Chapter 2: Whispers of the Flame

Elara's Pov

I woke up hearing water dripping and I felt a headache, and my mouth tasted like metal. It was dark around me, the air felt wet, and there was a faint smell of metal like stone. My wrists were sore, and I soon noticed they were tied behind my back.

“Where am I?” I whispered, not expecting an answer.

“Finally awake, are we?”

The voice came from the dark, soft and low, with a touch of amusement. I looked towards the sound but didn’t see anyone.

“Who are you?” My voice was steadier than I felt.

“A friend,” the voice replied, but it sounded chilly. “Or perhaps an enemy. That depends on you.”

Footsteps echoed as the speaker stepped into the weak light of a single torch.There was a man with his face covered by a hood. His cloak was a dark red, similar to fresh blood, and a shiny dragon symbol was on his chest.

I swallowed hard.“What do you want from me?"

The man squatted down, his eyes bright like hot coals under the hood. You're braver than most girls I know. Or maybe just reckless.”

“I don't understand what you mean,” I replied, trying to sound calm.

“Don’t you?” He turned his head, and the torchlight made a strong shadow on his face. “You were in Ignis’s room tonight. You found the scale.”

I froze. “How do you know about that?”

His smile was slow and deliberate. “You’ve attracted powerful interests, little maid. Interests that could either lift you up or bring you down.”

I swallowed hard, trying to calm my rising fear. “Where is Ignis? What have you done to him?”

The man chuckled softly. “Ignis is… safe for now. Safer than you, at least. But that might change, depending on how you answer my next question.”

I looked at him, trying to be brave. He came closer and whispered, "Do you know what you really are?" His words scared me. "I'm just a maid," I said.

He shook his head and disagreed. "No, that's not true, is it?”,"That's the life they've given you.”

My wrists were bound, but his words made me uneasy. “What mark?”

“The dragon’s claw,” he said, his tone filled with respect. “The sign of the Dragonbound.”

I gasped quietly. Dragonbound. People talked about it in taverns and sang about it in old songs, from the old days when humans could connect with dragons through magic. But those were just tales for kids and drunk people.

"You're being foolish," I said, shaking my head.

"Am I?" He grabbed my wrist, his gloved fingers lightly touching my skin as he turned my hand toward the light.

There, faint but clear, was the outline of a dragon's claw on my skin—a mark I'd had for as long as I could remember but never really thought about.

“What…?” My voice shook.

“It’s a birthright,” he said,his voice quiet and full of awe.

“You have power, girl. Power you don’t even know about. And they’ve kept it from you all these years.”

My head spun. Could this be real? No. It couldn’t be. I was nobody—just a maid in the palace because I was good at cleaning and feeding dragons. I wasn’t special. I wasn’t… magical.

"I don’t believe you," I said, shaking a little.

"You will," he replied calmly.

Footsteps grew louder in the hallway. The man stood up straight, looking annoyed.

"We don’t have much time." Before I could ask what he meant, the ropes on my wrists magically loosened and dropped to the floor.

“Take this.”

The room made a soft humming sound, like a heartbeat.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because you'll need it," he replied firmly, making it clear that there was no chance to argue. “Find the king. Tell him—”

A shout came from the hallway, interrupting him. “Over here!”

“Go,” he urged, pushing me toward the far wall.

I stumbled, pressing against the cold stone, and suddenly saw a narrow opening had appeared where there was none before.

I turned back to him. “Who are you? Why are you helping me?”

His lips curled into a slight smile. “I told you. A friend—or a foe. That’s for you to figure out.”

The guards’ shouts grew louder, coming closer.

“Go!” he ordered.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I slipped into the opening, the wall sealing behind me just as the sound of boots came into the room.

The tunnel was dark, with only the weak light from the dragon scale in my hand guiding me. I felt my heart pounding as I went forward, and it got colder with every step.

Finally, the passage opened into a small, dimly lit room. A single pedestal stood in the center, holding a stone tablet covered in strange symbols. The dragon scale in my hand glowed brighter as I got closer.

The symbols began to shine, and a voice soft, ancient, and otherworldly whispered in my mind:

“The flame dims, but the heart reignites it. Beware the shadow in the flame.”

Before I could understand the meaning, the tablet broke into a thousand pieces, and a loud roar filled the room.

I looked back, feeling scared.

A pair of bright eyes stared at me from the dark, and a low growl filled the room.

“Ignis?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

But it wasn’t Ignis. The creature stepped into the light, its scales as black as night and its breath icy. This was no dragon of Emberfire,it was something completely different.

The dragon roared, and the ground shook beneath me.

I held the scale tightly, my only defense against the creature in front of me.