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“I do not know if I can be the strength you rely on, Dreven. You are my best friend, a rareness only found in special lifetimes. Please, do not ask this of me.”
“My children are gone for the day,” he continues. “They will not see what happens to me. Freeze me, shatter me, and let the wind carry me to my firebond.”
My eyes widen in horror when his words set in. “You… you want me to do this today?” I stand from the table, sweeping my hand across the surface. Dishes fly to the left, smashing somewhere in the distance. “You have known for weeks,” I sneer, trying to swallow my heartache. “You have planned this. You did not want to give me time to think or mourn you.”
He tilts his head, his kind eyes squinting as he forces a painful, but genuine smile. “No, I didn’t. I know you, Cailian. You are my best friend. You would have tried to find a way to save me, spending your time going insane looking for a cure for my fire. The elves have amazing capabilities, but you and I know, there is no such thing as beating Fate. This is her plan for me.”
“How are you okay with this?” I shout at him, stepping forward, uncaring about the fire licking my skin. “How do you expect me to live with the guilt of ending your life?”
He stands next, calmly tucking the seat under the table I’ve ruined with my temper. I wish I could be as calm and collected as Dreven. He’s always been even-tempered, even in the most weathered times.
“I’m okay because I know I can count on you. I’m okay because I know my friend won’t let me burn until I am nothing but a pile of ash on my bedroom floor. I don’t want to die like that. I don’t want to die alone, and I don’t want my children to see. They have never seen a dragon die like this. Not yet. I’m okay because I know your face will be the last I see and I’ll die with your friendship by my side. Do not live with guilt, Cailian. Live knowing you gave your friend his dying wish. I only ask that you promise me one thing.”
“Anything,” I tell him.
“Don’t tell anyone the truth about what happened. I can’t have my reputation tainted because I gave in to the pain and didn’t die like a noble dragon.”
“You are noble. Do not die thinking otherwise.” I glance around, taking in the last of the peace between neighbors. “The dragons will hate us,” I state, staring at nothing while I gather my thoughts. “They will think we betrayed them, that we are murderers, that I killed you for…” I wave my hand in the air. “Something. Name anything. Stories will be weaved and told. Lies will be spread about me, about my people, my land. If I do this—” I stare at him once more. “Everything will change.”
“And I know you. You will conquer change. Everything will work as it should. Nyx, my oldest, will take my place.”
I give a slight nod, not wanting to meet his son.
“And when do you want this to happen?” I ask him.
He growls, smoke billowing from his mouth as flames lick his dried skin. “Now.” He shoves me in the chest.
I trip and fall, my body landing on the soft, snow-blanketed ground. I stare up at him, shocked he would show such violence toward me, but I know he’s trying to make this easier.
“I can’t,” I sob, “Please, my friend, please, do not make me.”
He picks me up by my long white hair, my scalp burning from his claws digging into my skin. His mouth gets closer to my ear and he whispers, “Please, free me from this agony my soul is in.”
“In front of witnesses?” I ask, yanking myself from his grip. I stop my soldiers from coming closer by raising my hand, letting them know it’s okay. “Leave us,” I tell them, and the tall sentinels give one another unsure expressions.
“That’s even better,” Dreven states, releasing fire at me, and I cross my arms in front of me, releasing an ice shield that protects me from the flames.
“Dreven, enough!” I yell, not wanting to use my power on him. “Not like this.”
He wraps a hand around my throat but doesn’t squeeze. He is acting. I see the desperation in his eyes. The more he uses his flame, the more exhausted he is. More of his scales fall from him, drifting through the air like pieces of dust.
I press my palm against his chest, not once taking my eyes away from his. “You are loved. You will forever be my friend. I hope you find peace. I hope you see your firebond. I’m honored you trusted me with this.” I take a deep breath and force the power in my body, through my palm, and into his chest, letting the cold seep into his heart. With every pump, it travels through his veins. “You will be missed, my friend.”
I cry silently, doing my best to stay strong so I do not give away the truth of this circumstance. Ice spreads across his decaying skin, freezing the scales in place. I watch the frost glisten on his frame before I lift my eyes to his.
He smiles in relief, one last tear dripping from his eye. “Thank you, my friend. Thank you,” he rasps one last time, the words a frozen cloud as the last bit of air escapes his lungs. His eyes close, a small smile remains, and he seems peaceful.
His hand is still around my throat, but I do not have it in me to pull away just yet.
The tear that fell before he froze is hanging on his jawline, a small icicle reminding me that it isn’t a tear of sadness, but of relief.
“Be at peace, Dreven,” I whisper, forcing a cold gust through him.
His body shatters, freeing my throat from his grip, and the wind wolves howl just in time, creating a massive windstorm that steals him from me. Dreven drifts away, frozen bits of him twinkling in the reflection of the light. I watch until he is no longer in sight.
Only a memory.
Only a moment.
