The silence that followed Eris's question was heavy, punctuated only by the distant, muffled howl of the wind and the crackle of the fireplace.
Do you think you're a dragon?
Soren's mind, usually a fortress of cold logic, felt like it was reeling. The question hit him with the force of a physical blow, stirring up shadows he had spent a lifetime trying to ignore.
Why is she asking this now? What did she see? He thought of the way his magic felt lately... not like a tool, but like a sentient, hungry thing prowling beneath his skin. He thought of the ice that moved before he even commanded it, and the heat that didn't burn him when he touched her.
He looked at her, his eyes searching hers for a sign of mockery, but found only a sharp, intelligent curiosity. He didn't know the answer himself. He had never fully questioned the source of his power; he had simply survived it.
