Dragon's Bride

Chapter 9

Mia’s POV

“Fire! Fire in the library!”, Molly’s scream echoed through the staircase. I jumped out of my room and ran upstairs. The corridor was filled with suffocating smoke. Finally I reached the floor where the library is. It was engulfed by red flames and black smoke. The heat burned my cheeks. I grabbed and hugged the distraught cook. Luke came soon after me. Corbus was already inside. He swung his arms, shouted some enchantment and water sprang out from the tip of his wand. After a minute the fire was extinguished and the smoke was clearing out of the room through the opened window. I walked inside with Luke looing at the destruction. The library, the only place in the whole tower that I came to love was destroyed like everything else in my life.

“Where’s your brother, Luke?! WHERE’S KAI?!”, screamed furious. I ran back to my room distraught and hid my face in the pillow, crying my eyes out. After some time I heard a commotion outside my room. Kai must have returned. I opened the door in anger. I was right he was just about to open them himself.

“How could you!”, I shouted. I was mad.

“I didn’t do anything! I was flying around! I wasn’t even in the tower!”, he said. He looked a bit like a sad puppy but I knew exactly what he was.

“You put the library on fire and flew off, that’s what you did!”, screamed Corbus somewhere in the distance.

“Do you really think that if I put the library on fire I would’ve just ran away like a fool?!”, shouted Kai back at his father while at the same time he walked into my room. Luke stood behind him.

“Close the door!”, shouted Kai at Luke who of course didn’t even move. “Are you ok?”, he whispered to me. I slapped him hard across his face. Luke whistled in amazement.

“How could you but it down?!”, I screamed in his red face.

“I didn’t do it!”, he screamed back.

“I don’t believe you! And all just because I read a book about dragons?!”

“I didn’t do it!”, he repeated.

“Then who did? Luke?”, I said crossing my arms across my chest.

“Maybe.”

“The fire was red! How… how… gullible do you think I am, Kai?! I’m not stupid!”, I shouted stomping my foot hard on the floor.

“I know it wasn’t me. Maybe Luke. Maybe he used a candle or a match instead of his magic. Same effect! The flames are red not blue like his.”. Kai took a step forward. I took a step back.

“Or maybe Corbus did it, or Molly, or I and I somehow don’t remember it.”, I mocked him.

“It wasn’t me, Mia! I have self-control, you know!”

“Oh, really?! Because the way you treated me in the forest or the bathroom proves that you don’t!”, I mocked him again. He took a step back and turned red again. Flames covered his handsome body. I didn’t care. I wasn’t scared of him.

“That’s different!”, he screamed furious.

“No, it’s not! You’re reckless, arrogant, selfish, proud, cruel, stupid…”, tears started filling my eyes. Luke came into the room slowly.

“I’m not stupid! I wouldn’t risk facing my father’s wrath by burning down the whole place for a stupid book!”.

“I trusted you! I thought we were bonding! I started to… like you, but you destroyed the one place I love about this fuckin… PRISON! You burnt it all down! I HAT…”, before I could finish the sentence, Luke ran across the room at the speed of light, covered my mouth and disabled any movement with the other hand. Kai was as white as snow. Instead of fighting his brother and getting him off me, he crumbled to the ground gasping for air. Corbus ran into the room and grabbed him off the ground and dragged out of the room. Luke held me tight, slowly squeezing the air out of my body. My arms, waist, ribs and lungs hurt like hell. I squealed and kicked but that was pointless. Black dots started dancing in front of my eyes and I soon fell into darkness.

When I awoke, everything was cold and quiet. The door was closed. Luke sat on my bed looking at me with pure hatred. Startled, I jumped up to my feet. He stood up, too. He grabbed my by my throat. His hot, strong fingers wrapped around it, squeezing tightly. His whole body was engulfed by blue fire.

“If you ever say these words again in front of my brother, if you even think of hurting him, I’ll kill you, slowly, painfully. You’ll beg for death and mercy and you won’t be given any till there’s nothing left of you.”, he hissed in my face. I was terrified. He left and I dropped to the floor shocked and hurting.

Kai’s POV

“Kai! Kai, look at me! Are you in pain?!”, said father. He was shaking my shoulders looking in terror at my face. I was sitting on the floor of my room with my back against the wardrobe. I didn’t make it to the bed.

“No.”, I answered. The pain, the stabbing pain in my heart disappeared after a while.

“I’m cold.”, I added. I felt like my dragon fire was put out by a waterfall of pain, fear and death. I felt empty. Everything around me was hazy. I didn’t register anything that happened. I didn’t even notice when Luke came in or that he was on fire.

“Get up, little brother.”, he said dragging me to my feet. He helped me get to the bed. He sat next to me, with his hot arm around my shoulders.

“Drink this.”, he said. After a second I registered what he said, grabbed the flask and without even asking what’s in it, took a sip. It was whiskey. The strong taste and heat exploded in my throat and flowed down, deeper into my body. I felt much better.

“You’re not out the woods yet. I suggest you drink a bit more, put on some nice music, game or film, whatever, to get your mind off what happened. Tomorrow you’ll feel as if nothing happened.”, he said calmly.

“Did you destroy the library?”, I asked and looked over at him. He smiled like an innocent kid. It was him. “I need to speak with her.”, I said and stood up suddenly but my legs failed me and I soon dropped to the bed.

“Better leave her alone for the time being. She has some stuff to think about.”, he said coldly.

“What?! What did you say to her?!”, I was furious! I expected the worst. I felt the anger rush up my body and hit my head like a wave hits the rocks. Normally, I would be on fire, literally, but this time, nothing happened. I was too weak.

“Nothing, brother! Do you always have to think the absolute worst of me?”

“Well, it’s your fault! You burned down the library!”

“All because you failed to see the danger of her reading about us. You didn’t want to take any action so I did.”, he said standing up and looking down at me.

“I did! I told her…”

“Words mean nothing. It’s actions that matter. You said something but DID NOTHING!”, he crossed his eyes.

“Well, thanks for nothing brother. She knows anyway.”, I said hanging my head. My head, teeth and eyes hurt like hell. Luke walked over to the door, ready to leave.

“Maybe it’s for the best. It will be easier to kill her now than later.”, I looked at him shocked. How could he think such a thing?! Kill Mia?! Kill my beloved chosen for me by the gods themselves?! Kill my heart?!

“She knows your secret, your WEAKNESS. The sooner you get over with it the better. That’s what I would do if I were you. End this childish game and move on. There’s plenty of fish in the ocean.”, he said. I stood up and with all the energy left in my body, without even thinking about it, I let out a ball of fire in his direction, letting out a huge scream of pain out of my lungs. I would never hurt Mia! My father conjured a counter curse which stopped the fireball from hitting its target. I fell exhausted to the bed. Luke left smiling.

“He might be right.”, said dad walking over to me and sitting next to me. “I don’t want to hurt Mia, I don’t but if it comes to choose between you or her, I will choose you, my son.”, he said and left quietly leaving me alone in my room, weeping over the future, the choice that was coming closer and closer.