Page 64 of The Dragon Queen

I can’t speak to him. I push my mind to his, but there’s nothing there.

But he has the gift. You should still be able to speak with him whether you’re fused or not.

Exactly.

Terror descended upon my shoulders and gnawed at my stomach. Fear latched on to every organ and squeezed.

Which means he’s gone.

It was almost dawn, the sky slowly turning from blue to purple, the stars becoming masked by the light. I moved toward the courtyard to begin my search. Perhaps he was there or in the castle.What does that mean, Khazmuda?

He wouldn’t break our fuse voluntarily, not when it would age him by decades. That means…it was involuntary.

I slowed my pace, unfathomable pain on my shoulders, not wanting to understand his words.

I awoke to a sudden burst of pain. A pain that burned white-hot then disappeared on the wind. It must have come from him.

I looked up and saw Khazmuda fly overhead, rising above the edge of the cliff because he’d slept alone since there wasn’t enough room near the castle.You’re scaring me…

I’m scared too, Calista.

I arrived at the courtyard and searched for his black armor and elegant cape. I expected him to stand before the stakes that had burned his enemies, but he was nowhere in sight. “Talon!” I scanned the area then looked at the front doors to the castle, which were closed without guards posted outside.

I stepped around the stakes and moved to the main path—and then halted.

Upon the ground, he lay on his back, his arms sprawled out around him like he’d fallen without trying to catch himself. Blood dripped to the stone from where he’d struck his head. His eyes were closed as if he’d fallen asleep, but his chest didn’t rise as he drew breath.

I sucked in a harsh breath as I immediately burst into tears. But I remained stuck in place as the shock immobilized me. It felt like a bad dream, the kind that would make me jerk awake and reach for him, but the dream never faded. The nightmare continued with no end in sight.

“Talon…” When I accepted the sight before me, I rushed to him and dropped to my knees. One hand went to his chest, while the other went to his neck, searching for a pulse, hoping I would feel his chest rise with his next breath.

But he was cold to the touch…like he’d been there a while.

Tears poured down my face as the horror sank into my flesh. I gasped for breath then let out a shriek of grief. “No!” I gave him a hard shake, like that would somehow undo whatever evil had happened here. “Talon!”

The ground trembled when Khazmuda landed beside me. His head immediately dropped down, and his snout grazed against Talon’s cheek. He gave Talon’s body a shake before he looked at his closed eyes, as if that would wake him up.

“I don’t understand…”

I sat there and panted in anguish, crying and screeching, not knowing what to do except writhe in indescribable pain. I knew the truth because it looked me right in the face, but I refused to accept the unacceptable.

Khazmuda stilled as he looked down at Talon, looking at his white-as-snow face. Then a giant tear streaked down his snout and splattered on Talon’s chest plate before it ran down his sides like rain.

“It’s dented …” I pressed my hand to his chest and felt the way the dragon armor had been caved in. Pieces were also melted, like a white-hot fire had been pressed directly against it.

Khazmuda remained, more tears splashing onto Talon and soaking into his cape and clothing. He breathed harder, unusual noises coming from his snout, and that was when I knew he was crying.

“I—I don’t understand,” I said through my tears. “What happened?”

Khazmuda trembled as he cried, quietly shrieking like a hurt dog as his tears splashed over Talon. He dipped his head and let it rest against Talon, eyes closed as more tears broke through his closed rids and soaked Talon’s clothing.

I panted until I lost breath, the horror of reality too much for my broken heart to bear. “I—I don’t understand.” I didn’t know what else to say, didn’t know why I continued to speak at all, wasn’t even aware of what I was saying. Someone had slain Talon…and it looked like he didn’t even put up a fight.

Khazmuda pulled his head back then released an anguished roar, different from his battle cries and expressions of rage. It was a cry of agony, so loud it made my ears ring. “Rooooooaaaaaarrrrrrr!”

“No…” My hand went to Talon’s heart, praying that it would beat again, that this wasn’t real…that it couldn’t be real.

Everything was a blur from that moment on. Others came to see the spectacle, and Queen Eldinar and Uncle Ezra examined Talon’s body and made the same conclusion—that he was really gone.