The Crown's Fire - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Seeing You Smile
While Tarah was writing all the details she recalled regarding Priest Saul’s past, an idea suddenly flickered into her mind. Looking further, her face brightened due to the high chance of things working out in her favor.

‘What if I’ll be able to see Vulcan’s past if I’m able to have my inner energy touch it through its soul?’

She had done it before when she tried healing the former Queen Mother of Helion, Mona, whom Devon had locked up in the tower. Her internal organs were slowly deteriorating because Devon snatched the mermaid’s essence in her before then receiving great torture. While healing her, she accidentally channeled some of her inner energy into Mona’s soul, and from there she saw a glimpse of her past despite not touching her physical body.

‘I should try…’

Encouraging herself, Tarah began channeling her inner energy to check Ezekiel’s body. She just needed to direct her energy through Vulcan’s soul, and a smile tugged itself onto her face as she reached for the golden light. It was Vulcan’s soul, and right upon making contact, everything flashed before her eyes.

It was surreal. The dragons in their era were naturally destructive, so the heavens intervened on their behalf. Zion was the kingdom heaven chosen for the bloodline of Dragonriders to be born giving them power to control and tame the dragons.

This was so much better than she would’ve hoped. All she needed to do now was remember a few important spells and languages to help her in case of emergencies. The rest could follow once she obtained the books and scrolls Priest Saul managed to keep buried under the burnt offering altar.

Looking further, Tarah then saw how Vulcan led all of the dragons to kill all the Dragonriders so that no one could stop them from doing what they wanted with the power they held. It was chaos, and Tarah couldn’t help the tears that fell from her eyes as she watched it all unfold. She noticed something off in the scenes unfolding but she couldn’t exactly tell what.

“No…”

She unknowingly muttered to herself as she saw how her ancestors were all burned alive. Their screams echoed inside her head, and she felt how Ezekiel’s body flinched from the contact.

“It’s alright. Just relax, your Highness. I’m almost there…” she reassured him. “I can see its spirit and yours. Your spirit and Vulcan’s spirit are merging. The dragon’s spirit is giving in-”

“No!”

To her surprise, Ezekiel suddenly growled at him. At the same time, something else was already happening within her vision.

[You!] Tarah’s eyes widened upon hearing Vulcan’s roars inside her head together with Ezekiel’s voice. The golden light approached her as it hissed, [How dare you look into my past!?]

Alarmed, she immediately opened her eyes just as Ezekiel pulled his hands away from her. She gasped at the man grinning before her. It was no longer Ezekiel. It was Vulcan staring at her with his burning red eyes.

“What are you going to do now, little Seer? He’s all mine,” he menacingly asked as he towered over her. “Who would have thought… Aren’t you a gifted one, huh? Not only do you have the power of foresight to see the future, but you can also see into someone’s past. Not to mention having the Dragonrider’s bloodline in you.”

Blinking, Tarah took her time skimming through Vulcan’s memories, looking for the one spell the Dragonriders used against him before.

“Ezekiel is a strong man, but he’s becoming weak against you. You’ll probably be the woman the previous Seer warned him about,” Vulcan taunted. “You’ll be his doom. I don’t mind though because I nourish my strength on his weakness.”

‘She would be his doom? Was that why he was acting wary around her?’

“His weakness?” she gasped. She wanted to know what it was that constituted the weakness Vulcan was getting its energy from to control the prince.

“Yes, and it’s just you. His dear beloved Seer. His growing emotions, attractions, and desire over a forbidden fruit. It’s too strong. I guess my dragon spirit isn’t helping him as well by giving him strong senses and acknowledging you as its twin flame,” Vulcan mockingly scoffed. “How pathetic! It’s not like this spirit of mine has the power to control itself. I’m its host, so he still has no choice but to follow what the soul wants.”

While Vulcan was busy talking about his sentiments, Tarah didn’t waste time perfecting the spell she needed inside her head. Once she managed to gather her complete words, she opened her mouth and started chanting.

Once her spell began, Ezekiel’s eyes widened, and he cursed as he quickly grabbed her by the neck to choke her. Despite this, Tarah continued chanting until his eye eventually flickered through colors again.

“Tarah,” Ezekiel gasped as he quickly released her neck and held her in his arms to support her.

Looking up, Tarah stared into his eyes and let out a relieved sigh when she saw that they were finally back to their normal hues. She then froze when she felt Ezekiel’s warm palm caressing her neck as if to soothe her.

“I’m sorry again…” he muttered with a frustrated sigh. “Does it hurt?”

Tarah felt her heart almost melt with how gently and lovingly he looked at her.

“It’s fine, Your Highness. That wasn’t you, but Vulcan,” she reassured him. “Also, I managed to cast a stronger spell against him this time.”

Not done with her work, her lips widened as she then gently touched the dragon scales on his neck and jaw while chanting another spell. Right then, the scales disappeared.

“There… It worked!” she beamed.

In the past, she saw how Vulcan’s curse would infect humans and had them bear dragon scales on their skins like Ezekiel’s. Vulcan and his kind would often do it to humans because they loved seeing them fear the dragon scales’ plague-like appearance.

She was still smiling widely at him when he turned to her. “You… Don’t smile,” he annoyingly hissed, his stare turning cold before releasing her from his hold.

Tarah creased her forehead as she fell onto the ground. “Shouldn’t he be thanking me instead? What’s with the sudden cold treatment?” she mumbled to herself. “What’s wrong with my smile…”

After everything they’d been through, she was unable to control her annoyance at him, especially whenever he would act like this. Just a while ago, he looked so loving and caring, even caressing her neck as if he really cared for her. But now, his expression was dark with a constant frown.

“I feel like my heart will burst at any minute just seeing you smile… It’s too beautiful and endearing but suffocating at the same time,” Ezekiel annoyingly spluttered.