Chapter 148: Fire In The Field, Chill In The Heart
>>Aelin
The wind carried the scent of char and sun-warmed stone.
I had only meant to take a quiet walk — to clear my head, to prepare for the meeting that would begin in less than an hour. But as I wandered into the outer corridor of the palace — the one that curved like an arc around the highest slope — I stopped in my tracks.
Below, in the vast, scorched training grounds, the world was on fire.
Not with destruction, but with power. Intention. Control.
Draegon was there, bare-chested and gleaming in the golden afternoon sun. A thin shimmer of hardened black scales lined his arms and shoulders like armor forged from his very skin, refracting violet in the light. His purple eyes were sharp, focused — completely locked onto his sparring partner.
Vesper.
She stood across from him, fire trailing like whips from her arms, her half-serpent form coiled with strength. Red-gold scales shimmered up her back and throat, catching light with every twist and strike. When she spun, it was with liquid elegance, like the fire obeyed her without thought.
They moved together with terrifying grace — fire curling between them, explosions erupting in short bursts as they collided again and again.
And neither of them flinched.
Fire was in their nature.
I stayed hidden in the shadows of the corridor, tucked behind a tall pillar, watching with an uneasy silence.