Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Mikael takes a half step forward, offering himself up as the first victim. “We seek…”
“I know what you seek. I can see within your souls, read your essence. Dragon’s magic is older and stronger than any other creature’s.
I wouldn’t entertain your presence if it were not for the curse upon her life, and your bond.
We are wise enough not to interfere with curses and the Fates’ design… if we agree.”
Its throat vibrates, a deep hum emanating from within. Almost like a snarl of disgust at the mention of the Fates.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of theirs either.
Its eyes narrow even further, shifting from Mikael to me, and it continues. “Your soul is fragmented. Your heart broken. Your mind weak. Yet, the deepest truth you hide will set you free. An interesting dilemma. What thread do you wish to unravel?”
I didn’t think my palms could sweat when I’m so cold, but they are. I don’t want to let go of the truth I’ve pushed out of my mind for centuries. I grapple with what the truth will mean for me. For the rest of this journey.
I’m trying to speak, but words fail me. They don’t want to leave my mouth.
The dragon snaps its teeth inches from my face.
I let out a yelp and spit the words out.
“I still love him.”
Mikael whips his head in my direction. Emotions flit across his face in rapid succession—relief, grief, longing—but his attention is short-lived.
“You insult me!” The dragon snarls, then roars, throwing its head back and exposing its glowing blue throat. The sound ricochets off the walls of the cavern before turning deathly quiet. Dropping its head, it opens its mouth and releases a stream of ice over us.
I reactively throw my hands over my head, even though that would do nothing to save me. But the ice shatters against a wall behind us, the cracking and splitting echoing around the cavern.
The dragon continues speaking through frosty breath. “Do not fool yourself. That was a truth already known. Tell me something you wish no one to know. I feel it, lingering within you, wanting to be released. You hold it so tightly, and I require it. The power in knowing this truth is what I seek.”
“I…I…” Before I say the wrong thing again, I hesitate.
It dawns on me then, what truth it wants. Dread works its way into my veins as I look between Mikael and the dragon.
How can it know? It said its magic is the oldest among any creature, and knows our very essence.
But I’ve worked so hard to forget about—to bury—the choice, and bargain, I made that day. I walked away from the battlefield knowing I did what I had to in order to save everyone, fae and vampire alike.
I don’t regret it, but I would’ve been shunned or executed for bargaining in such a way, even if it saved lives. It’s forbidden to interact with the Fates; has been for as long as I’ve been alive. They’re trickier than the fae, and nothing good has ever come from their involvement.
The dragon extends its claws, flexing the sharp points and scraping them against the ground in warning.
I have no choice. I have to give up my darkest secret, the truth I buried long ago.
Diverting the blame onto Mikael was easier than reconciling with the truth; everything had stemmed from my error. The accidental reveal of a fae weakness to a man I trusted, led to the subsequent events.
“I’m the reason the Wastelands exist.” I bring a finger to the corner of my eye and hold it there, not wanting the tear to fall.
From my periphery I see Mikael’s head drop into his hands, then rake his fingers through his hair before exhaling a deep breath. I wish I could see the expression on his face, read whatever emotion is housed within his gaze, but I don’t break eye contact with the dragon.
“More.” The dragon threatens as it lowers its head, nostrils flaring.
“Is it not enough?” I stand defiant before this majestic, centuries-old creature. The dragon doesn’t respond, doesn’t move. Those blue eyes just continue to stare into my soul.
Stupid. Trying to challenge this great and ancient creature.
Why am I so afraid of admitting what I did?
There is no one else here but these two.
A kernel of fear blossoms within as I think about why I’m so hesitant, trying to pinpoint what is stopping me from being honest. The fear coils through me, around my heart and throat.
Betrayal.
Mikael could use this information in the future. Use it against me.
The immortal inhabitants of this world do not call upon the Fates.
We learned our lessons long ago—they are vile and devious.
But I was as desperate as the humans on the other side of the sea, who love to call upon them.
Their short mortal lives, made significant by having a higher power to worship.
Being immortal dampens their importance to us. They’re just another magical entity.
I haven’t broken my stare with the beast. In response, the dragon’s lip curls back into an unyielding, menacing smile as if it knows my thoughts.
Defiance continues to roll through me, wanting to rebel, to do the opposite of what is demanded of me.
“My patience grows thin.” Its throat shimmers with a blue glow. It widens its mouth, revealing the ice forming in its mouth, spilling out and onto its jaw and sharp teeth. A deep rumble begins building, vibrating through the stone beneath me.
“What are you waiting for? Just say it,” Mikael urges when the temperature drops, the air turning frigid.
I rock back and forth on my sore feet; the pain spreads to my calves, grounding me in this reality. My sticky palms, so at odds with the coldness of this place, flex anxiously, giving away my apprehension.
My chest is so tight I can barely breathe, and my throat is as dry as a harsh summer day. I know there is no winning. I must acquiesce if I want to complete the trial, but the words are stuck in my throat.
“A frozen heart is what you must want.” The dragon jaws split open, white vapor pouring out as it turns toward Mikael.
Mikael ducks and rolls to the side at the same time I spit out what it wants from me. “I made a bargain with the Fates.” The dragon diverts the ice to our left, then clicks its jaws shut as I continue. “I allowed them to use me as a siphon. To strip the land of magic and transfer it to them.”
A shimmer passes over the dragon’s scales after my admission. Its corresponding smile is full of wicked delight, and a hum of satisfaction fills the cavern.
The Fates aren’t able to take the magic from the land themselves.
Watching from the stars above, they crave the richness of the world’s different magic sources.
Not the cold and harsh magic of the stars, and blackness of the infinite night beyond.
Offerings have to be made to sustain their magic. Which is why they love humans.
“Bryn…” Mikael calls out my name with such softness as he stands.
He comes up beside me, his fingers brushing the skin on my forearm before wiping away the single tear that rolls down my face. More fill my eyes as I look up at him through my lashes.
Pain. Sorrow. Regret. They’re all there, etched into the lines on his face as he grips both my forearms. His mouth widens a fraction, as if he’s going to say something, but I jerk away from his hold.
How can he look at me like that?
The anger I felt at his betrayal ignites anew, and it’s easy to lean into it. It’s familiar.
I wouldn’t have had to make the bargain if it wasn’t for him. My mistake is the root, but he was the one who made it more than just a mistake.
“It was your fault! I couldn’t let that many fae die. Or vampires.” I turn away and let the tears fall this time.
A guttural laugh emanates from the dragon.
“What is so humorous?” I pivot, spittle flying from my mouth. The anger drowns out the good sense that I shouldn’t speak in such a manner to the enormous beast before us.
“Your inability to see past your own pain,” it snarls, then addresses Mikael. “You may speak now.”
I’m disregarded, thrown to the side as it gobbled up my revelation and moved on for its next meal.
I’m even angrier at myself, because it called out my shortcomings, and there is no denying them. My pain and anger have kept me going for all these years.
I don’t know who I am without them.
When Mikael speaks, I leave the confines of my mind and listen to what he has to offer.
“What I want to reveal will not pass my lips. I’ve tried many times, in many ways, over many years.” Mikael’s eyes are downcast, a solemn expression gracing his face.
The dragon leans toward us, its chest swelling as the cold air rushes past us in a single inhale.
“Hmm… Yes. I smell the stench of another’s will, steeped in jealousy, soured by hate.
” Its gaze cuts between us, sharp and poignant, before continuing.
“Yet, another thread bears weight. Frayed. Fragile. But unbroken.”
With a quick swipe to its shoulder, the dragon nicks the edge off one of its scales using a talon.
“You are bound by a crude magic, your mind leashed to the will of another. My kind is offended by such magic—we have no patience for parasites. Give me your blood, offered freely, and I will burn out the magic that holds your tongue. But understand this: nothing is given without exchange. I can overwrite it but not undo it entirely. That is the law of old magic. Your leash will not vanish. Instead, it will shift ownership to me. You will bear my mark. Hear my call, even centuries from now. This is the price. One chain for another.”
“What then, would it take to break this curse, here and now? If your magic is so ancient, so strong, what is your price to end our hunt for the remaining pieces of my soul?” I interrupt, my words desperate.
Wanting to remove Mikael from my sphere, because his presence is too conflicting. Too confusing.