Page 42 of Dreams and Dragon Wings
When I do not answer, he hurries forward, toward the balcony. Towardme.
I flinch away and grip the railing all the tighter as my balance wavers. As I nearly topple backward into the night. I swallow down a scream, refusing to let Friedemar see my fear.
And suddenly, the Aether is there. Warm. Golden. It wraps around me and seeps into my soul, like the first rays of dawn.
« Be not afraid, for I am with you. »
My pulse steadies. My grip on the railing loosens. Tears prick the corners of my eyes—tears of awe. Finally, I understand who is speaking to me: a god.Bene’sgod.
The Great Weaver Himself.
But I still don’t understand. Why must I jump?
And yet, as Friedemar lunges toward me, I realize there’s no longer time to question. To doubt. Even not knowing what comes next, I choose it anyway—
The darkness. The unknown.
I choose to trust rather than wait until it is too late.
Because anything at all is surely better than the fate Friedemar has in store for me…
Even death.
Chapter 12
Benevolence
Thirteen Years Ago
Ahollow ache thrummed in my chest as I circled the woods bordering her cottage, flying across farmlands and fields. Now too large to maneuver through the trees, I skimmed low to the ground, trying to remain unseen.
Just one more year—that was all the time I had left with Aurelia.
But it wasn’t enough. Ineededmore time. I was no closer to breaking the curse than I had been last year, and I wasn’t yet ready to say goodbye.
Would I ever be?
Frustration welled up inside me. Green threads of Earth shimmered before me. Silver threads of Mind. I could wield both, but neither was of any help to me in this.
Useless. My magic was useless. What was the point of being able to weave if I couldn’t even save myself from my accursed fate?
Please, I prayed for not the first time. Nor the last.Please show me what I must do.
But the Great Weaver was silent. His Aether did not bring me an answer to my plea. Not even the wind stirred as I winged right to the treeline of the woods behind Aurelia’s cottage and shifted into my human form.
I was alone with my thoughts. My resignation.
I had to tell her the truth. About everything—her mother, the prophecy, what she was, my uncle’s curse, and my inability to break it.
Perhaps I would even tell her that, in my mind, she would always be the rightful Queen of Drakara, just as her mother foretold. No matter what happened.
Perhaps I… I would even tell her how I felt about that last bit.
Naei. My pulse raced as I shook my head and forged off into the darkness of the woods. The satchel carrying her birthday present thumped against my side with each step.
I couldn’t. I couldn’t ruin our friendship with feelings I shouldn’t feel. I couldn’t ruin the last year we had left.
But I could certainly tell her the rest.
