The Cursed Deal ✓

Chapter 42

To the north of Isflean and past the stone wall meant to keep out battlements from intruders and enemies was Tyvni's favorite place. Not only was the cliff side within the mountains on the crest of a sparkling waterfall, but the mountain goats, sheep, and loose cattle made for quick meals, as did the giant squids deep underneath the water's surface.

Faine slid down from the dragon's wing and dusted herself off. From their position on the mountains, the wind ripped at her hair and tore into the low waterfall trailing down to a large pond. The water was deep enough for a dragon but too treacherous for anything else too small to defend themselves. Faine included.

Dragons were commonly sighted in the mountains, both tame and wild, but spent most of their days hiding out in the dark caves higher on the peaks. They feasted on those wild goats, sheep, and cattle, and scrounged up enough to create further generations. All the while keeping the lives of their meals from running out too quickly.

There were plenty of escapes for dragons in Pinedon. To the west, mountains took up the entire coastline. Before dragons took over that area, known as Scarsbour Mountains, there were civilizations of wild men—mostly gadigators, sinwolves, and seennouks. But tribes were pushed out by large beasts that breathed fire and no one returned to their settlements.

At least Tyvni didn't prefer those mountains. What she'd found here, a small cluster of pointed peaks, was plenty. She soared off from the flat landing she dropped them off on and dove headfirst into the crystal-clear water, earning a giggle from Faine. Her large body slithered underneath the water's surface and broke the clean, once still waves from the waterfall, and dove deeper, slashing her tail along the surface with one final flick. Her green scales disappeared the deeper she went.

Ilian was standing on the edge of the cliff side and staring down, watching her. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Faine asked, folding her hands together in front of her.

"There are many words I'd use to describe a dragon. Before today, beautiful was not on the list." Ilian glanced at her, then back to the water. "Magnificent, maybe. Otherworldly."

"Before today," Faine repeated. "Would you dare call her beautiful now?"

Ilian swallowed the lump in his throat as Tyvni surfaced with a tentacle in her mouth. Water poured off her scales and dropped back to the pond. The dragon climbed onto the bank, a dark, slick rock, and pulled out the rest of a giant squid ripped from the depths. The world shook when her body plopped down and she tore into her dinner—paws wrapped around the squid's body.

"She is absolutely incredible," he whispered.

Faine thought she was seeing things when the corner of his mouth stretched into a soft smile, but it was real. He looked at Tyvni the way she did when she watched her grow to be the powerful, large beast on the pond's bank. Her tail slashed along the water's edge, now covered in blood from the squid, but the dragon was all too content with her findings.

"I've always dreamed of flying on a dragon. I thought it'd feel like freedom," Ilian went on. He broke away from the cliff side and sat against a black rock to halt the shaking in his knees. "I never realized how...scary it might be."

Faine scoffed and sat down next to him. "Imagine when you're in the sky with other dragons, flying on the back of your own, and they decide that it's the perfect time to battle for dominance." The memory was one of her least favorites; it stirred up too many nightmares on otherwise peaceful nights.

Kaspar's dragon, Bizeot, a bull and the leader of the pack, had decided Tyvni was behaving out of line. "Don't tell me that after all that, your dragon is anything but ideal," Ilian laughed.