Elara's POV
Celestine's lightning crashes into the cave wall inches from my head.
"MOVE!" Azrathion roars.
I dive sideways as another bolt shatters the rock where I was standing. My untrained magic explodes in panic—silver fire erupting everywhere, wild and dangerous.
"Control it!" Azrathion blocks three Council mages with a wall of black flames. "Focus, Elara!"
But I can't focus. My sister is trying to KILL me. Twelve mages are attacking. The cave is collapsing. And my magic is as wild as my terror.
"You were always pathetic," Celestine laughs, dodging my scattered flames easily. "Even with stolen dragon power, you're useless!"
Her lightning whips toward me again. I throw up my hands instinctively—
And the silver fire forms a SHIELD.
The lightning hits it and dissipates. Just... disappears.
Celestine's eyes widen. "Impossible."
"Nothing about her is impossible," Azrathion says. His voice drops to something deadly. "She's a Dragonheart. And you just made a fatal mistake."
"What mistake?" Celestine sneers.
"You threatened what's mine."
He transforms mid-fight. One second he's a man, the next he's the massive dragon again. His tail sweeps through the cave, smashing into the Council mages. They scatter like leaves.
"Retreat!" one mage screams. "It's the Dragon King! RETREAT!"
But Celestine doesn't retreat. She stares at Azrathion with hunger in her eyes.
"If I capture you," she breathes, "the Council will make me Archmagus. They'll give me everything."
She raises both hands. Lightning gathers around her—more than I've ever seen her create. More than should be possible.
"She's going to collapse the cave!" I shout. "She'll kill us all!"
"She doesn't care," Azrathion says grimly. "She only cares about power."
The lightning releases in one massive burst—straight at the cave ceiling.
Rock explodes. The entire structure starts collapsing.
Azrathion grabs me with his dragon claws—careful not to hurt me—and launches through the falling debris. We burst out of the cave into the night sky just as the whole canyon collapses inward.
I look back and see Celestine flying out on wings made of lightning. The other mages aren't as lucky. The cave swallows them.
"She killed her own people!" I gasp.
"Collateral damage," Azrathion says darkly. "That's what the Council calls it when they sacrifice their own."
He flies harder, faster, putting distance between us and Celestine. But I can still see her lightning in the distance, chasing us.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"Somewhere safe. Somewhere the Council can't track us."
We fly for what feels like forever. My body aches. The mark on my chest burns. But I hold on because falling means dying.
Finally, Azrathion descends toward another canyon—this one deeper, darker, hidden in mountains I don't recognize.
He lands in a cave and immediately transforms back to human form. Sets me down gently.
"We're safe here," he says. "This place is shielded by ancient dragon magic. They can't find us."
I collapse against the cave wall. "How long until they stop looking?"
"They won't." His voice is grim. "The Council will hunt us until we're dead or captured. Especially now that they know I'm free."
"So what do we do?"
"We train you. We grow stronger. And then we burn their entire corrupt system to the ground."
The casualness with which he says it should scare me. Maybe it does. But mostly I feel something else.
Agreement.
"Good," I say. "Because I'm done running."
He looks at me—really looks at me. Then smiles. "There's the fire I felt in your soul."
My legs choose that moment to give out. The adrenaline crash hits hard and suddenly I can't stand.
Azrathion catches me before I hit the ground. "Easy. You pushed yourself too hard."
"I formed a shield," I say weakly. "I actually did magic. Real magic."
"You did." He carries me deeper into the cave where blue crystals grow from the walls, giving off soft light. "Your body is adjusting to the awakening. But it takes time. You need rest."
He sets me on a flat stone that's surprisingly warm. The cave is comfortable despite being underground—the crystals seem to generate heat.
"How long will I be like this?" I ask. "Weak and useless?"
"You're not useless." He sits nearby, watching me with those golden eyes. "You survived a fight with your sister and twelve Council mages. Most trained warriors couldn't do that."
"I barely survived. You did all the real fighting."
"We fought together. That's what the bond means." He touches his chest where the mark is. "Your strength is my strength. My strength is yours."
I touch my own mark. It's warm under my fingers. "I still don't understand this bond thing."
"You will. Rest now. We'll talk more when you wake."
"I'm not tired," I start to say.
But my eyes are already closing. The exhaustion is too much. The fear. The fighting. Everything.
"Sleep, little flame," Azrathion's voice seems to come from far away. "I'll keep watch."
"You better," I mumble. "If Celestine kills me in my sleep, I'll haunt you forever."
His laugh is the last thing I hear before darkness takes me.
I wake to complete silence.
No. Not silence. I can hear breathing. Steady. Deep. Close.
I open my eyes and see crystal light. The cave. Right. We're in the hidden cave.
I sit up and immediately feel different. Stronger. My body hums with energy instead of pain. The mark on my chest pulses warmly but doesn't hurt.
"You slept for two days."
I jump and spin around. Azrathion sits against the cave wall, watching me. His golden eyes glow faintly in the dim light.
"Two DAYS?" I check myself frantically. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"Your body was adjusting to the awakening. Forcing you awake would have done more harm than good." He stands and walks over. "How do you feel?"
I take inventory. Everything feels... different. Better. Like I'm fully in my body for the first time ever.
"I feel strong," I say, surprised. "Really strong."
"Good. That means the first stage of awakening is complete." He offers his hand. "Can you stand?"
I take his hand and stand. No dizziness. No weakness. I feel incredible.
"What do you mean first stage?" I ask. "There are more?"
"Three stages total. Each one unlocks more of your Dragonheart power." He's still holding my hand, studying me. "You'll know when the second stage begins."
"How?"
"You'll start feeling my emotions more clearly. Hearing my thoughts. The bond will deepen."
I pull my hand away. "I don't want to hear your thoughts."
"Too bad. It's part of the package." He doesn't seem bothered by my reaction. "The bond makes us stronger together. But it requires trust."
"I don't trust you."
"Smart. I'm a dragon who was imprisoned for three centuries. I'm angry. Dangerous. Probably not entirely sane." He smiles, showing those sharp teeth. "But I won't hurt you. That much I can promise."
"Why should I believe that?"
"Because hurting you hurts me. Literally." He touches the mark on his chest. "The soul-bond goes both ways. Your pain is my pain. Your death is my death."
I touch my own mark. "So you're only keeping me alive to save yourself."
Something flashes across his face. Hurt? Anger?
"I'm keeping you alive because three hundred years ago, I failed to protect the woman I loved. I won't fail again."
The raw honesty in his voice makes my chest tight.
"I'm not Lysandra," I say quietly.
"I know." He looks away. "But you're still worth protecting."
We stand in awkward silence for a moment. Then my stomach growls. Loudly.
Azrathion's expression shifts to something almost amused. "Right. Food. You haven't eaten in two days."
"How am I supposed to eat? We're in a cave in the middle of nowhere!"
He walks to the cave entrance and looks out at the sky. "Wait here."
"Where are you—"
He transforms and launches into the air before I can finish.
I'm alone in the cave.
For about five seconds, I consider running. But where would I go? The Council wants me dead. My family disowned me. I don't even know where I am.
Besides... Azrathion saved my life. Multiple times. Maybe he's arrogant and possessive and probably insane. But he's the only ally I have.
I sit down to wait.
Twenty minutes later, he returns in human form carrying a dead deer.
"You hunted," I say stupidly.
"You need protein. Your body is building new muscle to handle your magic." He starts preparing the deer with efficient movements. Clearly he's done this before.
Within an hour, meat is cooking over a fire he created with his breath. The smell makes my mouth water.
"I should probably mention," I say, watching him, "I have no idea how to survive in the wilderness."
"I gathered that." He hands me cooked meat on a flat stone. "Eat. Then we start training."
The meat is delicious. I eat until I'm full, which takes a lot more food than usual.
"Why am I so hungry?" I ask.
"Magic burns calories. Dragonheart magic burns even more. You'll need to eat constantly until your body adapts."
"Great. I'm going to get fat."
He looks at me like I'm insane. "You're going to get powerful. There's a difference."
After eating, he makes me stand in the center of the cave.
"Show me your fire," he commands.
I raise my hands and concentrate. Silver flames appear immediately—controlled, steady, exactly what I pictured.
I stare at my hands in shock. "It's working. Actually working."
"Of course it's working. You're not sealed anymore." He circles me, examining. "Now make it bigger."
I push more magic into the flames. They grow.
"Bigger."
Bigger.
"Hotter."
The silver fire turns white-hot.
"Good." He nods approvingly. "Now put it out completely."
I close my hands and the fire vanishes instantly.
For the first time in my entire life, my magic obeys me.
I start laughing. I can't help it. Twenty-four years of failure and suddenly I can do REAL MAGIC.
"This is amazing," I gasp. "This is—"
"Just the beginning," Azrathion interrupts. But he's smiling. "Ready for the real training?"
"Yes. Absolutely yes."
"Good. Because I felt something while you slept." His smile fades. "The Council is moving. They're gathering their strongest mages. And they're coming for us with everything they have."
My laughter dies. "How long do we have?"
"A week. Maybe less." His golden eyes meet mine. "We have one week to make you dangerous enough to fight back. Think you can handle it?"
I remember Celestine's face as she tried to kill me. Remember Maven's betrayal. Remember my father throwing me away like garbage.
"Make me dangerous," I say. "Make me powerful enough that they'll regret the day they tried to destroy me."
Azrathion's smile turns predatory.
"That's my girl."