Fury

by E. L. Todd

  Then…you think you could try? Dragon-to-dragon?

  I suppose. Just let me eat another bear first.

  The dragons returned and re-fused with their counterparts.

  How did it go?

  She was more receptive—but still resistant.

  I was hoping to get her on board before we talk to Callon.

  I don’t think that’s likely.

  We can’t stall either… We have to keep moving.

  They stayed on the outskirts of the forest and traveled to the last location where they’d met. It was on the verge of the open plains, with a wide view of the valleys between the hillsides. Everything on this side of the desert was lush and untouched—wild.

  “Wait here,” Cora said. “I’ll get him.”

  Before she could leave, Rush grabbed her by the arm. “Be careful, alright?”

  “I’ll be fine, Rush.” She slipped out of his hold then left them behind.

  The secret passageway was as deserted as ever, and she passed through without interference. The music of the forest fell on her ears the moment she was within the perimeter, and the serenity it provided was soothing. It was as if she’d never been gone. She hadn’t missed Eden Star on her journey, but now that she was reacquainted with the forest, she couldn’t fathom how she’d left in the first place.

  The trees started to thin as she moved closer to the heart of the forest. Elves were present on the trails through the trees, their arms full of the items they’d grabbed at the market. Some of the tree houses had been rebuilt, and the fact that people carried produce and flowers suggested that normalcy had returned during her weeks away.

  She took the path to Callon’s old tree house, hoping that it’d been rebuilt and he currently occupied it. The more elves who passed, the more they recognized her, giving her a hard stare as if to discern the features that were similar to their fallen king. Not a word was spoken to her. There was no sheathed hostility like before. They just seemed entranced.

  When she looked up at the tree that had once housed Callon’s home, she saw a brand-new tree house. Constructed of different types of trees, it was multicolored, from pine to birch, an array of options because natural lumber became scarce when they had so much to rebuild. The vines that grew over the outside and into the windows were slender and small, young saplings that had just come from the seed.

  “Yes.” She took the vine stairway to the open front door, seeing a brand-new place that looked nothing like it used to. It didn’t feel the same either, all that history gone. The walls were bare of artwork. There was no sense of ownership. “Callon?” She stepped farther inside, hoping he would emerge from the hallway or kitchen.

  She was greeted with silence.

  She stepped into the kitchen to search for clues—and found the green notebook on the counter.

  We’ll wait for his return.

  There was fresh produce in the basket, so she took a seat and helped herself.

  Hours later, he returned, in the middle of the afternoon.

  Dressed in his armor and medals, his sword at his hip and his shield across his back, he was the formidable foe that any enemy should fear. His dark eyes complemented the durable metal on his body—strong and unforgiving.

  It didn’t take long for him to realize he wasn’t alone. He stopped on the threshold of the living room, his dark green eyes piercing her face with scrutiny. Hostility waned, and the affection shone through, like sunlight breaking through the winter clouds. “Sor-lei.”

  She left her chair and embraced him. “I like your new place.”

  He gave her a squeeze before he let her go. “What happened with the dwarves?”

  “We got rid of the orcs. Everyone is okay.”

  “Good.” He gave a nod. “It’s good to have you back.”

  “Any luck with you-know-who?”

  He gave a slight shake of his head. “Still working on it.”

  “I figured it would take longer than a few weeks to overthrow a dictator.”

  “Might be quicker with you around. Now that the elves know who you are, they’ve been asking for you.”

  It’s nice not to be hated—for once. “Actually, I have to leave Eden Star again. But I needed to talk to you first.”

  He stepped closer. “Everything alright?”

  “Yes,” she said quickly. “Everything is fine. But…we need to have this conversation outside the forest. Can we go now?”

  He studied her for a long moment before he gave a subtle nod. “I just finished my rotation.”

  “Perfect timing.” She headed to the front door but stopped when she saw Turnion’s painting leaning against the wall. Half the canvas was missing, but his son’s full presence was somehow captured. “Found a place for it yet?”

  He lifted it off the ground and stared at it for a long moment. “Not yet. Still looking for the perfect spot.”

  They left through the secret passageway and ventured across the wildlands.

  “I will speak with your friends—except for him.”

  Cora didn’t have to hide her look of disappointment because they were both focused on the trek ahead. “He’s part of this, Callon.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “You don’t have to like him, but you have to tolerate him—”

  “I have to do no such thing.” He halted in his tracks, his look menacing. “Those are my terms. Take them or leave them.”

  Do it.

  He needs to let this go—

  Remember what you’re about to ask him to do. We need his spirits to be light, not burdened by the weight of his brother’s murder—and his brother’s murderer.

  “Alright…” Cora kept going, and Callon quickly followed. Rush?

  I’m here.

  Callon and I will be there shortly. But…he wants you gone.

  No surprise there.

  I’m sorry…

  It’s fine. Don’t be. I’ll leave now.

  I’ll get him to come around. Now just isn’t the time.

  You’re right.

  They arrived at the group minutes later, Rush absent.

  Callon was shorter than everyone there, armed for battle, distinguished in his gear but also in his presence. His eyes flicked across them, as if sizing them up for battle. He greeted them wordlessly—with a hard stare.

  “So, here’s the deal…”

  Callon turned his stare on her.

  “We stopped by my old village, and my guardian said a witch dropped me off at the gate when I was a newborn. He was part of a resistance against King Lux, which has since fizzled out. But we think we have a promising lead.”

  “What do you ask of me?” His arms moved behind his back as he stared down at his niece. In Rush’s absence, he was calm and subdued, the first time he’d been that way among her friends.

  “Look, I know it’s a lot to ask—”

  “I will do anything I can to help you. But like I said, I can’t leave Eden Star. I can’t leave my people when they’re vulnerable.”

  “It’s not that…” She gave a slight shake of her head.

  “Then what is it?” he asked. “What have you brought me out here to discuss? What conversation is inappropriate for Eden Star?”

  “It’s not really the conversation per se…”

  His eyes flashed like the reflection of a swinging blade. “Speak.”

  He won’t receive this request well, regardless of how it’s worded. Just tell him.

  “We want to move ahead and secure more allies. I don’t know what that will entail, how long I’ll be gone, where we’ll end up…and we’ll have no contact with one another. If General Noose returns to your borders, I won’t even know about it. So, we need a way to stay connected.”

  “And how can that be accomplished?”

  I haven’t agreed to this.

  Cora ignored her. “I told you we saved a dragon…”

  The confusion in his gaze suggested that he hadn’t drawn the right conclusion. Not yet anyway.
But it came, like a large wave growing larger before it finally broke on the shore. The anger was instantaneous, like steam from the spout of a black kettle.

  “Before you say no—”

  “My answer is not no—it’s never.”

  “Callon—”

  “Your entire reason for getting wrapped up in this is to free the dragons. Yet, here you stand, doing the exact opposite.”

  “That’s not what’s happening—”

  “I’ve tolerated Ashe in Eden Star because I wasn’t given a choice—”

  “And he’s the reason we’re all still alive right now. Without his strength, I wouldn’t have bested General Noose. I wouldn’t have killed as many Shamans as I have. Like it or not, we need the dragons—and they need us.”

  His jaw clenched, his eyes full of menace. “Be that as it may, I’m not left with the obligation.”

  “You’re the only one I trust.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “It’ll allow us to communicate with each other.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “She’ll give you abilities that you didn’t have before, strength that—”

  “None of which I need.” He stepped closer, sizing her up as a real opponent. “My sword and shield are more than enough. I’ve survived so many battles and served so many kings because I’m the master of my craft. There’s nothing a dragon could give that I don’t already possess.”

  “What if you need my help—”

  “The General of Eden Star doesn’t need the service of a child.” His eyes were full of smoke, the fire somewhere deep inside. “It is my duty to protect you—not the other way around.”

  Cora, this is going worse than I expected.

  Callon turned on his heel and departed.

  “Callon.”

  He continued like her words were carried on the wind.

  “What if I need you?”

  He halted in mid-step.

  “We’ll be leagues apart. Even oceans. How will you protect me if you can’t hear my call? How will you live every day, not knowing whether I live or die?”

  He didn’t turn around, his breathing heavy.

  “I understand you don’t want to do this… I get it. I’m so sorry that I have to ask this of you when I’ve already asked you for so much. I know it goes against everything you believe. Trust me, I do. But…unless I stay here while everyone continues on without me, there is no other way.” She inhaled a deep breath. “You say that King Tiberius is the greatest king to ever rule Eden Star…and he was fused.”

  After a lifetime of silence, he turned around, his face even more pissed off.

  “Please.”

  He chewed the inside of his cheek, something he’d never done before.

  “We’ll have the ability to coordinate from all across the continent. King Lux doesn’t have that ability—and it’s the reason we’ll defeat him. It’s the greatest tool a general can have—”

  “Silence.”

  Cora winced as she sucked in a breath.

  “My wife and son are dead because of them.”

  “Callon…”

  “You’ve never asked me for a request harder to grant. I’d give my life for yours. I’d turn my back on my own people to keep you safe. I would betray my own queen based on your word alone. But this…” He shook his head, his jaw clenched.

  “I know all of this and asked you anyway—because I had to.”

  He turned away, his eyes squinting in the sunlight. He examined the world, the breeze moving through the deep green cape at his back.

  Give him a moment.

  Cora waited, her chest aching with the tension.

  After a loud breath, he turned back to her. “I have conditions.”

  She gulped down a breath of air in disbelief.

  He held up a finger. “It’s for communication purposes only. We exchange information pertinent to this cause. There will be no relationship. I do not wish to be connected with this being the way you’re connected with Ashe.”

  She gave a nod.

  He held up a second finger. “The instant this purpose is fulfilled, we unfuse. Immediately.”

  She nodded again.

  He held up a third finger. “Under no circumstances will I fight while being fused. I’m the General of Eden Star—down to my bones. I will not raise my sword for my people while being intimately connected with anyone that isn’t elvish. I do not need the strength of a dragon to defeat my enemies. I’m perfectly capable of slaying kings on my own.”

  “Alright.”

  He dropped his hand to his side, but the rage continued in his eyes, storm clouds passing across the surface, full of promise of a very cold winter.

  Talc?

  Silence.

  Ashe, can you talk to her? I just need—

  Bridge collapsed on the ground as the dragon came forth, scales as green as the evergreens around them. A thud vibrated the earth as her talons hit the soil, her enormous tail half the height of the trees in the center of Eden Star. Golden eyes stared at Callon down below, her mouth parted to show her rows of teeth.

  Callon was up close to a fire-breathing dragon, but he didn’t even blink. Like she was an opponent he could easily handle alone, he stared at her without a touch of fear. His eyes were squinting in the sun, making the lines of tension more prominent.

  I agree to fuse.

  Bridge was still on the ground, his sister there to support him. “So glad that’s over…”

  What changed your mind?

  Talc kept her gaze fixated on Callon. Because he’s only doing this for one reason—to win this war. There is no personal interest. No temptation. No desire. It’s a sacrifice—as it is for me.

  Cora’s eyes moved back to Callon. “Talc, this is Callon, General of Eden Star. Callon, this is Talc.”

  The most he could do was give her a subtle nod. “We’ll do what we must—then go our separate ways.”

  She stepped forward.

  “She’s ready.”

  Callon held his ground as she came to him, still unafraid even though anyone else would shrink back and recoil. She stood over him, her long neck bringing her face close to his, her nostrils flaring to smell him.

  “Put your hand on her chest.”

  Callon swallowed his look of disgust as best as he could—and then obeyed.

  For a few seconds, nothing happened.

  Then a flash of movement, of light.

  Callon remained behind, still as a rock, like a dragon hadn’t been sucked into his body for the first time. His eyes dropped for a moment as he processed the transition, but then his chin rose again, strong and proud, and the anger was back on his face.

  She stared, somehow seeing the green dragon deep under his skin, seeing her soul inside him.

  After a final stare, Callon turned away—and returned to Eden Star.

  Message from the author

  Thank you so much for reading Fury!

  I wrote the attack on Eden Star three different times, and when Cora takes on General Noose, I was writing and just muttering, “ohmygodohmygod,” the entire time I was writing it. And then the scene with Rush and his father at the Stronghold…that was painful to write.

  I’ve been listening to Chevelle while writing this, and “The Red” is the perfect song for that scene. The ash in the air, the ferocity between the characters, so much tension. And then the end when Callon fuses…did anyone see that coming???

  Anyway, I’d really like to know what you thought of this installment, so if you post a review, I will read it.

  I’m sure you’ve noticed the next book on preorder. I know I started this series as a trilogy, but I said that when I released the first book, a book which I wrote a really long time ago, and now that I’m getting invested in this world, I realize it’s not a trilogy.

  I feel like every book explores a central theme and I really like that.

  I’m pretty confident book four is the final one in this series, but don’t
hold me to that. By the way, it says it’s releasing in May, but don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that to you. Hahaha! I’m hoping for a January or February release, so just be on the lookout. I like having that extra time in the schedule in case something crazy happens. In the year 2020, (still feels like 2020 sometimes) anything can happen.

  You can preorder Slay now.

  You can also sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know about Slay’s release:

  https://mailchi.mp/57fc055f4215/fuse-series

  * * *

  Thanks for reading,

  E. L. Todd

  Finder’s Reward

  I realize I’m a bit biased when I say this, but I really believe this story has the potential for an adaptation to TV or Film. (Could you imagine Flare with his glorious scales as they shine in the sunlight right on the screen? Oh, he’d be so pleased.) So I’m offering a reward to anyone who can get this into the hands of a Hollywood producer. 10% if it’s sold to a studio. This doesn’t include optioning, which is the period of time when they have the rights to shop around and pitch to studios. I know it’s a looooong shot, but a lot of people are reading this series and it’s receiving strong reviews. I think Rush, Flare, and Cora have a chance.

  Thanks so much for helping me make this dream a reality!

  You can email me here:

  hartwickpublishing@gmail.com

  Subject: Finder’s Reward.

  I get a lot of emails so I don’t wanna miss it by mistake.