Page 148 of Enchanted Crown
She flapped her wings out, as if glad to finally be able to stretch them.
“Wanna race?” I asked her.
You’re still injured. Wouldn’t want to embarrass you,she replied.
I hoped we still had ten or more years with this woman. Life was far more interesting with her in it.
“Shift back before you pass out in this form,” Esta urged her.
She did, and I was there to catch her, handing her the cane.
She patted me on the cheek. “I never thought I would shift again. Well done, Prince. Well done.”
CHAPTER 49
Most of the bonfire celebrations were loud, but Halikaara’s was above the rest. The wine and whiskey were only partially to blame. The location was in the same field as the first bonfire I had graced in Dra Skor. Yet it couldn’t be more different. For starters, the size of this fire was far bigger. I wasn’t even sure “fire” was an accurate word, some of the logs the size of trees in Wylan. But the differences were more than in just the size of the fire.
Everywhere I looked there were shifters taking to the sky. I saw some lion shifters wrestling at one point. There was dancing and laughing. While the ballroom was open tonight for refreshments, most of us were right here together near the fire. And it was cold, but the blazing fire was so large that it was manageable.
Dra Skor was healing. From both the poison of my father’s creation and the darkness from within.
Zaire shifted and let out a loud roar, signaling for everyone to calm down.
Per Dra Skor’s rich storytelling tradition, he and the hostageshad been giving the recount of what had happened that day in Esta’s lair, for all across Dra Skor to hear.
It felt like years ago Malachi had convinced me to share my own story at another such bonfire.
“Tonight we gather,” Zaire began. “To hear the story of how Dra Skor united to defy their traitor.”
I had heard this story retold six times already, but even now, seven times in, the story still burned me. It reminded me of the moment I saw my wife with a dagger to her throat. Those horrifying moments between when Avril arrived to tell me Morana was in Esta’s lair, knowing Esta was almost there, and knowing that I was more than thirty minutes away from helping her.
Zaire was right, though. I alone had not beat Morana. Esta alone had not beat Morana. It had taken numerous small steps, numerous things which had added up and given us the advantage. The largest of which had been my bond to Esta.
Dra Skor had joined with Wylan.
And then both of us, despite our hesitations in learning about the prophetic nature of Corsha’s Enchantment and all it entailed, had trusted Avril to help too.
When three of the countries’ Enchantments joined forces, it was then we were finally able to defeat Morana. I couldn’t help but wonder what the realm would look like if all five Enchantments ever had the opportunity to work together.
As if sensing my thoughts, Queen Relia came up beside me where I stood listening in to the story.
“It is a good night,” she told me. “I am so glad this vision came to fruition.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
She turned to better look me in the eyes. “For delivering your father’s poison?”
I gave my head a shake. “No. For sending us Avril. I might havebeen too late—” I had to cut off, the memory still too fresh to talk about in such a casual sense.
I felt Esta’s attention turn to me, as she must have picked up my emotions down the bond.I’m fine, just thanking Relia for letting us borrow Avril.
“It was the right thing to do,” Queen Relia said calmly. “And it was time to come out of hiding.” Without another word, she turned and gestured to a guard I remembered seeing in Corsha. On a small cart he had two barrels, containing what I assumed was the poison.
Two barrels. Yet all that pain and destruction they held.
I smiled at Queen Relia, relieved it was all over with.
“You could keep it you know,” she told me. “You could study how he created it. Learn how he did it. Duplicate the process.”
