Dragon Arisen: Dragon Cursed, #3

1

Lily

Ihad myself positioned so my back was flush up against the rough bark of the largest tree I had ever seen. It was so wide it would have blotted out a car, and so tall it seemed to be touching the sky with its branches. It wasn't the only one, either, which was part of what made this forest so utterly magical.

I'd happened upon the forest after a particularly rough bought of training with Declan about a month earlier, and it had quickly become my favorite place.

The enormity of the trees made me feel so small, but in a way, that was oddly comforting. Like I was in a world all my own, despite the fact that I was only a ten-minute walk away from Valaport.

The ground beneath my feet was covered in a thick, rich moss that felt more luxurious than any carpet I'd ever come across, and I'd picked up the habit of sneaking away to curl up for naps when nobody needed me. There was one spot, in particular, a little nook nestled in the midst of several large tree roots that I particularly favored. It was peppered with tiny white flowers I'd never seen on Earth, just one of many new things I'd had to get used to over the past three months.

Three months.

It had been three months since I'd made the decision that would change the entire course of my life. Three months since I had used myself and my future as the leverage I needed to help bring my mother to safety.

In less than a year, my life would change in a way I would never be able to take back. Even now, it hardly felt real, and thinking about it made my chest feel like someone had just filled it with lead. I sank to the ground, all of the fun in the game of hide and seek I'd been playing with Declan pretty much gone. It wasn't like the game was really a game, anyway. It was only one more part of my training.

Everything I did these days was part of my training, and when I thought about that, I felt even more glum. When I looked up at the small fragments of the sky I could see peeking through the branches high above my head, I saw the fat, gray clouds that had rolled in to wipe out the sunshine.

Even the sky knew I was feeling conflicted.

Lily! You can come out now! That was very good. I’m impressed, really.

Speak of the devil, I muttered to myself, then instantly felt guilty for calling him a devil. It wasn't exactly his fault I'd agreed to marry him. It had been the only decision I could make, the only way to try and help my mother out of the blood contract created by Declan’s father.

Talk about a lot of responsibility! And it wasn't like it was the only thing I had to worry about.

Ever since I'd first fallen into the schism and discovered that there were entire worlds outside of my own, I'd learned more and more about my role in their protection, and it wasn't a small one. After what seemed like an impossibly short amount of training, I had been tasked with keeping not only the kingdom of Onifall safe but all of the other worlds as well. It fell on my shoulders to create the enchantment that kept the worlds safe, and I had been doing it well—or, at least, I hoped so.

Still, the anxiety, the newness of everything I did, was exhausting. When I thought about the life I'd led before that day at Galveston beach, it seemed like it belonged to somebody else. I felt more like a century-old woman than an eighteen-year-old. Part of me mourned the youth that had ended so abruptly, but there was a part of me that relished it, too.

There were massive amounts of responsibility, but there was awesome power, too, and the more I learned to harness it the more awesome it became.

Lily, Declan called out again, his voice losing its playfulness and starting to sound annoyed. Honestly, you beat me this time. It’s time to come out now. We’re not done with our training. You know that, right?

Come and find me! I called out in a voice barely above a whisper, my body giving a little shiver of excitement despite the dark turn my thoughts had taken.

I rose to my feet, my body primed to take off, knowing that Declan would appear around the corner of my tree any moment. I knew why he sounded so prickly, and it made me smile.

Nobody could ever accuse Declan of being a gracious loser, that was for sure. When we'd first started doing this part of training, he'd beaten me every time. The whole point of it, the whole point of engaging in what I considered to be adults playing a children's game, was to teach me to use parts of my abilities I hadn't tapped into yet.

For one thing, Declan had been teaching me how to relocate myself. It was like something out of a superhero movie, and I was still pretty tickled with myself for getting good at it. The basic gist was that I closed my eyes and imagined a place, concentrating on it so hard that I felt like I was there. If I concentrated hard enough, when I opened my eyes, that was the place where I would be. I couldn't travel great distances, so not up to Earth's surface or anything like that, but shorter distances were becoming less and less of a bother.

Thanks to relocation, I had gone from just outside Valaport’s gates to my spot in the forest in the blink of an eye.

The other thing Declan was trying to foster in me was something less magical and more practical. He wanted me to become stealthier, able to hide from anyone, and able to sneak up on anyone, too. He was trying to prepare me for battle, although he wouldn't tell me who he thought the impending battle would be with or even if it would happen at all.

Lily, seriously. This isn’t funny. There are soldiers waiting for us. This part of training is concluded.

Fine, if you say so. Big baby. I mumbled that last part under my breath, pretty sure he wouldn't see any humor in it, and came out from my hiding space.

Immediately, I let out a shriek of surprise and mingled delight.

There he was, so close to me that all it would have taken was for me to get up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. He'd tricked me, and the grin on his face let me know that he was pretty pleased with himself for doing so.

Hey! I shouted, punching him in the arm and hoping he couldn’t see how red my face had become. Not fair!

Of course it’s fair, he laughed, an uncharacteristic mischievousness in his eyes. I got you to come out, didn’t I?

Well, sure, but—

And that was the aim of the game, was it not?

"Um, okay, fine, but it was still cheating. It was cheating the spirit of the game."

The spirit? I don’t know anything about that, Lily. I just know I won.

Whatever. You won. I’m still getting better, though. Don’t you think?

You are. It seems that you’re able to carry yourself further than before.

A lot further!

That doesn’t mean you can become complacent, though. Surely you must know that. Becoming cocky right now would do both you and Onifall a great disservice. Never forget what you are, Lily, and what kind of importance you hold for this world and all others.

And just like that, Declan’s playful side was back on its shelf. I had no idea when I would see it again. He was such a serious man, so serious that the rare times in which he allowed me to see his other qualities felt like little treasures for me to cherish.

Despite our rocky start, I liked him a lot, even if I didn’t really want to marry him. He was as dark and brooding as a guy could get, but there was a lot of good in him, too.

I saw that good, and even wondered if I might have been able to fall for him if it weren’t for Cade.

Cade. The thought of him was worse than any ache I’d ever imagined.

No, I whispered to myself, shaking my head quickly and taking an unconscious step away from Declan.

No what? Did I say something wrong?

What? No! No, I’m sorry. I was just thinking. My head kind of went away for a minute.

I see. Is it something I should know about? Something that might need my attention?

No, nothing like that. Just thoughts wandering, you know? No big deal.

If you’re sure, he said in a low, uncertain voice with just a hint of suspicion. I suppose you know your own thoughts best. Anyhow, would you allow me to escort you back inside the walls of the city? Unless you would rather stay out here with the trees for a while longer.

Hey, don’t knock it until you try it. You don’t see how amazing this forest is because you’ve grown up with it. You’re used to it. But if you could see it through my eyes? It’d be different, believe me. You would be breathless.

You know what? I believe that. I really do. Something about the sound of his voice made me look away from the forest I had grown to love so well and back to his face.

What I saw there made my heart do an uncomfortable little jump because what I saw was feeling.

Over the past three months, I'd been thrown together with Declan for large parts of my days. I'd gotten to know him, to be friends with him, even. One thing I'd learned was that feelings were something he tried very hard to avoid. It was something he had made a study of, and from everything I'd seen, he had been a good pupil.

For me to see the emotion on his face now was unnerving and raw.

When he lifted one hand toward me, something I wasn't sure he even realized he was doing, I held my breath. I didn't move closer to him, but I didn't back away, either.

I couldn't move at all, just stood there frozen in place. What did he want from me? Was he going to try and kiss me again?

And, more importantly, was I going to let him?

Anyway, he spoke quickly, yanking his hand back down by his side and putting an end to whatever moment the two of us had been caught up in. If you feel that you must spend more time here, I’ll leave you to it, but please don’t take too long. I wasn’t kidding about the training. We’ve got more to do.

Of course we do, I muttered under my breath, my mouth puckering into a sour look I couldn’t entirely hide. "We always have training."

Lily, we’ve been over this.

Oh, believe me, I’m well aware.

Please, Declan sighed, the patronizing sound of it making me bristle with dislike. Must you make things so difficult at every step? I know you would like a break from the rigors of the training schedule. It's not possible. We must be vigilant, Lily. You need to be just as strong as you can be.

Just in case, huh?

Yes, just in case. And because you’re important to everyone’s safety. And, I don’t know.

"No, no such thing as I don’t know. What was the last and?"

And the world is a dangerous place. This one and every other I’ve encountered. You’ve got to be able to protect yourself. You’ve got to be safe.

Part of me wanted to push the matter further, but the other part of me was insisting that I shut the hell up. I didn’t need to ask to know that he wasn’t only worried about my safety because of my role in keeping the worlds together and closed off from possible invasion.

He was worried about my safety because he was worried about me.

It was sweet enough to make me want to cry, but it also made me think about Cade yet again. It seemed like I couldn't get him out of my head lately, and the idea of longing to see him while Declan was standing right in front of me felt horrible.

The only plus side was that it killed my desire to linger in the forest. At that point, more time alone with myself and my thoughts didn't seem like such a good thing.

Training—getting lost in the act of fighting and testing the boundaries of what I could do—felt like the perfect way to shake off my funk.

Acutely aware of Declan’s eyes on me, I shook my head and plastered on a smile I didn't feel. No, I don't need any more time. You're right.

I’m sorry, could you say that again?

Very funny. You heard me. You’re right. About the training, I mean. Truthfully, I enjoy it.

Truthfully? I already knew that. He smiled.

I laughed, surprised by how willing he was to banter back and forth with me this afternoon. I was starting to feel unusually giddy, and when Declan held out his arm in offering to me, I gladly linked mine with it.

It wasn't like everything was perfect, not as though every question was miraculously answered, but for the moment, things were okay. More than okay, actually. They were good. Even the clouds up above seemed to be moving out again, and as we made our way out of the forest and into the clearing that separated it from Valaport proper, I watched with wide, expectant eyes.

The first view of it after exiting the forest was one I loved almost as much as the forest itself. The juxtaposition between the natural elegance of the woods and the gleaming turrets of the city was breathtaking.

Even from above the thick, heavy wall surrounding Valaport, those turrets shone, the remarkable stained glass of their windows glowing like beacons for lost souls seeking solace.

That was how I liked to think about them, at least, although I was pretty sure the great and powerful Overlord didn't intend for them to be that at all.

What is it? Declan asked.

Hmm?

Your smile. You look happy.

I just love the look of the city. It looks like everything I always imagined when I was a little girl. My teachers, babysitters even, sometimes, they would read me these fairytale books, and almost all of them had princesses and huge kingdoms. This always reminds me of one of those kingdoms. It sounds stupid, I know.

It doesn’t. I’m glad you love it. I love it, too. It’s why it’s so important to me to keep it protected.

I nodded, feeling his grip on me tighten ever so slightly. I thought about answering him, but we were making good time on the road that would lead us through the Valaport gates, and I wanted to look up as we did.

That was another view of the city I loved.

Strange, but true.

The gate was an impossibly tall, gothic-looking wrought iron, intricately welded with a large bell hanging at its apex. Both gate and bell were green with age, which only made them more interesting.

Every time I passed through, looking up at the massive musical implement, I wondered to myself how many people had passed that exact same way, and with what intentions. It made me feel closer to them, despite the fact that they were people I had never met.

Hey! Watch it!

Crap, sorry about that. The peasant woman I had walked straight into gave me a nasty look before pulling her dirty little girl closer to her and hurrying off to some part of the city I was sure I hadn't ever seen before.

Declan continued to lead me along our chosen path, maneuvering through the throngs of people as if they didn't exist at all. It wasn't a difficult thing to do, seeing as most of the people who saw us coming did their best to make themselves scarce.

It probably never occurred to Declan that Onifall's citizens were trying so hard not to get in our way. He was a decent man and had already changed in so many ways since I'd first met him, but he still had a long way to go in others.

His obliviousness to the people around him was something that would have pissed me when I first arrived in Onifall, but now it gave me a pang of sorrow and a feeling that I might need to protect him, too. For all of his training and athletic ability, there was something about him that struck me as oddly vulnerable.

Come on, keep up.

As I was mulling over the ins and outs of what made Declan tick, the real-life man had quickened his pace. At this point, he was practically dragging me along behind him, forcing me to take three steps for every one of his own.

Why are we rushing so fast?

I told you, training.

You were serious about soldiers waiting for me?

Of course I was serious. When have I ever not been about a thing like that?

Point taken. But what is it we’re going to be doing?

You’ll see.

It was maddening that he wouldn’t just answer my question, but he was right, I would see, and it didn’t take very long.

He led me through the grand stone foyer of the palace that had always been his home, along corridors that had become so familiar to me they were like second nature. When we finally reached the double doors that led to the courtyard serving as my training grounds, he threw them open with a sly smile on his face.

A look that told me he was up to something had returned to his eyes, and despite the fact that I was still sort of annoyed with him for being so cagey, it made me smile at him in return.

Are you starting to get the idea?

Oh yeah, I think I’m getting it quite well.

2

Lily

Stepping out into the dusty, rustic courtyard that was the scene of the majority of my training, I looked around slowly, surveying my arena. Because make no mistake, it was very much my arena.

I knew every inch of it, every dip, and rough spot in the dirt, every half-buried stone that could trip a person up. The courtyard was large, so as to hold the different trials and skirmishes Declan put me through, and surrounded by doors for soldiers to hurry through, as well as sturdy wooden structures to house weapons and armor alike.

To me, this space had always looked like more of a field for gladiators than a courtyard, which was what Declan continued to insist on calling it.

The only things that softened its appearance were the large flowering trees that surrounded it on three sides. I was sure there was some kind of utilitarian use for them, as it seemed unlikely that Declan would have had them planted there for decoration. It didn't matter to me, though.

To me, it was just another example of the beautiful hidden gems the worlds below Earth—Below, as they not-so-cleverly called it—had to offer. The blooms covering those trees were a shade of pink I didn't have a word for because it hadn't existed where I grew up, and although I had looked at them almost every day for three months, it was a sight I never grew tired of.

Lily, again with the flowers?

I’m sorry! You know how much I love them. I just can’t get over how many amazing things you have here. The foliage is to die for. I bet if the wedding planners in Houston could get a load of these, they’d be over-the-moon excited. I realized what I was going to say just as it was leaving my mouth, but there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Since agreeing to my betrothal to Declan, there had been almost zero mention of the actual nuptials themselves. I didn't know why that was true for him, and I honest-to-God didn't really care.

For my part, I didn't mention them because the vaguer they stayed, the less they felt like they would happen, which was fine with me.

So why, oh why, did I reference something like a wedding planner out of the blue like that?

My only hope was Declan would be distracted by our looming training session, which lately seemed like the thing he lived for. When I finally dared a glance at his face, I saw he was hardly listening.

For maybe the first time in the history of the universe, the fact that a man was ignoring a woman was actually making her happy.

Do you have your staff?

Always, I patted the sheath I’d taken to wearing slung low around my hips. I never leave home without it.

Good. So then, you do listen.

Sometimes. I wouldn’t count on it turning into a habit or anything.

Declan rolled his eyes, a habit I was pretty sure he had picked up from me, and then turned to the business of making things ready. Watching him, I was curious what he had up his sleeve. The longer we trained together, the more innovative he became, like he was doing his damnedest to get me to trip up.

The fact that he almost never could drove him crazy, which in turn kept me in a constant state of readiness for whatever insanity he might decide to put me through next.

I knew any line of questioning on my part would get me absolutely nothing, and so instead of trying, I pulled my staff out of its sheath and lovingly fingered its delicate, worn wood.

Every time I held it, especially in this place, I was reminded of that very first time, when Declan had insisted on me meeting him before the sun even came up only to subject me to an ambush training session I wasn't at all prepared for.

I could almost feel the same rush of delight and fear I’d felt when I saw the large staff towering over my head, glowing a pulsing plum-colored light that vibrated through my fingertips and to the very heart of me. Maybe that was why, despite my griping, I always came back for more of this. Somehow, the secluded training arena had become the place that felt most like home to me.

All right, men! At attention, please!

At Declan’s command, more than a dozen of his dragon shifter soldiers came shuffling through the doors. They moved slowly,