Then she laughed.
She tried stifling her laugh, cupping her hand over her mouth. Her eyes crinkled and an unrefined snort came from her nose. Pointing a finger at me, she asked, “You? The mage meister?”
“I don’t understand what you’re laughing about.”
“You can’t be him. He’s supposed to be the most powerful fae in Thesnan. He’s practically Cardell’s king. Feared and revered by all who lay their eyes upon him.”
“You’re looking at him,” I said, puffing out my chest.
Her laughter grew louder. She didn’t bother hiding it. “No, no. That can’t be.” She wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Why do you find it so hard to believe?”
“Because,” she said, gesturing at me, “look at you.”
“What’s wrong with me?”
“You’re a mess. You let yourself get dragged around by someone you call a cherub, allow yourself to be gawked at by the dryads, and you keep clicking your fingers like a madman to no avail. The meister wouldn’t be this helpless. He has the strongest magic in the fae realm.”
“There’s something odd with the winds today.”
“And now you’re speaking in nonsensical, cryptic terms.”
“Look,” I said, finally getting up. I pinned the woman with a glare. “I’m the mage meister, believe or not, and there are undead creatures I saw in the meister orb. I have to take care of them before the matter gets worse. Keeping me here is keeping me from my quest, and if I can’t finish what I set out to do, the fae lands will be in danger.”
She pinned me with a bored expression. “Really.”
“Yes, really.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I don’t see why. I can’t be lying.”
She gave me a pinched stare, then said, “Nah. You’re not going to win fights with undead creatures. Not with how weak you are.”
“I am not weak. I just need to get my magic to work again.”
“Are you bluffing? Are you some kind of lunatic who has convinced himself he’s the meister, perhaps? You can’t lie, so this is the only explanation.”
“I could simply be telling the truth. I’m not a lunatic.”
“That’s what a lunatic would say.”
I groaned, running my hand through my hair. This woman was unbelievable. I couldn’t stand the way she talked down to me. It was new, yes—I hadn’t been talked down to ever since I got my position—but even though I wanted new, this didn’t feel good at all. “I need to get my powers back. At the very least, if they don’t come back, I’ll need to warn the dragon fae of the teramarth. I have to go back to Cardell.”
Her face whitened as soon as I mentioned going back. “I’m not returning with you.”
“We’re bound. You have to.”
“No, I don’t. And I never will. I’m not returning to that place ever again.”
I frowned. “You’re dragon fae, aren’t you?”
“Not anymore.”
I pointed at her ears. “You look just like us.”
“I renounced that identity. Now I’m just Alyxe. Some unimportant girl who stays in the dryad forest, minding her own business.”
“It’ll be a short trip back. I’ll get myself fixed in Cardell, then I’ll let you go back to your solitary life here. I’ll even forgive you for pushing me around so rudely.”
“No. Decision’s final. There’s a reason why I’ve stayed out here for this long.”
“And what’s that?”
She sniffed, then folded her arms across her chest. “Are we going to stand here arguing all day, or are you going to be a good boy and follow me home? My house is right there.” She gestured down a dark path. “And I’m really craving some pixieplum tea and dinner. I haven’t eaten since lunch.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but my stomach grumbled right after. “Dinner, you say?” I guessed I could stay for dinner. After that, I was somehow going to have to convince her to return to Cardell with me. Either that, or my powers had to return soon so I wouldn’t be this useless.
Alyxe had spun around. She was striding off before I gave my consent.
“You want to hit the magic wall again?” I asked. “Why are you walking off?”
“I don’t,” she said. “Which is why you better hurry and follow.”
“Fine, fine.”
“Good boy.”
“Don’t call me that.” I was far from being a boy.
“Just like how you shouldn’t call me cherub. Or any other stupid nickname.”
“Nicknames sound pretty. And they fit you, I think.”
“If you don’t behave, you won’t have food tonight.”
“Are you being serious?” I asked, cringing. Was she really going to address me as if I were some hound?
“I can keep this up the whole time you’re stuck with me.”
I grimaced. “Alyxe, was it?” That name was uncommon. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on where I’d heard it.
“Yep.”
“That’s what I’ll address you as from now onward, then.”
“I’d appreciate that. Looks like we’re getting off on a good start.”
“If I ignore the fact that your dryad friend knocked me out, and that you kicked me in the balls after dragging me around, then yes, I guess we are.”
I couldn’t see her face well from this angle, but I thought I spotted a smirk.
Thank you for reading!
If you’re interested in learning more about the Soul of a Dragon Universe, check out my reading list below!
Soul of a Dragon Universe
Soul of a Dragon (Prequel to Sera’s Curse)
Obsidian Wings (Book 1)
Shadowed Lies (Book 2)
Fractured Souls (Book 3)
Golden Embrace (Companion novel)
Sera’s Curse (Prequel to the Dragon Fae Chronicles)
Bane of Dragons (Book 1)
Curse of Dragons (Book 2)
Fall of Dragons (Book 3)
Salvation of Dragons (Book 4)
Dragon Fae Chronicles
The Dragon Fae King (Prequel)
Rakarthen Academy (Book 1)
Books 2 and 3 TBA
Secrets of the Fallen
Demons and Sin (Book 1)
Depths of Hell (Book 2)
Ashes of Heaven (Book 3) (Coming Soon)
Goddess Academy
Goddess Academy (Book 1)
Waking the Goddess (Book 2)
The Goddess Quest (Book 3)
Goddess Wars (Book 4)
Reign of the Goddess (Book 5)
About Clara Hartley
Clara Hartley's work schedule is not unsimilar to a vampire's. Artist by day, writer by night, she tries to scramble whatever time she can to jot down her stories. Because that isn't enough to whittle away her creative energies, she likes to spend her free time doodling her characters, or painting worlds.
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