Page 15 of Klauth
I wait, tense in my prison, yearning to break free and protect her from every threat. Three weeks. The thought lingers between us like a brand. Three weeks until I can stand beside her in flesh and blood instead of in these memories and muffled senses. Until then, I can only remain here, listening to her heart pound and her breath hitch, praying she knows I see her—even if she can’t see me.
The sudden joltof energy courses through me like a rippling quake. My eyes fly open—though all I see is the murky interior of my prison shell, faintly illuminated by the crimson glow of my fury. The shell feels warm from Mina’s touch, the heat of her presence soaked into the fragile barrier between us.
Something’s happening …Her voice is frantic, each syllable muffled yet urgent. I sense she’s in a hurry from the way my egg tilts and slides—she must be placing me in some sort of sack or bag. The rough fabric rasps against the curved shell, sending tiny vibrations along my arms where I brace myself inside. My fingertips graze the inner wall of my egg; it’s slick with condensed moisture, making each breath thick in my lungs.
“It’s happening…” Mina’s whisper resonates through the shell, carrying a tremor I can’t ignore.
“Your time is almost upon us.” She’s pushing energy into me, a thrum of power that prickles like static on my skin. I feel my bones hum, as if her life force is urging me to break free.
Her words echo in my ears: “My gargoyle mate is going to hide your egg on the cliff face close to where I know I’ll need you. When it’s time, come swiftly—it’s only a matter of moments between life and death for me.”
Something inside me tightens at the desperation woven through each word. My chest aches with the weight of her plea—my mate needs me. The shell suddenly feels too small, too claustrophobic, the air stale and tinged with a faint metallic tang. I press a palm to the side, trying to reach out to her.
Warmth pools against the curve of the egg where her lips land. I can almost taste the salt of her skin through the shell, the ghost of her breath seeping inside. A sweet ache spreads in my chest.
“I’ll tug on the bond. Please hurry…”
Her voice is soft, cracking at the edges, and it makes me want to shatter this cursed casing. I ball my fists, driving them against the shell with dull thuds. The thick membrane doesn’t yield—not yet.
“It’s too soon. You need to save me at the right moment.”
Another rush of energy pulses through, warming my face and chest. My mate’s love is the key, searing the darkness away.
All at once, my stomach flips as I’m lifted again. The egg jostles in the gargoyle’s grip, and then there’s a sudden gust of wind that buffets the shell. It howls past, resonating like distant thunder through my enclosed world. My ears pop with the altitude change. This time, I don’t drift into that strange, timeless sleep. Whatever Mina’s kiss did, it has ignited my senses.
“I don’t know if you can hear me,” the gargoyle mutters, his voice barely rising above the roaring wind. “I don’t know if you’ll answer me. Mina is putting her life in your talons. Hell, all of our lives, if her vision is correct.”
His words pulse against the shell, their vibration steady and somber. I slam my knuckles again in response—a dull echo in my cramped tomb. I’m here. I’m listening.
A hollow thud reverberates through the egg, and I imagine his stony claws gripping the bag. The fabric scrapes across my shell, creating a faint rasp that sets my teeth on edge. The wind whips, its icy tendrils reaching through any gap, chilling even the air inside. I can sense the gargoyle’s fear—taste its bitterness in the atmosphere.
“You are nine hundred yards from where Mina will be when her father attacks. Probably only two to three beats of your wings,” he explains, voice cracking. “I’ll be stone when she needs me most, so I’m counting on you to save our mate…”
Nine hundred yards … two to three wing beats. A surge of confusion and adrenaline floods through me. My mind reels at the revelation—I’m expected to be large, powerful … a wyrm, maybe. That means centuries have passed, centuries stolen from me. I clench my jaw until it hurts.
“She’s scared,” the gargoyle murmurs, his voice almost lost to another gust. “She won’t admit it, but she’s scared for all of us. Her other dragon mate fights as we speak. You are her only hope.”
His plea stokes a burning rage in my chest, an inferno that licks at the edges of my consciousness. Tiny cracks spiderweb along the inside of the shell, each one accompanied by a sharp pangof possibility. I press against those cracks, feeling them lengthen beneath my fists.
I can’t see anything beyond the faint, blood-colored glow in here, but I can feel every throb of Mina’s energy buzzing through my veins. My entire being is poised on the brink of shattering this cursed prison. The knowledge that she’s out there, desperate and in danger, quickens my heartbeat until it slams against my ribs.
I don’t know how much time I have, or if I can break free before the exact moment she needs me. But I swear to her—through every breath, every pulse—that I will tear this shell apart the second she calls. And when I do, my roar will shake the very cliffs beneath us.
Chapter Fifteen
My tetherto Mina is strong. I can practically feel her pulse thrumming through our bond as she anxiously awaits her fights—the ones she swears will herald the end of my imprisonment. With the first clash, a surge of energy crackles along our connection, and I finally gather the strength to claw at the hardened shell around me. Fragments of the eggshell flake away under my talons, and a brisk, salty gust of wind greets my nostrils. The freshness stings my lungs as I take in a long, shuddering breath—my first taste of true air in what feels like an eternity. It smells of wet stone and brine, awakening a hunger for freedom I nearly forgot existed.
Mina’s second fight starts, and I sense her adrenaline spike, fueling my vigor. I focus on our tether. Each blow she delivers sends a faint tremor through my forelimbs, as if I’m the one landing those strikes. Somewhere above me, waves crash against distant cliffs. The roar of the surf echoes through my shell. I know these northern cliffs well—I planned to build Shadowcarve close to here. The tang of ocean spray filters into my cramped chamber, confirming my suspicions that I must be near that site.If the gargoyles’ estimate of nine hundred yards is correct, then I’m mere heartbeats away from escaping this prison.
Each of Mina’s battles feels like it might be her last, yet her stamina never wavers. Her strength hums along our bond, a steady current of willpower. The third fight begins, and my insides twist with anticipation. I brace myself, wings pressed tightly against the egg’s interior. I’m poised to break free the moment she pulls on the tether—whatever she intends to do to help me hatch.
Time is a strange concept here in the darkness; the world beyond my shell fades in and out. The fourth match commences, and I detect a spike in Mina’s anxiety. This must be the fight before the real threat—her father—arrives. Through our bond, I pick up flickers of her searching the crowd, trying to pinpoint him among the onlookers. The tension pounds in my temples. I can practically hear her heart hammering as they circle each other in the ring.
At last, the last match begins. A wave of resolve and guarded ferocity surges through Mina. I feel her body armor itself—raising scales in her human form to protect her vulnerable organs. My heart lurches with pride and shock. Only the mightiest dragons of ancient blood can perform such a feat, and she accomplishes it effortlessly. Suddenly, terror floods the tether, tearing a raw gasp from my throat. There’s a savage yank on our bond and a rush of power that burns hotter than any flame I’ve known.My mate is in danger.
Strength surges through my limbs, fueling me with desperate energy. I batter the egg with renewed fury. My talons scrape and gouge, sending spiderweb cracks across the shell. The panic I sense from Mina is a knife twisting in my gut, and a resonant roar tears free from my mouth. It reverberates within the egg,so loud my ears ring. I ram my horns forward, splintering the weakened shell. The taste of cool air mingles with the chalky bitterness of the eggshell shards that crumble around me.
Gravity claims me the instant I break through. For a fraction of a heartbeat, I’m free-falling—the wind howls against my scales, slicing across the raw edges of my wings. I snap them wide, halting my descent and sending a spray of loose debris tumbling below. Mina’s presence blazes like a beacon; my entire being fixates on that fierce glow. I unleash another roar, this one echoing off the jagged cliffs, dislodging stones that clatter down the rocky face. I pump my wings, each beat thundering through the air, flattening the treetops beneath me, splintering limbs and scattering leaves like confetti.
