CURSE OF THE DRAGON FLAMES

CHAPTER 8 - A PRIESTESSES'S WRATH AND IMPENDING DOOM

SERAPHINES POV;

Fire greeted me the moment I appeared in my house.

The walls trembled as flames crawled along the stone, answering my fury like loyal beasts. Heat thickened the air, heavy with power barely restrained. I clenched my fists, my breath coming fast as the images replayed in my mind again and again.

The sacrifice.

The escape.

The dragon prince.

Dravon.

My scream ripped through the chamber, and the fire obeyed, surging higher, licking the ceiling like it was alive.

“Treason,” I hissed, my voice shaking with rage. “Foolish, sentimental treason.”

At the center of the room, a faint glow stirred, reacting to my presence. It was the link between me and the thing I cherished most, the thing that bound my fate to the throne itself.

“He has broken the balance.”

The voice struck the room like thunder. One I had not heard in a long time. One I never expected to hear again.

“My lord,” I said quickly, dropping to one knee. “It was not my fault. It would have been done if that useless boy had not interfered.”

“Then you must do everything within your power,” the voice commanded. “They must be found no matter the cost. If not, everyone will pay for it. Including you.”

The presence vanished, leaving the room shaking in its wake.

I snapped my fingers, and the fire died instantly.

Uttering ancient words, I reached for my psychic sight, forcing my visions open, searching for anything. A shadow. A path. A whisper. But there was nothing.

I tried again.

This time pain exploded through my skull. Blood streamed down my cheeks like tears. I screamed in frustration, clutching my head.

It all started with me. And now I was trapped in my own web.

The sacrifice was never just tradition. It was something far greater. A barrier. One that kept the inferno sleeping within royal bloodlines. A seal created for a purpose neither realm truly understood.

A secret known only by me and someone they believed no longer existed.

Slowly, I closed my eyes and reached inward, listening to the ancient pulse of magic tied to the throne.

I felt it.

A disturbance.

The inferno had stirred.

“If they are not found,” I whispered, my voice trembling with something darker than anger, “the curse will begin.”

A sickness that burned from the inside out. One that drove heirs to madness, turning dragon fire against flesh and mind.

Kings had fallen to it. Kingdoms had burned.

I lifted my head, my eyes blazing.

“They must be found,” I said aloud, as if the shadows themselves were listening.

With a sharp movement, I vanished.

AIDEN’S POV

I sat on the couch in my chamber, my eyes fixed on the chessboard before me, calculating. I sipped wine slowly, savoring the moment.

The first plan had worked.

She was his weakness. And I had used her perfectly.

Since childhood, I had hated Dravon. My father loved him too much, praised him too often, looked at him like he was already king. Power was all I ever wanted. From the moment I could understand what the throne meant, I knew I wanted it.

My father was my center of admiration. And more than anything, I wanted to sit where he sat.

But as I grew older, reality became cruelly clear.

Dravon was the firstborn.

He would inherit the throne.

That truth poisoned everything.

We were never close, no matter how hard my father tried to force it. We were never brothers in anything but blood. Dravon had everything. Power. Confidence. Skill. Beauty. Even the women wanted him.

And I was always left with what remained.

So I hated him.

A noise drifted from the throne room below. My lips curved into a knowing smile. The elders had arrived. Long distance hearing was one of my gifts. I discovered it years ago while listening to the maids gossip from my bedroom.

A letter had arrived from the Court of Elders that morning. A meeting. They wanted me present since my father was sick and my foolish brother had eloped with the sacrifice.

He was supposed to burn the world in the name of love.

“Fear makes better subjects than love,” I whispered as I rose and left my chamber.

As I approached the throne room, voices filled the air. Whispers of treason. Of the unburned sacrifice. Of the inferno.

“If the sacrifice is not tamed in time, the inferno will end us all,” Xaden said. The red haired dragon was my father’s highest ranking officer.

He was speaking to Darin.

They did not notice me at first.

Then Xaden cleared his throat.

The room stilled.

They rose as one. “Your Highness,” they chorused, bowing curtly.

I enjoyed that.

“You may be seated,” I said as I walked forward and sat on the throne itself.

Finally.

The elders exchanged uneasy glances. It was unlawful for an uncrowned prince to sit there.

Xaden stood abruptly. “Your Highness but—”

“But what?” I snapped, my eyes blazing. “Do not question my actions again.”

Fire stirred beneath my skin. I wanted to burn him where he stood. But not yet.

He sat down, stiff and silent.

The meeting began.

“What brings the elders and officers of Eldorado to the palace?” I asked.

Xaden rose again. “Considering the events at the sacrificial tower and the rising threat of the inferno, we seek to know how the royal family plans to handle this.”

Blood dripped from my clenched palm.

“Dravon and the human girl will be found,” I said calmly. “My men and I will bring them back.”

They believed me.

The meeting ended soon after, and the elders departed.

Royal meetings exhausted me.

That same day, I gathered my men. Zarin entered my chamber.

“Everything is set, your Highness. Just as you ordered.”

My gaze drifted to the empty throne. My father still lived. Stubborn as ever.

“Prepare my horse,” I said. “We leave soon.”

“Anything for the throne,” I whispered.

The air shifted.

Cold swept the room.

Seraphine appeared.

“The inferno has stirred,” she said. “If the traitor is not found, madness will consume the royal bloodline.”

“How long?” I asked.

“Days. Maybe less.”

Opportunity burned bright.

“So he must be brought back,” I said. “Alive?”

“The punishment for treason is death,” she replied smoothly. “Irrespective of who is involved.”

Satisfaction flooded me.

“I will find him,” I said. “I swear it.”

“Do not fail, Prince Aiden.”

She vanished.

I turned to my men.

“Prepare to ride. No mercy. No hesitation.”

As we rode into the night, the cold wind cut my face.

I smiled.

“Run while you can, Dravon. The throne is already slipping from your grasp.”

“If I must burn the world to rule it, I will.”