Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1436 - 35 : Stone of Cold Fire

*Saoirse*

I blinked up at the ceiling, shielding my eyes again for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and turning over, my skin prickling from the early morning cold. I reached out blindly, searching for Rhys in the dim light, but once again caught nothing but air.

My eyebrows furrowed. I knew he rose early. After we made up the previous night, I thought he might at least say goodbye to me before leaving and tell me to have a good day. I forced myself to shrug it off, telling myself that he must not have wanted to wake me so that I could be well-rested to continue my training.

After a second of hesitation, I picked up the staff from where I kept it beside the bed. It sat on a stand that held it proud and upright. I grasped it and lifted it, tracing some of the intricate details with my fingertips before heading out the door.

I decided I needed some time away from the palace and headed out the large doors. It gained me some startled looks from the guards, but they didn’t make any moves to stop me as I headed into the valley.

Even though I felt as if I was there against my will to some extent, the Dragon Valley truly was a magnificent place. The rolling hills were a lush green, and the towering mountains surrounding the land were shrouded in an ominous mist. The air was filled with the fragrance of wildflowers, and the lulling sound of waterfalls could be heard in the distance.

The civilization itself was impressive, with sleek, white buildings stretching to the sky. The shape of the buildings was pointed and angular. Ivy grew up on the sides of them, twisting like braided hair.

It was fairly early, but the city was full of life and bustling with activity as the shifters went about their daily lives, flying overhead in their dragon forms and going off to train in combat and magic. Thanks to the celebration, everyone knew who I was. I got several sidelong looks, and some direct ones, as I passed along the paved walkways.

I tried to ignore the looks as I continued to where I knew the outdoor training facilities were. The shifters in the Dragon Valley were all trained in combat, even though they could transform into terrifying beasts. I could only hope that I was early enough that there wouldn’t be many shifters there.

Of course, it was too much to hope for. As I approached the gated training arenas, I could hear some kind of class going on for younger dragons. I clutched the staff in my hand as a few of them looked my way, their eyes narrowing slightly as they recognized me.

Great, I thought sarcastically, but I held my head high and opened the gate to the adjacent training ground, fully aware of the eyes on me. There had to be a dozen or so shifters my age who were training with a stern-looking male shifter. He was no doubt their instructor. He had dark hair and a thick beard. His eyes followed my movements before narrowing briefly.

“Don’t let her distract you from your training,” he warned the students, who were beginning to shift around a bit. “I have some business to attend to, but I expect all of you to be practicing the moves I just taught you. I expect the moves to be mastered by the time I return in an hour or so.”

The young shifters grimaced but obeyed and began to pair up to practice their new techniques with one another.

I kept my back to the group, trying not to listen in as I fiddled with my staff, gripping it tightly in my hands. I whirled around when I felt someone approaching and swallowed hard when I saw that it was the stern-looking instructor.

I held my head up high. “Good morning,” I said. “I hope I’m not intruding on your lesson. I will be sure to practice quietly myself so as not to disturb–”

He cut me off, raising a hand sharply to silence me. “Perhaps you have the others fooled, but not me, Miss Chosen One. I ask that you do not distract my students while you play with that precious relic.”

Before I could say anything, he spun on his heel and stalked off, leaving me to gape at his back.

I felt my shoulders droop as I looked down at the staff again, feeling a familiar dejected energy spread through me. I gritted my teeth and pushed it away, raising the staff and trying to harness my energy.

That man’s words might have depressed me if he had said something like that to me a few weeks ago, but things were different now. I was different now. I didn’t need to prove myself to anyone anymore. All I wanted was to protect the people I cared about. I wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of that, even myself and my insecurities.

I took a deep breath and held the staff out, feeling my energy flowing quickly from my core to my fingertips. I gasped at the sensation. I had never harnessed my energy that quickly before.

It was exhilarating.

I felt my hair rise around my shoulders as warmth surrounded me, a beautiful humming sound radiating from the staff. I felt some resistance as I fought to keep the energy flowing, gritting my teeth against the strain.

Above the humming, I could hear shocked murmurs. I dared to glance over toward where the students were supposed to be practicing. They had gathered at the gate separating us, watching me with wide eyes.

“How is she doing that?” one asked.

“The staff really did choose her,” another said.

“She’s amazing. You can just tell how powerful she is.”

“Maybe she really will save us.”

I felt my face turn red at the words and gasped as the power snapped away from me like a taut elastic band. I yelped at the sudden pain in my head, cursing myself for letting myself be distracted.

After that day, there was a notable difference in the way I was treated throughout the valley. I still got strange looks, but there was admiration behind a lot of their gazes. A few of the young shifter dragons my age started to ask me questions about my powers, their eyes bright and curious about me.

A few days later, I tried to push my energy outward again, taking a breath as I harnessed my power and extended my staff. This time, I was alone in the middle of a field, the sun setting in the distance. I had no distractions. It was just me, my staff, and my undying urge to protect my loved ones.

I gasped as a bright blue mass of light extended from my fingers.

I could now push energy from my core.

After another extensive day of training one day, a couple of dragon mages approached me on my way back to the palace. It was a male and female, each in light-colored robes and golden amulets hanging from their necks.

“Forgive us for disturbing you, Miss Saoirse,” said the female, “but we have heard of your rising powers and need your assistance.”

I blinked curiously at them. “What is it?”

The male looked a bit ashamed. “We’ve been having difficulties crafting Keelana’s amulet. We were hoping that you would be able to use your newfound abilities to aid us.”

I nodded seriously, wanting more than anything to help, not just for Keelana but so that Rhys and I could finally return to Hunters Glen.

The mages thanked me profusely before leading me away from the palace. We walked for miles. I eventually found myself on the side of a mountain.

“Not much further,” the female promised as if sensing my fatigue from our hike.

Finally, we reached the mouth of a cave. The two mages led me inside. My eyes rounded at the large glowing stone that sat in the middle of a shimmering pool. It seemed to flash as we entered as if sensing our presence.

“The Stone of Cold Fire,” said the male, gesturing to the glowing boulder. “It is the source of the energy that flows through the valley.”

“We’ve been concerned lately because it appears to have been weakened,” the female added as I approached the mighty stone.

I could tell that she was right. While the stone still glowed magnificently, it seemed to be flickering once in a while like a dying ember.

I gazed up at the stone before slowly reaching out toward it, gripping my staff tightly in my other hand as I did so. I felt a shock and sizzle go through me the closer my fingers came to the boulder. It was as if it was calling to me.

Before my fingers even brushed the smooth-looking surface, the melodic humming returned, filling my ears as my palm hovered over the glowing rock. As my skin made contact, warmth filled me. The chanting grew louder.

The Stone of Cold Fire started to vibrate before it flashed once and glowed brilliantly, the light within growing brighter and brighter.

“Extraordinary,” the male mage murmured, his eyes widening as he stared at me in wonder.

“She truly is the chosen one,” the female said in awe.

I stepped away from the stone, which was now shining impressively.

Wordlessly, the male handed me the amulet, a simple but gorgeous light blue stone on a silver chain. I focused on the necklace, specifically the tiny stone adjourned on it. It was much easier to channel my energy now. It felt as if the stone had opened up my passages. Almost as soon as I touched it, the amulet shimmered, filling with the magic we needed to protect Keelana.

I handed the amulet back to the mages, who gaped at me momentarily before quickly bowing their heads respectfully.

Rumors about me restoring the Stone of Cold Fire spread quickly and soon. I was getting respect from everyone I came into contact with. Even the instructor who had warned me to know my place nodded at me when I passed him.

“Your progress and power are comparable only to the long-lost dragon mages of our realm,” Axureon told me. We were meeting together in the throne room. He had been dying to hear of all I had been learning. He was grinning widely. “It is truly extraordinary. I’ve no doubt you will save us all.”

His confidence in me was both flattering and frightening. Even so, I had been training hard, and it was finally starting to pay off.

I wanted to tell Rhys.

I eventually found him in our bedroom, bent over the desk on the far side of the room. He had forms strewn about.

“Hi,” I said.

Rhys was scribbling something down. He didn’t look up as he answered. “Hello.”

I frowned and approached the desk. “How was your day?” I asked, peering at the papers. He appeared to be preparing for some kind of important meeting. There were notes on important points to make and counterarguments.

“Fine,” he told me. He stood up abruptly, gathering some of the pages. “I’ve been playing middleman here between my father and Axureon, trying to reach an agreement. It’s been a real headache. They’re both stubborn.”

“Sounds tough,” I said sympathetically. I bit my lip. “Training has been going well. I actually–”

“I’m sorry, Saoirse,” he said, still not looking at me as he put the forms into an envelope. He brushed past me. “I’m meeting with Axureon right now, but I’d like to hear about your day later.”

I tried to hide the hurt on my face, which was easy since Rhys still wasn’t looking at me. “Oh, okay. I hope the meeting goes well.”

Rhys nodded and finally met my gaze, offering me a small smile that didn’t even come close to reaching his eyes before he left, shutting the door firmly behind him.