Wings, Beasts and Claws: Amethyst Flame

Ch. 19 : Bloody Garden

*Prince Dorian*

She’s fighting it.

That was the first thing I was able to piece together, though she had made it obvious with how guarded her deep amethyst eyes always were around me. I wanted to understand why, wanted to know what was the reason that was making her struggle so much against the Bond that was already formed between us. And even though she was visibly fighting against the Bond, she couldn’t stop herself from sharing those little things with me. Couldn’t hide her warm smiles, her soft laughter or the way her eyes would light up when she would look at me.

Yet, as the Bond grew with every moment that I spent with her, I was also struck with how strong it was. I wanted to spend every waking moment with her by my side. Craved the sound of her soothing gentle voice. And those deep breathtaking eyes haunted my every dream.

My dragon Erebos was growing impatient too, wanting to be close to her in a much more intimate way. He would shove thoughts and ideas into my head when I'm around her, making it difficult to focus on our conversations. My dreams would become the stage for Erebos' temptations and I'd awake the next day wanting to see her right away.

When I couldn't be around her, stuck accompanying the other Noble Ladies, my fantasies would manifest. I'd begin to wonder what it would feel like to hold her close to me, with my arms wrapped tightly around her slender waist. Guessing what her lips would taste like, wishing I could kiss her right then and there. I'd envision a moment when I would be close to her, my hands caressing every curve of her body, enjoying its softness and warmth. Could almost hear her soft moans, nearly see those amethyst eyes staring back at me with a hunger that mirrors my own. It was slowly consuming me, this need for her. This hunger that kept her constantly in my mind.

But a crazed panic overcame me one day while I was out for a short flight.

I had left my office feeling tense and annoyed that I couldn't go see Amara until my paperwork was finished, deciding to Shift and take Erebos out to stretch his wings. It’s a long but welcome process for a dragon to Shift, with our body melding into our dragon's heart while the rest manifests through a cloud of black smoke. My solid black and scale covered body had been enjoying the sky just aimlessly flying over the forest when a distant cracking sound caught my attention. I dropped lower and found myself over the ruins, my heart stopping cold in my chest as I caught sight of Amara falling over the cliffside.

Erebos swiftly dove towards her, managing to catch her on our back mere yards from the river below. A few stone pieces struck our body and one of our wings, but we brushed it off, more concerned about the trembling woman on us. We had turned to look at her after hearing my name, smiling inside as we took her in.

Her hair was trailing behind her, back-lit by the sun and casting a soft golden glow around her head. Her face was flushed and the corners of her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She looked confused and surprised, seeming to not notice the trembling of her body. Her eyes were wide, those heart stopping amethyst orbs staring back at me with a raging blaze of emotions. And it filled our body with awe just with the sight of her, seeing her look so innocent and angelic as we flew.

I landed near the little picnic that my cousin, nephew and Amara’s brother had been sitting at, letting Arden climb on me to retrieve her from my back. He crushed her in his arms, his face still pale as he thanked me over her head. I simply nodded, unable to Shift back to speak since I would appear naked before them. As I got ready to leave though, Amara turned to face me and smiled, her arms wrapped around herself as her brother stayed close behind her.

Thankfully, the next day was Amara's day to spend with me, giving me a chance to talk to her about what happened.

She thanked me as we walked through the Central Garden behind the main Palace, weaving through the dozens of different paths and through the hundreds of unique flowers. I couldn’t hide the smile that came over me as we pleasantly talked and walked. The many vibrant flowers dancing in the breeze and framing her beautifully. We eventually stopped in the middle of the irises, their deep hues of blue and purple making her eyes glow. As our conversation reached a calm quiet, we stood there among the flowers, peacefully enjoying each other's company.

In that moment I became curious about her amethyst flames, recalling how Calix had said he was able to touch it without pain, yet she was able to hurt the poisoned Knight not long after that.

“I’ve been wondering… how you control your flames.” I finally said, sucking in a breath when she looked back at me.

She took my breath away.

“It’s instinct.” She began, slowly stepping closer to me as her fingers grazed over the flowers beside her. “My grandfather taught me how to control it when I was young, helping me practice so it would all become second nature to me.” She plucked a flower and slowly brought it in between us, raising it slightly as her other hand hovered under it. “I just have to think it or feel it, and it happens.” Her open palm faced the stem of the flower, igniting a small ball of fire that quickly started to scorch the end of the stem, turning it black. “Healing works the same way too, but I have to be completely calm for it to really work.” She lowered the hand that held the flower and looked up at me, a small smile curving her lips as she extended her flame covered hand to me. “You can touch it if you want.”

I reached out, feeling eager to know what it was like to touch this piece of her that she mastered so effortlessly. My fingers went through the fire smoothly and I sighed as a gentle warmth wrapped around my hand. It tingled where our skin touched but the flames themselves felt comforting and calming… It felt like home.

“What else can you do?” I breathed, still playing with the little violet flames. “Besides healing and creating weapons.”

Her eyes were focused on the fire in her hand, her smile growing as she seemed to get lost in the flickering dancing light.

“I can speak to my brother telepathically through it.” My eyes widened with this new information, looking back down at the flames that continued to bring warmth that climbed up my arm and spread across my chest. “Even when he Shifts, I can speak to him through my thoughts… I just have to be touching him directly with the fire to do it.”

“Can you show me?”

Her eyes looked hesitant when she gazed back at me, a faint blush creeping up on her cheeks.

“I’ve never done it with anyone other than Arden.” She admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know if it’ll work with someone else.” She sounded almost disappointed in herself and I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to her, using two fingers to tilt her chin up so she could look at me again.

“Let’s try.” She nodded softly, setting the flower she had plucked on top of the others before turning back to me.

She joined her hands together with her pinky’s beside each other, the small ball of fire growing and spreading to both hands. I then placed one hand in the middle of hers, noting how small and soft they were while she smiled at me once more. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and her eyebrows creased, making me smile at her level of concentration. It took a few moments before I started to feel anything, my mind registering a growing presence beside Erebos.

‘It’s her.’ He told me, stepping aside as I envisioned a bright violet light stepping closer to the center of my mind's eye.

I waited for what felt like a long time, squeezing my eyes closed to keep the image as solid as possible. Then, flooding my body with its sweet soothing sound, I heard her.

‘Can you hear me?’

I smiled, ‘Amara.’

It made my entire day, knowing that she could use this surprising ability with me too. And she smiled and giggled afterwards, seeming surprised herself. Sadly the glee filled moment died down when a flash of something crossed her eyes, and she quickly schooled her expressions and stepped away from me. I could see the clear internal battle that she was waging within herself and I bit back the words that would ask her why she was fighting so hard. Instead, I grabbed the deep blue flower that she had picked, leaning close for just a moment. I smiled as I tucked the stem of the flower behind her ear, watching a bright pink flush spread across her cheeks.

I wanted so much to kiss her in that moment, but I forced myself back, knowing it wasn’t the right moment. Not for her at least, and I didn’t want to push her away.

Of course, I was still questioning myself about that moment. Even now as I sat across from Rosanna during her day with me. Granted, Amara was all I was able to think about, even while I was around any of the other Queeness’. None of them could remove her from my thoughts, no matter what they did or said to me. Amara was always there.

“I hope I don’t sound too full of myself Your Majesty.” Rosanna blabbered, playing with her spoon in her tea cup. “But I am having quite a difficult moment choosing a skill that truly represents me as a woman.”

I continued to ignore her, my mind drifting once again to a pair of deep amethyst eyes. But my focus was broken as I noticed the Guard that was standing behind Rosanna, leaning up against the pillar of the gazebo we sat under. It was that Knight that had brazenly challenged me outside of the Queeness Palace. The one that looked at Amara in a way that boiled my blood.

My mind then began to wonder who he was to Amara, questioning if he had been anything more to her than just a Knight that worked for her family. But a sudden retching sound rang out from the bottom of the gazebo steps, and soon the garden was filled with chaos and bloodshed.

Two of the Palace Knights that had joined us were standing by the stairs to the gazebo, their backs to me as they folded over and vomited. Rosanna squealed while I stood to check on them, by my two personal Knights stopped me, slowly advancing towards the still panting men. Then, as if triggered by something, the two Palace Knights turned and growled at my men, their mouths covered with a dripping black liquid.

Swords were quickly drawn and I tried to make my way towards them to help, but Rosanna screamed and rushed to me, hugging my arm for dear life while her Guard stepped out instead. A moment later another Palace Knight joined in the chaos, his staggering steps and snarls alerting us to his poisoned state.

I had to pry Rosanna from my side so I could draw my own sword and join the others, telling her to stay on the gazebo. But as I turned to jump into the fray, I caught Rosanna’s look of shock and bitter jealousy towards the pure white ribbon that was tied to the hilt of my sword. It was the ribbon that had slipped from Amara’s hair when she fell from the cliffside. Erebos and I had gone back later that night to see what had happened to the ruins and found it stuck to the roots of a plant sticking out of the cliff face. I instantly knew it was hers and chose to keep it as a good-luck token on my sword, noticing the initials ‘A.D’ that were sewn to both ends.

Ignoring her reaction to the ribbon, I helped the others fight the poisoned Knights, ending them quickly.

The Knight Commander soon joined us, taking in their bloody bodies and jotting down anything we could tell him. He had been the lead investigator for the poisonings that occurred during the festival and now that more have been targeted, his own subordinates, more evidence needed to be gathered.

As the day dragged on and I was once again unable to visit Amara, I began to drown in my thoughts, worry consuming me as I tried to ignore what I would be forced to do if Amara were to be poisoned.