Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
TYNAN
My breath was coming out in violent bursts, my throat burned with fire and my limbs ached. Alina’s body was limp and lifeless in my arms as I carried her above the city.
“Ty?” Frid talked directly into my mind, but I had stopped listening.
I knew what she was going to say. For so many years, I kept repeating the mantra that I would personally kill any member of the group if they got infected.
I used to say that so often, I actually thought I was strong enough to do it.
But it was easier said than done. I was stupid, and arrogant, I had no idea what it would feel like.
“Go back to the city.” I growled.
“The hell we are.” Victor joined in.
“You can’t do this.” Frid drifted closer to me.
A warning growl came from deep in my throat. My dragon was roaring with pain, and I could not control the furious outbursts of energy.
“What the hell, man?” Victor shot to Frid’s side.
“What’s your plan?” the calm voice of Sol carried straight into my head.
“I don’t know.”
“Where are you going then?” Frid asked.
“Far from here.”
I gained some altitude because we were approaching the wall that separated the city from no-man’s-land.
“They’re coming.” Sol suddenly said, and I looked back.
My mind, my head, was not in a good place.
I could hardly think or feel, everything about me had gone numb.
I hardly cared if I got ambushed and had to fight.
In some ways, it was even preferable because I would not need to make any decisions and just accept the fact that we would have never made it.
My body followed the routine that had been drilled into me during the thousands of hours of defensive flying. I headed straight to the border, knowing that they would not be able to pursue us far into the desert.
“They’re catching up to us!” Frid panted.
I dove lower, narrowly avoiding the claws of a dragon that was right behind me.
It took me by surprise, I had not realized they were so close.
I followed the maneuvers almost absentmindedly, descending and halting midair.
When a dark blue dragon reached down to grab Alina, something clicked in my head and I unleashed the flames.
Before I could take my next breath, the dragon was freefalling with a piercing cry.
We just crossed the border, and another group of dragons joined the soldiers.
The dragons were from the white clan. Fast and well rested, they easily caught up to us, but I did not have enough in me to care. My head turned and I noticed that they were communicating with each other. Another moment passed, and they turned back the way they had come.
I shifted my gaze when Frid spread fire, catching one of the blues. He turned back, trying to get to the gates. Landing anywhere below would be definite suicide. Crawlers had surrounded the city, drawn in by the sounds and lights. Below, the mass of undead rippled like roaring storm waters.
When the last two blue dragons turned back, I did not slow down. It felt as if the whole world was still chasing me. Time was running out, and I knew it all too well.
The immediate danger was over, and I was confronted by the fact that Alina was turning, her body was deteriorating, and the best thing I could do for her was to end it.
I roared, feeling a pain unlike anything I had ever experienced.
There was no way anyone could kill the biggest part of themselves, and then continue living as if nothing had happened.
It would be impossible. She would never want to go on if she knew she would become a monster. She would want me to end it for her.
I gritted my teeth. Then, suddenly, a new thought entered my mind, cooling my head, and bringing me peace.
“Why are we flying to the temples?” Frid asked the others because I had not responded to any of them since we left the city.
“Not sure,” Victor responded.
I descended closer to the ground, focusing solely on the vaguely familiar buildings below.
We flew for two days straight without any breaks and my body was starting to show signs of weakness, while my mind would not stop racing.
Some moments, I could feel that my body was shutting down and I could not remember where I was or what I was doing.
But the realization, the quick reminder of who I was carrying returned the unbearable agony.
I clenched my jaw until the ache somewhat matched the way I felt on the inside.
“Ty, you can’t keep doing this,” Sol said in a gentle voice.
“I know what I’m doing.”
“No, you don’t. Let us help you.”
“It has to be me.”
A dreadful silence followed my words. I could hardly stand it, but it was nearly over.
I glanced back at my friends one more time, taking in the familiar outlines I had grown accustomed to having by my side, no matter what happened to us.
They were exhausted, they were angry, but they still followed me till the end.
I was humbled by everything they had ever done for me.
Each and every time, they had my back, trusting me completely.
But I could no longer be the leader they deserved.
I was a man who was about to lose everything.
“Go to Darragh. Ask Grace to take you in. Tell Quirin that the undead dragons are going to attack the city,” I instructed them.
“What? You can’t be serious,” Frid said.
“Ty?” Sol called.
“Listen to me. Appoint a new leader and continue fighting. There’s a way below, and there are no crawlers there. Try to find how to get there. Ask Sage, he’ll help you.”
“Ty?” Sol repeated.
“Let me say this. You are my family. I will never forget any of you.”
“What the fuck is that? You are not doing this!” Victor shouted.
“I have to! What would you do if Frid ever got bit?”
Shocked silence filled the air between us.
“Where are you taking her?” Sol asked and his voice broke.
“To the temple waters. I have to try.”
“This is insane.” Victor whispered.
“Don’t follow me. This is where we say goodbye.”
Frid sniffled, and her nose dripped while Sol and Victor stayed silent.
I flipped my wing in the air, before taking a sharp dive down.
The space before the temple looked exactly the way I remembered it. The crawlers stood between the buildings, swaying aimlessly from side to side. I was appreciative that the sun was still up, because I could easily get inside even having Alina lying limp in my arms.
I occupied my thoughts with planning and maneuvers, because when I was busy with something, the dull ache in my chest remained manageable. As soon as my mind disengaged from whatever was directly in front of me, the sharpest pain I had ever felt seized my chest, making my heart squeeze harder.
After landing, I transformed back as an insistent throbbing echoed in my skull. My skin felt raw and exposed. I was quickly deteriorating.
Almost immediately, I spotted a crawler and quickly released my knife, stopping him in his tracks.
I had not realized how terrified I was to look at the body I carried in my arms, until I gently placed her on the ground.
It had been days since we left the capital, and with each glance at her, there were more unmistakable signs of her inevitable end.
The infection affected dragonborns in unpredictable ways.
Some turned within hours, while others suffered for days, but the result was always the same.
Once the disease entered a healthy bloodstream, there was no turning back.
My every thought returned to sacred waters.
I would get Alina in the water and wait.
If that did not work, I would have to end it for both of us.
When I finally made that decision, my shoulders relaxed and I looked at the setting sun.
There was no more room for fear or hesitation.
I was going to follow her even if that meant my life would end.
Working quickly, I opened the set of doors, picked up Alina’s unconscious body and stepped into the darkness of the ceremonial room.
Not much had changed; the scent of faded frankincense lingered in the air, the familiar patterns of the mosaics, and the dark passage ahead.
I placed Alina over my shoulder and lit the torch.
Every step I took, I listened carefully for any signs of crawlers, but as I remembered from before, there was no one else here.
After what felt like forever, I stepped into the cavern with the pool filled with the sacred waters.
In my dream, we all bathed in it, and all our wounds healed.
It was a desperate idea, one that gave me something to hold on to, the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
I placed so much faith in the temple’s pool that I could not even comprehend what would happen if it did not work.
I secured the torch in a corner and carefully placed Alina on the floor.
I let my eyes roam over her face. There were dark veins around her eyes, over her lids and down her neck.
Her skin had a faint purplish tint to it.
But she was still alive, and I had to try this one last thing before it was too late.
With every passing moment, she was drawing nearer to the edge.
Not daring to delay any further, I picked her up, before lowering myself into the pool.
The warm water soaked through my clothes and filled my boots, but I kept my eyes on Alina, too scared to look away.
As if watching her face would somehow keep her from slipping away.
With care, I placed her body into the water, submerging her under it.
Alina’s hair drifted upward and moved on the surface like scarlet ribbons.
I started to pray. I pleaded and talked to the spirit of the first dragon, made promises, threatened, and begged.
Seconds stretched into minutes and soon my shoulders started to shake.Tears streamed down my face, relentless and unstoppable. I could not even remember the last time I had cried, probably not since I was a child.
It didn’t work. How could it not work?
Deep down, I already knew it would not, but holding on to the hope of getting her back was all that kept me staying sane. She was dying in my arms, and there was nothing I could do to save her. In a world where I considered myself strong enough to face anything, I was nothing, and no one.
My mind returned to the set of knives I still had on my belt. That would work, it would be enough for both of us.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” I whispered, pressing Alina closer to my chest.
Her head tilted lifelessly to the side. There was nothing else left.