Page 78 of Heartflame

“It won’t,” Caden said quickly. “We’re going to find the necromancy books and destroy them. Don’t worry.” He paused. “But… you know… remember it anyway. Better safe than sorry.”

Wild snorted, breaking the tension with that familiar mischief creeping back into his voice. “Right. Because nothing says don’t worry like remember how to make the poison that kills necromancers just in case.”

“It’s practical,” Caden said, unbothered.

“It’s terrifying,” Wild countered. “Which, coming from me, should tell you something.”

I let out a breath that was almost a laugh, though it came out more like a wheeze against Quill’s shoulder. The sound seemed to startle something loose in my chest, some small crack of relief amid all the grief. Quill’s hand found mine, lacing our fingers together as Atlas guided us toward the center of the room past my grandfather’s corpse.

“Don’t look,” Quill said softly, tugging my hand. “Just look ahead. That’s all we can do now.”

I let him lead me toward the teleportation circle Wild was already carving into the air, his green magic casting strange shadows across the ground. Atlas kept one steadying hand on my back, and Elias stayed behind us, magic still crackling faintly at his fingertips like he wasn’t quite ready to believe the danger had passed.

Wild finished his circle, the green sigils flaring to life beneath all around us, and the world tilted sideways one final time that night. When it solidified again, we were standing in the familiar entrance hall of the sanctuary, soft magical light spilling down from the chandeliers. It looked exactly the same as it had just hours ago when we’d left.

But everything had changed. I had changed. The whole world had changed in what felt like an instant.

Elias and Wild stayed in the entrance hall while Caden and Atlas showed us back to our room. By the time we reached the door, there was already a magical servant standing there with a tray of bandages and balms for Caden to dress our wounds. It took only ten minutes or so for Caden to do his work before he and Atlas started to leave.

“We’ll come back periodically to check on you,” Atlas said from the door. “Please, use the mansion in any way you see fit. It will take care of you.”

“And when you’re ready,” Caden added. “We’ll go back to the real world. But not until you’re ready.”

With that, they shut the door and left Quill and I sitting in a peaceful quiet that almost felt unnatural after everything that had happened.

For a long moment, neither of us moved. The room around us was warm, softly lit, everything smelling faintly of clean linen and lavender from whatever balm Caden had rubbed into my wounds. Quill sat on the edge of the massive bed, still in his torn clothes, dried blood flaking at his collar where my grandfather’s claws had left their mark. I stood near the window, staring out at nothing, my reflection ghosting over the dark frosted glass. I saw an empty dragon with red-rimmed eyes and hollow cheeks. I barely recognized myself.

“You should sit down,” Quill said quietly. “You’re swaying.”

I hadn’t noticed. My legs felt distant, disconnected from the rest of me, like they belonged to someone else entirely. I crossed the room and sank down beside him, the mattress dipping under my weight, and for a moment we just sat there, shoulder to shoulder, not speaking.

“I keep seeing it,” I finally admitted. “Him. Falling apart like that. I keep thinking if I’d just—if I’d noticed sooner, if I’d asked more questions, maybe⁠—”

“Don’t.” Quill’s hand found mine, threading our fingers together. “Don’t do that to yourself. You didn’t do this. He did. Whatever grief turned him into that person, it wasn’t your responsibility to fix.”

“He raised me,” I said, my voice cracking. “He taught me everything. How to fly, how to control the shift, how to—” I stopped, swallowing hard. “And it was all just... pointless. He was just waiting for the moment he could use me.”

Quill didn’t say anything to that. He just leaned his head against my shoulder, his breathing slow and steady.

“I’m scared,” I admitted after a while. “I’m scared of what comes after. The Elder Council is going to want answers. They’re going to want to know why their leader turned out to be a necromancer who created the Purity Front. And I don’t know what that means for me. For us.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Quill said, lifting his head to look at me. His eyes were tired but fierce. “Together. And I’m not just saying it, Aeron. I mean it. Whatever the Council decides, whatever comes next, you won’t be doing it alone.”

I studied him for a long moment, this witch who’d thrown himself between me and the greatest danger of my life, who’d brewed poison out of mold and dead rats in a basement because he refused to be as helpless as everyone told him he was. He’d saved us both. He’d saved everyone.

“You’re remarkable,” I said, my voice raw. “Do you know that? You destroyed a necromancer and the last of my grandfather’s undead army with mushrooms grown in a forgotten storage room.”

A tired laugh escaped him, surprised out of the exhaustion etched into his face. “I really did do that, didn’t I?”

“You did.” I reached up, brushing my thumb along his jaw, careful of the bruising at his throat. “I love you. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say it enough. But I do. More than I could ever express.”

His eyes softened, and he leaned into my touch. “I love you too. Even when you’re a giant terrifying lizard covered in someone else’s blood.”

“Charming.”

“I try.” He pressed a soft kiss to my palm, then let his forehead rest against mine. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep. The world can wait until morning. It’ll still be a mess when we’re finally ready to face it. For now, I just want to be here, safe with you.”

I nodded, too tired to argue, and let him pull back the covers of the massive bed. We settled in together, his smaller frame curling against my side, his head resting on my chest where my heart was still beating a little too fast. I wrapped my arms around him, careful of his wounds, and stared up at the velvet canopy above us, listening to his breathing slowly even out into sleep.