An Ember Burns Still: Part 1

Shortly after taking the amulet, Carissa and Tholm arrived with refreshments. Victor got directions to Enderan’s room and promised to be back.

As Victor climbed the stairs he thought back on the prior exchanges. He had possibly muddied his credibility.

Victor shouldn’t have been able to tell Revian and Rose about the contents of a sealed letter. Baylor wouldn’t have shared much with a stranger he had just met. They might begin to suspect him of opening the package and reading the letter after receiving it. This could lead to thorough investigation of his background.

It also bothered Victor because he was led by his heart.

Upon seeing Revian break down in tears, he decided to comfort him despite the possible consequences.

He wrote these damn characters! Was he that narcissistic? To be moved so much by a side character written only to die.

He stopped at the top of the stairs and held onto the railing.

However, they are no longer characters on a page. Their dialog isn’t restrained to words in a speech bubble.

He looked around and imagined scores of kids walking through the house.

This house was lived in. Children grew up here.

In the original scene, it was Baylor who witnessed Revian’s breakdown and took on the task of convincing Enderan to take the amulet.

A beard covered with saliva and vomit. A dagger in the chest. A body beneath the stars.

“They are just characters,” he whispered. “They are just characters in a story.”

He glanced around to ensure no one else was there, then composed himself.

He walked up to a door and knocked.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Victor.” From the story, he knew it was likely Enderan had watched him from the window. “May I come in? I want to talk to you about the amulet.”

“You can open the door; there are no locks.”

Victor opened it to find Enderan sitting on his bed. His room was clean thanks to the maids.

There was a chair by the desk that Victor took, and sat across Enderan. He took out the amulet and held it out. . “Revian wants you to keep it.”

“Is he an idiot? He should treasure the time he has left.”

Victor chuckled. “He pretty much said the same thing. Called you an idiot too.”

Enderan exhaled. The ghost of a smile came and went. They sat in silence for a bit.

“I know he was responsible for what happened to your arm, but he never told me why it occurred. I assume it was an accident.”

He scowled. “To an extent. He meant to hurt me, but he never intended to breathe fire.”

“Was it an argument that turned sour?”

“Pretty much.” He scoffed, then recalled the events. “A few months ago. During dinner, I mentioned joining the Slayer’s Guild and he called it a stupid idea. Revian has always been against the idea of me becoming a knight or a slayer, because I don’t have enough time to train myself to fight. He  believes that dying in combat is worse than becoming a dragon. He insists that as a dragon there might be a chance of becoming human again.”

A dragon could live for millennia. The possibility of turning back into a human wasn’t zero, but Victor couldn’t imagine clinging to such a small hope across centuries.

Enderan reached for the empty sleeve of his shirt. “I told him that I’d rather die fighting than wait around to become a monster.” He paused, his jaw tight. “Things kept getting said, then he called me selfish for wanting to leave them. That’s when I brought up Rose and the cursed child he would be leaving behind. Then, we started throwing punches. At some point I knocked him down, then when he looked up at me…” He unclenched his fist and sighed.

“I guess that dampened your plans for the future.”

“Just a little,” he said.

“That letter, what did it say?”

“It was from the Dream Knight.”

“Captain Nemo?!” Victor said, forcing surprise into his voice. “How does he know you?”

“My father was a friend of his. And heard about the accident. So, he sent me the amulet and an invitation to the capital to train under him. Apparently there are other cursed knights who I could learn from.”

“That sounds wonderful. But if you don’t want the amulet, then how about accepting the invitation?”

He shook his head. “There would be no point.”

“Even if there is the smallest chance that you might find a way to break your curse?”

“In the letter, Captain Nemo hinted that it may be a possibility.” He glared at him. “But that's more than just wishful thinking, and it's heartless to raise the hopes of a dying child.”

“Isn’t it worth trying? Life is priceless enough to gamble on such a hope. No matter how slim.”

“So being dragged around as Captain Nemo’s charity case is better?!” He looked out the window. “I actually can’t wait to become a dragon. I might even grow back my hand. If not, at least I’ll grow wings.”

“Didn’t you call dragons monsters? You’re fine with that now?”

“I don’t think they are that bad anymore. The queen only cursed us because the dragon slayers ate the eggs and I was arrogant to think they earned the right to.”

“But surely you see that you are wasting what little life you have left.”

“Why are you so stubborn?! You have no reason to care about me!”

“Is it wrong to care about a child? And you remind me of my sister Victoria! Unlike her, you can actually move around!”

“So what?! Don’t you dare compare me to her! “You don’t know what it’s like to have your choices taken away, to have your whole life stolen from you!”

“Still, I bet she would give anything to just walk around normally again! Please Enderan, for your aunt and everyone! Sir Baylor wanted you to have this!”

Victor was panicking. In the story, Baylor’s conversation didn’t head in this direction. Was it because the knight was much older? He talked about his life experiences. Experiences that Victor, at his young age, couldn’t imitate.

Worse still, Victor might have made this easier with assistance of his tome. However, he was so sure that he could convince Enderan easily. He thought that he knew his main character inside and out, and wouldn't be encountering any resistance.

Looking into Enderan’s hateful gaze, Victor knew he’d blundered.

“I bet you only want to help me so you could get something from my family! And you aren’t here for just research and information! You don’t really care about any of us! You thought you could guilt trip me with Baylor’s death and your cursed sister! But all that did was prove that I was right about you! You’re just an awful person!”

“What right do you have to think that?!”

“What right do you have?!” Enderan slammed his fist on the bed. “Why do you keep insisting I wear this?!  There is something you aren’t telling me about this amulet!”

“Now you’re just being paranoid!”

“Because everything about you is just so trustworthy?! I suggest you leave my room. This talk is over." 

"Enderan-"

"Leave now or I’ll throw you out myself!” He glared at him, his pupils turning into vertical slits.

Victor felt an intense pressure on his mind, like gravity grew stronger. When his eyes met Enderan’s again, he felt a primal fear that caused him to fall out of his chair.

Enderan’s eyes shifted back to human, and the pressure lifted, though his scowl stayed as he looked down at him with disdain.

Victor was panting heavily. He felt like he was about to lose his life.  

“All right. I’m sorry.” Victor caught his breath and wiped his forehead. He picked himself off the floor and hurriedly walked away. He would just try again later. He needed time to think.

He opened the bedroom door and stepped through.

As he pulled the door closed, a sinking feeling hit him.

- - - -

Click