trust the Maker. As long as he followed the Oracle’s commands all would turn out well.
Ren drew a deep breath. It was time. He could wait no longer.
When he turned to face the dragon, his limbs moved on their own accord. Ren felt his entire life flash before him. No emotion he had ever experienced felt as wrong and as terrible as the one he was currently feeling. With each step he took the more his hopes slipped through his fingers.
The dragon rumbled a greeting. Ren clenched his jaw, trying to find strength to voice the words he feared.
The dragon’s eyes turned a deep violet as it lowered its head and brushed his hand. Ren tried to force his voice to come but as he stared into the dragon’s eyes it took all of his energy to breathe. Aidan was whole, and once he spoke she wouldn’t be. He would never be able to explain the reason behind his words. He would never be able to tell her how much she meant to him. When he felt his resolve begin to shatter he turned away, knowing his face would betray him.
Warm breath gusted over his neck as the dragon smelled him. Aidan had seen his face and couldn’t believe the coolness it held.
He started to talk, telling her he denounced their union. There was no reason, he lied, to have the link now that she was in the dragon. It would just keep him from loving another and having a normal life. He was better off without her.
He fell to the ground as the dragon bellowed in pain. Markum screamed a warning. Ren felt the intake of breath and tensed for the inevitable fire to storm around him. He didn’t care. He loathed his words, his fate, and what the Oracle had forced him to do. He deserved to die. Maybe this was what Fate had meant when she said he had to destroy his soul. He would welcome it.
The fire came. The heat seemed to be all around him, but he felt no pain. Nothing could match the pain inside his heart. A gust of wind encompassed him as the dragon took to the air, screaming into the fading sunlight. He would never forget that voice for it wasn’t a dragon’s roar – it was Aidan’s scream.
Now he could destroy his soul. His soul’s destruction would seem easy compared to what he had just done. Maybe it was better this way. If Aidan felt as much for him as he felt for her she could never bear his destruction. He prayed she would find comfort in the dragon, the most beautiful creature in the Lands. At least the dragon matched her beauty.
“I love you, Aidan,” he whispered into the grass. Familiar hands touched his back and rolled him over. He heard Markum tell Galvin to heat some water and douse a blanket in order to draw the fire’s poison from his system.
Aidan had burned him. Ren smiled. He remembered the riddle of the sphinx: Through fields of fire I am made. Yet for some reason he couldn’t recall the answer to the riddle, even though he knew it was important.
Blackness descended, but before it encompassed him he heard a voice echoing in the darkness.
“ Blind faith ,” it whispered.
- - -
Sim didn’t know what to do. The emotions he had felt before tore through him once again. But he didn’t want them. He didn’t want them at all. It meant only one thing: Aidan was beginning to merge. Sim could barely hear the Bane’s voice trying to reach her, but Aidan wouldn’t listen.
The emotions were frightening: love and pain, pain and love. But the pain was more than Sim could bear.
Foreign liquid oozed down his silver cheeks as Aidan’s emotions riveted through him. His love became more than he had ever dreamed. It was beautiful, hopeful, sensual, and wonderful. It felt like Mezuzah’s warm tongue, a dragon cub’s first step, a waterfall’s spray, and the sun on his back. But the pain was more than he had ever feared. It was without hope, fathomless, eternal, and black. He would much rather have every bone in his body broken, every dragon in the Lands slain, every sun in the universe dark than to feel Aidan’s pain.
He thought of Ren’s
Ren drew a deep breath. It was time. He could wait no longer.
When he turned to face the dragon, his limbs moved on their own accord. Ren felt his entire life flash before him. No emotion he had ever experienced felt as wrong and as terrible as the one he was currently feeling. With each step he took the more his hopes slipped through his fingers.
The dragon rumbled a greeting. Ren clenched his jaw, trying to find strength to voice the words he feared.
The dragon’s eyes turned a deep violet as it lowered its head and brushed his hand. Ren tried to force his voice to come but as he stared into the dragon’s eyes it took all of his energy to breathe. Aidan was whole, and once he spoke she wouldn’t be. He would never be able to explain the reason behind his words. He would never be able to tell her how much she meant to him. When he felt his resolve begin to shatter he turned away, knowing his face would betray him.
Warm breath gusted over his neck as the dragon smelled him. Aidan had seen his face and couldn’t believe the coolness it held.
He started to talk, telling her he denounced their union. There was no reason, he lied, to have the link now that she was in the dragon. It would just keep him from loving another and having a normal life. He was better off without her.
He fell to the ground as the dragon bellowed in pain. Markum screamed a warning. Ren felt the intake of breath and tensed for the inevitable fire to storm around him. He didn’t care. He loathed his words, his fate, and what the Oracle had forced him to do. He deserved to die. Maybe this was what Fate had meant when she said he had to destroy his soul. He would welcome it.
The fire came. The heat seemed to be all around him, but he felt no pain. Nothing could match the pain inside his heart. A gust of wind encompassed him as the dragon took to the air, screaming into the fading sunlight. He would never forget that voice for it wasn’t a dragon’s roar – it was Aidan’s scream.
Now he could destroy his soul. His soul’s destruction would seem easy compared to what he had just done. Maybe it was better this way. If Aidan felt as much for him as he felt for her she could never bear his destruction. He prayed she would find comfort in the dragon, the most beautiful creature in the Lands. At least the dragon matched her beauty.
“I love you, Aidan,” he whispered into the grass. Familiar hands touched his back and rolled him over. He heard Markum tell Galvin to heat some water and douse a blanket in order to draw the fire’s poison from his system.
Aidan had burned him. Ren smiled. He remembered the riddle of the sphinx: Through fields of fire I am made. Yet for some reason he couldn’t recall the answer to the riddle, even though he knew it was important.
Blackness descended, but before it encompassed him he heard a voice echoing in the darkness.
“ Blind faith ,” it whispered.
- - -
Sim didn’t know what to do. The emotions he had felt before tore through him once again. But he didn’t want them. He didn’t want them at all. It meant only one thing: Aidan was beginning to merge. Sim could barely hear the Bane’s voice trying to reach her, but Aidan wouldn’t listen.
The emotions were frightening: love and pain, pain and love. But the pain was more than Sim could bear.
Foreign liquid oozed down his silver cheeks as Aidan’s emotions riveted through him. His love became more than he had ever dreamed. It was beautiful, hopeful, sensual, and wonderful. It felt like Mezuzah’s warm tongue, a dragon cub’s first step, a waterfall’s spray, and the sun on his back. But the pain was more than he had ever feared. It was without hope, fathomless, eternal, and black. He would much rather have every bone in his body broken, every dragon in the Lands slain, every sun in the universe dark than to feel Aidan’s pain.
He thought of Ren’s
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