Page 134 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Graeson lay down, propping an arm behind his head. He arched an eyebrow at her. "Lie down and find out for yourself."
She followed his instructions, carefully maneuvering backward so that her legs were stretched in front of her. Once beside him, she looked at him expectantly. "Now what?"
"Look up."
Kallie turned her head toward the roof. Menz had added a new skylight where a leaky hole had been. Past the glass, a sea of stars covered the night sky.
"You came in here for this?" she asked, curious why he hadn’t gone outside instead.
"No, not intentionally. After Moris fell asleep after his nightly ramble, I couldn’t sleep. So, I came out here to check on Nyrri and the horses. I didn’t really want to go back inside, so I sat up here for a moment. And, well, a moment turned into several."
She sensed his gaze turn to her, but she couldn’t get herself to look at him, her eyes darting from star to star. "What’s it like?" she asked.
"What’s what like?"
"Flying."
Graeson hummed as he thought of his response. "When I flew on Nyrri for the first time, it was absolutely terrifying. She almost killed me multiple times."
Kallie smirked. "I guessed as much after finding you almost crushed by her weight."
"I think she was trying to push me off the first few times we flew together," he said, facing the roof again. "She wasn’t too happy about the saddle."
Below them, Nyrri huffed in response, and Kallie chuckled.
"After a while, I got used to it, but it still felt…awkward."
"And now that you’ve flown on your own?"
He scratched his chest. "I’ve only done it once, so it’s too early to tell, but…it felt different. When I woke up the morning after, I barely remembered that night. But the memories have slowly come back. I think I was too terrified to truly appreciate what was happening."
"Maybe next time will be different."
"Maybe," he said, though his voice was strained.
"Are you nervous about shifting again?"
He brushed his hair away from his face. "I don’t know if 'nervous' is the right word. It was probably the most excruciating thing I’ve ever felt, but it also was the most freeing. Before, I always felt like something was wrong, like something was out of place. It used to be so loud inside my head, as if there were twosides of me fighting to grab control. Now, there’s a sense of peace that I can’t quite explain." Graeson released a nervous laugh. "It sounds silly now that I’ve said it aloud, but…" He shrugged.
"It doesn’t sound silly," Kallie said quietly. "While I obviously don’t know what it feels like to shift into a dragon, I understand the feeling that something isn’t right, that you’re not entirely you." She might not have known Myra had manipulated her emotions, but now that she was free of it, it seemed so obvious. "It’s a relief once you get to be…you."
"Yeah," he said. He took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he sank into the hay. "When I left you and Ellie, it got lonely flying after a while. I never realized how big the sky truly is."
Kallie turned her head toward Graeson, observing him for a moment. His eyebrows were pinched, and he seemed to have retreated into himself. She could only imagine how big the world would feel from the clouds. But she also believed it could be freeing, too. To soar through the sky, unbound by roads or mountains or seas.
Her hand twitched at her side, and her pinky brushed against his. "Maybe next time…"
"Next time what?" Graeson prompted, facing her. His hand slid atop hers, his fingers entangling with hers.
His eyes dipped to her lips, his pupils dilating.
"Maybe next time I can join you," Kallie suggested, swallowing the nervousness.
He quirked a brow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You wish…to ride me?"
Kallie’s eyes widened, and she jerked upright. "That’s—that’s not what I meant. What I meant to say was that I could take Nyrri, andwecould join you."
"Ah," he said, nodding dramatically. "That’swhat you meant."
