The Dragon Queen (Death #4)

21. Calista

Chapter 21

Calista

I stood before the Great Tree, the very place where we’d almost lost the battle with the dark elves. Queen Eldinar had been stabbed so many times, it was a miracle she survived. With Talon’s sword and his powers, he’d singlehandedly saved this forest from destruction. He’d protected the lives of the living as well as the dead.

Queen Eldinar stood in front of the tree before she looked at me. “Are you ready?”

I nodded.

“No human has ever passed into the Realm of Caelum and returned.”

“I know.”

She continued to watch me. “I need you to know that you understand your life is at stake?—”

“If I can’t save Talon, then I don’t want to live anyway.”

“Careful,” she said quietly. “Because Talon found himself in that same predicament…and look where he is now.”

I felt no fear at the prospect of not returning. If I was trapped there forever, then so be it. My only regret would be not taking Talon with me. “I have to do this.”

She watched me for another moment before she nodded. “Khazmuda won’t tell him?”

I shook my head. “He doesn’t want to give him false hope…if this doesn’t work.”

“That’s wise. Hope can be as dangerous as a sword to the neck.” She approached the outline of the door inside the trunk of the tree, the gateway to the afterlife, the cause of so much bloodshed. She placed her hand upon the door and closed her eyes.

I waited a few feet back, my heart beating irregularly, the adrenaline making me sick. I’d tried to accept Talon’s death every day, but now, my world was upside down because I had been given another chance to save it.

She murmured under her breath, speaking in the tongue of her people, words I could not understand. It went on for minutes, her hand moving to different parts of the door like she was searching for the pulse of the tree.

Then a bright line of sunshine outlined the shape of the door in the trunk, light coming from within the wood. It burned so brightly that I had to avert my gaze because it made me blind. It burned even brighter before it disappeared.

I looked at the door again as Queen Eldinar stepped back.

The wood that had barred the way magically disappeared, revealing a black hole without a view of the other side. It was just…empty. Like we would step into midnight and leave midday.

She turned back to me and silently asked if I wanted to continue.

“Let’s go.”

She moved into the passageway first, stepping into the darkness and disappearing the second she crossed the threshold. She didn’t seem to blend into the darkness, but leave it completely.

I inhaled a breath before I approached the doorway, looking into a black so substantial it felt physical. It seemed like I was stepping into the underworld rather than the afterlife. Wish me luck…

You don’t need it, Calista.

I stepped into the darkness and was immediately absorbed by it. It was neither cold nor warm. It was the absence of all senses, the absence of everything that made me feel alive. Then I felt my feet leave the ground, and I fell, my hair whipping into the air behind me as I fell into the never-ending darkness.

I blinked, and then my feet were on the ground. I somehow didn’t crash into the earth, went from free fall into absolute stillness in a split second. My eyes opened, and I looked up at the white stone walls of the keep, at the colored glass of the windows, at the majestic beacon of beauty that rose before me.

I smelled the sea, felt the touch of the cool air and the heat of the sunshine on the bridge of my nose. But the longer I looked, the more I noticed the haze, a pastel blur to all the colors, like it wasn’t quite real.

I blinked, and then the image was gone. Now, I stood inside the castle, the ceiling a hundred feet high, the floor made of the same white stone that I’d seen outside. A chorus of music from an organ that took up the entire wall played loudly, the pipes the color of gold that matched the throne on the top of the rise. It was profound and distinct, music that played for a few seconds before silence returned.

She hadn’t been there a second ago, but she was there now, seated upon the throne with her ankles crossed, her fiery red hair down to her waist, wearing a white gown with the Great Tree embroidered down the center.

Her hands rested on the armrests, her nails sharp like talons, and she stared us down with a tension that showed how unwelcome we were.

Queen Eldinar stepped forward. “God of Caelum, Riviana, we’ve come to seek your audience.”

Her eyes darted to me. “You know the law.”

“I requested your presence in Riviana Star, but you wouldn’t come.” Queen Eldinar was the elegant queen who commanded the hearts of the elves who worshipped her, so it was strange to see her be the inferior to someone else, to be the one on the bottom of the rise rather than upon the throne.

“I’m busy, Queen Eldinar.” Riviana’s shifted back to the queen.

“I understand that, Riviana. But what we wish to discuss is urgent.”

“The matters of the living are not urgent to the dead.” She left the throne and approached the end of the rise before she stepped down and drew closer, her long train following behind. “But make your plea, Queen Eldinar.”

Queen Eldinar was a beautiful queen and a fearsome warrior, but she seemed far less intimidating when faced with a god, with a being both immortal and insurmountably powerful. She pressed her lips tightly together before she made her case. “Talon Rothschild has been taken by Bahamut?—”

“I’m aware of his fate,” she said. “A fate he chose.”

Despite Riviana’s hostility, Queen Eldinar retained her composure, even though she seemed like someone who’d never been interrupted in her life. “Khazmuda, the dragon who Talon has fused with, can still feel him. While the fuse may be broken, their souls remain attached to each other.”

Riviana stared at Queen Eldinar, her thick, long red hair around her like a curtain. Last time I saw her, her hair reached her shoulders, but now it was like a long train of red beauty. Her beauty was unquestioned, and so was the intelligence behind her eyes.

“Bahamut has made numerous attempts to seize Talon’s soul for consumption, but Khazmuda has kept his hold.”

“Why do you tell me this?” She remained on the second step, keeping a slight height advantage over the Queen of Riviana Star.

“Because as long as Talon has a soul, he can be saved.”

Her bright-green eyes latched on to the queen’s and burned. “You know there’s no way to travel to Bahamut’s lands and return, Queen Eldinar. I’m sorry that I need to remind you of this.”

“I can’t travel there and return—but you can.”

I watched the two monarchs go back and forth, my palms sweaty even though it was cool in the castle. My heart still had its irregular beat, a beat that shook my ribs. When I blinked, another woman appeared, a brunette in a blue dress, standing ten feet behind Riviana. She wore a pained expression, like she had dire news for the god that ruled over the Realm of Caelum.

Riviana stared her down. “You expect me to travel to the underworld for a single man?”

“He’s not just any man.” I finally found my words, desperate to change her attitude. “He saved Riviana Star and protected the Realm of Caelum. He took up his sword and was prepared to lay down his life to protect this place. Without him, your throne would be occupied by the God of the Underworld himself.”

Riviana shifted her gaze to me and studied me.

So did the brunette who stood behind her. She stared, a haze of moisture in her eyes.

I felt weak under their stares, like I floated above the ground rather than stood firmly upon it. “He doesn’t deserve this…please.”

Riviana continued to stare me down. “If he were there by force rather than choice, this would be a different conversation. I thanked him for his service with a gift that meant a great deal to him.”

I remembered what he’d told me. “That his unborn child had been a daughter—Lena.”

The brunette inhaled a breath so deep it was visible in her chest. The moisture in her eyes reflected the gold color in the room, the colored glass of all the windows.

“While that meant a great deal to him, he needs more,” I said. “Please…”

“I’ve never interfered with the affairs of the dead,” Riviana said. “And I won’t start now.”

“ Please .” I thought the word came from me—but it came from another. The woman stepped forward and came to Riviana’s side, keeping a respectable distance of a few feet. “We can’t be judged for the decisions we make in our grief. It was a mistake, and his soul shouldn’t pay be the cost of that mistake. I begged him to leave…but the wind was stronger than my voice.”

My lungs needed more air. My body needed more strength. My world had already crumbled into pieces, but now it came apart even further. Without hearing her name or knowing her voice, I knew who she was.

Her eyes remained locked on Riviana. “Please, my lord. Please …” Tears streaked down her cheeks.

Riviana looked away, appearing unmoved. “On this side of the veil, I’m immortal. And immortality was granted to me to protect the souls that have passed into the Realm of Caelum. It’s a position I take seriously. If I were to pass into Bahamut’s lands, not only would I lose my invincibility, but also my immortality. Traveling to the underworld doesn’t only put my life at risk—but every soul that lives here.” She looked at the woman beside her. “Regardless of how great a man Talon Rothschild was, he’s not worth the souls of so many. And I think he would agree.”

A knife pierced my heart and cleaved it in two.

The brunette inhaled a deep breath as more tears cascaded down her face.

I didn’t know how to convince a god to do my bidding, so I remained quiet.

Queen Eldinar spoke again. “Is there a way you can help us enter the underworld? A way for us to come and go?”

Riviana turned her fierce stare upon the queen. “Yes, it’s possible. But I won’t do it.”

“Why?” Queen Eldinar asked.

“Because no living mortal can challenge Bahamut, God of the Underworld,” Riviana said. “He would slay every last one of you.”

A tremor of fear rushed through me, fearing something I’d never seen.

Queen Eldinar showed no sign of the terror I felt. “Revealing the gender of his unborn child is insufficient payment for what he did for you, with all due respect. He saved this realm, protected the souls who live here and reserved it for the souls who have yet to come, and he deserves to be free of eternal damnation. I will travel to the underworld and risk my life to free him of darkness. If that means I need to fight Bahamut myself, then so be it.”

The brunette drew closer to Riviana. “We don’t need you to defeat Bahamut. All we need is to free Talon from the underworld. His soul remains intact because of Khazmuda’s strength, so he’ll be free of Bahamut’s magic.”

“But he’ll still be dead.” Riviana looked at me. “I don’t think you realize that.”

The hope I’d felt for just a brief second burned in volcanic fire. “I—I still want him to be free.”

“His life was unfairly taken by Bahamut,” Queen Eldinar said. “If we free him from the underworld, you can restore his soul to his body.”

“I’ve never done that, Queen Eldinar,” Riviana said. “It’s not my place?—”

“ But you can do it .” I stepped forward. “So please do it. Please…” I’d never seen so many people beg someone for anything.

Riviana took a quick scan of all of us, her composure still rigid with stoicism.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Queen Eldinar said. “You’ve been blessed with this power for a reason. Use it for good. Use it to right a wrong. Use it to save a hero who could have betrayed us and helped our enemies instead.”

Riviana took a heavy pause as she considered our pleas, but the hard expression she wore made it difficult to know her feelings. She seemed to make her decision because she sighed. “The answer is no. I’m sorry?—”

“ You will not leave him there .” The brunette turned delirious. “You will not forsake him. You will not forsake a man who’s clearly beloved by all. He’s a king and deserves to die as a king, not as a servant to a fiend.” Tears poured down her cheeks. “Please…” She dropped to her knees in front of the god and bowed her head. “I will serve you in any way you wish.”

I stepped forward and did the same, moving to my knees in front of the only being who could give me what my heart desired most. “God of Caelum, we beg you. We all do.”

She stared down at me for a long second before she looked at Queen Eldinar next.

Queen Eldinar stood her ground—because she bowed to no one.

Riviana continued her stare.

I watched the silent battle between the two titans, waited to see the outcome of their strength.

Then Queen Eldinar took a knee before a god—and begged. “Please, God of Caelum. With our full hearts, we beg you to save the life and soul of Talon Rothschild.”

I stared at Riviana and waited for the answer I desired most, hoped that we could return Talon’s soul to his body, and if not, at least take it to the afterlife where he could live peacefully.

She straightened her spine before she gave a sigh. “I will grant your request. I will provide a path for you to travel to the underworld and retrieve Talon Rothschild. And if he chooses, I will restore his soul to his body. We don’t know what treachery or horror he’s witnessed below, so that decision must remain with him alone, so he may wish to pass on and heal in the potency of my light.”

Overwhelmed with gratitude, I hadn’t said a word since Riviana had granted our wish. My eyes were wet from shed and unshed tears. I was weak on my feet, my fingers numb at the prospect of getting Talon back.

Queen Eldinar moved her hand to my shoulder. “Are you alright, Calista?”

I snapped out of my reverie at her touch. “Yes.”

“Your eyes look hollow, like you’ve lost your sight.”

“It’s just…all of this is still unbelievable.”

She returned her hand to her side. “I know. In my long life, I’ve never seen anything like it. But then again, I’ve never known a man like Talon Rothschild. This mission will cause great peril to us all, but I will not abandon him, not when he wouldn’t abandon me.”

I nodded. “Do you think…he’ll choose to stay?”

Queen Eldinar stared at me.

I wanted her to say the words I wanted to hear, but I listened to her silence instead.

Her eyes glanced behind me. “We’ll know soon enough.” She stepped away and turned her back, her elegant cape behind her.

The brunette who had joined our conversation approached me, her dark hair lush and long, her skin tanned like she’d spent most of her time bathing in the warm sunshine. She kept a foot of space between us but continued her hard stare.

I memorized every feature of her appearance, put a face to a name, a memory to a person.

“You love my husband.”

The sentence made me tense, made me jealous and sick, and made me feel guilty like I’d done something wrong. I accepted that he loved someone else in the past, but that was before I was forced to look at how inexplicably beautiful she was.

“If you’re willing to risk your life and your soul to save him, then you must love him very much.”

The adrenaline pumped in my veins and made my breaths shaky. Made me sick to my stomach. “I do.” I considered Talon, Khazmuda, and myself as three members of a family. But he’d had a family before me. He’d had a wife…and a child.

She gave a nod in sad defeat, her eyes dropping before she pressed her lips tightly together. After a beat, she inhaled a breath then looked at me again, this time wearing the slightest of smiles. “I’m pleased to know that Talon has found happiness in the midst of such despair. Our love was deep and real, but it was also brief. I hoped that he would move on with a woman worthy of his heart—and I see that he has.”

I felt the tension in my muscles ease. Felt the fear fade like the sun over the horizon.

“I feel no ill will toward him for what happened. It was not his fault…even though I’m sure he feels otherwise.”

“He’s carried the guilt every day.”

She gave a slight nod. “He avenged me and Lena, and that pleases me. Once he’s free of Bahamut’s clutches I will know peace— because of him.”

I gave a slight nod because my body could barely move.

“Be good to him, because he is a good man.”

“I—I will.” My eyes watered from her warmth and kindness, the way she chose to love rather than hate. “You’re everything he said you were.”

She gave a slight smile before it slowly faded. “I need you to succeed in this endeavor. If I could go myself, I would. I would risk my soul for him the way he risked his soul for me. But unfortunately, I’m confined by the gates.”

“I’ll get him back. I promise.”

Her piercing eyes stared into mine, possessing intelligence as well as ethereal beauty. It was no wonder why he married her against his father’s wishes. “I will hold you to that, Calista Laurier.”