Chapter 219: The bond that calls

LIRA

The fire I made burned low. Taheer had been gone for along, the day had given into night.

I sat on the sand beside Cassian, his head resting in my lap, his breathing shallow but steady. The wound on his side had stopped bleeding, thanks to the magic I had poured into him, but he was still weak. He was far from fully healed.

The ocean stretched out before us, dark and endless, the waves crashing against the shore with a rhythm that was almost soothing. The sky above was grey, heavy with clouds that threatened rain. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the cry of seabirds, their voices faint and mournful.

I should have felt relief.

We had escaped. We were alive. Cassian was alive.

But I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. Taheer was not back. Kael and Luna had left to help the remaining fallen soldiers. They had not come back yet.

And there was no sign of any other human where we were.

Lira.

Luna's voice was soft in my mind, barely a whisper.

Something is happening. Taheer is...

I felt it before she could finish.

I looked down at Cassian. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful. But his hand had tightened around mine, his fingers gripping with a strength that belied his weakness.

"Cassian," I said. "Cassian, what is it?"

His eyes snapped open.

"Taheer," he breathed. "He is hurt. He is..."

He tried to sit up, but the movement sent a wave of pain across his face. I pushed him back down, my hands firm on his shoulders.

"You cannot move. You are too weak."

"I do not care." His voice was sharp, desperate. "Taheer is dying. I can feel it. He is fading!!"

"Cassian..."

"I have to go to him."

He tried to stand.

I held him down.

"Listen to me," I said. "You are far from healed. You can barely walk. If you go out there now, you will die. Taheer would not want that."

"Lira..."

"I am not saying we should abandon him." My voice was firm. "But he told us he would come back. We need to be smart about this. We need to find a way to reach him without killing you in the process."

Cassian stared at me.

His grey eyes were wild with fear.

"Lira," he said. "He has been with me since I was a boy. He is more than a dragon. He is..."

"I know." I squeezed his hand. "I know what he means to you. I feel the same way about Luna but I can't let you go out there. Norwyn men might still be out there. Even Veyraxis is still out there."

"Then you understand."

"I understand that you cannot save him if you are dead."

He was silent.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

Then:

"What do you propose?" he asked.

I looked up at the sky.

Luna, I thought. Luna, I need you.

'I am here', she replied. 'I am close.'

I need Kael. Can you call him?

A pause.

'Yes,' she said. 'I will call him. He will come.'

Thank you.

I turned back to Cassian.

"Kael is coming," I said. "He will carry us. We will find Taheer."

Cassian looked at me.

His eyes were wet.

"Lira," he said. "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"Nothing," I said. "I chose you. And I will keep choosing you. Every time."

He pulled me into his arms.

I held him.

And for a moment, the world did not feel quite so heavy.

\-——————————

Kael arrived within the hour.

He descended from the sky like a shadow, his massive wings blotting out the stars, his scales gleaming in the pale light of the moon. He landed a few feet away, his golden eyes fixed on us.

I helped Cassian to his feet.

He was still weak, still pale, but he was standing. That was enough.

"Can you ride?" I asked.

"I have to."

I helped him climb onto Kael's back.

Then I climbed up behind him, my arms wrapped around his waist, my chest pressed against his back.

"Please take us to Taheer," I said.

Kael launched into the sky.

\---

The wind was cold against my face.

We flew fast, faster than I had ever flown before, Kael's wings cutting through the air with a speed that left me breathless. The landscape blurred beneath us, mountains, forests, rivers, until we reached the northern passes.

And then I saw it.

The battlefield.

Bodies littered the ground. Smoke rose from the ruins of the camp. Soldiers were still fighting to keep the border, their swords clashing, their screams echoing across the valley.

But I was not looking at any of them.

I was looking at the sky.

Taheer was there. He was circling above the battlefield, his wings beating against the clouds, his body streaked with blood. There were wounds on his sides, his back, his wings. He was fighting, Veyraxis. Sometimes not the red and black streaks could be seen blazing in the sky.

Who knew how long they had been fighting.

"Cassian," I said. "Is he answering?"

"No."

A cold dread settled in my stomach.

Something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

\---

We descended toward the battlefield.

Kael landed on a rocky outcrop overlooking the valley. I helped Cassian dismount, my arm around his waist, his weight leaning heavily against me.

"The war is far from over," Cassian said. "Sargon's men are still fighting and our men are barely holding the line. At this rate they'll be in the capital in two days. Once they take the capital, Aurelia falls."

"Cassian..."

"I see Sargon." His voice was hard. "There. On the ridge."

I followed his gaze.

Sargon.

He was standing on a rocky outcropping, surrounded by a handful of his men. He was watching the battle, his face cold, his eyes triumphant.

"He is not fighting," I said. "He is watching."

"Because he thinks he has already won. My stupid brother made that deal thinking Sargon would spare him or Aurelia. But he only helped him get what he wanted." Cassian's jaw tightened. "Now, he thinks I am dead."

"Cassian..."

"I am going to prove him wrong."

I grabbed his arm.

"You can't. You are too weak. You can barely stand."

"I know." He turned to look at me. "But I have to do this, Lira. I have to end this. For Taheer. For my people. For us."

"If I don't stop him now, his men will keep fighting. They will take Aurelia. And I will not let that happen."

I stared at him.

His eyes were fierce and determined.

"I know what you mean, but it's still dangerous and you're very weak. I am not going to let you die," I said.

"I am not going to die." He cupped my face in his hands. "I promise you. I am not going to die."

"Cassian..."

"Stay here," he said. "Wait for me. If I do not come back..."

"Then I will come for you."

He almost smiled.

Then he turned and walked toward Sargon.

\-—————————

I watched him go.

My heart was pounding. My hands were shaking.

I wanted to run after him. I wanted to drag him back and force him to rest. I wanted to do anything other than stand here and watch him walk toward his death.

But I did not.

Because I trusted him.

Because I loved him.

Because I knew that if I tried to stop him, he would hate me for it. I followed him behind, staying only a few yards away.

Please, I thought. Please, please, please....

Cassian finally reached Sargon.

The Norwyn king was taller than I remembered, broader, his face hard and cruel. He smiled when he saw Cassian, a cold, predatory smile that made my blood run cold.

"Cassian," he said. "I thought you were dead."

"Not yet." Cassian stopped a few feet away. "I am here to end this."

"End this?" Sargon laughed. "You are bleeding. You are barely standing. You cannot even hold a sword."

"I do not need a sword to defeat you."

Sargon's smile faded.

"What are you saying?"

"I am challenging you." Cassian's voice was steady. "Hand to hand combat. You and me. If I win, the war ends here. If you win, well, you deserve to take Aurelia then."