Touch of Flame

Ares and Ankine had searched the gloomy west mountain for the witch, but they had never found him. Instead, they went back home, sad and discouraged. Ares awoke the next morning with another sharp pain in his chest after having some strange nightmares again. He clenched his teeth and attempted to disregard the pain, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

A knock on the door made his head turn. "Come in," he called, and soon Tenzing stepped inside.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Good morning," Ares replied getting up. "Am I late?"

"No. I wanted to have a word before we start the day." He spoke in a serious tone.

Ares breathed through the discomfort in his chest. "Go ahead."

"Last night..." he began and Ares tensed. The man saw him. "What you saw, it is not what you think."

"What do I think?"

"I respect Nazneen, and I do not wish to come between you two."

"There is nothing between us."

Tenzin narrowed his eyes.

"My time here is short. I will eventually need to go back home so it is good that Nazneen has you by her side. I hope you can be there and support her all the way through," Ares added.

Tenzin, perplexed by Ares' remarks, merely nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"Is there anything else?" Ares asked, wanting him to leave so he could keep the pain out of sight.

"No." Tenzin excused himself and left.

Ares let out a pained breath. He waited the pain out, got dressed, and then went downstairs to have breakfast.

"Ares, what happened? You never wake up late." Jonathan said, who sat at the table with the rest and Nazneen. They had all almost finished their breakfast.

"I was tired," he exclaimed as he sat down. The servants placed food in front of him, and he could feel Nazneen's prying eyes on him.

"We were just helping Nazneen with her speech," Eric beamed. "It will be exciting to see those who applied for the trials."

As they chattered about the preparations, a messenger came with a message. He gave the envelope to Nazneen and she opened to read the letter. Everyone wondered what it was about.
"It is from King Malachi. He is sending Ravina and Saul here to help us." She looked surprised.

Ares' men looked at him with surprise and worry. After all, Ravina was the woman they had expected him to bring home.

"When are they coming," Ares asked calmly.

"Tomorrow."

He just nodded and proceeded to eat.

After they were done eating, they began to prepare for the trials and while Ares reviewed the paperwork, Noah came to him. "Will you be alright with Ravina here?" He whispered.

"Yes," he said without tearing his gaze from the papers.

"You don't seem alright. You look... tired." Noah was now concerned. "Are you getting worse again?"

He probably thought it was the dragon blood. Ares just wanted to tell him but there were prying eyes now. He needed to talk to Noah. The man was his family so he needed to talk to him about his death and how and where he wished to be buried. He also wanted him to take care of the loved ones, he would leave behind.

"Let's discuss that later," he told him.

When the time for the trials came, Nazneen came out to meet the contestant, now ready with her speech that was revised with Eric and Jonathan's help.

As she stood in front of her people, delivering her speech and welcoming them to join the trials for selecting court members, her eyes slowly widened with horror. Her face turned pale and he could see her body tremble slightly.

Ares, who was standing nearby, followed her gaze, and a middle-aged man standing among the crowd. Dark hair, a pale complexion, and a pair of dark blue eyes that gleamed with mystery.

Not dragon? Human?

Ares wondered why Nazneen looked so frightened of the man, but as he looked at him, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Nazneen's voice faltered, and she struggled to continue her speech. Ares quickly stepped forward, trying to block her view of the mysterious man and provide her with some reassurance. He continued the speech on her behalf, giving her time to recover and gather her thoughts.

After the speech, Ares guided Nazneen away and motioned for Noah, Tenzin, and the messengers to take over and start the trials.

Nazneen followed him, her body still stiff. He took her inside and then grabbed her arms, turning her to him. "What is wrong?"

She shivered. "It is him."

"Who?"

"The... the witch."

Ares frowned. How? The witch was an old man.

"The one who cursed you?"

She nodded.

"Was he the one with blue eyes?"

She nodded again.

So who did he meet? Or was that just a disguise?

"Don't be afraid. I won't let him do anything to you." He told her.

Nazneen looked up at him. "Why is he here?"

Oh. Could it be because he had looked for him? "I will find out," he said.

"No!" She grasped his arm desperately. "Don't go near him."

And then suddenly she pulled him back, placing him behind her, as a chilling air filled the room. The witch appeared out of thin air.

"Stay where you are!" Nazneen hissed.

The man held his hands up. "I am not here to fight."

"Of course not. You would lose a fight so you can only use your dirty tricks."

The man chuckled.

Ares tried to step forward, but Nazneen held him back.

"I came here to take part of the trials and join your court."

"That won't happen," Nazneen spat.

"Nazneen?" Ares tired to take over but she held him back.

"Don't get involved." She told him.

"I think he is already involved," the witch spoke. "He is your adviser. Shouldn't you listen to him?" He turned his gaze to Ares.

Ares hesitated for a moment, weighing the situation. Nazneen seemed adamant about not letting the witch join their court, and he could understand why. But he couldn't deny his own curiosity and the desire to find out what the witch was up to.


"Fine," Ares said, stepping forward despite Nazneen's attempts to hold him back. "If you want to join the trials, you'll have to prove yourself just like everyone else. And if you fail, you leave and never return."

The witch's smile grew even wider, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Very well, I accept your terms."