Page 60 of A Blaze of Fire
I shut my mouth and kept quiet because he was right. Iwaslying. It didn’t matter what the King said. If the opportunity presented itself, I would leave the Fae realm in a heartbeat. Even if it was against the King’s wishes.
I started to get annoyed at his line of questioning. Why did he always make me feel this way? “What do you want?”
At that, Kazimir finally turned around to face me with a coy grin. “Interesting question. What is it I want, you ask … Well, I heard your public showing is in two days. Is that correct?”
“Yeah, what of it?” I frowned, not comprehending where his train of thought was headed.
“What do you plan to do during this public showing?”
I shrugged. “Like I said in the throne room, I’m just going to show them I’m not the dragon. I can’t breathe fire out of my mouth, and I’ll prove it.”
His grin widened. “And what if you don’t? What if you show them exactly what you are?”
I rolled my eyes. “And what am I, exactly?”
Kazimir laughed. “To me, you’re an anomaly, but to the others, you’re the last dragon.”
“Pfft, no way,” I scoffed. “There’s no way I can breathe fire out of my mouth. For starters, I don’t remember doing it! I know others said I did, but I have no memory of it. And secondly, even if I could, shouldn’t you be telling me to do the opposite? If for no other reason than to avoid the King’s wrath?”
Kazimir smirked. “If you become the last dragon, you’ll be praised higher than the King. He could try to hurt you, but it would bring upon the wrath of the fae. They’ve already seen your good deeds; you’ve swayed them to your side. But knowing you as the last dragon would push them over the edge.”
I frowned. “You’re not as loyal to the King as everyone says you are.”
His smirk disappeared in a flash. “You knownothingabout my loyalty.”
“Then explain to me why you want me to do this? It makes no sense.”
“Many things in this world don’t make sense, Lady Violet. You’re one of them.”
“Gee … thanks.” I rolled my eyes and looked away, crossing my arms over my chest. When Kazimir stepped closer to me, it took every inch of willpower to stay still and not shrink away.
“It may not make sense now, Lady Violet, but it will in due time,” he whispered. “But if I were you, I would show everyone just what you’re capable of and more. Don’t hold back. It’s the only way to save yourself. Because if you think those brothers will be able to protect you …” he trailed off and shook his head in dismay. “Think again, Lady Violet. They’re powerless, unlike you. You hold all the power. Now use it.”
I held my breath when he continued to walk closer, deviating at the last second and walking past me, his wool coat brushing my sleeve. I couldn’t help the flinch I made. He strode to the door and stopped with his hand perched on the doorknob.
“As my former pupil, these are my only words of advice. From here on out, you’re on your own.” He exited my room just as quietly as he entered it.
24
VIOLET
“Are you paying attention?” Calypso snapped her fingers in front of my face for what had to be the tenth time.
I shook my head and grimaced. “I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to keep spacing out.”
She nodded politely. “I imagine you have a lot on your mind. I heard about tomorrow’s exhibition.”
It was true. That, along with Kazimir’s little visit yesterday had messed up my head. I hadn’t mentioned his warning to Alec, much less to Ansel. I didn’t know why I was keeping it a secret, but it felt like I should keep it to myself for the time being.
Even if I wanted to take Kazimir up on his advice, I didn’t know how to do what everyone claimed I could do. I had no memory of it; the event was a black hole of missing time, so his visit was pointless. The King would get what he wanted, which was to show me as a fraud.
He said I had power? Yeah, right.
I sighed loudly, frustrated with the pointlessness of it all. Calypso gave me a quizzical look as we sat on the beach’s sandy shore.
“Whatever happens tomorrow will be for the best.” She offered an encouraging smile. “Don’t stress yourself out.”
I smiled tightly. “Yeah, you’re right.” I gave another loud exhale and straightened my back, then closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing pattern again.
