Flame Touched

Chapter Four - Eian

He should have been sleeping. Eian knew this. It was the middle of the night, and he should have been asleep and not staring up at his ceiling. Yet, all he could think about was that his brother still wasn't home yet. Matteo thought Eian didn't notice whenever he slipped out of their shared apartment in the castle. He thought wrong. Eian didn't sleep through everything, he only faked it, and then he stayed up worrying. Late night excursions never meant anything good.

What made it all worse was that he could sense the other members of the royal Dragon Guard returning to the castle. Given the nature of his magic, Eian could always feel when another dragon of any kind was nearby. The sensation was stronger with other Inero dragons, and when it came to his brother, Matteo might as well have been a bonfire in the midst of candles. Eian wasn't sure if it was because of how potent their magic was, or if it was the simple fact that they were identical twins, but for whatever reason Matteo could always be found easiest.

And he wasn't home yet. Why wasn't he back?

Eian tried to think of all the logical reasons for why that didn't involve his brother maimed or dead. He's meeting with Father. Probably giving him a thorough report before he goes to sleep. Father likes those, especially from Matt. It doesn't matter how late in the night, or rather, how early in the morning it is. He frowned. But then I'd be able to tell that he was at least in the castle. No, he's not in the building at all. Eian closed his eyes and tried to focus on the magical footprints throughout the castle, and then he focused on amplifying the ability so that it stretched out into the city. Such an effort would do two things: give him the assurance he needed to know his brother made it back safely, and tire him out enough that he could sleep regardless of the outcome. Staying awake to worry would make for an exhausting morning when he was supposed to be training. It also proved just how much weaker he was—how soft.

He sighed. I love my brother. We've been through everything together. If he wasn't the head of the army, I wouldn't have much to worry about. If Father didn't use his army to do bad things in the middle of the night, then I wouldn't have to do it when I'm supposed to be sleeping. If Father would stop doing bad things period, that'd be great too. I love him, and I love my country. I don't understand how hurting anyone in it is helpful.

But that's why Eian wasn't involved in politics. His father Lynx, the Great Lord of the Inero, kept him in the dark for a reason. Matteo knew everything, of course. Matt was the favorite, and only because he was the most useful to Lynx's agenda. Eian was pretty sure Matt knew it too. Both of the brothers liked to pretend their father genuinely cared about them anyway. It made life easier, and led to less vindictive thoughts. All a negative attitude did was create a block on his magic, and put him in a foul mood. Being worthless would put them out of their father's good graces.

Where are you, Matt? Chills ran down his entire body despite his being under a thick blanket. More magic radiated around him. He felt the heat of hundreds-of-thousands of candle flames flickering nearby. It overwhelmed him to the point where he almost changed his mind—and then he felt the bonfire just on the outside border of the city. He's with her again. There was only one person he visited in the poor district. Rei, the girl Matt talked about all the time and was completely enamored with, yet he wouldn't introduce her to Eian.

I get it, he's waiting for the Elite to select her and make it all official. It'd be nice to put a face to the name. And if we knew each other ahead of time, I could help her adjust to living in the castle. From what he understood, she'd be better off...but it'd still be an adjustment. He's back in the city. I can rest easy knowing that.

Only, he still wasn't feeling all too tired. The middle of the night excursions were becoming more frequent. In the morning, he'd hear of another accident or divine cleansing via the local news. The media always put an Empire-positive spin on whatever tragedy happened the evening before. It'd be a lot easier to swallow if he understood why families were being kicked out of their homes and businesses were being set ablaze. Every time he asked, he got the same answer: "It isn't a problem you need to concern yourself with. Politics. You're destined for another way of life."

So he stopped asking. It wasn't his problem—that was true. He couldn't change his father, the goals for the empire, or even Matt's ambitions for life. All he could do was focus on his future and where it was heading—hopefully something as far from politics as he could get. On that one thing, he agreed with his father: he was destined for another way of life.

What he didn't want to do was watch his brother suffer. So he worried. Stayed soft. Stayed weak. I still have my heart. That counts for something, yeah?