Page 71 of The Dragon Queen
Another growl came forth from his mouth, but now it was a roar. He suddenly yanked his hand back.
I collapsed against the chair and gasped for breath, feeling the heat fade as well as the pain. But once it passed, I felt the same as I had before, like nothing had changed. Nothing had been taken from me.
The bowl remained empty.
I looked at him and waited for an explanation.
He gave me a furious look, his dark eyes matching the fire in the sconces.
I didn’t want him to try again. I didn’t want to feel that pain again.
But he remained where he stood. “Interesting.”
I wanted to know more, but I didn’t dare ask. Anything could set him off. A single question could turn into a precursor to torture.
“I can’t grasp your soul—because it’s attached to another.”
I inhaled a sharp breath, thinking of the mighty dragon with midnight-black scales and the biggest heart of anyone I’d ever known. Who believed in me when no one else did. Who saved my life when that dagger pierced my heart. I was dead and he was alive—but he still protected me.
“The bond between your souls is stronger than I anticipated. But it matters not. I’ll break it.”
A new pain swept over me, but it had nothing to do with the fire he put to my chest. It was the insurmountable pain caused only by something as strong as love. I wondered if Khazmuda felt the pull from Bahamut—and if he would know what had befallen me.
“No matter how many times it takes—I’ll break it.”
Chapter 17
Calista
When I arrived in Riviana Star, I ran to the royal chambers where Queen Eldinar lived with my uncle. When the guards blocked my entry, I demanded to see the queen right away, and after a few minutes of waiting, they escorted me into the grand hall.
Queen Eldinar was as refined as always, wearing a white gown with a wreath of flowers carefully woven into her air, looking like a dream of sunlight and spring. She rose from the head of the table when I entered. “I did not expect to see you so soon, Calista. And I can tell from your features that something troubles you deeply.”
My uncle was on the other side of the table, dressed in his casual attire like he had been relieved from duty after his service in the battle. He watched with a concerned gaze but held his silence.
“Khazmuda would come if he could, but the forest bars his visit.”
“What do you need, Calista?” Her dress had long sleeves and a train that reached the floor, brilliant white without a hint of astain. When war didn’t threaten her forest, it seemed like her only responsibility was to be as still and beautiful as a flower.
“I need your help.”
“Make your request, and I’ll grant it immediately.”
It was the first time I actually felt something besides despair. It wasn’t excitement or hope, but urgency, and that was better than endless sorrow. It was a reprieve for my heart and my mind. “Khazmuda and I decided to fuse, but when he tried to perform the magic, he couldn’t—because he remains fused with Talon.”
Her stare stayed sharp, his features focused. Instead of firing off with questions, she continued to listen like she expected more.
“Khazmuda says he can still feel him. He just feels really, really far away.”
Queen Eldinar brought her hands together at her waist, still as straight as the stem of a rose.
“He can’t explain it. Can you?”
She held my stare with no reaction. Didn’t even blink.
“Is it possible that he hasn’t passed on to the Realm of Caelum? Is it possible…” I knew it wasn’t possible, and I tried so hard not to feel hope in any capacity. “Is it possible that he’s still here?”
She said nothing.