I had another beast to soothe, and, as violent, terrifying images flashed across my thoughts, I wondered if this would be possible.
‘Roksana, come to me… slowly.’ His voice was so low it was barely different from the growl in the bies’ throat.
‘Sheath the sword first. He’s afraid you’ll hurt me.’ The confusion in the king’s eyes made me sigh. ‘Rey, please.’
‘You want me to trust a creature whose herd killed half my riders in the Lich King war?’ He swallowed hard, stretching out to me. ‘Come here, Viper.’
‘I’m asking you to trust me,’ I said, standing up and placing my hand on the bies’ muzzle. ‘This one is mine.’ I challenged the king, and for a moment, we stared at each other, equally unyielding. Then, slowly, Rey sheathed the blade, and I sagged in relief, holding back the sob that threatened to escape.
This single act told me more about our future than words ever could. All the tales from the war praised how ferociously the king fought against the raging monsters, leading the heavy cavalry… and how few of them survived the fierce battle.
And he put that aside for me.
‘Thank you,’ I said calmly as I cautiously stepped closer. One hesitant step after another, my hand reaching out while he observed my approach with singular focus. When I was close enough, I took his hand and pressed it to my cheek, tears blurring my vision. The king exhaled. His shaky, uneven breath misted my skin when he leaned into my touch.
‘I thought I’d never find you. If Cinared hadn’t sensed the shift in the aether, your magic… gods, Viper. I thought I’d lost you…’ His jaw tightened, muscles trembling as he ground his teeth. ‘Then I saw you fighting the bies…’
‘He was trying to protect me,’ I said while the bies paced behind me. ‘Just like you were. Was it you, earlier… the shadow in the sky?’
‘Fuck, Viper. Only you – only fucking you could tame nature itself.’ Reynard grunted, and in the whirlwind of motion, too fast for the human eye, he scooped me up, and I was pressed against his chest so hard I could hardly breathe.
What broke me were his sharp, jagged breaths of a man desperate to hold back tears. ‘I was the shadow you saw. I couldn’t get past those pillars. Even Cinared faltered. Theswamp was my only chance to get to Tivalaran and burn my way to your prison.’ There was so much pain in his voice, so much anguish that I pressed my face into the crook of his neck.
‘But you found me,’ I whispered while Reynard peppered my face with hundreds of little kisses. I whimpered as his hands tightened on my body as if seeking to reassure himself I was still there, that I wasn’t an illusion.
The flashback of other hands blurred my vision, and my body stiffened as the fear rushed through me. I fought the drowning darkness.It’s Rey. You’re safe. He’ll never hurt you.The litany ran through my mind as I slowly regained a sliver of control
‘I will lock you in the castle and make my dragon guard you for another century. Never in my life have I felt so terrified, so utterly helpless.’ He lowered me, missing my flinch at his words. When my feet touched the ground, he took my face in his hands and pressed his forehead to mine. His expression was so utterly vulnerable that the fear subsided, replaced by my love for him.
‘Promise me you won’t leave my side again. I can’t be without you. I can’t rule without you. I can’t even fucking breathe if I don’t know you are safe.’
‘I can’t make such a promise,’ I replied, stroking his cheek, tears slipping free. ‘Could you promise me never to go to war, to never charge a bies, never fly to the enemy’s castle knowing they have dragon ballista on the walls?’
‘That’s different.’ Rey’s eyes darkened when I shook my head.
‘No, there is no difference. I love you, Reynard Erenhart, and I’ve sworn to protect you and your kingdom. So, I will, whatever it takes,’ I said, biting my lip, and he cursed
‘So, you walked into Tivala’s castle.’ Rey touched a fading bruise on my cheek. ‘He hurt you, didn’t he? Fuck, Viper, why can’t you be one of those ladies who sit on their rear and embroider favours for their lover?’
‘I was sitting on my arse. I wasn’t embroidering, but I was safe and warm. Then you and that enormous dragon dropped from the sky and tried to kill my bies, so… clearly, I’m not suited to court life.’
The huff, accompanied by a plume of smoke, surprised me, the dragon shaking with laughter. A massive head filled with rows of serrated teeth bent over me, making the bies growl. Before I could worry about the beast behind me, the one above spoke. ‘I like you, woman. I see why he was desperate, why the fear in his mind pushed me to fly day and night.’ There was a lisp in his voice, clear when he used certain sounds.
Wrapped in Rey’s embrace, I almost forgot how he’d arrived here. This new revelation stared at me with fire swirling in golden irises and an awareness that seemed to penetrate to the deepest recesses of my soul. An awareness that called to me.
I lost myself in the dragon’s eyes. He was just like Rey, primal fury locked behind ice-cold control. The fire burning within was so intense that it rivalled the sun. They were one soul with two minds.
I didn’t feel this when I spoke to Vahin. The connection with the black dragon was barely warm and distant in comparison. With this massive crimson beast, my spirit sang as if I’d found home, and it wrapped me up in warmth and love.
‘Oh gods…’ I breathed, detangling myself from the king’s embrace, reaching for the dragon. I had to touch him, had to find out if this was real. His vertical pupils narrowed when he saw my hand, then ever so slowly, the massive beast lowered his head, letting me touch his cheek.
My magic reacted, swirling over my fingers, matching the inferno that blazed in the dragon’s eyes. We were in synergy – a perfect balance of creation and destruction connected through the soul of the man I loved.
But synergy was rare and happened only between mages.
At my confusion, the dragon closed his eyes. A wave rippled through his scales, its colour changing as flames flashed over his body, before a deep rumble rose in his throat. First, it was shy and rusty, like an unused instrument trying to find its way. When I pulled away, he pushed closer, his tail whipping forth, holding me in place.
Just like the bies, the dragon wanted me to touch him.
