Page 18 of Song of the Shadow Prince
“This isn’t just any woman, Damien, and you know it. Finding her is what your father fears most, which is why he took away your dragon bones before you could shift for the first time,” he chided. “There have not been mated dragons since the first four dragon eggs were found in Elaria many centuries ago.”
I raised one brow. “You said the fae were the ones who found the four eggs, right?” I knew much of the history, but our origins were a bit hazy with different accounts from different people.
Uncle Bai nodded. “The fae found four dragon eggs here in this volcano on Obsidian Reach, and they carefully nurtured them and prepared them to hatch.” He paused and looked up, exhaling a wistful sigh. “We once enjoyed a close relationship with the fae. Unfortunately, the fae are a cruel species, and as rulers, they weren’t any better.”
“Is that when we teamed up with the humans?” I asked.
“Yes. The twin flame mark began to appear on the dragons, but also on the humans. Their matching marks paired them up as mates and the bond gave them special abilities,” Uncle Bai explained. “These humans could be our riders, fighting in battle with us. Together we were unstoppable. It was how we defeated the fae.”
“But why is my father afraid of the mark?” I asked the question that had plagued my mind for many years, since it first appeared on my forearm when I turned twenty.
Uncle Bai cleared his throat. “As the decades passed, we noticed the mark was showing up less and less, until finally it stopped. That was when the seer told the dragon emperor that the next time the twin flames appeared, it would reveal the one true king and true dragon.”
My eyes widened as I leaned forward, my elbows on my knees. “Uncle, you never told me that part before!”
He sighed. “I didn’t want to alarm you, but I see you losing hope with each passing year, and after everything with Gianna, I feel like you’re giving up. But Damien, listen to me, you cannot. You are—”
“I don’t want to be emperor, much less a king!” I interrupted, my voice echoing off the volcanic rock walls. That was one thingI knew as clear as the day I was born. I’d never vied for the throne.
Uncle Bai watched me closely, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized every nuance of my expression. The dim light cast eerie shadows on his face, making his age lines appear deeper. His gaze locked onto mine and I met it head-on, refusing to blink first. I was resolute in my feelings on the matter.
Uncle Bai finally nodded, a slow, deliberate movement. “Good.” A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I worried you might have been tempted.”
I shook my head firmly. “No. You know I’ve only ever wanted three things. One, for my dragon bones so I could be a full-fledged dragon. Two, the return of my heart scale so I am protected. And three, I want out of this prison.” I gestured to the volcano’s dark, oppressive walls. “I want a quiet life away from palace politics, war, and family squabbles. They can remove my name from the family registry and I won’t care. I’ve never had the wealth or status that comes with being a third prince, and I don’t need it now or ever.”
Uncle Bai’s eyes softened, though his voice remained firm. “Damien, I swear to the old immortals and new, that you will have what you wish for. You just need to be patient. If your father learns you found your dragon bones and survived the retrieval, it will only confirm the prophecy given by the seer many centuries ago.”
I frowned, confusion etching lines into my forehead. “Why?”
Uncle Bai’s expression darkened. “Because your father threw your bones into an active volcano. No one could have survived the retrieval without burn scars, yet you returned… unscathed. Don’t you understand the significance of what you did?”
I spent a decade searching for my dragon bones before learning my father had thrown them into Pyrepeak Volcano, a place where no one would dare to recover them. My unclewarned me against taking the risk, but I felt incomplete without them. I would rather die than live without them for all eternity. When I returned to Obsidian Reach in my dragon form, my uncle looked at me differently, but I never questioned it. Now I understood.
“Why don’t you want me to be emperor?” I changed the subject to give me time to process the weight of the revelation. The prophecy seemed contradictory to what I had been told. Why did Uncle Bai stay by my side all these years?
“It’s not about what I want, Damien, it’s about what you want. And I know that ruling Elaria is not where your heart lies,” he said softly, his voice carrying a tone of paternal care. “Why would I force something like that on you? The weight of the crown is a heavy burden to bear.”
“What if she never shows?” I asked, looking down at my booted feet, the leather worn from years of wear. “It’s been seventy-five years and I haven’t found her yet.”
“She’s out there, Damien. She must be,” Uncle Bai reassured me, his tone unwavering. “And when you find her, everything will make sense. With her by your side, your father will have no choice but to grant your freedom. And with it, you can leave Elaria and never look back.”
It was the deal my father and I made when I turned twenty and the mark showed up. It was the first time I’d met my father, and it also happened to be when he extracted my dragon bones. He was a cruel man, and I realized in that moment just how much he hated me. But we struck a deal: if I ever found my twin flame, he would free me from my prison. And to make things fair, he allowed me out of this cage once every month for that chance to find her. It was a slim chance, barely any hope at all, but a chance, nonetheless. He doubted I’d ever find her, and most of the time I did too.
I tightened my jaw and clenched my hands, the leather of my gloves creaking under the pressure. “What if she’s like Gianna and doesn’t want to leave Elaria?” I peered up to look at my uncle, my voice betraying a hint of desperation.
He sighed, a long, weary sound that echoed in the grand hall. “That’s a bridge you’ll have to cross once you get there. Don’t put obstacles in your path before they’ve arrived.”
I chuckled bitterly. “Right. Uncle, have you ever regretted it?” I watched his reaction closely. He raised a bushy brow in question. “Going against your own brother,” I clarified. “When I was born and exiled, you decided to go into exile with me. Why?”
Uncle Bai watched me intently, his gaze searching mine for something unspoken. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unasked questions. After a few tense seconds, he spoke, his voice soft but resolute. “It’s what your mother would have wanted, Damien. She would have wanted someone here to protect you. You did nothing wrong. No matter what your father says, her death was not your fault.”
I grimaced and looked away, my eyes focusing on the flickering shadows cast by the lava below. “That’s not what he says,” I murmured, my voice barely audible.
“Ignore him,” Uncle Bai said, his voice firm. “My brother loved your mother deeply… perhaps too deeply. Her death… changed him. He wasn’t the same afterward.”
The air felt heavier than ever, the weight of our conversation pressing down on me. The smell of charred rock and the acrid scent of sulfur filled my nostrils, grounding me in the reality of my situation. Flickering light from the lava cast long shadows on the stone walls, making the space feel both vast and claustrophobic. Despite the warmth of the dried lava, a chill settled over me, a reminder of my isolation and the burdens I carried.
“Uncle,” I began, my voice steadying. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But I need to know… if there’s truly a way out of this. I need to believe that my future isn’t just a continuation of this prison.”
