Page 84 of The Death King

CALISTA

When we stepped onto the ramparts to see Khazmuda, his saddle was already packed with our essentials. The weight appeared to be insignificant to him, but it would over-encumber a horse.

I donned the armor gifted to me. A heavy coat was also handed to me, black like Talon’s armor, with a crest of a dragon on the back. Leather gloves were provided, and they protected my hands from the sting of the cold. It was the first time I was leaving the castle, and while I should be excited to finally have a change of scenery, I feared what we were about to do.

Pursuing a wild dragon sounded dangerous. Especially one who had already made his disinterest clear.

Talon looked like a king in his armor and uniform, his cape billowing behind him in the gust of wind that came over the castle walls. His heavy sword was hooked across his broad back, and he looked as dark as the shadows that had just retreated from the sunrise. He approached Khazmuda then looked at me. He beckoned me with a slight nod.

I came to his side beside Khazmuda.

He extended his hand to help me climb the dragon’s flank.

I ignored the offer and climbed up myself, grabbing on to the rope that bound the saddle in place and scaling the mountain until I reached the top. The wind was harsher here, so cold it burned my skin.

Talon climbed up effortlessly then unhooked his blade from his back and slid it into a special compartment on the saddle where he could store his weapon and retrieve it easily. “Ready?”

“Yes.” My arms circled his waist, and I rested my cheek against his back. He was too tall for me to see over his shoulder, so I looked to the right, seeing the guards watching from the battlements.

I’ll be gentle, Pretty.

It’s okay. I can handle it.

I know. But Talon requests it, nonetheless.

Khazmuda opened his wings then launched into the sky. His powerful wings carried his heavy body toward the clouds, covering a vast distance in just a couple seconds.

I instinctively closed my eyes because my stomach dropped. My arms tightened on Talon’s core, and it felt as if I gripped a tree trunk rather than a person.

His arm instinctively moved over mine, and he squeezed my hand…as if to comfort me.

We leveled out a moment later, just below the puffy white clouds. The sunrise was distant and dim, the colors barely splashing the horizon. It was practically dark, most people still warm in their beds.

Once my center of gravity was level with the ground, I loosened my hold on Talon.

He removed his hand from mine.

“How long will it take to get there?”

“A couple hours.”

“Where are we going?”

“The Lonely Forest.”

I’d heard the name before, but I was not acquainted with it. “I think that’s the place with the dangerous marshes.”

“You’re right. You’ll need to be careful.”

“You? You mean we.”

“No, I mean you.”

He’d just made me feel warm with his touch, and now I felt slapped. “I can handle myself. Been doing it a long time.”

“And we both know I can handle you better.”

My anger seeped out of my pores. “Want me to shove you out of this saddle?”