Silvanus’ office was located. When I reached the familiar black door, I tried not to think of the many times I had walked this same path to this very door. Especially not that first time.

The temple was mostly dark and silent, and I leaned heavily on my cane as I made my way to the large door. The stillhealing skin on my back burned as I reached to knock. This man had to be able to help me. He was a High Priest. He would know how I could repay my debt.

I shook off the unwelcome memory as I took a deep breath and knocked once.

“Enter,” came the voice from beyond it.

I opened it without hesitation and walked inside.

Silvanus Gnarr, High Priest of The Assassin, sat behind his large desk clad in his traditional black robes, writing something on a piece of parchment. There were no chairs before his desk, though there was plenty of room for them. Silvanus did not want his visitors comfortable; he liked them ill at ease and off balance. But I was well used to his games and simply clasped my hands together before me as I waited.

Silvanus was a tall, thin man with drawn, sharp features and pallid skin. His head was shaved bald and his eyes, I knew, were such a light blue as to almost be eerie when they settled on you. I had no idea how old he was, maybe close to my father in years, but his features hadn’t changed in the nearly ten years I had known him.

I also knew that narrow frame belied the strength held within it. This man had been a dragon rider once but was now a Hollow One. The title was used much as the term widower to denote someone who had lost their dragon and chose to live on. This was rare, as the loss of the bond was said to be so debilitating that many followed their dragons into death rather than live without them.

It was several minutes before he finally deigned to put down his quill, interlace his long, slightly gnarled fingers on the desk before him, and look up. His unnerving eyes examined me.

The past and present seemed to merge as I stared back at him.

“Princess, what I can I do for you at this late hour?”

I fought to straighten my twelve-year-old frame as best I could, ignoring the painful protest of my realm's blasted body as I did. “I—I need your help. I made a vow to The Assassin . . . and I need your help to fulfill it.”

The High Priest gave away nothing of his thoughts as he leaned forward in his chair. “Explain.”

So I did. I explained about that night nearly a year ago when I had snuck into the Nest where the wild dragons were kept during the celebrations, convinced that if they could just see me one more time, one of them would bond with me and I could be a rider like Helene. I explained how I hadn’t known that Helene and her dragon had followed me. Then when it all went wrong, and we both lay there burned and dying, how I had vowed to any of the Nine that would listen that I would do whatever they asked so long as they spared my sister’s life and mine.

Pulling the two-sided talisman from my pocket, I showed him the dark symbol that was now imprinted on one side of the stone and how I knew it was The Assassin who answered my prayer. It was him to whom I now owed a debt.

“What do I need to do to uphold my vow?” I pleaded. “I’ll do anything you ask. Can you help me?”

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