Page 71 of Trial of the Cursed Egg

Cerce’s voice sweeps over us as she joins the scene, a graceful figure with an aura that demands respect. “She’s shedding for a reason. It’s a growth cycle.” She glances around, eyes narrowing. “Where’s my son?”

“He’s still asleep,” I say, feeling a sting of inadequacy as I lower my gaze. “Mina wasn’t tired. She took him flying last night, checking the borders. She was... on edge, worried after the attack. I wanted to go, but…”

The words hang there, thick in the air, my frustration silently adding to the weight. I’ve trained for years, yet here I stand, holding her cast-off armor while she’s out facing the threats. I clench the scale, the emerald gleam catching the sun light, reminding me of what she’s willing to give to keep me safe.

I really feel useless now.

Epilogue – Mina

The mountains loom above us,silent and knowing, like they’ve been watching for centuries and now hold secrets I’m just beginning to uncover. We’ve been here, in my mother’s nest, almost two months, yet it still feels foreign to me. I’ve purged everything that reeks of my father—six bonfires in two weeks, all at my insistence. But no matter how much I burn, how many rooms I cleanse, it doesn’t feel like mine. My eyes keep drifting up to the peaks, sharp, and haunting, etched against the sky.

“What’s caught your attention?” Ziggy’s voice pulls me back. He steps up beside me, his warmth a slight comfort.

I point to the three jagged peaks. “Those are the three from my vision—Iz, Jurel, and Starlet. That’s where my nest will be. See between Jurel and Starlet? That small valley will be the courtyard.”

I sigh, caught between wanting and doubt, staring up from down here. Everything inside me yearns to claim it, to leave this borrowed place and build something of my own.

“Do you want to go look?” Abraxis’s voice, low and steady, rolls over me from behind.

“I do, but it’s too small for both dragons to land up there.” I shrug, feeling the familiar ache in my chest.

Ziggy turns to me, his eyes dark with understanding. “I can move all of us up there.”

I nod slowly, a surge of determination rising with my dragoness’s restless desire. “Let’s bring the entire nest. I want everyone to see where I belong.”

Something deep within me pulls me to those peaks, a force stronger than my mother’s legacy, louder than any bond to this hollow place. I know, in my bones, that this isn’t home. It’s her nest, not mine. And my dragoness won’t be satisfied until we have our own—wild and untamed, high above, where no shadow of my father can reach us.

I watch as Vaughn and Callan walk out together, their heads bent close in conversation. Balor and Leander trail behind, taking everything in with their usual calm. Balor’s lips curl into a grin as he catches sight of me. “We’re nest hunting?” he asks, his tone teasing.

“Yeah,” I sigh, a shudder rippling through me. “Every time I’m in Mom’s nest, it feels like my skin’s crawling with a million ants. I don’t know how she managed in my grandmother’s nest all those years.” I shake off the thought, only to be surprised as Callan pulls me into his arms.

“Then let’s find a place that actually feels like yours.” He presses a warm kiss to my cheek, his eyes softening. “Though from what I can tell, the dragons won’t fit. But the smaller flyers? They could.” He tilts his head, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

“Ziggy, can you get the others up to the site?” he says, nodding to the rest. “Vaughn and I will handle getting Mina up there.” His confidence is contagious, but I can’t help but remember how quickly he fatigued the last time he tried to fly with me.

“Are you sure?” I ask, glancing at him and Vaughn, who’s already shifting into his gargoyle form.

“If I falter, Vaughn’s got you,” Callan says, his tone firm before he shifts. His gryphon form is imposing, feathers dark and powerful, his size larger than most of his kind.

He moves in close, lowering his head so his beak brushes against my leg. A gentle reassurance. “Okay, let’s do this,” I murmur, running my fingers through the feathers along his neck, feeling their softness and strength.

“Here, let me help you.” Abraxis lifts me by my hips effortlessly and sits me on Callan’s back.

Abraxis’s hands are firm yet gentle as he lifts me effortlessly, setting me atop Callan’s back. I feel the shift in his muscles, the way they move beneath me, and I settle in, finding the place where I won’t burden him. Callan stretches his wings wide, a ripple of anticipation coursing through him as he adjusts to my weight. He glances back, giving a subtle nod, and I take a steadying breath.

“I think I’m ready.”

In a heartbeat, he charges forward; the ground falling away as his wings slice through the air. With a powerful kick, he thrusts us skyward. The wind rushes past, pulling at my hair and clothes as we climb higher, his wings beating in a rhythmic cadence that syncs with my pulse. As we glide onto the thermals, something shifts inside me—a warmth unfurls, spreading slowly, until I feelour connection solidifying. Peace, deep and anchoring, washes over me. In this moment, everything feels … right. Like we’re finally in sync, our bodies, and souls aligned.

Vaughn’s gargoyle joins us, gliding just behind as we gain altitude, the peaks looming ahead like silent guardians. Abraxis waits at the edge, his stance alert, eyes fixed on us as Callan dips into a graceful landing. His steps are lighter, almost a prance, as if he’s carrying more than just me—something between us has settled, a thread of understanding woven tight.

Abraxis reaches for me, lifting me off Callan’s back with ease, pulling me into a fierce embrace. His hands roam briefly, checking for injuries or discomfort, and then he presses a soft kiss to my forehead. The warmth of his presence is like a summer storm—intense, comforting, brimming with power.

The moment Callan shifts back, I feel the pull between us, and I can’t stop myself from running to him. My arms wrap around him, holding tight. For a heartbeat, he’s rigid, but then he sinks into my embrace, like a breath he’s been holding has finally released.

“Are we better?” he murmurs against my neck, his breath warm and familiar.

“I think so. I feel you here,” I say, placing a hand over my heart. Where Abraxis feels like the force of a storm, Callan is something quieter—like gentle waves lapping at a lake’s edge. His gryphon’s energy balances the raw, unrestrained power of Abraxis’s dragon, grounding me in a way I didn’t realize I needed.

---