Chapter 33
________
KATALENA
Aweight sat on my chest.
Everything happened so quickly, and I felt like I was standing in the middle of a storm, untouched. It almost felt like the morning of the wedding, but instead of the fear of being forced into something, now I was afraid of losing it.
Somewhere deep I had known we wouldn’t be able to escape what they’d been sent to do. But I hoped the Elders would listen. And if not, I would ask the Elders the same thing I asked of them. That I be able to choose and administer my own death.
Varípurred next to my ear as Belleo pulled clothes out of the pile and somehow folded them enough to fit in a small bag. Far, far too many clothes.
“Did you have fun in the workshop?” I asked Varí quietly. He purred louder in answer and climbed down my arm, perching on my hand and watching Belleo. His pouch rested between his wings as he nuzzled my thumb.
“He slept most of the time,” she said. “But yes, I would say he enjoyed himself. Now, come here. You need something more than that slip.”
I still wore the simple silk nightgown I’d had on when we woke late and went down to the water. Would I ever have a chance to see the ocean again? I stopped the thought in its tracks. Dwelling on an unknown future was a recipe for madness.
She wrapped me in a dark green dress, the material thicker and more study than what I was used to. No doubt it would fare better in the wind. She tucked my locket beneath the neckline so it still rested on my skin. “There’s a coat as well.” Belleo lifted the long, warm garment, and winked at Varí, where he now rested on the back of a chair. “With pockets more than large enough for Varí to sleep in.”
“Thank you,” I told her.
“Don’t thank me, Lena. If I’d been there to stop Soza from her games, perhaps you would not be in this mess.”
I frowned. “That isn’t remotely your fault. And what on earth am I going to do with something like that?”
She folded a gorgeous dress down into impossible smallness. The colors were similar to what Soza had tricked me with, but the dress wasn’t the same. It was something I might have worn to court, or even a ball, back when my mother was still alive and we still celebrated things.
“Doro Eche, though different that what you’ve known, will also be similar in many ways. They care about appearances. You will need every weapon you can have, and I am giving you what I can.
“Do not trust anyone but the Heirs themselves and Idroal. You will have allies, I promise you, but it is risky to voice such opinions, as you have seen. They will make themselves known if and when they are able. And,” she stood to her full height, cinching the top of the bag closed tightly. “If you see Soza and have the opportunity to slap her across her traitorous bitch mouth, do it and tell her it’s from me.”
I laughed in spite of myself. “I’m not sure that would endear me to anyone.”
“No, but it would feel incredible.”
There was no denying that. “Thank you, Belleo.”
She gave me a watery smile. “I hope I see you again, Lena. I still have so many things to ask and no other humans to ask them.”
The embrace took me by surprise, but I welcomed it. It made me miss Helena. But even Helena, though a true friend, had been given to me. I’d never had a friend who’d simply chosen to be one, and like her, I hoped I would see her again.
When we broke apart, I pulled open one of the large pockets she spoke of. “In you go.”
Varílooked before tensing to pounce, wiggling his behind and tail and leaping gracefully into the pocket. I laughed as he curled himself up, settling comfortably against my hip. He would be much warmer than we’d been when we’d come here.
Belleo carried the bag full of clothes as she walked with me to the same large, open-aired room where I’d entered the mountain. The same space where the Heirs had condemned Soza. It was a relief to know that even if they had not taken those actions, the result would be the same. If Soza hadn’t been the one to go to the Elders, someone else would have. They would have found out eventually.
So, despite the bitter taste in my mouth when I thought about her flying all the way to the dragon capital in order to hurt me, I had no thoughts that we could have prevented this. It wasn’t Belleo”s fault, or theirs, or mine.
I froze. Soza could no longer fly. “How did she get there?”
“What?”
I looked at Belleo. “Soza. Her wings are severed. How did she get to Doro Eche?”
Her mouth tightened into a line. “The same way you’re about to.”
“Someone took her?”
She nodded once, and it was all I needed to know. Another dragon who hated me had flown her to the capital. Of course.
My jaw dropped as we stepped into the room. A dragon stood near the open drop into the Bowl. Scales of the freshest spring green, like new leaves, sparkling in gentle pinks and purples in the evening light.
An amused chuckle sounded in my head. I am flattered you appreciate this form, your Highness.
“Idroal?”
The same.
I stared at them. “Does a dragon’s form always match their eyes?”
It is common, but not a universal truth. Nor does a dragon’s form always remain the same throughout their life. Because we shift our forms, it is part of who we are, and we change.
Belleo touched me on the shoulder before retreating, and I went to my dragons, gathered together in the corner, still wearing nothing but the loose pants they’d donned when we returned from the beach.
Some bags sat at their feet, and they spoke quietly. Sirrus reached out when I approached, not even looking as he pulled me to his side. Like it was natural and automatic. “Are you ready?”
“As much as I can be.”
Zovai smiled at me, but it was pained. “You’ll ride with myself and Sirrus. We’ll switch when we need to.”
“Not Endre?”
“Not this time, Princess,” Sirrus kissed my temple.
Endre didn’t look at me, instead toward the dark hallways which led to the cells where we’d first truly met. “Why?”
His jaw ticked. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does,” I said, stepping away from Sirrus and into him. “I saw you fall on the floor with exhaustion when you are one of the most powerful dragons in existence. You have a scar on your chest that marks you as a traitor. I’ve heard all of you speak of your powers being bound.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I’m no fool Endre. I know what is between us is strange and impossible, and I know the three of you have seen more of the world and experienced more than I can imagine. It will take me time to learn. But I still want to know.”
When he finally looked at me, the devastation in his gaze laid me bare. I gasped, and he pulled me closer, pressing his forehead to mine. “Let me keep you alive,” he whispered. “Let me do that, and I will tell you everything. Because there is too much to say, and if I can’t save you, then it does not matter.”
Fear I failed to suppress gripped me with icy claws. “But are you all right? Are you in pain? Why?—”
Endre surged across the remaining distance and kissed me. A kiss that claimed and soothed and begged me to trust. How could I say no to it?
“I am not in pain. But for the moment, I cannot carry you.” Endre made a low sound in his throat. “I wish I could. And when we stop to rest, I will have you in my arms. I promise you that.”
“All right.”
We must go.Idroal’s voice sounded regretful.
“You’ll ride with me first,” Sirrus said. He strode away, form shifting into the gorgeous, icy dragon I now felt I knew by heart. Zovai helped me climb onto his back, and I settled into that space between his wings. The same one where Varí, though smaller, kept his pouch with his coin.
The thought of being their coin made me smile in spite of myself.
Behind us, the falling sun turned the sea to flat and shining gold. I raised a hand to Belleo and Mesene, my stomach swooping as we launched into the air. No matter what happened to me now, at least I would know what it was like to fly.
I huddled on Sirrus’s back, leaning my head on his scales and listening to the wind. The powerful beat of his wings made muscles move beneath me in a soothing rhythm. It was dark now, and much colder. I’d grown tired several hours ago, and decided to rest with my hand in my pocket to snuggle with Varí.
Something must have woken me, but I felt sluggish and sleepy. They would tell me if something was wrong.
Dizziness overtook me, and I realized our speed had slowed. Each flap of wings was farther apart, and the wind flowing down our bodies gentled. Still, I didn’t move.
I barely felt a jolt when we stopped, but my body seemed to still be in motion. Like the beating of wings still pulsed around me. Low voices behind me before I heard the sound of feet on scales. “Lena?”
“Hello.” Sleep laced my voice.
Endre lifted me. His scent was wilder. Perhaps from embracing the form of his beast for so long at a time. But I knew it was him. He’d promised I would be in his arms. Varí rubbed against the hand still in my pocket.
“Where are we?”
“Resting.”
A soft giggle came out of me. “That’s not a place.”
Prying my eyes open, I took in the soft, open fields of grass beneath a moon that seemed impossibly bright and near. Mountains were in the distance, but it seemed like an entirely different world. Even dark under the light of the moon I’d never seen anything so lush. “Beautiful.”
“You’ll see it in the daylight, Princess.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. I promise.”
The last thing I remembered was being laid down on grass which was much softer than dragon scales, and warm, strong arms around me.