Page 80 of The Dragon King

“The times ahead will be challenging. There’s a chance one of us may die, perhaps both of us. No one is meant to live forever, but we’re all meant to die with purpose. This is a purpose worth dying for.”

I’d never known anyone so pragmatically brave. Humans were only concerned with themselves, but the elves were willing to make sacrifices for others. I knew Talon would be the same way once he reclaimed his throne.

She turned to watch the island slowly disappear, growing farther and farther away.

Side by side, we watched it fade in the distance, becoming a smaller speck on the horizon, the breeze flapping our hair around, until the speck was no more…and it was gone.

Talon and I sat together at the small table in our cabin below deck, the lamp in the center of the table burning low throughthe frosted glass. So far, it’d been a smooth ride with minimal rocking, so I hadn’t suffered from seasickness.

He was just in his trousers, his hard chest bare in the light of the lamp, not the least bit cold even though it was chilly on the open sea. He seemed particularly interested in a crack in the table because he stared at it for a long time.

“You said you don’t want to be King of the Southern Isles.”

His eyes flicked up to mine.

“Why?”

He stared back, the gold flecks visible in his eyes in the light of the lamp.

“I know you want to avenge your family, but why not sit on the throne that’s in your blood?”

He continued his hard stare.

I waited for an answer, waited for the answer I wanted to hear—that he intended to live with me.

He finally looked away. “I just don’t.”

A twinge of disappointment burned. “Then what will you do?”

His eyes stayed down.

“Will—will you live with me?” I didn’t know why I asked for reassurance when he made his feelings for me clear. He made them clear when he stared at me. When he kissed me. When he said beautiful things.

His eyes shifted back to the crack in the table he’d been staring at earlier. “If I were to survive…yes.”

Warmth should have filled me in that moment, excitement for the future, but the way he said it gave me pause. Made me read between the lines when I should have only seen his words on the page. “You think you won’t survive?”

He gave a slight shake of his head.

“Why?”

He didn’t lift his head to look at me. “I just don’t.”

“You’re the most powerful man I’ve ever heard of, Talon. You claimed my lands with a simple sweep of your hand. You defeated the dark elves entirely on your own.”

He lifted his chin to look at me, his eyes hard with aggression that came out of nowhere. “There are beings far more powerful than me, Calista. There are forces and powers that I can’t control. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and I choose to live one day at a time. So, let’s not speak of the future. Let’s just appreciate what we have right now, in this cabin, on this boat, in the middle of the sea.”

We docked at the secret port hidden within the cliff face. Even when my legs were on solid ground, I felt the world rock as if I were still on the open sea. The ship was large and luxurious, but I still felt cramped in the cabin below deck, trying to stay out of the way of the elves who navigated the ship.

I missed the island more than ever.

Now, we would make the long journey back to the forest, riding for three days and sleeping on the hard ground for three nights.And once we reached the forest, I knew there would be no time for rest, just preparations for war.

We rowed back to the beach where the elves had made camp in our absence. Commander Luxe had made a station there and had taken care of the horses until we returned. They had spent that entire time sleeping on the hard ground, waiting for the galleon to appear on the sea, and that made me feel guilty for complaining—even if I never voiced those complaints out loud.

Instead of mounting our horses and riding back to the forest, Queen Eldinar instructed us to make camp to wait for the dragons. Khazmuda had informed Talon that they’d left just hours ago, so they would arrive by morning.

Talon constructed the tent we would share, along with our own bonfire, putting it at a distance from everyone else. He was back in his armor with his heavy sword across his back, the metal cool and cruel to the touch.

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