Gael moved then, and, at first, Faron thought that he was going to approach her. Her mind flashed back to the feeling of his fingers on her face before she pushed the memory away. But he was only stepping closer to the wall that surrounded the dragon egg before them, staring up at it the way so many Deadegg children had done in the past.
“They say I went mad a long time ago,” he said. “But what does that word even mean? I made certain choices that led to mydownfall, yes, but that could be said of any leader throughout history. As punishment, I was imprisoned in a place they call the Empty. There, I slept, unable to age, unable to think, unable to leave. Until, against all odds, I was awoken.” Gael looked at her over his shoulder, his eyes as deep as an endless field. “Do I seem mad toyou, Empyrean?”
The gods had never told her about the Empty. Reeve’s books had never mentioned it.One version of the legend claims that the Gray Saint and the First Dragon went into stasis somewhere and will return one day once certain conditions are met.Well, at least she could confirm for Reeve that the legend was true, if not the conditions.
“Who woke you?” she asked.
“Gavriel Warwick.”
“How?”
“I’m uncertain. But I was weak then. Weaker than I am now.” His hands flexed. “I am still weak.”
“But you’ve gotten stronger,” said Faron, gesturing around them. “You can come even if I haven’t called. You can speak to me even in my dreams. You grow more solid every time I see you. What happens when you regain full strength? What has the commander asked you to do?”
Gael turned to face her fully now, and there was a guilelessness to him that she had never seen before. “The First Dragon was a threat to this world. It was he, not I, who brought dragons into it, and he thought that giving humans such a gift meant that he should rule them. In the divine plane, dragons are considered animals by the gods. In the mortal plane, he wanted them to be worshipped like the gods. But while other dragons genuinely came to care for their Riders, the First Dragon only cared about destruction. So hewas locked away, and, because we were bonded, I was locked away with him. His story became my own.”
“And you think I can help you rewrite that story?” Faron considered this. “You’re great with words, but you keep missing something important.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re lying to the best,” she whispered, as if they were sharing secrets in the dark. “I know the rhythm of deceit. I always recognize a tell. I can craft a lie so subtle and sweet that it will dissolve in your mind and make you question what you thought you always knew to be true.” She smirked. “You want to turn me against the gods. You want me to believe you’re this misunderstood innocent. But I am the queen of dishonesty, and you arefull of shit.”
When he approached her this time, she met his gaze straight on. Her eyebrows rose, daring him, taunting him,invitinghim. His face was a stone mask, but his eyes blazed with emotion. Anger. She was getting to him.
“I amtelling you the truth, Empyrean. I’m the only one who ever has.”
“You want me to believe you?” She lifted her chin. “Tell me what the commander wants from you. No more secrets. No more lies.”
“You’re the most arrogant, frustrating, stubborn woman I’ve ever met.” Gael sighed. “The commander wants to raise the First Dragon. In exchange, he wants the power to conquer the rest of the world under Langley’s banner. But instead of unleashing the First Dragon, he woke me.” Gael didn’t seem to notice the lack of space between them, and it made what he was saying feel intimate somehow. “Faron, that dragon… is a dangerous creature. This is the first time in centuries my mind has been my own, and thehonest truth is that locking him away was the best thing for this world. The commander cannot be allowed to succeed in his plan. No one can control that beast. I tried and, well. You’ve heard what happened.”
“How can we stop the commander if he’s already freed you?” Faron reached out then pressed a hand against his pale skin. Even here, he felt solid. Real. “And why do you even want to stop him from freeing the First Dragon? We’ve read about you. Together, the two of you were an unstoppable power. In my experience, men who have tasted power are loath to give it up.”
“Hetasted power. The Gray Saint. But it wasn’t his power. He was nothing more than a symbol, chained to the will of a creature that was always hungry for more. The Gray Saint is the story they tell about me, the villain that the First Dragon made me, the worst parts of myself. But I told you my name, myrealname, when you summoned me. Because all I want is to be that man again. I was a good man, once. A hero.”
Faron hesitated, searching his face for signs of deceit. Instead, Gael looked pained. Perhaps even a little desperate for a way out of this. She recognized that kind of desperation. It was the same emotion she’d been feeling since Elara had bonded with a dragon.
“I am awake in the Empty. But he is not. Not yet. If you can master the art of commanding living souls before Warwick succeeds in unleashing him, you can bring the First Dragon to heel. You canfree mefrom him. Please.” Gael placed his hand over hers, his fingers gentle around her own. “I never wanted to be the villain of this story. I only ever wanted to protect my people.”
And she believed him. Damn it, she believed him.
Or, at least, she wanted to. After all, she knew better than mostwhat it was like to have other people write your story for you. To have people who had never spoken to you decide that they knew everything about you. To have your entire life forever changed by one simple act—and to be trapped in the consequences of it.
Maybe he was lying to her, buteveryonelied. People and gods alike. He was still one of the few willing to help her and Elara, and for that alone she would trust him.
“All right,” she said. “All right. If this will save Elara… if this will stop the commander, then all right. But if you’re lying—”
“Trust is a fragile gift, Faron. It’s only right that you refuse to give it away. But I’ll prove myself to you, I swear it.” Gael’s eyes darted upward before returning to her face. “I think you’re going to wake up now.”
Faron jolted upward in bed, trying to wrap her mind around the sudden change in scenery. A tray was on her side table; the scent of roasted breadfruit and scrambled eggs wafted from beneath its cover. The temple, she reminded herself as she bit into a slice of breadfruit. She would go back to the temple today. She had to talk to the gods. She had to ask them about the Gray Saint and the Empty. She had to confirm Gael’s story before she shared it with Reeve and Elara.
Eradicating the dragons will destroy the threat of the Fury, but it will also destroy their Riders along with them.
Including your sister.
Faron swallowed hard, the food turning to paste on her tongue. Maybe she would bring Reeve with her to Seaview Temple. She didn’t think she could make it through this line of questioning without some support, and, unfortunately, he was the only one available.
Reeve stopped at the opening of the wall that surrounded the grassy yard of the temple, a tight expression on his face. “I’ll wait here.”
