by E. L. Todd
With his gaze turned away, she felt her eyes water.
She blinked them away and grabbed her things.
All that remained in the cave was the campfire they used to keep warm at night, to cook their meals, to give them light to see each other in the middle of the night. Their bedrolls were packed, their weapons over their backs and hooked on to their belts. Their memories were absorbed into the walls, and maybe one day, someone would enter that cave and hear them.
Rush looked over the edge of the cliff and stared at the ocean, the reflection of the sun on top of the still water, the wall of mist farther in the distance. A body built like a castle, he was strong as stone, impenetrable. But now, he didn’t stand tall. His shoulders sagged, his chin was tilted down slightly, and he held himself as if he’d lost his identity.
Cora didn’t know what to say—so she said nothing at all.
After a long stare over the horizon, he turned back to her, his blue eyes covered with a winter fog. “I’ll head to the hideaway. Ashe will know the way to Eden Star. Reach out to me if you need me.”
“Same for you.”
He gave a curt nod. “We can’t block each other again…even if we may want to.”
“I know.” Guilt rushed through her for her actions, but at the time, she hadn’t known how else to respond. “It won’t happen again.”
“Okay.” He looked away again, back to the horizon. “We’ll be friends and comrades again… I just need some time before I can do that. Just need some space for a while.”
She started to tear up again, but she forced it back because that would make this goodbye so much harder. “I understand…”
Minutes of silence passed, and his eyes remained directed elsewhere.
She didn’t want to say goodbye—but that was all that was left to do.
He clearly didn’t want to either.
“Rush—”
He suddenly turned back to her, his hands cupping her cheeks and entering her hair, his lips landing on hers with desperation. His hands cradled her face as he kissed her, kissed her for the last time.
Her fingers closed over his wrists, and she squeezed, accepting the hungry affection that used to make her weak in the knees, but now just made her broken. It was a hard kiss to cherish because it was filled with raw pain.
The chasm formed.
The tears began.
Her chest tightened as the pain flooded through her veins like rivers.
Then he was gone.
He turned away as quickly as he had kissed her, dropping his touch in an instant and moving to the edge of the cliff. The man disappeared, replaced by fiery red scales, enormous wings that blocked out the sun. The dragon was already in the sky by the time she looked, already lifting into the air as it flapped its enormous wings to gain higher ground. Within seconds, he was gone from the coast, over the bright-blue water, a beautiful sight in the sun.
She watched, tears pouring down her face.
Thud.
Ashe landed on the ground beside her, the earth shaking like a small earthquake had erupted directly beside her. His claws hit the earth as he walked forward, coming to her side, looking at the same red dot far away in the sky.
She continued to stand there even though she could barely see them anymore.
Her hands went to her cheeks and wiped away the moisture that clung to her skin. Drops hung in her eyelashes, and a pool of water continued to well in the bottom lids of her eyes. Redness discolored her normally fair cheeks, and the puffiness of her skin made her face bloated in some places. A headache formed behind her eyes, dull but growing.
Ashe turned his gaze away from the sky and to Cora. I’m sorry.
“Thank you…”
Some things are not meant to last forever—and this is one of those things. It may not seem that way now, but it will shortly.
She wiped away more tears then gave a sniff.
Ready?
She nodded. “Yes. But I have no idea how to do this.” She faced him head on, seeing the dark dragon that dwarfed her in every way imaginable.
The first fuse is the hardest. But after that, transitioning is very easy.
“Okay.”
Place your hand upon my heart.
She stepped forward and placed her palm on his chest, touching his hard scales with her fingertips.
Now open your mind—and I will absorb it.
She closed her eyes and listened to the birds in Eden Star, listened to the stream that passed nearby, felt Callon’s presence, even though he was in a different place. Her heart slowed, and her mind was a vast chasm of emptiness. The pulse against her hand thumped harder and harder, the vibration sensitive against her touch.
She suddenly lost her sense of self.
She couldn’t feel her hand against his scales.
The sunshine wasn’t warm on her skin.
Tears were gone.
Her eyes opened, and she saw the world in a whole different way.
She was in the sky, the island down below, the surface of the earth far away. The world was in full view, practically a panorama because she could see life at a greater degree than ever before. Unparalleled power was part of her essence, in her wings, in her muscular legs, in her sharp claws. Fire was in her belly.
That was when she knew.
She had fused with Ashe—King of Dragons.
Sooooooo whatcha think? ; )
My heart and soul is in the pages of this story, and I’ve never written for an audience so much. What will they think of this? Is this too much? Is this not enough? So if you loved it, writing a short review would mean the world to me. I will literally read every single one because I’m so anxious to see how this story is received. I want to play it cool and pretend I don’t care…but come on. I soooooo care.
And I also have great news about Fury. I’m working on it now and you can expect it this October instead of February 2022. I’m a reader too and hate waiting for books, so I totally get it, so just know that I’m hustling.
If you could preorder the book that would help me out A LOT.
Order Now
There’s a couple things I want to say about Ashe. When I write a story, I experience moments from all characters’ POV’s (I guess like in a movie) so I really felt that scene when General Callon turns his back on his queen and leaves his post to protect Cora. This man is selfless and full of sacrifice, but when it came to his Sor-Lei, (awwwwww) that didn’t matter. And then they made it all the way to Rock Island just to see exactly who he risked everything for. I felt that. For him. For Cora. For Rush.
Right before I wrote this story, I became an aunt for the first time. Now I have my own niece, my own Sor-Lei, and the moment I met her I felt it. That unconditional, betray-everything-and-anything-for-her kind of love. That monumental moment really echoed in this story.
This may come as a surprise, but I’m a big gamer. PS5, XBOX, Switch I got em’ all. I played Sea of Thieves right before I wrote this so pirates HAD to be in this story. That’s how Captain Hurricane was born.
I know Rush has done some pretty terrible things, and I understand Cora’s hesitance to be with him. It’s a terrible situation and I’m not sure what I would do if it were me. But I do pity Rush because I know how terrible he feels. I also believe that everyone deserves a second chance, and it says a lot about his character that he’s championed this cause when he could just chill in his castle and forget about it. But he loves Flare, the way General Callon loves his Sor-Lei, and love makes us do amazing things.
Sometimes foolish, albeit amazing.
Thanks for reading.
E. L. Todd
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