The flames of darkness, p.2
The Flames of Darkness, page 2
He hurried into their shared room, but before the door shut, Doriya shrieked, “Get out of my room!”
Everin followed, her patience thin. “Doriya, this is our room. Stop chasing Samuel out.”
“But it’s a girl’s room. I want to make my videos, and he’s annoying. You promised he’d move soon.”
“Yes, he will. He’ll move to the living room when we make space. For now, you’ll have to share.” But Doriya was no longer listening.
Everin left her, turning back to the kitchen. She unpacked the groceries and began cooking. At least tonight there would be meat because it was payday. A cashier’s wages were small, but she made them stretch. Their father’s money, wired from long truck hauls for Dragon’s Bricks, was never enough once Beth had her share. It was her mum’s alcohol that swallowed what little extra there might have been.
For now, Beth had collapsed on the sofa again, dozing in and out. Everin glanced at her and wondered, not for the first time, what tomorrow would bring. She hoped her dad would be home in two days, just in time for her sixteenth birthday. She would talk to him then.
∞∞∞
The following day, Everin walked into her school, which offered no escape.
She attended a low socio-economic high school close to home, juggling part-time shifts and lessons, homework and housework. She wished she could move out, but Samuel and Doriya anchored her. Besides, she was only sixteen. Her father’s words stayed with her: Everin, my mighty little dragon warrior, you know your mum can’t do this. Please, look after your brother and sister. Keep them safe, will ya?
She had promised him. “Yes, Daddy. I’ll do my best.” Now she wondered if she could keep that promise.
She walked into the schoolyard, and her breath caught. Jackson Miller, tall, handsome, captain of the basketball team, emerged from the building. The reason she never skipped class. He always walked with his friends, a group of equally attractive seniors, but Everin only had eyes for Jackson.
Her life allowed little room for friends. Between work, studies, and caring for her siblings, she was a loner. She admired Jackson from afar, never daring to speak.
Then fate intervened.
The basketball sailed through the air toward her.
Thud.
Her body froze. Time slowed. The ball streaked toward her face.
But a hand shot out, snatching it inches away.
Tariel Fenwick, Jackson’s teammate, stood before her. Tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair unruly yet striking, he held the ball with effortless strength. His deep brown eyes caught hers, alive with mischief.
“You should’ve dodged,” he teased with a crooked smile. “Wouldn’t want your pretty face smashed, would we?”
Everin blinked, stunned not only by the near miss but by him. He was close, so close she caught the scent of pine and warm leather. Her breath hitched.
She had always admired Jackson, the star, the golden boy. But Tariel’s presence was different. It wasn’t admiration. It wasn’t daydreams.
It was a feeling. Immediate. Unexpected. Alive.
“Uh… thanks,” she stammered, fumbling for words as her fingers brushed his while taking the ball. A shock raced up her arm.
“Anytime,” Tariel said softly before jogging back, throwing her a wink over his shoulder.
Everin stood frozen, her thoughts loud yet blank. She should be thinking about Jackson. Instead, her pulse thundered with the memory of Tariel’s fingers and the heat in his smile.
∞∞∞
One day later, Beth announced that Marcus Haydon was coming home the following day. For once, the house stirred with excitement. Even Beth moved about more than usual, helping in the kitchen.
Everin wondered why he usually wasn’t home like normal dads, and why he chose to work at Dragon’s Bricks, so far away from home? Was this the reason Beth drowned herself in bottles of alcohol instead of being a good mum? She brushed the thought aside. Tomorrow would be better.
That night, sleep did not come easily. Everin tossed in tangled sheets, sweat clinging to her skin though the night was cold. Dreams pressed against her mind, thick and heavy. She heard whispers, faint at first, then sharper, like claws dragging against stone. A call. A command. A voice rising out of shadows she could not see.
Her chest tightened as if something inside her wanted to answer.
She gasped awake.
The room was dark and stifling. Her heart hammered so loudly she thought it would wake Samuel and Doriya. She pushed the blankets aside and stood on shaking legs, every step unsteady as though the floor tilted beneath her.
The bathroom door creaked open.
A single bulb flickered to life above the mirror, humming faintly. She stepped closer, her reflection staring back through the wavering glass.
For a moment, it was only her. Pale, tired, with dark hair sticking to her damp forehead.
Then the image shifted. Her breath caught.
The left side of her reflection blurred, as though the mirror itself could not decide what it was showing. Her skin darkened, black scales faintly visible beneath the light. A shimmer of green lit her eye, sharp and unnatural, glowing like a predator in the dark.
She reached up, trembling fingers brushing her cheek. Tough, scaly skin met her touch.
Everin gasped and stumbled back, as her pulse roared in her ears.
For a heartbeat, the reflection seemed to smile at her with something that wasn’t her own face.
And then it was gone. Her skin felt smooth.
Only a girl stood there again, wide-eyed and horrified.
But there was no denying what she had just seen in the mirror. Partial, fractured, yet unmistakable. A creature she had only read about in books. And it had stared back at her… a dragon.
Chapter 3
The Truth Beneath the Skin
Night had fallen heavy over the Haydon household, pressing shadows into the narrow streets of Midows. The rain had stopped, but the air still clung damp and thick, as though the whole world were holding its breath.
Everin sat curled on her bed beneath the covers, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst. Samuel and Doriya slept peacefully in their beds, their breathing soft and steady, unaware of the storm twisting inside their big sister.
She could not stop thinking about the bathroom mirror. The reflection.
The thing that had stared back at her, part dragon, part nightmare, something that should not exist.
Now the world itself seemed louder, sharper, unbearable. She could hear the faint scuttle of a stray cat creeping across the fence outside, the low hum of a car engine two streets away, and the rasp of a stranger’s cough drifting through the night.
Someone was smoking somewhere nearby. She could smell the acrid tang of it in her nostrils as if the cigarette burned right in her room. Every sound, every scent pressed against her senses until she wanted to scream.
“No, no, no, no,” she whispered, clutching her head and pressing her palms to her ears, as though she could block the flood of impossible noises. “This isn’t real. This can’t be happening to me.”
She sank deeper into her blanket, pulling it over her head like a shield. Her hands shook as she fumbled for her phone, opening the screen and typing frantically. Search after search: hallucinations, monsters, dragon face in the mirror. She scrolled, desperate for answers, desperate for something that explained away the terror.
But the reflection in the mirror would not leave her mind. Those scales, and that alien eye staring back. It was not normal. It was not human.
Her pulse thundered in her ears. She shut her eyes tight, whispering to herself over and over, “It isn’t true. I’m normal. I’m normal. I’m normal.”
And all the while, she forced her voice low, keeping her fear locked inside the cocoon of her blanket, because if Samuel or Doriya woke, she did not know how she would ever explain. The floorboards creaked in the hallway, slow footsteps drawing closer. She stiffened, clutching the blanket as though thin fabric could shield her. A knock followed, quiet but firm.
“Everin?” Her father’s voice was deep and steady. “Can I come in?”
Her throat felt dry. She forced the words out. “Yeah. Sure.”
Marcus Haydon stepped inside, the weight of the world on his tired shoulders. He looked like a man caught between two lives, one as a long-haul trucker with worn boots and a dusty shirt, the other something older, something she could not quite put a name to. Yet his eyes, warm and watchful, still carried the kind of love that made her chest ache.
He sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake Samuel and Doriya. “You doing alright?”
Everin shook her head quickly, pulling her knees close to her chest. Her voice broke as she whispered, “No. I don’t even know what I am. Something is wrong with me.”
Marcus leaned closer, his voice steady. “Nothing is wrong with you.”
Tears burned her eyes. She buried her face in her hands, words spilling out between sobs. “I saw scales on my arm. And my eyes, they were green, glowing, not human. I looked in the mirror and I saw… I don’t know what I saw, but it wasn’t me. It was like some monster. Like a dragon.” Her shoulders trembled. “Dad, this can’t be real. I can’t be real.”
Marcus reached out and gently pulled her hands away from her face. His touch was firm, grounding, his voice quiet but certain. “Everin, listen to me. You are not a monster.” He let the words settle, then added with the kind of calm that left no room for doubt, “You are a dragon.”
She froze, the sobs catching in her throat. Her wide eyes searched his, desperate and frightened. “No. I’m just me. I can’t be… how do you even know that?”
“I can sense it,” Marcus said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her damp cheek. “I felt the dragon’s aura in you as soon as I walked into the house. I thought the same thing when it first happened to me, until I shifted at twelve.”
Her eyes shot to his. “Twelve?”
He gave a rueful chuckle. “Set the garage on fire. Your grandmother nearly disowned me. I thought it would happen to you at thirteen or fourteen, but when it didn’t, I figured the dragon blood skipped you. It turns out you are just late. Very late.”
Everin wrapped her arms around her legs. “I don’t feel like a dragon. I just feel… broken.”
“No, sweetheart,” he said firmly. “You are not broken. You are rare. And the Council knows it.”
He stood and motioned for her to follow. “Come on. We will talk properly. I will make you hot chocolate.”
The living room was dim, the hum of the old refrigerator filling the silence as Marcus worked at the stove. He moved smoothly, pouring milk and stirring cocoa; this simple act steadied her amid the chaos.
Everin sat on the couch, her fingers tracing the frayed edge of a cushion. When he handed her the mug, she held it close, letting the warmth seep into her palms.
Marcus stayed at the window for a moment, staring into the dark. His voice dropped lower, as though the night itself might be listening. “We received something.” He paused and added softly, “Something rare.” Her head tilted. “What is it?”
He turned, his expression unreadable. “A Dragon’s Summon.”
The words meant nothing to her, and yet they felt heavy. “Is that… bad?”
He smiled faintly, though his eyes betrayed unease. “It is an honour. Dragon’s Summons are usually sent to high-ranking shifters, council members, and leaders. Not ordinary drivers like me. Which is why this is different.”
“Why us?”
“Because of you.” His gaze lingered on her face. “Tradition says the firstborn carries the strongest dragon blood. I thought it skipped you, but maybe the Council senses something. Maybe they believe your time has come.”
Everin stared into her mug, her voice quiet. “But I already started. Didn’t I?”
He nodded. “Yes. And that is a good thing. The Academy is where you belong now. They will teach you how to manage what is waking up inside you.”
A silence stretched between them, filled only by the low hiss of rain against the windows. Finally, she asked, “Does Mum know?”
Sadness touched his face. “She does. I told her a few weeks after we had started dating. You know I couldn’t hide this from her forever, and I didn’t mean to. But by the time I had gathered my courage to tell her, she had already fallen in love with me, and she was carrying you. She chose to stay, even though she is a Non-Draco.”
His gaze dropped to his hands. “At first, she was happy, even proud. But as the years passed, the truth wore on her. I am not a wealthy dragon, Everin. I am a worker dragon. Our kind use our fire to smelt ore in the mines, and the work keeps me away for weeks, sometimes months. Your mother never forgave me for not being there, for not giving her the life she wanted. And in time, she began to hate what I was.”
Everin did not answer, but inside she heard the echo of Beth’s cruel words. Freak.
After a moment, she forced herself to ask, “So… what do you look like? As a dragon. Have I ever seen you?”
Marcus raised an eyebrow, a faint smile returning. “Want the full reveal?”
She shrugged, trying to sound casual, though her pulse quickened. “Maybe.”
“Brace yourself.”
He stepped back, his body tensing. His skin rippled, shimmered, then, with a sound like a gale tearing cloth, he shifted. Scales of burnished copper flared across his body, catching the dim light and glowing with molten fire. His form expanded, wings unfolding with a leathery snap, eyes burning with fierce amber light. His horns arched high and proud, and fire simmered at the edge of his breath.
Half of him filled the room, the other half crashed through the back window, tail knocking over a chair on the balcony.
Everin gasped. Then laughter burst out of her chest. “Dad! You broke the window!”
The dragon snorted, the sound rolling like a laugh.
She stepped closer, her hand trembling as she reached out. Her fingers brushed the warm, scaled surface of his snout. It was smooth and ridged, like ancient armor, humming with power beneath. She traced the bridge of his nose, awe rising in her chest. “You are… beautiful.”
He lowered his massive head in acknowledgment.
Then the scales dissolved, the wings folded away, and Marcus stood human again. His clothes were back on while his hair was damp with sweat.
Everin tilted her head, curiosity flickering. “Dad… I’ve always wondered. How do your clothes come back? Shouldn’t they rip apart when you change like that?”
Marcus chuckled, brushing dust from his sleeve. “That’s the trick of Aegisweave. It’s an enchanted fabric, stitched into what we wear. It stretches and reshapes with the transformation, then settles back when we return to human form. Without it, believe me, we’d be ruining wardrobes every day.” He smirked. “Or walking around half-dressed.”
Everin giggled, though her voice carried wonder. “You looked incredible. But I am still telling Mum you broke the window.”
His grin was tired but warm. “She will not be surprised.”
Her smile faltered. “When I saw myself, it wasn’t like that. It was dark. Scales on my arm. A glimpse in the mirror. For a second… I saw a dragon’s face. Just part of it. Like it was watching me from inside the glass.”
Marcus sat again, his tone gentler. “That is how it begins. A flicker. A feeling. The more it comes, the stronger it gets, and what you saw was your dragon.”
She looked down at her hands. “It was powerful. Scary. But I could feel it waiting. Like it has been there all along.”
He placed his hand over hers. “Then it is time you learned how to face it. The Academy will help you do that.”
Everin stared into the mug, her reflection rippling in the cocoa. The dragon stirred again, stronger this time. It was waiting.
Watching. And she could no longer pretend it wasn’t there.
Chapter 4
The Journey to Drakon Academy
The morning light crept slowly into the Haydon household, painting the living room in muted grays and soft golds. It was the kind of dawn that whispered of change, heavy with silence and cloaked in an air of finality.
Samuel and Doriya huddled by the broken window, their breath fogging the glass as they peered through the jagged frame.
“Maybe a raccoon tried to escape after stealing Dad’s leftover chicken,” Samuel suggested with all the seriousness of a detective.
“Or a mutant bird with terrible navigation skills,” Doriya added, poking her head halfway out.
Everin walked in just in time to hear them, and she stifled a laugh as her eyes met her father’s across the room. Marcus sat at the table with a mug of coffee in hand, his expression perfectly calm, as if a dragon-sized hole in the window was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Morning,” he said casually.
Everin bit her lip, fighting the giggle that rose in her throat. Last night’s revelation was still sharp in her memory. Her father’s dragon form had filled the living room, evoking awe, fear, and his long tail, which shattered the window.
Then Samuel’s gaze caught her bags by the door. His brow furrowed. “Wait… you’re going somewhere?”
Doriya spun around, eyes wide. “You’re leaving?”
Everin’s smile faded slightly as she walked closer to them. “Yeah. I wanted to tell you both last night, but…” she glanced at their sleeping faces in memory, “you looked peaceful. I didn’t want to wake you.”
From her hoodie pocket, she pulled out two hand-stitched bracelets, rough but made with care. She placed them into their palms. “Here. To remember me by. I made them last night.”
She had not slept at all. The thought of her reflection in the bathroom mirror and her father’s words had kept her awake, her mind racing. The bracelets were her way of holding on to what mattered, a thread that tied her to home.
Doriya’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re leaving for some fancy school, aren’t you?”
Everin hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. It’s… a boarding school. Dad’s company helps send kids there if they show some kind of potential. I got picked.” The words felt strange on her tongue, but she decided against saying the real name. Drakon Academy would only bring questions she could not answer. She forced a smile. “Today’s my birthday, and apparently I have to get there right away to keep my spot.”
