The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch
Chapter 32: The Flamebearers

Chapter 32: The Flamebearers

Her cheeks flushed. "I’m sorry if I was too forward, my lord. I didn’t mean to...."

"You weren’t." He tilted his head slightly. "You were honest. Refreshing, actually."

She didn’t know what to say to that.

He gestured toward the shelves. "Do you read?"

"A little, my lord. My father taught me when I was young."

"What do you like to read?"

"Stories, mostly. Fairy tales. Legends." She hesitated. "I don’t have much time for it anymore."

"A pity." He picked up the book he’d been reading and turned it toward her. "This is one of my favorites. An old history of the kingdom. Full of battles and betrayals and long-dead kings."

Morgana glanced at the cover. The title was written in ornate script she couldn’t quite make out.

"It sounds interesting, my lord."

"It is. Though I suspect you’d find the earlier Chapters more engaging. They’re full of dragons."

Her eyes widened. "Dragons?"

His smile widened. "I thought that might catch your attention."

"I’ve always loved stories about ancient dragons," she admitted. "When I was a child, I used to imagine what it would be like to see one. To touch one."

"And now?"

"Now I know better." She looked away. "Ancient Dragons are dangerous. And they’re gone."

"Are they?"

She looked back at him, startled by the question.

But before she could respond, he turned and moved toward one of the higher shelves, scanning the spines.

"There’s a story," he said, his voice thoughtful, "about the first dragons. Long before they wore human skins. Before they ruled kingdoms." He pulled a book from the shelf....a thick, leather-bound tome with a cover so old it was cracked and faded. "They were wild. Untamed. And they only bowed to one kind of person."

Morgana’s pulse quickened. "What kind?"

"Those who carried fire in their blood." He set the book on the table and opened it carefully, turning to a page near the middle. "The old texts called them Flamebearers. People born with magic so pure, so ancient, that the dragons recognized it as kin."

Morgana’s breath caught.

Born of fire.

The words from the council chamber echoed in her mind.

She forced herself to stay calm. "That’s just a story, my lord."

"Is it?" He looked up at her, his dark eyes sharp and knowing. "The best stories have roots in truth."

She swallowed. "I wouldn’t know, my lord."

He studied her for a long moment, and Morgana had the unsettling feeling that he could see straight through her.

Then he closed the book.

"You remind me of someone," he said quietly.

"My lord?"

"Someone from a very old story." His gaze didn’t waver. "A girl who didn’t know what she was. Who hid in plain sight, afraid of her own shadow. Until the day the dragons found her."

Morgana’s heart hammered. "What happened to her?"

"She burned the world." His voice was soft. Almost sad. "And then she saved it."

The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

Morgana didn’t know what to say.

Didn’t know if she should say anything.

Before she could decide, the door to the library burst open.

A young servant...a boy, no more than fourteen...stumbled in, his face flushed.

He saw the man at the table and immediately dropped into a deep bow.

"Your Majesty," the boy gasped. "Forgive the intrusion. The council....they’ve requested your presence. Immediately."

Morgana’s blood turned to ice.

Your Majesty.

She stared at the man, at the stranger from the garden, the one who had been kind to her, the one who had warned her....

And the realization hit her like a blow.

He’s a king.

The boy was still bowing, waiting.

The man...the king, sighed and straightened.

"Tell them I’ll be there shortly," he said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The boy bowed again and fled.

The door closed.

And Morgana stood frozen, her entire world tilting.

The king....Thorne, she realized, the middle brother, the quiet one, turned back to her.

His expression was unreadable.

"You didn’t know," he said quietly.

It wasn’t a question.

Morgana shook her head, her throat too tight to speak.

He took a step toward her, and she stepped back instinctively.

His mouth tightened. "I’m not going to hurt you, Morgana."

"I...I didn’t..." Her voice was shaking. "I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have...I was too familiar. I didn’t mean to...."

"Stop." His voice was firm but not unkind. "You didn’t do anything wrong."

"I spoke to you like....like you were...."

"Human?" His mouth curved slightly. "I am."

"You’re a king."

"That doesn’t make me less human."

Morgana pressed a hand to her chest, trying to breathe. "I should have known. I should have..."

"How?" He tilted his head. "I didn’t tell you. I didn’t wear a crown. I didn’t announce myself." He paused. "I chose not to tell you."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to see who you were when you weren’t afraid."

Her breath hitched. "And now?"

"Now you’re terrified." His expression softened. "And I regret that."

Morgana didn’t know what to say.

Thorne was silent for a moment, his dark eyes studying her.

Then he spoke, his voice quiet.

"You’ve met my brothers."

It wasn’t a question.

She nodded.

"Draeven," he said. "And Kaelen."

Another nod.

"And what do you think of them?"

The question caught her off guard. "I... I don’t think it’s my place to..."

"I’m asking anyway."

Morgana hesitated, then spoke carefully. "King Draeven is... intense. And kind. I think. Beneath the..." She stopped herself.

"Beneath the fire?" Thorne supplied.

She nodded.

"And Kaelen?"

Her stomach twisted. "Dangerous."

Thorne’s expression darkened. "Yes. He is." He stepped closer. "Did he hurt you?"

Morgana’s cheeks burned. "No, Your Majesty."

"Don’t lie to me."

"He didn’t hurt me," she said, her voice tight. "He just..."

"Touched you." Thorne’s voice was cold. Flat. "Against your will."

She looked away.

Thorne’s jaw tightened. "I’m sorry."

"You don’t have to apologize for him, Your Majesty."

"Someone should." He ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear in every line of his body. "My brother is... complicated. And cruel. And he doesn’t understand boundaries."

"And you do?"