Page 49 of The Silent Mountain
“So, it escaped from his own realm?” Aza wants to know.
“Unlikely, Princess of the Sun,” he says. “It’s impossible for it to enter this realm so easily, unless…“
“Unless someone helped it,” Shayan concludes.
“But who?” I ask.
“I don’t know that yet,” Cù Sìth admits.
Favian is quiet for a moment. “Alana,” he finally says. “We talked about this before, but please contact the witch you mentioned.”
“The witch?” Aza asks curiously.
“Erin,” I tell her.
“Oh, I really liked her!” Azadeh exclaims. “You won’t regret asking for Erin’s help. She was amazing with me and helped me so much.”
Her words seem to put Favian’s mind even more at ease.
“You are accepting help from a witch,” Shayan says quietly. “That shows great strength.”
“I agree,” Stefan says, finally involving himself in the talk. I assume he wanted to be polite and let us chat first. “We have Cassie, but a mentor for her clearly will prove to be essential to solve this case at hand.”
“That’s why I agreed to invite Erin,” Favian says shortly.
“Your people will thank you for this in the long run,” Cù Sìth comments into the silence.
Favian sighs deeply. “I hope so.”
Again, silence engulfs us, everyone brooding over the topic. We don’t have any answers yet, just questions, and every incident leads to even more questions. The silence is disrupted by the door opening and Elio rushing inside.
“Azadeh!” he yells. “You are here!”
“Goodness, Elio, is that a way to greet our guests?” Favian reprimands him with a frown.
Aza just smiles, though, and gets up to hug Elio. “I am so happy to see my favorite dragon prince again,” she says.
“I am sorry,” Elio says. “I interrupted your meeting.”
“Not at all,” she reassures. “And after what we went through together, there is no need to be formal with me.”
Elio turns around and looks at Favian with his huge, innocent eyes. “Can I stay?” he asks.
Favian sighs and pinches his nose while Elio beams happily. Shayan just tosses Favian an amused look. “If someone had told me that the Dragon King, of all people, spoiled his little brother rotten, I would not have believed it.”
“Wise words are coming out of your mouth as usual, warrior,” Cù Sìth comments, not aware how hilarious his comment truly is. “Because even a blind chicken would be able to tell how much Favian loves his little brother.
“I am not spoiling him,” Favian mutters.
Stefan looks like he is suppressing a grin. “If you say so, my king,” he says.
With the little banter, the atmosphere eases slightly. Shayan takes it upon himself to stay with Elio and humor him, though I secretly think that he enjoys this type of mentor role. He looks serious and intimidating, but he is surprisingly soft when he talks to children and young adults. He even introduces Cù Sìth to Elio. Obviously, the teen is fascinated by that imposing creature.
Seeing his brother well-tended to, Favian relaxes even more and goes right back to work. With my help, he chooses two warriors and sends them to Erin with a letter that Azadeh and I write together. It’s truly a wonderful coincidence that she is here.
“Now that’s done.” Aza takes my hand. “It’s time to show you what type of gift Kilah sent you. She is currently traveling, but she told me that when I visit you, I need to take her gift along.”
“Awesome, I am hoping for the best,” I admit.
