Chapter 36
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KATALENA
Doro Eche was beautiful.
Nothing like I imagined.
It appeared in the distance out of the haze like a primordial being, ancient and rooted. This place had been here for thousands of years. One look and I sensed it in my bones.
Above the misty trees that surrounded most of the city, one rose above the rest. A tree the size of a mountain, its bark shimmering like dragon scales. It only grew larger as we approached, drenching the whole city in reflected rainbows and shade when the sun passed behind.
Shining white towers made up the rest of the skyline. Ivory claws spearing toward the sky in graceful curves that seemed to defy logic and gravity. A river curved along one side, running toward the center of the world at Evrítha, like every other water.
All the roads in the city pointed toward the tree and the large, circular space in front of it, visible even from this distance. We were flying directly toward it.
The circlet, Zovai said, sensing my thoughts. Where the Elders live and hold their court, such as it is.
Nerves gripped my stomach. I would see them soon enough, and plenty of others too, it seemed. The air around the city was thick with flying dragons. Swooping and swirling, glittering like jewels in the setting sun.
We flew over the first building, and I nearly startled because there was no warning about entering the city. We weren’t in it and suddenly we were.
No walls bounded Doro Eche, the buildings and streets fading into the trees and plains naturally. What good were walls when those who lived there could fly? The mountains of the Bowl had long prevented any humans from reaching this place, and if there were some who made it through, dragonfire took care of the rest. Humans rarely made it past the center of the Bowl.
Beyond the massive tree, a true forest began. Mist rose through the trees and cloaked the entire eastern view in an opaque haze. I had been told of dragon cities as a girl. The little knowledge we had to pass down. There was no mention of the giant tree or a forest that felt like it watched and waited.
But I could not stop looking at the city itself. Never had I seen something so grand or beautiful. No human city could hold a candle to this, nor should they try.
The sun nearly touched the tops of the Bowl, casting gilded rays across the city and the river. Little glimmers of light sparkled like constellations as we dropped closer, and I once again felt torn. How could such a beautiful place make me so afraid? Because I was. Every heartbeat closer made me grip Zovai’s scales harder.
“It’s beautiful,” I said quietly.
They heard me even though the wind snatched away my words.
It is beautiful, Z said. From a distance to be sure, and sometimes up close.
We all banked toward the large tree rising above the rest, dropping quickly. Reaching into my pocket, I ran my fingers over Varí’s head. He’d joined me shortly after we started flying again, tired from playing with Idroal.
Dragons flew everywhere around us. Every color imaginable. Markings and patterns I hadn’t seen yet, all brilliantly shining with every bit of light hitting their bodies.
Blues and reds caught my vision because I was so used to the dragons with me. I didn’t see any dragons that were black. Some were dark, but nothing like the inky opal Endre was.
But I couldn’t focus on their beauty, because we were approaching the ground, and that meant we were walking into the unknown.
I slid down as soon as Zovai touched down, not waiting for them. In moments, they were human once more, grabbing the small bags they had packed and donning the clothes within.
“Here.” Idroal approached me from behind, already dressed. “Let me help you.”
They helped me out of the coat I’d been wearing and shrunk it down into the bag before taking it. I paused before I removed my grandmother’s necklace and handed that to them as well to be stored. I didn’t want to take it off, but neither did I wanted lost.
Varíhopped out and up to my shoulder, curling his tail around my neck. I looked at Idroal. “Do you think it’s a good idea for him to be with me?”
“I wish I could.” They pressed their lips into a line. “But I fear they will see it as an attempt at manipulation.”
I nodded. “Varí, I need you to stay with Idroal, all right?”
The small, fierce growl he gave made me smile. “Please? It will keep you safe.”
Idroal held out their hand. “Come, little one. You will be able to watch Lena from my shoulder.”
Trying to make my feeling known on my face, I looked at them. Thankfulness for their support and being present, and a plea to take care of him if anything should happen. They nodded once. Thank you. I mouthed the words as Varí fluttered to their shoulder, scales turning a muted shade of turquoise.
Idroal’s eyes flicked over my shoulder. I turned to find my dragons dressed in a way I’d never seen before. It was much simpler than the men of the Rensaran court might dress, but I didn’t miss that. Simple trousers that emphasized the strength of their legs and finely made shirts that did the same. I saw metallic stitching in the cloth, the only display of wealth or status, but they didn’t need it. The way they carried themselves was enough.
My dragons exuded power—they didn’t need to shout it with their clothing.
When they stepped close, Idroal stepped away.
Sirrus was the first to turn me to him. “Are you ready?”
“No,” I admitted. “I am frightened.”
He held me close. “Everything will be fine.”
I laughed once. “Do you believe it?”
His silence told me enough.
“I never wanted to die,” I whispered. “Not even when I told the three of you I would. I never wanted it. There simply was no other choice. But now I’ve seen what it could be like to live, and I am afraid of losing it.”
Sirrus tilted my face up to his and kissed me. Like we were in their chambers and not out in the open with dragons flying overhead. A silent claim and a promise that he would do whatever he could.
“You’re mine,” he said against my lips. Then he smiled. “Ours. I’ve never had a hoard, but that’s what you are to me, Lena. The one thing I will protect at any cost.”
Zovai wrapped himself around me from behind and whispered the same. “At any cost.”
Their words calmed me and pulled the floor out from beneath me. I didn’t have words to explain how I felt. How it seemed impossible to go from the princess I’d been to the woman I was in such a short time.
But not having the words didn’t make it any less real. “Tell me the truth,” I said, turning to Endre. “Is there any chance?”
He growled. Suddenly his hand was in my hair, his mouth on mine, arm pinning me against his body like he would merge us together. “Of course there is a chance. More than a chance. I will make them see.”
When he kissed me again, I got lost in it. I let my mind float and drift in the pleasure of being kissed and touched from all sides. Until a gentle clearing of a throat dragged us back to reality.
Idroal waited a ways away, and though their face was serious, I saw the amusement in their eyes.
Zovai sighed. “I suppose we should not keep them waiting.”
“No,” Endre said. “I suppose not.”
They led me down the shining stone path and around the corner?—
Flying did not do it justice.
The tree rose in front of us, as tall as a mountain. The trees and branches shimmered in the dying light, and countless dragons flew and roosted in the branches. And at the base of the tree, the biggest dragons I’d ever seen. Rusted red, gold, two different shades of green. A dusky blue and a strange mixture of orange and violet. They loomed over the open, circular space where dragons mingled in their human forms and dragon forms alike.
Pale gold dragonfire burned around the space. Torches and candles and even flames on the palms of their human forms. Gentle music tinkled through the air. For all the world, it could have been my father’s court, if you excused the giant dragons.
Those large eyes landed on the five of us.
Immediately, the Heirs stepped in front of me, leading so they were between me and everyone else. Idroal trailed behind. After the dragon on the beach, I didn’t doubt that there were those here who would kill me on sight, and even the dagger strapped to my thigh wouldn’t help.
I nearly bowed double at the sudden voice in my head. Vast and cruel and ancient. It felt like winter wind tearing through my mind, and so much larger than the mental speech I’d heard until now.
It seems the Heirs have finally returned to us.
At the moment I couldn’t pinpoint who spoke. All six of the Elders watched us with a predatory gaze.
You demanded it, and so we came, Sirrus said.
The music had disappeared at the first voice, and the crowd of dragons retreated to the edges of the large, marbled floor, leaving us alone.
Idroal too,a different voice said. I do not remember summoning you.
And I do not remember the last time I had been forbidden to visit the capital, Idroal responded, their voice sounding nearly bored. In fact, it seems like the six of you beg me to come back to Doro Eche once per lunar cycle. Have you now changed your mind merely because I traveled with the Heirs?
No one responded to that.
Where is Pelbas?
A movement at the edge of the circle caught my eye. Relkym, in his human form. He held a goblet in his hand and watched with a gleeful smile that made my blood ran cold.
Why ask questions you already know the answer to? Your second spy is here.Zovai moved his neck back and forth like he was having a hard time keeping still.
We are being unfathomably rude, a feminine voice filled my head. At the very least, we should introduce ourselves to our human… guest.
Gasps and cries of anger rose in every direction. Most of these dragons didn’t know I’d be here.
Nonsense. What does it matter if a human knows our names?
I felt more than saw Idroal drift closer to me. “Beimani. Second from the left,” they murmured. Dark green scales nearing the colors of the trees.
She has a name,Endre’s growl rumbled through the air.
Smug victory colored the next tone. Then she should introduce herself to us, so we might see who has pulled you astray.
“Cieso. On the right. Endre’s sire.” The massive dragon was the color of rust. His father.
Zovai moved, and I sensed he would say something. Instead, I stepped forward and touched his arm. “It’s all right,” I whispered.
Terror sang in my chest as I stepped past the three of them and out into the open. I pulled every ounce of courage into my body and put on the mask I kept for court. “My name is Katalena Isabel Arslan Savea, Crown Princess of Gleira. Or I was, not so long ago. I do not hold myself to that title any longer.”
Ahh. I see. We are in the presence of royalty.
I hadn’t realized Idroal came with me, but they had. “Varreo. Center left.” A blue dragon the color of a nearly faded dusk sky.
Sirrus’s voice filled with poison. Indeed. So address her with the respect she is due.
Power shuddered through the air. The Heirs will not speak until we are ready to listen. Cieso issued the command like it was nothing.
Fucking stars. I barely kept myself from turning around and looking at them in a panic. If they couldn’t speak?—
My mind spun through all the possibilities. They said we had a chance. They also said the Elders cared about appearances above all else. Would the dragons of Doro Eche care that they were lying? Would they care that the Heirs had been sent to kill me?
“I believe you already know who I am,” I said. “If you did not, you would not have sent your Heirs to kill me.”
Another set of gasps and whispers. Flurries of little sound like a breeze through reeds.
Clearly we did no such thing, as you stand before us alive.
“Mizyn. Color similar to mine.” Idroal whispered. The pale green dragon then.
Or perhaps,Varreo stretched his neck down and close, examining me. The Heirs have done us a favor. For a moment we thought they were the very picture of defiance. Maybe instead they have brought us this human so that we might have a spectacle in her death.
Someone grabbed me from behind, and Endre lunged in front of me with his arms spread wide. No speech. None was needed, even if it were not bound. The gesture needed no translation. If they wanted me, they would have to go through him first.
This seems familiar, Cieso. A new and sneering voice. I could identify it since the dragon moved out of its place and stepped toward us. Its hide was the blended mix of orange and purple, the transitions between the two looking bruised and rotted.
“Aeghi,” came the name from Idroal.
I thought you would have beaten the traitor out of him by now.
Cieso straightened, wings flaring. I have tried. Then he looked at me. Not enough.
Have you called us all here merely to wax poetic about your own sins?Idroal’s voice was loud in my head. Or is there a point to this charade?
Charade? Varreo snarled. It is no charade. It is disobedience being corrected.
The last dragon who did not have a name spoke. Their voice was softer and clearly female. The one who had earlier spoken. And why are you here, Idroal? For all your bluster, we know too well of your disdain for our great city. If you are here, it is for a purpose.
Idroal inclined their head. Indeed, honored ones. I am here to ask you to stay your hand. What’s done is done, and there is no reason to end an innocent life.
INNOCENT?Rage poured through Aeghi’s words and into me. It nearly put me on my knees. A thousand dead dragons, destruction of more than one sheyten, and a centuries long war are not innocent. Or have you forgotten the crimes of humans?
I have not forgotten.Idroal folded their hands in their sleeves in that way they had. Nor do I believe we should condemn an entire species based on the actions of a few.
And what is to say this one won’t turn on us too? It happened before and it will happen again. Humans cannot be trusted. Mizyn nearly hissed the words.
I understood the implication, given what we now knew. Dragons couldn’t simply wipe humans out because of the tricks they themselves had taught them. But neither would they engage with any human, because they had been betrayed. So they’d simply chosen to wait us out as we starved.
They cannot be trusted.
The words echoed in several voices, and I couldn’t tell who was who.
Cieso snarled and hooked a claw, beckoning Endre forward. Tell me why you have disgraced me once again.
I swallowed. Whatever it was they wouldn’t tell me, that was what he meant. That was the source of the scar on his chest, and why his powers were bound under the command of these dragons.
It was not him. Zovai stepped in front of me. All their voices must be free now. It was me.
Aeghi blew flames and glared at Zovai. Was this his father?
Explain.
Zovai took a step forward and Sirrus’s hands pulled me a step back. They were positioning me to be safer, and I loved them more for it.
My heart stuttered.
Sirrus wrapped his arms around my waist—a clear declaration to the Elders and all the dragons witnessing this. I was theirs, and they were utterly unapologetic about it.
But I…
It was impossible to love anyone after so short a time.
It had to be.
History and fiction was filled with tales of people who saw each other and fell in love. I’d never been in love, so what did I know of the shape it took?
All I knew was they were the ones who set me free. The thought of leaving them behind by either distance or death was a dagger to the soul. What did I care? If I were going to die, then I would die with love in my heart.
I leaned back into Sirrus, letting him subtly take my weight. Zovai was speaking, and I hadn’t fully been listening as he did, but now I heard what it had been through his eyes.
She was nothing but a human, and I let my flames rise. But my beast would not allow it. To kill her would have been to kill myself. There is no other explanation. So instead I chose to take her.
The golden dragon looked between the four of us. Her gaze was gentler than the rest. I looked to the left, and Idroal murmured, “Eloith.”
I take it from the way you hold this human that you feel the same, Sirrus. And you, Endre?
He looked back at me, pain in his eyes and a faint smile on his lips. I tried to kill her. I went to where she was kept with every intention of ending her life and fulfilling our command. But like Zovai, I could not.
Even with a dragon’s face, I saw Cieso sneer. You could not.
No.
Light and heat flared from the right. Sirrus spun me in a moment, and I fell. So hot it stole my breath, but it passed, and when Idroal helped me up mere moments later, Sirrus had his wind around Relkym’s head, suffocating him.
Release him, Varreo commanded.
I saw Sirrus fight the command with everything he had.
“Sirrus.” His name was a whisper on my lips, but I wouldn’t let him destroy himself for this.
He released Relkym, who choked on his own breath before smirking and speaking aloud. “Well, I have no impulse to stop from killing her, honored ones. So at the very least, you know she isn’t a weakness of all dragons. Merely the Heirs.”
“I shall rip you to shreds and enjoy it,” Endre told him.
Sirrus finally turned to me, running his hands over my arms. “Are you harmed?”
I shook my head. Whatever flames had come in my direction, he had stopped them. The heat alone probably should have burned me, but I was fine. “No.”
He pulled me into his arms and kissed my temple before whispering. “Thank the Fallen.”
Sound rose all around us as the court of dragons as people spoke. It was a cacophony both in my ears and my head. Endre was the next to touch me, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. Zovai still stood staring at Relkym, daring the dragon to try again.
I didn’t think even the Elders would be fast enough this time if he did.
A low growl shuddered through the earth, bringing all of us to silence once more.
Eloith tilted her head. I nearly smiled at the similarity to Varí and the other dragons I’d met. The little dragon was in his favorite spot. On a shoulder, his tail tucked around Idroal’s neck. I was grateful no one seemed to have noticed him.
Zovai approached us as Eloith watched, still carefully angled to the right where Relkym smiled and retrieved his goblet of wine from a beautiful blue-skinned female.
You are very dedicated to her.
Beimani snorted with derision. That does not matter. Will we let our own Heirs flout our commands so carelessly? She must be destroyed.
Terror gripped me even as the Heirs tensed. I sensed they would have roared if they weren’t waiting for the next words.
Eloith’s tinkling laughter was a balm. And which one of us has not done something reckless in our youth, Beimani? The damage has already been done. I see no harm in letting a mortal live among us for the short time she is alive. Our plans will not be altered.
I blinked. I had a dragon on my side. Only one, as far as I could tell, but it was one more than I had expected.
We cannot trust that she will not turn against us as her ancestors did. As it is, she has already seen too much. Even one human among us could do untold damage.
Other Elders nodded their head in agreement, and the members of the dragon court all agreed too. Nausea swirled in my stomach. I had to do something, and I had to do it now, or all four of us would perish in one way or another.
Dropping Endre’s hand, I stepped forward once again. “I will make you a vow.”