Page 64 of Queen of the Cursed Egg
There’s more than the six we see. It looks like a dozen more are searching the town, their dark robes standing out against the colorful buildings like ink stains on fine cloth. ‘There’s at least a dozen more searching the buildings,’I practically scream down the bond, the panic making my mental voice shrill. Four wasn’t horrible to handle with four dragons. Eighteen mages and only three dragons—these odds are horrible, the reality of our situation making my heart rate triple.
Before I can yell for us to retreat, I hear the click of Klauth’s ignitor, the sound unnaturally loud in the tense silence, and a torrent of flames rushes down the street. It’s like a tsunami of fire flowing like a river of magma. The heat is so intense it reaches me even at this height, drying the air in my lungs. The roar of the flames drowns out all other sounds, a primal force of destruction unleashed. I look at my mate and his eyes scare me, glowing with an inner fire that matches the inferno he’s creating. He’s lost to his rage; his dragon is in the driver’s seat, all humanity subsumed beneath the ancient predator’s wrath.
Within seconds, Klauth is in the air, raining down fire upon anything that moves, his massive form silhouetted against flames that reach higher than the tallest buildings. I watch in horror as his rampagehits extinction level. The smell of burning flesh and wood and stone filling the air, black smoke beginning to obscure the sun. The screams of the dying rise, a cacophony of agony that will haunt my nightmares.
Thauglor’s dragon lands on the mountain face next to me, clinging to the stone, his massive form dwarfing mine despite my own impressive size. I drop my camouflage and nuzzle his drake, trying not to watch what Klauth is doing, the texture of Thauglor’s scales rough against mine, yet somehow comforting.‘I’m scared,’I whisper through the bond, the admission costing me. I’ve never seen him this mad. I mean, the books spoke of a temper that made the idea of hell look like a vacation, but witnessing it firsthand is another thing entirely. The world is burning, and there’s no sign of Klauth stopping, the flames reflecting on my mate’s scales, turning him into a creature of living fire.
‘We need to climb higher, my precious treasure,’Thauglor turns and leads the way up the cliff face, his movement more fluid than mine despite his greater size, scales rasping against stone with each upward surge.
My head is on a swivel, watching most of the countryside on fire, the heat making the air shimmer, smoke beginning to irritate my sensitive nostrils.‘What set him off?’There was nothing I could see that should have made him so angry, no trigger apparent to my eyes.
‘Gem dragons live over one of the biggest deposits of quartz on the continent,’ the sadness in Thauglor’s voice tells me everything I need to know, the words dropping like stones into the pit of my stomach. The gem dragons told the mages we were here, betrayal bitter as bile in my throat.
‘My nest!’I yell through the bond as I look towards where we live, panic making my wings tremble, my grip on the cliff face precarious.
Thauglor extends a wing out, the membrane casting a shadow over me that offers momentary relief from the heat rising from below. I move closer to him, still holding onto the cliff face, my talons sinking deep into the stone for security. He rests his wing over me, and I draw in the first steady breath since the revelation, his familiar scent helping to center me despite the chaos below.‘Your nest also has obsidian in it; we’re safe for now,’he reassures me, though the tension in his mental voice belies his confidence.
Klauth feels miles away, the rage in his chest burning as hot as I would imagine the sun to be, our bond strained but not broken by the distance and his emotional state.‘He went to end the threat,’I slide my maw under Thauglor’s, seeking comfort, the scales beneath his chin smoother than the rest, almost silken against mine. I’m scared for my mate. I’m scared for my hatchlings and the hatchlings of my flight. Lily and Abraxis are halfway home, so there’s that comfort that they are nowhere near here, the thought the only bright spot in a world suddenly gone dark.
‘Yes, and he made me promise not to leave your side for anything, including him,’ I can feel the tension in Thauglor’s body, a coiled readiness that vibrates through his form where we touch. He wants to fight beside his best friend; the desire is palpable, a living thing between us.
‘What if he doesn’t...?’I can’t bring myself to finish the question, the words sticking in my throat like thorns. My mate is out there fighting one of dragon kind’s greatest enemies, and he won’t let his best friend join him, the sacrifice almost too much to bear.
‘Line of succession happens—me, then Abraxis, then Lily, then Balor, unless you and I have a child,’his voice wavers in my mind, and I feel the emotions threatening to surface, his mental touch trembling with suppressed grief.
‘Go to him. Please don’t let him fight alone. I promise I’ll head straight back to our flight,’my dragoness’s song turns mournful when I rub mymaw under his, begging for him to go help Klauth, the physical contact more eloquent than words.
‘Straight back to the flight. No detours, Mina. I’m not joking. I can’t focus if I’m worried about where you are,’he commands, the authority in his tone brooking no argument. No sooner are the words out of his mouth than he climbs to the cliff top, his massive form moving with surprising grace despite his size. I watch his drake haul itself over the ridge, talons gouging deep furrows in the stone that will remain for centuries, a testament to this moment.
I decide to follow him, pulling myself upward with muscles that scream in protest, the strain making my limbs tremble. When I reach the top, Thauglor is standing there in his human form, his clothing partially burned away, revealing skin marked with old scars and new wounds. I shift as soon as all four feet hit the soil; the transformation sending waves of pain through my body that somehow feel right in this moment of crisis. Without hesitation, I run to him and leap into his arms, the impact nearly knocking him backward despite his strength.
I kiss him hard, pouring all of my love for him into this single moment, tasting the smoke and ash on his lips, feeling the desperation in his response. His muscular arms band around me, crushing me to his chest, the heartbeat beneath my palm frantic and strong. Our hearts pound in time with each other as if this is the last time we’ll get to hold each other. The possibility is too terrible to contemplate but impossible to ignore.
The kiss ends far too soon, and he presses his lips to my forehead, the touch gentle despite the violence that surrounds us. His wings wrap around me, creating a shelter from the chaos, their leathery texture familiar against my skin. “My heart beats only for you,” he whispers against my lips, his breath warm and carrying the scent of smoke and something uniquely him. “Promise me you’ll fly straight home.” His hands cup my cheeks, thumbs brushing away tears I hadn’trealized I was shedding. I stare into his storm-filled sapphire eyes, seeing the fear and love and determination swirling there like currents in a deep sea.
“I promise. Please come back to me. Bring Klauth home. Both of you are loved so very much,” my voice cracks as tears flow freely down my cheeks, hot and salty, a sob escaping my lips that seems torn from the depths of my soul.
His eyebrow shoots up, the familiar expression almost comical in this dire moment, knowing full well I never make noise when I cry, years of training ensuring my tears fall silently. But for him, I did, the sound of my grief a gift only he could fully appreciate. “I promise to do my best. But, in the event Klauth falls, I am coming home to you. You will not lose two mates in one battle,” he vows, his voice rough with emotion that he rarely displays.
I nod slowly, knowing full well that Klauth is consumed by rage and vengeance and not thinking straight. The bond between us is stretched thin by his emotional state. I kiss Thauglor once more, memorizing the taste of him, the feel of his lips against mine, before he backs up, each step creating a distance that feels like physical pain. “I love you, my eternal,” I say, the endearment falling from my lips without thought. His steps falter, and I realize what I’ve said. To be called a dragon’s eternal is higher than a treasure, a declaration of devotion that transcends even death.
Several tears roll down his cheeks, cutting tracks through the soot and dust that cover his face, and I see the conflict in his eyes, love warring with duty, fear with courage. “I love you, my eternal treasure,” he replies, his voice thick with emotion. He raises his fist over his chest and bangs it over his heart, the ancient salute of dragon warriors going into battle, before he dives off the cliff and shifts during free fall. The transformation accompanied by the sound of bones cracking and reforming, skin giving way to scales in a cascade of change that never ceases to awe me.
I watch him fly off to parts unknown, into a battle that he doesn’t know what he’s going to face. His wings powerful strokes against the smoke-filled sky, becoming smaller with each beat until he’s just a dark speck against the inferno below. Slowly, I walk to the edge of the cliff and stare down; the heat rising from the burning town below making the air shimmer, the smell of destruction thick in my nostrils. I promised him I would head straight home; the vow sitting heavy in my chest alongside my heart.
My dragoness wants to fight me, to head into battle with our mates, her presence restless beneath my skin, scales threatening to erupt with each surge of her will. Gently, I remind her of our hatchlings, that they need their mother, the image of Lily’s innocent face enough to calm her momentarily. Eventually, she relents, and I shift, the pain of transformation welcome as it takes my mind off the greater agony of leaving my mates behind. I start the long journey home, wings spreading wide to catch the thermal that rises from the burning town, using the heat of destruction to lift me higher into the sky.
Every beat of my wings, I remind myself I promised Thauglor to go home, the rhythm of flight a mantra that keeps me moving forward when every instinct screams to turn back. Part of me feels like I am betraying him and Klauth by running back to the nest, to safety, shame bitter in my throat. But Thauglor is right; he’ll check the bond to see where I am. He’ll worry if he senses me anywhere other than in my nest. To keep him safe, I need to keep me safe, which means I need to head home as fast as my wings can carry me.
Time to see exactly how fast I can move. The earth below me becomes a blur of green and brown, wind rushing past my scales with increasing force as I push myself harder. I can see a slight glow upon my scales, electric blue light dancing along the edges, illuminating the surrounding air. There’s the lightning the guys spoke of, the manifestation of my power responding to my desperate need for speed. One thought vexes me, repeating with each beat of my wings, with each mile that passes beneath me.
I need to move faster for Thauglor’s sake... The bond stretches thin between us as the distance grows, but I cling to it like a lifeline, that tenuous connection my only assurance that somewhere behind me, my mates still live, still fight. And so I fly, pushing against the limits of flesh and bone and scale, racing against time and fate toward the sanctuary of my home, leaving my heart behind on a burning battlefield.
CHAPTER 44
Callan
Mina is a maelstrom of emotion,and I don’t know how to process it. The bond between us pulses with her turmoil, each wave crashing against my consciousness like a physical blow. Fear is a feeling I haven’t ever felt this strong from her before—a cold, slithering sensation that crawls up my spine and settles at the base of my skull. Absolute terror floods the bond from her just as Abraxis lands with Balor and Lily, the downdraft from his wings stirring up dust that swirls around us in miniature cyclones, catching the late afternoon light. I rush out to meet them, my boots slipping slightly on the smooth stone of the courtyard. “Where are the others?” My eyes dart from Balor to Abraxis when he shifts back, the sound of bones reforming and scales receding into skin like the crackle of breaking ice.
