He gave a quiet chuckle. “I tried.”
“There are only seven of us,” I said. “It’ll be dangerous and chaotic, and I really don’t know what to expect. So I just want you to be sure?—”
“We’re friends, are we not?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’m sure.” He nodded toward the castle. “Let’s go.”
The awkward conversation seemed to be over, so we headed to where Callum and my father stood. Aunt Eldinar and Uncle Ezra appeared a moment later with my brother Hawk, completing the team of seven.
“We’re ready to go,” I said as I joined the group, feeling my emotions rumble just because Callum was standing there. “We’ll need a couple of dragons to take us there.”
“I know,” my father said. “Just having an issue with that.”
“Why?” I asked. “What’s the issue?”
“I am,” Callum said simply, looking at me with empty eyes.
“They all refuse to let Callum upon their backs,” my father said quietly. “Khazmuda says no dragon killer will ever touch his scales.”
“This is ridiculous.” I turned toward the open courtyard as if I expected Khazmuda to be there. I felt his mind, the barrier shielding his mind from my entry like stone, but in my violent rage, I broke through it with steel knuckles and shattered it like glass.We’re trying to save the world and everyone in it, and you’re being stubborn? I’ve witnessed the stubbornness of a dragon firsthand all my life, but this is a new feat. Your feelings are more important than being alive? We do not have time for this, Khazmuda.If I could breathe fire, the castle would be smoldering right now.
I felt his rage push back against me, but no words were communicated. Just pure, unadulterated fire.How dare you speak to me this way.
How dare you put us all in jeopardy with your bullshit.
My father seemed to know what was being relayed between us because he approached me and gently grabbed me by the arm. “Zunieth?—”
I twisted out of his grasp.
A moment later, Khazmuda appeared, his shiny black scales visible in the sunlight, rising up over the edge of the courtyard, a massive creature, and he hovered in the air momentarily as he looked down at me like he might rain down fire.
I took another step forward.
He suddenly dropped down and landed with a thud that made the stone tremble beneath our feet. Then he opened his massive jaws and roared directly at me, making my hair fly back from my face in the heat of his warm breath. “Rooooaaaaaarrrr!” He closed his jaws, and then his nostrils released little clouds of smoke.
I stepped forward then slammed both of my fists into my chest until I released my own roar, a low-pitched scream as I moved toward him, making his eyes shift back and forth in uncertainty at my ferocity. “Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Khazmuda stepped back and blinked.
“You aren’t the only dragon here, Khazmuda. I have the blood of dragons in my veins and hard scales within my fingernails and a monstrous temper that can spark a fire. I’m devastated by all the dragons that we lost. I had to stand here and survey the battle, watching them drop out of the sky like birds wounded by arrows. You are not the only one who grieves. We’ve all lost those we love, Khazmuda. And I’m sorry for Callum’s involvement in that, but his heart is pure and not filled with malice, and he did not cause this on purpose. He can see the past but not the future, and there’s no way he could have known the destruction a single deal would cause. You don’t have to forgive him or like him, that’s your prerogative, but he’s the man I’ve chosen for the rest of my life. He will be my husband and the father of my hatchlings, and if you decide you don’t want to be a part of our lives, that’s your choice. But right now, we need to work together to defeat these assholes once and for all. The hours grow short, and I don’t have time for your irrational, childlike stubbornness. We all need to get to the island, and you betyour fucking ass you’re taking all of us—including Callum.So let’s fucking go.” I slammed my gloved hand into my chest as I lunged at him slightly.
Khazmuda released two more plumes of smoke from his flared nostrils as he stared me down.You remind me of your father, making demands like he expects the world to bow to him?—
“Do you want Zehemoth and Movack to live?”
His black eyes narrowed further.
“Because I’m trying to save their lives, and you care more about making your demands. That can wait until this battle is over. This is the last time that you might see any of us, yet you’re choosing to focus on a past event that no one can change.”
“I’m sorry.”
I stopped when I heard Callum’s voice from behind me.
Khazmuda’s eyes shifted to the left of me.
“I’m sorry for my part in all of this,” Callum said from outside my line of sight. “I’ve made deals with lots of evil men that led to insubstantial consequences. I didn’t expect to love a woman through this journey…and her family…and her dragons. And I’m truly sorry for the pain and sorrow I’ve caused all of you. When Lily took my place in the underworld and I woke up on the sand, I saw her dragon crying over her body. And that was the moment I realized just how truly special and magical you are as creatures. That the love in your hearts matches your size. I know an apology doesn’t make it right, but I issue it anyway.”
