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Mira sets her drink on the table, the glass ratting the wood. “So, if she can’t shift, where do we take her? The Luminaries? She’ll have to be in dragon form to make it through the boundary.”
“Not necessarily,” Brenn says, and all of our eyes slide to him. “Vik and I… We’ve been working on something. In case we ever needed to leave the realm. Since the wings I made aren’t strong enough to not fall apart the moment they collide with the boundary’s magic, we wanted an escape plan if it came to that.”
Mira drops her hand from his back, sliding a couple inches away. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her eyes round, staring at him but her thoughts somewhere else. “I could’ve helped you.”
Brenn bites his lower lip. “I didn’t want you to get your hopes up. And so far, it hasn’t worked.”
“What hasn’t worked?” Jesper’s tone is flat, void of emotion. He won’t even look up from the table.
“Well, we can cross because of our scales. They divert the magic. However, if we were to shift halfway through the boundary back into human form, we’d explode from the pressure. In human form, the boundary won’t even let us pierce it, like a wall. In my dragon form, I’m too heavy for someone to carry and even with the wings I designed, they’ll be ripped off the moment they hit the wall.” Brenn uses an extended talon to draw on the table top, showing us in pictures what he’s saying. “Before we came here, I was debating on covering my mechanical wings with old scales and leather from the next dragon that passed, or possibly making a suit out of them, but used one of my own scales to test the theory before resulting to corpse mutilation,and it would seem our scales lose their properties after once they’re no longer attached. They can scatter magic if something hits them, and they are immune to some things still, but they’re not strong enough to divert the barrier. It crumpled under the pressure when Vik passed through.”
Cocking my head, I stare at him, my lips pressed into a fine line. Why wouldn’t he tell us? We could’ve all been testing things and sped up the process.
Jesper shrugs. “So, you don’t really have anything, then?”
“Not what I said.” Brenn grits his teeth, working on another diagram. “There’s no way to pass through outside being a dragon, having scales…wings. However, being inside a dragon might work.” Brenn’s eyes fall, refusing to look at any of us. “We’ve only tested it once. Vik put a live chicken in her mouth while in dragon form, and she was coughing up feathers for most of the day, but it survived the trip through the barrier and back.”
My jaw goes slack. If that’s true, then that’s easy. That could work. “So, she just has to hitch a ride in someone’s mouth?”
Brenn nods, the lump in his throat bobbing. “Yes. And you can’t swallow her. Vik said it was hard not to do it with the chicken. It moved around while she was flying and she almost choked on it. But as long as Calamity can stay still, yes itshouldwork.”
“Should? That sounds promising,”my dragon says.
The corner of my lips pulls up.Now isn’t the time for your sarcastic remarks.
“Maybe not, but I’d feel a little bit better if the plan wasn’t based on a SHOULD.”
You and me both, but I’m not sure how we can teach Calamity to shift, and to do so by launching off a boat in the open water.
“What’s wrong with taking her to the outer realm? You have all the time in the world to teach her to shift. The rebels can’thate her for being the king’s daughter if she’s not the king’s daughter. There’s no safety risk.”
She’s terrified of the place, and I don’t blame her.
“No. She’s scared of dragons and I hate to break it to you, but she’s going to need to get over that.”
The sooner she gets to the moons, the better. The longer she’s here, the harder it’s going to be to not give in to you and her dragon trying to shove us together. Getting her up there is the best thing I can do for her. As is, she’s already panicking over having no control. She should have control over who she chooses to love and spend the rest of her life with. I won’t let you take that away from her.
“Not even you like that idea.”
I don’t have to like it, but it’s the right thing. If she wants to come back down, then fine. If she gets up there and wants something from me, then fine. Until then, this is what has to happen.
“I hate you… sometimes.”
The feeling is mutual.
Chapter 23
Calamity
Time blurs into a seamless haze and the hours melt together. Before I know it, most of the day is gone.
It's odd being down here, not knowing day from night, incapable of seeing the hell flame high in the sky, showering the realms with light. But from what I've derived, we still have today to get through before the blackout is over. Tomorrow, the hell flame will burn bright again and we'll be able to continue to Ashbourne.
My beast remains unnervingly quiet. I can hardly feelher within me. There's no stirring, no thoughts that aren't mine, just profound silence. If it weren't for the fact we share a body and I went years without knowing Hyde existed, I’d be worried she disappeared for good.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything, especially after my conversations with Loric and Vik, but I’m starting to understand, or trying to. Hyde just wants to protect me, but she can't force me into literally sharing eternity with someone just because they might keep us safe. It feels invasive,manipulative, and I don’t like it.
Though, having a mate isn’t something I’m opposed to. I just want it to be for the right reasons, because someone loves me unconditionally and wants to be a part of my life, not because some magical force lured them into the idea. And Loric…. He's not what I expected him to be, but if I allowed myself to dream, I can easily imagine a day where I’d be interested in someone like him. He’s kind, despite who I am, and though he’s grumpy on occasion, he seems to have a good heart. He cares about his friends, and the wellbeing of a complete stranger enough to put his own life at risk. That has to count for something.
