Chapter 82
The stars, the moon, and the sun don’t matter.
Nothing matters anymore.
I don’t know how long I’ve been lying here. The night keeps getting brighter as the haze continues to clear far and wide, and the sound of dozens of wings are like a taunting nightmare surrounding me, haunting me.
Raef has remained nearby, still and quiet.
I finally glance over at him and see him holding his knees, studying the wonder of the sky above him.
A thin, dried streak trails down his cheek, carving a path through the blood and dirt, illuminated by the light from above.
He’s wanted so badly to fly his whole life, but right now he’d rather stay here, with his friend.
He pinches his eyebrows suddenly, focusing intently on something. Numbly, I follow his gaze. In the distance, with the stars as a backdrop, it looks like the faint shadow of a large dragon flying high. I’m mesmerized by it for a moment, before it flies higher and disappears into the stars.
I glance back at Daegan, who appears to be sleeping peacefully since I closed his eyes, and then at Raef. “Did you see…”
“Yeah. I did.”
We share a look, but we say nothing more about it.
“We have to go,” Raef says gently.
Dread fills me. I can’t leave him yet. I don’t want to leave him ever.
“Just a little longer,” I plead.
“Okay.”
And he sits with me most of the night, along with Kezra, who’s mostly silent.
But eventually, she speaks. “He never even got to fly,” she says with a mournful reverence.
Eventually, I somehow get myself up.
I place a kiss on his forehead, promising to see him again, and I go.
Walking down the mountain, away from him, is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Harder than escaping a deadly fire in a cave, facing a thousand spiders, or even a thousand elves.
Raef says he’ll take care of everything, and we’ll have a proper ceremony soon.
Along with all the other deceased dragons from the battle. Apparently, there weren’t many. That’s good.
Dragons come and go overhead throughout our journey down. Some are still on the ground, hesitant to fly, and some fly so far, they disappear.
It would be an incredible, majestic sight to behold any other time, but I genuinely can’t bring myself to care about anything happening around me.
I walk through the village with the moon shining on flying dragons, neither of which has been seen in a thousand years, and all I can think about is reaching the palace, crawling into Daegan’s bed, and smelling his scent on the sheets.
And that’s what I do.
~
Nothing matters anymore.
For days and days on end, I don’t leave our bed.
Not until his ceremony.
Dragons burn their deceased bodies and carve their names in stone in a place that’s special to them.
Daegan’s special place is on a beautiful hill by the palace, with white and gold stones laid down in an intricate pattern.
My tears fall freely during the short ceremony.
I barely have it in me to look around, but I do see Yara there for one brief flash.
I don’t register what her expression is.
Afterwards, I speak briefly to Raef before disappearing to Daegan’s chambers once again, trying to figure out my next move.
I can’t stay here.
Soon, his scent will fade, and this will be an empty, haunted room that used to hold his memory, but no longer does.
His stone means nothing to me. That’s not him.
He’s not there. I notice his absence with every painful breath I take.
I keep the curtains closed because I don’t want to see the night sky, and the sun is so painfully bright it hurts my eyes.
And my skin. It’s so hot that I feel like I’m burning in a pit of misery.
Raef comes to visit, filling me in on all the updates I’ve missed. I don’t have the heart or the energy to tell him I don’t care. I stare blankly each time he comes and informs me what’s happening.
Daegan’s father died in battle. And with Daegan also gone, the dragons are battling over who should lead them.
Raef wants the honor, he tells me in confidence, but apparently there are a few elder dragons who think he’s too young.
I’m sure he’d make a great leader. He has an entire vision for making peace with the elves, despite all that they’ve done, and starting over fresh, uniting the whole continent.
It’s a beautiful vision, but people are evil.
The dragons have flown across the continent by now, stretching their wings while also scoping out the new world. Swarms of horrifying beasts were killed, including maliths, while some took to thick forests and caves. Who knows how long they’ll be able to hide.
One thing he mentions does grab my attention, though. A village high in the mountains was uncovered. They’d been living above the veil this entire time. Rhydra was right. Her people, the Skeldaryns, were up there this whole time. I wish she could have seen it.
And among them was a pack of werewolves. It turns out some had been there on trade business when the curse was cast, and ended up forever trapped there. Or so they thought. Over the years, some had managed to mix with the large Skeldaryns, resulting in extra-large wolf offspring.
The elves easily surrendered once the sky began to clear, and the dragons, being much more forgiving than the elves would have been, allowed them to return home, with the agreement that they no longer hold power over the land.
The elf kingdom is no more. Their numbers were severely diminished in the battle anyway.
Raef hopes more territories will use the opportunity to pick their own leadership like the dragons are doing, with the hope they can have a peaceful council with the leaders of every region eventually.
My father did not survive the battle either.
King Nerion Celenor was killed by a dragon shifter whose name I don’t even know.
I’m fine with that. It’s one less person I have to hunt down before I disappear into the darkness forever.
Plus, Raef informed me that it didn’t happen until after.
My father saw the sky unveiling, witnessing his power disappearing before his eyes. Rhydra got her wish.
I’m truly glad that we freed Everrynd and all its people. I am. But I never had any grand plans for afterwards. Not until I met Daegan. When I fell in love with him, everything changed, and I envisioned a whole life for us after the curse was broken.
But that’s all changed. I no longer wish to be in Torrynth, with the blistering hot sun, the constant sound of dragon wings flapping that make me wince every time, and, most importantly, the sandy dune in the distance that reminds me of that haunting, painful night.
Raef understands. He argued at first, quite passionately. I was surprised by how much he wanted me to stay. But eventually, he conceded, with promises to visit when he can. It’ll be a lot easier for him to come to me, now that he can fly anywhere on the damn continent within a few days.
So today, Raef is flying me out of here. I just have one quick stop to make in Ellyar.
I won’t miss Torrynth. There’s nothing for me here for me now, especially because Kezra said goodbye yesterday, with a promise to see me and Raef again.
When or where, I don’t know, but I have a feeling she’ll find me anywhere.
Even without the bond, which she dissolved shortly after the curse broke, stating that it was no longer necessary.
I didn’t argue, and I didn’t feel much different after, but I was numb.
I always knew she’d go back to her people in the forest one day.
The dragons are not going to be giving just anyone rides now, but Raef made an exception for me, and he even had a harness made so that I can sit comfortably and not fall to my death.
I was right. Flying atop a dragon is an experience unlike anything else.
I can’t imagine what it’s like for them.
I know that Raef, despite everything, has been taking every chance he can to use his wings, and it’s brought back a certain sparkle in him which was seriously fading.
He’s still sad, of course, but he’s taken on many responsibilities that he’s taking very seriously.
I think Raef was always meant to survive, because he was so important in uniting people peacefully after.
It takes less than a day to reach Ellyar, where Raef flies right over the wall and lands just outside the castle.
I hop off, head inside the familiar halls which now look rather unfamiliar in the natural light, and head straight for my father’s chambers.
I barely see a single person on the way, and when I do, I don’t even glance their way. I walk with purpose, my deep blue dress billowing behind me as I hold my head and shoulders high.
It was just a guess that he’d be in here, but as I push the unguarded doors open, I find my target. When I approach him without hesitation, I wear a look of murderous vengeance.
“What are you doing here?”
I don’t answer as I continue to walk toward him, looking into his green eyes.
“Elysande, if you’re back to claim your place, you should know, the people have chosen me to—”
I slice his throat before he can finish. Blood sprays everywhere, and yes, it still makes me sick. I guess I do still have a little bit of feeling in there somewhere. I don’t feel remorse or pity for him though. Never for him. It’s just the sight of blood I don’t like.
When Raef and the other dragons accepted the elves’ surrender, he let Adrian think he could be in charge here. He made him think he was safe, never letting on that he knew very well that Adrian murdered his best friend. He did it for me. So that I could come claim my revenge for Daegan. My love.
And now that I have it, I can go peacefully.
I stride through the hallways, numb, before I see her. We both stop, frozen in each other’s gaze, before I resume my stride, never looking back.
Phaedra. I hope to never see her again.
I leave the dark castle for the final time, meeting Raef outside right where I left him.
And then, after a short journey, we descend toward Wraithmere Forest. He drops me off at the edge, where the darkness just inside is calling to me.
“I’ll come visit,” he promises.
“Okay.”
He’s about to turn and leave when I stop him. “Raef?”
“Yeah?”
“You deserve to live a happy life. Full of love, joy, and laughter. Meela would think so too.”
He dips his head, nodding at the ground. “Thanks, Sand. You do too.”
I don’t smile, and I don’t agree with him. Instead, I turn toward the trees.
I’ll wait here until I can see him again.
Daegan flies high in the sky now, free. As he was always meant to be. I’ll remain alone down here until I can fly with him.
Soon, time will steal memories of him. Maybe the sound of his laugh at first, and then his smile. Then, slowly, his face. But I will never forget his name, and my love for him. I will take it with me into death, and beyond.
I’ve heard Maethrel has disappeared, and no one knows where he went. That means there’s an unoccupied cottage deep in there that needs a new host. I grab my pack and my jar of ashes and head into the forest.
Alone.
The end