Then the descent began.
The lift jerked. My fingers fisted into his overcoat. Chains scraped and ground against stone, a shrill protest that echoed through the cavern as we lowered toward the city.
I twisted for a better view, clinging to him while drinking in the sight below.
Sowhite. Pristine surfaces gleamed as though carved from pearl, sunlight bouncing in sharp angles that forced a squint. Banners unfurled in bold pops of color against the pale expanse, house sigils rippling in the warm currents of air.
“It’s beautiful.” The words left me in a hushed breath.
He didn’t look at the city. His gaze rested on me, studying my reaction. Regret softened his expression, deepening the line between his brows. “I should’ve brought you here before.”
My shoulders sank. Queenly posture slipped away until it was only us in a swaying cage, drifting toward the ground.
“I shouldn’t have forced my way in. I should have waited.” The confession scraped. Old arguments surfaced, the harsh edges of pride and misunderstanding that had divided us before my capture.
But he was right. It needed to be said.
“I’ve made so many mistakes.” His voice roughened, and his palm cupped my cheek, thumb tracing the scar there. “I didn’t pause to hear your side. Like a bull, I charged ahead and denied you space to stand beside me. I treated you no better than a commoner instead of my equal.”
“And I was too hot-headed, determined to make you see those failures.” A breath of laughter escaped me. “The blame is not one-sided, Kallias. I entered the Heart without you. And in doing so, I endangered you and your men. I let my boldness drown out your wisdom and caution.”
The severity in his face eased, but those fine lines deepened at the corners of his eyes. “You’re more dragon than you realize.”He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “A queen forged from dragonfire and sunshine.”
I rested my head against his chest, and cool chains of gold pressed into my cheek. This was us. We spoke. We listened. Trials had tested our connection again and again, yet what we built endured, burnished by hardship until it shone brighter.
The beat of his heart thumped against my ear, tugging my lips into a grin. He was my anchor. I was his storm.
As the lift neared the ground, movement below caught my eye. A sea of bodies stretched beneath us, pressing close, voices rising in eager waves. I stepped away from him, but my hair snagged in the chain of his mantle.
A startled gasp slipped free. One hand cradled the back of my head while the other worked at the tangled strands.
“I remember another time like this,” he murmured.
A scoff escaped me. “I won’t make it a habit.”
Freed at last, I leaned into composure and inspected my mantle. It had been crafted in haste to replace the one Tallon destroyed. Dragonscales draped across my shoulders, fine chains crossing my chest to secure it.
It felt like home.
The lift struck ground with a heavy jolt. My knees buckled, but his arm tightened around me before I could falter.
Guards pressed the crowd back from the cage. The towering levels of Sol rose above us, vast and gleaming, their white walls reflecting cheers that rolled like thunder. For a moment I felt so tiny beneath it all—insignificant—an ant ready to be crushed.
I took the king’s arm and stepped forward.
Faces split wide with smiles. Eyes shone with fierce hope despite the line of guards. Laughter bubbled from me as goats darted between boots, small kids leaping and knocking against startled shins.
Chin high, Kallias guided me through the streets. Packed earth coated the well-worn paths in brown, but walls and columns gleamed like polished pearls.
This immense, cavernous city was more than housing. Though he gestured toward sprawling apartment blocks that sheltered hundreds, this place bore the mountain’s very pulse—its life flow. The scent of roasting meat drifted thick and savory through the air, threaded with exotic spices. Beneath it lingered sweetness, honey and baked grain, enough to stir a low growl from my stomach.
From above, Sol appeared as a blank shell. At street level it lived and breathed. Bright curtains fluttered in windows. Vivid banners cascaded down walls. Massive tapestries cloaked entire alleys, goat hair woven into intricate scenes of dramatic peaks and mountain ranges.
With each step, the past loosened its grip. I’d never forget it—Vellos left scars on flesh and heart alike. Those jagged edges would never vanish. Yet walking here, beside Kallias, through a city that welcomed and adored us, it made it all bearable.
I found peace once again.
Something soft collided with my calf.
