Page 60 of Realms of Swords and Storms
Sirrax clasped Tarshi's forearm. "We are kin," he said solemnly. "Talfen. Brothers."
Tarshi frowned. “Brothers?”
Sirrax looked over at me, and a smile curved his mouth. “Brother mates. When you bond her.”
Tarshi stared, his mind clearly struggling to catch up. “Bond her?” he repeated, his voice raspy. He looked from Sirrax’s serene, smiling face to my own, which I was certain was flaming red. “What are you talking about?”
“He means…” I started, then stopped, unsure how to explain a primal, soul-deep connection that I barely understood myself. “It’s complicated, Tarshi. Talfen customs are… different.”
“She is mate,” Sirrax explained, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. He pointed a long, elegant finger first at his own chest, then at Tarshi’s. “You. Me. We are her mates. Must bond. To be whole. To be strong.”
Sirrax looked between us, his golden eyes patient, as if explaining something obvious to a child. "She is alpha," he said, his gaze settling on me with a weight that was both a burden and a crown. "Strong. Can hold more than one bond. You are mate," he said, nodding to Tarshi. "I am mate. The bond will make us strong. It will make her stronger."
The words hung in the hay-scented air, heavier than any stone. Mate. It wasn't a term of simple affection; it was a statement of profound, primal connection.
Tarshi looked at me. “That feeling, that pull between us from the start. That was why?”
I nodded, unsure of how he would take yet another revelation, but he smiled and his whole face lit up as he pulled me into his arms. “I knew it. I knew there was more between us that lust. Than even love. We were meant to be together.”
I leaned into his embrace, my head resting against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I knew it too,” I whispered, relief and love making my voice thick. “From the moment I saw you in the arena.”
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes searching mine, the last vestiges of fear replaced by a dawning, brilliant hope. “So this bonding,” he asked, glancing at Sirrax, who watched us with placid approval. “What does it mean? What do we do?”
Sirrax’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. He gestured between Tarshi and me, then to his own chest. "Join. Bite. Claim her. Heart. Soul. Body. All become one. Share strength. Share pain. Share life." His golden eyes flickered with a heat that was both ancient and immediate. "It is the deepest joining. The final trust."
The intensity in his golden gaze was profound, hinting at things I couldn't yet comprehend. But the practicalities of our situation began to reassert themselves. The chill of the stables,the throbbing pain I knew Tarshi must be feeling in his leg, the ever-present danger of discovery.
“We can talk more later,” I said, gently pulling away from Tarshi. “Right now, we need to get you back before a patrol finds us. You can barely stand.”
Tarshi nodded, though the pain in his leg seemed a distant concern to him now. He turned to Sirrax, a look of profound respect and gratitude on his face. “Thank you… brother.”
Sirrax clasped his forearm once more. “Rest. Heal. Then, we train.”
As I watched them—these two men who meant so much to me—I felt a surge of hope stronger than anything I'd experienced since joining the resistance. If Tarshi could master his abilities, if more Talfen could be made aware of their true nature...
The Empire's greatest weapons could become its greatest vulnerability.
Sirrax released Tarshi's arm and stepped back. "Dawn approaches," he said. "You should return to your quarters before your absence is noticed."
Tarshi nodded, rising carefully to his feet. I moved to support him, but he stood straighter than before, as if the knowledge he'd gained had somehow lightened the burden he carried.
As we prepared to leave, Sirrax shifted back to his dragon form, the transformation smooth and elegant, nothing like the painful, partial shifts Tarshi had been experiencing. Once again, a massive black dragon stood before us, golden eyes gleaming with intelligence that I now recognized could never belong to a mere beast.
Bring again when stronger,Sirrax's voice sounded in my mind.Much to learn.
I nodded my understanding, then guided Tarshi from the enclosure. As we made our way back through the darkened academy, I could feel the change in him—not a physicaltransformation, but a shift in his very being. The self-loathing had been replaced by something like wonder, the fear by cautious hope.
"Are you alright?" I asked softly as we paused in a shadow, waiting for a patrol to pass.
He looked down at me, his eyes reflecting the faint light from a distant torch. "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "Everything I thought I knew about myself has just been... upended. It's a lot to process."
"Do you regret learning the truth?"
He considered the question carefully before answering. "No," he said finally. "Living in fear of what I was becoming was worse than any truth could be. And if what Sirrax says is true—if I can learn to control this, to use it..." He trailed off, his expression turning thoughtful. "The possibilities are... staggering."
I nodded, understanding all too well. I'd had the same reaction when I'd first learned what dragons truly were, when I'd realized the implications for the resistance, for the future of the Empire itself.
"One thing at a time," I cautioned. "First, you need to heal. Then you can begin training with Sirrax."
