The Dragon Queen (Death #4)

6. Talon

Chapter 6

Talon

We returned to the Hideaway and docked our galleon. We’d been gone over two weeks, and in that time, everything looked the same. The elves hadn’t turned on the pirates, and the pirates hadn’t turned on the humans. Ethan was the only captain I trusted to keep the peace among the different races.

We left the ship and walked down the dock with our bags over our shoulders, and before we even made it to the beach, Queen Eldinar and General Ezra appeared to receive the news. When Ethan spotted us from his hut, he came out to join us.

Queen Eldinar was as refined and poised as ever, her hands together at her waist, her long hair combed back, her dress having an impressive cape. Wherever she was, her husband was right behind her, sizing everyone up as an opponent. “I know you must be weary from your travels. Under different circumstances, I would give you days to recuperate before asking anything of you. But I need to know what you discovered on your journey.”

I was dead tired, physically and emotionally. Just when I’d thought I couldn’t hurt any more, another knife broke through the scar tissue and made me bleed. “I understand. Let us drop off our things, and we’ll meet you in your chambers.”

She gave a nod in understanding.

When I passed them, Ethan reached his hand to my shoulder and gave me a squeeze.

I gave him a nod as well and continued forward with Calista beside me. We dropped off our belongings in the small hut we shared, changed out of the clothes we’d worn out to sea for days, had a drink of water or, in my case, scotch.

We walked to Queen Eldinar’s chambers and entered the large space. Ethan was already seated at the dining table with the queen at the head, and the tension between them was thicker than the humidity on the island.

General Ezra didn’t take his eyes off Ethan.

Calista and I took our seats, and we’d been off the boat for such a short amount of time that I could still feel the waves under my feet. I sank into the chair, sitting truly still for the first time in weeks. The entire time Calista was in the castle, I was worried sick. The anxiety was constant. The dread was all-consuming. The breaths were labored but soon came easy like the tide had receded after a storm.

Ethan looked at me as he remained slumped in the chair, doing his best not to look at Queen Eldinar and piss off her guard dog.

Queen Eldinar questioned me with her pointed stare.

Calista didn’t speak, as if she wanted me to do the talking.

“We discovered a lot on our voyage.” I started the conversation and felt the heft of my words. Disappointment was not a strong enough word to describe my feelings. I was wounded by what we discovered, how my glorious kingdom had tarnished and rusted. “The alliance my uncle established with the dark elves continues. They seem to occupy the lands or nearby territory, and as a result of the curse they bear, they’ve poisoned the land. Crops are limited and livestock is rare. The people of the Southern Isles suffer a harsh famine that’s never occurred in its history.”

“That sounds like good news to me,” Ethan said before adding, “No offense…”

Queen Eldinar nodded in agreement. “They’ll be our allies in this fight. No amount of famine will deter the strength that burns in their souls. They love that kingdom as much as you do, Talon. They’ll lay down their lives for it—and their rightful king.”

I’d known something was amiss all those years ago when I’d found Jairo and Kael in the storage room. I was an arrogant young man who’d provoked Barron when I should have slain him with my father’s sword. So much devastation had been caused by my negligence. Families had suffered for decades…needlessly.

Perhaps I deserved what awaited me in the underworld.

“I suspect you have more to share,” Queen Eldinar said.

“I hope you killed that rat in his sleep.” Ethan drummed his fingers on the table.

“Calista snuck into the castle,” I said. “Pretended to be one of the maids. No one questioned her. She discovered that the leader of the dark elves, Astaroth, remains in the Southern Isles because Barron has yet to uphold his end of their deal.”

“Tell us,” Queen Eldinar said.

I didn’t want to say, not when it would put so much pressure on the queen. “They’re searching for the Realm of Caelum. Apparently, there is more than one gateway. Another Great Tree exists in another land, and Astaroth believes he may have found it.”

The silence was so heavy it became physical. Queen Eldinar kept a straight face, like that information meant nothing to her, but the air became so thick was sudden pressure it was hard to breathe.

“He also suspects that I’m the Death King. An astute guess.” The continents were so far apart that I had assumed Barron would never hear the tales, but I was sadly mistaken. He knew there was only one person who had the fuel to strive for such greatness, so perhaps I should take it as a compliment. “They’ve decided to leave the Southern Isles and sail to the Northern Kingdoms to slay me. Then they’ll head to the east, where an entry to the Realm of Caelum lies. A group of elves known as the Ethereal reside there. Their plan is to kill them together so Astaroth and the dark elves can claim it. Once Barron fulfills his obligation, the dark elves will leave his land, and the soil can heal.”

Ethan dragged his fingers across his face as he listened to all of this.

Queen Eldinar didn’t blink, and her eyes sharpened with anger. “What of the dragons?”

It was a subject I wanted to avoid. “They’re in chains. None fly through the skies, so I assume they’ve been imprisoned underground.”

The queen dropped her hostile stare as the sadness softened her hard gaze. Emotion swept across the surface in a swift motion before she bottled it inside.

“Without the dark elves, they have no control over the dragons,” I said. “So, I suspect that once the dark elves vacate their lands, the dragons will remain imprisoned indefinitely to keep Barron and his family alive. And the others are imprisoned simply so they won’t be able to retaliate…”

“Vile,” Queen Eldinar whispered. “Absolutely vile.”

I was grateful that Khazmuda had managed to escape and avoid that horrible fate, that he’d never given up on me. That he’d always believed I was capable of taking back the throne and freeing his kin.

“Sounds like we need to move in—and we need to move in fast.” Ethan stopped drumming his fingers. “I’ve taken many foes on the open sea, but with dragons in the skies and so many unskilled sailors, it could easily turn into a massacre for both parties.”

“I agree,” Queen Eldinar said. “Now is the time to move in before they leave the port.”

“Unfortunately, they’ll be prepared for battle,” General Ezra said. “Not in the expectation of an army arriving on their doorstep, but ready, nonetheless. Those are not the circumstances we wanted, to take their kingdom in the night while they frantically scramble out of their beds, but it must do.”

“No matter how prepared they are,” Queen Eldinar said, “they’ll never be prepared for the dragons we’ve brought with us. Barron will arrogantly assume he has the only living dragons in this world.”

“I agree,” Ethan said. “He’s gonna lose his shit when he sees us coming.”

Queen Eldinar glanced at Ethan.

General Ezra looked at him with disdain.

“Then we need to come up with a plan.” It was a sentence I’d waited so long to say, twenty years in the making, and I never anticipated how heavy the words would feel on my tongue.

“The dragons are the key in this fight,” Queen Eldinar said. “We neutralize that threat, and the battle is over.”

“I agree,” General Ezra said. “Once we kill the dark elves who control the dragons, the dragons will be free and desperate for revenge. They’ll fight alongside us until every dark elf is dead and Barron and his kin are ash.”

“I don’t think that will be so easy,” Calista said. “I fear there’s no way to do this without hurting the dragons we’re trying to save. The dark elves will have them fight against us, and we’ll have no choice but to fight back.”

That was an outcome I accepted. Even though the dragons were all on the same side…some would die.

That realization cast a heavy silence over the table.

“Perhaps we can speak to the dragons,” Calista said. “Tell them to fight against the hold on their minds.”

“If they were able to fight it, they wouldn’t have become enslaved in the first place,” Queen Eldinar said. “The power that controls their mind is different from a fuse. It has them completely in the grasp of someone else. The spell will only be broken by the death of the elf who controls them.”

“Then we’ll kill them,” Calista said. “All of them.”

“We’ll break into three groups,” General Ezra said. “Our soldiers will face Barron’s army. Our dragons and our riders will face the elves. And Talon will slay the king. Once Barron is dead, his soldiers will no longer fight. Once the elves are slain, the dragons will no longer fight. Piece by piece, their forces will fall, while we climb.”

It was the best plan we would have. My attention would be on Barron, and while that might be selfish because it was a personal vendetta, he still needed to be killed—and I would be the one to do it.

“We’re not soldiers. We fight our battles at sea,” Ethan said. “So we’ll bring weapons to the citizens and tell them to fight.”

I nodded in agreement. “Then let’s prepare for battle.”

The moment the meeting concluded, General Ezra prepared the ships for departure. I walked across the beach while the sun dipped low in the sky, thinking about my time at sea as a pirate, unable to face the reality of this moment.

Calista walked beside me. “I think I should join Queen Eldinar and my uncle.”

I stopped and felt my boots sink into the soft sand. “No.”

“No?”

“It’s too dangerous, Calista.”

With a gaze more threatening than a tsunami, she stared me down. “Talon, I didn’t come this far to do nothing. When we met, you asked me to help you?—”

“That was before I loved you.” No longer was she a woman I just wanted to fuck. No longer was she a woman I pretended meant nothing to me. Now, she was my whole world. “I failed to protect my wife—but I won’t fail to protect you.”

The rage in her eyes quickly disappeared at the emotion in my words. “I understand?—”

“You don’t understand.” Only I would ever understand that kind of horror. “I can’t let anything happen to you, Calista. I just can’t.”

Now, she trod more carefully, treating the conversation with the delicateness it needed. “What would you have me do, Talon?”

“Remain here, honestly.”

She gave a slight shake of her head. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Then stay on the ship.”

“And do nothing?” she questioned. “You gave me that armor?—”

“I wanted to be brave, but I can’t.”

“I can’t sit on a ship and do nothing, Talon. The blood of dragons runs in my veins, so those dragons are my kin, distantly removed, as far as I’m concerned. I came here to help you reclaim your kingdom and get your revenge, but I also came here for them. I love Inferno and Khazmuda. If this claims my life, then so be it.”

“Don’t say that.”

“You said I have the gift, Talon. What use is that gift if I don’t use it?”

I looked away because the strength in her eyes was too much.

“I can speak to dragons even when I’m not fused. Perhaps I can speak to the ones that are enslaved. Perhaps I can help.”

“Maybe. But it’s the dark elves that I fear. You simply don’t have the experience to match their strength in battle.”

“I’ll be with my uncle.”

“As much as he loves you, his duty is to his wife and his queen.” I looked at her again, wishing she were a coward who would be happy to wait behind while others risked their lives. But if she were that way, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with her.

“Then let me come with you.”

Flashbacks came across my mind, my wife screaming my name as they burned her body with fire. The way Silas screamed before the end because he couldn’t handle the intensity of the flames. The dark night that was full of so much smoke that there was no sky. Every breath hurt my lungs from the anguish and the ash of my loved ones. “No.” I clenched my eyes shut and forced the thought away. “I want you nowhere near him.”

She didn’t press the argument. “Then I’m going to join Queen Eldinar in her battle against the dark elves.”

I bowed my head in irritation. “No.”

“Talon.”

I kept my head down.

“I know you’re scared?—”

“Scared is a weak description of my abject terror.” I raised my chin to look at her.

“While the dark elves are cut down and more dragons become free, there will be confusion. The dragons will probably panic and flee. Or they’ll attack our dragons anyway because they’ll have no idea what is happening. I can speak to them without being fused, so I should be there to tell them what’s going on and what to do next. I don’t need to battle with the dark elves. I can ride upon Inferno and assist.”

“You want to lead the dragons…”

“I guess you can say that,” she said. “Queen Eldinar and her kin will be engaged in battle. My uncle will be leading the soldiers below. You’ll be focused on your conquest. Ethan will be organizing the villagers. We all have our part—and I think this should be mine.”

I closed my eyes again because the stress that gripped my throat was too painful. Made it nearly impossible to breathe. I loved Vivian with my whole heart, and it took decades for me to heal. If I lost Calista…I would never heal. I wanted to lock her up in a stone prison with an army of ten thousand to keep her safe. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you, Calista. If you call for my aid and I’m locked in battle with Barron or his sons, I may not be able to do anything about it.”

She gave me a long stare. “I know…and I’m okay with that.”

I sat on the beach alone in front of the bonfire. Everyone had spent the day preparing the ships for the short voyage. At dawn, we would leave the harbor and sail away from the Hideaway.

I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. Wouldn’t be able to sleep any night before the battle.

I felt his presence before I heard the sound of wind beneath powerful wings. Then he landed beside me, the thump of his body against the sand distinct despite the softness of the earth.

His dark scales shone in the glow of the fire, a dark mirror of the flames. You’re afraid.

“Very.”

A fear so strong I would be able to feel it on the opposite side of the world.

My arms rested on my knees as I stared at the fire.

What do you fear?

“You can’t figure that out, Khazmuda?”

There was a long pause of silence. I know the battle is just days away. It will claim the lives of those you know…and possibly those you love.

I hugged my knees when I thought about Vivian, the way she was dragged to the fire as she screamed my name…believing I would be able to save her.

But it will also give you the vengeance you desperately seek—as it will for me.

“It might. We could all die for nothing…”

I don’t believe that likely. Many dragons, humans, and elves will die. We may be included in that list. But whether we live or perish, I believe those dragons will be free and Barron will be slain. Perhaps not by our hand, but by someone’s. It’ll pain me not to see it with my own eyes, but in my dying moments, I know it’ll come to pass.

“Please stop.”

Stop what, exactly?

“Stop talking about you dying.”

He was quiet for a while. The last thing I want to do is pain you, Talon. But that’s a real possibility—and I accept it.

“Well, I don’t,” I snapped. “You’re supposed to find a mate and have lots of hatchlings and live a long life.”

I hope you’re right. And I hope the same for you.

That same twinge of pain burned in my chest, never-ending.

I don’t want you to carry this, Talon. Especially into battle.

“I’ve wanted this for so long…but not if I lose you or Calista.”

He turned quiet for a while, letting the minutes trickle by. I wish I could console your fears, but I don’t make promises that I can’t keep.

I kept my gaze on the fire.

Just know that if the battle claims my life, it was worth it. And I’m sure Calista feels the same way. I feel her heart the way I feel yours. I know she cares more for others than she cares for herself—something you two have in common.

“How would you feel if you survived, but I died?” I didn’t know why I tortured myself by asking the question. It wasn’t worth the point I tried to make, not when this was a very real possibility.

Khazmuda was quiet.

I waited for him to say something.

But he remained silent, the pain in his chest growing like a physical entity. Like a fire that fed off an entire forest and grew in intensity. He rested his chin on his claws and let the silence trickle by, let the pain in his chest deepen until it was fully inside me.

“Now you understand.”

The fleet of ships left the harbor of the Hideaway, and all headed southwest. The weather was kind to us and the sailing conditions ideal, so the galleons moved at full speed with the wind in their sails.

The plan was officially set in motion—and there was no going back. Hopefully we arrived at the Southern Isles before Barron left for the north. If not, we would have to catch him on the sea and open fire in treacherous waters.

We would probably all die.

I stood on the deck with Ethan beside me. We didn’t say anything for hours, just looking at the world ahead.

“Never thought we would sail together again,” he said, leaning against the rail along the deck.

“And I never thought we would fight together again.”

He continued to look ahead while his first mate handled the wheel. “Remember when those fools tried to double-cross us at Butcher’s Bay?”

I nodded. “How could I forget.”

“And we took their ship, sailed back to port, and bedded their whores.”

I remembered that too. “Definitely a pirate’s life.”

“Have you missed it since you’ve been away?”

I considered the question with my eyes on the horizon, and I felt his stare on my face. “I don’t miss the work because I’ve never been a pirate at heart, but I’ll always miss my crew.”

He gave a slight smirk. “What will you do once this is over?”

The memories of our camaraderie vanished at the question.

“There will be an after, Talon.” His tone deepened as the seriousness set in. “I’ll tie her up on my ship and sail her there myself if I have to.”

I looked away as I tried to dismiss this conversation. “Let’s not speak of it here.” Queen Eldinar was on the same ship. It would be impossible for her to solve the vague riddle, but her intelligence and intuition shouldn’t be doubted.

Ethan didn’t speak of it again.

I went below deck and joined Calista at the little table in our quarters. She’d spoken so calmly about the battle the last time we’d talked about it, but the stress seemed to have gotten to her. She was quiet and withdrawn, absent-mindedly twirling the same strand of hair indefinitely.

Our passion had slowly dimmed as we progressed farther south. Now it seemed absent altogether, the stress and the dread so potent, they dampened all other emotions. Instead of spending our final nights locked in the throes of passion, we felt nothing at all. It pained me, but I also knew it was better this way. “Baby.”

Her fingers left her hair, and she looked at me, like it was the first time she realized I was there. Her eyes found mine, but they didn’t have their usual fire of determination or desire.

The conversation needed to be had, and I’d put it off as long as possible. “There’s something I need to tell you, and I’d appreciate it if you let me say it without interruption. Otherwise, I may not be able to finish.”

The seriousness of the topic made her stiffen noticeably. Whatever her worries were a moment ago just got worse. Her eyes resembled those of a frightened animal that was being hunted in the dark, a silent plea in the stare.

“Can you do that?”

She didn’t acknowledge the question physically or verbally. She just looked more horrified by the topic.

“When the battle descended upon my kingdom, I knew that I would die and Vivian would live. But fate was brutally unkind and switched our places. In the stress of the battle and our rushed parting, a lot of things weren’t said that should have been said.”

“Talon…”

I breathed a slow breath. “Please don’t make this harder for me.”

Her eyes started to water, but she didn’t speak again.

“We haven’t wed, but if I had the chance to make you my wife, I would. I would give anything to have Vivian’s blessing, to know if she would want me to move on…or if she hates me for letting her die. When I said goodbye to her in the hope she would sail far away and start a new life, I knew there would be a man to replace me. To raise my daughter just like his own children. I never told her that, but she had my blessing to love again. So, in the event that I don’t survive…”

Her eyes watered further, and she struggled to keep her words back.

“I want you to know you have my blessing.”

The tears became too heavy and streaked down my cheeks.

“I’d want you to fall in love again and have children and be happy.”

“Talon…please don’t do this to me.”

“I just don’t want you to wonder how I feel. To wonder if it’s okay to move on.”

She wouldn’t look at me, her eyes wet and miserable.

“I never thought I would love another woman as long as I lived, but I do. And if I can love someone else besides Vivian, then you can love someone else besides me. It’ll take time, but it’ll happen. And please be happy when it does happen?—”

Calista abruptly rose from the chair. “You’ve said your piece.” With a tearstained face, she left the quarters and slammed the door behind her.

I remained in the chair at the table and clenched my eyes shut to make it go away, to make the moment pass into a bad memory. Perhaps she thought I said those things to torture her, but I said them because I feared she would need them someday.

“That was very touching.”

I opened my eyes and looked at the surface of the table. There were scratches in the surface from the point of a pocketknife. As with anytime I felt his presence, my heart started to race inside my rib cage. Tendrils of disgust and hatred crawled through my body and my extremities. It took a moment for me to raise my chin and look at him.

He was the handsome man instead of the monster, far more appealing and tolerable than his true self.

He relaxed in the chair, his arms cupping his elbows. “Sounds like you’ve made your decision—and it’s the wrong one.”

“Regardless of what I decide, there’s still a chance I’ll die.”

A slow smile rose on to his lips, growing and stretching until it couldn’t widen any farther.

“I would be stupid not to learn from my mistakes.”

“So you will allow Queen Eldinar to take your place.”

“I never said that.”

“But you aren’t refusing it either.” The smile remained in place. “You’re more of a man than I gave you credit for. You’ll spare your dragon and your woman a lifetime of misery. Too bad they’ll never know the sacrifice you made to make it happen.”

A flood of hatred washed over me, all of it directed at myself. “It sounds like you prefer her to me.”

“Because I do.”

“Then why can’t you get her yourself? Why do you need me?”

“Because Queen Eldinar of Riviana Star is far too smart to encroach on my lands. Even if she were plagued by sorrow, she would never be foolish enough to step into my dominion. She would never allow herself to be taken by darkness. Someone else would need to force her, someone whom she trusts enough to drop her guard. And that person is you.”

I wanted to stab myself in the heart for even entertaining the idea. “What do you want with her?”

“I told you.”

“You said you would make her a part of your plan. Plan for what?”

His smile started to fade, the annoyance beginning to burn in his eyes. “Give this serious consideration, Talon Rothschild. Because this opportunity will only come one time, and once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. You’ll be my dark servant in the underworld, and once I’ve had you claim the souls of my prey and exhausted your use, I’ll eat your soul and make you a permanent minion in my domain. If I were you, I would avoid that at all costs.”

I felt the bumps on my arms, felt the terror in my heart. I had been a fool when I’d agreed to this arrangement, and part of me knew I would be a fool if I didn’t take the only chance to escape.

“Your time grows short, Talon. Use it wisely.”

We approached the Southern Isles in darkness, bringing our ships close to shore before we neared the iconic cliff that fishermen and sailors spotted when they approached from the sea.

I should be anxious to raise my sword for this battle, but my fingers didn’t want to reach for the hilt. When I put on every piece of armor, it felt almost too heavy to lift. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw a man very different from the one who’d grown up in that beautiful place. He was kind-hearted and innocent—and I was vile.

Queen Eldinar came to my side, wearing the dark armor I had gifted her, the glimmer of the diamonds visible within the dragon scales. She looked out at the dark ocean, the waves quiet in the absence of the moon. “It is time.”

It was time to part ways. Khazmuda and I would travel alone to the castle alone. I would defeat Barron and his sons and separate them from Astaroth. They might be able to communicate through their dragons, but I would still make their union as difficult as possible.

She stared at the side of my face, her eyes full of all the things she couldn’t say when others were present. General Ezra stood behind her in his full armor. Calista and Ethan were together near the rail of the ship.

My heart had not felt so much strain since Vivian died. “May Riviana protect you.” I couldn’t meet her look as I said the words, full of so much shame it swallowed me whole.

“And may she protect you.” Her hand moved to my shoulder. I couldn’t feel her fingers grip me through the armor, but I could still feel the weight of her touch. “I will do my best to look after Calista.”

“Thank you. I asked her to refrain from the fight.”

“Yes, she told me,” she said. “But a cowardly woman wouldn’t have earned your heart.”

Calista didn’t earn my love—she took it. And I was powerless to stop the cyclone that slammed into my front door, with green eyes that were brighter than any jewel I’d seen on my treacherous adventures with Ethan and the crew.

“Remember, we fight for more than your kingdom and the dragons. We fight for the afterlife—something that affects us all. Calista belongs here with us. She deserves the right to fight for her soul.”

I gave a slight nod in agreement.

She turned to face me fully. “Wait an hour before you ride Khazmuda to the castle. Calista and I will try to free the dragons from captivity before the war begins. That will give General Ezra time to lead the soldiers to the port, where they’ll overtake the harbor and enter the city.”

I nodded in agreement. “I understand.” I didn’t want Calista to sneak into the underground fortress and put herself at risk, but I knew I needed to accept her decision. A part of me wished I’d tied her up on the Hideaway and left her there, but I would never get away with it, not with Queen Eldinar and General Ezra in my presence.

“I hope we see each other again, Death King.”

I forced myself to turn and regard her directly, to look into the snow-white face and ice-blue eyes. They were filled with a hint of affection, none of which I deserved. “As do I, Queen Eldinar. It’s an honor to fight alongside you.”

A small smile moved over her lips. “The honor is mine.” She gave a slight bow to me before she turned away.

I watched her go, her blond hair a direct contrast to the dark armor she wore.

Something must have crossed her mind because she turned back to me. “And Talon…”

I held her gaze.

“Make him suffer.” She turned away again and joined her husband. Instead of walking behind her, he stayed at her side, his black cape shifting behind his muscular back.

My eyes shifted to Ethan next.

He came forward, wearing his cutlass and leather trousers, looking more like a pirate than a soldier. He crossed his arms over his chest, and he inhaled a slow and deep breath, his eyes dropping for a moment. He’d never been the serious type, and he wouldn’t start now. “We still have a deal?” His eyes flicked back up to mine. “Once the battle is over, we get all the treasure?”

I nodded. “It’s all yours, Ethan.” Regardless of the decision I made, I had no use for the gold and rubies stored at the castle. The greatest treasure I’d ever found had been buried in my heart.

“And if General Tightass dies, you think I got a shot with the queen?”

Even in the bleakest moment, I felt a hint of a smile pull at the corners of my mouth. “You ever think about anything else?”

“Of course I do,” he said. “Rum and treasure.”

“So, no.”

He smirked slightly but it was the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not sure if we’ll see each other again. So just be sure you make the right decision…when the time comes.”

I held his stare as the pain tightened around my heart.

He clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re a damn good pirate—but a much better king.”

It was one of the nicest things he’d ever said to me. “Thank you, Ethan.”

“Burn that son of a bitch. And enjoy every scream.” He clapped me on the shoulder again before he stepped away.

Only one person remained—the woman I loved.

With pained eyes and a pale face, she slowly approached me, wearing the armor I’d had made just for her. She didn’t wear a cape like Queen Eldinar or I because she lacked the experience to justify it. But she still looked like a queen as she stood before me, royalty in her veins that would burn forevermore.

I’d had the chance to say goodbye to Vivian, but I wished I hadn’t because it was so fucking painful.

Somehow, this felt worse.

Calista seemed to feel the same way because she only offered silence. We’d been nearly inseparable since the moment we met, which made this parting even more difficult. After our last conversation, we said even less to each other. The tension between us grew, but there was nothing that could break it.

This wasn’t how I wanted our final days and moments to be, but the cloud of depression blocked out the sun. With the weight of the future pressing our heels into the deck, neither one of us could stand up straight.

She continued to stare.

I stared back, feeling numb from my head to my shoulders. I felt like I was about to step back in time, to return to that stone courtyard outside the castle where my family had been burned that horrible night, and somehow I would have the chance to change the past, spare the lives that were brutally taken.

She was the one who found the words first. “Get him, Talon.”

It felt like a blessing to hear those words, to know she would cheer for my triumph from a distance, that my success meant as much to her. “I will.”

She moved into me, rested her cheek against my chest plate, and then squeezed the armor that surrounded my torso. She couldn’t touch my skin, just the tough scales that protected my body from both injury and fire.

I almost didn’t hug her back because it was too hard, too hard to say goodbye. But my arms found their life, and I hooked them around her body and dropped my chin to her head, feeling the soft strands against my skin. I squeezed her against me and closed my eyes, knowing that this might be the last time I ever got to hold her, to look at her, to smell her.

The knowledge was heavy enough to break my spine and crush my lungs. Flashbacks moved across my mind, but instead of the horrible images of fire and ash, I saw her…waking up and seeing me beside her. The glow in her eyes and the smile on her lips. The way her palm cupped my cheek and she kissed me like she loved me. When I landed on the outskirts of the forest and defeated General Noose, she crumpled into my arms and vowed she would never leave me again. Sunsets spent on that beach in the Lands of Thalian, when she tried to tell me the feelings that burned in her heart and I tried to stop her.

I’d thought I could never love again, never care again, then Calista appeared in the Arid Sands with a fire that rivaled the flames inside Khazmuda’s belly, and she struck me down like a bolt of lightning. She changed my life in mere days, healed my heart with her words and her touch, fixed a broken man who refused to heal.

She was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and if I didn’t choose Queen Eldinar to take my place, I would be the worst thing that had ever happened to her. I’d let her love me when I knew our time would be brief, when I would die before we could live. It was the single most horrific thing I’d ever done to anyone, especially a person so innocent, who had already suffered so much by my own hand.

She’d become a permanent fixture at my side, the two of us melding into a sculpture that would stand in the courtyard of a beautiful castle, withstanding the passage of time even though our story had ended long ago. She didn’t want to let me go.

I wanted to let her go even less.

Minutes passed. People on the boat dispersed to give us the privacy to savor a never-ending moment. Waves continued to lap at the galleon, and we slightly shifted from side to side, our arms locked around each other with an iron grip.

She was the first one to shift away…and I thought I would die.

With her face just inches from mine, she looked into my eyes with a sadness heavier than the anchor in the water. “Don’t die.”

I sucked in an involuntary breath, felt the sting of tears in my eyes, felt the ground rise up and hit me in the face. Unable to withstand the innocence in her green eyes, I clenched mine closed and let the self-loathing swallow me.

I could picture her devastation, the pain she would carry for the rest of her life. She would fall to her knees beside my body, cup my cheeks, and beg me to come back to her. Tears would splatter like raindrops across my corpse. She would shake me and shake me, doing her best to bring me back when she didn’t understand why I left in the first place.

That would be the end of our story…if I didn’t betray my friend.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt her soft palms cup my cheeks and look at me with a watery gaze. Her thumb brushed my cheeks the way mine had done to her so many times, catching a fallen tear.

Both of my hands dug into her hair before I cradled her face to mine and kissed her. Not a kiss that sparked fire, but one that dulled whatever flames we had left. The smoke died and the campfire went cold. Our passion had frozen like snow.

It was a goodbye.

I pulled away and looked at her, experiencing a rush of numbness that made everything feel dead. It masked all the emotion I didn’t want to feel, all the regrets and the remorse, the hatred that hit bone. “I love you, Calista Laurier.”

Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine. “And I you, Talon Rothschild.”