Page 15 of The Silent Mountain
“We’ll need to look into that,” he says, before letting out a sigh. “I guess Stefan was right, and we need a witch here.”
“You are going to hire a witch?” I ask, completely stunned. A witch brought so much despair and death to the dragons and traumatized Favian more than one can imagine.
“I can’t ignore what my people need,” he mutters.
“I will make sure to keep an eye on her once she is here,” I promise. “Werewolves are used to working together with witches, and in the royal pack, we have a pack witch, a very powerful one. I’d trust her with my life.”
“I know,” he says. “It’s the one thing I am putting my hope on, the fact that she didn’t betray you.”
“Not all witches are bad,” I promise him. “Most of them are good.”
“I know that too,” he says.
“It’s incredibly impressive that you are putting your own feelings aside and deciding to look for a witch to live here,” I say, truly amazed.
He must have sensed my admiration for him because he sighs. “You are giving me too much credit. Let’s return,” he says. “It’s a bit cold.”
We climb down the lengthy staircase in silence, not sure how to overcome the usual awkwardness between us. It was easier before, when I acted on instinct and worry, but now it’s back to just being weird. If only I wouldn’t always overthink everything.
Once I am back in Favian’s chambers, I startle at how warm they are. I hadn’t even realized how much I was frozen up there. My whole body is tingling slightly now that it’s warming up again. Favian mind links a servant to bring us some tea before we settle down in his living room. It doesn’t even take ten minutes for our fresh, hot tea to arrive.
“I feel like we should go to bed,” I chuckle. “That would certainly be the mature decision.”
“Good thing we are adults and have no one to tell us when it’s bedtime,” he jokes.
I laugh while sipping at my tea. “Say,” I look at him curiously. “Can I ask something?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Who is Favia, exactly?” I ask. “Our fellow shifters say she is the impersonation of your dragon, your dragon’s soul if it had a body aside from you, but I know that’s not it. She is not you.“
“You are right; she is not my dragon. In fact, she doesn’t have much to do with my dragon at all,” he tells me. “It’s just simpler to explain it that way to outsiders. My fellow dragon shifters know the truth, and you at least know part of it. The golden dragons before me, who were equally blessed, never bothered to explain anything to outsiders.”
“In a way, your species has always been very distrustful,” I say quietly.
“That’s true,” he admits.
I look at him. “I have time. No matter how complicated it is, you can tell me.”
“Favia is an ancient dragon deity,” he explains. “Even if she weren’t with me, I would still have my dragon, which is why she and my dragon aren’t the same person, but in a way, the three of us did merge. In our myths and legends, there are several deities who are reborn over and over again whenever a golden dragon is born to the royal lineage,” he explains. “Once a golden dragon is born, one of the deities is sent by our god, Aengus, and blesses us with their power. When I was born, Favia answered the calling. Favia uses my body as a vessel, albeit she turns it into a female version of it, but she isn’t me. She is a deity residing in me. Yet, in a way, she is also me because she doesn’t have a body in the mortal world without my existence.”
“So, in a way, you could say it’s like I’d have a wolf spirit and then an additional personification of my goddess?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says before casting me a thoughtful glance. “Now it’s my turn. Can I ask something?”
“Of course.”
“Would you tell me about her?” he says. “The person you lost. I know she was a warrior, the gamma of your pack and was well-liked. But I would like to know more about her.”
“I feel like it would be disrespectful.”
“To her?” He wants to know.
“No, to you,” I admit. “I… you will think I am crazy, but it feels like no matter what I do, I am betraying someone.”
“I don’t feel betrayed,” he says. “When we met, I knew exactly what you lost, and you knew what I just went through. I was actually relieved you didn’t want to jump into a relationship right away.”
I swallow thickly. “She was my best friend,” I explain. “We grew up together. As little children, we spent every free minute with each other. I never imagined a life without her in it. She was the only one who believed me when I said that I saw a dragon as a child. Everyone thought that dragons went extinct at that time, but I saw one.”
