Page 49 of Cursed with the Dragon Prince

Eventually, finally, once I’m so numb I barely sense it, the pain does dull, fading. I feel my body again, becoming whole, and I settle into a new state of being.

I stand alone in the great hall. Only it’s empty, the tables gone and the clan absent. The magma pool I fell through is above me, casting the ceiling in shifting red light.

I no longer sit upon the throne—I face it.

The throne morphs, claiming a new shape. The gold becomes molten; it gathers mass and grows. This time, Wisp forms herself from metal, claiming the form of a massive gilded dragon. Formed from gold, she’s far more frightening than fireflies. Her snakelike form writhes upon the air, different from the dragon fae. She has no wings, but she has no need for them, as divinity drips from the graceful perfection of her glinting form.

Standing on her hind legs, she stretches her long neck, nose touching the glowing ceiling. She shifts and sways and then settles, lowering her head to meet me at eye level.

She blinks, examining me. Curiosity shines in her bright eyes as sweet smoke puffs from her slitted nostrils. Fear strikes my heart as I struggle to comprehend the immensity of her power. Awe and terror fill me, freezing me in place.

“You came.” Her brows rise in surprise.

At first, it’s hard to respond, but pain grounds me, the stab of thorns. I clutch the Maledictum, and it encourages me. “Of course I came. I can’t have children because of you.”

“I thought you hated me.”

“But can’t you… fix me?”

“If it were so easy, I would have revoked my curse on the dragon fae long ago.”

“But I didn’t ask for this—you forced it upon me when you asked the sea to find your queen.” Anger gathers within me, and I grit my teeth. “You are a deity. How are you so unfit?”

She studies me, and I’m still not sure she gets it—that she’s responsible for circumstances that led to my neglect.

Working through my rage, I circle toward my goal. “With all your mighty power, I’m here to ensure you learn one thing: blessings can cause as much damage as curses.”

Listening, a doubt creases her perfect brow. Seeing it there, my fury fades. I remember Kaliyah’s story. That Wisp was born long after the other isles were made. Mother Ocean and Father Sky were already gone, and her siblings had already created the first fae. Wisp was born alone,different.

“I can’t pretend to understand what it’s like to be you,” I whisper. “I just wish… I wish you hadn’t chosen me.”

She slithers forward until she’s beside me, and together we face the dais. The golden throne has returned, and we stare at its empty seat.

“You do not fear me. And it is why I need you.”

My lips part, stunned.

“I never asked to be made, my volcanoes breaching the surface of the sea, and now, as the magma keeps rising, all I can do is direct it, reform it. Maybe I never should have created the dragon fae, and perhaps that’s why I cursed them, encouraging them to leave my shores. But even in my wrath, I knew it was wrong… And that is why I sought a queen, a mother. Someone who could teach me what I don’t understand.”

Her voice quivers. She’s still a child, in her way, and it softens me. She wants someone to care for her. “I can be the queen you need.”

The deity blinks, hope in her gilded eyes—and surprise.“Are you truly willing? After everything I’ve done to you?”

“Call it blessing or curse, I arrived at these shores. Now I’m here, choosing this rite of my own free will. I thought it foolish to face you, to try teaching you something, but you’ve listened.”

As I speak, I lift my palm, stepping closer to her, and Wisp responds, leaning closer. It’s warm, this close to her, like the healing waters of the thermae.

I settle my hand upon her cheek, her scales silky soft, and she leans into my touch. “Dear Wisp, I want to care for you—to help you. I will become your queen.”

“Then I approve. You may face the rite.”

“Wait—” when did her tail surround me? “—that wasn’t the rite? The pain in the magma? Us, talking?”

“I’m sorry. The throne’s rite is beyond even me. It is a test of the land, governed by Teyr and Gloom. Good luck, sweet Reina. The sea has chosen well.”

She wraps me tight, and my body vanishes.

Drakon

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