Page 56 of The Dragon Queen
I looked to see Macabre leaning over Inferno, nudging him slightly with his snout to turn him into a different position. A drop of water in his eye the size of a pond dripped down his snout and landed on Inferno’s bloody scales.
I looked at Talon again. “Did you kill him?”
Talon stared at me, so much emotion in the stare.
I waited for him to answer.
He dropped his chin and broke our connection. “No.”
“What…?” I wanted to ask what had happened, but in those few seconds, I understood. He left the fight that mattered most to come to me. Inferno must have asked Khazmuda for help, and in that moment, Talon had to make a decision. Guilt flooded my body until it drowned me, but I was also touched that he’d chosen me over what mattered to him the most. “Go, Talon.” I pushed myself up.
He grabbed my arm and helped me to a stance.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Calista, you’re injured?—”
“You said I would be fine,” I said. “Come on, let’s go. I want to see you win.”
Talon hesitated, his eyes shifting back and forth between mine.
“Khazmuda,” I called to him. “Take us back to the castle.”
Khazmuda left Inferno’s side and came close, his eyes on Talon as they had a silent conversation.
Queen Eldinar approached our conversation. “Macabre says he’ll stay with Inferno.”
I stared at Talon. “We need to hurry.”
“General Ezra and his men are almost at the castle,” Queen Eldinar said. “Most of the dark elves have been slain. Most of the dragons have been freed, and only a few corrupted remain. I’mnever one to assume a victory, but I believe the Southern Isles is now ours. The final loose end is King Barron and his kin.”
Talon continued to stare at me, his breathing elevated.
“I’ll stay with her,” Queen Eldinar said to Talon. “A medic will be with my husband. I’ll patch her up when we meet.”
He continued his heavy stretch of silence, his breathing elevated.
Another dragon landed in the clearing with us, a dragon without a rider. It was the first dragon I’d saved, the one whose name I didn’t know.
Macabre’s voice was loud in my mind.Xavier has offered to take you.
Talon seemed too overwhelmed for words, wanting to shut down this plan but unable to do so. He finally looked me in the eye. “Calista, I need to do this?—”
“I know, so let’s go.”
“I can’t worry about you. Do you understand me?” His hard eyes narrowed on my face. “I need to see this through till the end. You should stay here with Macabre and Inferno, out of harm’s way, but if you want to be there…I won’t stop you.” A warning was in his stare, an intense expression of both fear and dread, like he wanted me there…but he also didn’t.
“I’ve made my choice—to be with you.”
His eyes suddenly had a shine to them, a buildup of emotion that didn’t escape as tears, just unspent feeling. His internal suffering exuded from his entire body, a catharsis of pain and rage. He blinked and then turned away, heading to where Khazmuda waited for him. He climbed into the saddle, and then Khazmudatook off, launching into the night and heading back to the castle to finish what he’d started.
Queen Eldinar watched him fly before she looked at me. “The end is nigh…”
Chapter 12
Talon
We flew back to the castle at the top of the cliff, Khazmuda flying with the greatest speed he’d ever shown. It felt like we were flying directly toward the heavens and gravity pulled hard on my body, but now it was just the speed of the wind from the momentum of his wings.