He growled again, fins trembling at the sides of his head, but I ignored him.“Oh, come on! My brother is going!”
Ugh. Okay, he had a point.
“Fine, but don’t go trying anything crazy like fighting Azazel,” I warned out loud, sending a pointed glance at him. “Your mission is to protect the men and women who joined our army today, so you’ll be flying with Daghae, Ardor, Draco, Nuri, and Torrent. Understood?”
He swiftly nodded, his chest puffing with pride that he was part of my Legion force. He seemed excited too, like a kid going to the candy store.
Shaking my head, I turned to find Kingston and Imogen nearby, so I walked towards them, pulling them aside. My attention travelled to Evanna, seeing she was already above Star, ready for us to take off. When my gaze returned to my mentor and the chief, they removed their masks, deep concern capturing their features.
“What is it?” Kingston asked, and I hardened myself for what I had to say.
“I’m not going to make it out of this fight,” I declared, ripping out the bandage.
Horror broke through the chief’s eyes while Imogen’s face hardened with the reminder—I had already trusted her with that truth. My hand lifted to stop him from freaking out.
“It’s okay. I’ve made my peace with it since the Truth Teller revealed my fate, but I need a favor from you, so you need to know.”
A million emotions churned on Kingston’s face, finally settling on acceptance. “Does Evanna know?”
I shook my head. “I only told Imogen, and now you. Evie suspects something might happen, but I didn’t want to burden her with this. The battle weighs heavily enough on us as it is.”
“What did the Truth Teller say to you?” Kingston couldn’t help but ask.
“That a river of my blood would be what finally saves Caelisium.”
The words darkened their demeanor, with them unable to find a different meaning no matter how hard they tried. “Whatever you need from us, it is done,” Kingston somberly promised.
“I placed a protection shield on Evie last night, while she slept, but if anything happens to me—whenit happens to me—I need you to get her out of there and ensure that she survives. Shehasto survive this,” I emphasized, forcing the pain that statement caused deep down into the recesses of my being. “I know she released you for being her guardian, Kingston, but I beg you—”
“It is done,” he vowed, and pulled me into his arms for a fierce hug.
“I will protect her with my life,” Imogen vowed as well before hugging me. “It has been an honor, my king.”
“Thank you,” I answered, clearing my throat. “It has been an honor for me too.”
With a final nod, we all mounted our Dragons and got out of the Hidden Kingdom with the army, heading straight to the Crimson Fortress.
* * *
When I was a boy, I used to dream I could fly…
Yeah, I knew how weird that sounded, but it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill fantasy, where I saw myself soaring through the sky like Superman or somehow magically “floating” in the clouds.
It was real, more real than anything I had ever experienced.
I could actually feel the breeze on my skin, swirling around my body as I glided through the air above a multihued paradise, Caelisium, my true home. The smell of wet grass along vast green mountains became alive with the remnants of the midnight rain, and the grand lake reflected the blue sky like a sparkling mirror… just as it did today.
Every detail was vibrant and fresh. Warm sun rays bathed me, reminding me of the weekends spent with my parents at the beach before Dad died. I could even see the mist of clouds swaying with the flap of my vast wings while a hoard of Dragons flanked me—my brothers and sisters.
It always felt like I was a Dragon… because, in that moment, I was.
Now I knew everything I saw back then was real. I was connected to each and every one of them, seeing Caelisium through my Dragon Eye.
If only I had known then, what I knew now…
Getting here, returning home had been a difficult journey, but I wouldn’t change a single moment that brought me here. Not a single moment after that either, because it all made me the man that I needed to be to accomplish this. And I was finally ready.
“Brax! Can you see it?”
