Hey Guys! Here is the next Chapter for you all, I'm pretty excited by this one haha Things are getting intense ;) There might be some errors in there as I'm in a rush right now, but I wanted to get this up! 
Love as always, 
Daisy xx

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ELIKA

Unabonan had grown restless as soon as we landed. His clawed feet dug deep furrows in the sand and his tail swished back and forth in anticipation. His white eyes did not move from the direction that I knew the port to be in. It was rare to see him so worked up.

I landed on the sand first, crouching slightly to absorb the impact as my feet sunk into the soft ground. My knives clinked gently under my clothing and I adjusted them a little as I straightened, swinging my hair back so that it fell down my back.

The morning was crisp, the sun had not quite emerged and from high above I heard the sound of gulls cawing, their sharp voices piercing the cloudless sky.

Zalas followed me down from Unabonan's back, his descent more graceful than mine, and as he landed and walked forward a little I saw that he left no foot prints in the sand behind him, perfect stealth as always. His eyebrows were drawn close together as he looked into the distance, his white eyes glowing slightly. He always looked so perfect, his razor sharp features accentuated by the whiteness of his skin, each line in his face straight, long and perfectly symmetrical. His hands hung loosely by his sides and I saw that his nails were long and pointed, more so than usual.

He is close. The black dragon, I sense him. His presence indicates that he should be somewhere in the town. The young one however, is still out at sea.

"He hasn't moved though?" Zalas asked curtly, eyes gleaming.

He hasn't moved.

"Then I will make the port our first priority."

"Zalas, I thought you wanted to find-" I began, but he held up a hand, cutting my words short. I began to frown, opening my mouth to protest his rudeness but he turned to look at me and the unwavering resolve that I saw in his eyes drowned out anything I had planned to say.

I could see fire there, flickering behind his irises and I knew that it burned in his heart too. This was not an encounter that he was willing to back down from, no matter the cost. The black dragon had sealed its fate the moment it had knocked my Prince out of the sky. I sighed quietly. I could not even justify my own argument when he looked like this.

"I am going to the town first," He stated, still staring me down, his gaze making me feel about ten inches tall. "You will wait here."

"I'm coming with you!" I said sharply. "You're not leaving me behind."

"It is just a scouting mission," He said grimly. "I need to confirm a few things first. Then I shall decide what to do."

"I don't care," I was being rude, I knew, talking back to royalty, but the thought of him going alone-"I'm coming with you, we will be less noticeable if we are together."

His eyes narrowed. "I do not plan on being noticed at all."

I couldn't help but take a step forward, my tone turning pleading. "Please. Zalas." I didn't want him to go alone. If he found whatever it was he was looking for ... I had seen the Prince's explosive anger before and it was not something he could control. If that happened, if he couldn't hold back, I had to be there to fight by his side.

He studied me for a moment, his face impassive. Just when I thought he was about to refuse once more his features softened. He stepped forward to meet me, laying a hand upon my cheek. His head dipped down allowing his long hair to swing forward over his shoulders. Our eyes held each other's and I couldn't help but notice the clear, pure, beauty of his. The opaque reflection of them as the sun broke over top of the cliffs, a thin ray slanting across his face.

"Very well little warrior. I shall allow you to remain at my side, as is your wish."

I let out a quiet breath of relief as he pulled back, stepping away from me and indicating that the subject was dismissed. I shifted from one foot to the other, anticipation growing now. Maybe I would find some answers too.

Do not engage him without me.

Zalas placed a hand on his brother's massive shoulder. Together they faced towards the port with the sun at their backs, the morning light illuminating their bodies.

For a moment they appeared joined, so brilliant to look at that I had to raise a hand to my eyes to shield against the glare.
For a moment they appeared undefeatable, a force of awesome and unstoppable power.
For I moment I was reminded of why our people looked upon them as Gods.

Zalas spoke then and although his voice was soft, it rung rich with a solemn promise.

"Do not fret o brother of mine. We will both get our turn for revenge."

*

Zalas slipped us easily into the towns shadows more naturally than I thought him capable of. We both used the air to keep us light on our feet, he more than I. He almost appeared to be floating as he walked and I found myself staring at his feet to see if they were actually touching the ground.

The loose cobblestones that paved the road of the worn old port town made no noise under out feet as we glided past the first few shop fronts before ducking down a side street and into the back alleys.

We hurried in the direction of the docks, most of the noise was coming from the main roads and the people that we did happen upon didn't seem to notice us anymore than they noticed the slight morning breeze that ruffled their hair. I could see the growing tension in Zalas's shoulders and I knew that we had to be growing close. Gently I extended my senses, listening, feeling for the power that had to be close by. In this range, it should be easy to notice, energy like the one we were looking for did not conceal well.

I felt it suddenly, like a heartbeat. It flared bright in my mind's eye before disappearing. I gasped, my eyes widening as I focused again on what was in front of me. Such power! Almost as strong as ... My gaze travelled to the lithe body in front of me. Surely that couldn't be right. But now that I had found the energy, its flavour had not completely disappeared from my mind and I could still sense it there, feel the power of it. If I could sense it, he could too and I was suddenly angry at him for wanting to go alone when he knew that this was what he would be facing.

I had wondered earlier what exactly we were looking for – surely the black Dragon wouldn't be in such a crowded place as this one, but slowly the gears had clicked into place and although I wasn't sure exactly how it was possible, I had a feeling that we were no longer looking for a beast, but a man.

I tried to imagine what such a person would look like as I soundlessly followed Zalas's lead. He would be dark, not in skin but in aura, and with the golden eyes of the dragon that I had seen that night. His hair would as black as Zalas's was white. Surely it was a man that we were looking for. I longed to ask but the expression on Zalas's face was so severe that my courage failed me, although if things proceeded as I had predicted it wouldn't be long before I could see him for myself.

I had no idea where we were going, only that the energy source was growing stronger with each passing second. Zalas seemed confident in his direction and was now flying through the alleys, still close to the ground, all pretences forgotten as he pursued his goal. I was managing to keep up with him, but just barely. Still, when he came to an abrupt halt it was all I could do to not crash into him and I looked up expectantly to see his head turned to the side, his eyes fixed on something down one of the alleys we were passing by.

I moved forward a little so I could see straight down the street and now that we had stopped I saw that we were only one block down from the harbour and had been running roughly parallel alongside it. Now we were looking back down one of the alleys that lead out onto the bustling main street and I could see a shadowy shape crouching in the middle of it, blocking the light from the road.

"What is that?" I whispered, feeling my heart beat rise.

I heard Zalas take a deep breath, his arms still hanging at his sides. His claws had elongated even more now and the white scales had begun to creep out, covering the skin on his hands.

"It's him." His voice quivered with realised expectation. "It's him. He's alive. We were right."

He almost seemed to be speaking more to himself than to me and I knew that his words were reaching his brothers ears.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. I saw one of the shapes shift and move and become a silhouette of a person, standing with their face towards us, their features hidden in shadow. At the same time, Zalas's arm stretched out to push me behind him forcefully. His rough dragon skin touched the smooth skin of my arm and I felt the heat that smouldered behind his scales. I allowed him to move me and I took a few steps back, but my hands reached inside my cloak to find the hilt of my knives, my fingers curling around the smooth metal. I would be prepared.

The second shape had stood now, both people of equal height, one positioned slightly in front of the other. The first shape spoke his words reaching my ears easily as though he was standing right beside me, his voice soft and velveteen as it was projected out from the shadows, uncoiling like a venomous snake.

"Well, well, well, you survived after all. Last time I saw you, you were sinking to a watery grave, o glorious Prince." He spoke the last words with scathing reverence, his hatred clear.

My face darkened. He wasn't even denying it. I watched with narrow eyes as he took a step forward, completely obscuring the other figure. His face was still in shadow but I could see now that his feet and his chest were bare and he was wearing a pair of tattered pants. He was holding some sort of white cloth in one of his hands and for a wild moment I was reminded of the white flag that was used to signal surrender in war, although in this war I knew that there would be no such leniency from either side.

Zalas's head tipped to one side and then to the other, a muscle jumping in his jaw. "Step forward." He spat, his words hard like steel.

"You don't tell me what to do, boy."

The last word was said with such spite that I resisted the urge to flinch back. From within the shadows there came a flicker of gold. It was just a flash, just a glimpse, but it was enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.

"You want this," Zalas's voice was deadly. "You want this fight as much as I. Do not deny it. Now show yourself!"

It happened so fast that even my skilled eye couldn't trace his movements. He materialized in front of us, the impact from his appearance pushing the air out from around him so forcefully that I took an involuntary step backwards.

And then suddenly the air around me was stifling hot, so hot that I felt as though the breath had been ripped from my throat. I raised a hand to my face to shield my eyes, falling to my knees as I did, my lungs gasping for breathable air. Through a blurry gaze I could see the man standing in front of Zalas, one hand locked around the Prince's throat. His face was of Elven origin, his ears pointed and his features as sharp as glass. The golden eyes that I had imagined burned in his face, his pupils thin reptilian slits.

I pulled the front of my shirt up to cover my mouth and nose and sucked in a breath of the burning air, forcing my limbs to move as I flung out three knives from my other hand, the small blades cutting a path towards their target.

My aim was off, but even if it hadn't been it wouldn't have mattered- he dodged them so easily and so quickly that his body seemed to blur. Even before I threw them Zalas had already acted, his hand reaching up to pry the other man's fingers from his throat, his body beginning to shift as he did so.

"Where is she?" Zalas hissed. "I know you've found her."

The answering reply was full of spite and I was almost annoyed at how completely he disregarded my attack. "You will never get close enough to hurt her ever again. Last time I was weak, but now ... now not even you can stand in my way. She will make her own choices as long as I am by her side to protect her from people like you."

Zalas's arm swung forward to deliver a blow powerful enough to punch a hole straight through the side of a ship, but just as fast, the other man blocked it. The sound of their fists meeting was akin to thunder crashing, the blast sending out a shockwave of air that shoved me back into a wall, blowing up the dust around us. As it settled I saw that both of them had scales covering their arms up to the elbow, the metallic sheen and the pointed ends marking them as dragon scales.

I could see Zalas staring at the black scales that covered the other man's arm, his face expressionless but I could only imagine what he was thinking. There had never been anyone living that had abilities close to his until this moment. He had been unique and by circumstance, he still was.

But so was this other man. He was not of Air Sprite blood, he had not been raised with Dragons at his back, yet here he was ... with a power befitting of a God, a power that had only been gifted once and to ensure that he who was born from it would be the one to save us all. Surely, to have such a power bestowed upon one who was unable to grow with it ... it would be enough to drive a person insane.

They made no attempt to move and after a while the heat in the air cooled slightly. My heart was still pounding, but I sucked in the air in deep breaths, my vision returning. My hands had ceased shaking and my fingertips rested upon my weapons. I would not miss this time.

It was then that Zalas spoke.

"I will not settle this with you here. I know where Circe's Dragon is waiting, Unabonan can feel him. I will see her." He narrowed his eyes. "I'm coming for her at sundown. I will give you till then to decide whether you will be standing in my way. If you are, I will accept it as I direct challenge. Be warned, these words come from both my brother and myself."

The man with the golden eyes sneered, his top lip curling slightly to show pointed fangs. "Issuing a challenge with uneven odds, I expected nothing less from a Prince with a traitorous rat for a sister."

His words shocked me and I spoke before I could stop myself. "What do you know?" I hissed out from between gritted teeth. "How dare you insult the Princess, and to her brothers face no less." I spat on the ground beside me. "Have you no respect?"

The burning eyes turned on me, full of contempt. I shuddered as I felt the full force of his gaze. It was like staring straight into the eyes of an angry Dragon, and having already experience the feeling once, I had had no desire to repeat the experience.

"It is you who knows nothing foolish girl. Don't you sit there and scorn me, playing pretend at being high and mighty. How about asking your Prince for the real truth?" He looked back to Zalas, a smile playing around his lips before his gaze landed on me again. "Or maybe he doesn't know what his sister has been doing this whole time. Maybe he is just, as, ignorant, as, you." He spoke the last words slowly and purposefully, his grin growing wider. "But that conversation could continue later could it not?"

Zalas's hands had curled into fists and I could see his claws digging into his palms, blood running out from the cracks in his hands.

The other man's face had smoothed out into a more thoughtful expression but those eyes, those unsettling eyes still lusted for blood. "I will accept your challenge," He said smoothly. "I will face you and your brother. And I will win." He said the words with such conviction that for a second I almost believed him.

He turned, giving his back and I inhaled sharply at the demeaning gesture. As he began to walk away Zalas spoke, his rage barely concealed. "You don't deserve that gift that has been given to you. Zarska should not have gone so far."

The man paused. His face was hidden but suddenly he looked back over his shoulder and my heart skipped a beat, my eyes wide with fright. His face had suddenly become terrifying, his skin covered in black scales, the middle of his face elongated slightly, smoke curling from his nostrils. His golden eyes had slanted and taken on a yellowish tinge, his pupils thin reptilian slits. His ears were black and tapered to ends and out from under his air, two curled black horns gleamed, the hard, smooth surface catching the sunlight. His mouth opened, exposing rows of sharp, pointed teeth. A forked tongue licked out from between his jaws and when he spoke it was with an unnatural, guttural voice, a dragon speaking with a human throat.

"I don't recall ever asking for your opinion on the matter. And for the record, neither does she."

He was the most terrifying thing that I had ever seen and in a flash his face had rearranged and was back to normal, but I couldn't seem to rid the image from my mind. He was a demon; he had to be a demon.

With that he disappeared back down the alley he had come from, the other figure following close behind him. The two stepped out into the light and I caught a glimpse of two identical heads of black hair before they turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

I struggled to my feet, using the wall behind me as a support. My eyes were locked on Zalas as he stood, staring after the man his hands still clenched tightly into fists. I breathed in deeply, feeling the last of the strain on my chest disappear and gingerly made my way over to his side.

I stood directly in front of him, but his gaze was focused over my head and I knew he did not see me. His white eyes were as hard as diamonds, his lips clenched together and a muscle twitched in his jaw. Gently I reached for one of his hands that hung at his side, lifting it and prying the fingers open. Blood ran from the grooves in his palms that his nails had dug, but I kissed the back of his hand gently and it was then that he seemed to come back to the present with a small jolt of surprise. He looked down at me for a moment before turning his head away and lifting his hand from mine.

"Let's go back. There is nothing more to find here."

He began walking away before I could answer and I swallowed as I watched him go. His shoulders were ridged, his back ramrod straight. I exhaled slowly before following after him. I felt like I needed to say something, but the face of the demon was still flickering behind my eyes every-time I blinked and I was having trouble shaking the sick feeling that sat like a rock in the pit of my stomach.

"Zalas wait- what he said, you shouldn't-"

"Shouldn't let it get to me?" He had stopped in the middle of the path and now he turned his head a little so that he could look back to me. "It's far too late for that Elika."

"Zalas ..."

He waved a hand. "Come on, no use mulling over it now. It's not important right now anyway."

"How can you say that?" I cried out after him. "Are those things true? The things he was saying? I knew that Aranel had run away, but he was suggesting that she's-"

"Betrayed her family? Her race, her people, her heritage?" He had stopped again, turning fully to face me now, his expression dark. "If she had done, what would you do Elika? What would be your course of action?" He looked up, his eyes meeting mine in sudden desperation and for the first time I saw fear there, for a fleeting moment he was vulnerable, open, and yet I still couldn't seem to find the right words.

My mouth fell open a little as we continued to stare at each other and then it was like a wall dropped down behind his eyes and his face lost all expression once again. He turned on his heel, his voice cold.

"Exactly. Which is why, for now, I am choosing to ignore this. I will wait for Aranel herself to make the first move. Only then," His voice became bitter and his hands curled into fists. "Only then can I find out the truth of these accusations. Only then can I possibly begin to understand what on earth she could be thinking..." One of his hands came up to cover his face and silence found us once more.

It was with mixed emotions that I found myself walking towards him, reaching out to touch the small of his back as I moved around to his front. He was as still as granite, his hand still covering his face which was half turned away. Gently I stretched up as high as I could, my hand falling down on his hair. I combed my fingers through the white strands softly, pulling it forwards till it hung around his face. My hand moved from his hair to grasp his fingers, gently pulling them away from his face. My other hand reached up to cup the side of his cheek, my thumb stroking his skin

His expression was angry and confused and I knew that betrayal lingered there as well, deep beneath the surface. He had always had so many layers to him, emotion stacked upon emotion and unless you stripped them all back, it was difficult to ever be sure if you were looking at the real one.

I reached up on my tiptoes, leaning into his chest as I laid a kiss upon the side of his cheek, one hand resting on his shoulder for balance. As he always had, he smelt incredible and was hot under my fingertips, like holding your hands to an open flame.

"Whatever happens, I am loyal to you my Prince. You must not doubt yourself, for to do so would be to doubt all of those who have sworn to follow you. When the time comes, whatever the truth may be, we will face it together."

I felt him freeze at my words for a split second before he seemed to soften around me, his arms moving to envelope my body, crushing me to him. One hand pressed my head into his shoulder as he leaned forward, his head bending over me.

"Back there, I was scared for you." The words were so quiet, barely above a whisper, but his lips were so close to my ear that I heard him perfectly. "I'm never scared for anyone. But lately, I've been scared for you." His grip tightened a little more. "I don't want to lose you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my heart beating a little faster than usual as my nose brushed against his skin.

"Out of everyone, you will never lose me. This is my promise to you."

*