Page 87 of Ensnared
I know that most of you had nothing to do with this attack, but many of you knew about it and did nothing to stop it. His head whips around, his massive golden eyes flashing as he glares at different groups of dragons. Axel’s the Prince of the Earth Blessed. That alone should be enough to grant him a measure of respect from all of you, regardless of your affinity. But he’s also my trusted ally. I’ve gathered you here today to ensure that we are united in our efforts to locate the heart. Fragmenting into groups and fighting amongst ourselves is absolutely prohibited, as I said before we came.
The murmurs die down. Apparently the affinities, as he calls them, have fought amongst themselves for quite some time. That sounds like what Axel was saying before—but at least Azar’s trying to fix it, at least a little bit.
Ocharta, Princess of the Strike Blessed, present yourself.
Did Axel ask him to spare her? Will Azar listen? I can’t help scanning the gathering. There are lots of blues, plenty of silvers, and an ocean of green and brown dragons, but I don’t see a single golden dragon, not anywhere. I can sense that he’s near, somewhere in the gathered group, but why can’t I spot him? He’s such a unique color that it should be simple.
Did he ask Azar to go easy on Ocharta, and did that make Azar mad? Did they fight?
What’s wrong? Gordon asks. You’re shifting like a grub.
“I’m not,” I say. “I’m nothing like those nasty white worms.”
You’re agitated.
“Where’s Axel?” I ask. “I don’t see him.”
Gordon tosses his head in a move very reminiscent of a shrug, which is hard to do without shoulders, but apparently not impossible.
“Aren’t you worried that he’s not out front?”
They don’t appear together often, Gordon says. We earth blessed adore our prince, and we tend to focus on him when he’s around. Axel usually hangs back when Azar’s making declarations so we’ll focus on Azar.
“That’s weird,” I say.
The murmurs increase, because apparently Ocharta’s missing too.
This time, the only way to describe Azar’s tone is thunderous. Ocharta, strike blessed, you will appear before me, now.
Even I shake at the force of his fury, but the dragons have all flattened themselves against the ground, including Gordon.
Up above, a silver dragon circles.
She’s powerful, Gordon says. I couldn’t resist his summons for a single moment.
“Are you saying that Azar can force the dragons to come to him?”
Gorden grunts.
“Why can he do that?”
Any prince or princess can do it, but he can summon all affinities, because flame rules us all.
As she slowly circles downward, I can’t help but notice the sun. It’s nearly at the top of the sky—noon is when the nuclear strike’s supposedly coming. We’re all gathered perfectly. The thought of that makes me tremble even more.
Azar roars, and she plummets to the ground. Silver dragons crawl toward her, attempting to protect her, it appears.
I didn’t raise a claw against the human, Ocharta says. Though had I, I would not apologize for it.
Attacking his bonded is the same as attacking Axel himself. Having her in front of him seems to have calmed Azar, or at least, he’s not bellowing as loudly.
His human’s not right, she says. She’s rebellious and not well controlled. He shouldn’t have bonded one in the first place. Even an earth blessed prince can’t manage them.
Azar raises his wings and shoots a column of flame straight up into the air. His nostrils are flared when he drops his head. You’re neither Princess of the Earth Blessed, nor the Prince of the Flame. It’s not up to you to determine how to handle Prince Axel or his ensnared.
Ocharta tilts her head. Yet, the Prince of the Flame wasn’t doing anything about it, perhaps because it was his friend. I did what needed to be done, and I’m willing to pay for my decision.
Azar’s back to bellowing at full volume. What would you tell me to do to a subordinate who challenges my authority? Should I let her rebellion pass with a mere singe, or should I annihilate her?
