Burning Embers (book 3)

Chapter 16

Eiet sat cross-legged in the middle of the training field. Ember, his fully grown dragon, was curled up by a tree nearby, sleeping with one eye open. For so long Eiet and Ember had kept their status a secret, and hiding a dragon was no easy task. It was nerve-wracking for both of them to suddenly be in the open like this. One thing was for sure, Eiet could no longer fade into the background as was his previous strategy.

His hands dug into the grass, pulling dirt out along with the roots. His plans had be foiled and by sorcerers no less! Of course, Raphael Argeno and Andreas Grigoli were by no means meager sorcerers, but they were beneath him nonetheless. Any magic user was beneath him. But Eiet knew something they didn't something they probably never would. It was a secret he had guarded all this time, one that he would continue to guard. Not everyone that used magic were magic users after all. Some of them were the very essence of magic.

Ember snarled when the annoying knight that Elisa tasked him to work with walked into view. John Argeno. Eiet had been dying to kill that man for a long, long time. Ember raised an eyebrow at Eiet, the latter proceeding to roll his eyes as John neared. The knight had his chest pushed out, with that wicked gleam in his eyes that made girls swoon.

Eiet and Ember shared a look again and the dragon showed his teeth with his smile. He was going to be no help. "Eiet! My friend, how are you on this fine morning?"

"WE are not friends, nor have we ever been."

John mocked disappointment, an obnoxious smile on his lips. "Come now, no need to be rude. We're going to be working together so we might as well get along."

"Honestly, John, there is no need for us to be working together. Human knights are less than useless when it comes to capturing and killing magic users. Elisa merely added you to the group to make you feel better about yourself."

John's stare turned into an outright flare. "My, my, you truly have gotten cocky. Not at all the shy, quiet guard I used to see hanging around the Eleanor estate."

Eiet smiled brightly at John. "I've never been that man. It was all simply an act."

"An act to accomplish what exactly?"

"That's none of your business."

"There was only one reason why the Eleanor family was even remotely interesting, and she's dead. Don't tell me that you wanted to get close to our Lady Lana."

Eiet frowned. He did want to get close to her, but not for the reason John was thinking. "And why would you think Lana was my target?"

"There are many reason why she could've been your target. But my guess is that like myself, you realized she was something special."

The quality John's tone had taken on intrigued Eiet. Was it possible that this brainless knight could know something, something he shouldn't?

"I've known Lana for as long as I worked in that house. We were close friends. And I can assure you, she was just another average noble girl."

"Then obviously you weren't paying attention."

Eiet raised his eyebrows. Baiting John would be the only way to know exactly what it was John knew, or thought he knew. "Do elaborate."

"There was a reason I wanted her for my bride other than the fact that she was beautiful and from a prominent noble family. If you missed it, that's your loss. Though I am surprised that you did, since you spent so much time around her."

"Perhaps you were seeing something that wasn't there. Or it was the fact that she was a witch."

John barked a laugh. "Sure, Eiet. Tell yourself that." And with that the knight walked off. Eiet stared after him with a puzzled expression.

"He doesn't know," Ember commented.

Eiet raised a single eyebrow at the dragon. "You've started reading minds now?"

"Eiet, he'd have known she's still alive if he knew the truth about her. He might suspect something, but he doesn't know."

"We don't know that for sure, Ember. It is very difficult to predict that man." If john knew what Eiet did, then perhaps he'd finally have that reason to kill him. Eiet couldn't let anyone else know about Lana. It would make his job so much harder. He didn't like having other people known. It was simple, he'd just have to kill everyone that had even the slightest suspicion.

"I'm going to kill him."

Ember sighed. "You are far too murderous for my health."

Eiet waved him off. "We can't afford more people knowing about her. It's better for everyone if he dies."

Ember shook his head and lowered it to sleep again, this time with both eyes closed.