Page 67 of The Silent Mountain
“You are not saying anything,” Elio mutters. “You are angry, aren’t you?”
“I am certainly not happy,” I say.
“I just feel so useless,” he admits quietly. “I just wanted to do something.”
“Heading right into danger and following an unknown threat into the ocean was not the way to go. If Alana and I hadn’t come, worse could have happened.”
“I know,” he says quietly.
“You symbolize hope,” I tell him. “You are the only prince we have in these lands. The dragons are used to a big royal family, and you and I are what remain. No matter how hard and tiring it is sometimes, we have a role to play, responsibilities to follow and a position to consider.”
“But can’t I do it all?” he asks. “Be the sweet prince, a good example and also help? You are the king, yet you go out of your way to make sure everyone is safe, and every problem is attended to.”
I rub the bridge of my nose with my index finger in an attempt to think this through. I would hate if something happened to him, but at the same time, I understand his wish to help. While I think his studying is enough, especially since he went through so much already at a young age, I don’t want to stand in his way when he wants to do something for the clan.
“You get one chance from me,” I finally give in. “Mess it up like today, and I will go back on my word.”
Elio stares at me. “Did you just say yes!?”
“With conditions, and it doesn’t mean you can neglect your studies.”
“Yes!” he blurts out, throwing his arms around me to squeeze me. “I won’t disappoint you. So, what can I do?”
“Seeing how Barbara is currently sick, I need someone to help Cassie and the new witch. You get along well with Cassie, and she isn’t scared of you. It might be a good combination. Also, it might be useful for us to know more about witchcraft ourselves.”
“I will do that,” he says, full of enthusiasm.
“You will need to train more, as well,” I add thoughtfully.
“You will let me join the warrior training?” he asks.
“Yes, Theodor is going way too soft on you.” I shake my head, amused. “Training with him won’t bring you on.”
“He really is,” Elio says with a grin. “I told him the same. When I followed the birds, I noticed how bad my stamina is.”
“I noticed the same. You should have gotten further than you did,” I say bluntly. “Alana is currently training with Ludwig. Her forte is her agility and her stamina. You can learn a lot from her, while Ludwig has practiced his technique with me. He is becoming one of our best. I will add a couple of more promising warriors to that training. We aren’t a lot of warriors, so I will need to handpick my most promising ones. I would like for my brother to prove himself in the same training.”
“You are not joking, are you?” Elio asks.
“No, why would I?”
“I can’t believe it,” he mutters.
“So, what’s your answer?”
“Yes, of course it’s yes,” he exclaims. “Only an idiot would decline such a chance! I will become your strongest warrior. Just watch me!”
I look at him, amused. “I will be curious to see how far you will come. I am hoping for you to become strong enough to not only be an elite warrior but also to be one of my advisors. At the moment, I rely solely on Stefan. It’s too much for one person to carry.”
Elio nods his agreement. For a moment, silence blankets us as we both follow our own trail of thoughts. “I can’t remember them,” he says all of a sudden. “And now, Maggie is gone too. She was my only connection to the past.”
“Do you mean our parents?”
“No, I remember Mother, and I loosely remember our father. He didn’t pay much attention to me anyway. But I mean our siblings. I just can barely remember.”
I feel a lump in my throat, well aware of what he is going to ask next. “You were too young when everything went down,” I say.
“Not that young,” he says.
