Raven lifted his eyebrows and laughed. “He's not shy about demanding payment.”
“He said it would be a lot of work, and the price was fair. He's hoping that you get the Okons to pay him.”
Raven considered this, his gaze sliding to the moths and then back to me. “Very well. He will have his payment, whether it is from them or me. I know you need this to be over, and healing those men is part of it.”
“Thank you, Raven.” I hugged him.
“It's a small price to pay to see you past this.” He hugged me back, but then stepped away. “Would you like to help me release the moths?”
I smiled.
Chapter Thirty-Four
It was dark by the time we collected all the moths in specimen jars and took them outside. By then, the captives had been fed, Sevarin had been contracted by the King, and the fortress had been thoroughly explored by the Dragons. Raven was keeping it as an outpost for his army.
The transport of captives back to their homes had begun, and as Raven led me out of the fortress, onto a lookout cut from the side of the volcano, I heard the thunder of dragon wings. Looking up, I saw the dark outline of dragons against the moon, makeshift carriers held in their talons, full of people. It was the quickest and easiest way to get them all home.
A shelf of black rock was all there was to stand on, no railing. But this was a fortress made for winged people, and we didn't need railings. I pulled the jars of moths out of the satchel I carried, and Raven did the same with his load. The larvae would be taken into the jungle later, but the adults didn't have to wait. I took the first jar, gripped its lid, and looked at Raven.
The Dragon King nodded, and we opened our jars simultaneously. Into the warm night, a spiral of moths rose. Shivers raced over my skin as their pale wings caught the moonlight and they danced above us, as if celebrating theirfreedom. Maybe they were. Who was I to say that a being so small couldn't know joy? I hoped they did. But even if they didn't, they filled me with joy. So much happiness that it spilled out of my eyes as tears as I watched the little winged things dance away together.
“Beautiful,” Raven whispered. “You were right, my foundling. They didn't deserve to die.”
I smiled through my tears and set the empty jar down to pick up another. “They have their place in your kingdom, Your Majesty.”
Raven grinned and picked up another jar. “Let's send them home, Mate.”
We opened jar after jar until all the moths were freed, and then we stood there on the ledge, against the side of an active volcano, watching the little fluttering bits of joy rise and fall, twirling together before flying off to live their lives free. Raven put his arm around me, and I leaned into his side.
“Is there anywhere on the face of Serai more beautiful than this?” I whispered. “The shining field of black below, the sparkling sky above, and between them, the dance of freedom.”
“They were part of the magic that bound you,” Raven's gaze went from the brilliant spots of white to me. “And you let them go. It's you who makes this place beautiful, Eliel. Not with your face, but your heart. You are more generous, honorable, and brave than I thought possible.”
“Only because you set me free. Like those moths, you took me higher than I knew I could go and set me loose. You showed me how to soar. I fly free under the moon because of you.”
“Eliel.” Raven turned to me.
I turned as well and lifted my face to meet him halfway.
Our kiss wasn't one of victory or even relief. It wasn't even a kiss of freedom. It was all those things, bound together with our love. It was a pinnacle finally reached. The apex of a climb that, now accomplished, gave a view of forever. Before us lay an eternity of love that no one could take or even touch. We were as free as those moths, drawn to each other's flames.
Even after we eased away from each other's lips, I didn't want to leave the lookout. So, I tucked in against Raven's side and held onto him as I stared out at the Burning Lands.
“It's time for you to add more knots to your story.” The King nuzzled the top of my head.
I looked up at him. “You mean saving these people?”
“No. And yes. You should make a knot of this, but first, you must make the knots that lead up to this. A story-knot must go in order.”
I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out my knot. “You promised to trade me stories.”
Chuckling, Raven let go of me to sit down on the shelf with his legs hanging over the edge. He drew his story-knot out of his cloak and held out his arm. “It's going to be a long night, my foundling.”
I sat beside him, nestled in against his side with my wings around us. “My next knot should be about the first time I sang for my tribe.”
Raven took my story-knot and started to weave a new story beneath the last knot. By the time morning came, we knew each other's stories as well as we knew each other's hearts. Looking from the Dragon King's dexterous fingers to the dark land striped with glowing magma, I felt the rightness in the moment. There was no better place for us to knot our lives together. There, in the fiery heart of his kingdom, we would strengthen our magical bond with words, trust, and love.
Chapter Thirty-Five
