So she is a princess after all! Thats what Clement thought. He wasnt wrong!
«Magic works differently on everyone, depending on the wishes of the one casting the spell,» the uncle went on to spout. He loved to lecture on spells. «The more a witch or sorcerer was offended, the harder the curse was, but sometimes it had side effects. It is in the case of Raymonda. She turned out to be stronger than the one who bewitched her. And now hes afraid of her himself. Thats why shes perfect for you.»
«But whether Im right for her? She seems to dream of having a dragon knight.»
She stomped her foot and the walls of the cave began to crack.
«Careful, my dear, or the whole place will collapse,» his uncle was frightened. «You still havent learned how to control your power.»
«Why would I want to do that? Being strong is an advantage. Maybe I dont even want anyone to cast a spell on me at all.»
Raymonda whistled a song of graceful charms while scribbling witchcraft-like letters on the wall of the cave with her fiery breath. Abraham moved cautiously away from her. It suddenly dawned on Clement that his uncle was afraid of her. Even he is powerless against her fire, just as he is powerless against the enchantments placed upon her.
«Do you want the secret kingdoms of the forest to fall under the rule of Shais ruler? His magic is spreading like black claws through the thicket, and soon it will reach them.»
Raymonda frowned. Abrahams eyes pierced her.
«If the usurper is not expelled from the human kingdom, the elves countries bordering the Aluar risk falling under his influence. You dont want your winged blond buddies to become his slaves.»
«Sometimes theyre so insolent, itll be a lesson to them,» Raymonda didnt like to give in.
«I didnt think youd have to be persuaded. Do you really dislike Clement so much that youre willing to give up everything you used to cherish?»
«He turned out to be kind of unreasonable.»
«But hes prettier than any of your former suitors. So why are you displeased?»
«You promised me a great warrior. He doesnt quite live up to the name.»
«I promised you a great hero,» said uncle Abraham diplomatically. «A great hero is not always a great warrior. There are also great wise men. With Clement, Ive always relied on his intelligence, not his strength. Hes more of a scholar than a fighter.»
«Hes neither,» said Raymond scornfully.
«But hes the best shot in the universe!«His uncles praised him. «You should have seen him shoot. He could knock down a dragon on the wing.»
She hissed and hissed a great hiss of flame, but Abraham was quick to turn away. He crouched over the smoky green cloud like a genie. How did it form so quickly under the ceiling of the cave? With the feather of his turban his uncle had hit the stalactites.
«I beg your pardon, my lady!» The flash of flame made him look polite. «I misspoke. I meant to say he could easily bring a pigeon down.»
«I should have been more suited to a knight than an archer. I want him to fight sword tournaments for me.»
«My Lady, you yourself are a paragon of strength and fury,» Abraham addressed her in an elegant voice. «Why do you need a mighty warrior when you alone are stronger than all the knights put together?»
The uncle was respectful and polite. There was a great risk that Raymonda would burn both her cave guests, uncle and nephew.
On the one hand, Clement was happy that his betrothed was not some sickly young lady, but a self-assured beauty. She had dragon charm. Uncle hadnt let him down after all. It was worth thanking him, if only he could persuade Raymonda not to give up a marriage imposed by circumstances. Clement was not so naïve as not to realize that Raymonda needed him only for some ambitious purpose. Court ladies are not amorous, unlike cavaliers who sigh for them. And what to speak of the dragon princess! Though she is of fire, she is as cold as ice when it comes to love feelings.
«You speak to me as if I were an outsider!» Raymonda frowned. She seemed to have known Abraham for a long time. «Why should you? It is because Ive changed a little since I turned into a dragon.»
«By the way, how do you feel about your new appearance?» My uncle was glad to see her at her mercy, and so he switched back to the familiar «you,» as if Princess Raymonde were as related and apprenticed to him as Clement himself. Abraham was used to teaching magic to royalty. Maybe Raymondas magic skills were his doing?
«Scales like armor, but fire sometimes suffocates from within. I need to burn something or someone. For instance, if I dont breathe out a jet of flame on the first thing that comes up (even a field of plowmen I pass by), Ill suffocate,» she described her current state.
«So you cant control yourself?» Abraham looked worried.
«Not always!»
«And when Clement is around you dont feel an influx of magical power? They say its supposed to happen to the protector of the chosen one.»
«Who says so?»
«Well,» his uncle hesitated. «My living witchcraft folio says so.»
«And these» «Raymonda retracted the claws shed already released. «You cant argue with witchcraft books. You still keep them in chains, like prisoners, so they dont draw an army to the library. Think what it would be like if their voices turned a mass of people into zombies, ready to wreck the world. By the way, if your nephew wants to get great power, he should talk to your books. They might make him lose his will and make him smash everything, or they might make him the wisest! He may be the lucky one.»
«He might be more comfortable with you.»
«I am not with him. He is more of a burden than a gift. And what guarantee is there that hes the one Im looking for? You remember how many mistakes Ive made.»
«Dont be so fussy! He may be the one who can help you.»
Clement suspected something was wrong. Wasnt it her job to help him?
«Hes cute, but hes talentless,» Raymunda pronounced.
«He could be the Chosen One who could save everyone, humans and your supernatural friends alike. If he werent, Shais Lord wouldnt be after him.»
She had her ears pricked up long before Clement could hear the sounds below the cave. A party of riders was galloping through the valley. In the darkness they could not even tell if they wore black armor or regular armor.
«If they werent from Shai»
But Raymonda was already at the caves exit, hovering in flight over the rocks and blowing out a jet of hot, bright fire. The orange flames seemed like dawn in the night. The squad of riders burst into flames like a handful of matches.
And she could do that without turning into a dragon! Clement couldnt help but marvel. Well, now! He was beginning to admire her atrocities instead of dreading them. He would soon get to the point of what the rogue had foretold of him in the Piazza.
Raymonda turned and stepped lightly back into the cave from the light, silvery cloud that appeared to have formed under her feet as she hovered over the mountain. The scales that had grown a half-mask over her face instantly disappeared when she stopped breathing fire. Clement noticed that the scales on her face only formed when she was ready to breathe fire.
«The threat is gone!» Raymonda proclaimed, brushing the unruly strands behind her ear. Her ears were as sharp as an elfs, with tracery along the length of their stalks.
«Well done!» His uncle complimented her on the fact that shed just made an entire auto-da-fe. They didnt even know if the cavalcade was a threat. «You must keep him safe!»
Clement is tired of being talked about as if he isnt around.
«And how did you two meet?» He asked his uncle and Raymonda.
They both looked at him in confusion.
«You could ask the same question about how we met you,» uncle grinned. «I paid courtesies in the Southern Kingdom of Livellin long ago, and am a friend of the King, and therefore tutor to all his children.»