Page 54 of The Dragon King
I stepped between them and looked across the calm ocean to the island that was still too far away to make out. My hand shaded my eyes from the light so I could see better, but even then, the details of the land were unknown. “I can’t wait to see Inferno again. I’ve missed him.”
“Judging by the wind speed, we’ll be there tomorrow morning,” Talon said. “Would have been there much sooner if that storm hadn’t assaulted us.” He looked at me. “I hope you didn’t get sick. Sailing isn’t for everyone.”
“I felt a little unwell, but it passed.” I looked up to Khazmuda in the sky, who continued to glide above our boat.I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling right now.
I feel it in my heart—and I still can’t describe it.
You don’t have to wait for us, Khazmuda.
Talon and I have worked toward this for a long time. I want to share this with him.
“Khazmuda wants to wait for us.”
“I know,” Talon said. “He has more patience than I thought.” He looked up at his dragon overhead, a slight smile on his lips.
Queen Eldinar regarded Talon with a look of affection, a look she continued to give him after he’d saved her people and their forest. “It’s not patience that steadies his wings—but loyalty.”
His eyes remained on Khazmuda, and then, slowly, the smile started to fade and he addressed the queen. “How will we proceed, Your Majesty?”
“Khazmuda is welcome to visit with his kin. And I’m sure Inferno will be pleased by your arrival, Calista. Macabre is the leader of their society. A mighty dragon with intelligence as fierce as his talons. He is ferocious but, after earning his trust, very kind. He’s the one you’ll need to convince.”
“Can’t I speak to each dragon individually?” Talon asked.
“You can pursue this endeavor however you wish,” Queen Eldinar said. “But Macabre is a proud dragon, and if you pursue this without his support, you’ll be climbing an endless hill.”
“He sounds like a dictator,” Talon said coldly.
“He’s very protective of his kin,” Queen Eldinar said. “He considers the well-being of each dragon his personal responsibility. Despite everything we did to protect their kind, it took a long time for him to trust us. He was suspicious of us for years, waiting for us to show our true colors hidden by our false kindness. Try to remember that his distrust is valid, because many of their kind were killed in the Great War long ago. Neither of you lived at the time and neither did your recent ancestors, but Macabre and I remember it well. It’s men he trusts the least.”
Talon released a heavy sigh. “It sounds like protecting Riviana Star and sailing to Thalian was the easy part.”
“Do you think we’ll succeed?” I asked Queen Eldinar.
“A difficult question to answer,” she said. “If you’d asked me this same question a few weeks ago, I would have told you we wouldn’t stand where we stand now. I would have told you that the Death King would never be my ally. I would have told you this moment never would have come to pass. But we are in sight of the secret lands where the dragons reside. I don’t think it’s likely you’ll convince Macabre to leave the safety of this place and fight for you, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”
I looked at Talon.
With eyes full of defeat, he looked at me.
“Perhaps Inferno will be of help. He’s been there a while.”
“Perhaps,” he said solemnly.
“And we know Macabre will like Khazmuda.”
“I’m not sure what he’ll think,” Talon said. “Might regard Khazmuda as an outsider.”
Queen Eldinar looked at the horizon once more before she silently excused herself and left the bow of the ship.
Talon ran his fingers through his hair as his squinted eyes looked at the blue horizon.
“You must be tired.”
“It was a long night.”
“I missed you.” With every passing day, I grew more attached, and I didn’t try to fight it. I let my heart beat on my sleeve. Let my eyes say the words that my mouth was too afraid to speak. I didn’t just look at him, but stared deeply into his soul.
He slowly turned back to me, his eyes suddenly sad. “I missed you too.”