Chapter 34

Into the Fire

Nobody tried to stop Evelynn at first.

Mostly because nobody believed she was actually going to do it.

The upper launch platform shook violently beneath dragonfire storms while black flames spread across the clouds overhead like cracks splitting the sky apart. Soldiers rushed civilians deeper into the fortress below while dragons screamed through smoke and lightning.

And at the center of it all—

Kael circled above Black Citadel like the end of the world.

Huge.

Burning.

Losing himself.

The soulbond pulsed so violently now Evelynn could barely tell which emotions belonged to her anymore. Rage tore through her chest one second. Grief the next. Then unbearable loneliness so deep it nearly dropped her to her knees.

Kael was drowning inside the dragon.

And he knew it.

That was the worst part.

Evelynn stepped toward the edge of the platform.

The older dragon commander grabbed her arm instantly. “Absolutely not.”

She looked at him flatly. “Excellent strategy. Do you have another one?”

The commander opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

Because no one else could get near Kael anymore.

Three dragon riders had already tried hours earlier.

One nearly died.

Another refused to fly again after landing.

The third still hadn’t stopped shaking.

The commander’s grip tightened. “If he fully loses control up there, you’ll die.”

Evelynn looked toward the burning sky again.

“If nobody goes,” she said quietly, “everyone dies.”

That shut him up.

Above them, Kael roared again.

The sound split thunderclouds apart.

Black dragonfire exploded across the northern sky in another massive wave while entire sections of burning forest collapsed below the mountains.

The soulbond surged sharply.

Pain.

So much pain.

Evelynn gasped softly and pressed one hand against her chest.

Kael felt poisoned now. Exhausted. The dragonfire burning through his blood had become unstable, feeding directly into the dragon’s rage.

And beneath all of it—

fear.

Not fear of dying.

Fear of himself.

Evelynn closed her eyes briefly.

Then made the worst decision of her life.

“I need a dragon.”

The launch platform went silent.

Several soldiers looked personally offended by the sentence.

One younger rider finally blurted, “You want to fly into that?”

He pointed upward at Kael currently setting weather systems on fire.

Reasonable reaction.

Evelynn crossed her arms. “Do you have a better idea?”

Nobody answered.

The older commander swore quietly under his breath before signaling toward one of the nearby dragons perched along the outer platform.

A silver-scaled female dragon lifted her massive head immediately, gold eyes narrowing toward Evelynn with obvious displeasure.

Honestly fair.

“She won’t obey you,” the commander warned.

The dragon looked like she barely obeyed civilization itself.

Evelynn approached slowly anyway.

The silver dragon exhaled hot smoke directly into her face.

Rude.

Then suddenly the soulbond reacted.

Warmth surged down Evelynn’s arm toward the black markings around her wrist. Gold flickered beneath her skin briefly—

and the silver dragon froze.

The enormous creature blinked once.

Then lowered herself.

The entire platform fell dead silent.

One soldier whispered weakly:

“Well that feels historically concerning.”

Agreed.

Evelynn climbed onto the dragon’s back before common sense could return.

The commander still looked horrified. “If he attacks you—”

“He won’t.”

The certainty in her own voice startled her.

Because part of her knew.

Somewhere beneath all the rage and fire, Kael still recognized her.

The silver dragon launched from the platform moments later.

The world dropped away instantly.

Cold storm winds tore through Evelynn’s hair as Black Citadel vanished beneath them in a blur of burning towers and smoke. Dragons scattered through the skies all around her while black fire split the clouds overhead.

And somewhere beyond the storm—

Kael waited.

The closer they flew, the stronger the soulbond became.

Not just emotional anymore.

Physical.

Evelynn felt the dragonfire burning through Kael’s veins. Felt the poison clawing through his body. Felt the war between dragon instinct and human memory tearing him apart from the inside.

Then she saw him.

Huge black wings spread across the burning sky.

Massive enough to shadow entire mountain ridges below.

Kael hovered within the storm clouds surrounded by spiraling black dragonfire while lightning flashed across obsidian scales sharp as blades.

Beautiful.

Terrifying.

Lost.

The silver dragon beneath Evelynn whimpered softly.

Not from fear of battle.

Fear of him.

Kael turned the moment they entered his territory.

Gold eyes locked onto them instantly through the storm.

The soulbond detonated.

Rage slammed through Evelynn’s body hard enough to steal breath from her lungs while the silver dragon beneath her nearly veered sideways in panic.

Kael roared.

The sound shook the skies apart.

Every dragon nearby fled immediately.

But Evelynn stayed.

The silver dragon trembled violently beneath her as Kael descended through the storm clouds toward them like living destruction.

Black dragonfire poured from his jaws.

The heat alone became unbearable.

Evelynn’s instincts screamed at her to run.

Instead she shouted his name into the storm.

“Kael!”

The dragonfire hesitated.

Only for a second.

But it stopped.

Kael hovered directly before them now, enormous enough that his face alone dwarfed the silver dragon carrying her. Gold eyes burned through smoke and lightning while black flames curled between massive teeth.

No humanity visible.

Only dragon.

The soulbond twisted violently.

Kael recognized her.

The dragon did not understand why that mattered.

Evelynn forced herself to meet those burning eyes despite every survival instinct begging her not to.

“You know me,” she shouted over the storm.

The dragon snarled low in response.

Heat exploded outward.

The silver dragon beneath her cried out in panic.

But the soulbond still held.

Evelynn felt him beneath the rage.

Still there.

Still fighting.

Then suddenly another wave of poison burned through Kael’s body.

Pain ripped through the bond so sharply Evelynn gasped aloud.

And in that moment—

she saw him again.

Not the dragon.

Kael.

Drowning beneath fire and instinct and centuries of grief.

Alone.

Always alone.

The realization shattered something inside her.

Evelynn slid off the silver dragon before anyone—including herself—could stop her.

Straight into the storm.

The silver dragon screamed behind her as Evelynn fell through smoke and burning wind toward the massive black dragon below.

And Kael caught her instantly.

One enormous claw closed around her body with impossible gentleness despite claws capable of tearing apart fortresses.

The dragon froze.

So did the storm.

Evelynn stood trembling within Kael’s massive claws while black fire spiraled around them both high above the burning world.

Then softly, because she no longer knew what else to do, she pressed one hand against the black scales near his heart.

The soulbond exploded open completely.

And for the first time since the war began—

the Dragon King stopped roaring.