Page 37 of The Dragon King

Did you tell her about Vivian?

“What did I just say?”

Why don’t you want her to know?

“It’s not that I don’t want her to know. I just don’t want to talk about it.”

Then, would you like me to tell her?

“No.”

I think she should?—

“Drop it.”

Talon, I know you love her?—

“If you don’t want me to return to the forest, you’ll drop this. I mean it.” I’d come out here to be with my companion, my closest friend, but now I wished I’d never left the forest. I could be in Calista’s bed right now, not saying a word.

Khazmuda would normally press his argument, but he didn’t dare risk losing me. He’d been out here alone for a long time, feeling my mind close off from him whenever I was intimate with Calista…which was most of the time.

The fire crackled between us. The crickets chirped loudly. A breeze rushed through our campfire and rustled my hair. Ashes scattered, and the smoke blew in my direction before it went elsewhere again.

Khazmuda’s mood was solemn, his eyes on the fire instead of me.What’s the plan?

Good, back to business. “When the queen has recuperated, we’ll travel to the dragons and make our plea.”

And how should we do that?

“I think you should do the talking. They aren’t going to care about my motives.”

But they’re going to need to know why a human is risking their life for this cause.

“Then we’ll tell them,” I said. “But I think you’re more likely to convince them than me.”

You’ve always been better with words.

“But no amount of words will make them forget I’m not one of them.”

You’re one of us, as far as I’m concerned. And I will make sure they see that. Even if your family was somehow returned to you this very moment, I know you would still fight with me.

I didn’t want to picture the hypothetical, speaking to my father again and rectifying the animosity from our final conversation, smirking at my brother and him smirking back at me. I would never have the audacity to look Vivian in the eye after I’d failed her. Anytime I thought of her, I was filled with a shame that was suffocating. “Yes, I would.”

I wonder how many dragons there are.

“I’ll ask Queen Eldinar.”

If there are only a handful, it won’t be enough. Not even with the forces you’ve acquired in Shadow Stone.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

And we’ll need a plan.

“We can’t have a plan without knowing the enemy. It’s been a long time since we’ve been there. I’m sure much has changed.”

It has been many years. But they may expect us. They searched for us in the wild a long time. They know we got away. Your uncle may have received news that the Death King conquered Calista’s lands. He may suspect it’s you.

“Maybe.”

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