Page 149 of A Forgery of Fate

And the God of the Seas, and ruler of the dragons, was no more.

Chapter Forty-Five

The winds receded, and the sky cleared. A gentle rain loosened from the clouds, washing out the flames of Gangsun.

Darkness ebbed away from the seas, and not far away, Caisan and the merfolk gasped to life, no longer stone. Queen Haidi, too, was changing. She staggered onto a rock, where, under the crimson glaze of dusk, her monstrous form melted away and she became a mermaid once more.

One by one, the Dragon King’s enchantments were coming undone.

All but Elang’s.

He was weaker than he’d let on. The light of his yellow eye was dim, and his tail had reverted to two human legs. It was his dragon side that healed faster, but he seemed unable to channel that strength to help the other.

He landed us on a fishing boat, a lone vessel plying its way through the rough currents. As we fell in a pile of tangled nets, a voice I’d recognize anywhere shouted:

“Truyan!”

I squinted.Mama?

Sure enough, it was Mama at the rudder navigating, Babaat her side holding a lantern. My sisters were there too, tending the wounds of merfolk who’d fought beside us.

Staggering to my feet, I helped Elang stand. His hand was cold, his pulse throbbing in his neck. Halfway up, he stopped. The color drained suddenly from his face, and his mouth rounded into the shape of my name,Tru—

I caught him in my arms just before he collapsed.

My family rushed to my side, helping me lay him on his back.

Nomi handed me Elang’s cloak. Her face was long. “Is he…dying?”

“Nomi,” said Mama, shaking her head. My mother, a busybody by nature, somehow understood better than anyone that Elang and I needed to be alone. She shooed my sisters to the other side of the boat, then set a lantern at my side. Wordlessly, she touched my cheek, then she left too.

I knelt beside Elang. He was breathing hard, but as I draped the cloak over him, a faint grin lifted the corners of his lips. “I think your mother likes me.”

“Only because you’re rich.”

“Not because of my good looks?” When he saw that I wasn’t smiling, the humor fled his face. He looked down at our hands. “It pleases me to see your family together again, Tru. Should they ever need anything, what is mine is yours. I leave the manor to you, and—”

“Stop it,” I interrupted. “I don’t want your manor, I don’t care about your three chests of jewels. Tell me what I need to do—to give you my heart.”

His eyes flew up to me.

“Don’t you look at me like that,” I said. “You told me once that I knew you better than anyone. Of course I figured out how to break your curse.”

“Tru.” The word was short, but Elang held it long on his lips. “You have a family that loves you, a father who has only just been returned to you.”

“You have a kingdom,” I countered. “An entire realm that relies on you and needs you. I’ll explain it to Mama and Baba and my sisters. They’ll—”

“Understand?” Elang let out a throaty laugh.

I gritted my teeth. Only Elang, while mortally wounded, could find a way to vex me like this. “Stop being dramatic. It’s my choice.”

“It’s a poor choice. If it’s Yonsar that concerns you, General Caisan will safeguard it when I’m gone. The Dragon King’s heir will honor this—”

I clamped my hand over his mouth. “You talk too much. Now hush.” My tone was fierce. “I give you my heart, Elang. I end your curse by giving you my heart.”

It was magic, what those words unlocked. They thundered inside me, releasing a fierce heat that I had never felt before. Light poured forth from my chest, spinning into the shape of a glittering white pearl. The same that I’d seen in my dream.

I cupped my hands, bringing the pearl into my palms. Its light was connected to my heart by one bright thread, not unlike the one I wore around my wrist. All I had to do was sever that thread, and Elang would live.

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