“Ierda,” The man’s voice was clearer this time, but I still couldn’t make out what he was saying.

I cleared my throat a few times and glanced down at where his chest was my eye level. I couldn’t remember the last time I had trouble speaking. How long was it since I stepped foot on that accursed battlefield? It felt like mere hours ago the sun shone for too long. The consequence of the spell performed to lock away the monster so many had died to defeat.

My legs began to sway beneath me, forcing me to grasp the man’s shirt to steady myself. I leaned into him with my head resting on his chest while I shook my legs out. Thank the gods he was being patient with me. I’d never been this frail. I could feel my skin buzzing with eons of collected magic, but my body was weak from being motionless for too long. 

I froze in place as I felt his familiar reach across the bond toward my dragon. A shudder ran down my spine as she unfurled deep within the recesses of my mind and came out of her hiding place. She greeted him like an old friend, a promising sign for the years ahead. 

Following Kenna’s lead, I raised my gaze at the same time the man brushed his knuckles across my cheek. When our gazes met, he rested his hand on my cheek and gently caressed my skin with the pad of his thumb. 

I thought I knew what to expect when the seal for the spell broke, but the man before me was beyond my wildest dreams. He was taller and more muscular than most men. His grey eyes contrasted perfectly with his rich brown, cool toned complexion. Most people would be intimidated by his large, imposing stature, but I was transfixed.

How long had I waited for this? How many people had placed their hands in mine, hoping the statue would come to life and they’d find true love? Or did people avoid me? Did they refuse to bring back the girl who could end the world?

The man supporting me dropped his hand from my cheek and returned his arm to where it had been wrapped around my waist. Fiddling with the material of his shirt, I cleared my throat and tested my voice until I was able to say something.

“Wh-What?” I finally croaked, my voice hoarse from years of disuse.

“Gadya ierda,” He spoke slowly, enough for me to understand we were speaking different languages. It was a good sign. I hoped.

Would it be strange if I kissed him? Had the tradition changed? What would he think of me if I did? I needed to understand him. I needed to understand a language in use today, but what if he rejects me because I kissed him too soon? 

The feeling of a large, calloused hand on my cheek pulled me out of my thoughts. My vision focused on his mouth then his lips were on mine. A chill so deep it became a furnace erupted from where our skin met. Our lips moved feverishly against each other, encouraged by the bond tying us together for the rest of our lives. 

A hunger neither of us could satiate until it was adequately fed took root deep inside each of us. Even if one of us rejected the other, which now seemed unlikely, we could never completely erase the other’s effect on our lives. My senses were overwhelmed by the taste of bamban smoke on his lips and smell of magic in the air. I’d heard about what the bond did to people, but this was beyond what I could have imagined. He was my drug, and I couldn’t get enough. 

He roughly grasped my rear in his hand and squeezed, eliciting a small groan from my lips. The intimate touch reminded me we were likely in a public space. I placed my hands on his chest and pushed, breaking the kiss. He rested his forehead against mine while we tried to catch our breath, holding me to his heaving chest. His arms were tightly wound around my waist and pressed to my spine, his muscles shaking with the strength he was holding back.

“Who . . . when . . . fuck,” I gasped out, attempting to figure out which question was more pressing.

“I am King Caedan.” Thank the gods I could understand him, and hopefully he could understand me.

“I’m Serephina.” I lifted my head to look around us for the first time. 

Nothing was how I remembered. We were currently standing in the courtyard of what appeared to be a city. Grandiose buildings towered over everyone. There was a crowd of people in a circle around us, none of them wearing clothes I was familiar with and most of the women were wearing trousers. 

“What year is it?” I took one last look at my surroundings before turning back to my mate. 

“9578 A.L.D.” He didn’t sound confused by my question, but the answer he provided only gave me more questions.

“A.L.D.?” I paid the ultimate price five thousand years after The Split. If people were no longer measuring time from the same date, how long had I been imprisoned?

“After The Long Day?” 

It had taken much longer than any of us could have anticipated. The unprecedented amount of magic coursing through my veins was no longer a surprise. I had spent the past nine and a half millennia absorbing the magic in the air and draining Melantha of hers, all without using a drop of what I had. 

If she was petrified like I was, Melantha should be in the same area as when the spell took effect. I needed to find her before she fled and regained her former strength. 

The bond had barely taken effect, and yet a small part of me already felt pained at the idea of having to leave my mate. Unsure of whether I would find him again or survive the battle ahead, I leaned into Caedan and inhaled deeply. He smelled so strongly of bamban smoke I couldn’t detect his natural scent.

Time was slipping away from me, and I couldn’t follow my heart. I had a job to do and it didn’t matter whether or not I wanted to do it. Melantha had to be stopped no matter the cost. I knew I needed to leave the second I woke, but I dragged the moment out as long as I could. 

What did Caedan think of me, the frail warrior clinging to his shirt? Did he think my timidness endearing, or could he see deeper? Where my hands rested on his chest, could he see the red staining my skin? Did he understand my submission was reserved only for him? 

I took a steadying breath and straightened my posture. Gently pushing on Caedan’s chest, I tried to remove myself from his embrace. He let out a low, warning growl from deep in his chest and refused to let go of me.

“What are you doing? I need to go.” I pushed against him again, but it was futile. The years may have fed my soul, but they sapped my body.

“Where could you possibly need to go? You’ve been a statue for so long, you don’t know what year it is,” The mocking undertones in his voice surprised me. He had been nothing but patient and kind until now.

“Don’t you remember? Don’t you know why?” I stopped fighting him in the hope diplomacy would work.

“I know I’m your mate and that makes you my Queen. Unless you plan on rejecting the bond, you’re staying with me.” Caedan tightened his hold on me to the point I could hardly breathe.

“She’s coming . . . need to . . . stop her,” I panted, desperately pushing against him in an attempt to put some distance between us.

“What are you talking about? Have the years as stone addled your brain?” He jibed while partially loosening his hold.

“Melantha . . . is coming.” My voice faltered as I struggled to breathe properly and speak at the same time.

“Melantha?” Caedan began laughing raucously as if what I said was the most ridiculous thing he’d heard. His head tipped back and his chest shook while I watched in stunned indignation. “The dark witch that destroyed Bakiavela in one day? She’s been dead for thousands of years,”

“She never died! She was imprisoned and now that I’m awake, so is she!” I snapped at him. 

“Are you high on guaran leaves?” His pearly white teeth shone in the light as his lips pulled back in a half smile.

“No, I’m not high! Are you fucking crazy? Let me go!” I pounded both fists on his chest to no avail.

“Let you go? You have responsibilities at home, Your Highness.” His nonchalance convinced me nothing I said would matter. People had forgotten and he wouldn’t believe me. Maybe no one would.

Hands fisting in Caedan’s shirt, I raised my leg and slammed my knee into his groin. He let go of me to grab his stomach with a grunt. The moment I was freed, I bolted for the southeast corner of the courtyard while ignoring the shouts of the people I barrelled through. With the rising sun behind me, I darted through two buildings into an alley. I prayed I was going the right direction and hadn’t been followed while weaving through the monuments around me.

What did Caedan mean when he said Melantha destroyed Bakiavela in a day? The spell locked her away the same as me. Were the consequences higher than we thought? Did we sacrifice our home, our people, for the belief we were saving the world? If all of Bakiavela died anyway, were our sacrifices worth it? 

I ran out into the middle of a street only for something large and heavy to plow into my side. My body flew through the air before I fell and my breath was forced from my lungs. Taking in a deep gasp, I gingerly felt my side. Nothing was broken, but a bruise was already forming.

I carefully pushed myself up and looked over at what hit me. It appeared to be an abnormally large, rounded box floating slightly above the ground. Rather than sit and stare at the oddity, I turned to stand only to find myself surrounded by unfamiliar faces. 

They were likely trying to make sure I wasn’t injured, but I couldn’t care less about what they wanted. Taking advantage of the people hiding me, I studied my surroundings. The battlefield had become unrecognizable. If someone asked me which direction my home used to be, I wouldn’t be able to tell them. 

“Goddammit! Where is she?!” The sound of my mate’s voice made Kenna perk up and urge me to search the crowd for him.

Slowly rising to my feet, I calmly made my way through the crowd and away from the voice calling for me. I hid in the swarm of people walking along the street while putting as much distance as I could between my followers and I.

‘Stop worrying about him and help me find the kenge spawn,’ I demanded of my familiar while glancing behind me.

‘Climb one of the buildings,’ Kenna suggested, accompanied by the image of a grunyan climbing the wall to my right. Dragons were supposed to be the most intelligent creatures, and this was the idea she offered. 

‘The walls are too smooth. We’d have to shift.’ Only a dragon could hope to sink their claws into whatever material people used these days. She ruffled her wings and began to unfurl, inching closer to the forefront of my consciousness. Of course she wanted to shift. I did too, but a dragon, in a city, seriously?

‘What have you seen in the sky since I woke up?’ I glanced behind myself again and turned onto another road, keeping the other pedestrians in between myself and the street. The buildings to my right appeared to be stores. Using my hair to hide my face, I walked with the pace of the crowd. 

‘Clouds.’ Abarrane help me. Kenna drove me fucking ballistic sometimes. I swore, she did this shit on purpose. ‘I heard that.’

‘What haven’t you seen?’ I kept my head down and turned onto a side street to lean against a wall while Kenna rambled off a list of animals I would normally see flying overhead several times a day. All of which were nowhere to be found.

I was completely lost in this place with only the sun to guide me. In spite of centuries of training, my legs were aching and lungs burned. Could I really handle this? This was my best chance, and yet I could barely handle walking across flat ground. If—no, when I fight Melantha, will I win?

The plan was for me to find and kill her when the seal broke. Did anyone think about the state of my body after all that time? Someone had to, which meant they expected me to use the magic I collected and it still may not be enough to kill her.

Latent magic in the world feeds life, but using it eats away at us from the inside. I’d always been careful with mine, used it sparingly. If I burned through every bit of the magic I possessed, it would kill me. 

I volunteered for a suicide mission.

 Next Chapter

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