I skipped down several more paragraphs.
Yuto came across an abandoned dragon egg at the height of his reign, and he took the child for his. The boy grew to be as fierce and as strong as his father.
Yuto had a son? Why had he never mentioned this before?
Heart hammering, I continued on.
Lysandra had once been part of a warring Thunder, whose members all died in a vicious battle waged over the territories north of the fire pits. She was just a child herself, lost and alone when her Thunder died. Just as he had taken the dragon egg under his wing, he took Lysandra as well.
She grew up a part of the Thunder, playing with Yuto’s boy and riding on the wings of his great beasts.
But Lysandra had not forgotten what had happened to her own Thunder. When Yuto was gone from the castle for a month-long trip across the realm, Lysandra slaughtered the boy, stole Yuto’s dragons, and took the crown for herself. Any member of the Thunder who went up against her was trapped, tortured, and then tossed into the fire pits where their souls were forever bound by fire.
Only Yuto and seven of his dragonlords survived. They were cast into the prison of Inishfall for one thousand years. The magic of the island is rumored to abide by sentences forevermore. Only the fiercest, bravest of acts can break it. Only acts that change the very course of the world.
My breath caught in my throat, and a new horror fell like a stone into the pit of my stomach. All the puzzle pieces clicked into place. It all made sense now. Everything had been ripped from Yuto’s hands by someone he had trusted. His family killed. His dragons stolen. And then even his kingdom.
His son.
I slammed the book shut and jumped to my feet. Now that I’d read exactly what had happened to Yuto, I couldn’t bear to sit still. I needed to pace. I needed to think. None of this was right.
Especially not me.
Dawn speared the sky with a kaleidoscope of blues and pinks. Soon, those doors would open and I would be free. I could run. I could turn my back on everything I’d just learned and leave Yuto to his fate.
Or I could stay.
“Dammit,” I muttered. “I can’t leave him.”
25
Yuto
Isat waiting beside the portal for at least half a day. A part of me hoped the shimmering magic of the portal would open wide and Aradia would tumble back into my arms. A bigger part of me knew that could never happen. Our parting was for the best. It was the only way to ensure her safety. I’d meant every word when I said Panos would never cease in his quest to torment her.
That didn’t mean I didn’t wish it could be different.
My soul felt scraped raw. I’d opened up to Aradia. I’d shown so much of myself, even if it hadn’t been everything. It had been a very long time since I’d trusted someone who wasn’t a part of my Thunder. Having her beside me, gazing into her eyes, I’d felt as though I’d finally found a missing part of my soul.
Dragons were quick to love, but that love lasted lifetimes. I’d never met another who had made me feel so close to falling into something deeper than lust. For a brief moment, I’d almost wondered...was Aradia the woman who would finally claim my heart, for centuries or more?
But of course, Aradia was not a dragon, though sometimes she had felt like one.
With a resigned sigh, I left the portal behind. This was a good thing. She had listened to my instructions, and she’d be safe now. Hopefully, she’d be on a ship to Inishfall by now. The fae of the Ice Court would welcome her into their home. No longer would she have to worry about princes and mages and fathers and dragons.
Aradia Galatas would be free.
I was able to give her that, at least.
A branch cracked. I heard him before I saw him.
“Hello, Yuto,” a familiar voice whispered from the depths of the forest.
I stopped short and curled my hands into fists. “Panos. What the hell are you doing here?”
The thin, wispy fae whispered out from the shadows. I hated when he did that, but I especially hated how he got so quickly from one place to another. It was inexplicable. One might think he could teleport through shadows, but that was impossible. I’d met a lot of magic in my long lifetime, and none of it could do that. Hide in them, yes. But teleport? No.
And yet Panos stood before me now, those dark, glittering eyes void of any light. “How did you read my mind? That was the very question I was poised to ask you.”
