16. Alar #2
"My dragon—" I started. "Will she wait for me? Is the bond going to hold across such a great distance?"
The thought of leaving Veynathei behind was painful. That golden thread connecting us would be stretched to its limit, and I was afraid it was going to snap because it hadn't had time to solidify.
"Frankly, I don't know," Lesten said. "It has never been done before. The bond gets severed with the rider's or dragon's death." He waved his hand. "You are dismissed. Use the remaining time to settle your affairs and say your goodbyes."
"Yes, sir."
I rose, saluted, turned, and walked out of the office on legs that felt like they belonged to someone else. The corridor outside was empty, the tapestries depicting triumphant riders and soaring dragons suddenly feeling like a gallery of everything I was about to lose.
Saphir caught up with me at the stairwell, moving with a speed that belied his age.
"Walk with me," he said.
"I'd rather be alone."
"I know. Walk with me anyway."
We walked in silence for a few moments.
"Is there anything you can do to prevent me from going?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Elucia needs the Federation's support to survive.
I can't overrule a formal diplomatic request from the Head of the Council and keep his son against his will.
I will not endanger the weapons shipments, the trade agreements, the medical supplies, and everything else that keeps our people alive between Shedun attacks.
" He put a hand on my shoulder. "Sometimes the right move feels like surrender, Alar. This is one of those times."
"What about the prophecy?"
"The prophecy will unfold as it must. Your part in it is not over simply because you're temporarily changing your address." His eyes held that infuriating twinkle that suggested he knew far more than he was sharing. "Trust the process."
"With all due respect, Shaman, the process just expelled me from the Dragon Force."
"You are not expelled. You are on leave." He squeezed my shoulder and released it. "Treat it as such and don't let your family dictate your future." He resumed walking. "Come into my office. You can use my phone to call home and get answers."
The offer was both unexpected and welcome. I couldn't wait to get actual answers from my mother.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"It is the least I can do."
He opened the door to the antechamber before his office, and his assistant rose to his feet to greet him.
Saphir waved him down. "Sit down, Desin. I'm taking Alar to my office to make a phone call."
"Yes, sir." The second-year cadet did as he was told.
We entered the inner office, and Saphir closed the door behind him.
"My line is not monitored, so you can speak freely, but I have to stay here and supervise, or Lesten would have my head."
I very much doubted that, but I didn't expect to be allowed privacy for my call.
Saphir motioned for me to sit on the other side of his desk and picked up the phone.
"I need a private line to the royal house of Catonia."
I didn't hear what the person on the other side said, but Saphir handed me the receiver, so I assumed the call was being placed.
"It will take a few moments to make the connection. It has to go through several switchboards," Saphir explained.
As the connection was made through the international exchange, I listened to the clicks and hisses, imagining the signal traveling through underground cables, across the border, and into the Elurian telephone network.
The connection took nearly three minutes to establish, during which I rehearsed and discarded a dozen opening lines.
"The court of King Alaranthus the Fourth," a voice answered. "How may I direct your call?"
"This is Prince Alaranthus Tekumuton. I need to speak with my mother."
The pause lasted longer than it should have. "One moment, Your Highness."
I hadn't been addressed by that title in months, and hearing it now felt like a collar being fastened around my neck.
The line clicked twice. "Alar." My mother's voice filled my ear. "I've been expecting your call."
"Hello, Mother."
"I assume our official request for your discharge was delivered."
"It was."
"How much trouble are you in?"
"I'm not in trouble. I'm just being torn away from everything I ever wanted." I gripped the receiver hard enough that it creaked. "I need you to be honest with me. What is the situation with Father?"
The pause that followed told me everything.
"It is complex," she said. "A lot has happened here since you left, and he needs you. We need you. We would not have summoned you if it wasn't absolutely necessary."
"That's not what I asked, Mother. Is he dying? Your letters claimed that he was deteriorating rapidly, and I need to know how bad it is."
"His death is not imminent. That is all I can say over the phone."
"This is a secure line."
Another pause, longer this time. I could practically hear the careful calculation happening on the other end of the line, my mother weighing how much truth to dispense against how much she could safely withhold. She was a queen. Partial truth was her native language.
"Your father has not been well," she said. "And for a while things seemed dire, but we have employed several unconventional measures that seem to be improving the situation."
My mother was talking in circles, which meant that my father's so-called illness was political in nature rather than health related.
What was going on?
Had there been assassination attempts?
That wouldn't be the first time or the last, but I knew I wasn't getting more out of my mother over the phone.
"Are you sure that he cannot do without me? You are asking me to make a great sacrifice by demanding that I come home."
"I know, and I am sorry. But there is no other way. We need you here. Your father wants to see you as soon as possible." The slight tremor in her voice could have been a genuine emotion or a performance. With my mother, it was impossible to tell. "There are matters we need to discuss as a family."
"What kind of matters?"
"Not over the telephone, darling. I miss you so much. I cannot wait for the two weeks it will take you to get home to be over. I need to hold you in my arms."
"I miss you too, Mother. I will see you soon." I ended the call and closed my eyes.
My heart was breaking, and my soul was crushed.
Tomorrow, I would leave the Citadel, my friends, the Dragon Force, and the woman I loved, and I had less than eighteen hours to say goodbye to everything that mattered to me.