Page 9 of The Dragon King

“Talon—”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“But what will you do without your army? Without Khazmuda?”

“Khazmuda may not be here, but his blood is still in my veins. Queen Eldinar will be relieved that the dark elves have been defeated, but she’ll be disappointed when I return with only a few scratches.”

“You don’t think she actually wants you dead, right?”

“I do.”

“Why would she want that?”

“So she gets what she wants without having to uphold her end of the deal. The Death King will be gone from these lands, and the location of the dragons will remain a secret, while her greatest enemy has been defeated. I may not like your queen, but I respect her strategy.”

Despite the fact that the clearing was full of soldiers, including Commander Luxe and General Ezra, Calista came close to me and grabbed my hand because it wasn’t sheathed in my glove. She blanketed me in affection without touching me, the depth in her eyes bottomless. “I just got you back…”

I cupped her face, and I brushed my thumb over her cheek.

She closed her eyes and relaxed into my touch, her hand tightening on mine.

When I held her like this, I forgot the circumstances of my life, the events that had brought me here because, for a moment, I only knew peace. I searched for it in violence and in revenge, but I found it in her.

She opened her eyes and looked at me again.

I didn’t promise her I would return because I wouldn’t make a promise I couldn’t keep. But I wouldn’t let my story end here, in a battle that didn’t further my own interests. It was a stepping-stone to what I needed—and I wouldn’t trip going up the steps. “Gather your armor and sword. Be prepared for battle.”

“Then you think you’ll fail?—”

“The winner of the battle is not necessarily the strongest, but the most prepared.” I’d learned that the hard way. I cupped her cheeks and pressed a kiss to her mouth, claiming her as mine in front of everyone who stood there. “I’ll come back to you.”

I marched beside General Ezra as we left the forest to the west, the army of soldiers marching behind us. Instead of marching in lines and ranks like I’d been taught, they were scattered because of the trees, but still a single entity.

Queen Eldinar stayed behind with her guards and let her husband fight in the name of her crown.

A cowardly move.

We marched in silence. I felt my connection to Calista dwindle the farther apart we became. Commander Luxe was down at the end of the line, leading a different section of the men.

“General Ezra.”

He looked at me as he continued to march forward.

“Tell me everything about their kind.” I remembered the message that King Constantine had delivered to us. It had arrived too late, didn’t give us enough warning to act or flee. Itsaid the dark elves had conquered the minds of the dragons and taken control. Were these the same race as my enemy?

He looked forward again and remained quiet for a while. “A long time ago, they lived among our kind. They were no different from us. But Alaric was hungry for power and tried to take the crown from Queen Eldinar. This was long before my time, and all I have is the tale. It was a coup, but my wife was too smart to fall for the scheme. She banished Alaric from our lands, and his followers went with him.”

I listened to the story and waited for more.

“They returned years later and attacked Riviana Star, but this time, they didn’t come for Queen Eldinar. It was clear their eyes were set on the Great Tree, the Realm of Caelum. It was then that Queen Eldinar realized Alaric had never wanted the crown—just the gateway. Some of them made it through, and the ones who didn’t were cursed by Riviana herself. Their skin was marked with the curse by turning gray, the color of death. Their punishment for trying to steal the afterlife was to be permanently banished from it. As you can imagine, that infuriated Alaric and his followers even more.”

“Did the curse affect them in other ways?”

General Ezra glanced at me. “I don’t understand your question.”

“You said they’re made to look like death. But did the curse bestow any other effects or abilities?”

He still seemed confused by the question. “Not that I know of. But it’s been a thousand years since we’ve interacted with Alaric and the dark elves. Perhaps they abandoned their crusade until they learned about the Behemoths on the border and assumed we were compromised.”

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