The Witches Dragonbond

Chapter 15

The past two weeks had been truly. grueling.From the moment the dragon arrived, the rebellion had worked tirelessly to prepare for the battle ahead. Scouts had been dispatched daily, slipping through enemy territory to gather intelligence on Derek’s forces. Sir Darwin and Callum spent long nights hunched over war maps, planning the best way to strike without endangering the hostages. Every soldier trained harder, sharpened their weapons, and steeled themselves for the bloodshed to come.

But for Evelynn and Eric, the preparation meant something more.

It meant magic.

It meant mastering the force that bound them together—the prophecy that had been set in motion the moment they had first combined their powers.

And that also meant training with the dragon.The beast had taken them to the farthest reaches of the forest, deep into an ancient clearing where magic pulsed in the very air. There, beneath the boughs of twisted oaks and amidst the shimmer of fireflies, Evelynn and Eric had pushed themselves beyond their limits.

At first, it had been nearly impossible. Evelynn’s fire and Eric’s ice clashed violently, the elements rejecting one another as if refusing to coexist. More than once, an explosion sent them tumbling in opposite directions, bruised and breathless, as the dragon observed in silent judgment.

“You are fighting each other,” he had rumbled on the third night, his golden-green eyes piercing through their frustration. “Not the world around you. You must not force your power to bend—it must intertwine.”

Easy for him to say. They thought.But Eric, ever the strategist, had taken the words to heart. The next day, instead of hurling ice directly into her fire, he changed his approach. He let it drift, allowing her flames to curl around the frost, molding into something new. Evelynn followed his lead, holding back instead of overwhelming.

And for the first time, it worked.

The fire didn’t consume the ice, nor did the ice extinguish the fire. Instead, they merged—flames glowing a brilliant blue, ice laced with shimmering gold. Together, they created something neither could summon alone.

The dragon had given a slow, approving nod.You are learning.”

From then on, they trained relentlessly. They practiced in the dead of night, pushing their abilities to the edge, exhaustion and bruises becoming a familiar presence. They learned to shield, to attack, to weave their magic into something fluid and devastating. Each time they faltered, the dragon pushed them harder, reminding them that hesitation on the battlefield meant death.

Evelynn could feel the magic shifting inside her, a presence that was no longer just hers alone but shared with Eric. It was exhilarating. Terrifying. Binding.

And yet, in those moments, she found herself drawn to him in ways she couldn’t explain.

It wasn’t just the magic—it was the way he looked at her when she faltered, offering his hand without hesitation. The way his eyes softened when she doubted herself. The way, after every session, he would pull her close, resting his forehead against hers in quiet reassurance.

It felt inevitable.

Fated.

And that terrified her more than anything.

Now, as Evelynn sat in the rebellion’s camp edge restringing bows beside Jasmine and Dain, she could still feel the phantom heat of Eric’s touch from their last training session. The way his fingers had lingered just a second longer than necessary. The way his breath had ghosted over her skin when he had whispered, We can do this. Together.

But tonight wasn’t about training.

Tonight was about war.

The camp buzzed with quiet tension, soldiers making their final preparations. Weapons were polished, armor adjusted, arrows counted and recounted. The scent of oil and steel hung in the air.

Jasmine worked beside her, hands deftly checking bowstrings, while Dain sorted the remaining quivers.

Axel, however, stood a few feet away, arms crossed, gaze unreadable.

Evelynn had known Axel long enough to recognize when something was wrong.

“Evelynn,” he said suddenly, his voice quieter than usual.

She glanced up. “Yeah?”

He hesitated before nodding toward the edge of camp. “Can we talk? Alone.”

Jasmine shot her a questioning look but said nothing, returning to her work.

Evelynn wiped her palms against her trousers before standing. “Yeah.Sure.”

She followed Axel past the rows of tents and flickering lanterns, out into the cool night air. The stars above shone like distant beacons, a sharp contrast to the dark reality they faced come dawn.

Axel came to a stop near a cluster of trees, exhaling sharply.

“I don’t know really how to say this,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Evelynn frowned. “Just say it.”

He looked at her then, his blue eyes filled with something raw.

“I know what the prophecy says Eve,” he murmured. “I know what you and Eric are supposed to be bond by fate.But I don’t care.”

Her breath caught.

“I’ve been with you through every fight,” Axel continued, voice tight. “I’ve watched you grow, watched you struggle, watched you become this incredible person. And I—” He clenched his fists. “I love you, Evelynn.”

She stared at him, stunned into silence.

Axel took a step closer. “I don’t know if I should’ve told you. Maybe it’s selfish. But if tomorrow is our last fight, I won’t go into it without you knowing exactly how I feel.”

She should stop this. She should tell him that the prophecy had already chosen her path. That she and Eric were bound together.

But when Axel reached for her, she didn’t pull away.

Instead, she let herself sink into the moment—the warmth of his touch, the familiarity of him, the way her body reacted before her mind could catch up. And when he kissed her, she let him.

It was different from Eric.

With Eric, there was something inevitable, something that felt like surrender.

But with Axel, there was history. There was comfort. There was the unshakable knowledge that he had always been there for her.

When they finally broke apart, her head spun.

Axel searched her face. “Say something.”

Her voice came out hoarse. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

Hurt flickered across his features, but he masked it quickly. “I’m not asking for anything, Evelynn. I just needed you to know.”

She turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. “This… this doesn’t change things.”

“It doesn’t have to,” he said, though his voice was tight. “But if it does, then maybe it should.”

A heavy silence stretched between them before Axel finally took a step back. “Get some rest. Big day tomorrow.” His voice was lighter, but something in his eyes was guarded now.

Then he turned and walked away, leaving Evelynn standing in the moonlight, her heart warring with itself.

The prophecy had bound her to Eric.

But tonight, Axel had reminded her that fate wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

And for the first time since this all began, she wasn’t sure if the prophecy was right at all.