Page 128 of The Silent Mountain
More and more, it seems like Shayan’s conclusion is going to become real. “But… why? What’s his intention?”
“I don’t know,” Favia says. “I will take it to Aengus and have him do further research. But this is not good, Favian. It’s dangerous. Make sure to stay on alert.”
“Are we in imminent danger?”
“I don’t think so, not right now, not the dragon clan at least. I am not sure what his goal is. I don’t think he is going to target the dragons solely. He wanted you, the golden dragon, that’s for sure, but he also wanted Azadeh, the Princess of the Sun, and King Endellion, the Ice Wolf King. I can’t read his intentions at all. I just know that I can’t sense him here in this realm at the moment.”
“He must have left for another,” I say. “Which puts another kingdom or realm in danger.” I pause. “Thank you, Favia.”
I watch her dissolve into thin air before allowing my mind to return. The others look at me expectantly, but my serious expression must have given it away. “We need to stick with Endellion’s plan,” I say. “Sooner than later. Alana and I will host the first ball or meeting—however you want to call it—and meet our current allies and any potential ones.”
“What did Favia tell you?” Endellion asks, alarmed.
“Death, in person, is seeking us out,” I say. “His name is Arawn.”
Stefan stares at me. “Are we talking about an actual god here?”
“Yes, but not even Favia can tell me yet what it truly means, but we need to be cautious.”
Alana frowns. “I don’t like this,” she states. “But I am with all of you. We need to be prepared. As Favian said, we will host the first event and invite all our potential allies. The dragons were only attacked recently, so it’s still fresh in everyone’s minds. It makes sense for us to host first.”
“I have nothing to oppose,” Endellion says, his expression somber. Just like me, he is probably realizing the severity of what it means to have an actual god against us, especially not knowing what his endgame is.
“There is no use fretting presently,” Shayan says. “If a major deity wanted to attack us directly, they could have done it, and we would have faced no chance. They are plotting something, and it obviously takes time. Time, we can use to our advantage. We are not unprepared.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know Elio and I saw him,” Alana says. “He knows we were on the island, and he certainly wanted to get rid of us, but maybe he doesn’t know we spotted him.”
“That’s a possibility,” Shayan says. “He was amidst his ritual when you saw him. Maybe this gives us a slight advantage to plan our next steps.”
“So, we will have quite the busy months ahead of us,” Stefan says. “Let’s put our plan into motion.”
forty-one
The King and Queen of the Silent Mountain
*ALANA*
FavianandItryto make as much time for each other as possible. Even with the threat looming over us, we decided to make the best out of our time and not despair. I know Endellion said something similar before he returned home to his kingdom. We have time to plan our next steps, and we shouldn’t rush into any decisions without proper planning. We don’t really know our enemy yet, or what he is after. Important information is still missing, and we have our allies to support and to gather them around us.
I throw myself into preparing for the first ball, while Favian has begun to up the training of our warriors. There have been no more incidents, no creepy creatures, no birds, no spells. The clan is finally able to rebuild itself and regain its strength, slowly but steadily.
Favian has gone to a very early training session today, while I take the opportunity to sleep a bit longer. I have quite some appointments ahead of me and need my strength. That is, until I hear some rustling next to me, startling me awake.
An unknown scent hits me all of a sudden. It’s subtle and clearly covered, but now that I am awake, I can sense it. With a growl, I jump up, ready to attack.
“Please, don’t, Queen of the Dragons,” a calm voice stops me. “I am not here to threaten you.”
My gaze falls on a tall, athletic man in a long tunic that accentuates his body’s frame. He is sitting on a chair, one leg over the other, with his hands folded. He looks ageless with long cheekbones and overall beautiful features. His hair is brown and long, and he wears it down. My gaze wanders to his ears. They are pointed.
A Fae?
“Why again am I not supposed to attack you when you come here and watch me sleep like a creep?”
He smiles at me. “The handsome general or, rather now, beta didn’t disappoint me. He said, you are worth a visit.”
General? He is talking about Shayan!
“How did you even manage to enter?”
