Chapter 48: Chapter 47
He still remembers the rising anger he felt inside him as the familiar pulsing of the necklace rang through his mind. A necklace he had created himself, a connection that was only activated when Myranda was in danger.
He had designed the necklaces so that he knew who was in danger, and this time it was Myranda.
Tyrosh. She was on her way to Tyrosh, and there was only one reason why the necklace would react that way when she was near Tyrosh: pirates.
The cursed two-legged handicapped idiots that lurked in the waters of the Stepstones, plundering bypassing ships.
Even if he knew she was safe with his Warborn and the necklace's magic, it couldn't stop his instincts. The urge to immediately mount Ancalagon, his mighty dragon, and engulf the Stepstones in a firestorm was overwhelming.
But Lysandra and Seraphine had held him back, and it had taken both of them to calm him.
It had undoubtedly helped that he and Lysandra had married only a few weeks ago and that they were now here together.
The calming threesome was definitely one of the reasons too.
When his thoughts had calmed down again and he could think more clearly, he realized that his fear had not been groundless, but nevertheless exaggerated.
Unless the gods themselves had conspired against him and were actively working towards his downfall, it was highly unlikely that anything had happened to her.
However, if the unthinkable had happened and something had happened to her, then it would be too late to do anything for her anyway. His revenge would follow in any case, and he was planning to rid the Stepstones of pirates sooner or later either way.
That would have only given him more motivation.
When his mind was cleared and he could concentrate on the bigger picture, he turned his attention back to his city, or more precisely to the Temple of the 14 Gods.
He had many projects in progress at the same time, and the construction of the temple was one of the most ambitious.
One of the main reasons why all these undertakings were even possible was because he didn't have to pay his workers. Otherwise he would have had to proceed with much greater restraint.
Nevertheless, the expenses were astronomical, on a scale that would have bankrupted dozens of noble families if they had been in his place.
The Temple of the 14 Gods was particularly important to him for several reasons.
Firstly, because it was a symbol of power and faith that reflected the greatness of Valyria.
But even more important to him was the fact that the religion had almost been reduced to insignificance after the destruction of Valyria, except for some parts in the world like Volantis.
This time, however, he wanted to ensure that no matter what happened to him or his house, something of Valyria would remain forever - an everlasting legacy in stone and faith.
Kaelarys was standing on one of the balconies of his palace and overlooked the Temple of the 14 Gods, which towered majestically over the tropical city.
While the temple was only around half complete, one could already imagine the impressive splendor that would one day grace it.
The mighty pillars flanking the main entrance reminded him of the spine of a giant creature supporting the sky.
Dragons coiled around the pillars like guardians, their scales so finely carved that they seemed almost alive in the light.
"With what you're creating here, you could easily be mistaken for the most zealous devotee," his sister remarked as she lay lounging on an elegant cushion. Lysandra sat next to her, her legs folded under her, and gently massaged Seraphine's head while she rested her head on Lysandra's lap.
The heat of Sothoryos made any heavier clothing unbearable, so both women wore only light, airy robes that barely covered more than their skin.
Their faces were relaxed, almost sleepy, while the gentle breeze blowing through the room's open windows gave them some slight relief.
"Kaelarys the Pious" Lysandra murmured with a mischievous smile, her fingers sliding through Seraphine's silver hair, "Kind of has a ring to it, don't you think?"
Seraphine laughed softly as she kept her eyes closed, her lips curled into a slight, pleasurable smile. "True," she finally said." But there's just one small problem - everyone in this room knows that you don't really give a flying fuck about religion."
As the words left her mouth, Lysandra abruptly stopped massaging Seraphine's head and Kaelarys slowly turned to face her, both with slightly taken aback looks.
Seraphine opened her eyes and looked at them innocently. "What? I'm right though,"
Kaelarys shook his head slightly at his sister's crass words, but he could not deny that she was right. Although he cared deeply about preserving Valyria's legacy and all that it had to offer for eternity, he felt no deeper love or devotion for the gods.
He did not despise them at all, and it was not that he did not believe in their existence - he simply did not worship them in the same way that others did.
"Hmm," Seraphine said thoughtfully, while her cheeks gradually took on a deep blush.
Lysandra, who immediately noticed the change in Seraphine's face, tilted her head and asked curiously: "What are you thinking about?"
Seraphine hesitated briefly, averted her eyes and then replied somewhat sheepishly, "I was just wondering... what it would be like to... make love in a holy temple?"
A mischievous smile flitted across Lysandra's face as she looked at Kaelarys, whose eyebrow shot up questioningly. The two exchanged a meaningful look before Kaelarys finally said with a chuckle, "That's definitely your influence, Lysandra. Don't blame it on me."
Lysandra laughed softly and pulled Seraphine closer to her. "Oh, Kael, admit it, a little curiosity never hurts. But who would have thought that our dear Seraphine would be so... full of imagination?"
Seraphine tried to cover her embarrassment with a very slight smile, while Kaelarys looked over at the two women with an amused expression. "If this keeps up, I guess we'll have to think about designing a temple entirely to your liking," he finally teased, his tone half-joking, half-serious.
---
As dawn broke, the three flew far to the east of Sothyorsos, deep into the unknown land where few people had ever set foot. On the backs of their imposing dragons, they rode over dense, green treetops and through the warm, humid winds that filled the region's air.
In the lead, Kaelarys flew on Ancalagon, his mighty black dragon.
Next to him flew Ruby, Seraphine's proud red dragon, her scales glowing like liquid fire in the morning sun.
A little to the side, Lysandra sat on Gleamdros, the golden dragon, who glided through the air gracefully. His scales sparkled like pure gold and reflected the light with a glow.
Gleamdros was older and bigger than Ruby and had belonged to the Baelaeron family for almost a hundred years. He had once been ridden by Lysandra's grandmother, who had been the grandmother of Kaelarys and Seraphine as well.
Seraphine could barely contain her curiosity. Kaelarys had only told them that he wanted to show them something they'd never seen before. The secretiveness made her curious, even if she didn't quite understand why he was making such a mystery of it.
But as his wife, she decided to indulge him in this little bit of fun.
They flew for a while before Kaelarys finally gave them the sign that he wanted to land.
A small clearing stretched out in front of them, one of the few they had discovered so far. It was not particularly large, but enough to land a dragon. Kaelarys did not hesitate and gave Ancalagon the command.
The mighty dragon opened its mighty maw and let a jet of dragon fire rain down on the green landscape, engulfing the green landscape in an inferno of flames that devoured the trees and plants.
Seraphine shook her head slightly as she sat on Ruby. They had spotted several clearings along the way that were far larger, but apparently Kaelarys had this one in mind. "Men," she muttered with a smirk, chuckling softly into her fist even though she didn't have to hide her laughter from anyone.
When Kaelarys was done, they watched as he landed in the clearing. It was obvious that he wanted them to land right where Ancalagon had just reduced the flora and fauna to rubble.
They followed his example and set their dragons down on the still-smoking ground.
Both watched as Kaelarys skillfully descended from Ancalagon. Despite the dragon's massive size, he had managed to climb down with astonishing ease.
As soon as he had solid ground beneath his feet, Ancalagon took to the skies again, his wings creating powerful air currents that smothered the last of the flames.
"Are you as confused as I am?" asked Seraphine, giving Lysandra a questioning look.
"Absolutely no clue," Lysandra replied and they both watched as Kaelarys stood in the center of the clearing.
Kaelarys stood in the center of the clearing, and as Lysandra and Seraphine watched, they noticed his posture change. His body seemed to tighten and then, without warning, flames shot from his hands.
The flames only flickered slightly at first, but within seconds they turned into a gigantic wall of fire that spread in all directions.
The flames moved like a living wave, spreading across the clearing with the speed of a tsunami and devouring everything in their path. The grass, the trees, even the earth itself seemed to go up in flames.
It was as if an infernal tornado was devouring everything in its path. The flames raged in a massive circle around Kaelarys, and the noise of the fire was so deafening that it seemed as if hell itself was being unleashed.
In the midst of this inferno, Kaelarys stood impassive, his gaze fixed on the horizon as everything around him went up in flames.
When the flames finally began to die down, the clearing was unrecognizable. What had just been a green place was now a black, charred circle in the middle of the dense jungle of Sothoryos.
Kaelarys still stood in the center, unharmed and calm, as if nothing had happened.
Seraphine could hardly believe what she had just seen.
She had seen a lot of magic in person, even the work of fire mages, but what she saw before her was beyond anything she had ever thought possible.
Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would have sworn that it was Ancalagon who had unleashed these flames - not Kaelarys.
Her aunt had once told her that Kaelarys was incredibly talented and powerful with the arcane powers, but this... this was beyond anything she could have ever imagined. It was as if she had seen a living dragon in human form.
Lysandra stood beside her, also speechless, but fascination sparkled in her eyes. "Kaelarys... what?... How?" she finally managed to utter, her voice a whisper in the wind that blew across the charred clearing.
Seraphine remembered the words that had been drilled into her from a young age - that the dragon's blood ran through her veins.
She had always known that this was a metaphor, an expression of her lineage and heritage.
But in that moment, as she saw Kaelarys standing there, surrounded by the remnants of his immense power, she began to doubt.
Maybe it wasn't a metaphor after all. Perhaps they really were dragons - in human form, but with the soul and power of a dragon.
And Kaelarys was living proof of that.
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Hello, good morning, another 2k Chapter.
Also, sorry if there are any mistakes. I didn't proofread this chapter. I was too lazy, lol
Thought Seraphine and Lysandra should know. They are his wives and they deserve it.
Besides, it's not like it's going to be a secret forever.
It was more of a taste sample for them.
Leave a review and bye.
Yours,
Jasonenrick!
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