Finally reaching his neck, my hand glowed bright gold—matching the intensity in my eyes. He seemed to sense my magic because he suddenly stilled; I rose to my knees, pressing my hand against his scales—
Psych.
Knight bucked again, successfully lunging me off him.
Asshole.
Screams burst in the air when I crashed against a tall dune, the buttery sand softening my landing. My body bounced once, and then I rolled down the burning sands, too fast to truly feel their effects on my bare skin but long enough to still register the true danger. These dunes were more perilous than they seemed. They felt like hills of raging fire.
Tharion’s roar echoed through the Desertlands when I finally reached the bottom. Quickly, I pushed to my feet, but not before noticing the red burns along my hands and arms. Grunting, I dusted the granules off me, ignoring the pain long enough for the healing to kick in, and glanced up to find Knight surrounded.
Rows of sharp fangs gleamed all around him as Spartan, Alkor, Star, Fulgur, Spike, and Athina hissed and snarled at him. Knight turned within the circle, seemingly assessing his chances to escape… That was, until he faced Tharion. He reared back, recognition setting in, but instead of calming him, the sight of my Dragon father sent him into a rattled retreat.
Before I knew what was happening, he had somehow tackled Athina, Fulgur, and Spike out of the way, lunging straight for me—head lowered like a bull to ram me out of his path.
Seriously?
“Knight, stop fighting me!” I shouted, hand lifting, before he collided with me. A beam of magic exploded from my palm, sweeping over his entire form, and stopping him in his tracks.
Seemingly dazed by it, the onyx Dragon wavered on his feet, and when he blinked, my golden light captured his irises. The instant our connection took hold, his spine shot ramrod straight, and images flashed in front of my eyes.
A kingdom rose over the burnt orange dunes with Knight flying along the structure that I assumed was a castle, but its architecture was like nothing I had ever seen. It seemed made of sand and gold dust, even though it should be impossible. The multileveled castle stood tall under the gleaming sun, and multicolored fabrics flew from the balconies all around it—like African sarongs in bright reds, oranges, browns, and yellows. Ethnic symbols adorned the fabrics, a royal crest, and I knew then the Desertlands had been a rich, sovereign nation before Raithian’s cruelty and avarice destroyed it.
Knight flew across the bright sky once more before he shot into the buttery dunes, and I instantly understood these were his lands. He wasn’t hiding after we lost the battle and Dad took us away. He returned home, even if his home was no longer standing and waiting for him.
That also explained why he had the ability to somehow “fly” under the sand.
Other images replaced his origins until the memories settled on my mother.
She sat next to a grand waterfall sanctuary in the Greenlands, a hand lazily rubbing her swollen belly while her feet danced in the water. Dad sat next to her. Her belly wasn’t too large but given the way his eyes searched their surroundings every so often, I knew they had already hidden my mom from our people so no one could find out about me.
The trees to their left shook in the next moment, and their heads lifted to find Knight slowly coming out of the forest. Curiosity fluttered through him, pulling him to my mom by a force bigger than all of them. A satisfied grin captured Dad’s face, saying that wasn’t the first time I had called a Dragon to us, and perhaps, his outings with my pregnant mom were not at all a coincidence.
A wave of recognition, and a stronger emotion I couldn’t quite place, washed over me through the new bond just as the golden magic faded from Knight’s eyes. He blinked, shaking his head slowly.
“It cannot be,”Knight whispered, remaining away as though he didn’t want to let himself believe… or hope.
My irises gleamed brightly with Devenish magic in response, the yellow hue engulfing my vision to show him exactly who I was, and he took a step back, stunned by the sight. The strong emotion I had sensed in him became all-consuming—devotion—and without faltering, he fully bowed to me.
“Welcome back, Young Prince,”his gritty voice offered through our link.“I have waited for you…”
Cold tendrils of realization wrapped around my being the next second, and I understood what had brought those Dragons to me while I was still in my mother’s belly. Why they pledged loyalty to my father and fought for him without question.
It wasn’t a silent call. It wasn’t the extent of my power or any kind of influence I had over them.
They sensed exactly what Knight recognized within me now. My magical essence. That I was the one being they had been waiting for, hoped for, for so long…
A pure-hearted Devenish.
And the Prince of Caelisium.
2
Running over the scorching sand, I jumped onto Knight’s wing as it rose mid-flight, and I was catapulted onto his back. Once I took my place on his neck, an appreciative smile curved my lips when his feelings of honor and pride flowed through me. He felt privileged that I chose to ride back with him.
“You, see?”I sent into Tharion’s mind.“You, too, should feel honored to be in the Prince of Caelisium’s presence.”My lips twitched when he narrowed his eyes, throwing me a side glance that promised bodily harm, but his amusement danced through our connection.
I snorted, chuckling to myself since Evie and the others were too far away. For a moment, I felt relief that everything had gone relatively well—
