Page 34 of The Dragon Queen
I felt closer to him than I ever had…but also further apart.
On our last night on the ship, we sat together at the small table with two chairs. Talon had spent most of his time drinking the rum and scotch in the storage bins, and he continued that now, a drunk glaze over his expression.
Even with no light behind his eyes, even when he looked only a couple feet from rock bottom, he was still the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Whether he was angry or happy, on a high or at the lowest low, something about him remained irresistible.
But I couldn’t enjoy him the way I wanted, not when his depression acted as a barrier between our souls. It hurt to see him hurt, but there was no gesture of affection that could ever make that stop. “Based on the way Jairo and Kael spoke, they don’t seem enamored with their father.”
His eyes remained on the empty glass he clutched in his hand. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“I’d say their loyalty could be swayed, even.”
He lifted his chin to look at me.
“I can’t describe it, but the family dynamic between them was…empty. His wife didn’t say a word the entire time. Didn’t even look at anyone. Seemed like she didn’t want to be there—or even be alive, for that matter.”
He continued to watch me, his eyes heavy in their sadness.
“And Barron didn’t really seem to care about them either. When he argued with his sons, there was no affection behind it. Whenever my father punished me for being a brat, there was still love there. But with him, it’s indifference. He did so many horrible things to be king, and now he doesn’t even seem happy.”
“And you’d think all of that would please me, but it doesn’t.” His eyes dropped down to his glass again. “It just makes everything in vain. My father died in vain. The dragons have been enslaved this entire time…for fucking nothing. I’m sure he’ll never admit that to anyone who’s close to him, but it’s all just a waste. He wanted the glorious kingdom that my father had, wanted the love everyone gave our family, and instead of all those beautiful things, he inherited a dead realm.”
I gave a slight nod in agreement. “It must suck to get what you’ve wanted for so long…and it’s a disappointment.”
“If he defeats us and gives Astaroth what he wants, he will have what he’s always wanted.”
“There’s no way in hell that’s going to happen. We’ll arrive with our army of dragons and soldiers and defeat him swiftly.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, Calista.”
“I know we’ll prevail.”
“Even if his kingdom is on the brink of starvation, he still has an army of dragons that outnumbers ours. He still has an army of dark elves, the number of which we don’t know. He still has his army, which, from what I can tell, is still substantial. I want this as much as you do, but wanting it and hoping for it simply isn’tenough. We need to go into this battle like our chance to succeed is slim to none.”
I watched him, seeing his hollow cheeks and eyes. “Then let’s come up with a plan—a good one.”
Chapter 6
Talon
We returned to the Hideaway and docked our galleon. We’d been gone over two weeks, and in that time, everything looked the same. The elves hadn’t turned on the pirates, and the pirates hadn’t turned on the humans. Ethan was the only captain I trusted to keep the peace among the different races.
We left the ship and walked down the dock with our bags over our shoulders, and before we even made it to the beach, Queen Eldinar and General Ezra appeared to receive the news. When Ethan spotted us from his hut, he came out to join us.
Queen Eldinar was as refined and poised as ever, her hands together at her waist, her long hair combed back, her dress having an impressive cape. Wherever she was, her husband was right behind her, sizing everyone up as an opponent. “I know you must be weary from your travels. Under different circumstances, I would give you days to recuperate before asking anything of you. But I need to know what you discovered on your journey.”
I was dead tired, physically and emotionally. Just when I’d thought I couldn’t hurt any more, another knife broke throughthe scar tissue and made me bleed. “I understand. Let us drop off our things, and we’ll meet you in your chambers.”
She gave a nod in understanding.
When I passed them, Ethan reached his hand to my shoulder and gave me a squeeze.
I gave him a nod as well and continued forward with Calista beside me. We dropped off our belongings in the small hut we shared, changed out of the clothes we’d worn out to sea for days, had a drink of water or, in my case, scotch.
We walked to Queen Eldinar’s chambers and entered the large space. Ethan was already seated at the dining table with the queen at the head, and the tension between them was thicker than the humidity on the island.
General Ezra didn’t take his eyes off Ethan.
Calista and I took our seats, and we’d been off the boat for such a short amount of time that I could still feel the waves under my feet. I sank into the chair, sitting truly still for the first time in weeks. The entire time Calista was in the castle, I was worried sick. The anxiety was constant. The dread was all-consuming. The breaths were labored but soon came easy like the tide had receded after a storm.