Page 62 of Of Empires and Dust
The entire eyrie stood on a knife edge. The elves who held Avandeer’s chains looked from Calen to the other Rakina, dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
Calen stared into Aeson’s unwavering gaze. Once more, he lowered his voice and attempted to calm himself, though therage he and Valerys felt would not be quelled. “Do you know what those bindings do, Aeson?”
“Calen, if you could just?—”
“Do. You. Know?” Calen spoke each word slow and steady, staring into Aeson’s ice-blue eyes. “It is a simple question.”
“Yes.”
Calen took a step closer. “And yet you still put them on?”
Chora wheeled towards Aeson and Calen, looking up at Calen. “It’s the only way to hold them safely.”
“Is it? Or is it simply the easiest?” Calen turned, looking for Thacia. He found the blood-haired Jotnar standing to his right. “Do you have the key?”
The Jotnar stared back at him, curiosity in her eyes, but she didn’t speak.
“You?” Calen asked, looking to Aelmar, one of the other Jotnar Rakina.
Aelmar returned Calen’s gaze, but he, too, remained silent.
Calen looked from Thacia, to Aelmar, to Moras, his fury rising with each breath. “Who has the key?”
“I do.” Harken Holdark stepped forwards, his long hair falling over his shoulders, the dense muscle on his arms tensing as he folded them.
“Give it to me, Harken.”
Harken glanced to Aeson, who, to Calen’s surprise, gave a short nod. The man reached into the pocket of his coat and produced a thin metal cylinder with glowing runes carved along its length.
Calen snatched the key from Harken’s hands, then marched towards the elven mages. They straightened, each of them pulling a fist to their chest as he approached and uttering a stifled, “Draleid.”
“Can you contain her? Contain her fire?” There were eight of them. That should be enough.
“Yes, Draleid… but…” the elf closest to Calen stuttered, but she quickly regained her composure. “But if she?—”
“Do it.” Calen looked to Therin. “Can you ward Tivar?”
A look of understanding flashed across Therin’s face, and he gave a sharp nod. “With aid, yes.”
As the air ignited with the thrum of the Spark, and Therin and the mages warded Tivar and Avandeer, Calen moved to the dragon’s side and tapped the key against the shackles around her legs. Both shackles gave aclick,then clanged to the stone.
He moved to Avandeer’s head, then rested one hand on her snout and looked into her eye. “I’m sorry. Laël sanyin.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer, the warmth of Avandeer’s scales brushing against his skin. “When I take this off, I need you to stay calm. Can you do that?”
The dragon let out a puff of warm air from her nostrils, her scales vibrating as a rumble of acknowledgement escaped her throat. She leaned her head into Calen, bone-white horns pressing against his leg and shoulder.
“It’ll be all right,” Calen whispered, touching the key against the collar around Avandeer’s neck. “Go to her.”
Aclicksounded.
Avandeer shook her head, the collar crashing to the ground, and she unleashed an almighty roar. The plateau shook as the enormous dragon sprang forward, leveraging her forelimbs and spreading her wings to clear the distance between her and Tivar in a heartbeat.
The warriors who had been holding Tivar and the others’ chains backed away and scrambled for their swords. But Avandeer stood over her soulkin, her frills standing on end. She threw her head back, then leaned forwards and roared once more, spittle flying, the warriors stumbling backwards.
Calen followed Avandeer, Valerys behind him. The other Rakina stared at him as he walked, but none moved to stop him. Even Aeson and Chora remained silent.
Avandeer lowered her head as Calen approached, a rumble in her throat. The dragon stretched out her forelimbs and dipped her back, as though bowing.
Tivar lifted her gaze. Her face was dark and bruised, and marks streaked the dirt on her cheeks where tears had flowed. She leaned heavily on her left leg, and scabbed cuts ringed her wrists where the shackles bound her. Her breaths trembled as Calen approached.
