The Devil's Cursed Witch

Draven had not been inside the palace. He was in another region within the Forest of Elves on official business.

Though he was more a king in name, from time to time, Draven would visit the various cities within the kingdom for inspection. It was in fact a loose schedule of sorts arranged by his aides and the members of the council, but after having brought in a human outsider as his mate, he thought it would be a good time to do his inspection rounds now. It was both to tour around and to show his face to his subjects as a favor to the council.

A couple minutes ago, he was talking with High Elder Halifax, being entertained with tea and snacks in Peleg, the city of the Moon Elf Clan, when he suddenly felt a strong pull that urged him to go back to his palace and see Ember. It was as if he could feel something was being triggered within her.

It was strange. Even without having any idea of what occurred, he remembered how he intuitively knew that something was wrong with her. Thus, he returned to the palace in an instant. His guess was that it was the magic in the bond between them that informed him of her situation.

All he could think of was to drop everything and go back to her at once. And so, he did. He gave a brief promise of return to Halifax before leaving Peleg. When he appeared in the southwest wing of the palace, he easily found her scent along with the presence of another man who he recognized as Morpheus.

When he appeared inside her study, he saw Ember and Morpheus on the balcony with his little mate surrounded by butterflies, standing with her eyes closed in deep focus. A fierce raging energy rose from her body, and the next moment, he realized that the air in the balcony was seemingly filled with sparks. The butterflies flying around her were set ablaze like dried paper leaves._.

Everything was so fast and sudden that neither Draven nor Morpheus could stop or react to it.

‘I didn’t expect this to happen. Both Cornelia and I confirmed that she has a seal on her. Does that mean she could wield that fire I saw in my dreams despite the seal?’ he could not help but wonder. This all happened because she was unaware of her powers and could not properly control it. ‘Is it because marking her or our shared bond has affected her seal, diminishing the suppression it has on her power?’

Draven recalled the warning of the Head of the Witches, about the possibilities and the dangers of the powers Ember possessed.  What happened today was something to be expected; however, he didn’t realize an accident would happen this soon. He shouldn’t have let his guard down, thinking nothing troublesome would happen to her since she was busy reading the books in her study.

‘I need to see that eagle and know what exactly happened. He must have told her things, or else, there’s no reason for her to try using her powers.’

As he had those thoughts, a frown appeared on his cold face.

‘Moreover, what was that eagle doing in my residence?’

Draven remembered warning that man  to stay away from the palace, but that stubborn eagle kept showing up again and again.

In the room next door, the two elf servants entered bringing snacks with them. Not knowing what had happened, Clio and Reya were surprised to find Ember not holed up inside her study.

“Where did Miss Ember go?”

“Perhaps she returned to her chamber to rest.”

“She must be tired of studying. It has been days, hasn’t it? I am amazed she’s this dedicated–“

The two continued to chat as they went towards Ember’s bedchamber.

“–and, dear spirits! His Majesty the King?!”

Reya nearly stumbled as she abruptly stopped by the doorway, only to be hit by Clio who’s holding a tray of freshly-baked sweet snacks.

The two elves saw something unexpected. The King was sitting at the edge of the bed while their Miss was lying in bed.

Draven had sensed their movements but said nothing and heard them properly conduct themselves.

“We humbly greet Your Majesty. Please pardon our rudeness. We shall be excusing ourselves.”

The two were not brave enough to stay there in presence of the King. Reya was even regretting why she didn’t knock first.

“Tell Erlos to call for Leeora,” the King instructed, and the two gave him a polite bow. They quietly closed the door behind them as they left.

Draven continued to accompany his mate who looked exhausted and  distressed even in her sleep.

‘The sudden use of power must have drained her energy,’ he concluded. ‘The shocking outcome even made it worse.’

He continued to be by her side while she remained unconscious. Though he could smell her sensual scent like usual, his worry for his mate overpowered everything else, allowing him to remain in full control of his urges.

Almost half an hour passed by when Draven decided it should be fine to leave her side. Still, he couldn’t make himself leave her chamber, so he opted to stand by the window while thinking about what he should do next.

‘I should get someone of the  fire attribute to teach and guide her to use her innate power. I am not sure how this will affect that divine seal, but at least, letting her remain ignorant will do her no good.’

He briefly remembered those nights he had seen her tossing about in distressed sleep due to her nightmares.

‘It won’t be easy  but I hope this incident will not add another scar in her mind. I do not want her to fear her own ability.’

With this, many other thoughts came into his mind and one of them was about fulfilling the last stage of their bond.

He questioned how will it affect her if they fulfil the bond. ‘Will it put her in danger or help her?’