Page 45 of The Dragon King
But he continued to sit there.
I released the flap and sighed as I crawled back into bed, cold on the hard ground, lonely without the man who gave me peace and butterflies that felt like fire-breathing dragons at the same time. I closed my eyes and tried to relax.
He opened the flap and entered the tent.
Relief washed over me at the sight of him, like he’d just rescued me from an untimely death.
He removed his armor and cape, placed his sword on the ground next to the bedroll, and in only his trousers, he got into the bedroll with me.
The second he was close, I moved into his chest and held him. My legs tucked between his, and I felt the warmth from his body immediately thaw my body and the bedroll that surrounded us.
I felt more tired than I ever had.
His lips rested against my hairline, and he lay still, his heartbeat gradually starting to slow down.
I listened to it like a lullaby and fell asleep.
When I woke up again, it was still dark outside. The campfire burned.
I wasn’t sure if I’d been asleep for just a few minutes…or if it was a new day. When I reached for Talon beside me, he was gone, so I assumed sunrise was close. I sat up and groaned, dead tired and wanting to go back to sleep. I noticed the sounds from the campsite as everyone else packed, and I assumed that was what had woken me up.
The flap opened, and Talon appeared on one knee, wearing his armor and his cape. “Time to move.”
“It’s not even light out.”
“The sooner we get there, the sooner this is over.”
“That doesn’t help me at all right now.”
He smirked then grabbed my clothes before he handed them to me. “You can sleep on the way.”
“On a horse?” I asked incredulously.
“Come on, baby,” he said. “You know I’d never let you fall.”
We traveled that way for three days. Our nights were spent camping out in the open, and our mornings were spent in the dark. The horses rode the entire way, covering dozens of leagues every single day, but the trek was so long it took an eternity to getthere. When we were close to the coast, I could feel the change in the air, the scent of salt and water, feel the drop in temperature as the world became cooler.
There were no dragons to spot, so I knew this wasn’t the end of our journey.
It was nearly sunset when we arrived, the waves along the shore a crystal blue in the light. The wind was a lot stronger this close to the sea, and I could feel it flap through my hair. We seemed to have reached the end of the world without recourse.
Talon said nothing, just waited for Queen Eldinar to explain the next part of the plan.
The elves disbanded and moved to the shoreline, and from locations hidden in the grasslands and near rocks, they pulled out rowboats that could fit twelve men. They placed them on the sand with the oars.
I looked at the tiny little boats then out to the vast horizon over the sea. “I don’t like this…”
Talon continued to hold his silence as he stared at the queen’s back, waiting for her to finish conferring with her men. His cape danced in the wind, but he remained still as a statue. Khazmuda kept his distance so he wouldn’t trample on anyone accidentally.
The queen turned away from my uncle and approached us. “Now, we sail.”
Talon glanced at the boats before he looked at her again. “Calista and I will ride Khazmuda above.”
“Khazmuda will have to wait here.” She looked past Talon to the dragon that sat on the grass. “As much as we’d like to welcome you, there’s simply no room where we’re going. Our journey isbrief, just around the corner to the cliff at the edge.” She turned to face the mountainous cliffside to our left, the terrain steep. “Our harbor is concealed from land within the rock. Our galleons and supplies are stored there. The only way to reach it is by rowboat. Once we set sail, you can notify Khazmuda so he can fly as we sail.”
Now that Talon knew the plan, he was more agreeable. “Then let’s go.”
The horses were left with a few guards who would await our return, and the rest piled into the boats before we pushed off into the water. Everyone grabbed an oar and paddled against the waves, water splashing all over us, until we reached the calm sea.