Page 17 of Cursed with the Dragon Prince
She remains nervous, yes, but beneath that, I sense a wonder and intrigue. She’s curious to learn all that she is.
My own curiosity makes my throat tighten. Her embrace was… unexpected. Recalling it makes my heart race, but it’s no longer the thrill of the dragon’s rush. I’m beating with something new. An…affection.
Her poise amazes me, and I want to worship the ground she stands on. I’ve never had cause for such exaltation before—I was born to the dark days of the clan, the curse starting when I was a faeling. Not many years later, my father made our situation worse. I’ve had little reason for hope, but Reina has changed everything.
It’s dangerous to become attached to Wisp’s Blessed One. I should worry that I’ve become smitten.
She’s smiling even now, despite Scorpia’s gruff greeting, as she follows Kaliyah from the hall. And when she looks back at me, rounding the corner, her face flushes as she meets my gaze. I nod encouragingly, telling my lovestruck heart that I must stay behind—I need to let her go and trust Kaliyah will care for her.
Hope is a powerful thing, and upon facing Scorpia’s scowl, I understand why I’ve never dared feel it.
“Don’t be stupid,” my aunt warns, seeing the adoration in my eyes.
I don’t reply—I can’t. My aunt has her reasons to say that, and they’re scarred upon her arm. Scars I can never undo.
Thermae
Reina
I follow Kaliyah, my skin prickling as Drakon’s gaze trails after me, and when I glance back, our eyes catching, I catch him memorizing me.
The sensation is hard to shake, but I train my focus on Kaliyah. Drakon wouldn’t leave me in her care if he didn’t trust her, and besides, she’s easy to trust. A calm demeanor radiates from her, her sapphire scales cooling the warmer tones of her skin. Drakon called her their leader.
“Elder Kaliyah,” I address her with a bow of my head.
“Please call me Kaliyah. We have no titles, not since our last king.” She is quick to correct me. “I lead our clan, but I have not completed the ascension rite. You, however… you could be our queen, should you choose to end our curse and survive the rites.”
“What do these rites involve?” I ask, nervous about what is expected from me.
She shakes her head. “The rite of Wisp’s throne is a mystery that only our monarchs know. A secret none have shared. All I know is that should you attempt the trial, you’ll sit upon the throne, and that if you survive, you’ll rise as queen.”
“Survive?” I ask, my voice quivering.
She is silent for several seconds before answering, “It is a dangerous thing, to sit upon Wisp’s throne, so before you canattempt such a thing, you must strengthen your dragon form by the rite of swimming in the magma of our great caldera.”
“Won’t I burn?”
“Not as a dragon, once you learn to master the form.”
I swallow. Two rites. A swim in the caldera followed by the mystery of Wisp’s throne. She’s right—my survival can’t be taken for granted.
Nevertheless, she smiles. “If you choose to leave, nobody in our clan will stop you—we are willing to succumb to the curse, becoming the last of our clan. We will not force these trials upon you.”
I’m quiet as she leads me through the tunnels. Our travel is reminiscent of my dark journey the day before, but everything is different. The light is low, but my shifted eyes have adjusted to darkness.
The floor isn’t rough but instead worn down by countless feet over countless centuries. Carved doors line the walls, junctures splitting to other tunnels, some of them walled closed. If Kaliyah did not guide my way, I would become lost. We pass archways leading to large chambers, some of which are storage or community spaces, but most are empty, dusty, and under-furnished. Once again, I see that this cavernous system is too large for the current clan.
Kaliyah stops at a set of large wooden doors and pushes them open. Steam wafts across the threshold, warming me as my scales glisten in the mist. She leads me across the threshold.
The thermae is an enormous cavern filled with naturally heated pools. The tallest of the hot baths line the back wall, water falling from their ledges, forming a second tier of smaller basins. Water also slides down these walls, pooling into a third and final hot spring that fills the bulk of the chamber. The water gleams in hues of aqua blue.
Stalactites drip from the ceiling, the cavern textured on every surface, as soft shadows form under fae lights hidden inside crevices. The space is barely illuminated, too dark for human eyes, but the effect is welcoming.
Kaliyah leads me down a side tunnel, revealing several private bathing chambers to the side. She shows me how to use the flowing water, hands me a bathing suit, and leaves, indicating I should use the shower to clean my skin before entering the pools.
When she closes the door behind her, I’m alone for the first time since waking.
I strip, removing ruined clothes, to find my body in a cleaner, healthier condition than it has any right to be. I have been thrown into the sea, crusted with sea salt, and covered with sand. My skin was flaky and dry, my feet torn and bloody.
