Something should have remained of them. It wasn’t fair that the two existed now only in their memories. It certainly wasn’t fair that the dhemon that had dismounted and knelt in the center of the burnt circle was the one who took them from this life.
See you in the next life.
Fuck.
Madan looked to Whelan, who slid from Oria’s back and closed the distance to him and Brutis. Their dragons brought their heads together, a silent conversation no doubt occurring between the two of them in mourning for their lost friend. Likewise, Madan tucked himself into his beloved’s arms and let the tears fall, the pain of it all hitting him as hard as it had the night it happened.
“I fucking miss him,” Whelan said, his chin brushing the top of Madan’s head. He sucked in a deep breath, body shuddering.
All Madan could muster was a nod in agreement.
They turned together to watch Ehrun, who Madan would never forgive, yet could not help but feel sorry for. He couldn’teven begin to comprehend the level of pain, sorrow, and regret the dhemon held for all of his transgressions over the years in which he lost himself to his broken bond. All the memories that had been lost to him, allowing him to continue on his reign of terror, returned the moment that ink settled into his skin and connected him to the Underworld. Every horrible crime he’d committed had likely slammed into focus, breaking him all over again for entirely new reasons.
Whatever Ehrun said—for his lips moved to form quiet words—was lost on the wind. The meaning remained, however. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he brought his forehead to the burnt stone, each drop wetting the scorch marks. His fingers gripped the rocks as though holding onto the only solid reminder of his mistakes could ground him.
After a while, Ehrun sat back and pushed to stand again when a stone shifted under the dhemon’s touch. A fine, gray powder trickled out from a gap now uncovered.
Ashes.
Madan’s heart leapt into his throat. He gripped Whelan’s hand hard, holding back the sudden flood of emotions. On one hand, they should leave those ashes alone—let their friends be at peace at last. On the other…
Ehrun scooped the ashes into his hand, letting out a loud sob. From his pocket, he pulled out a small satchel and emptied the contents on the rocks: a necklace and a gemstone. He opened the bag and let the ashes pour from his fist into its depths before gently plucking the necklace and gem from the ground and plopping them back on top.
“What was that?” Madan asked as Ehrun made his way back to them, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand.
At first, the dhemon didn’t reply, and when he did, his voice was hoarse. “The necklace was Rhana’s. The gem was Thavii’s. Now I have something of Kall's to carry with me.” A beat ofsilence, then Ehrun added, “I failed all of them in different ways. I won’t fail any of them again.”
Madan nodded his understanding. “We should get going.”
“Thank you.” Ehrun slid his silver-rimmed eyes to him. “Thank you for being the brother I couldn’t be.”
With that, they took off again. Not long after, as they drifted farther north, Ehrun’s vinculum snapped into place. It was almost as though Kall had heard his brother’s words—heard his prayers or apologies—and guided them to what they needed. Following Ehrun’s directions, they found Sehrox not far from the dhemon keep ruins where the fateful incident had occurred.
They landed near the bronze dragon, who glared at them and let out a rumble of discontent at the sight of the collar around Ehrun’s neck. He bared his long teeth at them as he asked, “What have you done to him?”
But Ehrun stood between his bondheart and them, holding up his hands. For the first time ever, Madan felt the true Ehrun in a way he never had before. Since the dhemon and dragon bonded after Rhana’s death, their connection through their respective vinculums felt like nothing other than rage and pain. Now he felt who Ehrun was at his core, and the similarities between him and Kall only grew. Even his mental voice had the same cadence. “They saved me,Rox.And now we’re going to help them win this damn war.”
At first, the dragon growled, shifting his weight with a limp as he faced them fully. But there was an understanding in his eyes that Madan had never seen before. Perhaps having the connection to Keon aided in Sehrox’s temperament, too. After all, they were no longer a mirror of madness for one another. Sehrox had never known a time when Ehrun’s bondwasn’tbroken.
“They tried to kill you,” the dragon insisted.
Brutis huffed in return. “No.We tried to killyou.”
Sehrox lifted his head high, imposing his great height to glare down at Brutis. “And by extension—”
“They had every right.” Ehrun stepped closer. “And still do.We have done enough damage together.Let us fix it.”
Something akin to confusion had Sehrox closing his eyes and shaking his head. The same memories and feelings that plagued Ehrun in his early days since the ritual now clawed their way through the dhemon’s bondheart.
“We still fight,” Ehrun said. “But now we fightwiththem.” He paused and touched the pouch hidden in his pocket. “We fight forthem.”
Who that secondthemwas, Madan was not certain, nor did he press the issue. All that mattered was that they gained this ally just as they had all the others and used them to bring down the tyrant in Valenul.
Ehrun laid a hand on the dragon’s leg. “Help me fix what we broke.”
Another beat of silence from them in which Oria lowered her great head beside Whelan and said just to them, “And if he doesn’t agree?” She sent a visual of her and Brutis tearing into the bronze dragon.
Madan shook his head. “That will kill Ehrun.We still need him to keep his people on our side.”
