So Be It

Chapter 7

He didn't show up.

Maalik looked up around the room and for a moment felt stunned. He wasn't there.

“Lord Maalik,” Julian's irritating voice called to him again and with droopy, disinterested eyes, he stared at her. Medium face, unremarkable eyes, skin covered with makeup to hide her imperfections and hair… it was obvious that it had taken her hours to make it look that way.

Irritating.

There was no beauty in Julian and that was what irritated him most. How the hell did Nielant let himself be blinded and given in to this petty, average-looking thing?

“If you'll forgive me, miss, I'm…busy” he said in a scathing tone dismissing her as he ignored her outstretched hand. She wanted to dance, he knew.

He knew because thoughts of her were clearly exposed in their common eyes. He knew because like a fox he could hear them, but there was nothing Nielant there.

Where the hell is he? She found herself questioning. His amusement at balls like this was to torment him, and soon... soon he would be going to the royal ball and the hunt and it would be young Tempest and not Nielant who would be there. He would be the irritating, haughty young draconic who would lose in combat even to a mortal.

He knew the last time Julian and Nielant had met had been humiliating – as on many other occasions – but was that really enough? There were so many rumors about them that Maalik wondered where the gossip began and the truth ended.

Nielant looked stupid. Too stupid to even remember how different he was in his childhood.

Merciless, smiling, imposing. Nielant was like a dragon reborn.

Proud, superior in beauty, and mighty as a god who walked the earth, but with so little... he became a second-rate Cerberus, a puppy that runs after a deadly piece of meat.

"Are you looking for him?" Rephel questioned with a smile on his rosy lips.

“My favorite target,” Maalik replied, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"Not that I'm surprised, but I don't think Prince Nielant will come to a ball in his territory," the blonde insisted, leaning against the wall as he watched everyone dance.

"He never let it stop him," Maalik reminded him, crossing his arms and Replhel chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"Missing the prince, Maalik, dear?"

"Maybe," the fox replied, his lips curling into a smile.

"Then you'll be happy to know he's going to the royal ball, unlike other years"

The duke's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"He will go?"

Rephel laughed mockingly "are you in love with the baby dragon, Maalik?"

The fox held back his laughter, throwing his head back "who knows, can I possibly fall in love?"

“If that happens, I'll believe in the ancient gods with all my strength, as it will surely be a miracle” Rephel joked, looking out the window towards the moon “but the rumors are so interesting that I almost felt like joining you and torment young Nielant”

"The priestess?" Maalik laughed.

“And the fact that I haven't looked for Lady Julian in two weeks,” Rephel said, looking away from Julian who danced with a mortal young marquis as his eyes chased Maalik.

"Two weeks?"

“Yes, rumors began to surface that he was too embarrassed, but as soon as he expelled and threatened the marquis and then turned up at a gathering of nobles in Tempest territory, the rumors were gone. There are even some who claim to have enjoyed Nielant's presence.” The words were barely out of Rephel's mouth and Maalik already had a flea behind his ear.

Was this some stupid idea Nielant had or had he really woken up to life? His curiosity was such that the duke just smiled at his friend who whimpered before taking the cup he had in his hand and giving him cover.

Before any of the guests noticed, Maalik was gone. Jumping over the window, balcony and castle walls he ran, fast as any other of his kind. Fast enough to cover all territory that belonged to him and part of the territory that separated them from the Tempest within 5 minutes.

15 minutes later, he was sneaking through Nielant's bedroom window, but it was empty. He didn't sleep, which somehow didn't surprise the duke, so he carefully slid the body from window to window until he found the tower's open window – the one that overlooked a beautiful library of mahogany and dark oak.

The Fireplace was lit and the fire did not crackle like mortals. The bluish fire looked like bluish waves warming around it, and sitting in a large armchair in front of the fireplace was Nielant. Asleep with a glass of wine in his hand.

“Dumb,” Nielant grumbled as his eyes snapped open. His free hand ran over his chest as if checking to see if his heart was still beating and he sighed for a long time looking into the fire.

Something in Maalik's chest seemed to burn.

Had he given his heart to Julian?