Page 124 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“A witch.” Elio nods. “A witch was with her at first. She bound our powers and killed many of us. She wanted Favian, because he is a golden dragon, the only one who still exists. But Favian hibernated. He hid in his own mind and slipped from her grasp. His body alone isn’t worth anything. They need him awake. I think she bound him with a medallion, though. So, his mind can’t completely slip away.”
“They can’t reach him while he is hiding away in his dreams,” I mutter. “Elio… do you have a sister too?”
“No,” he shakes his head.
“Do you know another dragon shifter, a female one, named Favia?” I ask him.
Again, he just shakes his head. “I’m sorry, no.”
“Then how about you try to describe the witch to me,” Aylin offers. “Anything you know… Her appearance might not be crucial, as she can probably change it, but small details are important… tattoos, runes… jewelry.”
“Like that tattoo of an eye?” he asks.
“An eye?” Endellion asks, appalled. “She is a cultist!”
“If she is that powerful, she is probably leading it,” Aylin claims.
“That’s where Shayan is…” Tynan breaks the silence. “That’s where he and Royan went. Quinn mentioned they were about to meet a witch.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Quinn tries to reason. “They could be somewhere else. It’s true they went to research the cult, but it doesn’t mean they are at the heart of it.”
“Beta,” Tynan says seriously. “I know they are there. I don’t know how… but my gut feeling… I know it isn’t much, but-”
“It’s okay,” Endellion reassures him. “It’s a lead, and we will certainly follow it. Hopefully, it will lead us to your mate and our other Gamma.”
*ENDELLION*
I brush my fingers over Azadeh’s face when we settle for the night. “You should sleep in tomorrow,” I offer.
She turns in my arms, smiling at me. “You worry too much, my prince.”
The last two days have been wearing on Azadeh’s nerves. She has spent a lot of time with Elio and Aylin, trying to figure out where Favian is currently being kept, and where the witch is hiding. Together with Quinn, they have tried to reconstruct the path Shayan and Royan took after leaving the town at the border.
On top of that, Alana hasn’t woken up yet, worrying us more. It seems like her inner organs have taken a bigger hit than we thought, and while Aylin is sure that she will recover, she doesn’t know when and how.
Ever since we met Elio, a lot more has come to the surface. Finally, we have answers to our most urgent questions, though more questions have arisen as well. Something else struck me though about his story. The dragon shifters struggled to a point they almost became extinct. It’s true that they had battles beforehand and fought with each other - the reason as to why is still unknown to us - but the fact an outside force almost wiped them out of existence, and no one helped them, saddens me.
Aza is exhausted, too, and her dreams are coming back with much force. One night I had to stop her from climbing out of the window, ending in Aylin putting incense and other herbs in our room to stop Cailleach or rather, the woman in white, from entering her mind.
“You still look worried,” Azadeh’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
I wrap her in my arms. Her smell is divine, everything about her is. I can’t believe how lucky I am that she chose me, that she fell in love with me.
She reaches out her hand to touch my cheek. “I can’t wait to carry your mark,” she says, almost like she can read my thoughts.
For a moment, Caspian comes forward, her words spurring him on. “And we want to place it on your neck as soon as possible.”
“I’m ready when you are, Caspian,” she says. “But, I think for Endellion it’s important to do this properly. He wants a marking ceremony, and he certainly wants Alana and his mother to be there for it.”
Caspian grumbles a bit, but eye to eye with our chosen mate, he can’t stay stubborn. Instead, he wraps her tighter in his arms, starting to kiss her neck. I let him, as I didn’t have much time to let him out recently. We both chose Azadeh as our mate, and he is entitled to have some privacy with her.
He rolls on top of her, pressing her down into the mattress while kissing her neck. “You will carry our mark here,” he growls. “Soon.”
Aza wraps her arms around his neck. “Yes,” she smiles. “Thank you for choosing me as your mate, Caspian.”
Caspian is clearly happy with her answer, retreating to let me take the lead again. I pick up where he started, eagerly kissing her before moving my lips over her neck and further downwards. I push her nightgown up, my hands brushing over her naked thighs. My hands keep roaming her body, and for a moment I’m scared this will be too much for her. But she doesn’t seem to mind. Instead, she curves her back, moving into my touches.
“Tell me when to stop, princess,” I smirk while slipping beneath her nightgown and kissing the inner side of her thighs.
