Zara
We find a quiet alcove near the edge of the Citadel—a small platform that juts out over the subterranean lake, hidden from the main plaza by carefully placed rock formations.
The water below glows with bioluminescence.
Above, the opening to the surface shows stars beginning to emerge as day fades to evening.
Torin sits at the platform’s edge, legs dangling over the water. I settle beside him, leaning against his shoulder. Through the bond, I feel his exhaustion. Feel his relief that the ceremony is over. Feel his pride in what we’ve accomplished.
“Six months,” I murmur. “Feels like six years.”
“Or six days.” His arm wraps around my waist. “Time’s weird now. Everything that happened feels both immediate and ancient.”
He’s right. The Oubliette feels like it happened yesterday and a lifetime ago simultaneously. The merger is fresh in my memory but distant enough that I can almost convince myself it was a dream. Almost.
“Do you regret it?” I ask quietly. “Bonding with me? Becoming this?” I gesture at his scales, still marked with golden lightning veins. At my wings, still storm-gray with iridescent blue.