Page 274 of Of Empires and Dust

This was the point of no return. He could kill them all right then and there, peel the flesh from Loren’s bones and cut outhis heart. The cost would be Baren’s life and that of his nephew – if Loren truly wasn’t lying. And even then, the war would still not be over. The Lorians would still hold Achyron’s Keep, and reinforcements would likely arrive through the Hot Gates. Loren would be dead, but Valtara would still bleed. The only victory to be had would be a personal one.

No, patience would be his friend. There was a path on which he could keep his family whole and lessen the cost of freeing Valtara. That path required shackles.

“I assume it’s easier if I get on the horse first?”

“I’d prefer watching you climb up with your hands bound, but if you insist.”

Dayne mounted the bay mare, then allowed Loren’s guard to place the shackles around his wrists. The hardest part was doing nothing as the Lorian mages erected a ward of Spirit around him and the Spark was pulled beyond his reach.

As they rode along the dirt track that led towards Achyron’s Keep, Dayne spotted Belina sitting above him in the branch of a densely-leaved tree, balancing like a kat. She smiled at him as they passed.

The Warrior and The Sailor. By blade and by blood. I will end the line of House Koraklon. I will see Valtara free.

Chapter 64

Sweet Boy

20thDay of the Blood Moon

Aravell – Winter, Year 3081 After Doom

By the timeElla had charged through the passage that led to Mythníril, Faenir bounding beside her, Valerys was already visible across on the eastern side of the basin.

The sight of the white dragon standing on the plateau above drove her to sprint even harder, her lungs burning. Two guards who walked along the grass path jerked out of the way as Ella charged between them without breaking stride.

As she reached the plateau, Valerys shifted and turned his head to face her and Faenir. The dragon bowed slightly, but Ella flitted past, the door of the house ahead opening.

Calen emerged in his full suit of armour, runes glowing purple, cloak trailing behind him. Ella collided with her brother so hard it knocked the wind from her lungs. She jumped onto hischest, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, pressing the side of her head against his.

He stumbled backwards, catching himself on his back foot, then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered, his hand pulling her head in closer. “I thought you were gone.”

“I’m here.” Ella leaned back and looked into her brother’s eyes, the lavender hue of his irises still catching her off guard. She cupped her hands to his cheeks. “I’m here.”

Ella pressed herself in close once more, her arms still around her brother’s neck. They stayed like that for quite a while, neither wanting to let go. When Calen finally put her down, Elia, Lasch, Tanner, and Yana all stood behind him.

He lowered her to the ground, seeming almost as tall as Haem in his plate.

“You saved my life.” Calen rested his gauntlet-clad hand on Ella’s right cheek. “I know what you did. And if you hadn’t, both Valerys and I would be dead and this city nothing but embers. You saved everyone.”

“You’re my little brother. Watching over you is my duty. Mam would kill me otherwise.”

Faenir bolted past Ella and slammed into Calen’s chest with all the weight and force of a battering ram.

And in that moment, as Calen floundered to the ground, the clang of his armour drowned only by the laughter on his lips, Ella saw the boy within the man. That sweet boy. That sweet boy who had been forced to grow older before his time. That sweet boy who had lost his brother, his father, his mother… his sister. That sweet boy who had become what was needed. She would do anything to protect that piece of him.

Something nudged Ella’s shoulder. She turned around just in time to receive a puff of warm air rolling over her face.

Valerys’s head hovered over the ground before her, his lavender eyes staring intently. In one sense, the dragon felt like a part of Calen, like family. And in another, it was a monstrous beast that could rip her in half with little effort.

The dragon leaned forwards and pressed the warm scales of his snout into her cheek, hot air wafting over her neck and shoulders. A rumble resonated in his throat, soft enough to be a purr.

“Faenir, for the love of the gods, get off me.” Calen was trying to add a serious tone to his voice, but he failed in between Faenir’s onslaught of licks. “I’ve not been gone that long!”

For the first time since before Rhett’s death, Ella felt a warm fullness in her heart. Faenir’s love, his loyalty, his dedication… all of it flowed through her. All the wolfpine needed in this world was a full belly, a good night’s sleep, and his family - his pack.

“You’ve gotten far too big to keep doing that.” Calen knelt on one knee, scratching both sides of Faenir’s head. He stopped for a moment and ran his hands back over the wolfpine’s ears, pressing his nose to Faenir’s snout. “It’s good to see you back to yourself. You did a good job watching over her.”

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