Page 62 of A Blaze of Fire
“Are you okay?” Ansel frowned and looked at me worriedly.
It was so hard to lie to those green eyes. I cleared my throat. “Y-Yes,” I stuttered. “I’m fine. I just … I remembered something I have to do later.”
His frown deepened. “Oh … well, I’ve missed you, Vi. I haven’t stopped trying to find a way to get you out of here. I promise.”
My mouth fell open slightly and I saw Alec stiffen beside me. It didn’t appear as if he’d let his brother in on his plans. I took a tentative step toward him. “Don’t get yourself into trouble, Ansel. I’m okay,” I reassured him.
He looked at me with blazing conviction. I wondered where it came from. Not that I didn’t think he’d do anything and everything in his power to protect me, but I’d assumed he was okay with me staying here … to keep him safe. That was the plan. What changed?
“It’s no trouble.” He shook his head and took a step toward me. “I promised you long ago that I would do anything to keep you safe, and that’s what I’m going to do. You won’t be safe here, not after tomorrow. But …” He looked around the area, then at Alec as if he wasn’t sure he should be saying it in front of him, before bringing his attention back to me. “I have a plan.”
My eyes widened and I closed the gap between us. “Are you crazy, Ansel?” I whispered. “Don’t get yourself killed!”
“So you can sacrifice yourself for me?” he whisper-yelled back.
If there was one thing Alec and I agreed on, it was that we needed to work together to keep Ansel safe. No matter what. Whatever Ansel’s plan comprised, it was against what I’d already agreed on with his big brother.
I grabbed Ansel’s sleeve like a life raft as tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. We’d only met a few months ago, but Ansel was the first and only person to make me realize I wasn’t crazy like everyone said I was. He became a safe haven when it felt like the world was against me and I didn’t have the strength to fight back. Ansel was my lighthouse in the dark sea that had become my world. I couldn’t be the one to place him in danger. He’d already risked so much for me, asking for anything else was just plain selfish.
“Please,” I begged, “don’t do anything stupid.” My voice cracked as I fought back my tears.
Ansel’s green eyes stared into mine, searching for an answer that wasn’t there. At least not the one he wanted. He wanted to be the hero of this story, but that was too bad, because I was.
“I don’t know what’s going on, and quite frankly, I don’t care, but the eyeballs watching us from every direction will see this as a heartwarming moment and think things they shouldn’t,” Alec warned. He stepped closer to us and plucked my hand from Ansel’s sleeve. “Why don’t you head to the dining hall, Vi, and let me have a little chat with my little brother?”
I knew it would be anything but a little chat.
Stumbling backwards, I walked away, painfully ripping my gaze from Ansel. It was a rare opportunity to wander the halls of the castle on my own without Alec, Rook, or even Rosemary trailing my steps. It made me want to sneak around to areas I hadn’t been to, areas that were restricted, but I knew if I did, I’d get caught. It was like Alec had a radar or something. Or maybe it was because I wasn’t a ninja and walked like an elephant. With a rueful shake of my head, I headed straight for the dining hall, sneaking peeks into open doors when the opportunities presented themselves.
“Hey, Dragon!” someone called out. I spun on my heels to see who it was. Jon, one of the Unseelie who had gone on the road with Kazimir and the rest of us, ran to catch up to me. “I knew it was you,” he said when he caught up to me.
I grimaced. “You know I’m not a dragon … right?”
He laughed. “Well, of course you’re not anactualdragon. We all know that.”
“No,” I quickly stopped him. “I mean I’m notthedragon you all think I am, is what I’m saying.”
Jon tilted his head. “You really have no recollection of that day, do you?” he murmured. We stopped walking.
I fidgeted uncomfortably. “I remember the day; I just don’t remember the incident.”
He nodded in understanding. “Had it not been for you, we would’ve been toast.”
I shook my head. “I don’t get it, Jon. You guys are fire elementals. Couldn’t you have, you know, set the wraiths on fire?”
“Just because we have elemental magic doesn’t make us invincible, Lady Violet. You may figure that out one day on your own, but I hope not because that just means you’ll be even more badass than you already are!” He grinned.
I chuckled. “Well, according to half the castle, I’m already badass, thanks to the rumors the three of you spread.”
He shrugged sheepishly. “I’d apologize, but honestly Lady Violet, we’ve been hoping for this for so long. You don’t understand because you weren’t raised here, but this could signify true change in our world,” he whispered the last part.
My brows furrowed. “Change? Change what?”
“The system,” he whispered as if it was the most obvious answer. “The last dragon has returned to us just when we need it most.”
* * *
I laidin bed and stared out into the moonlit sky through my balcony as I tried to fall asleep, but sleep eluded me. So many thoughts invaded my brain that I didn’t know where they began or where they ended. All I knew for sure was that tomorrow was the public showing and my fate teetered on a balance beam.
