Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
ELARIYA
The dragon cave fell silent save for Laureth’s slow breathing behind us.
I stared at the place where my father had stood only moments ago, the truth still settling in my mind.
All the things that hadn’t made sense were falling into place, the biggest being that my father had murdered Galaythia’s king. When I was first told that, I never believed it.
None of it sounded like him. But as the weeks had gone by and the evidence pointed toward him, I had no choice but to accept it, even when I never wanted it to be true.
Now we’d found the real truth…
It had finally caught up with us in the most unexpected of ways.
My father was innocent.
Prince Maelor was the enemy here.
Father wasn’t the villain we’d all thought him to be. He’d fought valiantly, tried to protect Lysander, and took the ring to protect it.
The relief of knowing that was indescribable.
But the sting of seeing what took place left a fresh wound in my heart.
For Wolfe
Beside me, he hadn't moved.
His gaze remained fixed on the empty space where his father had taken his final breath.
Mine had been cleared of a crime he didn’t commit, but Wolfe’s father was still dead.
“I suspected there was more to the story,” Viktor said with quiet reflection. “But I did not expect… that.”
We turned toward him.
“I have to fix this,” Wolfe finally spoke. “I will not allow the Deathless to break free of their prison. And I certainly won’t allow Maelor to get away with what he did.”
Neither would I.
“Do what you must, young Nightblade.” Viktor brought his hands together and steepled his fingers.
“You can get your ring now. I fully support stopping them before they break free. I would march with you. But understand this: I am Lord of House Thagar, not king of every vampire. I cannot commit the great houses to a war that has not yet begun.”
His gaze hardened.
"Many will see this as a Nightblade failure. Your uncle was undoubtedly at fault. Our kingdoms will argue Galaythia unleashed the Deathless upon the realm. Until the threat stands before them, they will not abandon their own territories to fight another kingdom's battle."
“I know,” Wolfe answered, his tone somber. “I would not ask for such a thing. I am tasked with righting the wrongs my uncle committed.”
Viktor cocked his head. “Know this: if your plan fails and the Deathless break free, Dravkava will be the first to answer.”
Wolfe’s expression brightened. “I appreciate that, my Lord.”
Viktor tipped his head. “I must go now.”
“You have my deepest gratitude.” Wolfe extended his hand to Viktor. He shook it.
“My pleasure. Your friends and dragons have been transported back to Vyrenth Hollow.”
That was good to hear.
“Thank you, Viktor,” I said with a grateful smile.
“Please…” His gaze softened. “Tell my daughter I love her. Dearly.”
I nodded. “I will.”
He held up Magdalena’s Blood Sigil and drew in a breath. “I think I’ll give this back to her myself. Soon. Very soon.”
That brought a brighter smile to my face. “I know she’d truly love that.”
He tipped his head again and backed away. “We’ll be in touch.”
With that, he faded away, disappearing into the air.
Wolfe pressed his hand to the small of my back just as Laureth’s ragged breathing grew louder.
I turned and took in the pained look in my mate’s eyes.
A few seconds passed. Softly, he took my cheeks into his large hands and stroked the skin there.
“Your father didn’t kill mine.” His breathing staggered. “I was wrong.”
“We were all wrong.”
Gently, he gave a slow shake of his head. “No. Not we. Mostly me. I assumed he did it because he had the ring. I assumed killing my father was the only way he could have gotten it. But my father gave it to him. It never once occurred to me that he could have simply given it to him.”
I appreciated his thoughts and that he was shouldering the blame, but we had to put things in perspective. “There was no reason for you to think that.”
His lips parted in protest, but he paused. There was nothing to say. I was right.
“I am so sorry.” His heartfelt apology gripped me.
“It’s okay.”
“We have to go rescue him, Elariya.”
A wave of relief swept through me. My lungs squeezed. That was the first time he’d ever worded it like that. Understandably so. The shift in perspective gave my father the respect he'd always deserved. He had acted out of nothing more than loyalty and the goodness of his heart.
“Yes. We have to rescue him.” I looked back at Laureth, who was already gazing between us. “Now we can. Let’s go now, Wolfe. Let’s go now and get my father. And the ring.”
He smiled. “You sure you don’t need some practice with your dragon?”
I shook my head and smiled at Laureth. “I don’t think we need practice at all.”
His thoughts and essence were already flowing through me, almost as if they were my own.
“Okay. Then let’s go. I have to get Pyrion first, though.”
“Leave that to me.” Joy rose in my chest as I embraced my enhanced powers and an idea formed.
Wolfe watched me, pride swelling in his eyes.
I waved my hand through the air, and it rippled. The elements of magic answered my call, bending to my will.
It was unreal. The power inside me was... I didn't have the words. All I knew was I felt the difference. It was like moving from shallow waters into the deep, knowing there was such abundance beneath the surface it could take an eternity to explore it all.
The elements moved through the air, and we moved with it. Moments later, we stood in the courtyard at Vyrenth Hollow.
And everyone else was there.
When they beheld me with my dragon, shock filled their faces.
Arielle was the first to rush up to me.
“Gods,” she gasped, pulling me in for a hug. “Blessed Mother. You did it.”
We pulled apart, and I looked at each of them. “We all did it.”
Every single person here had played a part in the journey to this moment. We just had to complete the journey.
Laureth lowered himself onto his haunches, waiting for me.
I took a brief moment to appreciate he was mine.
I'd dreamed of this moment for so long, it was hard to believe it was actually happening.
I climbed onto him with confidence.
Though I needed no saddle, Wolfe had insisted because we were venturing into the unknown. I strapped myself in, and the bond between us deepened.
When I flew Hedion, we spoke to each other through our minds. That had always felt like a bond.
But this…
We were linked as one mind, body, and soul.
Laureth’s thoughts were inseparable from mine. And I could see through his eyes.
"How do you feel?" Wolfe asked. He came up to us and rested a hand against Laureth's neck.
I smiled down at him. “Better than I ever have.”
He searched my face and nodded. “Alright. Looks like we’re ready to go. But at the first sign of trouble—”
“I know, I know.” I giggled. “Call for you.”
Again, he nodded. “Yes. Call for me.”
He gave me a playful wink, tapped Laureth again, and crossed over to Pyrion, who waited patiently beside Alaric, who was already astride Shadowfane.
The three of us were going. It was safer. If anything went wrong, or we were attacked, we'd need every advantage we could get.
We were the best dragon riders here. That I could even call myself a dragon rider was unreal. But here I was. Sure, I didn’t have the centuries of experience like Wolfe and Alaric, but I could hold my own claim to greatness.
Wolfe swung onto Pyrion's back and signaled to me.
I was taking the lead like a true lady of the dragons. It was a wonderful thought. And on another note, I was fulfilling the task the ring gave me when it made me Wolfe’s living tracker.
“On your word, my Lady,” Laureth said, voice rich and smooth.
I glanced across to the terrace where Arielle waited with the others. She waved to me and placed a hand over her heart, tapping it twice—a mage’s farewell and wish for good luck.
I did the same then returned my focus back to Laureth. "Let’s go."
The bond flared. Then, with one mighty beat of his wings, he launched us into the sky.
Wolfe and Alaric followed.
Pyrion was still the biggest of the three dragons by far, so Wolfe kept a good distance. Alaric flew closer.
“We are changing course now, my Lady. Hold on tight,” Laureth spoke to my mind this time.
I did as instructed.
Changing course meant passing through all the planes of existence we’d seen when we cast the spell to find the ring. Except Laureth was going to portal through them and take us with him.
No spell was needed.
He knew the way. All I’d had to do was tell him the ring was in Ozaileith, a temporal realm of possibility, and he gave me a simple yes. No more instructions required.
It felt too easy given all the impossible missions we’d been through.
The air rippled before us, swirling, then a vortex opened like a gaping maw. Laureth’s scales turned a brilliant white. I marveled at the beauty. I hadn’t realized he could change color.
We flew straight through the vortex and into the Void.
Muted shades of silver and gray stretched in every direction as Laureth flew onward without hesitation.
The currents bent around him, opening pathways invisible to everyone else.
Fragments of distant worlds shimmered beyond for the briefest of moments before fading again, little more than echoes drifting between planes.
Barriers parted before us as we passed through.
I thought of how intelligent the ring had been to hide in such a way. Concealing itself on not just a temporal plane of existence that shifted was ingenious. But going one step further to a realm of possibility was beyond unique.
It made sure that the only person who could find it—no matter how long it took—was me. Little old me. The half-human, half-mage girl from Stormfell who used to struggle to cast one spell. Look at me now.
Soon, we slowed and passed through a barrier of twinkling starlight. It fractured as we flew through it.
Then the air steadied and the all the noise of magic settled like a stone sinking to the bottom of a river.
The light peeled away, revealing a world unlike any I'd ever seen.
Laureth descended through a sky washed in metallic shades of rose and amber, caught between sunrise and dusk.
Below us stretched a vast crimson sea, its waters shimmering like rubies.
It was an eerie sight. Like looking at blood in water, but there was a gentleness to it, a calm that said there was no ill will here.
Gentle waves rolled lazily onto a shoreline of pale sand. Trees swayed in the wind and beyond was the distant cry of birds.
Laureth circled lower. A tug pulsed through my chest. I remembered the feeling.
It was the ring.
I could feel it. Calling to me.
When we drew closer, I spotted a weathered-looking wooden hut standing alone upon the beach. It looked as though it had endured centuries of storms yet somehow remained standing. The pulse grew stronger and suddenly, a shower of Nyzith strands covered us, pulling us closer to the hut.
"There!" I shouted, glancing across at Wolfe.
He waved and nodded back.
The three of us flew closer.
Just then, the door on the hut opened and a man stepped into the strange rosy light.
His clothes—the uniform worn by an Ambassador of Realms—hung in faded tatters. His beard had grown long and silver, reaching almost to the center of his chest. It covered a face I had spent years trying to remember.
My breath caught. "Father..."
He couldn't possibly have heard me from that distance, but he looked at me, and I could tell he knew it was me.
The moment he walked out onto the sand, the Nyzith strands flew toward him. He could see them. Every single strand.
Laureth flew faster, but for me, he couldn’t get there fast enough. All the years spent trying to find my father came tumbling down on me.
By the time we landed, I was entirely overwhelmed.
I jumped off Laureth, not caring about anything besides reaching the man rushing toward me with open arms.
I leapt into my father’s arms and wept.
“Elariya,” he said, holding me tightly. Gods. I never thought I’d ever hear that voice again. “You found me.”