“There are others,” Garzum interrupts, desperation creeping into his voice. “Some aged ones among us still, child.”
“I amnotyour child, Elder,” Princesa snaps, sneering as she shifts forward in my arm, nearly slipping free in her fury. “I’m blessed by Arawnoth himself!”
With a single motion, she unclasps the ties of her tunic, fully baring the glowing brand on her chest and neck. The runes pulse like molten coals, a reflection of her righteous fury and my blazing adoration.
Her voice rises, thunderous and commanding. “This is his mark,” she declares, her fingers trailing over the burning runes with deliberate, almost seductive precision. “He chose me to lead your people. I am his blessed daughter—not yours, Garzum.Arawnoth’s!”
Her piercing eyes glow silver, drilling into the stunned Elder Garzum like a laser.
Through our bond, I know Princesa speaks from the heart. Not her usual clever manipulation, but from the fervent fire of her faith. Her devotion to Arawnoth blazes through her soul, stoking her passion like a raging inferno.
The chamber plunges into silence, the only sound the bubbling, sizzling geyser of magma nearby. The crowd holds its breath, every eye fixed on her.
Garzum steps forward, his trembling hand outstretched. Awe is carved into the lines of his weathered face, his gaze locked onto the radiant blessing scorched into Princesa’s chest.
“How...” he mutters, his scarred, wizened fingers brushing just shy of her glowing skin.
Princesa reacts instantly, slapping his hand away with a sharp rebuke.
“Hands off the divine boobs!” she snaps, shaking her head in disdain. “Every time,” she mutters under her breath.
A few gasps ripple through the crowd, but Garzum seems unfazed, his crimson eyes pulsing faintly as if caught in a trance.
“The cycle burns eternal...” he murmurs, reading the scorched runes, his voice thick with awe. Slowly, his eyes lift to meet hers, as if awakening from a dream. “The words... they radiate his heat...Arawnoth himself... This is what he wishes? This is hiswill?” he breathes, before collapsing to his knees. His shoulders shake as pathetic sobs escape him.
Princesa leans closer to me, her voice low but tinged with amusement. “I think I broke him,” she whispers with a short laugh, her eyes glinting mischievously. “I always have this effect on men,” she muses, tilting her head.
I glare at her, unimpressed.
She catches the look and flashes me a disarming smile, her features lighting up her gorgeous, delicate face.
“Not you, of course, Dracoth,” she purrs. “You’re not just a man—you’re my red dragon.”
My lip crooks back at her, overflowing with affection for this strange, maddeningly clever female who’s now mine. Never in my wildest dreams would I have dared to believe I’d find someone like her—beautiful, strong, and relentless. Together, we forge the path to my glorious destiny.
But my reverie is short-lived as Garzum’s pathetic weeping grates on my nerves, filling me with disgust. I glare down at him, my voice hard.
“The Gods have spoken. They bless the future only I can bring.” I turn and gesture sharply to a pair of warriors. “Tend to him,” I command, dismissing the Elder with a flick of my hand.
Two Magaxus warriors step forward and hoist Garzum to his feet, guiding him to sit among the crowd.
All around, the warriors’ faces are awash with awe, their gazes drawn like znats to the blazing runes on Princesa’s skin. Whispers ripple through them like the magma below. “It’s Arawnoth’s will,” some murmur, reverence lacing their tones.
Yet, as I glance at Princesa, a flicker of trepidation stirs within me. I remember her words—hergift. She spoke of a human tradition to demonstrate commitment.
The bigger, the better,she had said with a teasing smile.
The thought gnaws at me.What if she rejects my offering?I force the doubt down, but it lingers—a shadow amidst the blazing light of triumph.
Would she truly turn her back on me if I failed?
With a deep breath, I quell the loathsome fluttering in the pits of my stomach.
“To honor my Mortakin-Kis in the custom of her people!” My voice booms, echoing off the molten caverns. “I gift her this diamond.” Sweeping my arm wide, I gesture to the two Magaxus hunters stationed expectantly at one of the tunnel entrances.
Princesa gasps, peering up at me, her face beaming. “Ack, you shouldn’t have!”
A strange sentiment, considering shedemandedthe offering.Human females truly are incomprehensible creatures.
