Page 33 of Cursed with the Dragon Prince

May Wisp guard my journey, I repeat it too, tugging at her within me.Please, I can’t do this alone.

Caldera

Drakon

Plans made and risks evaluated, our journey begins. We return my secret cavern to the state it was in before our arrival, with everything in storage.

We stand in the main room, and Reina gives the space one final scan. “Somehow, it feels like saying goodbye to home. Our… nest.”

I grunt my agreement, though I never imagined my secluded cave could become a love nest.Love.I think that’s what I feel for her. A great affection building in my chest, a truth we’re afraid to speak.

I wish I had words, but she is the Blessed One, and I carry father’s legacy. There should be no attraction between us.

She says she’s ready to face the caldera, and while I have given my honest support, I cannot be completely comfortable with this. She has allowed herself to be rushed, all for the sake of my clan.

My clan doesn’t deserve her. I certainly don’t.

These are fears I cannot speak, so I swallow them instead, fearing how much darker the world would bewithout her in it, especially with these words still lodged in my throat.

“It was a perfect nest,” I agree.

Hands entwined, we leave. Flying from the ledge, we soar away.

Reina

While Drakon leads me to another canyon, my heart palpitates. Flying feels easy, but it’s the transformation that intimidates me—trusting scales for a swim in a burning pool.

We fly to another tunnel-like cavern, like the one I lost myself in. Lava tubes, Drakon calls them, another of Wisp’s countless cavernous creations. This one provides a lesser-known route into Wisp’s largest caldera.

We assume some of Scorpia’s followers may be stationed nearby and hope this tunnel will give us an advantage. The plan is to slip in and out, performing this rite without detection.

In silence, we crest another mountainous vein and dip into the next canyon. Drakon dives, pointing toward an awning in the black obsidian rock. He leads us to the mouth of the tunnel, and I follow him into darkness.

The path is narrow, and we both retract our wings. After a few steps, it’s pitch black, and the tomb-like path challenges my improved vision.

My heart thuds and my body trembles, recalling my last journey through a dark cave—the same hopelessness that ate at me then threatens to consume me anew.

Do I really think I could become a queen? It’s laughable.

All the same, Drakon helps, holding my hand, reminding me I’m not alone.

The hike claims my entire focus. There are fallen boulders to traipse and shelves we need to scale. Thankfully, I now have scaled feet.

Suddenly, the tunnel narrows, and Drakon stops. In the darkness, his hand searches for mine. Then his mouth lowers, lips touching my ear in a whisper. “I believe we are there.”

I squeeze his hand in silent acknowledgement.

“I’ll go first. Scout it out.”

He stalks through a narrow opening and disappears through the crevice. He leaves me alone in a dark cave, but strangely, I no longer feel afraid.

Wisp surrounds me, this tunnel a vein where magma once flowed. Connecting to the divinity is easier here, like listening for a heartbeat, a rhythm that resonates, surrounding me, evidence that she is alive.

This is the closest I’ve felt to Wisp since my transformation, her awareness fading to the background while I tested my wings against the air. Now that I’m alone, she returns with a rush, her thoughts and emotions becoming mine.

She still loves the clan.

When King Ichor broke her trust, she reacted with a mother’s rage, frustrated that children misbehave and presuming she led them astray. Now she grieves, regretting her curse.

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