by Melody Rose
It was Julei who rushed forward, much to my surprise, when Monte and I landed.
“Did you kill him?” she asked.
I swallowed before I answered her. “No, I didn’t.”
She didn’t recoil or gasp in response like I expected her to. Instead, the young girl stood her ground and waited for me to continue as if she knew I had more to say.
“I couldn’t do it,” I said, my voice harsh from my tears. “I’m not a killer.”
Julei nodded like she understood. I took it as encouragement to continue.
“I couldn’t kill him, so I banished him,” I clarified. “I sent him through the well to another world.”
“So,” Julei drew out the word, her voice rising an octave as if she didn’t dare to hope, “he is gone? For good?”
“Yes, Reon is gone,” I said. Then I cleared my voice and announced the news to the whole group. “Reon is gone. Defeated.”
I choked on the last word, but no one noticed as a cheer went up in the cavern. It echoed around with a thunderous racket. The sound made me smile and burst out with laughter. I allowed myself to feel happiness as the weight of the world eased off my shoulders.
My hands rose into the air like a boxer winning a match. The roar of cheers only got louder as I did this. I circled around so that I could witness everyone’s elation. The humans rushed towards me and enveloped me into a large hug. I reached out and touched every one of them that I could manage. Even in that short gesture, I tried to show them my appreciation.
“I couldn’t have done this without any of you,” I said to them, unsure if they could hear me in the muffle of clothes and embraces. “None of you.”
“It is true, then,” Hannan asked as he pulled away from the group. “It is well and truly over.”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “When I broke the bonds with the dragons, the contamination disappeared. At least all of the contamination that lived outside of me.”
“What do you mean?” Hannan asked, her voice worried. “Are you still ill?”
“No,” I said hurriedly, “I meant that I still have the darkness within me. The darkness from Rubeus and the light from Monte. It’s balanced now.”
“But you are alright?” Hannan checked. He gripped my hand, and I let him.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod, “I’m alright.”
“Then I did not kill you?” Julei asked in a weak voice.
I turned to face her and opened my arms, releasing Hannan for the briefest of moments. Julei rushed into my arms and accepted my embrace. I kissed the top of her head before speaking.
“No, Julei, you did no such thing,” I assured her. “I am sorry I ever said anything like that before. I was wrong and angry and hurting.”
“I know,” Julei said wisely. “I was too.”
“We all were,” I said as I looked around at our group.
The loss of Stella hit us all anew. Her absence was felt stronger than ever before. I closed my eyes and willed the tears not to come again. I didn’t believe I had any more in me. I refocused my attention to the young girl still wrapped about my middle. I pushed her away from me slightly and crouched down so I could look her in the eye.
“You saved my life, Julei,” I told her, “just like you said you would.”
“Really?” The girl’s eyebrows raised up into her short hair. “How?”
“If you hadn’t been there, I never would have been in the way of Reon’s blast,” I said, keeping my voice low so only she could hear me. Despite being surrounded by people, this information was ours and ours alone. “He never would have infected me, and I never would have realized the balance needed to save everyone. I couldn’t have done it with the light alone.”
Julei gasped. “So, I was right.”
“You were,” I confirmed.
Julei reached out and hugged me again, tighter than before. I kept her at my side with one arm wrapped around her. Hannan resumed his position at my other side and took my free hand.
“What do we do now?” Kehn asked. He spoke in his soldier voice, planning and plotting the next step. “Do we head back to Andsdyer?”
I looked to him and cocked my head in admiration. My heart swelled, and I didn’t dare stop it. Upon hearing his question, though, memories of those previous moments in the white space, I realized the reality of what I agreed to. My promise to rule over the dragons hit hard in the chest and intercepted any romantic feelings for the moment.
“Uh…” I stalled, not quite knowing how to break the news to him. To any of them, for that matter. “Not exactly.”
Kehn squared his jaw and looked at me directly. “What is it, Eva? What are you not telling us?”
“I kind of made a promise,” I said as I squinted my eyes, nervous at his response.
“What promise?” Hannan asked the question this time.
“I maybe sort of promised to be the Queen of Dragons,” I informed them with a light, airy tone that didn’t make the news any easier. “To all the dragons. Here. In Rictorus.”
Hannan stepped away from me and dropped my hand. The warmth of his touch left me immediately, and I knew immediately that he disapproved.
“You are not coming back to Andsdyer,” Hannan concluded.
“Well, I can’t exactly rule over this kingdom from that one, can I?” I reasoned, still trying to make my voice breezy to lessen the blow.
No one was buying it. Grim and stony faces looked at me from all the humans present. I bit my lip and gathered my courage. If I was going to be queen and really rule, I needed to stop letting others intimidate me so easily.
“Look,” I said, strengthening my voice, “I have to stay here. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. You are all welcome to stay. I could use your help in rebuilding this kingdom. I plan to work with King Elroy and create a peaceful union between the two kingdoms. Anyone from Andsdyer is welcome here, but I will not be returning.”
After my monologue, I awaited their responses, trying to hide my anxiety internally. When no one said anything, I offered another alternative.
“I could use a captain of the guard,” I suggested to Kehn. Then I turned to Freja and Troylan. “Or more soldiers.” I bounced my gaze between Heloise and Hannan. “The dragons will need caretakers of their own. I know it is not as diverse as the Menagerie, but it will be nothing like you have ever studied or experienced.”
My gaze dropped down to the twelve-year-old, who looked ready to jump in with her eager response, but I stopped her before she could.
“Not you,” I said pointedly to Julei.
“Why not?” Julei whined.
“Because your parents will kill me for basically kidnapping you,” I reasoned. “I promised them that I would return you home safely. And for now, home is with them in Andsdyer. When you’re older, then you can make your choice on where to live.”
“Maybe I convince all of them to move here,” Julei mused, half under her breath, but I still heard her.
“Your father has a successful business in the city.” I shook my head at her. “You can visit whenever you want, but don’t put your parents in that kind of position to have to choose.”
“You are right,” Julei relented. “I just want to stay here with you and the dragons.”
“I want to stay as well,” Freja said suddenly, breaking the awkwardness of the conversation. She took a physical step forward as if she were volunteering for something. In a way, she was. “I would like to retrieve my djer, but then, I will swear my allegiance to Queen Eva and the land of Rictorus.”
“Absolutely,” I confirmed with a wide smile. “We will send for all of your djers, those who are not present. Even Tipton if you like,” I said directly to Troylan, knowing that his elephant might be difficult to get across the Cross Woods, but we would manage it if that were what he wanted.
But the soldier shook his head. “My loyalty lies with Andsdyer. My family is there. I cannot leave.”
An unexpected sadness pierced my heart. I swallowed
it and tried to adopt a more understanding demeanor. “Of course.”
“However,” Troylan said, his voice changing to one of encouragement, “I will advocate to King Elroy personally about the beneficial nature of having a peaceful union with Rictorus.”
I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt. “Thank you, Troylan.”
The soldier nodded his response, courteous as ever.
“I need to go back for at least a little while,” Heloise told the group. Her voice was coated with sadness, and I thought she might be the next one to cry. However, the caretaker held it together. “Stella’s family needs to be told. They need to know how brave their daughter was.”
“Are you sure you feel up to doing it?” I asked, knowing that if Heloise needed me by her side for that, I would go. The dragons would just have to wait a little longer for their queen.
But Heloise shook her head. “I will be alright. It should be me. I want to be the one who tells them.”
“Okay,” I relented.
“But after all of that is settled,” Heloise said, “I would like to come back and study the dragons. Take care of them. I feel that Xavier and I would feel at home here, in the kingdom inside a mountain.”
The bat flapped his wings on her shoulder in agreement.
I grinned. “Absolutely, yes, you are welcome to come back whenever you are ready and do that.”
I looked back at Hannan and Kehn. Neither man said anything. I knew they had a lot to think about, given the complicated nature of our relationships. Ever since that argument in the woods, I wasn’t sure how either of them felt about me after I put the whole thing on pause until after all this was over. Well, now it was over. They could decide what they wanted to do with their lives and how they wanted to pursue me.
“I cannot believe you made that promise,” Hannan muttered.
His statement threw me off guard, and I had to stare at him as if the sentence would replay itself out on his forehead. “What do you mean by that?”
“I thought we wanted the same things,” Hannan continued, seeming to speak to himself. “We talked about a life together.”
“Life changed,” I said simply. “I never wanted to be on the king’s council, and I’m not meant to work in the Menagerie.” I threw up my hands and gestured to the dragons layered throughout the cavern. “I’m meant to be here with these creatures.”
“So it would seem,” Hannan said.
I could hear the regret in his voice, and it pained me. “You could stay and work in this Menagerie of sorts,” I offered, though I knew it was a last-ditch effort. My heart knew Hannan’s answer before he said it.
“I have worked my whole life to become Lead Caretaker,” Hannan told me as if I needed reminding. “I came up from nothing and am about to be the first commoner to get the position. I am not going to give that up. I cannot.”
When he said the words aloud, I expected to feel sadness, and while I did, it didn’t knock me to my knees. I understood Hannan’s position and realized, then, that we were never on the same page romantically. He would always be a great friend to me, but if we expected to be more than that, I wasn’t confident that it could happen.
But when I thought about the man behind me and his decision, my palms started to sweat. I didn’t know if I could face his rejection as easily as Hannan’s. I wanted more than anyone else here, for him to stay in Rictorus. To stay with me.
I should have said something, at least told him how I felt. How when he kissed me in front of everyone only days ago, it was like coming home. How I felt safest when I was in his arms. How I missed him all that time we were separated.
But it was ridiculous and embarrassing in front of everyone like this. I wanted those words and those moments to be shared between the two of us, just for the two of us. If only he chose me. Chose us.
Kehn met my eye, and I couldn’t tell either way what he was going to do. Maybe he couldn’t make up his mind. His face was impassive, bland. Yet behind his blue eyes, they swirled with questions.
I waited, not daring to speak first.
Kehn walked forward, never breaking eye contact with me. At first, I thought he was going to kiss me again, and I realized that I wouldn’t have minded that. However, the soldier dropped to one knee in front of me and bowed his head. My gaze looked about nervously, unsure of what he was doing.
“I swear my allegiance to the land of Rictorus,” Kehn announced, loud enough for his voice to echo throughout the chamber. But when he spoke again, his voice was much lower, softer. Something as gentle as a lullaby. “I swear my allegiance to you, Eva.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and did my best not to jump up and down in delight. Instead, I reached out a hand and offered to help Kehn to his feet. He did so but quickly let go of me as if I burned him.
“The kingdom of Rictorus accepts your allegiance and pronounces you the captain of the queen’s guard,” I pronounced, though the formal language and title still felt foreign in my mouth. I wanted to just tell him, “You got the job! Kiss me now, please.” I kept my cool and turned my attention away from Kehn before I lost any more of myself in his swirling eyes.
“Shall we get the remainder of the humans home, my lady?” Chyndron offered.
I blinked up at the dragon, confused until I realized that he was waiting for my response. “Oh, yeah, I mean, sure. If they want to leave now, we can do that.”
“I think that would be preferred,” Hannan said, though he spoke to the floor.
Heloise, Troylan, and Julei nodded in agreement. I asked Lucien, Myels, and Zulu to take the four humans back because they were already familiar with the route, and the kingdom of Andsdyer wouldn’t shoot them out of the sky. They could break the news to King Elroy about the rebirth of Rictorus and the fact that the dragons were not extinct. They were very much alive.
Thoughts of policy and meetings and the like made my head hurt. I did my best to push those thoughts to the back of my mind for now. At that moment, I wanted to say goodbye to my companions and see them off.
Hugs were exchanged, even between Hannan and I, though it was awkward now. Something would always be different between the pair of us, and I mourned the friend I might have lost along the way. I hoped that, eventually, we would be able to talk again like we used to. I wanted him to be happy, and if the Lead Caretaker position did that for him, more power to him. I would be glad.
The three dragons with the four humans on their backs lifted into the air. The air from their wings created an air tunnel, and my hair pushed back out of my face as we watched them ascend out of the opening at the top of the mountain.
Freja was quickly swept away by Chyndron to discuss restructuring and fortifying the kingdom, and other dragons followed suit, including Monte, even though I knew he was not interested in that stuff at all. Suddenly, Kehn and I were the only humans on the platform. Something itched in my stomach and told me that someone orchestrated such a rare moment of privacy.
We couldn’t look at one another. It seemed silly, but for some reason, I found myself looking everywhere else but at Kehn. When I caught glimpses of him in the corner of my eye, I could see that he was doing the same.
“Eva,” Kehn said suddenly.
“Yes?” I asked with a little too much eagerness.
“Do you remember anything?” Kehn scratched his neck. “From before you blacked out?”
“Which time?” I joked though I knew exactly what he was talking about.
Kehn didn’t seem to catch on. Red flushed in his cheeks when he responded. “The time right after I told you I loved you.”
I stood still as a statue. I hadn’t expected him to come right out and say it, but there it was. Three of the most important words in the history of the world, said directly to me, just hanging there between the two of us.
“I remember,” I admitted breathlessly.
“Right,” Kehn said with a slow bob of his head as he processed the information. “I have to know. If Hannan had stayed, would you…?” But
he didn’t finish the question.
I couldn’t help but smile. The bravest man I knew was scared of my answer to a simple question that he couldn’t even finish it. I decided to be brave for the both of us by taking his hand in my own. Finally, I looked at him.
“No,” I answered. “I wouldn’t have picked him. It wasn’t even a choice, really. You had my heart long before he ever had a piece of it.”
“Really?” Kehn asked, disbelief causing his eyebrows to rise up into his hair.
“Really,” I said right before I placed my mouth on his, to prove my point.
Just as our lips touched, a rush of wind consumed the cavern. We clutched one another but broke apart our kiss to look up into the tumultuous air that circled through the mountain.
All of a sudden, the dragons flew in an upward spiral out of the mountain. They glided in a gorgeous formation, mathematically perfect. Kehn and I stood at the base of it, looking up into the center of their pattern. They were beautiful, the lot of them, as they ascended into the sky.
“Monte,” I called down our mental link, “what’s going on?”
“It is dawn, Eva,” Monte replied swiftly. “This is the first dawn the dragons have experienced since bonding with the false king. They want to taste the sun.”
I looked at Kehn and asked him, “Will you fly with me?”
“Anytime,” Kehn responded without hesitation.
“Monte!” I said excitedly. “Could you give us a ride? I want to fly with them.”
“Gladly,” he said and almost as if he had been there the whole time, appeared at our side.
Kehn and I hopped up on Monte’s back, Kehn letting me sit in front and take the lead. He wrapped himself around me and kissed the soft spot between my shoulder and my neck. I swatted him away playfully as we rose into the air. Monte joined the spiral formation with ease, and we circled up, up, up until we broke through the dark rock of the mountain and into the bright rainbow-colored sky.
Soft clouds coated the land as the sun emerged from the horizon, coating everything in a lush golden color. Dragons of all shapes and sizes spread out throughout the sky, finally free.
