Page 64 of The Dragon King

“My opinion of his character was the same—until he changed it. He didn’t earn my respect because he desired it. It happened because of his altruistic dedication to others. It happenedbecause I saw a hero instead of a villain. It happened because I saw the heart beneath the flesh. If you give him a chance, you might feel the same.”

I already gave men a chance—and look what happened.

I decided to jump into the conversation. “I’m not like the men who came before me. You’re right to assume that humankind has dangerous intentions and can’t be trusted. You’re right to assume that they’ll always be a threat to you. But I’ve never been like the rest of my race. I’ve had a stronger relationship with my dragon than I’ve had with most humans. I would lay down my life for him.”

Macabre continued his ruthless stare.

“History will repeat itself. Men will always want power and immortality—and they’ll come after you to get it. I’m not offended by your distaste for my kind because I hate them just the same.” My own distant uncle slew my entire family for power. Destroyed an entire bloodline. Burned a pregnant woman alive. “I’m a friend to dragons, all dragons, and I respect and fear you.”

You should fear me, human.

“My name is Talon.”

Human.He looked at Queen Eldinar again.Why do you subject me to this introduction?

“Because he has something to tell you. Before you listen to him, I want you to understand what he’s done for Riviana Star. Humans from the south tried to take the forest, but Talon stopped them with his sword and his powers. When Riviana Starwas threatened by dark elves and the Real of Caelum nearly compromised, Talon saved it. I was already on my knees from all the knives that pierced my armor, but I survived because Talon took the blades that were meant for me. If Riviana Star had fallen, you would be on your own, Macabre. Your only ally in the world would have perished.”

Macabre shifted his gaze back to me.I’m sure this human had his reasons for helping you.

“One reason,” I said. “And that’s the woman who stands beside me.” I chose to be honest in the hope he would trust me. The more I tried to sell myself, the more suspicious he would become. “Her love for the forest made me love it too. And when the Realm of Caelumwas at risk, I defended it with my blade and the powers bestowed upon me—because my family dwells on the other side. Because her family dwells on the other side. Because one day, she’ll travel there too.” I looked into his powerful eyes and saw someone similar to myself, someone who had lost their trust in everyone. “I had no affection for the elves before I saved Riviana Star, but now that affection runs as deep as the ocean. But from the moment I was born, I was taught to respect dragons. Taught that they were more than immortal beasts with the gift of projectile fire. That they were friends and allies. I should have died a long time ago, but Khazmuda saved me, not once, but twice. There’s nothing more I can do to prove my love for your kind than everything I’ve already done.”

This puzzle is missing a piece. It’s clear you want something from me since you’re so determined to earn my favor. Make your request so I can deny it.

Everything I’d said meant nothing to him. I might as well have just stood there in silence.

Queen Eldinar stepped aside, leaving it up to me to figure this out.

I stepped forward, away from Khazmuda and Calista. “My father was the King of the Southern Isles many years ago. For generations, we shared a border with King Constantine, King of Dragons.”

Dragons didn’t wear expressions the way people did. Their eyes didn’t dilate and they didn’t frown or smile, so it was hard to know if that information meant anything to him. He continued to stare without blinking.

“We coexisted in harmony. We never ventured into their lands, and they never fed on our livestock. We were always allies, but life had been peaceful for generations, so there was never a reason to combine our forces against an adversary. Well…that all changed one horrible day. A distant family relation staged a coup against my family, and he used the power of the dark elves to force Constantine and his kin into mental subjugation. He attacked the Southern Isles with the dragons as unwilling participants—and he burned each member of my family alive.” No matter how many times I shared this story, it still fucking hurt. “The only reason I stand before you is because Khazmuda rescued me just before they burned me.”

Macabre shifted his gaze to Khazmuda.Why were you able to resist the dark magic while the others could not?

I don’t know. But they almost succeeded. It felt like a blade that punctured my skull and slowly inched closer to my brain. I somehow forced it out and felt Talon’s agony. I thought he was a dragon that needed help.

Why did you save him instead of your kin?Accusation was heavy in his tone.

Because they couldn’t be saved. They were lost…

Macabre continued to stare him down.You fused with a human. The very race that enslaved your kind.

They may be the same race, but they aren’t the same people. One bad apple doesn’t mean the whole tree is rotten. We’ve been fused for several decades, and our love, friendship, and connection has deepened through that time. I don’t love him the way I would love a mate or a hatchling, but I love him just as deeply.

“Thank you, Khazmuda.”

Macabre’s eyes shifted back to me, still cloudy with suspicion.

“Khazmuda and I intend to free the dragons of the Southern Isles. But we can’t do it alone. We can’t do it with all the armies I’ve claimed. We need dragons to fight with us. Otherwise, we have no chance.”

So you ask us to fight alongside you.

“Yes.”

There is no chance of success, Talon. Even if I agreed to help you, we would be mentally enslaved by the dark elves the moment we reached the Southern Isles. We would be trapped in the same mental prison. This plan of yours is doomed. The idea of any dragon being forced to serve humankind is like a mark against my scales, but I will not risk the last of our kind for them.

His plan is not doomed. It takes the focus of many elves and several minutes to enslave a dragon. They took Constantine first because they knew he would be the hardest. Chaos and horror ensued after that, and they tied us down and trapped us one by one, using our own kin to pin us against the ground. In the heat of battle, there simply won’t be time for that kind of opportunity.

---