39. Chapter 39
thirty-nine
A s the sun filters through the leaves above me, burning its way through my lids, my eyes slowly open, locking on Ethan’s form.
He’s still asleep, it seems, his breathing slow and deep.
The sunlight breaks, casting a big shadow over us, and the sound of wings cutting through the air follows.
I roll to my side, curling myself away from sight as I glance at the sky and smile.
“He’s alive,” I whisper as I show myself in the clear light and the big dragon’s head whips my way, crooking slightly before he descends.
The sun reflects off the sapphire in his scales, and within a few seconds, he morphs back into his human form and unties the bag on his leg to get his clothes and runs up to me .
“Aetherion,” he breathes in relief, and I can’t help but mimic it.
“Good to see you alive, Grayson.” I smile, or at least try. “How did you find us?”
He scratches the back of his head, a crooked grin on his face. “Lucky guess. Sunfire Fang have been your allies for ages, and Riversong… well… but Sunfire Fang would never turn sides, or they’d at least try to remain neutral.”
I nod as I hear Ethan waking up, groaning as his wrecked body won’t fully heal.
“Where’s Rodi?” I ask Grayson, my heart racing at the thought of her.
“I couldn’t get her. It didn’t matter what I would’ve tried. It was impossible.” His shoulders slump, and Ethan climbs out of hiding. “Cedric took her and keeps her locked away at Riversong.”
“How is she?” Ethan asks.
Grayson shakes his head. “One of our Netherlings was working at Riversong before Rodi arrived. She tries to help her…” He trails off, unsure of his words.
“Spit it out!” I snap, anger burning its way up my neck to my face like an uncontrollable wildfire.
“She’s marked by him, and she did something to him. Nyra tried to explain it, but it sounded similar to the time Rodi told you to—”
“Back off,” Ethan fills in. “She ordered him?”
Grayson nods, and my hands ball into fists. “Did he notice?”
“Yes and no. He doesn’t know this might be the Draconis’s ability. Neither does Rodi—”
“But she still paid the price,” I mumble, my heart beating faster as anger boils in my veins. He touched her, hurt her. My hand shakes as I try to keep myself from forcing a shift, one I know I can’t survive, and then I’ll lose her forever.
As much as this life has left me pained and on the verge of losing hope, I have to keep pushing. Rodi is here. Ethan is here. I just have to grit my teeth and fight harder.
“Have they started the clan rounds?” Visiting all the clans, showing the new leaders. I never cared for it, but Hephaestus won’t break dragon law if he wants to keep his position.
“They did. They’ll be in Sunfire Fang tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
Ethan grabs my shoulder, squeezing slightly. “Let’s get patched up and then get our goddess.”
I share a determined look with him, seeing something spark in his eyes. Happiness? Inspiration? Affection? I can’t tell, but it makes the corner of my mouth turn up in a faint smile.
“Can you shift?” Grayson asks us both.
Now, that may cause a problem in our quest to save our little rider.
“No, too weak. Ethan will probably drop dead if he even tries.” I shake my head as I turn back to Grayson.
“You don’t know that!” Ethan’s says, sounding offended.
“He probably will,” Grayson agrees.
Ethan knows how weak he is, but he has no idea that he looks like nothing more than bones and skin.
“Let’s see how welcoming Sunfire Fang is,” I say as I head toward the stone ridge, listening closely as Ethan limps behind me.
The ridge is unguarded, and so is the forest behind it. Either we’re walking into a trap or they truly don’t care who comes from my land to theirs. We avoid the roads and towns and head to the caves that wind beneath the Dominion’s estate, following a familiar path I’ve been down multiple times. It’s like walking down Memory Lane in a twisted way. I didn’t think I’d be back in this state .
The air grows thick with moisture, the echo of water droplets splashing against the rocky ground, the cobwebs revealing no one has been here for a long time until the scent of candles tickles my nose.
Ethan tries his best, his legs trembling with every uneven step.
“You never talked much about this clan,” Ethan begins, his voice a hesitant whisper that hangs heavily in the damp air, and I glance back.
“Do you think this is the time to talk about my past lives and what I did with whom while we’re sneaking into their house?” I whisper sharply, the weight of my secrets pressing down upon me like a suffocating shroud. Some truths are better left buried , I remind myself, even when I fear there’s no escaping it this time .
A faint glimmer of light dances on the edge of my vision, drawing my gaze like a moth to a flame.
In the darkness of these ancient caves, every sound, every shadow takes on a life of its own, whispering secrets that have long been forgotten.
“Welcome back, Aetherion,” a voice cuts through, and I still.
My hesitation draws the man closer, the light moving toward us flickering with every move.
“Our deal stands, Aetherion,” the voice assures me.
I nod, a silent acknowledgment of the pact that binds us together. For better or for worse, our fates are intertwined, a bond created lives ago. One I hoped never to revisit.
Grayson and Ethan turn to look at me, throwing me confused and curious expressions. “Deal?” Ethan asks.
There are things about my past that he doesn’t know. That Rodi doesn’t know. When one lives through multiple lives, it’s a guarantee that some of them won’t be as good and heroic as others .
I’ve done things that I’m not proud of, but I’m trying to do right by the people I care about in this life. They may not understand that now, but one day, when I tell them the truth about my past lives, they will understand.
“You don’t want them to know, Aetherion?” Dominion Fangar asks as he tilts his head at me.
I sigh, still feeling Grayson’s and Ethan’s eyes on me. Their curiosity won’t be sated today. “I made a lot of mistakes in my lives. Being here was never one of them, but it will remain in the past.”
“Understood,” he says with a quick bow of his head. “The healing baths are ready for you and your… mate.” He turns and walks ahead, leading us through his estate, using back corridors, servants’ routes, to ensure no one will see us.
I glance at Ethan, who smirks a little to himself. He likes being referred to as my mate, it seems, and it surprises me that I’m okay with it too. But that’s a matter for another, more private, time.
Familiar double doors await me, and without a pause, Fangar swings them open.
“Good.” I take a deep breath, my fingers itching as I muster my next words. I turn back to Dominion Fangar with a serious look on my face. “Are you with me?”
“I stand behind… our deal, yes.”
“You’ll have it all.” I chuckle, rubbing my hands together. More than ever, I need an ally.
“And so will you, Aetherion.”
“Please, that’s not my title anymore.”
The dragons of Sunfire Fang are shielded, never showing their true emotions as powerless dragons. Even Ethan always believed the yellows were the weakest, but they are not. They’re patient, smart, and strong .
They train harder than any other clan, and no one even realizes it. That’s what makes them so dangerous. When it comes down to a fight or a plan, they know how to execute.
“You kept the room the same,” I note, and he steps closer, his hand behind his back and his face impassive.
“It has always been your room.”
I huff. “Perhaps some lives ago, but not anymore.”
“We always knew you’d come back.”
I suppose they knew more than me, then. I didn’t think I’d come back. Not after what’s happened in the past. I continue to ignore Grayson’s and Ethan’s curious looks, not wanting to delve that deep into previous years.
“ She left me, so why would I have come back?”
A slight twitch shows in his mask, a wrinkle between his brows, one he smooths out before I can even blink.
“True,” he says so easily while I realize there’s something I’m missing. Or is it my paranoia again?
Even after knowing him for years, it’s hard to fully trust anyone outside of my small circle. A lot can change over time. Intentions switch. Loyalties shift.
I turn toward him to ask, but his words cut me off. “Grayson can stay on the Netherling floor. I’m sure you still know where that is.”
With a nod, he leaves us behind. I drown out the memories of this place, pretending I didn’t want to die here years ago, thinking this was my happy ending.
I had no idea what would come next. Rodi and Ethan. I didn’t realize that there was so much more beyond what I knew. What I felt.
Grayson follows behind Fangar, confusion etched on his face as Ethan stumbles into the bathroom .
“I’ll get cleaned up,” he murmurs, as I’m sure questions tickle his tongue. Ones I don’t want to answer.
I grit my teeth, walking through the halls, down the stairs, my mind in turmoil as I try to come up with a plan, a plan to get Rodi away from Hephaestus and to… run.
There’s no fight left in me, and all I can think of is to hide and hope we can grow from the burned lands and have one last life… together.
Honestly, that’s all I want, a peaceful, long life with the ones I care about. Power doesn’t matter. Status doesn’t matter. I’ve ruled alone, and it’s nothing I want to experience again.
I want more for my life.
Ethan and I have to complete our bonding soon. It would weaken us if we waited too long, since there isn’t a mate bond keeping us together. I need to start strengthening things and getting my house in order before everything falls apart and I lose everything and everyone I care about.
“When are we trying to rescue her?” Ethan asks as he dries his clean skin.
“We have to wait for the right moment. We don’t have an army. Not anymore.” I sigh.
Things are so much easier when you have supporters, especially strong ones. An army could get us where we need to be and could help us get Rodi to safety with a lower chance of injury or death.
I can’t use my second ability, one that ensured my win against the Vermyllion Drakes, because if I use that one, I’ll kill Ethan, Rodi, everyone who is close by.
Ethan nods. “We just have to be smart about what moves we make.”
Very smart. And lucky. There are so many factors out of our control, which means we have to make the most of what we have, which isn’t much at all .
Everything around us has tried to tear the three of us apart, but we refuse to go down without a fight. And we may very likely go down in the battle ahead, meaning I’ll lose Rodi and Ethan forever. I’m sure I won’t find her again, and Ethan… he isn’t like us.
“What are you thinking about?” Ethan asks.
“We’ll get her back, you’ll see,” I say, drawing myself out of my busy mind. “Come, let’s get to the healing baths and get our dragons healed.”
“And something to eat.” He smiles, his hollowed cheeks showing fully, and I nod.
He needs nourishment and rest. We both do, but my worries are centered on him and Rodi.
“Let’s go.”
I thought there would be this moment I would back down, letting the mark fade into nothing, pretending like it never happened like I do too many times, stuffing it away, hiding it somewhere where no one can find it.
But with each passing moment, I feel more confident that this is the way and that I don’t only do this for Rodi. I’m doing this for myself.
Not for power, status, or control.
Just for me.