by E. L. Todd
Smoke blew from his nostrils.
“Sorry…”
Rush and his family enslaved my race and destroyed the land I once ruled. He killed the dragons who refused to fuse, my brothers and sisters, and there will never be forgiveness for that. You think you’re stronger than us because you want to forgive? No, Cora. You’re naïve. You lost a father who was never your father in the first place. Your loss does not compare to ours.
“I didn’t mean to sound insensitive—”
You didn’t. Just foolish.
“Okay…then maybe we can’t forgive each other. That doesn’t mean we can’t be allies. It doesn’t mean we can’t work together to kill this bastard once and for all. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Ashe looked away, dismissing the conversation.
“You said you wanted to help me. What did you mean—”
I said I was considering helping you.
“Okay, in what way?”
He lowered himself farther into the grass, lying flat on his stomach so their eyes were closer to being level. I believe your intentions are true, your heart is pure. I also recognize your unique qualities—and think you will use them for good. I can help you perfect your talents, teach you how to fight a dragon, and prepare you for what’s to come.
“You would want me to fight a dragon…?”
A long look lasted, his eyes slowly hardening. You can’t defeat King Lux without killing Obsidian. There is no other way.
“You’re right…”
There will be others too. But you must sacrifice the few for the many.
Cora heard his footsteps.
She ignored the fire and rose to her feet, seeing his large silhouette enter the cave. When he drew closer, the fire illuminated the features of his face, his cleanly shaved jawline because he must have shaved by the river, the darkness in his eyes, the throbbing pain.
He dropped his pack on the ground but kept his eyes on her.
She stared back, her heart in her throat. He looked no better than the day he left.
His hands tightened at his sides, and he looked down for a few seconds, his knuckles turning white. “You said I deserve a second chance.” He lifted his chin and locked his eyes on her, stepping forward. “You said that I can redeem myself. You said that I’m not the man I used to be.”
“And I meant all those things…still do.”
“Then this shouldn’t keep us apart.”
“It’s…it’s not simple—”
“Give me a second chance.” He stepped closer to her, his hand moving over his heart. “Don’t tell me that my past is the reason I’m going to lose you. Don’t tell me that something I did decades ago is going to affect my relationship with the one woman I actually want. Don’t tell me any of that.”
She dropped her gaze, the intensity in his eyes too much.
“Cora.”
Her eyes lifted up again.
“Forgive me.” He kept his hand over his heart, pleading with his eyes. “I wasn’t sane at the time. I was brainwashed by my piece-of-shit father, by all of his propaganda about the empire’s survival. I was not the same man you see before you now. I can’t take back what I did. I understand that. I can’t bring him back. But I would die for your queen. I would take a sword meant for any elf. I’m their ally—even if they aren’t mine.”
Sincerity was in his blue eyes, bright and unmistakable. He was a good man, from flesh to bone. His heart had been confined in a cage, and once it was set free, it got to fly. Cora saw all that. Felt all that. “Rush, I will forgive you…in time.”
He inhaled a deep breath, like the news was a gulp of fresh air. He closed his eyes briefly, his shoulders dropping.
“But…that doesn’t change anything.”
He tensed once again, his eyes shifting back and forth between hers.
“The man that I know is selfless and heroic. He would rather be tortured to death than let his dragon feel a moment of pain. He would save my life with his tears. He would sacrifice his life for anyone, whether they’re a queen or no one. That’s what I see when I look at you.”
He stepped a little closer. “Then be with me.” His hand left his chest and cupped her cheek, his fingers sliding back into her hair. His thumb gently brushed along the curve of her bottom lip, tracing it while he kept his eyes on hers.
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, her hand automatically grabbing his forearm and holding on to it. Birds chirped in her mind. An invisible breeze brushed past her face. Sunlight warmed her cheeks. The world went still, locked in serenity. When she opened her eyes, the music faded, the peace evaporated.
It was dark in the cave.
The flames replaced the music that had been in her ears.
It was reality.
Cold, harsh reality.
She gently pulled his hand away from her face.
He instantly winced, like a sword had stabbed him in the back.
“It would never work, Rush…”
His arm dropped to his side, lifeless.
“Callon is my uncle. But he’s more than that. He’s the only family I have.”
“I’m your family,” he whispered. “You always have me—together or apart.”
Her eyes watered. “I know that, but you killed the king of my people.”
“I’m your people too, Cora. You’re half human. Let’s not forget that.”
“But I’m the daughter of Tiberius Riverglade. Eden Star is the first place that’s ever really felt like home—despite being ostracized by everyone there. Even if we accomplish everything we hope to, I don’t see how this could ever work. Callon will never forgive you for what you did. The elves won’t either. And I can’t blame them for that.”
He dropped his gaze, sucking in a breath of defeat.
“Rush—”
“I get it.” He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. “It is what it is…”
With watery eyes, she stared at him, wanting a bandage for his invisible wounds—for her own too.
He turned away and grabbed his pack again.
“Please don’t go… You just came back.”
He kept his back to her as he approached the entrance to the cave. He stopped like he might say something, but then he kept going—and didn’t look back.
You’re sad.
She plucked the flower from the grass and twirled it close to her face, the orange poppy petals spinning back and forth as she ground her thumb and forefinger together. “Yes.”
Why?
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Ashe looked forward and didn’t press his questions. You can communicate with dragons, even when unfused, a skill that I can’t explain. When I feel your mind, it’s big, powerful, reminding me of my own—even though you aren’t a dragon. Just as you train your body for battle, I want to train your mind. It’s your most powerful asset.
She dropped the flower back to the grass. “Alright.”
But there’s something I need to do first.
“What?”
I want to feel your mind.
“Why?”
Because your mind, your emotions, your memories, cannot lie. I want to see who you are before I impart this wisdom to you. Do I have your permission?
“Yes.” She looked across the field to the ocean beyond.
He closed his eyes and released a quiet growl.
She felt his puncture immediately, like a knife to the head. Instantly, she gritted her teeth and pushed back, fortifying her mind like it was an attack.
Cora, let me in.
I…I don’t know how.
Relax.
She cleared her mind like she was in Eden Star, meditating like Callon was directly beside her.
This time, he slipped inside without restraint, flooding her all the way through. He flipped through her memories like pages of a book, coming across Dorian, the night of the marriage lottery when she was almost given to one of the boys in the village before she resisted, the
final moment where she said goodbye to the only father she’d ever known. He pulled away and moved elsewhere, coming across her time in the Easton dungeon when the men in red cloaks tortured her.
The Steward of Easton pulled her out of the water and prepared to dunk her once again. “Tell me where the dragon is.”
“I’d rather die.”
He plunged her back into the ice-cold water.
Ashe moved past that, seeing all her torture, the painful nights she slept in her cell and wished for death. He shifted to Eden Star next, training with Callon, the red cardinal. He pulled away and moved backward, as far back as he could.
A woman with brown hair appeared, her vision blurry from the raindrops. Most of her face was hidden inside the cloak. She pulled out a note and set it on top of Cora before she disappeared from view.
Ashe moved forward again, Rush’s face coming into view, his hand in her hair. “Then be with me.”
“But I’m the daughter of Tiberius Riverglade. Eden Star is the first place that’s ever really felt like home—despite being ostracized by everyone there. Even if we accomplish everything we hope to, I don’t see how this could ever work. Callon will never forgive you for what you did. The elves won’t either. And I can’t blame them for that.”
Ashe pulled away again, this time retreating from her mind completely. That didn’t take as long as I expected—because your story is so short.
Her eyes opened wide, and she took in the scenery once more. Her hands moved to the grass as if Ashe had just dropped her onto the ground after a turbulent flight.
General Rush is as arrogant as always. Assumes he deserves you when he deserves nothing but a painful death.
She turned to look at Ashe. “That woman…”
He turned his snout toward her. What woman?
“With the note and the rain. I think…that was my mother.”
You said you don’t know who your mother is.
“I don’t. Did you recognize her?”
No.
“Can you do that again?”
Enter your mind?
“Yes. Let’s see if we can get a better look.”
Ashe stared at her with perplexed eyes. It’s an unpleasant experience. Never seen anyone voluntarily request it.
“Well, I have nothing to hide.”
He stared at her again before he pushed his mind forward and breached hers.
Instead of throwing up her defenses, she lowered her guard.
He riffled through her memories again, locating that specific point in time. He found it moments later, and they saw the same scene again.
The woman appeared in Cora’s view once again, raindrops blurring her vision. The note was tucked somewhere into her garments before she disappeared from view. A distorted shout erupted, coming from the direction where the woman vanished.
Keep going?
Yes. Give it a minute.
The rain splattered on her face, the falling drops audible around her. Thunder sounded somewhere far into the distance.
This is no way to treat a hatchling.
A lantern came into sight above her, bright like the sun in the darkness. A man leaned down and set the lantern on the earth beside him. He stared at Cora, eyes narrowed, and took in the sight of her.
Dorian…
Who’s Dorian?
My guardian. The sight of his face hit her with longing.
He pulled the note out of her garments and read it, raindrops splattering on the parchment. His eyes shifted left and right as he read through the sentences. It must have been a long letter because he stood there for a while.
He folded it and tucked it inside his pocket before he scooped Cora into his arms. “Come on, Cora. Let’s get you inside…”
Ashe removed himself from her mind.
The world came back to her, the green grass, the cool breeze, the serenity. But her world was turned upside down.
Ashe studied her, bringing his face close to hers. What troubles you?
The memory was a static image in her mind, Dorian’s face, twenty years younger, frozen in time. “He lied to me.”
In what way?
“He told me he didn’t have the letter anymore, but he kept it. He told me he didn’t remember what the letter said, but it was so long that he wouldn’t have forgotten the contents. Not in twenty years, not in forty.”
He did seem unsurprised.
“He did…”
Now the question remains—why?
Thirty-Three
Just for Us
Rush rested his arms on the edge of the hot spring, looking over the edge to the view of the hills and ocean beyond. He’d discovered the hot spring on his exploration of the island, and it was much nicer to bathe in warm water instead of the freezing stuff he was used to.
I’m sorry.
The water relaxed his muscles and made his old injuries soften. With the view, the breeze, the hope in his heart, it made him forget his personal problems and imagine a victory that seemed impossible just a short while ago. I’m over it.
It’s okay not to be.
He stared over the edge, catching the flight of a deep maroon dragon, soaring gracefully over the mountains.
It’s not that she doesn’t want you. You do understand that, don’t you?
Doesn’t matter.
It does matter. Because opinions can change. Your reputation can change.
Flare, I’m not putting my life on the line for a woman. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do.
Why can’t you do both?
Whatever…I’m going to die anyway.
You wouldn’t if you were redeemed—especially by her.
It’s not going to happen. Just let it go.
I can’t.
Rush turned away from the cliff and climbed out of the hot spring. He grabbed his towel and dried off, moving to his hair last. The clothes he’d thrown over the branch had dried in the breeze, so he pulled them on.
She said it couldn’t work in the long term, but she didn’t say anything about now. Just remember that.
Rush stilled as he stared at his pack.
Try again.
The glow of the fire was visible from outside the cave. Her small silhouette was clear, seated in front of the fire on the ground, her legs crossed with the red sword across her thighs.
The sky was just a subtle hint of blue. Bats emerged from their hiding places, their dark bodies visible against the darkening horizon. Torches were visible at some of the highest peaks. Rush stepped into the cave, announcing his presence with his footfalls.
Her head turned in his direction, the firelight hitting her striking eyes perfectly. They shone like the minerals at Rock Island, precious stones more valuable than the lives that were lost finding them. Her hair was over one shoulder and past her chest, much longer than it’d been when they’d first met months ago. Training with Callon had changed her physique, made her arms toned, her legs a bit leaner, her body a little stronger. He’d thought she was perfect before, but now she was even more perfect.
He dropped his pack in the area he’d claimed as his then leaned his sheathed sword up against the wall.
Rush, talk to her—
Rush shut out his mind completely, throwing up a wall thicker than the mountains that housed the dwarfs.
Cora remained seated with the sword across her thighs, her eyes glued to his face, knowing he had something to say.
He continued to stare, the heat of the flames against his shins and thighs.
She lifted the sword off her thighs and placed it on the ground beside her before she rose to her feet.
A foot shorter than him and softer than a rose petal, she was the opposite of him in every way. He was rugged and weathered, with sharp angles to his face, a jawline that could cut glass, eyes hardened by years of battle and torture.
Her almond-shaped eyes were braced for impact, her beautiful lips pressed tightly together like his next words would make her wince.
/> “An apology isn’t enough for the things I’ve done. Killing King Lux and returning Anastille to its peaceful glory aren’t enough either. Honestly, nothing will ever be enough. It’s a hard truth that I accept. I’m not good enough for you, and I’ll never be. I accept that too.”
She winced exactly as he’d anticipated.
“But I’d rather have you for a short while…than not have you at all.”
Her body straightened with the deep breath she drew, her eyes softening like an opening flower. Her eyes showed every emotion that passed through her mind, shining the brightest in her ferocity and anger. But they shone now—in a different way.
“We’re alone together on this beautiful island. No one will ever know what happened between us—because it’s just for us. It’s an opportunity for us to be happy, because when the war begins and those we love are dying around us, we won’t be happy again for a long time. One of us could die. We both could die. I don’t want to look back on this time together and wish it’d been different.”
Her chest continued to rise and fall slowly, her eyes filling with an emotion she couldn’t suppress. Time passed, and her thoughts remained her own.
“When we leave this island, that will be the end of it. We part as allies and friends—nothing more. We don’t speak of the future because all we have is the present.” He inhaled a deep breath as he regarded her, hoping his declaration wouldn’t be met with another rejection. “Be with me.”
She held his gaze, her green eyes shifting back and forth slightly as she regarded him, holding her silence.
He held his breath and waited.
The words never left her lips, but she gave a nod so subtle it was almost unnoticeable.
He inhaled a deep breath—victory flushing through his lungs.
“Just for us…”
“I actually think they’re kinda cute.” Her face was close to his, her head on the same pillow they shared. The blanket was pulled to their shoulders, keeping their body heat trapped between them to stay warm since the fire had faded to hot coals. The outside of the cave was brighter than usual because of the moonlight and sky full of bright stars. It was sometime in the middle of the night, but they were both wide awake.