Chapter 26 Elaina
ELAINA
The cliff is enormous—wide and flat and made of dark gray stone streaked with quartz. Beyond it lies the entire kingdom, stretched out below like a patchwork quilt of green and gold. I can see the rooftops of the Citadel…the glimmer of the royal gardens…and the deep shadows of the forest beyond.
And farther still—rising like jagged black and white teeth—the Y’pryz Mountains stab into the sky. Their snow-capped peaks catch the early morning light like silver blades.
The view takes my breath away—it’s so beautiful it doesn’t seem real.
I walk over to the edge, unafraid. I’ve never had a fear of heights. In fact, something inside me feels almost drawn to them, though I can’t explain why, even to myself. It’s as if I was always meant to be here, in the wind and the open sky.
And then I remember my dream.
The flying… the lake… the white and silver dragon staring back at me from the water.
I swallow hard and turn to Xaren.
“I read in one of the books about Drake lore, that there’s supposed to be a land beyond those mountains,” I say. “A place where everyone—both men and women—has a Drake inside them. Do you think it’s true?”
Xaren shrugs.
“There might be. I’ve never flown so far. I was made to swear an oath never to leave the boundaries of the Kingdom.”
“But why do you keep your oath? What holds you to this place?” I search his face. “You don’t seem like you want to stay.”
I certainly wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to leave. The Citadel is an awful place for him. It’s not nice for me, either, but he’s been suffering under the Queen’s iron rule for all his life—it’s only been a few months for me.
He sighs heavily, and for once, he doesn’t try to shield the scarred side of his face from me. The wind ruffles his dark hair as he rakes a hand through it.
“The oath was magical,” he says. “It laid a spell on me that I would never be able to leave the boundaries of the kingdom while in my Drake form.”
So he’s trapped here—caged. Not by chains but by ancient magic.
“So there’s no way for you to fly away from here?” I ask softly.
“Not unless an unbound Drake leads the way,” he says dryly. “And since my father is senile and can’t even Shift anymore, and my uncle is dead, that leaves only my brother. And Dorian sure as hell isn’t going to let me leave.”
“But why do they keep you prisoner here?” I ask, frowning at the unfairness of it all.
Xaren gives a bitter laugh.
“They want to keep me in reserve. The dreaded Black Dragon—a weapon to be used in case of war. No other kingdom would dare to come against us as long as they know they have my Drake locked in their dungeon.”
No wonder he’s so angry all the time. No wonder he lashes out, I think. He’s not just scarred… he’s imprisoned.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “That’s awful for you, Xaren. I’m sure you want to fly away from this place. I know I do.”
He looks at me then, his golden eyes softening.
“Well, neither of us is getting out of here anytime soon, little dove. But we can at least pretend we’re free.”
He gestures to the wide expanse of the cliff.
“I often come up here to pretend that. It calms my spirit… and it allows my Drake to come out when he needs some air.” He turns to me. “Speaking of that, are you ready to meet him?”
My heart gives a nervous flutter.
I’d nearly forgotten that was why we came—now is the moment of truth.
I lift my chin, trying to be brave.
“All right,” I say. “Where should I stand?”
“Just stay where you are and don’t move,” he tells me. “I’m going to give myself room to Shift.”
He steps away, walking toward the far edge of the cliff. His movements are careful, deliberate—putting a good thirty feet between us.
Goddess…just how big is he going to get?
He turns to face me one last time.
“All right—just stay there,” he calls. “My Drake is coming out now.”
And then… he begins to Shift.