Chapter 5 Fire and Frost

Caspian’s POV

Hello, Count Burk

When it was as cold as ice.

From the moment I scooped her into my arms, I was immediately gripped by the unnatural sheer cold that hit me like a blow to the gut, and it could only compare to the burn of my own body since I left her at the cottage.

I had gone into town to find an inn to lay my head at, but no sooner had I received the key to my room that I had been held by an intense wave of heat. I thought my kindling had come early.

But this heat was 10 times worse than my normal kindling, and I had no control over it.

"What's happening to me . . ." I said as I took off one layer of cloth after the other? I even asked for a washing bull to be brought up to my room and nearly water boarded myself.

The water will touch my skin and in the same second rise up to the roof as steam.

My mind wrapped back to the memories of my research. Time weaving had become a forgotten magic for many good reasons.

Other than the obvious, there had been a warning in the ancient scrolls, stating there would be a cost for breaking the laws of nature.

Was this mine? To be consumed by my own flames?

I thought I was the only one who was going to be affected by this because the Trinker was human.

I marched out of the cabin in a loose linen tunic with the sleeves rolled up and breeches, and despite the breeze of the summer's night I was being cooked from the inside, sweat dripping from my body and my throat parched.

The plan was to go through the marketplace and then into the mountains to transform into my dragon. In that way, I would have a better hold on my flames. But halfway through the market I heard allowed collapsing sound and the crowd gasping.

That was what grabbed my attention, then I sensed a heat core that was all but snuffed out, and the only way that was possible was if the person was dying of a cold.

"Trinker . . ." I said, feeling foolish that I had just assumed nothing would happen to her. I knew it was her before I picked her up from the pile of apples.

She reached for me without thinking, her fingers reached for my cheek. The effect of her contact was instantaneous. The boiling heat plunged down, her trembling fingers cooling my whole body.

We held each other like this long enough for the crowd to gush, an elderly man called out, "Ah, young love!"

Gradually, the crowd returned to their business, but Burk was still there.

Ah, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to run into my uncle just yet.

Still, I would never have been able to become Duke if I wasn't a man prepared for the unexpected.

"Thank you for your warm welcome, we should get going—"

"Now, now... Why the haste?" He says, "It's been a while since I last saw a new face, much less two. Simply a word or two will not suffice as a welcome."

"There is really no need—"

"Ah!" he said louder than necessary, probably to the audience. We still had stealing glances occasionally and whispering to themselves, "How thoughtless of me, I'm sure you would want to settle down and attend to your matrimonial duties," he said as his guards shared a look that made me want to turn all of them to ashes.

But I had to think of the Trinker now.

At the end of all of this, she was just an innocent by starting now that I dragged into danger.

And what was most important was that I brought her safely out.

"Yes, we'll need to attend to all of that,"I said, trying to make my escape again and then came forward and clapped unnecessarily.

"A week should be enough, right? Afterward, I would like to have you dine in my castle. What do you say?"

He was insisting on this so much, but the only thing that would be more troubling than that was if I just kept flat out refusing every time.

The clouds of suspicion were still hanging over our heads ready to drop, and so I had no other choice.

"We would be delighted to honor your invitation," I said through partly clenched teeth.

"Good," he said, and stepped closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear, "It's always good to have another dragon brother around, right?"

It was years of courtesy training and sharpened presentation that saved me from recoiling at that moment.

Upon reaching the cottage, I laid her on the bed and tried to pry my hands away but then she grabbed onto me.

"Don't!" She screamed, her hand shooting out, "Don't let go!"

"Trinker, this bed is barely big enough for you,"I tried to reason with her as she grappled with the linen, but she had not fully come to herself and was stuck in her subconscious.

"Don't leave me . . ." I was shocked as I saw tears coming from her eyes. I didn't think she would even bleed if you cut her. Was she dreaming of her grandmother? Was there someone else? As I was having these thoughts, my body was just naturally moving towards her on the bed until we were cramped together trees down for me to pull out to my chest.

The blazing heat was now softened by her touch alone, and I decided that we both needed this.

My fingers ghosted over her hair as she whimpered not to be left alone, her armor off and I saw the woman beneath. From the moment I met her she had been rigid, angry and spiteful and I knew my people were to blame for that.

I knew her hatred was justified, how could she tell that I was any different? That I was trying to right the wrong?

I couldn't wipe away decades of bloodshed, not yet.

But I could hold her, for tonight.

I brought her closer until there was no distance between us.

"I'm not leaving, Raven, I promise.”