Page 102 of The Dragon King
I KNOW. THAT’S WHAT MAKES YOU SPECIAL, CALISTA.
“I’ll never be as special as you,” I said. “Talon and I are leaving for Shadow Stone so he can prepare his army for departure. Would you like to join us or remain with the dragons and elves?”
I’LL COME WITH YOU. FROM THIS POINT ONWARD, WE SHOULD STAY TOGETHER.
“Okay. Maybe Talon can help me build a saddle. It’s kinda hard to ride you without anything to grab on to.”
I DON’T CARE TO BE SADDLED LIKE A HORSE, BUT I CAN’T REFUTE YOUR POINT. IT’S DANGEROUS FOR YOU TO RIDE ME, ESPECIALLY IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE.
“Then it’s okay if I ride on Khazmuda on the way?”
IT’S PROBABLY FOR THE BEST.
“Alright. Then let’s prepare to leave.”
Chapter 19
Talon
With Calista in front of me on Khazmuda’s saddle, we left Riviana Star and soared over the mountains, Inferno’s red scales following behind us like a blazing ball of fire. On foot through the trails and mountains, the journey would take a week. But on the back of a dragon, it took merely a day.
The castle was visible even at a distance, the ocean stretching out behind it, the spires reaching high into the sky from atop the towers. It was made of dark stone, the same color as a headstone, so it never looked nor felt like home. Our keep was made of limestone, so it had a hint of brown, a far warmer color from a climate that could be humid in the summertime and absorb less heat. But it was still a beautiful castle, nonetheless.
We landed on the ramparts and dismounted Khazmuda, the weather a bit cooler than it’d been near the lush forest.
I will take Inferno to hunt. We’re both hungry.
Return when you’re finished. My blacksmith needs his measurements to construct his saddle.
Khazmuda flew off and joined Inferno, both of their scales beautiful in the setting sun.
Calista watched them go with a hint of a smile on her face. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”
I’d seen Khazmuda fly through the air countless times, so my eyes stayed on her face, far more intrigued by her high cheekbones, full lips with the curve of a bow, and eyes that sparkled like a set of jewels. I knew I could look at her forever, would give my soul to have this moment for eternity. “Yeah.”
When they were far in the distance, she looked at me again.
I wasn’t sure why I did it, but my eyes flicked away like I hadn’t been staring. My chest caved in, and my pain was squeezed from my heart like water from a wet towel. With every passing day, I ventured closer to the last place I wanted to be…and I couldn’t stop it.
She scanned my bedchambers as she walked inside, studying the armchairs in front of the fireplace, desk in the corner, and the four-poster bed through the open doorway. She stopped and looked at it, probably remembering the night I’d fucked her then sat in the armchair while she slept.
She looked at the bed then the armchair. “Haven’t been here in a long time.”
“Neither have I.” My bed had been full of whores and one-night stands these last decades. Now, it belonged to a single woman. The sheets smelled like her, and I didn’t want her to leave.Walking into this bedroom felt like a step into the past, a time when I was a different man…and she was a different woman.
I removed my sword from my back and leaned it against the wall before I started the fire in the hearth. It wasn’t winter anymore, but it was still too cold for Calista, judging by the bumps I noticed on her arms.
“Now what?” she asked.
“I’ll prepare my men to set sail in the morning. It’ll take a few days for my blacksmith to make Inferno’s saddle. Then we’ll be off, sailing to the south where the hideout is located.”
“You’re certain we’ll be welcome among the pirates?”
I had no doubt. “Yes.”
“You have a lot of faith in men who steal for a living.”
Captain Blackstorm had become more than a superior, a friend instead. He might be disgruntled by the sheer volume of people I brought to his shores, but he would accept them and offer his hospitality. “I have a lot of faith in the men I knew.”