Chapter 88 The New Dragon Slayers pt1
The courtyard booms with applause and cheering.
We stand in the center, dressed in the best armor we’ve ever seen. It’s silver, blazing brighter than the sun above us.
For the first time since arriving at Hellbane, there’s not a single cloud above. Blue sky stretches as far as the eye can see.
But all eyes are on us.
I stand between my friends—and fucking Malachai—cradling the dragon egg like a treasured prize. I stroke the scales, each about as small as the one I wear around my neck. The color is close too, but a flat black instead of iridescent. The edges of each wedge are sharp enough to cut my fingers, but I can’t stop stroking it with reverence.
It’s mine.
I’ve claimed a dragon's egg!
Thorne bursts from his tower with an explosion of fire and lightning booming all around him. He’s flanked by the remaining captains, each of them wielding their gifts to make the entrance awe inspiring.
Thorne’s wearing armor identical to ours, while the captains wear the colors of their respective dragon. They march toward the podium with stern, proud faces, and are accompanied by a standing ovation from everyone in attendance.
I watch, my chest filled with pride as they take the podium and stand facing us. The captains smile at their fodder, and for a moment I’m conscious Malachi no longer has a captain anymore. Whist is the only one not smiling, and she looks at me with fondness as silent tears slip from her eyes. I feel as if she would have her arms around me if she could.
“Fodder!” Thorne’s voice booms, louder than the thunder and shaking the very cobblestones.
We stand at attention immediately, backs stiff and heads tilted toward him respectfully.
“On this day, you have become more. You have become better. You have emerged from your insignificant, sacrificable lives to take your rightful place by my side. Today, the lives of the fodder you were are over. Today, you are slayers!”
Everyone cheers, fire shooting into the sky and spraying out like explosions of fancy. Hellbane itself shakes with excitement. My powers resonate and hum, my veins dimly heating and glowing beneath my armor.
Embrace your destiny with pride, my child. I knew you’d succeed.
I feel like I might explode.
I look around at my friends, even Malachi, and we share smiles.
We’ve done it!
We’ve actually done it!
We. Are. Slayers.
“My friends, you have been through so much. Lost so many,” Thorne says, letting his mouth fall to a frown under his blindfold. “From young Calder who passed far before his time, Alric—taken cruelly by fate—you’ve remained strong. Resilient. You never faltered, never gave a single thought to turning around and giving up.”
Hearing Calder’s name shatters some of my joy. Hearing Alric’s name brings tears to my eyes that I don’t even try to hide.
The lives lost in pursuit of this great title were so dear to me, yet I feel the pride they would have for us all if they knew we made it after all. I imagine Calder grinning and waving from the crowd, his mother standing proudly behind him. I imagine they’re taken care of, clean and well fed, wanting for nothing.
I see Alric in my mind's eye reclined on a cloud behind Whist. He’d be whispering in her ear, gentle hands caressing her arms. Had he lived, I imagine they would have wed.
As I share a glance with Whist, I know she feels the same way.
“Anara, elite among your group of slayers, Daughter of Hellbane, come to me. Show us all your prize, the physical manifestation of your victory.”
Thorne holds his hands out to me. It no longer shocks me that he knows exactly where I am at all times. It’s just Thorne, just how he is.
I tuck the egg under my arm and march up the stairs to the podium, taking Thorne’s hand with excitement. His fingers are warm in mine, gentle beyond words, and as he pulls me into his embrace, it’s as if I’m truly being hugged by my father.
I let my eyes drift closed, let myself sink into his hold as if I can absorb the affection in this moment through my skin.
Thorne strokes my braid and exhales a heavy sigh against my neck. “Are you ready, Anara?” he asks quietly.
“For what?” I look up at him adoringly, lovingly. He’s everything to me, the father I never had. The family I always craved. I’m home, here, in his arms.
My dreams really have come true. The one that’s fueled my every choice since the moment Elsie died.
And the ones I never let myself have beyond the veil of sleep. A father. A family.
I glance over my shoulder, my heart leaping as my gaze connects with brown eyes dark with more emotions than I can name. All I know is I’ve made my choice. That I made it years ago.
Zaries.
Thorne pushes me back a step and lays a hand on the egg in my arms. “Ready for the final step to claiming leadership?” He turns from me and nods at Captain Steele.
A giant metal spike rises from the ground directly in front of the podium. The sharp tip glints in the bright light of day.
“Anara, Daughter of Hellbane, I invite you to slay your first dragon!” Thorne throws his hands in the air and everyone cheers. Confetti’s thrown from windows, glitter flying through the air, powers sparkling with great beauty.
My brows draw together in confusion, my gut tightening. I cradle the egg against my chest, shaking my head slowly back and forth. He wants me to destroy it? How can I… It’s not even born! It’s helpless!
I desperately search my mind for my mentor, but his touch is gone.
As if it was never there.
The courtyard quiets, all eyes on me as I hold the egg protectively and stay frozen in place.
“Anara?” Thorne calls, holding his hand out to me.
I shake my head, backing away, stumbling on an uneven plank in the podium.
I back right into Steele, who looks down at me in disgust. “What are you doing child, are you a slayer or not?” He shoves me forward and I almost fall to my knees.
“Thorne?” I whisper weakly, staring down at the precious egg in desperation. “Thorne, this doesn’t—it’s not even born, how—”
“Anara, you will smash the egg against the spike and become the fifth captain of Hellbane. You will replace Cinder, leading the slayers of fire.” His nostrils flare as he expands on an inhale. “Destroy this vile creature and it’s all yours. All of it. Would you tell me you don’t want that, my daughter?”
“I…”
I can’t speak. My throat constricts as my arms tighten around the harmless, innocent egg.
I don’t understand my own feelings. It’s just an egg. I’ve eaten eggs countless times. This is just an egg, just another egg…
A dragon egg.
Then why does my mind reel at the thought of harming it?
Why does every instinct inside me scream for me to protect it, to save it?