Brin clears his throat.
Larellin smiles against my lips then laughs.
I turn and glare at the wolven.
“Ireallywant to see the library.” He shrugs.
I drop one more kiss on Larellin’s lips, then turn back to the Palace of the Sky. My birthright. My home. And the future of all DragonKin.
With my brothers at my back and Larellin at my side, there’s nothing I can’t do. No memory or guilt that can hold me down. There is only forward, only upward, only potential. I tell myself that with every step I take toward the ruins of my old life, and Larellin gives me the strength to believe it.
A pall fallsover me as we traverse the palace grounds. Ghosts seem to flit all around, memories of my childhood here. Friends, relatives, DragonKin from every clan—they filled these halls with noise. Life. Now, the space is quiet. Tomblike. A shadow of the bustling, thriving kingdom it once was.
Dry leaves blow along the parapet that connects the central spire to the west palace, and vines creep along the stone. It’s almost eerie while also being painfully familiar. I used to run through this walkway, the dragon toys my father carved me in my hands. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to finally shift into my true dragon form. And when I finally did, when my emergence day came, I flew to the top of the golden spires and roared as loud as I could. A juvenile squeak at the time, though my mother pretended I was the fiercest golden dragon she’d ever seen.
“Hey.” Larellin squeezes my hand. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” I clear my throat. “It’s just … memories.”
No doors are locked, nothing barred. Everything inside the palace is covered with dust, the furniture dilapidated, the tapestries in tatters. But there are piles of armor here and there. Bracers and weapons. Gardbraces and helmets.
Brin drops to his haunches and rolls a helmet to face him. “Black Wings markings.”
“Each one of these is a fallen DragonKin?” Fyan asks as we climb the sweeping stairs to the royal quarters.
“Yes.” I halt when we get to the balcony, my legs almost giving way when I see the too-familiar golden helm.
“Brother?” Rivon asks. “What’s wrong?”
I can’t speak, the words too heavy to utter.
“It’s your brother Harestes’ helmet,” Larellin says softly as she rests her head on my arm. “This is where he fell.”
She’s already adept at reading me, our bond strong enough for her to eavesdrop on my thoughts, on my feelings.
“Thank you, my treasure.” I wrap my arm around her waist, holding her tightly to me as my brothers gather around.
We stand in silence for long, long moments. Nothing is left of Harestes beyond the golden helm. He has long been with my parents in the eternal. Even so, I grieve for him anew. I was never able to give him his proper rites, never able to say goodbye.
Faraday grips my shoulder. Then Fyan grips his, and Rivon grips Fyan’s. Strength flows through us, the power of our line, the power of our dragons. We lost everything here in this palace, but this palace is also the place where we can start again. We can rebuild the DragonLands. We can make our brother proud.
My gaze lifts to the entryway, to what lies beyond.
“You can do this.” Larellin looks up at me, trust and love in her eyes. “I know it hurts.” She looks at my brothers. “I know it hurtsall of you to be here again, to see what became of your old home. You must remember this isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.”
Gods, what did I do to deserve such a mate? I kiss her hair.
“Come, it’s not much farther.” One of the golden doors hangs off its hinges, the other dented from Sela’s assault. I push through them, sun streaming in the wide windows along the sides of the chamber.
I force myself to keep walking, to keep trudging the familiar path to my parents’ chambers. A wind whistles along the eaves. Otherwise, the air is still.
When I reach the antechamber, my steps falter. And when I see my mother’s diadem lying on the white stone floor, I drop to my knees.
“Vander!” Larellin kneels beside me.
I reach for the diadem, the large green jewel in the center still bright despite its age.
“Was it hers?” Rivon asks as he and the others kneel.
