Page 73 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
I feel like exhaustion is settling in. It was a long night with the ball, exciting and beautiful, and then I connected to Favian again, giving me an adrenaline rush, but now I just feel it all catching up to me. There are more voices surrounding me all of a sudden. I’m sure I can detect Flinn’s sarcasm and Caelan’s grumbling, and then there are warm arms who scoop me up all of a sudden.
I find myself leaning into the broad chest, and I can swear I hear a content growl rumbling through it.
twenty-four
Dragons
*ALANA*
Ican only stare at my family in shock, and to my utmost surprise this is the first time I feel really connected to Kilah, because she looks equally dumbfounded and shocked. I’ve woken up to the biggest mess ever. The plan was to go look at the horses and then train, but my father called me in for an emergency meeting.
All my siblings are here, but also Aylin, our mysterious witch, General Shayan, Tynan, Royan and Ita. All ranked members are around.
It seems it was Azadeh’s wish for Eibhlin, Nevyn and Kilah to be involved too, or my father would have left them completely in the dark. To be frank, as someone who was left in the dark too, I would have hated for them to be left out further.
Bless her, she truly has a heart of gold.
“And you haven’t told us about this because…?” Kilah wants to know after our father has finished the whole story about a potentially crazy deity roaming around and targeting our lands, the weird ass prophecy and, furthermore, the secrets surrounding Azadeh. I thought it’s just a gift of protection she has, but she can connect to the dream world, and she…
“Dragons,” I mumble, fighting against an approaching headache. “So I am not crazy?”
“Why haven’t you told us about it?” Kilah demands to know.
“Kilah,” Flinn huffs. “Chill! We didn’t know either until a few days ago!”
“She isn’t wrong though,” Endellion intervenes. “She has a right to be upset. We were upset, too, when we were finally told.”
Flinn sighs and rolls his eyes, but lets the issue drop.
Eibhlin, meanwhile, is looking at one of her dolls with a frown. “Difficult times are coming,” she mutters quietly, more to herself than to anyone else. “And a tough decision.”
“What?” Caelan asks, confused.
Eibhlin flashes him one of her creepy smiles. I love my sister, but she can be scary sometimes. “Nothing,” she says.
“I’m not crazy,” I say once more. “I’m not crazy. I thought I was, but I am not…”
Of course you weren’t crazy,my wolf, Ros, huffs.
“For all that’s worth,” Dad says quietly. “We truly didn’t know that there was a chance the dragons were still alive.”
“You dismissed me the moment I talked about it, without giving it a second thought, just because I was a child.”
Ita was the first one to believe me, and for a long time, the only one, until Aza came and claimed she believed me, too.
Dad looks at me for a long while. “That’s true, and I’m sorry for not believing you. I know this doesn’t help you now, but we were truly convinced that dragons didn’t exist anymore. I still should have tried to understand you more.”
I rub my temples. “And now?”
“Now we need you to remember as much as you can,” he says.
I furrow my brows. “It’s so… blurred.”
Maybe it would help to return to the place this happened to you?” Aylin asks.
“That is not a bad idea,” Flinn agrees.
Our father furrows his brows. “There is actually a little village that was attacked recently, very close to where you and your mother stayed back then. The plan was to send Tynan and Ita to investigate, but seeing how you progressed in your training…” He pauses. “I was thinking about sending you along as well.”
