Master Foss’ expression was open and inviting, waiting for her to spell it out and tell him what she knew. Mel swallowed hard, taking in a deep breath and filling her lungs. She exhaled slowly and balled up her hands into fists along her sides.

“The double imbue dagger that the governor has in his possession. I got it from my father before I left Windbrook to come here. For protection. I don’t think he even knows what it is. It’s supposed to have been made here in the dragon forge by my great grandfather Rowad Hellius. Maybe you’ve heard of him.”

Master Foss nodded, opened his mouth, but then closed it again, waiting for her to continue.

“Anyway, I think he was from the wastes, somehow. It says so in the book, A mage smith’s memoir, that Alexander Etrope found him out there, presumably by the ruins of Bahlan and took him here to Aldrion. So, I went to Bahlan to search for information about my great grandfather and the double imbue, looking for answers.”

Mel watched Master Foss as he listened to her, but his expression didn’t change much. He stood just as open as before, looking at her with a quiet interest. So, she continued.

“We found the metal, the one my dagger is made of. Some kind of alloy, but you already know that. We also found a corpse, someone I knew from the dragon cult. He had a notebook on him. It mentioned a line from a song my father taught me as a kid working in his forge in Windbrook. He’s a blacksmith there. I think the song and the metal are the key to create an earth and fire double imbue. But I can’t be sure until we try. That’s all I know.”

Mel spread her hands wide and lifted her shoulders to her ears. She attempted to sound sincere and thought she made at least a passing fake-honest gesture. Her shoulders sank down toward the ground and her hands fell limp to her sides. Master Foss stroked his beard for a moment, seeming to turn over what she’d said in his mind.

“I thought so. I guessed most of it. Interesting to hear who your ancestor is, but it makes sense. It’s probably why you can hear the magic. Rowad Hellius was one of the most powerful mage smiths that ever walked this earth. His blood is in your veins.”

At that last comment, Mel squirmed. His blood was in her veins. Why did that make her so uncomfortable? Technically, it was true. But all Mel felt was the beat of her heart and her veins expanding with the push.

Master Foss continued. “I want you to teach me the song, on another day, when we have more time. The sun is setting and we all know what that means. But thank you for telling me.” He fixed his gaze away from her, looking out into nothingness. “I will ponder on this subject during the night and we’ll meet tomorrow again. Your secrets are safe with me, for now.”

The two guards, as if they knew they were about done, entered the room, looking impatiently at Master Foss. He waved at them, telling them it was okay to lead Mel away.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, the same guard who liked to put his hand on her every time he could. She shrugged him off, giving him a deadly glare.

He shook his head in exasperation and nodded toward the exit. Mel let them escort her out of the dragon forge. She knew she would return tomorrow anyway, and she needed to think about what had happened by the anvil. About what was going on with her heart.

#

Mel was brought back to her dorm room by two new guards, luckily the one who liked to hold her back by gripping her shoulder was done for the day. She didn’t like him. In fact, he was probably her least favorite so far of the guards. Even worse than the one who had stared at her while she’d slept.

She hadn’t bothered learning their names or asking them anything at all, really. She didn’t see the point. They regarded her with disgust and hatred, and she thought it was best for her to think about them in the same way. Then they would be on equal ground, hating each other.

As soon as Mel had been escorted into her dorm room, there was a knock on the doorframe and through the opening, Mel saw Austin standing tall before them. He looked more rested than yesterday and he had a hesitant smile on his face. His eyes gleamed with something Mel couldn’t quite place. Maybe excitement?

“What are you doing here, Taveck?”

“I’ve got orders from the governor to speak with Melissa alone.”

The guard frowned. “Really? Because our orders say no visitors, not anyone.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Austin let out a sharp exhale. “New orders then, no visitors except for me.”

The guard’s jaw rolled, like he didn’t like what Austin was saying. They stared at each other for a while. The second guard joined their staring contest, too.

“Are you going to disobey and make me report you to Derek?” Austin asked.

Mel felt a chill run down her spine. Austin’s gaze was steely, like he wanted to throw the guard into the wall and discard of him. The guards shared a look.

“Fine. But don’t be long. We’ll be just outside if you need anything, Sir.”

The words were clipped, and the guard looked like Austin had stepped on his last nerve. But he seemed to remember his place and stalked out of the room with the second guard following him. When the door closed behind them, Mel sucked in a breath, feeling the tension at being alone with Austin again.

She didn’t know how to be around him anymore. She felt like all her normal impulses were wrong now and her mind kept circling around what had happened the last time they’d been in this room alone. They’d kissed.

Mel’s gaze caught with Austin’s and he didn’t seem to be similarly confused, instead he gave her a wide smile. Like he wanted nothing else but to see her. He closed the distance between them in two quick steps and then he bent down, kissing her. It was short, but sweet. The sort of kiss that happened between couples and Mel just stared at him when he pulled back.

His smile was still plastered across his entire face, and he looked pleased with himself. Mel cocked her head, regarding him with amusement.

“I wanted to see you. Sorry for how I talked to your guards. They’re just impossible. I had to give them a small lie. The governor didn’t really send me. I came here on my own. I wanted to apologize for yesterday, for not finishing what I started.”

At those last words, Mel’s mind went blank. Her breath hitched and her heart drummed in her chest. Finish? What did he mean?

She must have stared at him in shock, because he gave out a low rumbling laugh and his eyes crinkled at the sides, making him look slightly older. He dragged a hand over his neck and a blush spread over his cheeks.

“I meant that I didn’t have a chance to tell you that I like you a lot. I’d like for us to be together after I get you out of here. I’d like to be yours.”

Mel’s mouth opened, and she stared at him some more. Then her mind seemed to latch onto what he’d just said and parsed it through her brain.

“Get me out of here? What do you mean?”

“I’m working on it. Sorry it’s taking so long. But the governor has his mind made up about you. He’s hard to change. I want you to know that I’m doing everything in my power to set you free, using all my connections.”

“No, don’t,” Mel said.

Now it was Austin’s turn to look shocked. His eyes widened, and he swallowed noticeably. “Why?”

Mel dragged a hand through her hair. “I’ve talked to Master Foss and I think that together we might be able to create more double imbues, to actually figure it out. We could kill the black dragon with it and maybe later kill the void. We could perhaps end the war and there would be peace. We could save people. I don’t want to give up that opportunity for my freedom, even if it means I have to suffer these annoying guards and everything else.”

“You don’t want to leave?”

Mel shook her head, then bit her lip.

Austin stared at her some more and then he dragged in a deep breath. “Okay, I get it. You’re a good person, Melissa. I’ll still keep trying to convince the governor to let you walk around without the guards. But I get that you want to see this through. I respect that.”

“Thanks.”

It was quiet for a beat, and Mel’s heartbeat quickened. “You know you can call me Mel, right?”

“I know,” he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “But I don’t want to. I like your name and I like that I seem to be the only one who calls you that.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her, and Mel’s heart skipped a beat.

“Yeah, I guess you are.”

“So, how about it?”

“About what?” Mel asked.

Austin angled his face away, looking flushed. “Am I yours? Do you want me?”

Mel sucked in a breath, and her heart flipped in her chest. Before she could truly consider it and the implications, she answered with a breathless, “Yes.”

His gaze caught with hers and a wide smile spread across his lips. “Yes? You sure?”

Mel nodded, grinning at him like an idiot. “I’m sure. I want you. I’m yours.”

Austin closed the distance between them again. His head dipped down and his mouth caught her lips. One of his hands slipped into her hair and angled her head to deepen the kiss. Mel’s knees grew weak and her body relaxed into him. Her hands wrapped around his waist and she let herself taste him.

A knock sounded, this time from the door, and Austin pulled back, ending the kiss. He looked at her with frustration in his eyes, like he wanted to kill the guard on the other side of the door so he could have more time alone with her. This made Mel smile. Her hands slipped away from his body and he turned toward the door.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said. “I think you’re doing the right thing, putting other people’s lives before your own. But I still don’t like it. I want you to be safe and I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen. Please be careful at the dragon forge. No explosions.”

“I promise I’ll be careful,” Mel said.

He opened the door and stepped out into the corridor beyond. The guards turned to him and Austin glared at them for a second before walking out of Mel’s field of vision.