Chapter 66

I flew into the darkness as I gripped Samuel's weak body. The growing fire cackled behind me. I took a moment to look back, to see the destruction on of the castle. I hoped the king had a warm welcome home.

Samuel remained unconscious throughout the journey to Belmonte. We raced with the sun, attempting to make it back before the day.

We tied the race, landing just before the sun rose. I landed my extremely large body in the back grounds, careful not to take anything down with my touch.

My body shifted back. My fingers shrunk; my skin became smooth. I sat on my legs, setting Samuel's limp body from my arms to the snow. My naked cheeks grazed the snow, sending a shiver up my crack and the rest of by body. Everything shriveled into itself.

A small group of guards ran out from the castle, their swords were held high as they charged at me.

"Your majesty?" One guard questioned, slowing down. His eyes gazed up and down at me.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. We thought we heard a dragon. We thought we were under attack."

"Will you get my wife, please? And perhaps some clothes?"

"Right away, sir."

I scooped Samuel's limp body in my arms, carrying him into the castle.

Mavis rushed down from a tower, greeting me in the back entry. Her eyes were red, it seemed like the tears did not stop with our leave.

"Zander! Zander?" She stopped and studied me. What could she possibly be confused about? Samuel's body in my arms, or my entire body being exposed for the entire castle? It could have been anything, really.

I set Samuel on the ground. Lapis walked down, dressed elegantly as always.

"Zander! I heard you have... Zander, I support promiscuity, but don't you think flaunting about with everything hanging out is a tad too much?"

A guard brought me a fresh set of clothes, and I clothed myself immediately. The chills still lingered after I was fully clothed.

"What's happening? Where is Daniel? Why is Samuel here? What did you do?"

I knew I had a lot to explain to them.

"First things first. Guards, take him to the dungeon. Shackle him tight and watch him. Do not let him escape. Do not leave him alone. He is very resourceful and will find a way out if there is one."

"Yes, sir." The guard said, scooping Samuel up.

"Can you tell us what's happening?"

"Let's go upstairs."

We followed each other up to the meeting room. Nothing had changed since I left, except the absence of Orion. I remembered the first time I had them in there, everyone thought I was making a grave mistake. Perhaps I was. Perhaps I should have never let him in. Perhaps the suffering wouldn't gnaw at my insides.

"Now that you've made yourself decent, do you mind telling us what happened?" Lapis said.

I didn't want to relive it. I didn't want to think about the loss, the attempt to move forward.

"The snowstorm was hard to get through, but we managed to push through. We didn't make it into Salkon until the next morning. We fought hard, but we.. We lost some people."

"Daniel? Is he alright?"

"Yes, Daniel was fine. I ensured of that. Charles, Galen, Johnny, are all fine."

I proceeded to tell them about the battle, I told them about going to the Salkon castle, and pleading a deal with the king. How I asked him to surrender, and after much debate, he agreed on terms. Terms that included not killing anymore innocents. I told them how I found Johnny, sword deep in the guts of a young villager.

"That doesn't sound like Johnny. I can't believe she'd disobey direct orders."

"The Salkon king must know by now our betrayal. He will be angry, he will come for us once Salkon regroups."

"What are we going to do? And how did that lead to Samuel's body in your arms?" Mavis asked. Lapis studied me.

"Zander, you said Charles, Daniel, Johnny, and Galen were alright. But you didn't mention Orion."

My stomach twisted and pulled at itself. My words were like a lump caught in my throat. I tried to push them out, but it stained me. I didn't want it to be real. I wanted Orion to march back in with Daniel. I wanted to embrace him and tell him everything would be alright. But things weren't alright; who's to say they will ever be.

"The battle did come with a great loss.. Orion.. He died fighting Salkon soldiers. Daniel told me. I saw him moments before he.." My voice trailed off, reliving the flashbacks of his warm hand in mine, then feeling his hand go limp.

"Zander, I am so sorry."

I didn't know what to say after that. My words were taken, my heart was broken.

"Did he ever know how much you loved him?" Lapis asked.

"Yes. I told him the night before. We kissed, we were happy for a few hours. Before Salkon and Vendov took it from me. I was broken, I was enraged. I instructed everyone to go back here, and I went to Vendov alone."

"Went to Vendov alone! You could've been killed! How did you make it out?"

"I went to kill the king. I wanted him dead for being the reason Orion was gone. He wasn't there, so I got the next best thing; his dragon boy."

"You kidnapped Samuel from Vendov?" Lapis asked.

"Yes."

"That is, and pardon my language, the most bad ass thing anyone has ever done. I can't believe you made it out alive, let alone kidnap Samuel Skyes." Lapis said, folding her hands.

"I think I can control the dragon now. Something in me changed after Orion. I don't need to be in fear to change it. The drive to protect everyone.. I can dictate that feeling now. I turned back when I got here, hence why I was naked in the snow."

"Well, at least that had a reasonable explanation, I thought they struck you with Dread Dew again and you were losing your mind." Lapis said.

"Not quite."

"Zander, that's a lot to take in. Are you sure you're alright?" Asked Mavis.

"I'm not alright. I don't know when I will be alright. But I know is that Samuel Skyes is in the dungeon, and I have some interrogation to do. I will avenge Orion, one way or another."