Hatred

“Why?” he asked Bailong.

A moment of hesitation later, Bailong caught his hands, pulled them gently and said, “because I want to remove myself from the influence of him.”

“You already have.” Sevir argued.

Bailong shook his head. “I, too, thought the same. However, I have been running from him, as much as I have been running from the black dragon. If it is not influence, what is?”

Sevir said, “Then, I will come with.”

Bailong shook his head. But Sevir was stubborn in such matters. “I am coming. There is nothing you can do to stop it.”

“He will be as hard on you as me, if not harder.”

“I bet,” Sevir shrugged. No matter how hard, how failing at his own abilities, he might be. Training was not his objective. It was to protect Bailong. The dragon king’s anger bordered on hatred. However, the undercurrents of fear were unmistakable.

The door opened and his dad walked in. “We will all sleep in one room. Apart from training, I don’t want to risk leaving the kids alone.”