Page 17 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

“No,” she said loudly. “I see you and I won’t let you in. You will not turn my visions into lies.”

Seraphina snapped her hands together, breaking her connection to the fire. The flames sizzled out, leaving no sign on the earth that it had ever existed.

Pressing her hand to her forehead, she panted for a minute, trying to reorient herself. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she focused on calming her racing heart.

Summoning the fire and fighting the darkness sapped a lot of her energy. She stood, brushed the dust off her tunic, and slipped the fire crystal back into its red velvet bag before putting it in her pocket. Tired and dejected, she trudged slowly through the forest back to the ruins.

Kael was standing guard when she arrived. “I didn’t know you left the gates. What have you been doing?” he asked suspiciously.

“I was using magic fire to see what else I could learn about Dain’s fate and how I could help him.”

“Did you learn anything?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately, it’s not time for me to learn the next event. It’s frustrating, but the fates reveal truths on their own time.”

Seraphina wasn’t about to tell Kael what she’d been seeing about Dain’s madness. That was something she’d keep to herself until she had an answer, and she would find the answer.

Kael looked at her speculatively. “Dain’s been on edge lately. He wouldn’t be happy if he thinks you’re hiding something from him.”

Sighing heavily, Seraphina said softly, “I will reveal everything to Dain when it’s time.”

Before he could ask any other questions, she walked into camp and carefully packed away her crystal. She joined the group in the courtyard, watching everyone do their chores. Several of the children gathered around her.

“Children, leave her alone. She doesn’t have time for your nonsense,” one of the mothers said.

“No, please. I love children, and I’ll be happy to talk to them. It’s the least I can do since you are all busy.”

They were full of questions. One little girl asked how she got to be the oracle, and Seraphina told them the story of how Elaris had ordered her parents to deliver her to the temple in Eryndral and how she’d been trained.

“Why were you chosen?” the child asked.

Seraphina shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve asked myself that question a million times. I guess maybe it’s because I was chosen by the fates or they thought I had special abilities. I could do a little bit of magic before Elaris taught me more and how to control it.”

“How do you know things?” a little boy asked, standing next to her with his tiny hand on her knee.

“Sometimes I get visions in my sleep, and once in a while I go into a trance and see what is to come. The fates whisper riddles into my mind. If there is specific information I’m looking for, I’ll use a sacred fire.” She leaned forward and grinned. “Sometimes our ancestors talk to me. Every once in a while, I can touch a person or an object and get a glimpse into their past or future.”

“Is it scary?” one of the girls asked.

“It can be very frightening,” Seraphina said. “There are times when it’s more like a curse than a gift.” She smiled. “This is especially true when I’m tired and just want to go to sleep but the dreams keep waking me up.”

“I hate that,” one of the little boys said. “I have lots of dreams.”

The kids started talking about their dreams, and Seraphina simply listened with a smile. They were terrific young people who were thriving in spite of the very terrifying situation they lived in.

She went to bed right after supper, disappointed that she didn’t see Dain, but relieved at the same time. He’d been in Wyrmhaven with some of the other warriors, trying to find a weakness in Malakar’s court and talking to people they hoped that they could trust.

Seraphina was almost asleep when he tapped on the tent flap. “Are you awake?”

“Yes,” she said softly, her heart thudding in her chest.

She sat up on the cot and he sat next to her, their legs and arms touching. Seraphina struggled to make sense of his words because of the heat that exploded inside of her.

“Malakar tortured and killed one of the spies who was working for us. As far as we can tell, the man didn’t tell Malakar anything, so we are still safe.”

“I’m sorry. He’s such a cruel man. What are you going to do now?”

“Luckily, we have others who are still willing to risk their lives to find information.”

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