Page 110 of A World of Ruins

I bite my lip, wanting that more than anything: to grow our family. Perhaps one day, in the near future, when things are more settled between the kingdoms, we can.

‘What about me, Darry?’

Tibith shakes the hem of my dress, and Darius and I break apart, chuckling as we look down at a glossy pair of eyes.

‘You’ –I point my finger at him – ‘are always going to be number one.’

He smiles and nuzzles his head against Darius’s leg.

I think about how perfect our little family is as Darius and I stare at each other for minutes in silence.

Then he whispers, ‘I want to show you something, Goldie.’ He interlaces his fingers with mine. ‘A place, actually.’

I regard him with suspicion. ‘Where?’

A smile tugs at the corners of his lips. ‘It’s a surprise.’

We cross a river – one of the northern rivers – and my eyes widen as soon as we land. Against the background of dust and basaltic rocks, the ground flows like liquid silver, tracing a winding path through the empty land.

Volcanoes that I know are called Helland stand sentinel on either side up ahead, their peaks shrouded in a mist that blurs the line between land and sky. I had always wanted to visit when I was little, and I was sure I would as a Venator, but so much happened in between that it made all trips up here impossible.

Tibith runs past me, scouting the area, leaving me to admire as the day wanes and the sun dips below the horizon, causing the river to mirror the sky’s fiery shade.

‘What do you think?’ Darius asks me.

I shake my head, stunned. ‘It’s beautiful,’ I breathe and turn to him. ‘When did you first come here?’

‘A few years ago.’ He comes by my side and takes my hand, leading us towards the banks of the river. ‘I wanted to see where my bloodline came from.’

I gaze at the river, its gentle ripples dancing with a form of magic that differs from any other kind.

‘That day at the arena,’ Darius says. ‘Crello mentioned that before us, there was a mother.’

I cut him a glance, but his eyes are locked on the river. We’ve barely spoken about the conversations we had with the deities, much like I never told my brothers about seeing my father. It would only make them miss him more.

‘A mother?’ I whisper.

Darius nods. ‘The first dragon.’ He looks at me. ‘The one that started it all.’

I gaze into Darius’s eyes, picturing what this dragon might have looked like and how all dragons came to be; but most of all, the beginning of the Rivernorths.

Darius raises my hand to his lips and closes his eyes. He presses a kiss against my skin and sighs in what sounds like relief. ‘When I first came here,’ he swallows, ‘I used to think about how I never thought I’d see you again.’

A vast array of emotions swirls within my veins as I move closer towards him, my lips now touching his hand on mine. ‘And yet you did,’ I say quietly . . . lovingly. ‘You were always meant to find me.’

His eyes shut as he smiles, lowering our hands to pull me in close. Our noses touch as he whispers, ‘I already said this once, Goldie, butyoufoundme.’ He kisses me long and hard, revelling in our love, but even this does not feel like enough. For us, our kisses always feel like our first – that night in the woods, his full lips on mine and the palpable desire we passed off as hatred. It’s a fire that never dies out.

As he breaks our kiss, I make a noise, needing more, until he angles his head to the side and shows me a bubble of water floating in his hand.

A surprised laugh rips from my throat as I watch it move and become different shapes. The silver glow from the river glistens inside the ball, and I see mine and Darius’s reflections smiling at it.

‘Show-off.’ I pretend to glare.

Darius gives me a half-smile. ‘I do have part of Crello’s power now.’

I lift a brow. ‘And I Solaris.’ To rattle him, I push power towards my fingers as I stretch them out to the ground, crafting a small flower to bloom in the dry land. Instead, all I manage to do is impress him. Pride flickers through the gold sparks of his eyes, and I shake my head at him.

‘I was thinking.’ He cocks his head, seeming to pull me even closer to him. ‘I think it is time we had a proper wedding, don’t you think?’

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