Talon the Black (Dragonwall Series # 1)

Chapter 29 - The Flying Pig

Weldon

Claire held back her tears until they were airborne. She couldn't bear for Jovari and Koldis to see her cry, and she dearly needed to cry. Once again, she found herself on Jovari's back with Reyr nothing more than a golden speck on the horizon, but Reyr's sudden departure was not the cause of her frustration and anger. The real source boiled down to two words: the king. Someone she had never met and already hated.

The sky was a private place. With the wind whistling in her ears and the ground far below, she let herself go, careful to keep her body from shaking too hard. Otherwise Jovari would know. He'd tell Koldis. They'd both judge her as a crybaby.

Each droplet that fell from her eyes carried with it a fragment of her emotion. There was no one to blame but herself. She angrily wiped her cheeks. How stupid she'd been to think that this king of Dragonwall would be reasonable. Weren't kings supposed to be wise and level-headed?

Somehow she'd missed it. After everything Cyrus told her—after all the little snippets about the king he had divulged—she failed to glean any true understanding of what this man might be like. Now she knew. Oh yes. She had listened to the abrupt conversation between King Talon and his noble Shields.

As Jovari and Koldis flew further south, the king's words continued to echo in her mind. He'd called her a murderous witch! Just thinking of it made her tears flow faster. He believed her guilty without so much as speaking a single word to her. Without even giving her a chance to explain.

If this king mistrusted her so much, would he even grant her a private audience? If he did not wish to speak with her alone, how would she fulfill her promise? She wiped at more tears.

Here she thought that her biggest challenge would be her journey. After all, the only thing that stood between her and fulfilling her promise was a vast stretch of land. She was so wrong.

No, the biggest challenge would be the king himself, and if he didn't come around, if he killed her before she could fulfill her promise, his kingdom would fall. She snorted at the thought. Maybe he deserved it. Perhaps a great man like him should be taken down a notch or two. But what would that accomplish?

Kane had to be stopped. Dragonwall wasn't the only kingdom threatened. Nothing more than a thin veil straddled her world and this one. With the Gates unprotected, Kane could easily spread his devastation to the ones she loved.

The king was her only hope. She needed him. She needed his cooperation.

Bring him to the light and he will see reason.

She ground her teeth together. Why did it have to be her job to make him see reason?

Because you made a Promise.

It wasn't fair that this kind of responsibility had fallen into her lap. She couldn't turn her back even if she tried. The pull from the Unbreakable Promise was too strong. It wouldn't allow her to walk away.

Promise or not, this is your world too, even if you refuse to admit it.

She grunted. Of course she refused admit it, but she wasn't dumb either. She hadn't missed the comments from Queen Jade and Prince Feowen. Their not so subtle hints about how only a Sprite could find Esterpine, and only a Sprite could have made it through the forest without getting lost. Their meaning wasn't lost on her. Believing what they said was merely too much to ask.

Jovari and Koldis flew for hours until the sun was in the middle of the sky. She never knew what time it was anymore. Supposing there was no need, she still disliked the disorientation it caused.