The Dragon Queen (Death #4)

32. Calista

Chapter 32

Calista

I looked at Constantine’s body, which had several perforations that continued to bleed. The rain made rivers of blood flow down his scales, perhaps made it look worse than it really was. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I will carry these scars forever, and that will hurt more than the wounds that caused them.

“I’m sorry.” I placed my palm against his leg and patted him, unsure if he could even feel it. He was much bigger than Khazmuda, his proportions completely different.

No dragons were lost in this fight. The Realm of Caelum has been saved. Bahamut has been slain. My scars were a small price .

“You’re still beautiful, Constantine.”

I know.

I reached my mind to Khazmuda, whom I’d forgotten in the chaos. Are you alright?

I’m weak, but I’ll live. I can’t feel Talon.

He hasn’t returned from the Realm of Caelum.

He returned to us once. He’ll return again.

Many elves died in the battle, more than could be counted. When I found Queen Eldinar, she was tending to the wounded, along with the others who had survived.

“Is my uncle okay?” I asked.

She finished applying the bandage to the elf on the ground before she rose to meet my look. “He received many injuries as a result of the battle, but he’ll survive. They’ve taken him to the infirmary.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because as much as I want to sit at my husband’s side, I must tend to my people first.” She looked me over. “Are you alright, Calista?”

“I’m fine.” I had a couple of cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. I’d fared a lot better than the elves who had fought on the ground against the dead. I’d felt like a coward on the back of Khazmuda while others suffered.

“Constantine told me what you did.” She looked me over, and for the first time, she didn’t look like a queen, but my aunt. “Your brilliance saved us all.”

A wave of love and affection washed over me, but I felt undeserving of it. “With all due respect, Talon saved us all.”

“But he would have died without your intervention. You didn’t just save the man you love—but all the people you love.” Her eyes flicked past me and steadied, taking in the sight from a distance. A soft smile settled on her lips, lighter than a white cloud in a summer sky. “The king approaches…” She stepped away and returned to aiding her people.

I turned around and stilled, not expecting him to be just feet away from me. I gasped quietly at the sight of him, seeing a fortitude in his eyes, a strength in his expression that hadn’t been there before. He was my lover, my closest friend, my everything…but I forgot how to speak to him. The end of this journey was so heavy on my shoulders that I struggled to accept it, struggled to breathe like I was deep underwater. It was a blessing, a joyous occasion that I never thought would come to pass, and now I didn’t know how to appreciate it.

He continued to stare at me, his dark eyes locked on mine with a grip harder than any other, as if his fingers were clenched around my heart. He stared like that for a long time, until his hand slid into my wet hair, the rain still trickling down from the branches of the trees. “Marry me.”

Most of the forest was destroyed, a lot of the elves had died, and there was a cloud of melancholia throughout Riviana Star. But there was also peace. Evil had been vanquished, and now good endured.

Instead of spending our time locked away in my tree house, we served the people of Riviana Star. We carried the dead to their graves, we helped the wounded, we cleaned the debris from the forest floor. Stumps were torn out of the ground, and new trees were planted. The restoration would take decades, but at least the seeds were sewn.

My uncle was in the infirmary all that time, and with every passing day, he became stronger. His arm was in a sling because it was broken. He had a cut down his face from the tip of a blade, a cut that would heal into a permanent scar. But he’d survived another battle.

It was two weeks before the forest started to feel normal again, for the shock of the battle to pass.

Talon sat at the head of the table in the tree house, a cup of tea in front of him that he didn’t touch. Whenever I offered him tea, he always took it—but he never drank it. He looked out the window for a long time, minutes without blinking, his mind elsewhere. “I think it’s time.” His eyes flicked to mine. “Riviana Star will be in mourning longer than a human lifetime. The forest will always show scars of what happened here. Every race lost their people, but the elves seemed to have lost more than anyone else.”

Their population had been nearly eradicated. They would have to prioritize reproduction if they wanted those numbers to rise again.

“It’s time we go home.”

Home wasn’t Riviana Star or Scorpion Valley. It was the Southern Isles—with the man who had become my home. I nodded in agreement. “It’s time for you to take the throne and rule over your people.”

“A king does not rule over his subjects—he leads them,” he said. “And it’s time they met the queen who will share that responsibility with me. Who will stand as my equal before our subjects—and bow to me in the privacy of our royal bedchambers.”

Just when I thought my love for this man couldn’t deepen further, it did. “I’m ready to go.”

He turned to gaze back out the window, becoming lost in thought again.

I could read the melancholy on his face, see the way he went from excitement to despair. “What are your thoughts?”

He took a slow breath, the kind that made his chest rise like the belly of a dragon before it released its fire. “If you hadn’t told the dragons to fuse with me collectively, I would have died. We all would have died. I’m the recipient of people’s admiration, the man who will wear the crown, but you’re the one who deserves it all.” He looked at me again.

“If that were the case, then I could have fused with all the dragons myself. But even with their strength, I still would have lost to Bahamut. That plan wouldn’t have worked without both of us.”

He considered that for a long time. “Perhaps…” He looked down at the tea he refused to drink before he looked at me again. “Can I tell you something?”

“You can tell me anything.”

“I fear you will think less of me for this…”

“It’s impossible at this point.” I was so hopelessly in love, so deep in the clouds that I would never see straight again.

He looked away again. “When I was fused with all the dragons, I was the strongest being that’s ever existed. No one could oppose me, not a dragon and not a god. I released their souls when the battle was over…but I didn’t want to.” He closed his eyes like the void was a better companion than the person who sat across from him. “The power was indescribable. I’d never been so tempted in all my life.” He opened his eyes again but stared at the black tea. “I would live forever, and no adversary would ever challenge me again.”

If those words were spoken by anyone else, I would have been disturbed—but not with Talon. “But you did release them. Constantine asked you to release the magic that bound you together, and you did so without reservation. They trusted you with the greatest magic they possess, and that trust was well placed.”

He lifted his chin and looked at me, his stare uncertain. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

“But I didn’t want to.”

“It doesn’t matter what you wanted, Talon. It matters what you did. You were tempted with the greatest power any individual could ever possess, and you relinquished it. That makes you the greatest man who ever lived—one I’m proud to call my husband.”

We joined Queen Eldinar and Uncle Ezra at the grand table in the royal chambers. The bruising on my uncle’s face had nearly disappeared. His arm was still in a sling, but he seemed to be free of the pain.

Queen Eldinar looked like she hadn’t been injured in battle, but there was a permanent hint of gray to her eyes, like storm clouds were always in the distance. The loss of life had scarred such a magical place.

Talon spoke first. “Calista and I have decided it’s time for us to return home. We’ve done as much as we can for Riviana Star. We feel we have nothing left to offer your people.”

Queen Eldinar gave a nod. “I agree. You can’t help someone mourn. Only time can.”

After a beat, Talon spoke. “Commander Navarrese has assumed the throne of the Northern Kingdoms in my absence. He served me faithfully as my commander. Lacks a temper and approaches situations with logical ease. He’s your ally, and he knows what will happen if that were ever to change.”

“As long as they stay on their side of the mountains, we will be a great alliance,” Queen Eldinar said. “When will you leave?”

“In the morning,” Talon said. “When we return to the Southern Isles, I will be crowned king, and in that moment, I will make Calista both my wife and my queen. With the heavy loss you’ve suffered, I don’t expect you to attend, but it would mean a great deal to us both to have you there.”

Queen Eldinar stared for several moments before she looked at her husband.

Uncle Ezra kept his eyes on me. “A broken arm isn’t going to stop me from being there.”

I felt my eyes melt with tender affection, those words making their way straight to my heart. “That means a lot to me.”

“We will be there,” Queen Eldinar said. “I’m sure Macabre would be happy to take us.” She turned to look at Talon, her stare turning as sharp as a knifepoint. “Especially since he’s offered to fuse with Ezra.”

My eyes flicked to Talon to watch his reaction.

Talon kept a straight face, not reacting to the ire in her voice.

“He said he made that decision on his own, but I don’t believe him.” She continued to stare down Talon, silently coercing him into a confession.

“Did he give a reason?” Talon asked.

“He said the mate he chooses will last for eternity, and it’s not right my love for Ezra will be so brief. He offered to fuse with him so we may live out my life-span, and once I pass, he’ll unfuse with Ezra so he can join me in the Realm of Caelum. I found this conversation quite coincidental.”

Talon had the best poker face I’d ever seen. Didn’t give any reaction at all. “It doesn’t matter what provoked Macabre’s offer. All that matters is he’s choosing to make it of his own free will. And in my opinion, it would be stupid not to take it.”

Queen Eldinar continued to stare him down with her silent ire.

“With all the sacrifices you’ve made for the dragons and your people, you deserve happiness,” Talon said. “And I’m sure Macabre is honored that he’s the only one who can give it to you.”

We gathered outside the forest where Khazmuda waited for us to join him. Macabre was there as well, lounging in the sunlight. When he felt us approach, he stretched his spine like a cat then lifted his body.

Talon took my pack and climbed up Khazmuda’s flank to secure our belongings to the saddle.

I turned to my uncle and Queen Eldinar, the two of them never touching in public but their love still visible. It was noticeable every time he looked at her, and it was noticeable in the way she smiled slightly when she felt his stare.

Uncle Ezra walked up to me, standing tall with his arm tucked in the sling. “We’ll join you in a few days.”

“I’m glad you’ll be there.” He was my only relative in the world, the only person whose blood was similar to mine. “It means a lot.”

“Wouldn’t miss my niece becoming queen.” The affection in his eyes reminded me of the way my father used to look at me, like I was still a child even when I was many years past that age. “And marrying the man she loves…” His voice hesitated at the mention of Talon, like it still pained him, regardless of the time and events that had come and gone.

“Your opinion of him will never change, will it?”

The affection died, and his eyes flicked away. “I won’t deny that Talon Rothschild has served a greater cause than himself. I won’t deny he’s earned the hearts of all dragons, has protected Riviana Star more than once, and has proven himself worthy of a crown.” He went quiet for a long time. “Eldinar has agreed to let Macabre fuse with me. As much as I want to respect the dragons, I want to have my wife more, so I will agree. I know that wouldn’t have been possible without Talon’s intervention.” His eyes drifted away for a while. “But my brother died a painful death because of him, and that’s something I can never forgive.”

It had been hard for me to forgive Talon myself, but my love for him defeated the hate. Once I’d let the past go, I’d been at peace. I knew the depth of my father’s love, and I believed it was strong enough to pardon me. “I understand, Uncle Ezra.”

His eyes found mine again. “It’s okay to love him, Calista. I’m still happy for you.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he would do anything to protect you. That he would give his life for yours without a second thought. In that regard, there’s not much more I can ask for in a suitor. You will never need for anything—and you will be happy.”