CHAPTER 44 - MEDRA
Florence’s breathing was too slow. Too shallow. Each rise and fall of her chest was fainter than the last.
“No, no, no,” I whispered, keeping my hands pressed against the wound in her chest. Blood slicked my palms, hot and persistent. “Stay with me, Florence. Please. Just keep breathing. You’re all right. You’re going to be all right.”
But even as I repeated the words, doubt clawed at me. Her face was pale, her eyes closed.
Panic surged, sharp and cruel. I was losing her.
How is the fledgling? Nyxaris’s resonant voice was laced with something uncharacteristic.
Not doing so well, I said shortly. I tried to keep the tears from my voice.
I pressed my hands harder against the wound, but blood seeped through no matter how much pressure I applied. “Stay with me. You’re not dying, Florence. You’re not allowed to die. Just keep breathing.”
You waste time. Orcades’s voice broke into my thoughts, sharp, insistent, unwanted. I know you care for her but the wound is deep. You can do nothing. Act before it’s too late for all of you.
I am acting, I hissed back at her. I will save her.
You’re wasting time, she insisted. The fight isn’t here. It’s there. They’ll kill you all if you sit idle. Even Florence. Don’t you see? The golden one. She’s awake .
My head snapped up, my pulse roaring in my ears as I looked across the courtyard.
My mother was right. The Luminthar... She’d come back to life.
But this... This wasn’t how I’d expected to see her.
Molindra’s scales were faded gold stained with black. Her eyes glowed in a strange, unfocused way, full of rage but with none of Nyxaris’s fierce intelligence or wisdom.
Kage was attacking the Luminthar’s hindquarters, still in his wolf form. His huge sharp canines tore at the dragon’s scales, though it seemed to have little effect. Still, he snarled as he jumped and clawed at the beast, trying to scrape her hide, grasping for purchase.
I glanced over at Blake. He crouched beside Rodriguez, the professor’s crossbow in one hand, as he rifled through the professor’s satchel with his other. He must have been searching for more bolts. My heart leaped with hope. If he found one that was tipped with whatever toxin had affected Nyxaris earlier, we might just stand a chance.
Whatever he was going to do, I hoped he’d do it fast.
A low rumble shook the ground. Molindra lurched forward unsteadily, straight towards Nyxaris.
The realization hit me like a blow. Catherine and Marcus didn’t just want Molindra. They wanted her to destroy Nyxaris while they had the chance.
I looked over at Nyxaris. His wings twitched as he tried to rise fully to his feet. He wasn’t ready for this. He could hardly even stand up.
“Get up,” I whispered under my breath. Nyxaris, get up. She’s going to kill you. You have to move.
I cannot, he growled. The poison still lingers. My strength returns but slowly. Get the fledgling away. Save yourselves.
Is this the great Nyxaris I’m talking to or some weakling imposter? I snarled, refusing to give him any leeway. You’re too stubborn to give up this easily. Don’t you dare fucking die on me here. You’re going to let two bolts bring you down when you spent a century trapped in stone? No. You’re better than that. You’re stronger than that. Now prove it. Show them all.
Nyxaris gave a weak rumble, but I could sense him bristling under the challenge. I’d wounded his pride.
You’ve never let anyone best you before, Nyxaris. Don’t let her be the first, I goaded him.
He groaned—aloud, audibly, and I quivered. She was once the best of us. Beautiful. Wise.
I could feel his pain, his horror at what they’d done to Molindra. There will be time for sorrow later. We’ll destroy them for what they’ve done to your friend. But first, you need to get on your godsdamned feet this instant.
His claws scraped against the stone as he struggled, his wings spreading, shaking off their sluggishness.
Slowly, he staggered to his feet.
Pride surged through me as his immense black body swayed upright.
That’s it, I encouraged. You’re the fiercest dragon in all of Sangratha, remember?
Don’t forget the most beautiful, he replied testily. You may cease your empty platitudes now.
I grinned through my tears. He could be as cranky as he wanted after this. As long as he lived. I glanced down at Florence. As long as they both lived.
She’s about to strike, Nyxaris snapped suddenly. Brace yourselves.
Then, with a roar that echoed through the Dragon Court, he snapped his wings outwards, the force of the movement sending debris flying everywhere.
Across from him, Molindra snarled, her jaws parting as she unleashed a wave of fire. Instinctively, I threw myself over Florence, bracing for the flames as I shielded her. Theo had crouched down, too. I felt his arms go around me as we formed a ring, protecting her.
But the fire didn’t touch us.
Nyxaris raised his wings, fanning the flames back towards the golden dragon, shielding the three of us from the inferno. The fire hit his obsidian scales, rolling off them like water against stone.
I can shield you, Nyxaris growled. But that is all I can do. My fire... He gave a roar of frustration.
“Forget the fire for now,” I yelled aloud. “Just keep her from killing us.”
Nyxaris gave a rumble I knew for a laugh. Very well. I shall do my best.
Molindra snarled, her head darting forward.
Nyxaris gave a pained groan that tore at my heart. I knew he didn’t want to have to fight his friend. But this wasn’t Molindra. Not anymore.
He snapped at her throat, trying to put her off, but she was faster. Her teeth sank into the side of his neck and an agonized roar erupted. Blood spilled from the wound, dark and steaming as it slid over his ebony scales.
“No!” I screamed. Everything in me was screaming to go to him, to help him–but I couldn’t leave Florence.
Molindra shook her head, releasing her grip, as Nyxaris stumbled back. He sank down against the stone, his wings trembling as he struggled to regain his footing.
I looked frantically across the courtyard. Kage was still doing his best to distract Molindra—but a distraction was all you could call it. There was no way the wolf could bring the dragon down alone. He’d wounded her. She was bleeding a little from one of her back legs. But not enough to really be impeded.
Meanwhile Blake had found something. He was fitting a bolt into the crossbow he’d scavenged. I could see his lips moving as he cursed under his breath, fumbling to load the weapon. There must have been something wrong with it.
“Take over,” I barked at Theo. “Put your hands here. Keep pressure on her wound.”
Theo was already shrugging off his jacket. He folded it up quickly to make a bandage. “Thought you were never going to ask.”
“Don’t let go,” I said quietly. “No matter what.”
He nodded firmly, his jaw set.
I stood up, wiping the blood on my cloak. Coregon’s dagger lay a little ways away. I swiped it, tossing it back and forth between my hands. I had no other weapon. It would have to be enough.
I wasn’t going to let Nyxaris die. I wasn’t going to let any of them die.
If I fell trying to stop Molindra, so be it. If that was the price of friendship, of love, then I’d pay it willingly.
“Medra!” Blake’s voice rang out across the courtyard. “No! Get back!”
I ignored him, my gaze locking onto Molindra. She was terrifying. A corrupted creature of tarnished gold, black veins pulsing with unnatural energy. When her gaze swept across the courtyard and landed on me, I felt a chill go down my spine.
But my feet carried me forward before I could think better of it. I wasn’t even sure what I was going to do exactly. The knife in my hand felt pitiful against a creature of such might and power—more suitable for slicing apples than slaying dragons.
You are the bravest child I ever bore, my mother’s voice suddenly murmured. Have I ever told you that, my darling?
I’m the only child you ever bore, I pointed out. Unless there’s something you’d like to tell me.
Very true, she said with a sigh. I should have raised more daughters. Warriors to stand by your side. She paused. That girl—she is like a sister to you, is she not?
I didn’t hesitate. She is. I love her with all my heart.
Good. Protect her then.
Adrenaline surged as Molindra’s massive head came swinging down towards me. Her jaws parted and I knew she would snap me in half if she could.
I ducked, diving to the ground and rolling just as her jaws clamped shut where I’d just been standing.
Then I saw it—a patch of skin between the claws of her foot. The spot was exposed, unprotected, nearly devoid of the scales that armored the rest of her body.
Without thinking, I rolled forward and plunged the dagger downward with all my strength. The blade sank into the vulnerable flesh and Molindra let out a deafening screech, her entire body jerking back and away from me.
I scrambled forward to retrieve my knife and gasped. The dagger was pulsing with a dark energy. I pulled it out and the glow vanished.
Finally, Orcades hissed, her voice sharp. Let me in, you golden bitch. That’s it, let me in.
Mother! What the hell are you doing? I demanded. Where are you?
But part of me already knew.
Saving you and your sister.
Molindra reared back, her body trembling violently. I could hear Catherine and Marcus shouting commands from up above.
Marcus’s voice rang out, shrill and furious. “Get her up! Take off! Get in the air! Now!”
I glanced back at Blake just in time to see him fire a bolt from the crossbow.
Molindra let out a shriek of rage as the bolt penetrated her scales just above the knee.
“How many bolts do you have?” I screamed to him across the courtyard.
But he only shook his head grimly. My heart sank.
Orcades’ voice filled my mind, calm and determined. Get away from the dragon, Daughter. She is mine now.
Molindra’s screeches filled the courtyard, a symphony of fury and agony. Her body convulsed, claws gouging the stone. I stumbled away from the dragon, sensing that something was shifting.
Let me in, Orcades commanded, her voice still resonating in my mind. She is not whole. She’s twisted. Broken. She sounded shocked. My poor beauty, what have they done to you? This creature doesn’t even know herself anymore.
You’re inside her. I looked down at the dagger in my hand. The tarnished blade was lifeless and empty. My mother was gone. Can you heal her? Help her? Are you speaking to her?
Speaking is a generous word for it, Orcades replied dryly. She is barely holding onto thought. A terrible corruption has her.
But you’re in there. There has to be a way. Can’t you try ? I pleaded.
No. Orcades voice was final. I cannot save her. But I can save everyone else.
I gasped as Molindra’s body jerked violently, her head swinging low as if she were trying to shake off the voice in her mind. Above her, Marcus and Catherine were shouting frantically, clinging to the dragon’s back, clearly panicked.
I stumbled back, shielding my face from the gust of wind as the golden dragon leaped into the air. Her massive body rose, but her movements were wild and erratic.
She was fighting the toxins. It was taking everything the dragon had left just to get into the air. On top of her, Marcus and Catherine’s screams echoed faintly as they clung on.
Only Lunaya was silent. She looked down at all of us as she held tight to Catherine’s waist, her face empty and remote. I was filled with pity.
Lunaya, I called to my mother. Can you look after her?
But there was no response. As the golden dragon flew away, my mother went with her.
Orcades was gone.
The tension in the courtyard was thick as blood. Every breath I took felt heavier than the last as I looked across the stones to where Florence lay on the ground.
Theo’s eyes met mine, full of something terrible. Something I refused to accept.
“No,” I whispered, stumbling forward. “No, no, no—"
I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. My mother was gone. I couldn’t lose Florence, too.
I reached where Theo sat crouched over Florence. Her chest was still. I watched, refusing to even blink. But there was nothing. No movement.
She wasn’t breathing.
“No!” The word ripped from my throat as I sank to my knees beside her, grabbing her cold hand in mine. “You’re not allowed to die, Florence. Do you hear me? You’re not allowed .”
Nyxaris crept forwards, his black wings half-furled. The little fledgling deserved better.
“Don’t you talk about her like she’s gone,” I screamed, swiveling my head to glare up at him. “Don’t you dare!”
The dragon didn’t respond.
“Pendragon.” Blake’s voice reached me, rough and hesitant, pulling me back down to reality. “She—”
“No.” I cut him off, refusing to even look at him. “Don’t you dare. Shut your mouth.” I was trembling.
“Pendragon,” he whispered. “Please.”
And then, for the first time since he’d arrived in the Dragon Court, I looked at him—really looked.
He stood a few feet away, covered in blood. His face was pale and strained. My throat choked. One of his eyes was gone. The left side of his face was a mess of dried blood and raw flesh. For a second, I couldn’t breathe.
“She still has a pulse.” The calm, rasping voice snapped me out of my spiral. I turned to see Rodriguez kneeling beside Florence, his hands bloodied but steady as he held her wrist. His face was grey, his shoulder soaked with blood from Marcus’s bolt, but his expression was grimly focused. “It’s faint, but still there.” He met my eyes. “Not for long though.”
“Can you heal her?” I demanded, my voice sharp with desperation.
Rodriguez hesitated, then shook his head. “She’s too far gone for my abilities.”
“Then what is the point?” I shouted. “Why are you here?” I turned to look at Blake and Kage who had come up around us. “She wouldn’t have even been here if it wasn’t for you. She was following me.” The tears were running down my face. “You did this. You all did this.”
Rodriguez was looking past me, up at Nyxaris, something unreadable in his bloodshot brown eyes. “There’s one way. But it’s dangerous.”
“What is it?” I demanded. “Tell me. Now.”
Rodriguez didn’t take his eyes off the black dragon. “Dragon’s blood. Mixed with the blood of a rider. It’s an old legend. But my family has records. One of my ancestors witnessed it work once.”
I stared at him. “Once,” I repeated.
He nodded slowly. “It’s a gamble. It could just as easily kill her. But she’ll die anyway if we do nothing.”
The silence that followed was suffocating.
I will make the decision for you, Nyxaris’s voice rumbled in my head, colder than I’d ever heard it before. I will spare you this burden. The answer is no. I will not allow my blood to be used to bind me to another rider.
I turned to look up at him in disbelief. This? This is what would bind you? This is how the bonding is done?
He lowered his head in assent.
But Florence isn’t a rider. How is that even possible? I demanded.
As your teacher has already said, it could very well kill her, Nyxaris replied. But the point is irrelevant. I have been betrayed by your kind once tonight. I will not do this thing. I will not allow her to become mine. No, not even the fledgling.
Yet I latched onto the faint reluctance I heard in his voice.
“Then you’re killing her yourself. She’s dying .” I jumped to my feet, my voice cracking as I turned to face him. “She’s not asking for this. She doesn’t want to bond with you. She never wanted to be a rider. She just needs your help. Please, Nyxaris.”
Nyxaris’s tail lashed unhappily against the ground. And what of the others, if I do this thing? The wolf, your professor. He paused. Your...mate. They conspired against me. Would have all but killed me. They sought to return me to the stone.
I...didn’t know that, I said slowly. Around me everyone was very silent.
No? And yet they used you to bring me here. They lied and they deceived. Shall I simply allow them to walk away unpunished? His golden gaze shifted, pinning Blake where he stood. Nyxaris growled.
Blake didn’t flinch. Instead, he stepped away from the rest of us, moving into the center of the courtyard and raising his hands, as if he were surrendering.
“Do it,” he said softly, to Nyxaris, not to me. “If you want to kill me, do it. I won’t stop you. I know I deserve it.”
“Blake,” I gasped, my heart racing.
He turned slightly to me, his single eye meeting mine, and I saw something there that silenced all my protests. Shame. Deep, unrelenting shame.
Blake turned back to Nyxaris, bowing his head to the dragon. “I was wrong. I have done you a great wrong tonight, Nyxaris. I betrayed you and Pendragon both. I can’t take it back. But if killing me will balance the scales and save Pendragon’s friend, then I beg you–please do it.”
I couldn’t breathe.
Nyxaris’s chest began to heave. Smoke curled from his nostrils, rising into the cold night air. His massive body seemed coiled, ready to spring. I could feel the heat rising off him.
In a flash I was there, standing in front of Blake, my hands raised, palms out. “Stop! Nyxaris, stop.” I took a deep breath. “If you’re going to burn him, you’ll have to burn me, too.”
Nyxaris’s amber eyes met mine. Move aside. Do not test me. He is not worthy of you. Deep down, you have always known this to be true.
“I’m not testing you,” I said steadily, though my knees felt weak. “But he’s mine. Right or wrong, he’s mine. I won’t let you harm him.”
Blake’s head jerked up, his face shifting to shock and surprise.
The weight of my words hung between us. I hadn’t forgiven him—not yet. All I knew was I couldn’t lose him, too.
Nyxaris growled, but the fire in his chest receded. He snapped his jaws open and shut and I tried not to flinch. You protect him. Why?
Because I believe there’s good in him, I answered. And because right now, this isn’t about him. It’s about Florence. Will you help her or not?
Nyxaris lowered his massive head until his golden eyes were level with mine. You ask too much of me.
I know. I always have. It’s not fair. Believe me, I know that. But I’m not asking you to trust me right now. I took a deep breath. Trust her. Florence is good. Pure. She’s nothing like the highbloods you hate. She’s better than I am. If you’re going to take a chance on anyone in this miserable, corrupt world, Nyxaris, then take a chance on her. I will never ask you for anything again, I swear it.
Nyxaris regarded me in silence. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at Florence, his massive chest rising and falling as he pondered.
The courtyard felt deathly still. No one moved. No one spoke.
I held my breath. He was going to say no. I knew he was going to say no. There was nothing else I could do and now Florence was going to die.
A small, insistent sound broke the silence.
A yipping noise that shifted into a soft trill—like the hum of a lullaby sung in a foreign language.
Neville.
The fluffin raced out from the shadows, his tiny paws pattering across the blood-soaked stones. His tufted ears were back as he fixed his large, owl-like eyes on where Florence lay.
He trotted up to her, sniffing her face, his whiskers twitching, then let out another melodic hum—a sound so mournful, so achingly beautiful, that I felt it deep in my heart.
Nyxaris froze, his body going still as stone. His great eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at Neville. What is this? I know this creature. I know its kind.
As if he had heard Nyxaris, Neville turned and padded over to one of the dragon’s massive clawed feet. Then, without hesitation, he climbed up onto it.
The fluffin looked absurdly tiny sitting there against the dragon’s ebony talons. But he sat as if he belonged there, still trilling softly, his eyes glowing brighter.
This...this cannot be, Nyxaris murmured.
Neville simply hummed louder, the sound wrapping around us like a warm embrace. As the fluffin sat there on the dragon’s foot, for the first time, Nyxaris didn’t look like merely a creature of vengeance and fire. He looked...more at peace.
What is he doing? I murmured.
Nyxaris inhaled sharply, in a loud puff somewhere between a growl and a gasp. He is...reminding me. These creatures—they cared for us once. Tended our eggs. Helped heal our wounds. They soothed us. My last rider... She had one. The three of us were...very close.
I stared at the black dragon, shocked that he had finally shared something about his last rider.
Neville pressed his tiny head against Nyxaris’s scales and the dragon seemed to shudder.
They were bonded to us as much as our riders were, Nyxaris continued, a tremble in his voice. When we burned too hot, they calmed us. When we bled, they sang us whole. They were...true companions.
Neville suddenly leaped from Nyxari’s foot and returned to Florence. Gently he stepped up onto her body, curling up on her stomach below where Theo’s hands were still placed. His hum deepened as he pressed his tiny form against hers.
Nyxaris’s head tilted abruptly. You dare to scold me, little one?
I blinked. What? Can Neville speak to you?
Neville? Nyxaris sounded amused. Is that his name? No, he does not speak to me. Not in words like you do. But his thoughts are clear enough. He thinks me stubborn. The dragon’s tail lashed the ground and I jumped. He calls me heartless.
Neville let out a soft trill that could only be described as reproachful.
The dragon sighed, the sound rumbling through the courtyard. I am stubborn. But loyalty and sentimentality do not change the facts. You understand nothing of the consequences.
Neville yipped, almost like a reprimand. His wide eyes never left Nyxaris’s face, but his tiny form seemed to puff up.
The audacity of this small thing, Nyxaris grumbled.
Surely if anyone understands the risks, a fluffin would, I said cautiously. After all, you said...
I know what I said, Nyxaris snapped. He let out a heavy sigh. The creature is loyal to the girl.
He is, I agreed quickly. He loves her. I decided not to risk mentioning Neville’s attachment to Blake. Neville is telling you that Florence is worth saving. Please, Nyxaris. Listen to him.
Nyxaris huffed, smoke curling from his nostrils. She may well still die. If this goes awry, it will be on your head.
I couldn’t tell if he was talking to me or to the fluffin. I held my breath.
Nyxaris’s gaze seemed to soften, ever so slightly as he gazed at Neville and Florence. Very well. So be it.
Relief and fear sped through me in equal measure. I turned to Rodriguez. “Do it.”
THE END